Two months passed.
In a plaza in Ice Snow City, many people were seen gathering together. There were about 600,000 in total. Although there were a lot of people, they were neatly standing in lines and no one made any noise. It was as if all 600,000 of them were well-trained soldiers.
Nevertheless, all of their gazes radiated a glow that was filled with excitement and hope.
Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu were standing among the crowd. Compared to two months ago when they first arrived at Ice Snow City, while they still looked the same, they had grown tremendously in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
Xiao Wu secretly spoke to his friend, “It’s no wonder people always say that a cultivator shouldn’t always remain in seclusion. In the past two months, we’ve had some competitions with our fellow cultivators, which helped improve our Dao of Spirit Arrays. It seems that we have to communicate with other cultivators more often in the future.”
Zi Xiao shared his sentiment, “You’re right. In the Origin Returning Realm, there are many whose mastery over the Dao of Spirit Arrays is much greater than ours. It’s incredible.”
Xiao Wu grinned meaningfully, “Anyway, our dream has come true as we can follow Senior Void to the Outer Universe. I wonder what the Outer Universe is like.”
Over the past two months, Ice Snow City had constantly been bustling with noise as there were countless competitions and tests the registrants had to go through. The two young men had overcome many hurdles and even though there were times when they failed, they had showcased their exceptional talents in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
Now, they were still just novices in the Dao of Spirit Arrays; however, their potential for growth was unquestionable as Nanmen Da Jun had personally given them a pass.
The filtering process lasted for about two months. Selecting 500,000 people out of several dozen million was a difficult task. In order to achieve this, all the disciples in High Heaven Palace became involved. Besides them, the disciples of Ice Heart Valley, Fire Dragon Palace, and Full Sky Sect in the Northern Territory had provided countless human and material resources.
Even the disciples from major Sects in the Eastern, Southern, and Western Territory had come over to help. That was how they managed to filter so many people and got to the figure Yang Kai required.
In the end, the number was still more than 600,000 instead of 500,000, but that didn’t really matter as Yang Kai needed more people to help build Void Land.
These 600,000 people were not necessarily the most powerful cultivators in the Star Boundary, but they were the best when it came to talent and aptitude in all fields. Their presence would bring new life and development to Void Land.
At the other end of the plaza, Hua Qing Si gazed at Yang Kai and said, “Palace Master, everything is ready.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Activate the array.”
Upon receiving the order, Hua Qing Si fished out a communication artifact and passed on his word.
The next instant, Nanmen Da Jun, who was standing in the plaza, took out an array jade and infused his Emperor Qi into it.
A rumbling sound was heard coming from the ground as though a beam of lightning had flashed through it. In the plaza, patterns started glowing and soon engulfed all 600,000 people.
All of them had already received advanced warning, so they relaxed their guard and didn’t resist.
The glow intensified, and there came a moment when the light exploded. When the light dissipated, all 600,000 people from the plaza disappeared as they were put inside the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai made a grabbing gesture and took back the Sealed World Bead from the Void. Then, he extended his hand towards Nanmen Da Jun and put him inside as well before turning to Hua Qing Si, “Head Manager, I’ll entrust all the matters in the Star Boundary to you, then.”
Initially, he wanted to bring Hua Qing Si with him as well; after all, she had managed High Heaven Palace for many years. If she went to Void Land, she could continue developing her managerial skills, which would save Yang Kai time and energy.
However, she refused. There were still several tens of thousands of disciples in High Heaven Palace, and if she were to leave, the Sect would become leaderless; therefore, she insisted on staying here, and Yang Kai respected her wishes.
Fortunately, Second Manager Bian Yu Qing was willing to come with him. With her managing Void Land, Yang Kai could rest assured.
With a solemn expression, Hua Qing Si replied, “Palace Master, don’t worry. This Mistress will take good care of High Heaven Palace and the Star Boundary.”
Yang Kai said with a smile, “Don’t let your duties hold up your cultivation. We’ll meet again in the Outer Universe one day.”
Although he had brought many people with him, he had also left behind a large amount of resources for those who would remain. Many of the resources he had obtained in the Outer Universe were not suitable for the cultivators in the Star Boundary, but that didn’t mean all of them weren’t. On top of that, there were already a lot of resources in the Star Boundary that hadn’t been discovered.
Over the past two months when the applicants were being filtered, Yang Kai didn’t sit idly in his home. He had gone out and explored all of the Star Boundary to look for cultivation resources. With the help of these resources, and with the World Tree strengthening the Star Boundary and repairing its World Principles, he believed that many powerful cultivators would emerge in the Star Boundary in the near future.
The Star Boundary was like the rear base for Void Land that could continuously provide talented people. The only shortcoming was that the two places were quite far apart.
“Palace Master, I’ll not disappoint you.”
“En, I’ll take my leave now.” Yang Kai stepped forward and leaped into the air.
On the ground, Hua Qing Si saluted him in an elegant manner, “Safe travels, Palace Master.”
In Ice Snow City, countless people shouted, “Safe travels, Senior Void!”
Yang Kai turned his head and gently waved his hand at them. Following that, he took one step forward and disappeared.
This time, he hadn’t only brought with him 600,000 cultivators who were experts in different areas, but also many Emperor Realm Masters.
In the Northern Territory, the top cultivators from High Heaven Palace included Yu Ru Meng, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, Xiao Xiao, Liu Yan, and Qiong Qi. There were also Gui Zu, Chi Yue, Ai Ou, Bian Yu Qing, and the others who were all Emperor Realm Masters.
Top cultivators from Ice Heart Valley included Bing Yun, Ji Yao, An Ruo Yun, and Sun Yun Xiu. There were also Li Jiao from Fire Dragon Palace and Mi Qi from Full Sky Sect.
In addition, there were also top cultivators from Serene Soul Palace in the Eastern Territory as well as Star Soul Palace and Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory.
Besides them, there were also the three Divine Venerables and their Monster Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands as well as the Stone Spirit Clan and Wood Spirit Clan members.
It could be said that besides the Masters in the auxiliary professions, all the most powerful cultivators from the Star Boundary had also gathered together in the Small Sealed World, to say nothing of the fact that the Great Emperors were also among them.
This time, Yang Kai had practically hollowed out the heritage of the Star Boundary.
However, the World Tree was rapidly repairing the Star Boundary, so the remaining cultivators would be able to grow significantly alongside the Universe World in a short period of time as they bore witness to the rise of the reborn Star Boundary. Following the Star Boundary’s vigorous growth, many new top cultivators would emerge.
A moment later, Yang Kai appeared in the periphery of the Star Boundary.
Lu Xue and the others, who had been standing guard in this place, hurriedly moved forward and cupped their fists, “Sir!”
Yang Kai nodded before turning to look at one of them, “Hei He, I have a task for you.”
“Sir, please give the order.” Hei He sported a solemn expression.
“Remain here and safeguard this Universe World’s safety. If you dare to slack off, the punishment will be severe!”
Despite the fact that Hei He was reluctant to take up this task, he still had to agree to it, so he nodded and declared, “I’ll not disappoint you!”
Although he was much stronger than Yang Kai, he had left his name and aura on the Loyalty List; hence, he couldn’t disobey this order. Otherwise, Yang Kai could just scratch his name out using Xie Zhi’s horn, which would kill him on the spot.
Yang Kai had swept up almost all the top Masters from the Star Boundary, so he had to leave someone here to protect the Universe World; after all, Void Land was far away from the Star Boundary, and there wasn’t a way for the two places to communicate with each other quickly. If the Star Boundary fell into danger, he wouldn’t be able to provide assistance.
Hei He was a powerful Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so with him standing guard here, he should be able to deal with most of the difficulties.
With that said, Yang Kai knew that even though Hei He immediately agreed to this order, he likely wasn’t sincere. The reason he took on this task was that he was restricted by the Loyalty List.
With a faint smile, Yang Kai decided to sweeten the deal, “500 years. You’ll just have to stay here for Five 500 years. As long as you don’t make any mistakes, I’ll return your freedom to you. I swear it upon my Dao Seal.”
Hearing that, Hei He was stunned before he appeared pleasantly surprised. Hurriedly, he cupped his fists and replied, “Many thanks, Sir! This Hei will definitely do everything in his power to ensure the safety of this Universe World!”
As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, 500 years was neither too long nor too short for him, so he could wait. Moreover, Yang Kai had sworn upon his Dao Seal, so he would surely keep his promise.
Then, Yang Kai told him to fish out his own Star Chart and marked the location of Void Land on the chart. If Hei He came across any unresolvable crisis, he should immediately head to Void Land and inform him about it. Naturally, he agreed to it respectfully.
After all the arrangements were made, Yang Kai turned his head to look at the gigantic tree in the Star Boundary for a moment before he flew off in a particular direction.
Since he had dealt with the matters in the Star Boundary, it was time he headed to the new Demon Realm.
When he left in the past, he separated the Demon Realm’s territories from the Small Sealed World and formed a new Demon Realm. The Embodiment was left there to take charge of it and presently, there were still many Demons living in that place, which included the Demon Saint Bei Li Mo and Demon Dragon Chang Tian.
He didn’t intend to bring the Demons to Void Land as, after the Two Worlds Great War, countless Humans and Demons had lost their lives, forging a blood feud between the two that was unresolvable. If he brought the Demons to Void Land, there might be some unwanted conflicts.
Nevertheless, he could bring Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian with him. One of them was a Demon Saint while the other had a Dragon Clan bloodline. Since both of them were already on Demon Saint level Masters, they had to jump out of their Universe World if they wanted to continue their cultivation.
The new Demon Realm and the Star Boundary were in the same Great Territory. At that time, in order to prevent the people from these two places coming into contact with each other, Yang Kai chose a place that was far from the Star Boundary before separating the territories from the Small Sealed World.
However, given his current understanding of the Outer Universe, Yang Kai realised that the two Universe Worlds were not really that far apart.
A few days later, he passed through a large area of void and looked around, then he appeared doubtful.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the newly formed Demon Realm should be here, but once he reached his destination, the Demon Realm was nowhere to be seen. Yang Kai was puzzled and even doubted that he might have gotten the location wrong.
The new Demon Realm had taken the form of Gun-Gun, but it was a Universe World after all, so it wasn’t supposed to move easily.
[Has something happened?] Yang Kai suddenly had a bad premonition. Then, he emptied his mind and sensed his surroundings.
Embodiment was in charge of the Demon Realm, and the two of them had an unbreakable connection. As long as they were not too far apart, they could detect one another.
A moment later, Yang Kai turned around and shot forward in a particular direction.
A few days later, Yang Kai’s trio had already crossed billions of kilometres and he could feel that he was getting closer to the Demon Realm.
All of a sudden, Lu Xue exclaimed, “Sir, there’s something going on over there!”
She was more powerful than Yang Kai, so her eyesight and perception were also stronger than his. That was how she could discover things before he could.
Yang Kai turned to look at her and asked, “What’s going on?”
“There’s a ship chasing after a… Universe World?” Lu Xue sounded uncertain.
Having an idea, Yang Kai asked with a frown, “What kind of Universe World?”
With an awkward expression, Lu Xue illustrated, “It looks like a big fish with a rounded tummy… That’s strange. Why is this Universe World able to move? It’s as if it has its own sentience.”
Yang Kai’s face sank.
A Universe World that looked like a fat fish could only be the new Demon Realm.
When he separated the Demon Realm from the Small Sealed World in the past, the new Demon Realm took the form of Gun-Gun. That was because Gun-Gun was born as the Embodiment used the Heaven Devouring Battle Law through the Small Sealed World. Therefore, the Demon Realm retained the shape of Gun-Gun, and it was for of this reason that the Embodiment had to be in charge of this place. The relationship between the Embodiment and the Demon Realm was identical to that between Yang Kai and the Small Sealed World.
It wasn’t easy for other Universe Worlds to move around, but it was a different case for the new Demon Realm. With Embodiment taking charge, he could move Gun-Gun in any direction as he pleased.
However, where did that ship come from?
“Can you find out more about the ship?” Yang Kai asked in a grim voice.
Lu Xue shook her head, “It’s too far away. I can only faintly see it.”
This couldn’t be helped. The fact that she could discover the ship in her current location was already the best she could do. If she wanted to find out more about the ship, she would have to get closer.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai summoned his Shadowless Veil and covered the three of them. Then, they stealthily moved forward.
Although the Demon Realm was moving, its speed wasn’t high. The ship behind the Demon Realm was slowly following it. In just one day, Yang Kai’s group reached a spot that was about a thousand kilometres away from the ship.
In order to not expose themselves, Yang Kai didn’t dare to get any closer. Even though Shadowless Veil was not bad, it had its limits. Before finding out whether there were any Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master on the ship, he had to be careful.
They were still pretty far apart as there was a distance of a thousand kilometres, but the view was completely unobscured in the void, so they could clearly see what was going on in front of them.
After observing it for a moment, Lu Xue said in a solemn voice, “Sir, I’m worried that there’s at least one Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master aboard that ship.”
“Why do you say so?” Yang Kai asked.
Lu Xue explained, “This is a pretty extraordinary ship. Even if a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master could drive it, it would be a huge burden, one they couldn’t shoulder for long. Only a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master could operate such a ship with ease.”
Yang Kai’s heart sank. The people in the ship must be ill-intentioned to be chasing after the Demon Realm. Now, it seemed there was at least one Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master inside the ship. It wouldn’t matter if he was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm or below as Lu Xue was now a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as well, so she could deal with him. But what if that person was a Sixth-Order Master?
In that case, even if they summoned Hei He over, they wouldn’t be able to defeat the other party. Yang Kai wasn’t even sure why the ship was pursuing the Demon Realm.
While he was puzzled, Gun-Gun’s gigantic figure shuddered, whereupon a crack appeared on its back. A person soaked in blood shot out through the crack as a Universe World’s illusory phantom flashed across his back.
Yang Kai’s expression turned gloomy.
That person was apparently an Open Heaven Realm Master, but judging from his Small Universe’s illusory phantom, he was just a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. Other than that, the only thing that was certain was that he wasn’t from the Demon Realm.
In other words, the people in the ship were attacking the Demon Realm. Now, the barrier of the Demon Realm had broken, and a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master had passed through it and left.
“Demon Qi…” Lu Xue’s expression turned serious as she could see that the person soaked in blood was engulfed in Demon Qi, “Is he from Grand Demon Heaven?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai was astounded.
Grand Demon Heaven was one of the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and it was highly likely that Mo Sheng was from Grand Demon Heaven. If the people in the ship were really from that great force, things would be thorny.
As they spoke, the person soaked in blood had already returned to the ship. The next instant, two figures dashed out of the ship and moved through the crack in Demon Realm before disappearing.
“I see.” It appeared that Lu Xue had realised something, then she said in a hushed voice, “Sir, I guess they’re trying to devour the Principles and World Force of that Universe World to strengthen their own Small Universes.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted.
Lu Xue explained, “Sir, you’re still an Emperor Realm cultivator, so you’re not aware of it, but after one becomes an Open Heaven Realm Master, he or she has to ascend to the next Order if he wants to become stronger. However, it’s extremely difficult to do that. That will take hundreds, if not thousands, of years of accumulation under normal circumstances. Take this Mistress as an example. I ascended to the Fourth Order 600 years ago and have been taking Open Heaven Pills regularly since then. Nonetheless, there were no signs that I’d achieve a breakthrough. I estimated that it would still take me a hundred years before I could reach the Fifth Order.”
“Such a long time!” Yang Kai already knew that it wasn’t easy for an Open Heaven Realm Master to reach the next Order, but the time it took was longer than he had expected. Lu Xue’s aptitude must be excellent; otherwise, she couldn’t have ascended directly to the Fourth Order. Hence, it would also take others roughly the same time.
Lu Xue went on to say, “Besides swallowing Open Heaven pills, there are other ways to strengthen one’s Small Universe. To an Open Heaven Realm Master, the richer the heritage of their Small Universe, the greater a force they can wield.”
Yang Kai nodded as it wasn’t difficult to understand. An Open Heaven Realm Master had to make use of the World Force, the foundation of which lay in their Small Universe. The stronger their Small Universe, the greater the power that they could use.
“Therefore, after a cultivator ascends to the Open Heaven Realm, the most important thing for them is to continuously increase the heritage of their Small Universe. Consuming Open Heaven Pills is the most common way, and even though it’s slow, it’s pretty safe. Apart from that, there’s also a more extreme method, which is to devour the Principles and World Force of a compatible Universe World and refine them.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Is it just like what we’re seeing?”
“Yes.” Lu Xue nodded her head, “However, there’s a downside to this method. That’s because the Principles of every Universe World are different. If a person rashly consumes and refines them, it might have different degrees of impact on their Small Universe. It won’t matter if the impact is negligible, but if the impact is large, it might even decrease a cultivator’s power. Therefore, rarely anyone would use this method to increase their strength as it’s too risky.”
“But that doesn’t mean no one will do it.”
“Sir is correct. If a person can find a Universe World that perfectly matches his or her own heritage, there won’t be any problems. For example, after you ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, then the best Universe World for you to consume is the world you’re from. That’s because your foundation was built in that world, so that world’s Principles perfectly match your heritage. Of course, if you really do that, the Principles of the world you’re from will be broken. The more you swallow, the more unstable that world will become. As time passes, it’ll become a dead Universe World.”
A shocked Yang Kai questioned, “Has anyone done that before?”
With a solemn expression, Lu Xue nodded, “Yes, such a thing happened frequently in ancient times. However, it’s pretty rare now. One of the reasons is that as long as one isn’t an extremely wicked person, they won’t do such a thing. After all, even if swallowing the Principles of the world they are from helps them grow strong, the amount isn’t too significant. Secondly, Universe Worlds typically have their own Great Emperors. Although the Great Emperors are weak by Outer Universe standards, they have obtained the World’s Will of their respective Universe World and are able to make use of its World Force. Therefore, they’re like Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in their own Universe World. So, it isn’t easy to devour the Principles of such a world. Lastly, in the 3,000 Worlds, most of the Universe Worlds are protected by great forces. If a person rashly swallows the Principles of a world, it will cause a war.”
Upon that realization, Yang Kai said, “So, a Universe World without the protection of a great force is always at risk.”
The Great Territory that the Star Boundary was in was pretty remote, and there weren’t any great forces around, so this area was not managed by anyone, which was why it was attractive to some ill-intentioned people.
Lu Xue nodded her head, “If I’m not mistaken, the Principles of that Universe World must match well with the Small Universe of the ship’s owner, which is why he’s been relentlessly sending his subordinates to invade the Universe World. He wants to take control of it.”
“Since he’s a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, why doesn’t he personally make a move?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
The most powerful people in the Demon Realm were Embodiment, Chang Tian, and Bei Li Mo. Two of them had received the blessings of the World’s Will in the Demon Realm and the other could display similar power, so they were only as strong as Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters while their enemy was a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. If the ship’s owner made a move, those in the Demon Realm wouldn’t be able to resist.
Lu Xue explained, “If he makes a move, he’s bound to be involved in a desperate battle. By then, the Principles of the Universe World might be broken, which won’t benefit him.”
She paused for a moment, then asked, “Sir, what does this Universe World have to do with you?”
It was apparent that Yang Kai had come all the way here to look for this Universe World. She wasn’t a fool, so she had somewhat figured it out.
Yang Kai replied bluntly, “That Universe World is mine.”
A glint flashed through Lu Xue’s eyes, “In that case, we can’t sit back and do nothing. Now, we have to find out how powerful the ship’s owner is.”
That was a difficult task. Unless they proactively revealed their whereabouts, they couldn’t find out the true power of the ship’s owner.
Guo Zi Yan asked, “Sir, do you want to summon Hei He?”
Faced with a formidable enemy, it was better to have two Fifth-Order cultivators than only one.
“It’s too late.” Yang Kai shook his head. It wasn’t certain how long this battle had lasted, and the Demon Realm was in a perilous situation. Even if they summoned Hei He, it would take him ten days to arrive.
“I’ll go over,” Lu Xue suggested.
Yang Kai shook his head, “No. What if the ship’s owner is a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? If that is the case, you’re basically courting death. Judging from what he’s been doing here, whoever this ship’s owner is must be a vicious person, one who won’t be easy to deal with.”
Lu Xue however replied with a smile, “He’s focused on that Universe World now, so even if he’s a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he won’t be willing to be held up by me. Furthermore, even if I can’t defeat him, I can still run. Sir, you gave me a World Fruit, which saved me hundreds of years of cultivation and gave me hope of experiencing the wonders of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm in my lifetime. The favour I owe you is too great to ever be repaid. Now that you’re facing a problem, this Mistress is willing to do whatever she can to help.”
After giving it a long thought, Yang Kai advised, “You can go, but you have to bring this with you.”
Then, he gave Lu Xue two Space Beacons and told her how to use them. After a nod, she took them. With these Space Beacons in possession, even if she came across any danger, it was highly likely that she could flee.
Certainly, the prerequisite was that she would use them well. Space Beacons were made by Yang Kai, and they could only work in pairs. One Space Beacon was for positioning, and when the other was activated, the user could ignore the restriction of space and pass through the Void in an instant.
After keeping the Space Beacons, Lu Xue took the initiative to leave the Shadowless Veil.
Although there was a distance of 1,000 kilometres between both parties, such a distance was nothing for Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Therefore, as soon as Lu Xue exposed herself, she felt a formidable Divine Sense sweeping over her from the ship that was 1,000 kilometres away.
World Force undulated around her and it was apparent that she was revealing her power to attract the attention of the ship’s owner.
Seizing the chance, Yang Kai gritted his teeth and stealthily shot towards the Demon Realm with Guo Zi Yan.
In just a stick worth of incense, they reached the crack in the Demon Realm’s World Barrier. Turning their heads, they saw Lu Xue calmly landing on the ship.
Even though she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she had no idea about the true power of her opponent. By rashly entering another person’s ship, she was exposing herself to great risk. If that person wanted to harm her, she would fall into a perilous situation.
Knowing that she was trying to help him distract the enemy, Yang Kai stopped hesitating and plunged into the Demon Realm.
From the outside, the Demon Realm looked like a strange-looking fish, but the space inside it was expansive. Upon entering it, Yang Kai could feel that World Force was fluctuating violently, and the entire Demon Realm seemed to be trembling.
At the same time, a familiar aura connected with him. It was none other than Embodiment’s aura.
Embodiment was born after Yang Kai infused his Soul Clone into a Stone Spirit, so it could be said that Embodiment was his Soul Clone. Just like how Yang Kai was able to detect Embodiment within a certain range, Embodiment could do the same.
Upon sensing Yang Kai’s presence, Embodiment hurriedly activated his Divine Sense and sent him some messages.
Yang Kai went through them and immediately understood what was going on.
After Yang Kai left behind the newly born Demon Realm, Embodiment took charge of it, assisted by Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian. Afterwards, the Demon Realm went through rapid development.
Initially, everything was going well; however, just half a year ago, an unwelcome guest arrived at the periphery of the Demon Realm. The unwelcome guest was the ship Yang Kai had seen earlier.
After some probing, the people from the ship started attacking the Demon Realm. Certainly, Embodiment wouldn’t sit back and wait for death, so he joined forces with Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian to oppose these enemies. At the same time, he had Gun-Gun flee.
The pursuit went on for several months.
Embodiment, Chang Tian, and Bei Li Mo were far weaker than the Open Heaven Realm Master invaders; however, their status in the Demon Realm was equivalent to that of the Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. With the territorial advantage, they could mobilise the World Force of the Demon Realm and match the prowess of Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
By relying on the heritage of the Demon Realm, Embodiment and the others were able to resist their enemies. Nevertheless, their enemies were difficult to deal with as there were many people on their side. Although Embodiment and the Demon Realm Masters had injured many of the other party, they were not able to kill even a single person. On the other hand, their enemies were taking turns to wear them down. As soon as someone was injured, they would immediately flee and let their companions replace them.
That was the reason Yang Kai saw a blood-soaked Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master fleeing from the Demon Realm earlier.
After all, Embodiment and the others were too weak to stop a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master from leaving.
There were three people in the Demon Realm who had power on par with Demon Saints, so their enemies would always make sure there were five Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters to suppress them.
Presently, Embodiment was still able to fight; after all, he was a Stone Spirit who did not know fatigue. On the other hand, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo were exhausted and were already on their last legs. If Yang Kai hadn’t come, they would only have lasted for another month at best. By then, the Demon Realm would be occupied, and their lives would be at the mercy of their enemies.
It only took Yang Kai a short moment to go through all this information and upon learning about the current situation in the Demon Realm, he grinned.
After the Shadowless Veil was put away, he and Guo Zi Yan were revealed. Following that, he waved his hand, whereupon a figure appeared before his eyes.
The person was none other than Yu Ru Meng.
She still appeared to be in a groggy state as she wondered why Yang Kai let her out so soon, but she quickly realised that she was now in the Demon Realm. After all, she was a Demon Saint born in the Demon Realm who had obtained the World’s Will of this place, so she was closely connected to this world.
Upon realising that something was off, she furrowed her brows.
Yang Kai briefly told her what was going on in the Demon Realm and her eyes began burning with rage as her murderous intent surged.
After appeasing her, Yang Kai secretly communicated with Embodiment for a bit. Then, he informed Yu Ru Meng and Guo Zi Yan about his plan, to which the two of them nodded solemnly.
The next moment, an invisible force engulfed them. As Space Principles undulated, the three of them disappeared.
At the same time, in a battlefield that was several hundred thousand kilometres away, Embodiment, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian were separated by five Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as they waged a life-and-death battle.
Embodiment was now the owner of the Demon Realm, and he had mastered Wu Kuang’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Moreover, he didn’t have any flesh, so he knew no pain or tiredness; therefore, he was the strongest among the three of them. Presently, he was facing two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. He continuously roared and activated World Force to battle against these two Low-Rank Masters, horrifying his opponents as he seemed ready to sacrifice his life to kill them.
On the other hand, Bei Li Mo was held up by a petite woman, and she was unable to get rid of her. The woman was also a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, and even though they were in a one-on-one fight, the woman was still at an advantage. After all, Bei Li Mo had been fighting against the enemies for months without rest, exhausting and injuring her greatly. Presently, her face was extremely pale, and her body was covered in blood. Her dishevelled hair made her look quite miserable.
As for her opponent, she was like a cat toying with a cornered rat, clearly intent on wearing Bei Li Mo down even further.
Compared to Bei Li Mo’s relatively less dangerous battle however, Chang Tian was in a perilous situation. Just like Embodiment, he was faced with two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, and his enemies seemed determined to kill him as they continuously attacked with lethal moves.
Chang Tian had transformed into his true form. A ferocious and gigantic Demon Dragon was swimming through the sky, his eyes that were as big as two houses completely bloodshot. His sharp Dragon Claws were broken, and many of his Dragon Scales had fallen off. His extremely heavy Dragon Blood fell onto the ground and formed countless pits.
The three of them, who held the status of Demon Saints, were intentionally separated, making it obvious that their enemies intended to divide and kill them.
After they killed Chang Tian, these two Low-Rank cultivators could go over to help their companions. By then, both Embodiment and Bei Li Mo would be powerless to fend off their enemies.
Knowing that he was the key to the survival of the Demon Realm, Chang Tian went all out as he madly burned his Blood Essence.
The world seemed to have paled as the auras of World Force clashed with one another. The battlefield was surrounded by Void Cracks, and with the battlefield as the centre, the World Principles within a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres were broken.
Despite the fact that Chang Tian had done his best, there didn’t seem to be any hope of winning. His eyelids became increasingly heavy, and he was running out of energy.
He was already in the twilight of his life before this battle happened. Before the Demon Realm was devoured in the past, he already had his eyes on Yang Kai, who was forced to go to Hundred Spirits Continent, wanting to make him his successor.
If he still had a long life to enjoy, he wouldn’t have had this kind of idea.
He was basically burning his own vitality to sustain himself in this battle, and once it was over, regardless of the outcome, he would lose his life within a short period of time.
A moment of distraction revealed an opening in Chang Tian’s defence and the two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had sharp eyesight, so they would never let this chance slip through their fingers. One of them ran his hand across his blade and seemed to merge with it. After turning into a ray of light, he charged towards Chang Tian’s chest.
The sword light flashed and disappeared the next instant while Chang Tian’s Dragon Scales flew off and Dragon Blood splattered everywhere as a sword pierced right into his chest.
Chang Tian widened his eyes and clenched his chest muscles. Eventually, he managed to stop the sword before it reached his heart. He grunted in pain and raised his Dragon Claws in order to rip at his own chest.
Just then, the other Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master shouted and wielded his halberd, intercepting the huge Dragon Claws.
Time seemed to have frozen at this moment. Two Humans and one Dragon were locked in a life-or-death struggle. Chang Tian’s whiskers flapped in the air as he roared and madly drew upon the World Force of the Demon Realm.
Knowing that they were at the most critical moment, the two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters focused all their strength into their attacks.
Chang Tian was unable to move his Dragon Claws, but the sword in his flesh was slowly advancing towards his heart. As the sword moved forward, the piercing sound of a weapon squeezing through flesh was heard.
All of a sudden, Chang Tian widened his eyes and looked over his enemies in shock, as though he was seeing something inconceivable. His originally listless gaze beamed with a glow.
At the same time, the two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were in a deadlock with Chang Tian, were terrified as they felt chills running down their spines.
The sword-holding Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master hurriedly turned his head, only to see a burly man appearing behind him with a huge axe. Following a grin, the man directly hacked at him with his weapon.
The Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was horrified. The attack was menacing, and judging from the aura of the man’s World Force, he was clearly a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The one being attacked was also a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
[Where did this guy come from?]
Engulfed in the aura of death, the sword-wielding man quickly attempted to withdraw his blade in to defend himself; however, his sword was stuck in Chang Tian’s flesh, so it was difficult for him to withdraw it swiftly.
Left with no choice, he abandoned his sword and performed a hand seal before raising both of his palms. The Small Universe’s illusory phantom flashed across his back as the World Force surged out.
Following a loud boom, he was struck by the axe and immediately turned pale and sprayed out a blood mist. He could feel that his Small Universe was trembling violently and the weltering vitality in his chest made him feel like throwing up.
Normally, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a pitiful state after just one attack; after all, he was just as powerful as Guo Zi Yan. However, he was unable to use his full strength or primary weapon as he was struck with a sneak attack. Given the fact that he could only hastily parry the attack, he was extremely lucky that he hadn’t been killed on the spot.
After getting struck by an immense force coming from the front, he was sent flying backwards and crashed into Chang Tian, bouncing away before falling to the ground like a leaf blown about by a storm.
*Hou!*
Following a Dragon Roar, Chang Tian opened his great maw, which was full of fangs that were as sharp as blades. As endless darkness descended as he bit into the fallen man’s head.
*Ka!*
His skull broke apart as the headless corpse fell from mid-air and blood started spurting out of the wound on his neck.
In the blink of an eye, a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had lost his life. The turn of events was so sudden that before his companion could come to his senses, he was already killed.
Chang Tian didn’t know who Guo Zi Yan was, but since he had saved him at the most critical moment, he naturally wasn’t a foe. After killing one person, Chang Tian relentlessly spat out a Dragon Breath at the other Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
The Dragon Breath contained a power that could destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth. Usually, this man wouldn’t have cared about it; however, while he was being attacked by the Dragon Breath, Guo Zi Yan also hacked at him with his axe.
World Force rumbled.
This person’s expression changed slightly as he hurriedly swung his halberd to fend off Chang Tian’s breath. Then, he surged his own World Force and filled his weapon with it before parrying the attack from Guo Zi Yan.
Following a loud clang, the World trembled and appeared to be on the brink of falling apart.
Both were Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so neither of them could defeat the other party in a frontal exchange. Guo Zi Yan shuddered slightly as his face flushed. On the other hand, the other Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master did a backflip and turned around in mid-air before shooting towards the sky.
He was clever as he knew that he wasn’t a match for Chang Tian and Guo Zi Yan since the two of them had joined forces. If this battle dragged on, he would also lose his life; therefore, he decided to leave and inform the others on the ship.
As for his three other companions, he was unable to lend them a hand.
However, after he turned around, he saw an alluring woman looking smilingly at him. As their eyes met, the woman’s gaze radiated a shocking glow as though it had turned into a huge swirl that seemed able to suck his Soul into the endless abyss.
At that moment, he began hallucinating, but he could still hear the noises coming from the battlefield.
[Such a powerful Illusion Technique!] This man was stunned. He could sense that this woman was just an Emperor Realm cultivator, but the Illusion Secret Technique she used far exceeded what an ordinary Emperor could execute, which was why he, a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, accidentally fell into it.
[She must be a cultivator who focuses on cultivating her Soul!]
“Break!” He bellowed as his Divine Sense surged out, whereupon the illusion collapsed.
Yu Ru Meng grunted upon impact. Having her Illusion Secret Technique forcefully broken, she naturally suffered backlash. Her face instantly turned ashen, and she started staggering. Furthermore, blood started dripping from the corner of her eyes.
Given her strength, even though she had the blessing of the Demon Realm, it was extremely difficult for her to deal with a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master using an Illusion Technique.
Nevertheless, this brief moment was enough. Although she couldn’t stop the enemy from fleeing, she managed to hold him up for a breath’s time, and in battle, a breath’s time could determine whether a person would live or die.
All of a sudden, a gigantic Dragon Claw descended and grabbed the man. As the grip became increasingly tighter, this person appeared to be in excruciating pain as cracking sounds were heard coming from his body.
Turning his head, he saw that Chang Tian, who was sent flying away earlier by his halberd sweep, came back with a blood-soaked figure and restricted him with all his might.
On the other hand, Guo Zi Yan descended from the sky like a falling meteorite and hacked at him with his axe. Feeling the rich murderous intent, the person felt as though he had fallen into an ice cave.
He wielded his halberd and slashed at Chang Tian’s arm. The attack was so forceful that it almost broke Chang Tian’s arm, but he stubbornly refused to let his opponent go as he allowed his Dragon Blood to spurt out. Some of his bones seemed to have broken but he still clasped both of his claws together to fully restrict the enemy’s movements.
There was no way this person could flee. In despondence, he stared at the axe that was about to reach him. As the weapon flashed across his eyes, he could no longer feel anything.
Since Guo Zi Yan’s appearance, two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had lost their lives in just over ten breaths’ time; however, Chang Tian felt as if ten million years had passed. After the second enemy was killed before his eyes, his gigantic figure fell to the ground and shrunk as he turned back into Human form, his aura withering rapidly.
In fact, when the first Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was killed, the others on the battlefield also became aware of it.
The expression of the woman who was holding Bei Li Mo up changed drastically, but before she could find out what had happened, she saw a figure mysteriously appearing before her eyes.
Astounded, she quickly examined that person, but upon realising that he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, she breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the dishevelled Bei Li Mo exclaimed in surprise, “Yang Kai?”
The person who had come to lend her a hand was none other than Yang Kai. This was the plan he had come up with after a discussion with Embodiment. The reason was that Bei Li Mo’s opponent wasn’t powerful as she was only in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm. Given Yang Kai’s current abilities, he could deal with her.
Bei Li Mo was pleasantly surprised at first, but soon the colour drained from her face as she shouted, “Leave now! This person is as powerful as Great Demon God. We’re unable to defeat her!”
As though he hadn’t heard her, Yang Kai extended his hand and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear. Following a Dragon Roar, he impassively said, “So what if she’s as powerful as Great Demon God? It’s not like I haven’t killed him before.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a Golden Crow was heard cawing as a Great Sun suddenly leapt out from his back.
At that instant, the world seemed to be trembling.
Initially, the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master didn’t have any regard for Yang Kai and after he appeared, she nonchalantly tossed an artifact that looked like a handkerchief to cover him, expecting that to be enough to deal with this annoyance.
However, as soon as she saw the Great Sun, she began shuddering and exclaimed, “I-Is that… a Divine Manifestation!?”
Without hesitation, she flew backwards for several dozen kilometres.
Yang Kai had already thrust out his spear. The Sun merged with the tip of the spear and struck the handkerchief artifact. In an instant, a huge hole was blown through it and without losing any momentum, Yang Kai flew across several dozen kilometres in an instant.
At that moment, the woman’s vision was filled by the Golden Sun. With a great yell, she madly drew upon her Small Universe and protected herself with her World Force.
*Hong…*
The Sun disappeared as Yang Kai turned pale while the Second-Order woman was sent flying away like a sack.
Bei Li Mo was dumbfounded as she couldn’t believe her eyes.
Yang Kai, an Emperor Realm Master, was able to send an enemy she could only look up to flying away, which went to show how insanely powerful he had become. It had to be noted that Yang Kai was a Great Emperor in the Star Boundary, so he couldn’t receive any of its blessings in the Demon Realm. The reason he was able to knock his opponent flying was purely thanks to his own power.
[Has he also reached the realm Great Demon God was in?]
While Bei Li Mo was in a dazed state, she heard Yang Kai yelling at her, “What are you doing standing around!? Kill her now while she’s injured!”
Then, she could see that Yang Kai had already reached the woman in one stride. As he wielded his Dragon spear, he sent out innumerable spear shadows that seemed to engulf the woman.
An excited Bei Li Mo dragged her figure forward and shot towards the battlefield. After she joined forces with Yang Kai, they put the woman in a tight spot and forced her to keep retreating.
When Yang Kai showcased his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation for the first time in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Zhao Bai Chuan commented that with it he could already battle against a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master even though he was just an Emperor Realm cultivator.
Although Zhao Bai Chuan was just a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had an acute eyesight, and his remark was spot on.
‘Golden Crow Casts the Sun’ was incredibly powerful and even a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be able to withstand it without taking serious damage, not to mention that the woman was just in the Second-Order. Upon impact, she became severely injured.
However, it took a lot of energy for Yang Kai to use his Divine Manifestation, so it didn’t last long. After the Great Sun disappeared, Yang Kai’s power also shrank significantly.
The woman dragged her injured figure and dealt with it with difficulty, but upon realising that Yang Kai wasn’t as powerful as he appeared to be, she set her mind at ease and said through clenched teeth, “Damn brat, I’ll kill you!”
Her resentful eyes seemed to suggest that she was eager to skin Yang Kai alive and drink his blood.
The fact that she had been wounded by an Emperor Realm Junior was humiliating. After sending Bei Li Mo flying away, she extended her claw towards Yang Kai.
With a pale face, Yang Kai staggered backwards, but he wasn’t able to get rid of her attack. Just as her claw was about to reach him though, Yang Kai suddenly flashed a wicked smile at the woman.
His smile was so eerie that the woman felt her chest tightening as she instinctively felt that something terrible was about to happen. The next instant, she saw the spear in Yang Kai’s hand disappear and be replaced by a bottle gourd.
After the lid was opened, a stream of multi-coloured light streamed out of the bottle gourd and came at her in all directions. The aura coming from the light made her feel horrified.
As though her neck had been clenched by an invisible hand, the woman exclaimed in horror, “Yuan Magnetic Divine Light! A Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light!”
No longer having the guts to fight Yang Kai, all she wanted to do was flee; however, she had just closed the distance with him, and they were now only a couple dozen metres apart, so how was she supposed to flee in time?
Moreover, as soon as Yang Kai summoned the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, he pushed his Space Principles madly.
Near Distant Horizon!
In an instant, the local space warped as the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light engulfed the woman in the blink of an eye.
A shriek was immediately heard as the Divine Light slashed across the woman, flaying her skin like a million invisible knives, revealing her red flesh.
The Small Universe’s illusory phantom appeared behind her and the woman madly surged her World Force to protect herself and fend off the attack.
Unfortunately, she was just a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so how was she supposed to resist the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light? Even though the Divine Light was of a single Element, its Order was vastly superior to the woman’s Elements.
In the past, when Yang Kai used the Divine Light in Seven Wonders Land, even Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were not able to resist it for a long time, to say nothing of the fact that this woman was only in the Second-Order.
Initially, the Small Universe behind her was vibrant and full of vitality, but it soon began withering. That was because she had expended too much World Force, which damaged the foundation of her Small Universe.
An Open Heaven Realm Master’s heritage lay within their Small Universe, so once it was damaged, the impact on them was incalculable.
Engulfed in the Divine Light, the woman was resisting with difficulty. Her Small Universe was trembling, and it seemed that it would break apart in a few breaths.
“Spare me!” The woman parted her lips and begged for mercy.
An unfazed Yang Kai just stared coldly at her though, determined to end her life.
Following a pop, which sounded like a bubble bursting, the Small Universe behind the woman fell apart and dissipated.
As her Small Universe was washed out by Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, it shattered and broke apart.
Her Open Heaven Realm’s aura began plummeting as her cultivation regressed from a Second-Order Master to a mere Emperor Realm cultivator.
The next instant, the woman’s physique seemed to have been pared by a knife as her flesh fell off layer by layer. Even her five viscera and six organs turned into the most insignificant dust, leaving a skeleton that still seemed defiant against Yang Kai.
After Yang Kai retracted the Divine Light, the skeleton cracked and broke into pieces.
A dumbfounded Bei Li Mo stared dazedly at the bottle gourd in Yang Kai’s hand, her expression transformed by horror.
Even though she wasn’t sure what the mysterious light that came out of the bottle gourd was, she knew that it must be a horrifying weapon; otherwise, it couldn’t have killed an opponent she could only look up to in such a short period of time.
When the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master lost her life, Guo Zi Yan and Yu Ru Meng had also settled their opponents. Both parties killed their respective targets at almost the same time.
Without stopping, Guo Zi Yan, Yu Ru Meng, and Yang Kai shot towards Embodiment, Bei Li Mo became startled for a moment before following them.
Presently, Embodiment was battling against two people on his own. One of them was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master while the other was a Second-Order. He was in a dangerous situation as he had to deal with two people at the same time. Cracks had been formed in his figure, and the chips scraped off from his body scattered everywhere.
The relationship between Embodiment and the Demon Realm was equivalent to that between Yang Kai and the Small Sealed World. In this Universe World, he was the ruler who could use a power that far exceeded his own.
It could be said that the power Embodiment could use was much greater than that of Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian, which was why he could persevere for such a long time.
When Yang Kai and the others appeared, the two enemies noticed it and became shocked, wondering where these people had suddenly come out of.
In just over ten breaths’ time, their companions had all lost their lives, which horrified them. Seeing as Yang Kai and the others were charging towards them like ferocious tigers, they wouldn’t dare to remain. After trading glances, they pushed out their palms against Embodiment before shooting towards the sky.
Embodiment roared and let the attacks strike him without dodging, all so he could madly activate the World Force of the Demon Realm and use it as an invisible cage to trap them.
At that instant, the two Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to break free immediately, and they appeared to be in a despairing state.
Before they could escape their predicament, Yang Kai and the others had reached them, thereby making them unable to flee.
The following battle tilted heavily in one party’s favour. Guo Zi Yan alone was able to deal with the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, while the other Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was no match for Yang Kai and his companions.
Just one hour later, the battle ended. Still reeling from shock, Bei Li Mo panted heavily. It was the first time she directly battled against Open Heaven Realm Masters and despite the fact that she could mobilise the World Force of the Demon Realm, she still couldn’t see any hope of defeating her opponent earlier.
At the outset of the Two Worlds Great War’s final battle, she had been knocked out by Yang Kai, so she had never fought with Great Demon God. That was the reason she hadn’t experienced the true might of an Open Heaven Realm Master before.
If it weren’t because her opponent wanted to toy with her without trying to kill her directly, she would’ve lost her life by now.
Up until this point, she still didn’t understand what kind of realm these people were in and why they were so powerful.
Yu Ru Meng’s face was also pale. Just now, she cast an Illusion Technique to deal with a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and after her technique was broken, she suffered a serious backlash.
On the other hand, Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan were far better off. The former had an extremely firm foundation while the latter was powerful; hence, they could easily deal with this kind of situation.
However, after the war that had lasted for months, the World Principles in a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres of this place had been broken, and countless mountains had been crushed. This area had practically turned into a purgatory.
Such an epic battle had caused some serious damage to the foundation of the Demon Realm and without hundreds if not thousands of years, it would be impossible to recover.
The Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had been killed by Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan, while the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was on his last breath. Presently, all his strength had been restricted. With a pale face, he was kneeling on the ground. Guo Zi Yan was holding an axe that radiated a cold glint at his neck’s.
Yang Kai calmly walked over and looked down at him in a condescending manner.
The person shuddered and pleaded in a shaking voice, “S-Sir, please spare my life. I was forced to do this. Please don’t kill me!”
Yang Kai directly landed a kick on him, which caused him to collapse to the ground, and pressed his foot against the man’s chest. Then, he exerted more force with his foot, whereupon the sounds of bones cracking were heard coming from the man’s chest. Feeling excruciating pain, the man despaired.
“Answer my questions. If you dare speak nonsense, I’ll make you beg for death!” Yang Kai glared at him. His hideous expression was that of a savage thug.
Suppressing his fear and pain, the man hurriedly nodded.
A moment later, Yang Kai finally figured out what was going on.
Just like what Lu Xue had speculated, the ship’s owner was indeed a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master; however, he was only in the Fifth Order, not the Sixth Order. Furthermore, this Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was severely wounded.
Yang Kai was still doubtful earlier. Since the ship’s owner was a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, and he coveted the Principles and World Force of the Demon Realm, why didn’t he personally make a move? If he did so, no one in the Demon Realm could go against him.
The reason Lu Xue gave him was that the might of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm was too terrifying, and if he accidentally destroyed the Principles in the Demon Realm, they wouldn’t be beneficial to him. That was the reason he kept sending his subordinates to suppress those in the Demon Realm.
However, now it seemed that her speculation was off. The real reason was that the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was seriously injured, and it wasn’t convenient for him to make a move.
The ship’s owner was called Old Ancestor Mo Yu, and he was the Sect Master of Black Feather Sect which occupied a Spirit Province in a somewhat distant Great Territory, so it could be said that he was a big shot.
Mo Yu was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was equivalent to Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch, and he had several Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as his subordinates. Hence, Black Feather Sect could be considered a somewhat powerful Second Class great force.
The Sect Master was a savage person, and many of his disciples were also ferocious rogues. One year ago, one of Mo Yu’s favourite descendants was out for a walk in a certain Star City with his subordinates when he laid eyes on a woman and began tailing her. After she left the Star City, he stopped her with the intent to violate her modesty.
Certainly, the woman wouldn’t let him have his way, and she had many bodyguards as well, so the two parties argued before clashing with one another.
After the battle, all of the woman’s bodyguards were killed, and she was kidnapped by this Young Lord as they returned to Black Feather Sect.
It wasn’t the first time this Young Lord had kidnapped women, and usually, he wasn’t held accountable; unfortunately for him, this time, the woman he targeted had an extraordinary identity. She was the childhood sweetheart as well as the fiancée of a Young Pavilion Master from a Second Class great force, Rising Heavens Pavilion.
Black Feather Sect and Rising Heavens Pavilion were situated in the same Great Territory, and they were not on good terms. Their respective disciples often clashed with one another outside of the Sects, and there would be people losing their lives every year, so irresolvable grudges had been formed between the two parties.
Upon learning that his fiancée had been kidnapped by the debauched Young Lord, the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion was so incensed that his eyes turned bloodshot. Naturally, he had to storm into Black Feather Sect to get his revenge.
Not only was his son’s fiancée’s virtue and life at risk, Rising Heavens Pavilion’s face was also at stake, which was why the Pavilion Master was infuriated as well.
Usually, there were some small conflicts between the two Sects, where not many of their disciples lost their lives, so they could still begrudgingly coexist; however, this incident could never be tolerated.
Moreover, the woman wasn’t ordinary in her own right. Since she could get engaged to a Young Pavilion Master, she naturally also came from a powerful family.
In fact, she came from a neighbouring Great Territory and was the daughter of the Leader of another Second Class great force, Flying Flower Boat. This time, she had received her Mother’s order to head to Rising Heavens Pavilion to discuss some matters.
It could be said that the Young Lord of Black Feather Sect’s one act had managed to offend two great forces at the same time.
Upon receiving the news, the Leader of Flying Flower Boat was livid and immediately mobilized her forces to barge into the neighbouring Great Territory.
And so, a great war was ignited.
Since Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat had joined forces, there was no way that Black Feather Sect could defeat them despite the fact that they had a rich heritage. If it were a normal conflict, there would’ve been some room for negotiation; however, this matter was deeply related to the two Sect’s reputations, so there was no way to de-escalate.
The only way to settle this was with blood!
After resisting with difficulty for half a year, the Grand Array of Black Feather Sect was broken, which was followed by a horrifying close-quarters melee. Countless disciples from Black Feather Sect lost their lives, and Old Ancestor Mo Yu became battered and was forced to flee from his Sect. He was seriously wounded in that battle, and even now he hadn’t recovered.
Of course, the Leaders of Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat wouldn’t let Mo Yu off, so the two great forces divided their troops and began pursuing their hated enemy.
Two years had passed since that epic battle. During this period of time, those from Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat had been relentlessly hunting Mo Yu, giving him no time to recuperate and forcing him to choke down his anger and grievances.
Left with no choice, he could only keep running; otherwise, he wouldn’t have arrived in this far-off Great Territory. The Great Territory that the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm were in was an extremely remote area in the known 3,000 Worlds. It was an area with little to no valuable resources, so rarely would anyone visit this place.
Usually, Old Ancestor Mo Yu wouldn’t bother to come to such a backwater place; however, he had no other choice as he was on the run.
As he wandered around this Great Territory, he accidentally discovered the Demon Realm and became elated. That was because he could sense that the Principles and World Force of this Universe World matched almost perfectly with his own Small Universe. If he could devour this Universe World, he could heal his injuries and even strengthen himself somewhat.
Even if he couldn’t get his revenge, he would stand a greater chance of fleeing.
Certainly, he didn’t have any regard for a mere Universe World, so he sent his subordinates to suppress it; however, the fierce resistance from Embodiment and the others was beyond his expectation. A few months had passed, but he still couldn’t seize control of it.
That was when Yang Kai and his companions appeared.
Upon hearing this man’s explanation, Yang Kai frowned as he hadn’t expected that there was so much going on behind the incident.
“Sir, I’ve told you everything I know. Please spare my life!” The Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master clearly feared death, so after he was done with his explanation, he kept begging with a terrified expression.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before asking, “You said that your Old Ancestor Mo Yu is severely injured, right? How much of his power can he exert now?”
With a bitter expression, the man replied, “I don’t dare to speculate on such a matter…”
Yang Kai snorted, “Cut the crap and tell me what I want to know!”
“60%? Perhaps 70%.”
After a nod, Yang Kai moved his foot away from the man as a glint flashed across his eyes.
The severely wounded Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was a wicked man, so it wouldn’t cause any psychological burden to Yang Kai to kill him. More importantly, since he was the Sect Master of the Black Feather Sect, he must have brought all the Sect’s valuables with him when he fled.
It had cost Yang Kai a massive amount of resources to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array in Void Land, and even though he had made a fortune in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he couldn’t bear the depletion of resources at such a speed. Furthermore, he was bringing 600,000 people from the Star Boundary to Void Land. These people would need cultivation resources as well.
Perhaps he could get his hands on the Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s wealth here.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly sensed something and turned his head to look at Embodiment. Presently, Embodiment was seated with his legs crossed, circulating a certain Secret Technique. Following his move, the Void Cracks that had appeared due to the epic battle were restoring themselves rapidly, and the broken World Principles within a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres were also getting repaired at an incredible speed. Moreover, the depleted World Force was being replenished.
Yang Kai was lost for words, and after communicating with Embodiment a bit, he was amazed.
After the battle, four Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives. Three of them were Third-Order, while one of them was Second-Order. The corpses of these Open Heaven Realm Masters were destroyed, and some of them had even turned into dust; however, when their Small Universes broke apart, the Principles and World Forces all leaked out.
These invisible powers filled the battlefield, so through the Demon Realm, Embodiment activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and was amazed to learn that he could absorb these powers directly.
That was the reason the broken Principles were getting restored rapidly, and the World Force was being replenished as well.
This reminded Yang Kai of the battle in Seven Wonders Land previously. After those Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed, their World Force escaped from their bodies and some of it was assimilated by Seven Wonders Land.
Yue He said that the World Force that leaked from their bodies could enhance the heritage of Seven Wonders Land and make it more prosperous. That was how those Cave-Heavens and Paradises became so powerful. After their Masters passed away, their Small Universes would break apart, and their World Force would get infused into their Headquarters. As time passed, those Cave-Heavens and Paradises slowly developed into such formidable great forces.
Now, it seemed that what was happening in the Demon Realm was similar to what happened back in Seven Wonders Land.
However, there was a huge difference between the two. At that time, many Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives in Seven Wonders Land, and many of them were Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters; nevertheless, despite the fact that a lot of World Force was released into the air, there was not much that Seven Wonders Land could absorb. Most of it was wasted and dissipated into the void.
Nonetheless, it was a different case in the Demon Realm. The entire Universe World was built on the foundation of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so with Embodiment in charge, he could activate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and absorb all of the leaked World Forces.
Demon Saints like Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo were able to detect the tiniest changes in this Universe World, so they soon appeared to be surprised. As Embodiment continued with his movements, the transformation was getting more conspicuous.
Initially, Yang Kai was hesitant, but after realising the great transformation the Demon Realm was going through, he made up his mind and turned to look at the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Then, he said with an amiable expression, “We’ve had a long chat, but I haven’t found out what your name is.”
That man replied in a shaking voice, “S-Sir, my name is Ma Yuan De.”
Yang Kai nodded his head and fished out the Loyalty List from his Space Ring. After turning to page three, he passionately said, “Come. Use your Blood Essence and leave your name and aura here.”
An incense stick late, Ma Yuan De turned into a ray of light and shot into the sky.
At the same time, on the ship that was in the periphery of the Demon Realm, Old Ancestor Mo Yu was seated in the host’s seat while Lu Xue was seated across from him. Both of them seemed to be having a delightful conversation.
From the looks of it, they appeared to be old friends, but Mo Yu secretly felt bitter. When he detected a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s presence with his Divine Sense earlier, he was truly horrified, thinking that those from Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat had found him.
He almost decided to flee; however, after some quick examination, he realised that the person was unfamiliar to him. He was certain that he had never met her before.
Not willing to give up the chance to heal his wounds, Mo Yu suppressed his doubts and stayed put. After communicating with each other from a distance, he realised that this Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had nothing to do with Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat. She was actually one of the Managers of Sword Pavilion.
He was aware of Sword Pavilion, and he had even come into contact with its Leader several times, so he knew that it was a powerful great force he could not afford to offend.
After probing for a bit, he realised that Lu Xue could answer all his questions correctly, and upon confirming her identity, he set his mind at ease.
Since she wasn’t from Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat, there was nothing he needed to fear. He was an acquaintance of the Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion, so he knew that it would be impolite of him to shut Lu Xue out; therefore, he invited her aboard his ship.
He had never come into contact with Lu Xue before, so he wasn’t sure about her temperament. Naturally, he wouldn’t dare to expose the state he was in. Therefore, when they were communicating, he had suppressed his injuries so he would not appear weak or frail when they met face to face.
As they spoke, Mo Yu repeatedly hinted that he was in the midst of something important and really couldn’t entertain her for long; however, Lu Xue was unfazed as though she didn’t understand him, which made him slightly displeased.
With that said, she was just as powerful as he was, so he wouldn’t dare to flare up at her.
Just then, Mo Yu felt something and turned his head, only to see a figure rapidly approaching his ship. A blood-soaked man landed on the deck and shouted in excitement, “Report!”
Mo Yu raised his head, and upon seeing that the person was his subordinate Ma Yuan De, he became elated and shouted, “Come in!”
Ma Yuan De respectfully entered the cabin and swept a glance around. A hint of surprise flashed through his eyes when he saw Lu Xue, but he soon cupped his fists and said, “Old Ancestor, we’ve completed our task!”
Old Ancestor Mo Yu already had this speculation, but upon confirming it, he still guffawed and praised his subordinate. Then, he looked at Ma Yuan De with a joyful expression and said, “All of you have made a significant contribution. This Old Ancestor will reward you handsomely later!”
A joyful Ma Yuan De replied with a fawning smile, “It is the duty of this subordinate to share Old Ancestor’s burdens, so I won’t dare to ask for any rewards.”
After stroking his slightly ruddy face, Mo Yu turned to look at Lu Xue, “Elder Lu, as you can see, this Old Master has something to attend to…”
With a faint smile, Lu Xue rose from the chair, “Since you have other matters to attend to, this Mistress will take her leave.” Certainly, she wasn’t willing to simply depart; however, if she insisted on staying, the other party’s suspicions would be aroused. Just when she was pondering on what she could do next, she saw Ma Yuan De imperceptibly giving her a hint with his eyes.
After giving it a thought, she understood his message and set her mind at ease.
“En, safe journey, Manager Lu. When this Old Master is free in the future, he will head to Sword Pavilion and pay you a visit,” Mo Yu said respectfully.
With her lips pressed together, Lu Xue smiled faintly, “This Mistress and Pavilion Master will await your arrival.”
A moment later, Mo Yu stood on the deck as he looked into the distance and watched Lu Xue leave. It wasn’t until he could confirm that she was really gone that he could finally relax, then he waved his hand, “Bring us down.”
Then, the ship passed through the crack in the World Barrier and arrived at the Demon Realm.
The aura of the Universe World whisked across his face, and upon closely feeling the Principles and World Force of this world, Mo Yu became ecstatic as he realised that it was a little different from what he felt previously. This world seemed to be even more suited for him than he had expected. If he could devour the power of this world, not only could he heal his wounds, but his power would also increase.
Certainly, he couldn’t ascend to the Sixth-Order, but it would save him at least a hundred years of hard cultivation.
Such a revelation made him feel over the moon. Since his good-for-nothing son’s scandal was exposed two years ago, everything seemed to be going wrong for him. Finally, he could turn things around on this day.
This pleasant surprise made him have the urge to throw his head back and laugh at the sky; however, the next moment, his pleasant surprise turned into horror.
A vine that radiated a light of seven colours extended from the Void. More surprisingly, the aura of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm could be felt wafting from the vine. Wherever the vine passed, the space collapsed and the surrounding world trembled.
[An ambush!] Mo Yu felt his heart clench in his chest as he could sense the horrifying power coming from the vine. Then, he bellowed and, ignoring his injuries, activated the Grand Array of his ship.
In an instant, a green light barrier appeared around the ship.
The vine lashed the light barrier and caused a loud bang. The light barrier lasted for only one breath before cracking apart like a broken mirror.
It wasn’t that the defence of his ship was weak, and usually this kind of attack could not have broken its protective barrier; however, over the past two years, Mo Yu had been pursued by the top cultivators from Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat. After more than ten battles, the Grand Array around the ship had been severely weakened, and in the last battle, it was even shattered.
After some patchwork repair, the Grand Array was able to start running again, but its power was less than 20% of that at its peak, which was why it couldn’t withstand this one attack.
*Kacha…*
The vine didn’t stop and lashed the middle of the ship, smashing its midsection. The entire ship was almost broken in two. Upon impact, the Low-Rank cultivators on the deck exploded into blood mist without even being able to cry out.
Mo Yu sprayed out a mouthful of blood, but that was because his wounds had been irritated after he forcefully activated the ship’s defence rather than because he was injured by the blow.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a figure hurriedly trying to escape from the ship and bellowed, “Ma Yuan De, how dare you betray me?!”
The person dashing out of the ship was none other than Ma Yuan De, who reported the ‘good news’ to him. As an experienced man, Mo Yu immediately figured out that he had fallen into a trap. Ma Yuan De must have decided to betray him after he was offered some benefits.
Suppressing the weltering vitality in his chest, Mo Yu pushed out a palm in rage.
Ma Yuan De was only a Second-Order Open Heaven Master, so how was he supposed to parry a raging attack from Old Ancestor Mo Yu? The attack struck his back as the violent World Force penetrated his physique and assaulted his Small Universe, which severely injured him in an instant.
With his face turning ashen, Ma Yuan De sprayed out pieces of his five viscera and six organs as he fell from the ship. He lost all his aura before he even hit the ground.
Although Old Ancestor Mo Yu was seriously wounded and couldn’t fully display his true might, a Second-Order Open Master like Ma Yuan De was unable to counter his raging attack.
He lost his life after just one attack.
Mo Yu didn’t even bother to take a look at his corpse. As a thought flashed through his mind, the gigantic ship immediately moved backwards. He was a decisive man, so upon learning that he had fallen into an ambush, he knew that he was unable to turn things around, so he decided to flee instead of fighting.
However, Embodiment, Yu Ru Meng, and Bei Li Mo were already well prepared. As soon as Yang Kai activated the gourd vine, they mobilised the World Force in the Demon Realm. As the three of them yelled at the same time, the World Force madly streamed towards the ship. At that instant, the speed at which the ship was moving slowed greatly as the space around it became as thick as mud.
Without any defence, the ship started cracking. Even though it had slowed down though, it was still steadfastly retreating.
Although three Demon Saints of the Demon Realm had joined forces, they were unable to stop their opponent from leaving, which went to show that a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was truly powerful.
Seeing as the ship was about to leave the coverage of the World Force, they were flustered; however, regardless how hard they tried, they were unable to stop the ship.
According to Yang Kai’s plan, they had to stop their opponent from leaving the Demon Realm with their collective power so that they would have a chance to kill him; therefore, they couldn’t let him go easily.
At the most critical moment, a nearly 1,000-metre-long Dragon that was surrounded by Demon Qi swam across the sky and attempted to grasp the ship with his gigantic Dragon Claw.
Chang Tian had come to lend them a hand!
“Stop him!” Old Ancestor Mo Yu bellowed and widened his eyes. Dealing with Embodiment and the others was taking all of his energy, and his wounds had been irritated just now; hence, he was completely powerless to stop Chang Tian’s attack.
Fortunately, he wasn’t the only Open Heaven Realm Master on the ship.
Besides the five Open Heaven Realm Masters that Yang Kai had seen in the Demon Realm, there were three more Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters aboard the ship now.
Following Mo Yu’s growl, the three Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters finally came to their senses and activated their World Force as they sent out Divine Abilities to attack Chang Tian.
The Dragon was heard wailing as blood spurted out of his giant figure along with bits of his flesh and scales.
After just one breath, Chang Tian was sent flying away. His huge figure writhed in the air and crashed into a mountain, which instantly collapsed.
Fortunately, he managed to hold up his opponent for a moment, giving Yang Kai the opportunity to summon the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and open the lid, whereupon a profound multi-coloured light burst forth from the artifact.
“That’s…” Upon realising the Order of the mysterious light, Mo Yu became horrified as he couldn’t understand why such a powerful artifact would appear in this damned place.
Without any defence, the ship was immediately damaged by the Divine Light while the Open Heaven Realm Masters had to use all their might to resist its horrifying power.
As the auras of World Force undulated, waves of energy clashed with one another.
Despite all that, the ship was still rapidly leaving the Demon Realm. Presently, more than half of the ship was already outside the Universe World and in just a few breaths’ time, it would break free from the trap.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth, and with bloodshot eyes, he attempted to look for something in the void. It wasn’t until he saw a cold flash of light expanding before his eyes that he breathed a sigh of relief.
[She’s finally here!]
The cold flash was completely silent, but it soon turned into a colossal sword wave and slashed across the ship.
“What?” Old Ancestor Mo Yu was flabbergasted.
Sensing the terrifying power behind this attack, he leapt off the ship without hesitation. Without him taking charge, the ship, which had lost all its defence, was unable to withstand such an attack.
The sword light silently slashed across the middle of the ship as well as a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was trying his best to resist the Divine Light, before fading.
The violent battlefield descended into a moment of eerie silence as only some heavy panting was heard coming from everyone’s mouths.
Following a crack, the ship broke in half, with a smooth cut running across a large section of it. Besides that, a line of blood appeared on the forehead of the cultivator who was struck by the sword light earlier.
After he realised something, his eyes were filled with horror and fluster. Then, he tried to turn around and cried out, “Old Ancestor, save me!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the line extended downwards until it reached the part between his thighs.
Following that, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. Just like the ship, this Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master split in two in mid-air as his five viscera and six organs scattered everywhere. He lost his life just like that!
It wasn’t until this moment that the other two Low-Rank Masters came to their senses and exclaimed as they moved to the sides and examined themselves. Upon confirming that they were fine, they heaved a sigh of relief.
Looking up, they saw a woman whose clothes were flapping in the wind appearing in the crack in the World Barrier. There was a cold water longsword in her hand, and she sported a frosty expression on her alluring face.
“Elder Lu!” Old Ancestor Mo Yu said through clenched teeth. Despite the fact that he was infuriated, he could only suppress his rage as he yelled, “What’s the meaning of this!?”
The woman who had destroyed his ship as well as his subordinate and appeared before him was none other than Lu Xue, who had left not long ago.
[Why is she here? How did she come back so soon?] Countless questions flashed through Mo Yu’s mind.
Lu Xue replied impassively, “Mo Yu, you’re fully aware of what’s going on, so what’s the point of asking the obvious?”
The corners of Mo Yu’s eyes twitched as he said through gritted teeth, “The predator has become the prey. This Old Master is willing to admit defeat, but there are two things that I don’t understand, so I hope you’ll enlighten me.”
Lu Xue stared silently at him without the intention to say anything.
Yang Kai stored the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and grinned meaningfully, “Just ask away if there’s anything you don’t understand. Don’t worry. I’ll let you understand everything before you die.”
After finishing his words, he waved his hand, whereupon Guo Zi Yan, Embodiment, Yu Ru Meng, and Bei Li Mo pounced on the two remaining Low-Rank Masters.
The two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters exclaimed and hurriedly parried their attacks as the two parties descended into a melee.
Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s face twitched as he took a look at his last two subordinates who were in the Open Heaven Realm. After hesitating between lending them a hand and standing idly by, he turned to look at Yang Kai and demanded, “Who do you think you are to speak to this Old Ancestor?”
As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he naturally had no regard for an Emperor Realm Junior like Yang Kai. Since the beginning, Lu Xue had been his only enemy. As long as he could persuade her to let him off, he would be able to flee.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xue dispassionately answered, “He is my Young Master.”
Hearing that, Old Ancestor Mo Yu became shocked as he sized Yang Kai up and asked hesitantly, “Are you the Young Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion?”
He couldn’t be blamed for having this kind of speculation. After all, Lu Xue was also one of the Elders in Sword Pavilion. The person she would call ‘Young Master’ could only be the Young Pavilion Master.
“Sword Pavilion?” Yang Kai snorted, “I destroyed it long ago. Sword Pavilion ceased to exist more than ten years ago.”
“What?” Old Ancestor Mo Yu widened his eyes and stared at Yang Kai in disbelief. Then, he turned to look at Lu Xue as though he was trying to get some confirmation from her.
However, he couldn’t tell anything from her indifferent expression. Seeing that, he was astounded. He now believed that Sword Pavilion had really been destroyed.
At that instant, he was drenched in cold sweat. He had personally witnessed how formidable the Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion was and there were a lot of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in Sword Pavilion. The collective power of Sword Pavilion was far greater than that of Black Feather Sect.
[Who is this young man? To be able to destroy such a great force! Is he the son of an Elder from one of the Cave-Heavens or Paradises?]
Both shocked and doubtful, he no longer felt disdainful of the young man.
Yang Kai looked smilingly at him, “Mo Yu, didn’t you say you have two questions? Ask away now, or you’ll never have that chance again.”
An incensed Mo Yu took a deep breath to settle his raging emotions before asking, “I want to know why you’re making things difficult for this Old Master. If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time we have met, and there are no grudges between us. Why must you force me to my end?”
“Making things difficult for you?” Yang Kai smiled and opened his arms wide as though he was trying to embrace the entire world, “This Universe World is mine. You’re raising chaos in my land and even coveted this world’s Principles and World Force. You’re the one making things difficult for me, not the other way round.”
Old Ancestor Mo Yu became startled for a moment before he stammered, “T-This must be a misunderstanding. Initially, I thought that this was an ownerless place. If I knew it had an owner, I wouldn’t have made such a rash move.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Since you’ve done such a thing, there’s no point explaining. Things have come to a point that only one of us can live!”
Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s face fell as he suppressed his fury and turned to look at Lu Xue, “My second question is, Elder Lu, how did you return so quickly?”
He was completely certain that Lu Xue had left, which was why he dashed into the Demon Realm without worries; however, not long after he barged into the Universe World, she came back and struck him from behind. Even though Lu Xue was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it should be impossible for her to move around so swiftly.
This was something he could not figure out. If it weren’t because of her attack at the last moment, he could’ve fled from the Demon Realm instead of getting trapped here with no way to save himself.
“It’s none of your business,” Lu Xue replied impassively. The reason she could come back so quickly was that she had made use of Space Beacons. Earlier, before leaving, she secretly left behind a Space Beacon in the void, and at the most critical moment, she activated the Space Beacon and returned in an instant before sending out that horrifying attack.
The Space Beacons were given to her by Yang Kai as he was worried that the ship’s owner would be too powerful. With these items in possession, Lu Xue could easily flee. None of them could have expected that the Space Beacons could be used in such a way at the most dangerous moment.
Hearing her reply, Old Ancestor Mo Yu was infuriated as a myriad of expressions came over him.
“Mo Yu, you can just speak calmly. Why do you pretend to be so infuriated? You’re a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so I don’t believe that you’ll lose your cool so easily.” Yang Kai looked mockingly at him, “You’re putting on a show and being verbose in order to stall for time and restore your aura, right? However, you’re still injured, so what does it matter if you’re given more time?”
The fury behind the Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s eyes dissipated as he looked solemnly at Yang Kai, “Since you’ve seen through this Old Master’s intentions, why are you playing along?”
Yang Kai calmly looked at him, “Because I have to stall for time as well.”
A horrified Old Ancestor Mo Yu immediately scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense, only to hear Yang Kai saying, “Don’t worry. There’s no other ambush. All of our strength is right in front of you; however, it isn’t hard for us to deal with you.”
Both shocked and doubtful, the Old Ancestor Mo Yu wondered what Yang Kai was stalling for. In a despairing state, he sported a ferocious expression as he snarled, “Brat, this Old Master admits that he is no match for you, but it doesn’t mean I’m completely powerless to resist, so it isn’t easy for you to kill me. If this Old Master goes all out, I can easily destroy half of this Universe World. Since this is your territory, I’m sure you don’t want that to happen.”
“En, you’re probably right about that.” Yang Kai nodded gently, “The attack from a desperate Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master is not to be underestimated.”
Old Ancestor Mo Yu snorted, “This Old Master will admit defeat. Just tell me what you want. As long as I can give it to you, I’ll not haggle over it.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Old Ancestor, you’re mistaken. The reason I’ve lured you into my trap isn’t that I covet your wealth; instead, I want your life!” Upon finishing his words, he suddenly sported a hideous expression. He appeared like a starving ferocious beast that had his eyes on its prey.
Old Ancestor Mo Yu bellowed, “Boy, why are you insisting on killing me? What will you get out of it to have both parties harmed?”
“We’ll see if you’re capable of doing that!” Yang Kai scoffed.
Just then, a shriek was heard. It was one of the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Black Feather Sect who was killed by Guo Zi Yan and Embodiment.
This Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was already caught in a trap, so his morale was low to begin with. On the other hand, Guo Zi Yan was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he was stronger than his opponent to begin with. With Embodiment’s assistance, it was easy for him to kill this lone enemy.
After one fell, Guo Zi Yan and Embodiment directly pounced on the last Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Presently, that person was held up by Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo. Initially, he could still deal with them, but after Guo Zi Yan and Embodiment joined the battle, he felt immensely pressured, like a lone ship in a raging storm as the ship might capsize at any moment. Desperate, he exclaimed, “Old Ancestor, save me!”
At the same time, Yang Kai bellowed, “Begin!”
A sword light flashed as Lu Xue became one with her blade and turned into a ray of light before slashing at Old Ancestor Mo Yu’s head.
Mo Yu gritted his teeth and performed a hand seal. Then, he pushed out his palms and summoned two mysterious lights. The lights criss-crossed one another and became an artifact that looked like a pair of scissors before trying to cut through Lu Xue. At the same time, he bellowed, “Brat, since you don’t want me to live, I’ll not make things easy for you either!” Then, he madly surged the might of his Small Universe and clashed with Lu Xue.
Loud booms were heard as the stunning battle between two Fifth-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters took place. At that instant, the world seemed to have turned upside down, and the Principles were rapidly shattering apart.
Just like what Old Ancestor Mo Yu had said, even though he was no match for Lu Xue in his current state, she also couldn’t end his life in a short period of time. With two Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters fighting against one another in the Demon Realm, it would have a huge impact on this Universe World.
That was the reason rarely any Open Heaven Realm Masters would make a move in a Universe World as they might accidentally shatter the world. In the past, the Star Boundary was almost destroyed for this very reason.
Initially, Old Ancestor Mo Yu wanted to make Yang Kai cautious about acting lest he harm the innocent, but the latter didn’t seem to care one bit.
Huge Void Cracks started appearing. All of them looked like the mouths of ancient beasts, and the aura of nihility could be felt coming through the cracks.
Cracks were everywhere in the sky, and the ground was shaking violently. In just ten breaths’ time, the area within a radius of a hundred thousand kilometres transformed beyond recognition.
On the other hand, the Low-Rank Master from Black Feather Sect was suppressed by Guo Zi Yan and the others, and he was totally powerless to counterattack. In a despairing state, he begged for mercy. Naturally, Embodiment and the others ignored him and cast even more lethal moves.
Right then, Yang Kai came over with his Azure Dragon Spear in hand.
After he used Golden Crow Casts the Sun, a Sun leapt out from his back and cast a golden glow on the world. In the middle of the Sun, a Golden Crow was seen frolicking and cawing. Before the attack even reached the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, the menacing aura already terrified him to his core.
A weakness in his defence was exposed while he was flustered. Seizing the chance, Bei Li Mo landed a palm on his chest. As Ice Principles spread around, a layer of frost was formed on his chest, which made him unable to move.
The next moment, Azure Dragon Spear stuck his chest. A violent force was infused into his body through the spear, whereupon he sprayed out a mouthful of blood, and his expression became pale.
At this life-and-death moment, he gritted his teeth and madly burned his Blood Essence as his aura surged; however, before he could make a final struggle, Yu Ru Meng appeared before him as her eyes turned into an endless abyss, which sucked his Soul Avatar into it.
Embodiment came over and landed a palm on his head, which directly broke his skull.
The last Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master from Black Feather Sect was killed just like that.
Given their current strength, they shouldn’t have been able to kill these two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters with such ease. In the past, when Great Demon God made a fuss in the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors had to relentlessly fight back with all their powers and pay a hefty price before they could end his life. At that time, the Great Demon God showcased a power that was not weaker than that of the two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, things were different with Guo Zi Yan around. He was in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was at the peak of the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm. As long as his opponent wasn’t a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, he was practically peerless.
After the battle was settled, Embodiment directly sat down with his legs crossed. Just like what he had done before, with the entire Demon Realm as a medium, he started activating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
This time, four Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had followed Old Ancestor Mo Yu to the Demon Realm, and they were all killed. After their Small Universes collapsed, the Principles and World Force they had condensed wafted from their bodies.
With Embodiment making a move, the Heaven Devouring Battle Law madly absorbed the powers in the air and replenished the lost heritage of the Demon Realm.
The Void Cracks that had been formed due to the battle between the two Mid-Rank Masters were rapidly getting repaired, and even the broken Principles were stitched back together again.
Upon sensing the transformation in his surroundings, Old Ancestor Mo Yu exclaimed, “What is happening?”
An Open Heaven Realm Master could swallow the heritage of a Universe World to strengthen himself, and in the same way, if an Open Heaven Realm Master lost his life in a particular Universe World, the heritage of that place would be enhanced as well.
As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Mo Yu was fully aware of this; however, even if a Universe World could receive nourishment after an Open Heaven Realm Master passed away, it could only absorb a small portion of it. Most of it was wasted, and only 10 to 20% of it could be retained.
He had never expected that a Universe World could proactively absorb the World Force coming from dead Open Heaven Realm Masters. At this moment, this world seemed to have turned into a living creature, and it was as though it could gobble up all the World Force it was fed. This revelation made him shudder.
While he was in a dazed state, a sword light slashed across his chest and almost cut him into halves. He exclaimed and resisted with all his might. That was how he was spared the fate of getting killed on the spot. After the strike, his chest was covered in blood, and his flesh had rolled up. Through the wound, his heart was seen pounding. The situation he was in became increasingly perilous.
It was at this point that he understood why Yang Kai had to stall for time.
This eerie world was able to completely absorb the World Force from dead Open Heaven Realm Masters and repair its own damage at an incredible speed. Hence, his subordinates had basically become food for this world.
Yang Kai was stalling for time because he had to kill all the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as soon as possible. Only by doing so could he ensure that the world would not be destroyed by the battle between the two Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Upon that realization, Mo Yu became crestfallen. Initially, he wanted to showcase his immense power and let Yang Kai know the consequences of forcing him to his end; however, seeing as this world was rapidly repairing itself, he knew that there was no hope for him.
Both Lu Xue and he were in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm; however, while one was at the peak of her power, the other was severely injured. It was obvious which one of them was stronger.
In just a stick of incense worth of time, Mo Yu’s aura plummeted. Faced with Lu Xue’s relentless assault, he could only parry but not fight back.
He had repeatedly attempted to leave the Demon Realm, but Guo Zi Yan and the others were not there just to watch a show. They already surrounded the battlefield, and as soon as Mo Yu showed signs of fleeing, he would be suppressed, which made him feel so frustrated that he almost spat blood.
From time to time, Guo Zi Yan and the others would cast their Divine Abilities to tire him out.
The battle lasted for three days. Presently, the aura of Old Ancestor Mo Yu had completely withered while Lu Xue was panting heavily. Even though she had the upper hand from the start, it wasn’t easy to kill a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“This Old Master is willing to surrender! Little Friend, please spare my life! This Old Master will swear upon his Dao Heart that he will always obey your orders. If I go back on my word, I’ll die a horrible death!” Old Ancestor Mo Yu exclaimed with a livid expression.
However, Yang Kai remained indifferent to him.
The fact that Old Ancestor Mo Yu was willing to swear upon his Dao Heart suggested that he sincerely wanted to surrender, but Yang Kai didn’t really need him.
If Mo Yu hadn’t offended Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, Yang Kai might have taken him on as a subordinate.
He had the Loyalty List with nine pages in total, which meant that he could control nine people. Presently, only the names of Chen Tian Fei and Hei He were on it, so he could add another without much hesitation. Moreover, it was worth considering to take in a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
However, this guy was a mortal enemy of Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, so Yang Kai would only be inviting trouble to himself if he accepted him.
Void Land was in the early stages of building itself up, and the Nine Heavenly Layers hadn’t been completed yet. They were in the stage of rapid developments, so Yang Kai would be taking a huge loss if he were to protect a morally corrupt Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and become enemies with two Second Class great forces.
However, since Mo Yu had said such a thing, it suggested that he was already on his last legs.
Understanding this, Yang Kai extended his hand into the void and grabbed Azure Dragon Spear. Pointing the spear forward, he coldly ordered, “Kill!”
Half a day later, the battle ended, and the dust settled.
Yang Kai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked around, only to see that all the people who had taken part in the battle were wounded, including Lu Xue.
Even though the Old Ancestor Mo Yu was heavily injured, and wasn’t able to use the full extent of his power, he was still a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Therefore, it was difficult to deal with him while he was in a desperate state. Fortunately, the battlefield was in the Demon Realm, and the Demon Saints could join forces to assist; otherwise, if Lu Xue were on her own, it wouldn’t have been hard to defeat Mo Yu, but it would’ve been almost impossible to kill him.
After Old Ancestor Mo Yu passed, his Small Universe collapsed, and his Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm heritage dissipated into the air. Embodiment activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and madly absorbed it all into the Demon Realm.
With the addition of the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters that had been killed, the Demon Realm benefited greatly even though its foundation had been damaged.
The broken world was repairing itself, the Principles solidified, and the World Force became thicker.
All of them started healing their wounds on their own.
After storing the Azure Dragon Spear, Yang Kai turned to look in a certain direction. Then, he nonchalantly took a few steps forward and instantly reached the bottom of a collapsed mountain, where Chang Tian was seen with a shrivelled face and greying hair. Presently, he was seated with his legs crossed. Despite the fact that he appeared haggard, he still looked smilingly at Yang Kai.
Chang Tian was the most severely injured in the battle. He was already wounded before Yang Kai and the others arrived, and the ensuing battle exacerbated his condition.
Compared to the time before Yang Kai left, Chang Tian seemed to have aged by several hundred years. If he looked like a healthy middle-aged man in Yang Kai’s eyes in the past, he now looked like a frail old man.
Walking over, Yang Kai checked on him and furrowed his brows. Then, he fished out a pill from his Space Ring and gave it to him, “This will be useful to you.”
After taking it, Chang Tian examined it and was amazed, “Dragon Blood Pill? Moreover, this is an extremely high-grade Dragon Blood Pill. What a treasure!”
Following his praise, he tossed the pill back to Yang Kai, “I don’t need it. You should keep it. Your blood is related to the Dragon Clan, so this pill can enhance the purity of your Dragon Bloodline.”
The problem facing him wasn’t that he was wounded, it was that his vitality was reaching its limits.
He already didn’t have much time left to live, and he continuously burned his Blood Essence in the battle earlier, which further shortened his lifespan. Presently, the vitality in his body had withered, so he was just like a piece of dying wood.
His problem could not be solved by a Dragon Blood Pill. The only thing that could help him was a precious treasure that could extend his life.
Yang Kai stuffed the pill back into his hands, “I have many of these pills, so don’t turn me down.”
After giving it a thought, Chang Tian fell silent and nodded. Then, he gulped down the pill and slowly refined it. As the pill’s medicinal efficacies dissolved, his aura quickly stabilised.
Just then, Guo Zi Yan came over and said in a hushed voice, “Sir, we’ve found something in the ship.”
Previously, the ship was cut in two and fell to the ground. After the battle, Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue examined it and found something interesting.
When Yang Kai reached the ship, he saw a young man kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy with a trembling figure.
The young man had saggy bags under his eyes and a sallow face, so it was apparent that he was someone who indulged in wine and women. He was weak as he was only in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, but Yang Kai had a feeling that this man didn’t live up to the cultivation realm he was in. He seemed to be much weaker than Ma Yuan De.
Yang Kai realised something and asked, “Are you the Young Master of Black Feather Sect?”
When Mo Yu fled from Black Feather Sect, he brought many people with him; however, as he repeatedly battled against those from Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, many of his subordinates were killed. When he reached the Demon Realm, he only had eight Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm subordinates left with him.
Of these eight people, Yang Kai killed four and then released Ma Yuan De to lure his opponent into a trap. Later on, he also killed the remaining four Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters and the other much weaker cultivators.
Since this young man could survive, it suggested that his identity was extraordinary; moreover, judging from his clothes, he was clearly wealthy.
Yang Kai believed that this young man was the Young Master of Black Feather Sect because he couldn’t think of any other explanation. Since he was the Young Master, he could use a lot of resources to strengthen his cultivation; however, due to the limitations of his aptitude, he could only ascend to the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm. Moreover, since his foundation was unsteady and built upon countless resources, he was naturally weaker than Ma Yuan De.
As expected, the young man pressed his head against the ground and said apprehensively, “Sir, this one is Mo Ning. Please spare my life! Please spare my life!”
During the battle previously, he remained hidden in the broken ship as he watched the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Black Feather Sect being killed, and eventually, even Old Ancestor Mo Yu wasn’t spared, which made him feel horrified.
Nonetheless, he was trapped in the Demon Realm, so where else could he possibly go?
When Guo Zi Yan inspected the ship, he quickly found this Young Master.
Ignoring him, Yang Kai looked at the spot beside him with interest.
Besides Mo Ning, Guo Zi Yan had also found a woman in this broken ship; however, at this moment, the woman was frozen in a block of ice. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were on her chest. Her calm expression might make others think that it had been thousands of years since her death.
Nevertheless, after scanning her with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could detect the faint vitality in her body. In other words, this woman wasn’t dead.
The woman was certainly alluring. Moreover, her body was curvy, and her skin was fair. Despite her pretty face, she had a heroic air about her, which could easily make any man fall for her.
Yang Kai turned to look at Mo Ning and asked, “Is she the woman you kidnapped?”
Blood was streaming from the wound on Mo Ning’s forehead as he had repeatedly knocked his head against the ground. Upon hearing this question, he hurriedly replied, “Yes, Sir. She’s the daughter of the Boat Master of Flying Flower Boat. Her name is Shangguan Yu.”
“Did you turn her into this state?” Yang Kai knocked on the ice block and realised that it was pretty cold; furthermore, it seemed to be made from a strange material.
Mo Ning shook his head like he was a pellet drum, “Sir, this wasn’t my doing. She turned into this after she used a Secret Technique.”
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai snorted. He could sense that Shangguan Yu was just an Emperor Realm cultivator but the ice block that had engulfed her seemed to be on par with a Fourth-Order material at the very least. In other words, in order to melt this ice block, it would at least take a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master or a Fourth-Order Fire Element Power. Even if such a person were to act though, there was no guarantee that he could succeed in getting her out.
Perhaps the Secret Technique that Shangguan Yu had used had other restrictions. If a person forcefully broke it, other problems might arise. If not, given the fact that Old Ancestor Mo Yu was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he would’ve attempted to break it.
A terrified Mo Ning replied, “It’s true, Sir. I would never dare to lie to you! It was her own doing!”
With an awkward expression, Yang Kai stared at him, “So, you kidnapped her, but she’d used a Secret Technique and turned herself into this?”
“That’s right!” Mo Ning nodded repeatedly.
At that, Yang Kai was lost for words. In that case, it was tragic for Mo Ning. Instead of bedding a beautiful woman, he had invited trouble for himself. Because of a woman, his Sect was destroyed, and even his father was killed in a place that wasn’t his homeland.
“Sir…” Mo Ning carefully examined Yang Kai, “I’m willing to follow you and obey your every command! Please don’t kill me!”
Yang Kai looked down at him and scoffed, “Waste! After kidnapping a woman, you can do nothing but stare at her. What use would I have for you? Kill him!”
A flurried Mo Ning wanted to keep begging for mercy, but Guo Zi Yan moved away from Yang Kai’s back and hacked at him with an axe.
Following a shriek, Mo Ning was cut in two, unable to even parry a single attack.
Guo Zi Yan muttered, “So weak.”
He had ascended to his current realm from the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, but even if he was still in the Second-Order, he could kill ten people who were as weak as Mo Ning easily.
“Sir, what should we do about this woman?” Lu Xue asked, “Should we save her?”
“No!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. He was certain that a special technique was required to break this Secret Technique that Shangguan Yu had used. Otherwise, Mo Yu, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, would’ve attempted to get her out of it. If any accident happened when they were trying to save her, it would be troublesome.
In any case, she wouldn’t lose her life while she was inside this ice block.
She was the daughter of the Boat Master of Flying Flower Boat as well as the fiancée of the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion. If Yang Kai could bring her back to either great force, they would thank him.
Void Land had just been established, and if they wanted to gain a footing in the 3,000 Worlds, they were bound to come into contact with other great forces. Flying Flower Boat and Rising Heavens Pavilion were both Second Class great forces equivalent to Void Land. If they could build a good relationship with these two great forces, it would be beneficial for the future of Void Land.
Even if this plan fell through, he could still demand some benefits from these great forces. It required a lot of resources to build Void Land, and the 600,000 people he had brought with him were like a bottomless pit as they had to cultivate as well. Naturally, Yang Kai had to get prepared early.
After telling Lu Xue to take care of Shangguan Yu, he started going through the rewards this time.
Excluding other rewards, there were more than ten Space Rings from those Open Heaven Realm Masters. The rings of those Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could be ignored as those people didn’t possess a lot of wealth. Yang Kai was someone who had gone through the vicissitudes of life, so he didn’t care about their rings. The most important things were the three Space Rings from Mo Yu.
All the rings were filled with lots of resources, which made Yang Kai feel ecstatic.
The average Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master might not have such immense wealth. Nevertheless, Old Ancestor Mo Yu was different. He was the Sect Master of Black Feather Sect; moreover, before his Sect was about to be destroyed, he must have packed up all the valuable resources before he fled.
These were all the reserves of a Second Class great force. Even though there were not many precious items, there was a large number of ordinary resources. There were countless Open Heaven Pills, materials of different Orders, and other precious treasures and pills.
These items could solve the pressing issue that Yang Kai was facing.
Even though he had made a fortune in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, it required a multitude of resources to build the Nine Heavenly Layers. He believed that by the time the Grand Array was completed, most of the resources he had obtained in the Boundary would be gone. These spoils could be used by his 600,000 people for quite some time.
Six days later, Embodiment got to his feet, and following his movements, the entire world started buzzing.
After six days of refinement, the heritage of the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were killed in this world had been absorbed by the Demon Realm. Even though there was some wastage, it wouldn’t exceed 20%, which was an incredible ratio.
Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan looked at the Embodiment in amazement. Although they could be considered to be experienced people, they were still astounded by what they just witnessed.
Once an Open Heaven Realm Master passed away in a particular world, the World Force leaving their body would slowly assimilate into the surroundings, but that would take a long time. Moreover, only a small amount of it, 10 to 20% at most, could be absorbed while most of it would dissipate into the void and become wasted.
However, over the past few days, they could clearly feel that the heritage of those Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Black Feather Sect was barely wasted. Most of it was quickly absorbed by this Universe World.
[What kind of world is this? Just what is this Stone Man?]
Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue were not certain about this, but Yang Kai had received some clear feedback from Embodiment.
The Demon Realm had been damaged in this battle. After all, the fight between two Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had destroyed a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres. Nevertheless, compared to the damage, more benefits had been gained.
The death of the eight Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could already make up for or even surpass the loss, not to mention the World Force from Mo Yu, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The reason Mo Yu had his eyes on the Demon Realm was that he could feel that this world was a perfect match for his Small Universe. If he could seize the Demon Realm, he could devour its Principles and World Force. By doing so, not only could he heal his wounds in a short period of time, but his strength would also increase.
Unfortunately, his plan was ruined by Yang Kai. Instead of achieving his goal, he had lost his life.
The Principles and World Force of the Demon Realm were nourishing for Old Ancestor Mo Yu, and in the same way, his heritage was useful to this world. That was the reason the two of them could mix with ease.
Otherwise, Embodiment couldn’t have devoured it in just six days.
Presently, even though a radius of several hundred thousand kilometres around this area remained shattered, the Demon Realm had had some exponential growth compared to the time before the battle.
Its World Principles solidified, and its World Force had become thicker.
Solid World Principles could allow the Demons living in the Demon Realm to more easily comprehend the Grand Dao and Heavenly Way so that they could quickly increase their cultivation.
Richer World Heritage meant that Demon Saints like Embodiment, Yu Ru Meng, and Bei Li Mo, who had obtained the blessing of the World’s Will, could exert greater might within this world.
In the past, they were equivalent to Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Demon Realm, but now, they were as powerful as Third-Order Masters.
According to Embodiment’s estimation, if they had such heritage in the Demon Realm in the past, Mo Yu would’ve had to personally make a move. Those subordinates wouldn’t have been useful at all.
In a nutshell, the Demon Realm greatly benefited from the battle. This made Yang Kai fall into his wild thoughts.
Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian were excluded. Even though they were Demon Saints, they still had the potential to grow. After they got rid of the restrictions of this world, they could split Heaven and Earth apart in their bodies to form Small Universes after gathering the requisite Elements into their Dao Seals.
However, Embodiment was different. In the past, he used the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to create something as amazing as Gun-Gun; hence, he was already tied to the Demon Realm.
If he left the Demon Realm, without the support of Heaven Devouring Battle Law, the world would fall apart. That was the reason Yang Kai told Embodiment to stay in the Demon Realm. It was because Embodiment couldn’t leave.
Initially, he thought that Embodiment would never be able to grow as he was eternally trapped in the Demon Realm, but now it seemed that there was another path of growth for him.
As long as enough Open Heaven Realm Masters died in the Demon Realm, he could swallow the powers from their Small Universes to strengthen the heritage of this world.
The stronger the heritage of the Demon Realm, the greater the power Embodiment could use.
With the help of the Demon Realm, he was equivalent to a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm or even a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. One day, he might be able to use a power that was in the Fifth-Order, Sixth-Order, Seventh-Order or even Eighth-Order.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he became excited at the thought.
With that said, even though there was such a possibility, it was difficult to make it happen; after all, where would they find so many Open Heaven Realm Masters to kill? Even if there were plenty of such Masters in the 3,000 Worlds, they might not be willing to come to the Demon Realm to have a fight.
Therefore, even though Embodiment and the Demon Realm still had the potential to grow, it was rather restricted.
After pulling himself together, Yang Kai communicated with Embodiment for a bit and sent him some messages.
Embodiment nodded and drove the Demon Realm in the direction where the Star Boundary was located.
This time, Old Ancestor Mo Yu accidentally discovered the Demon Realm and intended to harm it. This made Yang Kai realise that even though this was a remote location in the 3,000 Worlds, it wasn’t totally safe. There might be another Old Ancestor who had his eyes on the Demon Realm in the future.
Given the power of the current Demon Realm, it wasn’t likely they could oppose a Mid-Rank cultivator; therefore, they’d better head to the Star Boundary where Hei He was located. He could help take care of the Demon Realm as well.
One would normally have to pay a hefty price in order to move any Universe World, but it was a different case for the Demon Realm. Following the pursuit of Mo Yu, the Demon Realm had moved around in this Great Territory for a long time. Now, they just had to identify the right direction and set out.
Yang Kai also gave Embodiment a jade slip and told him to pass it to Hei He. This jade slip would fill Hei He in on all the details so that he wouldn’t be confused.
After Yang Kai was done with all that, he put Bei Li Mo, Yu Ru Meng, and Chang Tian into the Small Sealed World.
A moment later, the three of them brought the ice block Shangguan Yu was in and shot into the sky.
A few days later, they arrived at the Territory Gate.
Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and turned his head. His gaze seemed able to pierce through this endless void as he looked in the direction where the Star Boundary was located.
Even though there had been some upheavals in his trip back home, it was generally a smooth ride.
Since he had already found the Star Boundary, it would be easier for him to come back in the future. It would just take him some time. After some calculations, he realised that it would take half a year to travel back and forth between the two places.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t move the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm to be within Void Territory; after all, even though a Territory Gate was huge, it couldn’t allow a Universe World to pass.
If he wanted to move from this Universe World to Void Territory without going through the Territory Gates, it would take him several dozen to a hundred years, and there might be unforeseeable incidents.
Perhaps when he ascended to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm one day, he could come up with a way to move the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm to Void Territory so that Void Land could protect them. By then, he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone having their eyes on the two Universe Worlds anymore.
The following journey was safe and uneventful, and seven days later, they entered a different Great Territory.
With Lu Xue driving the flight-type artifact, Yang Kai didn’t have to worry about anything as he just had to focus on cultivating. Presently, he had condensed four Element Powers, so he needed three more to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. The problem was that he needed Yin, Yang, and Metal Elements of the Seventh Order at the very least, which required a lot of luck to come across.
However, he hadn’t gained a footing in this expansive universe yet, so he had no way to collect these resources. Perhaps he could seek the Proprietress’ help; after all, First Inn was a place for gathering information. Over the years, they must have gathered some information regarding Seventh-Order materials.
As such, Yang Kai decided that after everything was settled in Void Land, he would look for the Proprietress. As for the danger of trying to directly become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master that she had mentioned, he still remembered it; after all, it would be a terrible thing if those from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises had their eyes on him.
Nonetheless, he had built such a sturdy foundation that it’d be a shame if he gave up halfway. Moreover, if he changed his goal just because he was afraid of the unknown, it would damage his Dao Heart as well. If he gave up, how was he supposed to face any difficulties in the future? He might just escape from them.
Regardless of the possible troubles, he had to give it a try.
“Sir, some people are following us,” Lu Xue was suddenly heard saying, “Moreover, their speed is quite swift.”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai awakened from meditation in shock and turned his head, but he couldn’t see anyone, “Who are those people?”
Lu Xue shook her head, “I have no idea, but I’m certain that they’re pursuing us because I’ve changed directions several times and still can’t get rid of them.”
Yang Kai frowned as he was annoyed at the fact that they were pursued for no reason, but when he caught a glimpse of Shangguan Yu, who was in the ice block, he suddenly realised something.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the people following them might be from Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat.
These two great forces had been relentlessly pursuing Old Ancestor Mo Yu, and in the past two years, they had gotten into more than ten battles against him. This Great Territory wasn’t far away from the one the Star Boundary was in, so it wasn’t surprising that they would come across them here.
However, why did those people have their eyes on Yang Kai and the others? Yang Kai swept a glance over Shangguan Yu and speculated that she might have an artifact with her that could be used to track her location.
Despite his speculation, he believed that it would be better to be cautious. As such, he told Lu Xue to circle around as he secretly left some Space Beacons in the void.
Meanwhile, in a faraway place, a huge lotus had turned into a ray of light as it travelled across the void at full speed.
In fact, it wasn’t a real lotus as it was just a flight-type artifact that was made to look like a lotus. The Artifact Refiner who made this artifact was clearly quite skilful, which was why the lotus looked lifelike. From afar, one would mistake it for a real lotus.
On the lotus stood many figures who exuded the auras of the Open Heaven Realm while a woman stood at the front clad in an imperial dress, releasing a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm pressure.
She was none other than the Boat Master of Flying Flower Boat, Shangguan Long!
This woman looked like someone in her early thirties. Besides a curvy figure, she also had a pair of eyebrows that looked like willow leaves. With her eyes filled with murderous intent, she stared at the void in front of her and snarled through clenched teeth, “Faster! I can already detect Yu’er’s aura. This time, I will not let Old Dog Mo Yu flee!”
As Shangguan Yu’s Mother, she had a Secret Technique that could be used to detect her daughter’s presence within a certain range, which was why she had been chasing after Yang Kai and the others. Previously, she had used this Secret Technique to hunt down the Old Ancestor Mo Yu.
Following her order, the gigantic lotus sped up.
Half a day later, Yang Kai and the two others stopped in the void and waited quietly. The speed of the flight-type artifact chasing after them was simply too great. Even with Lu Xue giving her all, she only managed to buy them half a day’s worth of time.
Looking back in the direction they came, a huge lotus was quickly blooming in their field of vision and soon dominated a large part of the void. At the same time, a high-pitched yet imposing voice came out from within the lotus, “Old Dog Mo Yu, let’s see where you can escape next! This place will become your grave today!
Yang Kai felt a great headache and thought to himself, [As expected, it’s either people from Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat; otherwise, they would not have shouted those words. I wonder which great force our pursuer belongs to.]
It was fortunate that he had taken the time previously to set up many Space Beacons all across the void. If the situation turned bad, they could escape at any time. Besides, he was not Mo Yu and could even be considered the saviour of Shangguan Yu. [These pursuers will not attack indiscriminately, right?]
Clearing his throat, he shouted in a deep voice, “Who goes there? We are not a member of the Black Feather Sect, please open your eyes wide and take a good look.”
When his words rang out, the lotus suddenly stopped not far away. Then, more than ten figures flew out of the lotus after a brief silence. These dozen or so figures were in the Open Heaven Realm and quite a few of them were in the Mid-Rank, but their composition was varied. There were men and women, young and old.
These people were not the remnants of the Black Feather Sect. Black Feather Sect had been jointly attacked by two great forces, Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, and countless Masters of the Sect had been injured or killed after more than a dozen battles. Even Old Ancestor Mo Yu was seriously injured.
On the contrary, each of the dozen or so people in front of Yang Kai and the others exuded a sharp aura. They were staring at Yang Kai and the others coldly, revealing a deep sense of scrutiny. That was particularly true for the leader of the group, a noblewoman dressed in an imperial dress. The feeling she gave Yang Kai was almost identical to that of what he felt from Zhao Bai Chuan! In other words, this woman stood at the peak of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and was only one step away from advancing into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
“Who are you? Where is that old dog?” Shangguan Long scowled as her beautiful eyes swept over the ice block. When she saw that not only was her daughter safe and sound, but that she had also managed to successfully perform the Secret Technique that she taught her back then, she finally felt a weight lifting off her heart. Even so, Yang Kai and the other two were unfamiliar faces so she couldn’t help being suspicious of them.
In particular, the existence of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm like Lu Xue puzzled her even more. Mo Yu was the only Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in Black Feather Sect, so who was this woman? If these people were not part of the Black Feather Sect, then how did Yu’er fall into their hands?
“Void Land Yang Kai greets Madame!” Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Are you affiliated with Rising Heavens Pavilion or Flying Flower Boat?”
“Void Land?” Shangguan Long frowned slightly. She had never heard of this great force before. In addition, an Emperor Realm cultivator like Yang Kai was being neither humble nor submissive when facing a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master like her. The fact that he did not seem at all restrained by the difference in their strength surprised her greatly. What amazed her even more was the fact that this Emperor Realm Junior seemed to be the leader of this group consisting of two men and one woman! Both the woman in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and the man in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm seemed to be nothing more than guards.
[This young man must come from a very powerful background!] After considering all this, Shangguan Long’s expression involuntarily softened slightly. Although she had never heard of a great force by the name of Void Land before, the 3,000 Worlds was simply too big. She did not dare to claim that she knew all the great forces in existence. Moreover, a great force that dared to use the word’ land’ in their name had to be a Second-Class great force. That was enough to be on an equal footing with Flying Flower Boat.
“This Queen is the Boat Master of Flying Flower Boat, Shangguan Long!”
Yang Kai immediately realised something, “So it is Madam Long!”
He had his suspicions when he saw how similar this woman was to Shangguan Yu, but now, he could be sure.
“You mentioned that your name is Yang Kai. In that case, this Queen will call you Little Brother Yang,” Shangguan Long said softly. She looked kind, but her eyes were as sharp as knives and made her seem slightly mean.
He smiled, “As the Madame pleases.”
She nodded, “Little Brother Yang, I wonder if you know that lady standing beside you…”
“Oh! I almost forgot.” He slapped himself on the head. Reaching out, he pushed the ice block next to him, in which Shangguan Yu was frozen, to the front, “This is your daughter, right? She was already like this when I found her. I didn’t know how to help her and did not dare to take action rashly. I was planning to deliver her to Flying Flower Boat in person, but it’s convenient that I met you here, Madame.”
As the ice block drifted towards Shangguan Long, one of the men in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm immediately stepped forward to catch it. He gave Yang Kai a deep look before flying back to the ship with Shangguan Yu without looking back.
However, Shangguan Long was surprised, “Does that mean you saved this foolish daughter of mine?”
Yang Kai laughed, “You flatter me. I just happened to be there at the time.”
“What about the old dog?” she asked.
“We slaughtered the remnants of Black Feather Sect without exception, so please rest assured, Madame.”
As soon as his words came out, the other side went into an uproar! They had been hunting the remnants of the Black Feather Sect in this endless void for two whole years. Although they almost succeeded several times, Mo Yu had always managed to escape their clutches in the end; therefore, they knew just how difficult it was to deal with him and couldn’t help feeling mixed emotions after hearing from Yang Kai that the remnants of Black Feather Sect had been slaughtered. Some couldn’t believe those words while others were relieved. They had been pursuing these enemies for so long, so it was only natural that they were exhausted.
Be that as it may, the two Open Heaven Realm Masters beside Yang Kai certainly had the capability to kill Mo Yu as Flying Flower Boat had already severely injured him during their previous battle. It could even be said that Yang Kai succeeded by taking advantage of their previous efforts.
“Now that I have handed your daughter over to you, Madame, we no longer have anything to do here anymore. We will be taking our leave!” Yang Kai cupped his fists while saying that, but he had no intention of leaving at all. That was because he knew that it was impossible for the people from Flying Flower Boat to let them go.
Sure enough, Shangguan Long raised a hand as soon as his words rang out and shouted, “Wait a moment, Little Brother Yang!”
“Is there something else, Madame?” He looked at her sincerely. [This Young Master saved your daughter. It’s enough if you just give me some precious treasures as gifts.]
He was not being greedy. The other party belonged to a Second-Class great force, so their gifts would not be too poor, but contrary to his expectations, Shangguan Long continued, “It is not that this Queen does not trust you, Little Brother Yang. It’s just that everything you’ve said before is just a one-sided account of the story. I know Mo Yu is as scheming and cunning as a fox. Regarding what is the truth of the matter… I hope you can wait for a moment, Little Brother Yang. I will make my own conclusions after gaining a little bit of understanding.”
Yang Kai blinked, unable to believe his ears as he asked, “Madame, do you suspect me of being allies with the Black Feather Sect?”
She shook her head slowly, “This Queen never meant to imply that!”
While she was speaking, more than a dozen Open Heaven Realms Masters of Flying Flower Boat scattered around them indistinctly to surround Yang Kai and others.
Yang Kai was furious by the sight. He only wanted to obtain some benefits from Flying Flower Boat, but they turned out to have no intention of giving anything at all. As if that was not bad enough, they even treated their Young Lady’s saviour with such an attitude.
[Just who are these ungrateful people!?] However, Yang Kai considered the situation from another perspective and realized he would not have easily trusted him if the situation was reversed.
With this thought in mind, Yang Kai suppressed the anger in his heart and nodded even though his expression was dark, “How do you plan to understand the situation, Madame? Let’s be frank. Every single person from Black Feather Sect is dead. Not a single one survived. At this point, we are the only people left who know what happened back then. Ask what you wish; we won’t deceive you, but, as for whether you believe our words, Madame… That is your business.”
Yang Kai was in no mood to ask for any benefits anymore. He needed to solve this issue as quickly as possible so that he could return to Void Land to finish arranging the Grand Array and settle his people in.
Shangguan Long smiled and said, “I won’t need to bother you at all. This Queen has her own plans.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly, looking thoughtfully in the direction of the lotus.
A short time later, two figures flew out from the lotus. One of them was the man in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm who left previously while the other person was a pure, pleasant-looking, and beautiful girl.
Yang Kai couldn’t help being surprised by the sight and stared at the girl in a daze. Who else could that girl be but Shangguan Yu, who was frozen in the ice block just now? [How did she leave the ice block so quickly?]
Nevertheless, it would seem that her foundation was slightly damaged from being frozen in the ice block for too long. Her current complexion was as pale as a sheet, which added a pitiful look to her appearance.
Brought back by that Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she stood beside Shangguan Long. The Divine Senses of both mother and daughter surged. They were obviously communicating about something.
Yang Kai was puzzled as he had checked her condition before. Her entire body was frozen in ice and only the slightest hint of vitality remained in her. Even if she was present on the battlefield at the time, how could she have perceived anything? But, judging by Shangguan Long’s posture, it was obvious that she planned to seek information from Shangguan Yu.
What Yang Kai didn’t know was that although Shangguan Yu was completely frozen with only the slightest hint of vitality remaining in her, she could still vaguely perceive her surroundings; therefore, she was capable of receiving some bits and pieces of information from the outside world. Not to mention, the battle at the Demon Realm was shockingly powerful so it was hard not to notice anything.
After a simple inquiry, Shangguan Long learned that there was indeed a big battle not long ago. Numerous Open Heaven Realm Masters had died, one after another. Shangguan Yu even heard the screams of Mo Yu before he died… Hence, there was no doubt that these people from Void Land were indeed Shangguan Yu’s saviours. As for the remnants of the Black Feather Sect, they were probably dead.
Turning around, Shangguan Long smiled brightly, “Please forgive me, Little Brother Yang. Yu’er has explained the situation to me. This Queen was being paranoid.”
Yang Kai waved his hand and replied in a sullen voice, “It’s a matter regarding your child. I can understand why you were being so cautious, so there’s no need for that.”
Her eyes lit up at his words, “Little Brother Yang, you are very understanding. This Queen is ashamed.”
He then said, “If there’s nothing else, Madame, we will be taking our leave now.”
After saying that, he turned to leave.
Shangguan Long, however, hurriedly called out, “Wait!”
Yang Kai looked back at her faintly.
After which she continued, “You are my daughter’s saviours. Moreover, you also helped me kill that old dog, who was a great enemy of mine. You have done so much for Flying Flower Boat. This Queen also feels bad for the misunderstanding just now. I ask that you board the boat and allow this Queen a chance to make amends. I also wish to thank you for saving my Daughter.”
While Shangguan Long was speaking, Shangguan Yu also looked at Yang Kai expectantly; after all, Yang Kai was the person who saved her life. She would feel very uneasy if she did not even thank him for his life-saving grace.
Yang Kai responded to those words with a polite smile, “It was nothing much. There’s no need for that.”
Shangguan Long smiled, “One’s life-saving grace must be repaid; otherwise, people would criticize my Flying Flower Boat for being ungrateful if word got out about this matter. Also, Flying Flower Boat has prepared some small gifts for Little Brother. I hope you will accept them.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai turned around and replied solemnly, “Madame is right. It would be bad if people misunderstood you because of this matter. It would damage Flying Flower Boat’s reputation. Since you are being so kind, Madame, we will not refuse.”
She then gestured, “Please!”
The Lotus Flower Artifact was huge and luxuriously decorated inside, which revealed the profound heritage of the Flying Flower Boat. A magnificent palace stood where the stamen was located.
Yang Kai and the others entered the palace under the guidance of Shangguan Long.
Everybody took their seats, and upon seeing Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan standing respectfully behind Yang Kai with an extremely loyal appearance, Shangguan Long and several of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat glanced at each other meaningfully. They were becoming more and more certain that Yang Kai came from an extraordinary background.
How else would a mere Emperor Realm Junior hold such an honoured post? Furthermore, judging from his demeanour, he was used to standing in a position of power. His expression did not even change despite facing so many Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Rather, he was just calmly observing the decorations in the hall.
Yang Kai then absentmindedly turned to look at Shangguan Long with a slight smile, “I have long heard of the Flying Flower Boat. Now, I can see that your heritage is indeed deep. Just this Lotus Flower Artifact alone is an eye-opener.”
For some reason, he could not shake the feeling that this woman was studying him with a look of scrutiny. It was not malicious but rather seemed to stem from interest.
Although Yang Kai only learned about the great force known as Flying Flower Boat recently and could not truthfully claim to have admired them for long, there was no harm in speaking words of flattery that did not cost him anything. Sure enough, the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat all smiled with pride upon hearing his words.
Shangguan Long also pursed her lips, “You flatter us, Little Brother Yang. Flying Flower Boat is only a drop in the ocean in the 3,000 Worlds. Compared to the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, we are not worth mentioning at all.”
Yang Kai nodded seriously, “That’s true. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises are First-Class great forces that have experienced the accumulation of time spanning tens if not hundreds of thousands of years. They are not something we of the Second-Class great forces can compare to. They can crush us just by lifting a single finger.”
When she heard those words, her heart rate quickened as she asked, “Little Brother Yang, which people from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises have you met?”
Yang Kai simply shook his head slowly, “I have never gotten the chance to meet any of them. It is only what I heard from others.”
Shangguan Long breathed a sigh of relief. From the way he spoke, she thought that he was connected to one of those top forces. There was less pressure now that she learned he did not have such connections.
One of the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters next to her spoke up, “Little Brother Yang, I heard you say that you are from Void Land. Please forgive me for being ignorant and uninformed, but which Great Territory is Void Land located in?”
This Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was none other than the person who caught Shangguan Yu earlier. Yang Kai could not tell if it was just his imagination, but he felt that this person was somewhat similar to Shangguan Yu.
“You are…” Yang Kai looked over questioningly.
Shangguan Long pursed her lips and smiled, “This is my Husband and the Right Protector of Flying Flower Boat.”
The Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master cupped his fists, “Tong Yu Quan offers his greetings!”
Yang Kai was stunned. He glanced at Shangguan Long, then glanced at Tong Yu Quan. Only then did he finally understand why he felt that Shangguan Yu was somewhat similar to this man. It turned out that they were father and daughter!
[Does that mean that this woman is in charge of Flying Flower Boat? Tong Yu Quan’s cultivation is slightly weaker compared to Shangguan Long’s after all. It looks like he does not have much say in Flying Flower Boat.]
“So it is Protector Tong!” Yang Kai cupped his fists in return, “It’s normal that you have never heard of Void Land before. That is because I only just established Void Land.”
“A newly established Second-Class great force!?” Everyone was in an uproar over those words. In the 3,000 Worlds, the establishment and growth of any great force required long-term accumulation. It did not simply happen overnight; however, seeing that Yang Kai had a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as his bodyguard, it would seem that he certainly had this qualification.
Shangguan Long hesitated, “Then, the Master of Void Land…”
“It is this lowly one,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Everyone was stunned. For an Emperor Realm Junior to be the Leader of a Second-Class great force… There was no other precedent in the 3,000 Worlds; thus, they became more and more certain that he had a very powerful supporter behind him. Otherwise, how did he manage to make an Open Heaven Realm Master obey him? It was just that… with such an extraordinary background, how was it that he was not related to either the Cave Heavens or Paradises? It was extremely confusing.
Shangguan Long restrained the strange look in her eyes and gently said, “In the 3,000 Worlds, the heritage of any great force depends on the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters under them. The more Open Heaven Realm Masters they have, the stronger their heritage, and vice versa.”
Yang Kai sighed, “You are right, Madame. I’m worrying about this issue too. At present, Void Land only has five Open Heaven Realm Masters in total. Our strength is lacking indeed.”
Including Yue He, Chen Tian Fei, Lu Xue, Guo Zi Yan, and Hei He, who was newly added to the Loyalty List, there were indeed only 5 Open Heaven Realm Masters. This was the most fundamental heritage of Void Land.
Everyone in Flying Flower Boat looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Even a Third-Class great force would have more than just five Open Heaven Realm Masters. This number was simply far too small.
What they did not know was that although there were only five Open Heaven Realms in Void Land, each one was stronger than the last. Chen Tian Fe was in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm while Hei He was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Not to mention, there was a high probability that Yue He had advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Aside from Guo Zi Yan, who was in the Low-Rank, the remaining four people were all in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Such a ratio was impossible for any Second-Class great force to have.
Seeing Yang Kai’s somewhat worried expression, Shangguan Long smiled, “There’s no need to feel rushed, all great forces grow over time. You can’t achieve success overnight. Little Brother Yang has already established Void Land, so in the future, you can gradually cultivate your own Open Heaven Realm Masters as long as you have Void Land as your foundation. This Queen believes that the name Void Land will spread throughout this vast world one day.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists in response, “I shall take advantage of Madame’s auspicious words then.”
After the banquet, the atmosphere was harmonious and everybody was drinking away happily. People would approach Yang Kai to offer him a toast and thank him for his kindness. Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan also sat down, accompanying Yang Kai by his side.
Several rounds of drinking later, Shangguan Yu came out in full dress. It could be seen that she had deliberately groomed and dressed herself up. While she still looked a little pale, she was in much better condition compared to the time she was just rescued. There was a faint flush on her cheeks that made her seem even more innocent and appealing than ever.
It was only natural that she was extremely grateful towards Yang Kai, who had saved her; therefore, she had honoured him with several glasses of wine in succession to the point where she had to take her leave from being overwhelmed by the drink.
Half a day later, Yang Kai and the others were guided to rooms that Shangguan Long arranged for them and rested. She also told them not to worry as they would take him back to Void Land.
Seeing how enthusiastic she was, Yang Kai could not refuse her offer. Besides, why should he waste his energy on travelling when somebody had offered to give him a ride? The Lotus Flower Artifact was also much faster so it would save him time.
Flying Flower Boat arranged three separate rooms for Yang Kai and the others, but Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan did not enter their rooms and stood outside the door of Yang Kai’s room instead. There did not seem to be any malicious intentions from Flying Flower Boat and it could even be said that Shangguan Long had gone out of her way to indicate her friendly intentions during the banquet; however, it was better to be on guard against any unwanted occurrences.
Inside the room, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and comprehended the mysteries of his Elements in hopes of realising another Divine Manifestation.
Inside another room, Shangguan Yu, who had only just recently been rescued, was staring at her mother with a pale complexion. Her beautiful eyes trembled slightly as she asked in disbelief, “Mother, you want me to seduce Senior Brother Yang!?”
Just moments ago, Shangguan Long had a short chat with her. Although her mother had not said anything specific, that was more or less the nature of the meaning behind her words. Shangguan Yu thought that she had misunderstood, but further inquiry had proven that this was indeed the case. Thus, she almost could not believe her ears. She could not believe that her mother would have such thoughts.
Shangguan Long’s expression, however, remained stern, “What do you mean by seduce? How can a lady speak such vulgar words? I am talking about falling in love with each other and establishing a marital relationship between the two of you. Naturally, it will involve the process of making love to each other. How can you call that seduction!?”
Shangguan Yu retorted with grief and indignation, “I have never met Senior Brother Yang before! Although he saved my life and I am very grateful towards him, there is no such thing as love between us. How can we fall in love with each other!?”
Shangguan Long got up, stood in front of the transparent window, and looked out into the starry scenery in the void as she calmly replied, “Just because there is none right now does not mean that there won’t be any in the future. Men are all the same. After consummating with each other, he will have tasted how great you are. Over time, he will naturally yearn for you!”
Those remarks resounded in Shangguan Yu’s ears like a loud sonorous bell. She covered her red lips with her hands, shocked beyond words. [Going by what Mother just said, she not only wants me to seduce Senior Brother Yang but also go all the way with him! Is this really the same Mother who has always loved and cared for me!? Also, what is the purpose of doing this? Senior Brother Yang is certainly brave and heroic with a compelling air about him. I cannot say that I dislike him and in fact, I even admire him a little. Even so, both Mother and I have only just met him for the first time today. Why would Mother come up with an idea like this?]
“Mother, are you drunk?” She asked hesitantly. During the banquet just now, her Mother had consumed quite a lot of alcohol. However, there was no sign of intoxication whatsoever when she looked into her Mother’s eyes. Those eyes were very clear and sober.
Shangguan Yu shook her head, “I can’t. I can’t do it. Mother, you might not know. But, Big Brother Wei and I…”
“Do you think your Big Brother Wei still wants you?” Shangguan Long interrupted Shangguan Yu coldly.
Shangguan Yu’s tender body trembled at those words. Her beautiful face went pale and she asked, “Mother, what do you mean by that!? Could it be that Big Brother Wei…”
“Rest assured. Your Big Brother Wei has not said anything or been harmed in any way. The situation is not how you imagine though. In the pursuit of that rotten old dog over the past two years, he has put in more effort than anybody else.”
Shangguan Yu smiled, “I knew Big Brother Wei wouldn’t abandon me.”
Shangguan Long said coldly, “Do you think your Big Brother Wei is trying so hard in order to save you?”
“Is that not it?”
“Foolish girl!” Shangguan Long flicked her sleeve angrily, “How could I not understand how a man thinks? Only a sheltered little girl like you will have such unrealistic fantasies. I will tell you now. Your Big Brother Wei was not hunting that old dog so desperately to save you, but… to kill you!”
The moment those words rang out, Shangguan Yu’s face, which had just shown a blush of happiness, suddenly became extremely pale. Her mouth fell open slightly and she looked at her mother in shock as though she had heard something utterly incredulous.
“Kill… Kill me?” Shangguan Yu was very shocked, “Why would Big Brother Wei want to kill me? I’ve never done anything to upset him before.”
Shangguan Long sighed. Walking over to the table, she pulled her daughter by the hand to sit down next to her, and gently explained, “I know that you’ve never done anything to upset him before. I believe you, but how much does your Big Brother Wei believe in you?”
“What… What do you mean?” Shangguan Yu looked puzzled.
Shangguan Long said, “It has been over two years since you were kidnapped by Mo Ning, right? Mo Ning is an infamous scoundrel. Who doesn’t know that he is a lustful man? Relying on his status as the Black Feather Sect Master’s Son, he ruined the reputation of many women and girls over the years. You were kidnapped by Mo Ning for two years, and we didn’t hear from you at all during this period. We could only rely on the Soul Lamp in my possession to confirm that you were still alive. All the bastards in Black Feather Sect were fleeing for their lives, but Mo Ning kept you with him. What is your Big Brother Wei supposed to think?”
Shangguan Yu replied pale-faced, “Mother, you are saying that Big Brother Wei thinks that I… But, I have never done anything that will wrong him in any way! After I was kidnapped by Mo Ning, I immediately performed the Secret Technique you taught me and sealed myself in ice. By the time I woke up, I saw Father and I…”
“Will your Big Brother Wei believe you?” Shangguan Long interrupted, staring at her daughter coldly.
Shangguan Yu could not answer.
“What I think doesn’t matter. It is what your Big Brother Wei thinks that is important. Silly girl, have you ever considered it yourself?”
Shangguan Yu spoke in a shaky voice, “I-I can explain the situation to him. H-He will surely understand.”
Shangguan Long laughed, her voice filled with mockery, “Good. Even if your Big Brother Wei believes you, what about all those in Rising Heavens Pavilion? Will they believe you?”
“I don’t care whether other people believe me or not. It is enough as long as Big Brother Wei believes me.” Shangguan Yu shook her head. There was a look of firm determination in her eyes. It was clear that she strongly believed in her beloved.
“If Wei Wu Shuang was just an ordinary man, he could ignore the opinions of others, but he is the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion. This decision is not up to him!” Shangguan Long patted the back of her daughter’s hand and persuaded earnestly, “If you married into the Wei Family and became the Madame of the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion, then Wei Wu Shuang would never be able to lift his head with pride anymore. Even if he tries to force his way through, Wei Jiu Weng will never agree to your marriage either.”
Shangguan Yu’s expression went pale.
Shangguan Long gave a long sigh, “From the moment you were kidnapped, this matter became irreversible. Wei Wu Shuang might truly have been worried about your safety in the beginning and wanted to rescue you, but in these two years, his heart has probably undergone many changes. You and he are childhood sweethearts and there is no doubt about this fact. The two of you should have been a perfect match, but unfortunately, it is also precisely for this reason that Rising Heavens Pavilion cannot dissolve the engagement easily. Otherwise, they would offend our Flying Flower Boat! So then, are you saying Wei Wu Shuang has no choice but to marry you just because they are unable to break off this engagement? In this situation, there is only one method for them to resolve this problem!”
“What method?” Shangguan Yu’s body trembled and her eyes stared listlessly at her Mother.
“Everything will be resolved if you are dead!” Shangguan Long looked at her daughter coolly, “If you die, there will be no need for Wei Wu Shuang to marry you. Rising Heavens Pavilion will not offend Flying Flower Boat either. It is killing two birds with one stone.”
Shangguan Yu stood up in shock and involuntarily took several steps back. She seemed to be in a great panic and her thoughts were a mess as she shook her head and denied, “That’s not true, Mother. That’s not how it is! This is all just your speculation! Big Brother Wei is not that kind of person!”
Shangguan Long faintly replied, “If it isn’t true, then why are you so flustered? I’m afraid you believe it a little yourself, right? Do you know why you have such thoughts? It’s not because my words make sense, but because you yourself have already noticed it. You just haven’t realised it yet.”
“I noticed it?”
“Although you sealed yourself away for the past two years, you did not lose all your perception of the outside world. Think about it. In these two years, how many battles did that old dog Mo Yu experience? Among these battles, there were some where Flying Flower Boat succeeded in chasing him down and fought with the people of the Black Feather Sect. Rising Heavens Pavilion is most likely the reason for the rest of the battles. Have you ever heard your Big Brother Wei calling for you during those battles? Have you ever felt as though Rising Heavens Pavilion was there to rescue you?” Shangguan Long smirked coldly, “If my guess is correct, Rising Heavens Pavilion did their best to destroy that old dog’s entire ship and slaughter every single person in those battles. As long as they could wipe out the entire Black Feather Sect and get rid of you during the process, then they could report to me that Black Feather Sect killed you in their desperation. Without any proof of your death, what could I do to them?”
Every word Shangguan Long said stabbed into Shangguan Yu”s heart painfully. Unable to take it anymore, she reached up and covered her ears, “Mother, I don’t believe you. I don’t believe that this is the case!”
“Whether you believe me or not, this is the truth!” Shangguan Long coldly snorted, “Flying Flower Boat and Rising Heavens Pavilion were pursuing Black Feather Sect together and we agreed to inform the other party as soon as we found traces of them so that we could form a pincer attack together. However, there had been several occasions where Rising Heavens Pavilion did not inform us in time even though they discovered Black Feather Sect. By the time we rushed over, that old dog had already escaped! If Rising Heavens Pavilion had no other intentions, then why would they do that?”
Shangguan Yu slumped to the ground limply. Her tears slid down her cheeks like pearls falling off a broken necklace as she was murmuring repeatedly to herself, “I don’t believe it!”
Shangguan Long said, “If you don’t believe me, then you can just wait and see. I’ve already sent a message to inform Rising Heavens Pavilion. They will meet up with us in a few days. At that time, you will see how your Big Brother Wei treats you!”
Upon hearing the name ‘Big Brother Wei’, a glimmer of light finally returned to Shangguan Yu’s dim eyes. She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and glared at her mother, “I will ask him myself. Mother, you are wrong, Big Brother Wei will not abandon me!”
Then, she rubbed her eyes and left the room, slamming the door behind her.
After Shangguan Yu left, a figure slipped into the room from the outside. It was the Right Protector of the Flying Flower Boat, Tong Yu Quan. He was also the father of Shangguan Yu and the husband of Shangguan Long.
It was just that his expression was incredibly livid at this very moment. He glared at Shangguan Long and scolded, “You know Yu’er is deeply in love with Wei Wu Shuang and will marry nobody else in her life. Why did you have to shock her like that!? Are you still her Mother!?”
Shangguan Long coldly snorted. She lifted her hand gently, poured herself a cup of tea, and responded in an indifferent manner, “It is precisely because I am her mother that I have to tell her this. I am doing this for her own good.”
“Then, what about you asking her to seduce that Yang Kai?” He clenched his fists tightly, the veins in his neck throbbing hard, “Is that also for her sake?”
“Of course!”
“Utter rubbish! You did it for your own wolfish ambitions!” He gritted his teeth and spoke scathingly, “Yang Kai is only in the Emperor Realm, but he managed to create a Second-Class great force. It is obvious that he has a bright future ahead of him. If you can create a connection with him, then it will be like giving a tiger wings! Allowing you to become even more powerful!”
She glanced at him lightly and calmly said, “Oh? So you can also tell that he will have a bright future ahead of him? If you can understand that, then what’s wrong with me asking our daughter to get along with him? Wei Wu Shuang is nothing more than the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion. Although he has decent aptitude, that is all he has. He is nothing without his status as the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion. On the other hand, Yang Kai is different. Not only did he create a Second-Class great force, he even has a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as his bodyguard. How great would his achievements be in the future? These two could not be more different from each other. If it were you, who would you choose to be your Son-in-Law? What’s more, it’s not as if you don’t know what kind of thoughts Wei Wu Shuang has been harbouring for the past two years. Was what I told Yu’er just now untrue?”
His expression turned sullen, “Wei Wu Shuang is certainly an unreliable man, but do you even know what kind of man Yang Kai is? You and I have only met him for the first time today.”
Shangguan Long gave a soft laugh, “That’s right. It is our first meeting, but don’t you forget, I am a woman. I have quite the eye for men. Regardless of Yang Kai’s character, he will enjoy great accomplishments in the future. Yu’er will not be treated badly if she is with him.”
“It doesn’t matter what he can achieve in the future. As long as Yu’er doesn’t like him, this is complete nonsense!”
“Love will grow with time!” She coldly snorted, “If they live together in the future and Yu’er gives birth to his children, won’t she fall in love with him then? If that’s the case, not only will Yu’er find her happiness, but Flying Flower Boat might even get the chance to absorb Void Land. Our strength will surely increase exponentially!”
“Shangguan Long, when did you become like this!?” He stared at his wife in confusion, feeling as though he was looking at a stranger.
“If you have the heart to question me, then you might as well use the time to persuade Yu’er. I know you and Yu’er are very close. She listens to you, so it will work better if you persuade her than if I did it myself. Of course, you can choose to lie to her out of kindness, but she may be hurt even more deeply because of that!”
He gritted his teeth and glared at her, but she remained calm and unaffected.
“You vile woman!” Tong Yu Quan cursed. He turned and left, slamming the door behind him.
The corners of Shangguan Long’s eyes twitched before she smashed the teacup in her hands against the ground with great force, shattering it to pieces!
A few days later, Yang Kai was meditating when he distinctly sensed Flying Flower Boat’s Lotus Flower Artifact coming to an abrupt halt before continuing on its journey an hour later. Confused, he summoned Lu Xue and asked about the situation. Only then did he learn that the people from Rising Heavens Pavilion had rushed over to meet up with Flying Flower Boat. It was obvious that Flying Flower Boat had sent a message to inform Rising Heavens Pavilion about their current location.
He spread out his Divine Sense and carefully perceived his surroundings. Sure enough, he noticed that a large Palace was travelling at the same pace next to the Lotus Flower Artifact. There were many Open Heaven Realm Masters inside the palace and was probably Rising Heavens Pavilion’s artifact. Although this palace looked different from the Flowing Time Temple, it was probably also a multi-purpose artifact.
Soon afterwards, many Rising Heavens Pavilion cultivators boarded the Lotus Flower Artifact.
Another four hours later, a knock came from outside the door and Lu Xue’s voice rang out, “Sir, the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion, Wei Wu Shuang, is here. He claims that he wants to thank you in person for your life-saving grace.”
Although Yang Kai did not wish to meet the other party, he was here to thank him so it was not good of him to refuse a meeting. As such, he had no choice but to invite Wei Wu Shuang inside.
Half a day later, Wei Wu Shuang got up to take his leave and Yang Kai saw him off with a smile; however, Yang Kai frowned once he left.
Wei Wu Shuang had thick brows and large eyes. He also had an extraordinary bearing; he was the Young Pavilion Master of a Second-Class great force after all. Having received excellent training since he was young, it was not strange for him to have such a noble attitude and air.
He came here to express his gratitude to Yang Kai for saving Shangguan Yu’s life. Shangguan Yu was his fiancée and had been kidnapped by Mo Ning more than two years ago. The reason why the two great forces, Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat, had pursued Black Feather Sect for so long was to rescue Shangguan Yu.
It was a pity that Old Ancestor Mo Yu was as cunning as a fox. He was also very strong, so he managed to escape their clutches numerous times. If not for the fact that he had tried to attack the Demon Realm and was consequently lured into a trap by Yang Kai, he might have escaped alive again.
Rescuing Shangguan Yu was just a passing effort for Yang Kai, but it was a huge favour for both Rising Heavens Pavilion and Flying Flower Boat. It was only natural for Wei Wu Shuang to express his thanks now that Shangguan Yu had returned safely. Both his words and his behaviour were sincere and earnest. Every word of thanks seemed to come from the bottom of his heart.
Even so, Yang Kai could not help feeling that something was off. Especially when Wei Wu Shuang occasionally revealed a hint of helplessness and hatred when he looked at Yang Kai, even though it was very well hidden. Yang Kai had gone through various hardships and seen many things in his life, so a flower grown in a greenhouse like Wei Wu Shuang could never compare with his insight and instinct.
[What is that guy upset about? Why does he seem to hate me? This is only our first meeting after all. Leaving aside the fact that I saved Shangguan Yu’s life, there’s no reason for him to hate me even if I was completely unrelated to this matter.] Yang Kai was extremely puzzled! Although he did not quite understand the situation, he couldn’t be bothered to care either. It was fine as long as Wei Wu Shuang did not provoke him. If Wei Wu Shuang dared to be arrogant towards him, then he wouldn’t mind teaching the other party how to show proper respect.
Another day passed. Yang Kai suddenly noticed a commotion outside. Spreading his Divine Sense to perceive the situation, he suddenly noticed Rising Heavens Pavilion’s palace rushing off in another direction and soon disappearing out of sight.
It would seem that Rising Heavens Pavilion was going to part ways with Flying Flower Boat. It was not surprising since the two great forces were not located within the same Great Territory so it was only natural that they would use different routes to return.
Shaking his head, Yang Kai calmed down and continued to comprehend the Powers within him.
…..
Shangguan Yu stood ashen-faced on one of the flower petals of the Lotus Flower Artifact, staring at the palace that was quickly vanishing from sight. Her beautiful eyes had lost their former lustre. Rather, there was a sense of sorrow that was even greater than death.
Shangguan Long stood right behind Shangguan Yu and gently patted her daughter on the shoulder as she spoke, “Do you understand now, Yu’er?”
Shangguan Yu closed her eyes. Her tears fell silently as she recalled the indifference and rejection that Wei Wu Shuang had shown her over the past two days. How could she not understand that what her mother mentioned before was true?
Everything became irreversible the day she was kidnapped by Mo Ning two years ago. Even if she was truly innocent, even if she was completely without guilt, who would believe her? She was already a withered flower in the eyes of Rising Heavens Pavilion, no longer worthy to be the Madame of the Young Pavilion Master! This point had been proven by Wei Wu Shuang’s attitude towards her over the past few days.
Behind the pair, Tong Yu Quan also sighed deeply. Unfortunately, he was utterly helpless.
Shangguan Long said, “Yu’er, Wei Wu Shuang is not a man worthy of you. You don’t need to grieve for him anymore. You still have a long road ahead of you. You need to think about your future.”
Shangguan Yu’s eyes were blank and didn’t seem to have heard those words.
Tong Yu Quan was distressed by the sight; thus, he quickly stepped forward and comforted her in a low voice. Unfortunately, she just continued to weep in silence.
The Lotus Flower Artifact continued through the void, crossing Great Territory after Great Territory.
…..
About half a month later, Shangguan Yu came to visit Yang Kai. She claimed that she wished to personally thank him for saving her life.
Yang Kai invited her in only to find that she had brought some food and drinks with her. Failing to stifle his laughter at the sight, he looked up and unexpectedly discovered that her appearance was haggard. Her eyes were also blank and lifeless; thus, he couldn’t help asking in surprise, “Junior Sister Yu, did something happen recently?”
She had sealed herself in ice for two whole years, and while it had damaged her foundation as a result, she had been gradually recovering after being released from her seal.
Meeting her again today though, Yang Kai realised that she had lost a lot of weight. Moreover, her appearance was extremely poor. It was obvious that she had experienced a huge mental shock.
At first, he didn’t quite understand the situation; however, he pondered for a moment and recalled the scene of how the people from Rising Heavens Pavilion came and left in a hurry. Yang Kai immediately had an almost complete grasp of the matter and summed it up simply as relationship problems.
Shangguan Yu’s eyes moved slightly and she forced herself to smile, “It’s nothing. I was just sealed up for too long and damaged my foundation as a result. I should have come to thank Senior Brother Yang sooner, but my body failed to live up to my expectations. That was why I delayed for so long. I hope you will forgive me.”
Yang Kai simply laughed, “It’s no big deal. You are being too polite, Junior Sister Yu.”
She then said softly, “It might not have been a big deal to Senior Brother Yang, but for me, it is a life-saving grace. Yu’er has nothing to her name, so I have no idea how I should thank you; therefore, Mother taught me how to cook some dishes myself. I don’t know if these dishes will suit your appetite, Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai lightly replied, “The fragrance is tempting and they looked exquisite. I can tell that you made these dishes with all your heart. I’m sure it will suit my tastes.”
Shangguan Yu barely managed to move the corner of her lips to reveal a smile. Setting the dishes down, she took out a bottle of wine and sat down.
Inside the room, the two of them sat across from each other to eat. It should have been a relaxing and enjoyable experience to dine with a beautiful woman; however, her emotional wounds had yet to heal. Even if she sincerely wanted to express her thanks, Shangguan Yu could barely force herself to smile. Similarly, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling awkward.
Fortunately, their tongues began to loosen after a few glasses of wine. As they chatted casually, the atmosphere became much more pleasant. It was just that while they were conversing, Shangguan Yu seemed to recall something and suddenly burst into tears. Despite feeling extremely troubled, Yang Kai had no choice but to speak a few words of comfort.
After bursting into tears, Shangguan Yu seemed to have opened up a dam of tears that would not stop. At the same time, she also gulped down glass after glass of wine, using it to drown out her sorrows. Yang Kai kept silent and drank with her, hoping that she would collapse from intoxication soon so that he could ask Lu Xue to send her back.
Half a bottle of wine later though, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed drastically. He could feel an uncontrollable movement swiftly surging through his body. His blood churned wildly and the air that came out of his nose was extremely hot.
[There’s something wrong with the wine!] Yang Kai was shocked. He was not a newcomer to travelling through foreign lands, so he always kept his guard up when consuming food and drink others had prepared for him. It was just that he had carefully checked the dishes and wine before and not found anything strange about them. There was no reaction either after drinking several glasses, so why did the effects erupt so suddenly?
That inexplicable force surged through his body, impacting his mind and making his senses blur. The young girl’s scent entered his nose and it created a sense of irresistible temptation. Yang Kai could barely suppress the urge to push the weeping girl in front of him down and ravage her.
Gritting his teeth, he grabbed her arm and shouted through gritted teeth, “Shangguan Yu!”
He originally thought that she had put some kind of drug into the wine, but to his surprise, he saw that her face was flushed red when he looked up at her. Her tears continued to flow without pause, but she was now laughing as well while her wrist also felt extremely hot.
[She got caught in this trap too!] Before Yang Kai could understand what was going on, the girl pounced on him while breathing heavily. She knocked him to the ground and sat on top of him, staring down at him with dazed eyes.
Yang Kai was stunned. His body was burning with desire and a beautiful woman was riding on top of his body. In addition, he could feel her burning skin and hear her rapid breathing. The combination nearly made him lose his mind.
Before he could do anything though, somebody kicked the door down without warning. Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue, who had been standing guard outside all this time, rushed in aggressively.
“Sir!” Guo Zi Yan shouted.
“What happened!?” Lu Xue also asked in surprise.
The two of them heard the commotion inside and immediately barged into the room to check on the situation; however, what entered their vision was Shangguan Yu riding on top of Yang Kai with a flushed face. Her hands were frantically tearing at his clothes, leaving his robe nearly in tatters.
“This…” Both of them were completely dumbfounded. Then, Guo Zi Yan quickly showed a hint of understanding while Lu Xue clicked her tongue and looked away with a blush.
*Deng deng deng deng…*
A rush of footsteps sounded from the corridor and two powerful auras quickly approached them.
“Not good!” Guo Zi Yan’s expression changed as he glanced at Lu Xue. Afterwards, the two of them lightly tapped their feet against the ground, swiftly backed out of the room, and closed the door with a bang.
However, a violent energy fluctuation broke out in the corridor the next moment. The might of World Force fluctuated and following a loud explosion, the door to the room was opened again. Tong Yu Quan rushed in with scarlet eyes. He immediately saw Yang Kai lying on the ground in dishevelled clothes and Shangguan Yu giggling in a confused manner.
When their gazes met, a hint of embarrassment flashed through Yang Kai’s eyes as he forcibly suppressed the desire that was surging throughout his body.
Tong Yu Quan roared, “Shangguan Long, look what you’ve done!?”
When he heard that his daughter had entered Yang Kai’s room with food and drink, he instantly had a bad feeling and came to stop them; however, he was held up by Shangguan Long. His strength was inferior to hers in the first place, so how could he escape from her? While he was struggling to get away, they heard a commotion in this direction and both husband and wife immediately came to investigate the situation, only to be greeted with this scene.
Tong Yu Quan was instantly enraged.
Yang Kai looked past Tong Yu Quan and saw Lu Xue confronting Shangguan Long. On the other hand, Guo Zi Yan was slumped by the side with a pale complexion. A thousand thoughts ran through Yang Kai’s mind in that instant and the realisation struck him all of a sudden.
There was a high probability that Shangguan Yu was not behind the drug in the wine; after all, she had no reason to drug herself. Combined with Tong Yu Quan’s furious roar, the culprit was instantly revealed. It was Shangguan Long!
But why would she set her own daughter up like this? How did it benefit her? Yang Kai could not understand. Regardless of the circumstances, it was certain that Shangguan Long had nefarious intentions.
Lifting his hand, Yang Kai hit the back of Shangguan Yu’s neck, who collapsed without another word. He caught her and after setting her down he quickly got up. Leaning against a corner of the wall, he looked at Tong Yu Quan calmly, “Protector Tong, this is a misunderstanding!”
Tong Yu Quan looked at his daughter with heartache; then, he glared at Yang Kai ferociously. He knew that Yang Kai was not at fault for this situation, but his eyes were still blazing with flames of fury. He was also gnashing his teeth as if he wanted to rip Yang Kai apart.
Outside the room, Shangguan Long looked at Yang Kai with surprise in her beautiful eyes.
[How is this boy still fine?] It had to be said that the medicinal efficacies of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Wine were extremely domineering. Even an Open Heaven Realm Master would find it hard to resist its power after drinking it, so how was it possible for an Emperor Realm Junior to remain clear-headed?
This wine was made from many precious treasures and took hundreds of years to ferment. It was originally the secret drug of an extremely evil and vicious serial rapist by the name of Hua Wu Ying. Hua Wu Ying had used this Seven Emotions and Six Desires Wine to ruin the reputations of countless young maidens. He was notorious for committing crimes across numerous Great Territories.
300 years ago, one of Shangguan Long’s Legacy Disciples had been defiled by Hua Wu Ying, her Martial Heart corrupted as a result. She was highly favoured by Shangguan Long due to her extraordinary aptitude and Shangguan Long had wanted to nurture her into the next Boat Master, so she consequently poured a lot of effort into teaching her. She was originally expected to advance into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but unfortunately, her heart demon appeared during her breakthrough. In the end, all of her previous achievements were lost and her body was destroyed. It could be said that she died because of Hua Wu Ying.
Shangguan Long was furious and spent the next several decades hunting down Hua Wu Ying. She even went so far as to use other female disciples of Flying Flower Boat as bait to tempt Hua Wu Ying into falling for her trap. Her efforts paid off eventually and she finally caught the bastard in a Universe World after 40 years.
There was no need to explain what happened in the end. Although Hua Wu Ying was sly and cunning, he was not that strong, only a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he died on the spot at Shangguan Long’s hands. In that way, the secret drug that was unique to Hua Wu Ying now belonged to her Sect. This evil and obscene drug had been useless to her and she initially wanted to destroy it, but she kept a bottle of it for some strange reason in the end.
As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master, it was a simple task for her to slip a little something into her daughter’s wine. She also only needed to mention a few things in advance to make Shangguan Yu obediently bring the food and wine to Yang Kai’s room.
[Even Open Heaven Realm Masters succumb to their lust when Hua Wu Ying fed them the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Wine, so how is an Emperor Realm boy like Yang Kai able to resist the medicinal efficacies of this wine?] Shangguan Long frowned! She vaguely felt that either Yang Kai had extremely strong willpower or the wine had less impact on men than she expected. This was a drug that Hua Wu Ying came up with in order to target women after all.
This situation was not what she was hoping to see. She had expected to catch Yang Kai and Shangguan Yu in the throes of passion, so as to make Yang Kai submit. Unfortunately, that plan had gone awry.
[This is going to be troublesome.]
The thoughts in her head spun desperately as her red lips moved as she sighed and looked at Yang Kai, “Little Brother Yang, what are you doing? Even if you like Yu’er, you still shouldn’t act so domineering. If word about this incident gets out, how will Yu’er hold her head up high in society in the future?”
Yang Kai suppressed the tumultuous desires in his heart and looked at the woman with slightly uneven breathing as he snarled through gritted teeth, “Madam Long, you are indeed skilled, calculating, and cruel!”
If it wasn’t for the initial suspicion in his heart in addition to Tong Yu Quan’s furious roar, he might have believed this woman.
Shangguan Long’s expression turned solemn as she replied, “What do you mean, Little Brother Yang? I don’t quite understand.”
Tong Yu Quan, however, shouted, “Little Brother Yang, please release Yu’er!”
He was extremely concerned about his daughter’s safety even though Yang Kai had not actually done anything to Shangguan Yu except knock her unconscious. Nevertheless, he could not help feeling very uneasy with his daughter in the hands of others.
While they were conversing with each other, Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan had flashed to Yang Kai’s side and assumed a defensive stance in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
Yang Kai turned to look at Tong Yu Quan, “Don’t worry, Protector Tong. I do not hold any ill will toward Junior Sister Yu. She is not hurt, merely passed out.”
“If that’s the case, please hurry up and let her go. I will not hold you accountable for what happened today!” Tong Yu Quan shouted through gritted teeth. His eyes were practically spitting fire. Regardless of whether he prosecuted Yang Kai for what happened today or not, it was certain that his daughter had suffered a loss in Yang Kai’s hands. Hence, it was difficult for him to have any good feelings toward Yang Kai.
“The matters of Flying Flower Boat are not for you to decide!” Shangguan Long coldly snorted. Flicking her sleeves angrily, she took a few steps forward and said aggressively, “Little Brother Yang, it will not be good for you and I both if word of today’s incident were to spread. I’m sure you don’t wish for this matter to be blown up, right?”
Yang Kai nodded, “That makes sense. What do you suggest, Madame?”
She chuckled, “It’s very simple. You saved Yu’er’s life, so it’s not too much for her to repay you with her body. I would not have brought this up if not for what happened today, but since this incident has already taken place, I hope you can… take her as your wife.”
Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan had been watching Shangguna Long vigilantly while secretly activating their strength to guard against any unexpected circumstances at any time; however, they couldn’t help being so stunned at this moment that their mouths gaped open.
[What… does that mean?] They initially thought that there was no way for things to end on a positive note, so how did something so terrible turn into such an auspicious matter all of a sudden? Their expressions involuntarily became weird as a result.
Yang Kai himself couldn’t believe his ears and hesitated before asking, “What did you say, Madame Long? Did you misspeak? Or, did I mishear you?”
Shangguan Long smiled, “I didn’t misspeak and you didn’t mishear me either. This incident today is not something to be proud of after all. It would be harmful to your reputation if word of this incident got out. Yu’er would not be able to hold her head high in society either, but it would no longer be an issue if you marry her and give her a proper status.”
Yang Kai looked at her, then he glanced over at Tong Yu Quan who was standing nearby with a helpless yet incredibly furious expression. All of a sudden, the realisation struck him and he instantly understood Shangguan Long’s intentions. Yang Kai smiled and inquired, “If I’m not mistaken, isn’t your daughter engaged to the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion, Wei Wu Shuang?”
To which she replied lightly, “It’s only a verbal agreement. It is of no consequence.”
“I see! I understand!” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Shangguan Yu had been kidnapped by Mo Ning for two whole years, so who could say what had happened to her during that time? In particular, Wei Wu Shuang would have been living in torment every day for the past two years. And now, although she had been rescued and her life was no longer in danger, who could guarantee that she still retained her purity?
If Wei Wu Shuang were an ordinary man, this would not have been an issue. The key point was that he was the Young Pavilion Master of Rising Heavens Pavilion! With such a prominent status, how could he take a ‘tainted’ woman as his wife? Even if he himself did not mind, the entire Rising Heavens Pavilion would not agree.
[No wonder the people of Rising Heavens Pavilion came and went in such a rush!] Yang Kai had not quite understood the situation at first, but he eventually figured out the entire story after mulling over it. Rising Heavens Pavilion did not leave in such a hurry because they had different return routes. Rather, it was most likely to express their attitude towards this matter.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled the scene when Wei Wu Shuang came to thank him. There had been a hint of hatred mixed into the helpless look in Wei Wu Shuang’s eyes. A bolt of shock suddenly ran through Yang Kai as he understood. Wei Wu Shuang probably didn’t wish to rescue Shangguan Yu! Or rather, he did not want to rescue a living Shangguan Yu! Shangguan Long must have realised that, and knowing that her daughter could no longer obtain happiness by marrying Wei Wu Shuang, she decided to target him instead; after all, he previously revealed the existence of Void Land to her. Not to mention having bodyguards like Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan by his side. In Shangguan Long’s opinion, marrying Shangguan Yu to him would not be a humiliation and she was probably behind everything that happened today.
During the time when his thoughts were changing, Shangguan Long’s voice sounded in his ears again, “Little Brother Yang, you were the one to rescue Yu’er; therefore, you know her situation the best. She was still sealed in ice when you rescued her. In other words, she has not been treated harshly in the past two years and remains a pure maiden. It’s just that… with what happened today, her innocence will be hard to defend. You need to take responsibility for this. Furthermore, while my daughter might be a little foolish, she has an excellent temperament. Her aptitude is not bad either. It will not be a problem for her to advance to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future. I’m sure that will not besmirch your status. If our two families join in marriage, we can watch over and help each other in the 3,000 Worlds. You mentioned earlier that your Void Land has only just been established. It is not an easy task for a great force to take root and rise up to glory in this vast Outer Universe. On the other hand, Flying Flower Boat has been established in Flying Flower Territory for thousands of years. It can be said that we have some foundation in place. We can help you in this matter. What do you think, Little Brother Yang?”
She had a pleasant appearance that made her seem earnest and enticing; moreover, her words were clear and reasonable and the way she worded her speech made it seem as though he would suffer a huge loss if he did not marry Shangguan Yu. Thus, Yang Kai repeatedly nodded at her words, “You’re right, Madam Long!”
Tong Yu Quan’s furrowed eyebrows relaxed slightly. Although he was not willing to let the situation develop in this direction, at this point, it would still be one way to resolve this situation if Yang Kai agreed to marry his daughter. Wei Wu Shuang could not be relied upon any longer. Compared to Wei Wu Shuang, the young man in front of him was much more pleasing to the eye. As for the young man’s character, that remained to be verified. Nevertheless, it could not be worse than Wei Wu Shuang’s.
Shangguan Long’s smile grew brighter, “Since you agree, then why don’t we sit down and discuss this matter carefully?”
Yang Kai shook his head in response, “I’m afraid that will not work.”
The smile on her face stiffened, “What do you mean?”
He replied, “While I do agree that what you’ve said so far makes sense, it does not mean that I would go along with what you say. I will not hide this from you, Madame; I may look like I am alone and unmarried, but I already have seven wives. Before I left my home this time, my strongest wife warned me to keep myself virtuous and not fool around with others outside. Even if I fool around outside, I must not let her find out about it, much less bring them home; otherwise, she would rip them apart limb to limb. Therefore, please forgive me. I must pass on your offer.”
Shangguan Long narrowed her eyes slightly, “It doesn’t matter. This Queen will explain the circumstances to your wives herself. I believe they will at least give this Queen some face.”
She was not surprised that Yang Kai had so many wives. He was not an ordinary person after all. It would be strange for him to not have several wives. [I just need to marry Yu’er into his family. After that, she will have me as her support so it will not be difficult to get rid of the other wives.]
However, Yang Kai shook his head again.” How long have I known your daughter? How can we talk about marriage when there is no affection between us?”
“Love can come later. As long as you get married, there is no need to be worried about not having enough time in the future.”
“Why do you have to make things difficult for me, Madam Long?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
To which she became slightly annoyed, “This Queen is giving you her daughter’s hand in marriage! How is that making things difficult for you!? Junior, don’t you dare trample upon my kindness!”
Yang Kai sighed heavily, “It seems that you are insistent on this, Madame.”
“At this point, this is the only solution. Otherwise, I will not be able to give Yu’er a proper explanation when she wakes up.”
“Is your daughter aware of this?” Yang Kai asked in a solemn voice.
“It’s enough for this Queen to decide her marital matters for her. What does it matter whether or not she is aware of this matter?”
“What about Protector Tong? Do you think that way too?” Yang Kai turned to look at Tong Yu Quan.
Tong Yu Quan’s expression was gloomy and he said nothing. Looking at the other party’s expression, Yang Kai instantly understood that Tong Yu Quan probably did not have much say in this matter; therefore, he immediately ignored Tong Yu Quan and looked back at Shangguan Long, “If I refuse, are you going to order the people hiding in ambush outside to come in and slaughter me, Madame?”
In such a short period, the auras of many Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered outside. They had no intention of concealing themselves so it was obvious that it was planned by Shangguan Long.
Shangguan Long knew that Lu Xue, who was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, would not be much weaker than her. Nevertheless, this was Flying Flower Boat’s ship. Not to mention, they had deployed all their elites for the sake of hunting Mo Yu down. With so many Masters gathered in this place, it would be all but impossible for Yang Kai to escape.
“That’s not necessary. We don’t have any bad blood between us. Why would we need to fight to the death?” Abruptly changing the topic, Shangguan Long continued calmly, “But, the road ahead is long. I’m sure you will have enough time to consider your decision and give this Queen a satisfactory answer before we arrive at Void Land. I can wait!”
“There’s no need for you to wait,” Yang Kai resolutely replied. “You are full of schemes, Madame. You don’t even hesitate to ignore your daughter’s happiness. I’m afraid I don’t agree with such ruthlessness. Although I feel bad for your daughter, I have not made any irreversible mistakes. I will not agree to this matter.” Without giving her a chance to speak, he added, “Please excuse me, Madame. I wish to leave this place.”
Shangguan Long frowned, “Is Yu’er ugly? I can’t believe how unwelcoming you are toward her. Even if you don’t hold any affection for her, you won’t lose anything from marrying her. Why do you have to refuse so decisively?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “Junior Sister Yu is a beauty of the highest order. How could any man find her ugly? However, such matters have nothing to do with one’s appearance, it only depends on one’s heart!”
Shangguan Long stared at him deeply, as though trying to stare into the depths of his Soul. After a while, she gave a heavy sigh, “Good. It’s rare to see a man like you nowadays. This Queen was mistaken. I should not have acted so rashly. Let’s forget about what happened today. I cannot force you if you are unwilling. Let Yu’er go. I will allow you to leave!”
Upon hearing those words, Tong Yu Quan sighed in relief.
Yang Kai said, “Madame, you can’t be so naive to think that I’m easy to bully just because I am young, right? Would I still have a chance to leave this place if I release Junior Sister Yu?”
Tong Yu Quan’s expression changed as he gritted his teeth and said, “What do you mean by that, little brat!?”
Yang Kai glanced at Tong Yu Quan, “My apologies, Protector Tong. You know better than anyone else what kind of woman your wife is. If I really obeyed her instructions and released Junior Sister Yu, I would not live to see another day. I’m afraid Junior Sister Yu will have to suffer for a bit.”
“How dare you!?” Tong Yu Quan was livid and his aura spilled out of his body menacingly.
“I have no other choice!” Yang Kai squeezed Shangguan Yu’s neck. The unconscious Shangguan Yu involuntarily groaned, causing Tong Yu Quan’s expression to change drastically once more. He immediately froze in place and turned to look at Shangguan Long with an incensed expression.
Similarly, Shangguan Long’s expression was very ugly. When she and Tong Yu Quan first rushed into the room to discover Yang Kai holding her daughter back, she had the feeling that the situation had spiralled out of her control.
In her imagination, both she and her husband would be greeted by a lewd scene when they rushed into the room. If that had happened, anything she asked for would not have been too much. Contrary to her expectations, Yang Kai remained clear-headed enough to hold a fluent conversation with her.
She stared at Yang Kai and her expression slowly darkened. She couldn’t help thinking that it was a pity. It had been a spur-of-the-moment idea when she came up with this plan, but now it would seem that she made the right choice. The young man in front of her was countless times better than Wei Wu Shuang. How could he be considered ordinary when he could suppress his desires under those circumstances? He would definitely achieve great things in the future.
If her daughter married him, her daughter would be saved from the repercussions of being kidnapped in the past. That was not all; Flying Flower Boat would also gain a powerful ally. It would be even better if she could absorb Void Land into Flying Flower Boat. Unfortunately, she could not use him as she pleased and might even cause a grudge to form due to this incident.
As their gazes met, Shangguan Long’s expression turned as gloomy as deep water. Meanwhile, Yang Kai increased the force he exerted in his hands. The unconscious Shangguan Yu’s complexion was becoming more and more ugly by the moment.
“Madame, please move aside!” Yang Kai shouted.
Shangguan Long suddenly broke out into a smile, “What if I refuse to move aside? Based on my observations, you are not a ruthless man. I don’t believe that you will actually harm Yu’er in any way. Besides, if you really killed Yu’er, the three of you would never leave this place alive!”
The words had only just left her mouth when she saw Yang Kai reaching out and snatching the cold water longsword from Lu Xue’s hands. Under Shangguan Long’s startled and horrified gaze, the sword pierced into Shangguan Yu’s back and came out of her chest! The sword had stabbed right through her body!
Fresh blood flew everywhere and Shangguan Yu groaned as the colour in her face swiftly drained away.
The pupils of Tong Yu Quan’s eyes immediately contracted to the size of pinpoints. His vision was filled with the redness of the blood and it felt as though his entire world had turned blood-red.
“Madame.” Yang Kai’s cold voice sounded from behind Shangguan Yu, “There is a saying ‘You may know a person’s face, but not their heart’. You and I only met for the first time recently, so how dare you judge my character so arbitrarily? Aren’t you afraid that you might have overplayed your hand?”
Ignoring Shangguan Long’s furious expression, Yang Kai turned to look at Tong Yu Quan, “Don’t worry, this blow is not lethal. I avoided Junior Sister Yu’s vitals, but if you dare make a move to rescue your daughter, Protector Tong, I will not be able to guarantee her safety again.”
Those words were like spirit fixing needles, pinning Tong Yu Quan in place.
“Woman!” Yang Kai glared at Shangguan Long, “I will ask one last time. Stand aside and let us pass!”
Shangguan Long gritted her teeth, her body trembling endlessly. Her beautiful eyes were filled with a difficult struggle. She never imagined that the mild-mannered Yang Kai would turn out to be so ruthless, cruel, and cold-hearted. He actually injured Shangguan Yu so severely just because they were at an impasse in their disagreement. Could it be that his previous politeness was just an act?
“What are you still hesitating for!? Are you really planning to kill Yu’er!?” Tong Yu Quan’s voice exploded in her ears like thunder and lightning.
She turned to look and saw him glaring at her with bloodshot eyes. It was as though he was looking at his greatest nemesis. The gaze was so unfamiliar that it made her heart tremble and she did not doubt that if she did not move aside, the first person to attack her would not be Yang Kai but her beloved who had stayed beside her for hundreds of years! Her heart sank to the bottom of the abyss. Taking a deep breath, she spoke through gritted teeth, “Fine! This Queen will let you leave, but you cannot harm another hair on Yu’er’s head!”
“Rest assured. As long as you don’t do anything foolish, I won’t act again.” Yang Kai agreed.
“Once you leave, you have to return Yu’er!”
“Impossible!” Yang Kai shook his head, “I will release her once I return to Void Land. If you feel uneasy, you can follow behind us from an appropriate distance.”
Shangguan Long’s chest rose and fell heavily, but after some serious consideration, she nodded. She and Tong Yu Quan each stepped to one side and opened the way.
Yang Kai shot a look at Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan and the two of them escorted him, one leading the way and the other bringing up the rear. In that way, they walked out.
There were indeed many people lying in ambush outside the room. It was just that they were shocked and furious to see that Yang Kai had captured Shangguan Yu. Moreover, Shangguan Yu had a longsword protruding out of her chest. They did not know what had happened. Shangguan Long had tried to set up Yang Kai with her own daughter, so it was only natural that she did not explain the situation clearly. It was only just in case that she mobilised these people.
If everything had gone as she planned, then things would have ended happily. She never imagined that the situation would end up like this. Countless questioning eyes turned towards her, making her expression gloomier than ever before. It was extremely awkward.
It didn’t take long for Yang Kai and the others to exit the Lotus Flower Artifact. Lu Xue summoned her own flight-type artifact and Yang Kai hurriedly rushed inside with Shangguan Yu with Guo Zi Yan following closely behind. Then, Lu Xue glanced vigilantly at the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat before entering the artifact and driving it away. The artifact turned into a stream of light that headed into the depths of the void.
The enormous Lotus Flower Artifact followed from behind at a fixed pace. All the Open Heaven Realm Master stood on the flower petals of the lotus, coldly watching the windmill.
…..
Inside the windmill, Yang Kai summoned Lu Xue and pointed at the unconscious Shangguan Yu, “Tend to her wounds.”
Lu Xue nodded. Once he left the room, she immediately began working on her task.
Yang Kai’s attack had seemed decisive, but the truth was that he controlled his strength perfectly. Even though the sword had penetrated right through the body, the wound itself was not really serious. Lu Xue removed Shangguan Yu’s clothes and while using her World Force to apply pressure on the wound, she carefully pulled out the longsword. After she used some healing salve and fed Shangguan Yu a healing pill, she finished her task.
Shangguan Yu was an Emperor Realm cultivator, so she was not weak and would only require a few days of rest to heal completely from such a wound.
Yang Kai returned to check on the situation and was relieved to see that Shangguan Yu was in no danger.
Looking at the sleeping Shangguan Yu, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. He had no other choice at the time. If he did not display his resolve, Shangguan Long would not have compromised. If it really came down to a fight, leaving aside whether or not he could escape, Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan would surely be severely injured. They might even end up dying in that situation.
At this moment, Lu Xue’s voice rang out, “Sir, Tong Yu Quan is flying over.”
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and sure enough, he sensed that Tong Yu Quan was approaching them at a high speed. However, Tong Yu Quan was alone while Flying Flower Boat’s enormous lotus was still several dozen kilometres behind.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, “Let him come.”
Lu Xue understood and slowed down. A moment later, Tong Yu Quan’s voice sounded, “Little Brother Yang, I wish to check Yu’er’s wounds. Please be accommodating.”
Tong Yu Quan originally thought he would not receive any response, so who could have known that the windmill would actually open up for him? He immediately slipped into the windmill without any hesitation whatsoever.
Upon entering the windmill, Tong Yu Quan immediately came face to face with Yang Kai, who was standing right in front of him. When their eyes met, a trace of anger and murderous intent flashed through the Protector’s eyes before he lowered his gaze and said, “I wish to check on Yu’er’s injury.”
“Protector Tong, please come this way,” Yang Kai gestured to the side.
Tong Yu Quan lowered his head and entered a small room. Shangguan Yu was lying quietly inside. Her breathing was steady even though blood stains remained on her chest while her complexion was slightly pale.
Stepping forward with a sullen expression, Tong Yu Quan sat down next to her and reached out to place his fingers against her wrist. After a quick check of her pulse, he discovered that his daughter’s aura was stable. It was clear that somebody had tended to her injury. Moreover, there was a powerful medicinal efficacy flowing through her meridians and blending into her body to heal her wound.
“I asked Lu Xue to treat her injuries just now. There should not be any problems. She will only need to rest for a few days to recover completely,” Yang Kai’s voice sounded from behind.
Tong Yu Quan coldly snorted and said nothing in response. What happened this time was ultimately a result of Shangguan Long’s greed. Yang Kai had only acted to protect himself. Nevertheless, there was no denying that he caused Shangguan Yu’s injury. Even if Yang Kai was Shangguan Yu’s saviour, Tong Yu Quan could no longer view Yang Kai favourably.
“Junior Sister Yu will probably wake up tomorrow, but it is not convenient for me to explain this situation to her. She might not believe me even if I explained the truth to her, so to avoid any unnecessary disputes, I ask that you leave a jade slip that contains the entire story of what happened behind, Protector Tong. I will hand it to Junior Sister Yu when she regains consciousness. I’m sure she will believe what you say.”
Tong Yu Quan said, “I’ll stay here and explain the situation to Yu’er when she wakes up.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No. The fact that I allowed you to check on Junior Sister Yu is my greatest display of sincerity. I cannot allow you to remain inside the windmill for so long. You are a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Master after all. If a fight breaks out, I will have a hard time resisting. Please understand, Protector Tong.”
Tong Yu Quan raised his head and glared at Yang Kai, “If I wanted to do that, I would already have done that from the beginning. Why would I waste my time here bickering with you?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “While I also believe that you have no other intentions, Protector Tong, I am taking these precautions just in case. Before boarding Flying Flower Boat’s vessel, I never imagined that what happened today would occur either. Madam Long is a person who can repay kindness with enmity. As her beloved, what is to say that you are not influenced by her, Protector Tong?”
“She is she. I am me. Don’t confuse me with that vile woman,” Tong Yu Quan was furious.
Yang Kai quickly said, “If you insist, Protector Tong, we will end up confronting each other here. I hope you can keep Junior Sister Yu safe during the fight later. She is innocent after all.”
While Yang Kai was speaking, Lu Xue quietly appeared behind him, her beautiful eyes staring at Tong Yu Quan coldly.
The corners of Tong Yu Quan’s brow twitched before his furious expression suddenly collapsed and he nodded, “Fine. I will do as you say. I will leave a message to tell Yu’er what happened, but you have to promise that you won’t hurt a single hair on her head.”
“Don’t worry, Protector Tong. As long as Flying Flower Boat does not do anything, I promise that not a single hair on your daughter’s head will be harmed!”
“You had better!” Tong Yu Quan gritted his teeth.
A short while later, Tong Yu Quan departed. Just as Yang Kai had requested, he left behind a jade slip that contained a record of the whole story from beginning to end.
Yang Kai carefully checked the jade slip and found that there was nothing wrong with it. Everything described in the jade slip did not contain the slightest fabrication or embellishment. It only lacked the fact that Shangguan Yu had been affected by the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Wine, which caused her to do some rather disrespectful actions as a result.
Yang Kai could understand why Tong Yu Quan wanted to hide this kind of thing, so he said nothing about it. He put the jade slip away carefully in preparation for when Shangguan Yu woke up, so that he could hand it to her.
After Tong Yu Quan returned to the lotus, the enormous artifact gradually slowed down until it was 3,000 kilometres away from the windmill before it continued to follow them. This was one of Yang Kai’s requirements, and now that Shangguan Yu was in his hands, Flying Flower Boat had no choice but to comply.
One day later, the unconscious Shangguan Yu slowly woke up. When she opened her eyes, her eyes were filled with confusion. Her memory had stopped at the point where she had been drinking with Yang Kai.
Just as she was about to get up, a familiar voice entered her ear, “Junior Sister Yu, please don’t be impatient. You were injured, so it’s best if you don’t move around too much.”
“I’ve… been injured?” She was taken aback by those words, but upon a careful check, her beautiful face instantly turned pale. She could sense that she was indeed injured. Moreover, the injury was very close to her vital points. It could almost be said that she had narrowly missed death.
“What happened!? Did you save me, Senior Brother Yang? Where are my parents?” She turned to look to the side.
Yang Kai did not say much and simply handed her the jade slip that Tong Yu Quan left behind.
Shangguan Yu took the jade slip and poured her Divine Sense into it. As she checked the contents, her face turned deathly pale. She was very familiar with Tong Yu Quan’s aura and she deeply trusted every word her father spoke.
According to the information inside the jade slip, Yang Kai had gotten into conflict with Flying Flower Boat. In the end, he took her hostage and escaped the Lotus Flower Artifact; moreover, the injury on her body was caused by him.
Tong Yu Quan also told her not to act rashly. Many Flying Flower Boat Masters were following not far behind and Yang Kai would release her once he arrived at Void Land.
After checking the information inside the jade slip, Shangguan Yu’s mind fell into a chaotic mess. For her, she had simply slept through the day; however, the outside world had already changed drastically. Her saviour had turned against her parents, stabbed her with a sword, and used her as a hostage to escape. Her body involuntarily began trembling as her expression filled with fear and unease.
Yang Kai said, “Junior Sister Yu, please don’t panic. As long as you remain here quietly, I won’t do anything to you either.”
Shangguan Yu pursed her lips and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Her injury was not serious and Lu Xue had personally helped to treat her wounds previously, so she recovered completely after resting for five days.
These five days of recuperation not only allowed her to recover from her injury but also gave her mind some time to calm down. She had been thinking hard about certain things over the past few days. For example, what happened after she got drunk, why Yang Kai and Flying Flower Boat turned against each other, and why Yang Kai stabbed her with a sword…
She had the vague feeling that things were not quite as simple as she had been told. Although she mustered her courage to ask Yang Kai several times, he never answered her questions.
They passed through a Territory Gate half a month later. Then, Lu Xue’s voice rang out, “Sir, we have arrived in Void Territory.”
Yang Kai’s closed eyes slowly opened and he nodded lightly, “Good.”
A short while later, Flying Flower Boat’s Lotus Flower Artifact also passed through the Territory Gate and stepped into Void Territory.
Inside the lotus, Shangguan Long stared gloomily at the windmill 3,000 kilometres ahead of her while secretly gnashing her teeth.
All of a sudden, somebody came to report, “Boat Master, those people from Void Land are not heading towards any Territory Gate but to somewhere in this Great Territory!”
“They are not heading towards a Territory Gate?” She raised her brow at those words, “Check which Great Territory we are in!”
If they were not heading towards a Territory Gate, then it could only mean that they were almost at their destination. In other words, Void Land was most likely located in this Great Territory.
The man immediately took out the Universe Chart and referred to it, “Boat Master, this is Seven Wonder Territory.”
“Seven Wonders Territory?” She pondered for a moment, “If I remember correctly, this should be Seven Wonders Land’s domain.”
Tong Yu Quan had been silent for quite some time now, but he suddenly spoke up, “That’s right. Seven Wonders Land is located in this territory. The Master of Seven Wonders Land, Qi Qiao, is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. However, Seven Wonders Land has always had a bad reputation and is despised by many people. Qi Qiao is also a petty man who seeks revenge for the slightest grievance.”
Shangguan Long frowned at those words, “I have also heard of Qi Qiao. He is not easy to get along with. If this territory belongs to Seven Wonders Land, then how could that brat dare to establish Void Land here? Are they not afraid of being destroyed to the point where not even their bones are left?”
In general, each Great Territory would only allow one Second-Class great force to exist; after all, how could one allow another tiger to live within one’s own territory? While there were certain Great Territories where two or more Second Class great forces coexisted, they either did so begrudgingly, or there was an immense difference in strength between them.
“Boat Master…” It was the person who spoke earlier. He seemed slightly hesitant and stammered his words, “Judging by the route they are taking, they seem to be heading toward Seven Wonders Land.”
Shangguan Long turned to look at that man, “Are you certain?”
The man hurriedly said, “Please take a look, Boat Master!”
While saying that, he respectfully handed the Universe Chart over to her. She took the Universe Chart from him suspiciously. Upon a careful check, she discovered that it was just as he mentioned. Yang Kai and the others were indeed heading straight towards Seven Wonders Land.
“Why are they heading towards Seven Wonders Land?” She was extremely bewildered.
Tong Yu Quan hesitated, “Are they related to Seven Wonders Land?”
Shangguan Long shook her head slowly. This was something she did not understand either. If that was truly the case, then things would become rather tricky. Seven Wonders Land was comparable to Flying Flower Boat in strength. If Yang Kai was closely connected to Seven Wonders Land, then things would become very troublesome.
For some reason, she had been feeling a sense of unease for a while now. In addition, that uneasy feeling was only growing stronger and stronger with time.
Three days later, a Spirit Province appeared in front of them. The Universe Chart indicated that it was the Seven Wonders Land and looking from afar, they saw that the Spirit Province was faintly emitting thousands of flashes of light. The endless Star Power of the vast universe was pouring into the Spirit Province under the traction of an inexplicable force, making it look magnificent and spectacular. The atmosphere surrounding this Spirit Province was much stronger than the Headquarters of Flying Flower Boat.
Shangguan Long asked suspiciously, “Did Seven Wonders Land have such a deep heritage?”
A group of Flying Flower Boat’s Open Heaven Realm Masters were also a little dumbfounded by the sight. Then, they all showed envious looks. It was their first time coming to the Seven Wonders Land but even so, Seven Wonders Land was not the only Second-Class great force they had ever seen. They had seen many other Headquarters of various Second-Class great forces, but none of them could compare with the present one.
Even without investigating deeply into this place, they could tell that the Seven Wonders Land was covered by an extremely sophisticated and profound Grand Array. Otherwise, it would not be possible for this Spirit Province to present such a wondrous scene.
The heritage of a Land was related to the future of the Land. Compared with the Seven Wonders Land in front of them, it was obvious that Flying Flower Boat was far from satisfactory. It was inevitable that they would feel a sense of discomfort.
“Boat Master, they’ve stopped,” An Elder in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm suddenly called out.
The others looked up and saw that the windmill artifact had stopped outside Seven Wonders Land without proceeding any further.
“Hmph. Looks like they really are related to the Seven Wonders Land. Did they think that they’ll be safe just because they sought shelter here?” Shangguan Long coldly snorted.
Tong Yu Quan quickly said, “Yu’er’s safety is of the utmost importance. Flying Flower Boat was the one who made a mistake first, so don’t create further trouble.”
“I know!” Shangguan Long snapped angrily.
During their conversation, they saw the windmill artifact being put away. Yang Kai and the others revealed their figures and quietly looked in this direction. Shangguan Yu stood beside Yang Kai. She did not seem to have been treated harshly. Moreover, a slight rosy tint had returned to her cheeks after this period of recuperation.
Tong Yu Quan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
“Let’s go. Come with me to check out the situation.” Shangguan Long stood up and walked out.
Many of Flying Flower Boat’s Masters followed closely behind. It did not take long for them to arrive outside the lotus where Yang Kai smilingly called out to them as soon as they halted in their tracks, “Welcome to Void Land!”
The Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat couldn’t help looking at each other in surprise when they heard those words. Some even took out the Universe Chart to compare and verify their location.
Shangguan Long frowned, “Void Land? Isn’t this place Seven Wonders Land? How did it become Void Land?”
Yang Kai smiled, “You’re not wrong, Madam Long. It was indeed Seven Wonders Land before. However, it is now Void Land.”
His words shocked everyone! There was no reason for a Second-Class great force to suddenly change its name as a name carried fame and prestige that had been inherited over thousands of years. It was not easy to re-accumulate such fame and prestige, so they would not change their name unless the great force no longer existed.
“What do you mean?” Shangguan Long’s slender eyes narrowed slightly, the anxiety in her heart growing ever stronger.
“I took over Seven Wonders Land. From that moment onward, Seven Wonders Land no longer existed in this world. There is only Void Land!” Yang Kai explained patiently.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters suddenly burst into an uproar. Although they had some speculations in their hearts just now, they still found it hard to believe when they heard what Yang Kai said.
Seven Wonders Land was a Second-Class great force that was comparable to Flying Flower Boat in strength, not the kind of Third-Class great force that sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. It contained an inheritance that spanned thousands of years, so how could it be taken over so easily? To put things into perspective, it was impossible for Flying Flower Boat to capture Seven Wonders Land even if they mustered all their strength together. Their strength might be on par with each other, but it would require a huge disparity in strength for the one attacking to achieve victory over the one defending. Did Yang Kai have such great ability?
“What about Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch?” Shangguan Long asked.
“Naturally, he’s dead,” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
She was now completely stunned and did not know if she should believe his words. Logically speaking, since Yang Kai was speaking aloud despite being right outside Seven Wonders Land, it was obvious he had something to rely on. Besides, it would have been impossible for Qi Qiao to turn a blind eye to this disrespect if he were still alive.
Even so, she subconsciously refused to believe those words. She was still entertaining the idea of marrying her daughter to Yang Kai and slowly assimilating Void Land into Flying Flower Boat, but if Yang Kai truly had such abilities, then it was hard to say who would end up devouring whom in the end. Furthermore, she heard him saying that Void Land only had a total of five Open Heaven Realms Masters! How could he take down the entire Seven Wonders Land with just five Open Heaven Realms Masters!?
[What a joke! It’s not as if the Open Heaven Realms Masters of Seven Wonders Land are weak prey. Qi Qiao is a Fifth-Order, not to mention the several Venerable Protectors that are also Fourth-Order! It’s impossible unless… Void Land has an Open Heaven Realm Master above the Fifth Order!] The moment that thought crossed her mind, Shangguan Long’s heart pounded wildly and her gaze shifted behind Yang Kai.
Two figures were speeding out from among the countless flashes of lights. These two people were extremely fast and from the moment they appeared to the time they arrived next to Yang Kai, less than five breaths had passed. One was a beautiful and charming woman while the other was a large fatty.
The fatty was so large that it was outrageous. He was practically a huge, rolling meatball. The fat layers on his face piled up over each other so much that even his eyes were covered under the layers of fat. Although he was extremely large, the aura that he exuded certainly belonged to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
It was one thing if it was just him alone; however, the key was the woman. That woman was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
All eyes from Flying Flower Boat immediately landed on the woman and they all felt as though they were confronting a terrifying enemy. Even Shangguan Long narrowed her phoenix eyes with an expression of shock on her face. [Void Land really does have an Open Heaven Realm Master above the Fifth Order!]
“Greetings, Sir!” In front of everyone, the fatty was the first to give his greetings. There was a flattering smile on his face as though he was not facing an Emperor Realm Junior but a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, “Sir, your journey must have been tiring. You’ve worked hard.”
“Young Master!” The woman also bent her knees and gave an elegant bow.
Cold sweat dripped from the foreheads of all the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Flying Flower Boat. There was no wind in the Void, but they all felt a chill running from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes at that moment.
Just the appearance of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master left them feeling inexplicably shocked; however, that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that they all looked up to was now calling Yang Kai ‘Young Master’! [Which family did this boy come from? How could he make a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master act so humble before him!? That is a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! A powerful existence that could serve as a Deacon or take on other positions of authority in the Cave-Heavens and Paradises!]
[This brat can’t be the illegitimate son of some Cave-Heaven or Paradises’ Leader, right?] Shangguan Long’s expression was extremely ugly. The horror in her heart was washing over her in huge waves. When this woman in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm appeared, she knew that she had made a huge mistake!
Void Land’s heritage was much stronger than she had imagined. It was not something the small Flying Flower Boat could even think of devouring. It was almost ridiculous that she had been scheming all sorts of things before, even going so far as to disregard her daughter’s wishes. If she had known this earlier, she would never have acted so. She would have treated Yang Kai as an honoured guest and provided him with the best hospitality to get closer to him.
Even so, it was not as though there was no room for recovery. She might have schemed against Yang Kai, but she had no intention of actually causing him harm. To put it bluntly, she only tried to seduce him with a beauty, though in the end, her plans had resulted in her daughter being stabbed with a sword.
She secretly rejoiced that she had not engaged in an all-out conflict with Yang Kai; otherwise, Flying Flower Boat would have suffered greatly. The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master alone was not something that Flying Flower Boat could deal with.
“Is that… Chen Tian Fei?” A voice suddenly came from behind.
Shangguan Long didn’t even need to look back to know that it was the voice of the Left Protector, Qin Wu Sheng, so she frowned slightly and muttered, “Chen Tian Fei? I seem to have heard that name before.”
Qin Wu Sheng explained, “Boat Master, have you forgotten? I was ordered to go out to purchase a batch of resources 30 years ago. At the time, I went to an underground part of a certain Star City and dealt with Chen Tian Fei. I bought a lot of things from him back then. You even mentioned that the quality of those resources was excellent.”
Realisation spread across her face and she nodded lightly, “I remember it now. When you came back, you even told me that the Second Manager of Scarlet Star was extremely talented. You claimed that it would be difficult to find another person like him in this world. Is that him?”
“Exactly!” He nodded.
“But… wasn’t that person the Second Manager of Scarlet Star? Why would he appear here? Not to mention his attitude towards Yang Kai,” She was puzzled.
Qin Wu Sheng replied, “Please give me some time, Boat Master. I will investigate this matter.”
While saying that, he took out a communication bead and poured his Divine Sense into it. This communication bead was something he exchanged with Chen Tian Fei back then. It was supposed to make contacting each other easier if they had any other transactions with each other in the future; however, 30 years had passed and he never returned to Scarlet Star’s Star City. If he had not seen Chen Tian Fei here today, he would not have recalled that incident back then.
Sure enough, Chen Tian Fei suddenly looked up and glanced over in Qin Wu Sheng’s direction after he sent a message.
Qin Wu Sheng nodded and smiled at Chen Tian Fei while cupping his fists in that direction.
Chen Tian Fei nodded lightly and used his own communication bead to speak with Qin Wu Sheng.
After some time, Qin Wu Sheng’s expression became more and more solemn. It even reached a point where he was sweating profusely!
“What’s wrong?” Shangguan Long noticed that something was wrong and asked, “Did you find out why he, as the Second Manager of Scarlet Star, is here and not in their Star City instead? What does Void Land have to do with Scarlet Star?”
Qin Wu Sheng swallowed nervously and replied astringently, “Boat Master, I’ve finished asking about that matter. Scarlet Star is gone.”
“Scarlet Star is gone?” She was surprised, “If I remember correctly, Scarlet Star is also a Second-Class great force, right? They have several Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. How can Scarlet Star be gone?”
“Yes. Scarlet Star is a Second-Class great force. Not only that, there were two other Second-Class great forces in that Star City, Sword Pavilion and Thunder Lightning. These three great forces used to occupy a single somewhat chaotic Star City, but…” His expression twitched, “They are all gone now.”
“What happened!?” She was stunned. [All three Second-Class great forces are gone!? What the Hell happened in that Star City!?]
“Thunder Light and Scarlet Star were wiped out by Yang Kai! Chen Tian Fei further claimed that the destruction of Sword Pavilion was also related to him.”
“What!?” Everyone from Flying Flower Boat was shocked. [Three Second-Class great forces were destroyed just like that!? How cruel and ruthless could Yang Kai be!? How much hidden strength does he have!? Not to mention, Flying Flower Boat has also offended Yang Kai…]
For a moment, everybody felt their limbs going cold. It felt as though they had glimpsed the future of Flying Flower Boat.
Qin Wu Sheng’s expression was stiff, almost as though he had eaten an entire basket of bitter gourds. His smile was extremely bitter as he continued to report, “Chen Tian Fei told me that he is just Yang Kai’s servant now. The name ‘Scarlet Star Second Manager’ should never be mentioned again.”
*Gudong…*
The sound of people gulping nervously came out. A Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was, by no means, weak in the 3,000 Worlds. Even so, he was willing to humble himself and admit to being someone else’s servant. That was not just a matter of suppression of strength.
[What kind of power does this Yang Kai have to subordinate a character like Chen Tian Fei? Furthermore, that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master calls Yang Kai ‘Young Master’! Flying Flower Boat… seems to have provoked someone who should never be provoked!]
Instantly, everybody else’s eyes turned to Shangguan Long. Although nobody said any words of rebuke, Shangguan Long still felt her face burning with shame. She was in no mood to get annoyed though as she knew that if she did not handle the situation well, then what happened to Seven Wonders Land, Scarlet Star, and Thunder Light would most likely become Flying Flower Boat’s future!
“Void Land has such a grand atmosphere and heritage even though it is newly established. It has really opened this Queen’s eyes. Flying Flower Boat can only sigh and admit its inferiority.” Shangguan Long forced out a smile and looked at Yang Kai, “It’s true that there are talented people all over the world. When my cultivation was in the Emperor Realm like you, Little Brother Yang, I was struggling over various unremarkable cultivation resources. However, you have already occupied an entire Spirit Province. There are also many capable subordinates serving under you. Your future ahead will be limitless.”
Listening to her exaggerated flattery, Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Madam Long, you are too polite.”
She then added, “Flying Flower Boat is extremely grateful to you for saving my daughter’s life, Little Brother Yang. We specially prepared some gifts to show our appreciation and sincerity. I hope you won’t refuse.”
After saying that, she curled her finger and flicked out a Space Ring towards him.
Yang Kai reached out his hand and caught the Space Ring. Scanning through the contents with his Divine Sense, he lifted his head and glanced at her with interest. There were a lot of items inside the Space Ring, far exceeding the scope of thank-you gifts. Even for a Second-Class great force, this kind of gift would be a huge expenditure.
Back when she first invited him to board the Lotus Flower Artifact, Shangguan Long had mentioned wanting to prepare a thank-you gift for him for saving Shangguan Yu. It was just that she failed to fulfil her promise over the next few days, and then there was that disturbance afterwards. For her to throw out this Space Ring at this time clearly indicated her conciliatory intentions. There might not have been so many items inside this Space Ring at the start. It was most likely that she added a portion of these items in at the last moment.
As they looked at each other, Yang Kai’s gaze was filled with aggression. Although Shangguan Long’s expression revealed her nervousness, her eyes contained a hidden determination in their depths.
She was the one who made a mistake in the first place. She initially thought nothing of Void Land, but she immediately understood that all her scheming from before was delusional when confronted with Void Land’s powerful heritage. Since she was at fault, she could accept suffering a little pain to calm the other party. However, if he refused to back down, then she would show him that the elites of Flying Flower Boat were not pushovers either!
The void almost seemed as if it would freeze into solid ice.
Yue He and Chen Tian Fei were clueless about the situation, but they could sense that the atmosphere was not right. They both turned their gazes towards Shangguan Long at the same time, firmly locking onto her! The moment she made any strange movements, she would definitely receive a storm of attacks from the both of them.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai smiled, “Many thanks, Madam Long. Purging evil is simply what one should do. Saving Junior Sister Yu was just a coincidence.”
Shangguan Long let out a breath of relief and broke out into a smile, “Regardless of the circumstances, Flying Flower Boat owes you a favour. If Void Land ever needs our help, please feel free to speak. Flying Flower Boat will not refuse as long as it is within our abilities!”
“Madam Long is righteous indeed. Since you have said so, then I won’t hold myself back. It just so happens that I would like to ask you for something, Madam Long. I wonder if you can give it to me.”
Shangguan Long groaned in her heart as she thought to herself, [Smelly Brat, don’t reach out for a yard after taking an inch!]
She was tempted to confront the other party right here and now, but she was helpless. Her daughter was still in their hands; thus, she could only force herself to smile and ask, “What did you take a liking to, Little Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai lifted a hand and pointed behind her, “I’ve taken a great liking to Flying Flower Boat’s Lotus Flower Artifact. Void Land is newly established, so there is a shortage of people and resources. We lack everything you can think of, not to mention such a large flight-type artifact. It would be great if you were willing to give it to me, Madam Long. It’s no big deal if you are reluctant, you can just pretend I never said anything.”
Left Protector Qin Wu Sheng immediately glared at Yang Kai, “Brat, how dare you try to take the lion’s share!? Do you know just how valuable our Falling Lotus is!?”
Likewise, all the other Open Heaven Realm Masters of Flying Flower Boat glared at Yang Kai furiously!
An artifact like the Falling Lotus was not just a simple flight-type artifact. It was an all-rounded artifact that integrated both defensive and offensive abilities. Such a vessel was often the manifestation of a great force’s heritage. Moreover, not every great force could afford something like that. Refining such an artifact would consume an unimaginable number of resources. There was only one Falling Lotus in the entire Flying Flower Boat, so how could they not be furious when Yang Kai was openly coveting it?
However, Qin Wu Sheng had only just finished speaking when he felt a strong gust of wind blowing towards him. He hurriedly surged his World Force and raised his arms to guard himself.
*Hong…*
His body swayed unsteadily as blood trickled out the corner of his mouth while both his arms fell limply to his sides. He looked up and stared at Yue He in shock and horror as the attack just now came from her.
“If you dare speak impolitely towards Young Master again, you will die!” Yue He’s beautiful eyes were filled with fury as she glared at Qin Wu Sheng coldly, causing him to flush with anger but not dare to say a word.
He was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm while she was in the Sixth-Order. There was a difference of two whole Orders between them; hence, he instantly felt the horror of this woman from that blow alone. It was not just him, all of Flying Flower Boat put together would not be her opponent.
Yang Kai lazily said, “Just forget it if you are reluctant to part with it, Madam Long. I was just asking casually.”
Shangguan Long’s expression was dark as she clenched her fists tightly and her chest heaved violently. It was clear that her emotions were not stable, but a short while later, she gritted her teeth and smiled lightly, “Since you’ve taken a fancy to the Falling Lotus, this Queen will give it to you, Little Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai lifted a brow and chuckled happily, “Many thanks, Madam.”
She replied, “I’m glad you like it.” Then, she turned to look at Shangguan Yu, “Yu’er, come here.”
Shangguan Yu turned her head to glance at Yang Kai and seeing that he was smiling at her with no intention of stopping her, she finally moved her body and ran over to Shangguan Long. She reached her mother’s side in an instant and lightly let out a breath of relief.
Then, Yang Kai enthusiastically offered, “You have all come a long way. It must have been tiring to travel so far. Why don’t you come in and have a rest inside? That way, I can fully show you some proper hospitality.”
“No need,” Shangguan Long rejected his offer without any hesitation. She was afraid that she would explode in anger if she remained here any longer. Thus, she decisively said, “It has been two years since we first left Flying Flower Boat. It is time for us to return. If we get another chance, we will definitely come to visit you!”
“Is that so…” Yang Kai revealed a regretful look, “In that case, I won’t keep you here any longer. I’m very grateful for your hard work in escorting me all the way back. I hope we meet again in the future.”
Shangguan Long gave him a deep look before pulling her daughter by the hand, activating her power, and flying off into the depths of the void. The hundred or so people from Flying Flower Boat gradually flew out of the Falling Lotus to follow closely behind her. Some of them even turned back to stare at the Falling Lotus with reluctant gazes before they left.
It wasn’t until they flew far away that a burst of terrifying undulations erupted out of Shangguan Long’s body. She had suppressed her rage up until this moment but could not do so anymore. She had to vent her anger; otherwise, her rage would damage her heart and injure her.
“How outrageous!” She gashed her teeth. This incident was nothing short of a huge humiliation. Flying Flower Boat had stood strong in the 3,000 Worlds for thousands of years, but it had never been humiliated so terribly before. Moreover, all of this was caused by a mere Emperor Realm brat! It was difficult for her to dispel her depression.
“Boat Master, are we really just going to give him the Falling Lotus?” Qin Wu Sheng looked angry. He had suffered a loss at Yue He’s hands just now. Unfortunately, his strength was lacking and he did not dare to fight back. Even so, it was a given that he would hold a grudge over the incident.
“What else could we have done otherwise!?” She gashed her teeth, “That little bastard specifically asked for the Falling Lotus. It would have come down to a battle if I refused! Who can stop that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!? What’s more, Yu’er was still in their hands!”
Just thinking about the power of that woman in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, everybody felt a resonating sense of sympathy.
Tong Yu Quan scowled, “What’s gone is gone. At least all of us came out of this incident alive. Besides, Flying Flower Boat was in the wrong. Just think of it as a monetary loss in exchange to avoid disaster.”
“What did this Queen do wrong!? He should be honoured that this Queen took a liking to him, but that stinking brat did not appreciate my kindness. Void Land… Just you wait! One day, this Queen will definitely make you pay for this humiliation with interest!”
Tong Yu Quan turned to look at his wife of many years, but when he saw her face that was distorted by hatred, he couldn’t help sighing heavily.
…..
Outside Void Land, Yue He stared into the void suspiciously, “Young Master, what happened between you and that group of people?”
Although she could tell that Yang Kai and Flying Flower Boat were not on friendly terms, she did not know what had happened between them. It was only because she received a message from Yang Kai just now that she and Chen Tian Fei hurriedly flew out to receive him.
“It’s a long story,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. He did not wish to explain further in detail; after all, this incident would also affect Shangguan Yu’s reputation. Looking Yue He up and down, he asked, “When did you come out of retreat? Were there any dangers in your breakthrough?”
When Yue He saw how concerned he was over her, a feeling of sweetness that was sweeter than honey welled up in her heart. She broke into a huge smile as she reported, “I came out of retreat about a month ago, but my cultivation has not stabilised completely yet. I will need some time to consolidate it. My breakthrough was also very smooth and there were no dangers. Please rest assured, Young Master.”
If one were to cultivate in a regular manner, it would take at least several hundred years of accumulation to break through from the Fifth Order to the Sixth Order; however, a single Mid-Rank World Fruit had allowed her to advance by an entire Order in a matter of months. That was not all. Yue He originally could only be expected to reach the Seventh Order, but she now had hope of reaching the Eighth Order because she consumed the World Fruit! The World Fruit enhanced not only her current Order but also increased the limits of her future growth.
On the other hand, Chen Tian Fei was staring at Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan in dumbfounded amazement. His eyes pushed apart the fat and widened to the size of eggs.
He was not particularly bothered by the strange occurrence earlier. Rather, he discovered something that shocked him greatly when the people from Flying Flower Boat left. Lu Xue had advanced into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm! Even Guo Zi Yan had advanced into the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm!
He could accept Guo Zi Yan’s breakthrough as the other party’s starting point was lower, so breaking through was also easier. However, Lu Xue’s breakthrough completely baffled him!
Previously, Lu Xue and he were in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm so their strength was on par with each other and nobody was inferior to the other. Now, however, Lu Xue had leapt over him after this trip. It was rather difficult for him to accept.
Not to mention, if he recalled correctly, Lu Xue became an Open Heaven Realm Master several dozen years after him! In other words, he should have been the first to advance into the next Order! Lu Xue should not have beaten him to it!
[It makes no sense for these two to suddenly advance into the next Realm after going on a trip with Yang Kai. Just… what kind of mysterious and wonderful opportunity did they encounter?]
For a while, Chen Tian Fei was filled with both envy and jealousy. Rubbing his fat hands together, he came to Yang Kai’s side and gave a flattering smile, “Sir, can you bring this humble subordinate with you the next time you head out?”
Inside Void Land, Yang Kai closed his eyes and carefully perceived his surroundings. He had not left this place for long, at most only around a year or so. Even so, Earth-shaking changes had occurred. Nothing could be seen from the surface, but careful probing would reveal the impenetrable fortress hidden around Void Land now.
Under Grandmaster Wu Liang’s supervision, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was gradually becoming more and more perfect. It was also gradually showing its power.
The entire Grand Array had cost Yang Kai countless resources. Almost 80% of the various precious treasures he brought back from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had been invested into the Grand Array, so it could be perceived just how terrifyingly powerful the Grand Array would be once fully activated.
It was hard to say whether a Grand Array of this scale could be comparable to those of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, but it was definitely not something a Second-Class great force would ever have. It was said that the Second-Class great forces had inheritances that were accumulated for tens of thousands of years or even longer. They also had large businesses and a powerful heritage. Nonetheless, they had many disciples under them. Cultivation required massive amounts of resources, so where would they find the extra resources and energy to arrange a Grand Array of this level?
If not for that, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array would not have fallen into Yang Kai’s hands.
Grandmaster Wu Liang had helped many great forces arrange Grand Arrays, and he preached the various benefits of this particular one to many Leaders of various great forces.
How could those Leaders fail to understand the strength of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array? On the contrary, they almost immediately recognized this point. It was just that they did not have the budget to arrange something like that. They had many disciples under them to take care of, so if they poured such a large amount of resources into a single Grand Array, then what would they do about their disciples’ cultivation?
That was why nobody had given Grandmaster Wu Liang the chance to realize his ambitions so far despite how hard he persuaded the other party.
Only an extremely rich man like Yang Kai, who suddenly acquired a massive amount of terrifying resources and inexplicably acquired a Spirit Province out of nowhere, could let Grandmaster Wu Liang go so wild.
When Yang Kai left Void Land, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was only half-completed, but by the time he returned, the Grand Array was more or less completed. It was only missing a few more key Array Cores. According to Grandmaster Wu Liang’s estimate, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array would be perfected in two more months at the most. When that time came, the Grand Array would officially start operating. Yang Kai could not wait for that day to come.
He slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath. Looking back, he saw that the 600,000 people he brought from the Star Boundary were continuously coming out of the entrance to the Small Sealed World. There might be many of them, but their movements were orderly.
Regardless of who they were, anyone would be amazed after suddenly coming to a new world. Even the Great Emperors were looking around their surroundings curiously.
Mo Huang said, “Kid, is this the Void Land you mentioned previously?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, this is Void Land.”
Duan Hong Chen carefully perceived his surroundings and said, “As I expected, it is slightly different from the Star Boundary. Improvement is certainly possible if we cultivate here.”
In the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors’ cultivation had already reached the limits of the Universe World so no matter how hard they cultivated, they could not improve any further. However, the unseen restraints that bound them vanished when they arrived at this place. They couldn’t help the feeling as though their world had expanded. Even their hearts and minds seemed to become wider.
This was also the reason why many Great Emperors of various Universe Worlds chose to jump out into the Outer Universe and shake off the shackles of their Universe World when their cultivation reached its limits. It was just that the Star Boundary was located in a rather isolated and remote area and they had never heard of the Open Heaven Realm before the arrival of Great Demon God, so they did not know anything about it.
Yang Kai laughed, “Those in the Emperor Realm and above require a large number of resources to cultivate. Please don’t rush. It’s not too late to start cultivating once you’ve gotten more familiar with this place.”
While they were conversing, Yue He watched quietly from the side. At this moment, she stepped forward and gave an elegant bow, “Yue He greets several Sirs. Please do not hesitate to ask me if you have any questions regarding your cultivation in the future. I will definitely help you to the best of my abilities.”
All the Great Emperors turned to look at her. She had been standing by Yang Kai’s side all this while. Moreover, her aura was not very obvious, so they had not paid much attention to her at the beginning. When they heard what she said, they couldn’t help releasing their Divine Sense to check her more carefully. However, their Divine Senses felt like raindrops sinking into the sea. There was no reaction whatsoever, so their expressions became strange.
Zhan Wu Hen secretly tugged at Yang Kai’s sleeve and asked in a whisper, “What is this lady’s cultivation?”
Yang Kai made a number ‘6’ gesture.
Flower Shadow asked, “How does she compare to the Great Demon God?”
“How should I put this…” Yang Kai scratched his face. The Great Emperors had only just arrived in the Outer Universe, so their understanding of the Open Heaven Realm was vague and he had no way to give them a detailed explanation in such a short time. So after some thought, he replied, “She could probably vaporize Great Demon God with a wave of her hand.”
Back when Great Demon God caused such chaos throughout the Star Boundary, he had only exerted the strength of a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master at most. It certainly would not take much effort for a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yue He to erase a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Flower Shadow stared at him with horror in her beautiful eyes. Despite using up all their strength near the end of the war, they were still nearly wiped out in that battle. The strength of Great Demon God was still fresh in her memory, but as strong as Great Demon God was, he still couldn’t take a single blow from this woman…
Many of the Great Emperors’ expressions became solemn. They cupped their fists in unison while Zhan Wu Hen said, “You are far too polite, Madam. We will surely disturb you a lot in the future. Allow us to thank you in advance.”
Yue He pursed her lips and smiled, “Sir is being too stiff. I am the Young Master’s maidservant. It is part of my duties to share the burdens of the Young Master.”
Hearing her call herself a maidservant, he did not know how to respond. He simply glanced at Yang Kai with a meaningful look before putting his hands behind his back and studying his surroundings.
The gazes of Yu Ru Meng and the others felt like leeches, however, biting firmly into Yang Kai’s body with a deep sense of scrutiny.
Yang Kai sweated profusely as he chuckled awkwardly and introduced, “Yue He, these are my wives.”
Yue He bent her knees and bowed, “This servant greets the Young Madams!”
Yu Ru Meng and the others had strange expressions on their faces. It was their first time hearing the title ‘Young Madam”, so they couldn’t help being a little uncomfortable.
However, Yu Ru Meng was not just any ordinary person. As a Charm Demon Demon Saint, she used to be one of the greatest Masters in the Demon Realm; therefore, she showed no restraint even when faced with a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yue He. Naturally, the main reason was that she had also slaughtered a so-called Open Heaven Realm Master back in the Demon Realm, giving her more confidence.
She directly walked up, took Yue He’s small hand, and smiled brightly, “Such a pretty young lady. How can that bastard be so hard-hearted as to make you his maidservant? Did he bully you? Tell me; I will punish him for you!”
Yang Kai looked down to the ground, feeling cold sweat dripping down his back like a waterfall.
Yue He shook her head and replied gently, “No. I am following and serving the Young Master of my own volition.”
“Is that so?” Yu Ru Meng smiled sweetly “If he bullies you, you have to let me know. This man has a way with women. Look at us; we sisters were all tricked by him and boarded this pirate’s ship before we even knew it. At this point, we can’t even get off if we wanted to!”
Yue He said, “Young Master is a little strict, but he is a good man.”
Yu Ru Meng suddenly exclaimed, “Little Sister, your hands are so smooth.”
Yue He seemed shy, “Young Madam, your skin is also very smooth.”
“I got so carried away while talking to you that I forgot to introduce you to the others,” While saying that, Yu Ru Meng dragged Yue He along with her and began to introduce Su Yan and the others.
Yue He greeted every one of them and discovered that Su Yan and the others were each great beauties in their own right. They were either charming and seductive, cold and noble, sweet and adorable, naive and innocent, or heroic and valiant. They all had different temperaments and charms so she couldn’t help feeling secretly speechless. It was her first time learning that the Young Master she served had so many lovers. Thus, she couldn’t help turning to glance at him.
However, she saw Yang Kai standing there with a solemn expression. He was speaking to the Great Emperors in a low voice. After listening to their conversation, she heard him say, “Since it’s your first time here, why don’t I show you around? It will help you familiarise yourself with the surroundings.”
Zhan Wu Hen waved his hand dismissively, “No need. You can do your own things. The four of us will just stroll around casually.”
After saying that, he stepped forward and slipped outside.
Mo Huang said, “I’m going to take a look around too.”
He strode forward, heading towards a different direction.
Yang Kai turned to look at Duan Hong Chen, but Bustling World Great Emperor chased after Zhan Wu Hen while shouting, “Old Ghost Zhan, wait for me!”
*Shua shua shua…*
One after another, the Great Emperors scattered in different directions. Before leaving, Flower Shadow glared at Yang Kai. Her expression indicated that she was taking pleasure in his misfortune as she snickered, “You get what you deserve!”
At this moment, somebody suddenly rushed over to Yang Kai and excitedly said, “Adoptive Father, have we arrived at Void Land!?”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened as he grabbed Yang Xiao and nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, Xiao’er. This place is Void Land. In the future, you will be cultivating here. Let me tell you; Void Land has the Seven Lands of the Yin, Yang, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water Elements. It’s very mysterious. Why don’t I show you around?!”
Yang Xiao waved his hand swiftly though, “No need. Father can attend to his own matters. I’ll go and take a stroll with Little Aunt and Great Aunt.”
After saying that, he broke free of Yang Kai’s grip and called out to Yang Xue and Liu Yan before he turned into a stream of light and vanished out of sight.
Qiong Qi chased after them, “Young Masters, wait for me!”
Yang Kai was about to spit blood at this point. While he was feeling speechless, his gaze swept over somebody all of a sudden and he immediately shouted excitedly, “Second Manager!”
Among the crowd of people that had just walked out of the Small Sealed World’s entrance was Bian Yu Qing. Before she could even look around at her surroundings though, she immediately came over and cupped her fists, “How may I help you, Palace Master?”
“Has everybody come out?” Yang Kai asked solemnly with his hands behind his back, trying to look authoritative.
Bian Yu Qing just glanced at him strangely though. The Sealed World Bead was Yang Kai’s artifact, so he could tell how many people were still inside with a single thought. Why would he need to ask her? Even so, she answered his question honestly, “They’ve all come out, Palace Master. I was the last person to leave.”
“Good, good. You served as the Second Manager at High Heaven Palace. During all those years when I was gone, you and Head Manager handled all the affairs of the Palace and managed the place very well. Now that we are in Void Land and Head Manager did not come with us, I can only rely on you.”
She solemnly replied, “I will do my best so as not to disappoint you, Palace Master.”
“Let me introduce somebody to you.” Yang Kai turned to the side and shouted, “Yue He, come here.”
Yue He was talking to Yu Ru Meng and the other women, but when she heard Yang Kai’s call, she immediately excused herself and came over. She looked relieved as she did. Shooting him with a grateful expression, she asked, “How can I help you, Young Master?”
Yang Kai introduced Bian Yu Qing and the two women greeted each other.
“In the future, the two of you can discuss matters of Void Land between yourselves and act as you see fit. There’s no need to ask me,” he said.
“Yes!” The two women responded respectfully.
Yang Kai was used to leaving matters to others. He had a free and unrestrained temperament. Expanding his domain territory and conquering his enemies were nothing to him. On the contrary, asking him to remain in one place and manage the development of the land was difficult.
That was why he was adamant about bringing Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing with him.
It was just that Hua Qing Si had not followed him and chose to remain at High Heaven Palace; therefore, there was no choice but to put most of the burden on Bian Yu Qing. The 600,000 people he brought with him this time were all from the Star Boundary, so Bian Yu Qing was familiar with their origins and could easily make arrangements for them. It was just that Void Land was in the Outer Universe, after all, a place she did not know much about. If she worked with Yue He, they could complement each other’s strengths and cover each other’s weaknesses.
With the two of them managing Void Land, Yang Kai would no longer need to worry.
Aside from the Great Emperors, Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, and several others who left to investigate, the remaining people among the 600,000 quietly stood in place. Although they were looking at their surroundings in amazement, they were like a well-disciplined army and did not make any unnecessary noises.
So many people suddenly arrived at Void Land all at once, so it was safe to say that the top priority at the moment was to assign lodgings to them. Fortunately, Void Land was not small. There were a total of seven Spirit Provinces, so it was not hard to accommodate these people.
Yue He and Bian Yu Qing immediately gathered together and discussed this matter.
The 600,000 people were soon separated into seven groups and were then led away by some people, splitting up to head to one of the seven Spirit Provinces. These people leading the way used to belong to Yue He’s Small Orchid Palace. After Small Orchid Palace was disbanded and destroyed, they followed Yue He to Void Land. It could be said that they were the first batch of immigrants. By now, they were already a part of Void Land. Having arrived earlier, they were a little more familiar with Void Land. If nothing else, leading the way was not a problem for them.
While these people were busy working, Yang Kai suddenly heard a cry coming from the depths of Earth Spirit Land. It was followed by a furious roar. Immediately afterwards, the ground shook and the World Energy became chaotic. It felt like there were people fighting in the depths of Earth Spirit Land.
Yang Kai was stupefied, but when he detected a certain flitting aura, he quickly turned to look in that direction and shouted, “Shit!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he shifted his body and rushed over in that direction. Similarly, the expressions of Yu Ru Meng and the others changed slightly and they hurriedly followed after Yang Kai.
While flying over, Bian Yu Qing asked, “Lady Yue He, are there any unvanquished enemies left in Void Land?”
Yue He shook her head, “It’s not an enemy. It’s just… This person’s existence is a little special. I can’t explain it well, but you will understand once you’ve seen yourself.”
Bian Yu Qing gently nodded in response.
A short while later, a group of people gathered in the middle of Earth Spirit Land where the central Main Hall was located.
A ferocious Monster was lying on the ground over there, his entire body exuding the aura of a Divine Spirit. Who else could it be but Qiong Qi? It was just that Old Qiong had revealed his true appearance at this moment. He was also restrained on the ground, completely unable to move. What bound his movements were numerous fine filaments that emitted a bright white light. The harder he struggled, the tighter those filaments dug into his skin. It didn’t take long for his entire body to be covered in blood.
On the other side, Liu Yan had transformed into a Fire Phoenix. Her body was soaring in mid-air, but her mouth was also bound by identical threads. She was unable to utter a single sound.
Outside the Main Hall stood a beautiful woman with an enchanting figure and a pair of cold eyes. She was holding Yang Xiao in one hand and Yang Xue in the other. There was no aura coming from her body. Nevertheless, Yang Xiao, who was usually a fearless little bastard, was currently quivering in fright. His complexion was pale and he couldn’t even muster the courage to fight back. Yang Xue pursed her red lips lightly as her complexion was also pale.
Yang Kai’s face twitched at the sight.
This woman was Zhu Jiu Yin, who had been healing in retreat all this while. Ever since they took over and established Void Land, she had been in seclusion and never showed herself at all. In the entire Void Land, nobody else knew about her existence aside from the people who followed Yang Kai out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Calculating the time, it had been nearly a year since they came out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and although her injuries were not completely healed, they should be much better by now.
Yang Kai felt a huge headache as he had no idea what this little brat had done to anger Zhu Jiu Yin.
*Shua shua shua…*
Countless figures came rushing over, one after another. They were the Great Emperors who came to check out the situation after they noticed the commotion. When they saw Qiong Qi, Liu Yan, Yang Xiao, and Yang Xue in such a state, they were shocked.
It had to be said that the combat power of these four was quite remarkable, especially Qiong Qi. As Flowing Time Great Emperor’s mount, he had lived for tens of thousands of years and his strength outside the Star Boundary was not inferior to a Great Emperor’s. However, all four of them had been completely subdued even though only a short time had passed since the commotion began.
On the other hand, the woman was calm and unruffled. She was definitely an Open Heaven Realm Master!
[We definitely can’t afford to offend her!]
The next to arrive on scene were the two Elders of the Dragon Clan, Fu Zhun dan Zhu Yan.
Fu Zhun looked over and saw her son being held up in the air by an unknown woman and immediately lost her temper as she shouted, “Who are you!? Put Xiao’er down immediately!”
“Dragon Clan?” Zhu Jiu Yin tilted her head to the side and glanced at the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan. She did not think much of them though and instead looked over at Yang Kai with great interest. Her beautiful eyes were elegant, sparkling with a strange light.
Yang Kai frowned, “Senior, I don’t know what my Adopted Son and my Little Sister have done to upset you, but please be merciful.”
To which Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted, “If this Queen had not been merciful, do you think they would still be alive? This Queen was recuperating from her injuries in peace when they suddenly barged in. If this had happened in the past, I would have killed them on the spot.”
Feeling speechless, Yang Kai glared fiercely at Yang Xiao. [This brat sure does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, accidentally offending Zhu Jiu Yin.]
“Many thanks, Senior. They only just arrived here, so they do not know of your greatness. I will discipline them thoroughly later.”
Zhu Jiu Yin’s eyes flashed before she casually tossed Yang Xiao and Yang Xue on the ground.
Only then did Yang Kai let out a breath of relief. Although this woman had made an oath on her Source to become his Protector and swore never to harm him, that oath only applied to him and not the people around him. If she refused to let go of this matter, it would also give him some trouble.
There was a whooshing sound suddenly and Yang Kai’s vision blurred for a moment. Then, he found that Zhu Jiu Yin had appeared right in front of him. She was so close that their faces nearly touched. Thus, he jumped back in fright and asked, “What is it, Senior?”
“Move aside!” She pushed him away and studied the person standing behind him with great interest.
As their gazes met, Shan Qing Luo looked at the woman in front of her with a strange expression. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of affinity towards this person. It felt as though this woman in front of her was a long-lost relative.
“What is your name?” Zhu Jiu Yin asked with a smile.
“Shan Qing Luo!”
She nodded and lifted a hand to grab Shan Qing Luo’s jade-white hand. In front of everybody’s eyes, she placed one of Shan Qing Luo’s fingers in her mouth and bit down gently.
Shan Qing Luo furrowed her brow in response, clearly feeling that her skin had been broken.
Zhu Jiu Yin drew a drop of blood and tasted it on her tongue before spitting it out with a look of disgust, “Why is your bloodline so thin?”
“Senior, you…” Shan Qing Luo seemed to understand something at that moment and her beautiful eyes lit up with a mixture of shock and delight.
Zhu Jiu Yin grabbed Shan Qing Luo’s hand without allowing for objections and headed towards the Grand Hall behind her, “Come with me.”
Shan Qing Luo followed, glancing back at Yang Kai with a mixture of excitement and unease.
Yang Kai opened his mouth but did not know what to say.
Zhu Jiu Yin halted abruptly and turned back to look at him, “From now on, this girl belongs to me. Do you have any objections?”
“None!” Yang Kai hurriedly replied.
“Lucky you know what’s good for you!” Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted and continued onward.
Yang Kai quickly shot a look at Shan Qing Luo that seemed to say, “Don’t worry.”
The door to the Grand Hall slammed shut with a loud bang, blocking out everybody’s line of sight. Everybody then turned their gaze to Yang Kai instead as Zhan Wu Hen frowned and asked, “Who is that woman?”
Su Yan was also a little worried and asked, “Husband, she took Luo’er away. Will she be okay?”
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s fine. This is a great opportunity for Luo’er.”
Zhu Jiu Yin was a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider. Yang Kai had learned about the Divine Spirit known as the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider from Shan Qing Luo a long time ago. This couldn’t be helped; after all, Shan Qing Luo also possessed a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Source.
Just now, Zhu Jiu Yin had ignored everyone else and only showed interest in Shan Qing Luo, clearly aware of the bloodline within the latter. Now that she had taken Shan Qing Luo away with her, Shan Qing Luo’s cultivation would gain an overwhelming advantage over everybody else with the personal guidance of a Great Senior like her.
Yang Kai had cooperated with Zhu Jiu Yin in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary firstly because had no other choice, but secondly to create a path for Shan Qing Luo in the future. Otherwise, he could very well have gone and cooperated with Jin Wu instead.
It was extremely difficult to chance upon another Divine Spirit of the same Race. The 3,000 Worlds might be vast, but there were precious few Divine Spirits like the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider left. If he missed Zhu Jiu Yin, only the Heavens knew when he would come across another Heavenly Moon Demon Spider.
After Yang Kai revealed Zhu Jiu Yin’s identity to the others, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were filled with a sense of dread. They never imagined that they would accidentally provoke such a terrifying existence. Likewise, Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan also felt some lingering fears. If a Master of that level had truly intended to kill Yang Xiao, nobody could have stopped her even with so many people present.
Even so, they also felt a sense of excitement in addition to their fear.
That was because they witnessed the terrifying heights a Divine Spirit could grow to. They were part of the Dragon Clan after all. Among all the Divine Spirits, the Dragons and Phoenixes were considered rulers as they were the strongest. If a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider could grow to such terrifying heights, then what would members of the Dragon Clan be like if they were to develop and mature?
It was just that they had not known how to continue refining their bloodline. Over countless years, they had remained stagnant and unable to progress further; however, they were now in the Outer Universe so their situation might just improve!
Regardless of whether it was the Dragon Clan’s Elders, Qiong Qi, or Liu Yan, they seemed to have found a sliver of hope in the darkness. As long as they followed this trace of hope, there would come a day when they escape the darkness surrounding them to see the real light beyond.
Three months went by in the blink of an eye.
During these three months, the 600,000 people from the Star Boundary gradually became familiar with Void Land. Under the proper management of Yue He and Bian Yu Qing, these 600,000 were settled in the various Spirit Provinces and were now performing their respective duties.
Under Bian Yu Qing’s suggestion, Void Land established several ‘Halls’. They were Pill Hall, Artifact Hall, Array Hall, Scripture Hall, Martial Hall, and Divine Spirit Hall.
Among them, the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor served as the Hall Master of the Pill Hall. He cultivated the Alchemic Dao and used that to condense his Dao Seal. His achievements in Alchemy had long since reached the limits of the Star Boundary; therefore, his Alchemy skills were so superb that he stood at the peak of all those present.
If Void Land wanted to develop further, it could not afford to sit around and do nothing while the resources were depleted. Most of the resources that Yang Kai obtained from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had been spent on the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. Even if there was some surplus, they could not be considered abundant. In addition, what they found in the secret storehouse of Seven Wonders Land and the compensation from Flying Flower Boat would not last long. The Great Emperors had reached the limits of their cultivation, so they were eager to improve themselves, but if they were to start cultivating, they would surely require materials of the Fifth Order and above, right?
The price for any Fifth-Order material was calculated by the millions of Open Heaven Pills, and that was only for Fifth-Order materials. It might be that the Great Emperors would need more than Fifth-Order materials. They might require Sixth-Order materials or even higher! If so, the costs would be even greater and more terrifying! Therefore, Void Land required a means of generating income.
It was just that Void Land was newly established, so with neither connections nor contacts, how could it have a means of generating revenue? It was truly fortunate that Seven Wonders Land had left behind an amazing heritage. The seven Orchards were currently Void Land’s greatest wealth. The seven types of spirit fruit were the primary ingredients to refine Open Heaven Pills, so if they could get their hands on the pill recipe, refining Open Heaven Pills would not be a problem with Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s heritage in the Alchemic Dao. That was why Void Land’s highest priority at the moment was to develop the Pill Hall. It was also the key to Void Land’s rise to greatness in the future.
On the other hand, Hou Yu served as the Hall Master of the Artifact Hall. Her cultivation could not be considered high as she was only in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Nevertheless, nobody in Void Land could surpass her when it came to Artifact Refining. Back in the Star Boundary, the name ‘Monkey Grandmaster’ had become famous throughout the land. Many cultivators had taken pride in owning the artifacts she personally refined. If not for Nanmen Da Jun’s introduction, Yang Kai would not have been able to get her under his command.
Hou Yu had refined countless amazing artifacts for High Heaven Palace back in the Star Boundary, and those artifacts played a huge role in the war between the two worlds.
Meanwhile, Nanmen Da Jun naturally served as the Hall Master of the Array Hall. He hardly had a moment to rest since he arrived in Void Land as he had been studying under Grandmaster Wu Liang. Nanmen Da Jun was practically obsessed with Arrays but the Universe World known as the Star Boundary had bound his hands and feet; therefore, he had been unable to pull himself away after seeing the mystery of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array upon his arrival at Void Land.
He had an extremely rich heritage in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and a high sense of comprehension. Otherwise, he would not have achieved the success he enjoyed today.
Over the past three months, he had been working under Grandmaster Wu Liang and proclaiming himself to be a Disciple. He was hard-working and conscientious to the point where he neglected to even eat and sleep.
Grandmaster Wu Liang originally despised Array Masters who originated from lower Universe Worlds; however, he quickly discovered that Nanmen Da Jun had a unique sense and comprehension in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. While Nanmen Da Jun’s achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays could not be compared to his, that was simply because their environment for growth was too different. He had to admit that he might not have reached the level of achievement that Nanmen Da Jun had if he was placed in a lower Universe World instead. Combined with his gratitude towards Yang Kai for providing him with the means to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array and fulfil his long-cherished wish, the Grandmaster did not conceal his knowledge and fully intended to teach Nanmen Da Jun.
One was willing to learn and the other was willing to teach; hence, Nanmen Da Jun madly absorbed the mysteries of the Outer Universe’s Dao of Spirit Arrays during these three months and experienced a huge leap in growth.
The existence of the Scripture Hall was to store various Secret Techniques and ancient books. Be it in the Star Boundary or the Outer Universe, Yang Kai had killed many, especially in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. He obtained many spoils of war, among which contained many Secret Techniques and Secret Arts. These were almost all useless to him, but he kept them anyway. These resources were now stored in the Scripture Hall so that the disciples could study and cultivate them.
Yang Kai entrusted the position of Hall Master of the Martial Hall to Lu Xue. She was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all, so it was a given that she had the qualifications. On this point, even the Great Emperors had nothing to say.
It was just that most of the 600,000 people who came from the Star Boundary had relatively shallow foundations; therefore, on the basis of understanding the common sense of the Martial Dao in the Outer Universe, the Great Emperors and Pseudo-Great Emperors would occasionally preach the Dao to the disciples regarding the important points to take note of during their cultivation and some cultivation tricks.
In the Star Boundary, it was practically impossible to receive a chance to listen to the teachings of a Great Emperor. None of the Great Emperors had that much time to do such things. They would only take in a few disciples to carefully teach and nurture at most; however, they put aside their status after coming to the Outer Universe and contributed to the development of Void Land.
How precious and valuable were the Great Emperors’ cultivation experiences? It was exactly what these 600,000 people needed. For that reason, the lectures would be bursting at the seams with people every time the Great Emperors held a class. Countless cultivators broke free of their own shackles during these three months and their strength increased sharply.
As for the Divine Spirit Hall, it was a very special hall. There was no helping it. Many Divine Spirits had been brought over from the Star Boundary. Leaving aside the fact that dozens of pure-blooded members of the Dragon Clan from Dragon Island were here, there were also several hundred Dragonborn with the Dragon Clan bloodlines. Not to mention, Luan Feng, Fan Wu, Cang Gou, and the countless Monster Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands.
These Monster Kings originally had faint Divine Spirit bloodlines flowing in them but could not really be considered Divine Spirits. The Blood Gate had remained open after Zhang Ruo Xi came out of retreat though. Consequently, many members of the Monster Race had entered the Blood Gate over the years and received their ancestor’s Sources.
Take Ying Fei for example. He received the Flaming Eagle’s Source from within the Blood Gate, allowing him to become a Divine Spirit now. As such, almost half of the thirty-two Monster Kings had become Divine Spirits.
There were also the Stone Spirit Clan, Xiao Xiao, the Wood Spirit Clan, Liu Yan, Qiong Qi, and Spirit Beast Island’s Jiu Feng who served under Martial Beast Great Emperor Mo Huang.
It was very rare for so many Divine Spirits to gather in one place, even in the 3,000 Worlds. Divine Spirits were extremely prideful existences and generally acted alone. Only a unique environment like Void Land could make them coexist so peacefully.
The Divine Spirits mainly cultivated by improving their Bloodline Power and Purity while developing their Source. It was very different from ordinary cultivators. In this regard, nobody could help them except themselves.
However, if these Divine Spirits managed to grow and become powerful, even the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises would not be able to challenge Void Land easily.
The many halls carried out their respective duties, and while there were some flaws, Void Land was a newly-established entity after all. It was only natural that there were many arrangements that had yet to be perfected. The many disciples were also free to join the respective halls in order to cultivate according to their interests and specialties.
In addition to these many halls, the current Void Land was also divided into two types of disciples: the Outer Disciples and the Inner Disciples. The Outer Disciples consisted of the cultivators below the Emperor Realm, and there were many of them, consisting of practically 99% of the population. On the other hand, the Inner Disciples were those in the Emperor Realm, of which there were about 1,000 at the moment. These people not only included the Emperor Realm cultivators from the Star Boundary but also those who originally belonged to Small Orchid Palace.
Once somebody advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, they would automatically leave the Inner Disciples and be promoted to the status of a Deacon. It was just that the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land were so few at the moment that they could only look forward to future development.
In just three months, Void Land had already formed a preliminary outline and organizational structure. Everything was right on track.
At this moment, Yang Kai was standing in the sky above Void Land. He was holding the Void Land’s Array Jade in his hand and feeling the mysteries of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array.
Grandmaster Wu Liang was standing next to Yang Kai. Compared to the first time they met, the Spirit Array Grandmaster had lost a lot of weight and appeared quite haggard; however, his expression was extremely animated. He was explaining the various benefits and aspects of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array to Yang Kai.
“True Monarch, I’m sure you have some understanding of this Old Master’s Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array already but let me explain again. The Grand Array can be divided into nine layers that integrate various functions into one. Moreover, these functions are linked together. It is so wonderful that it cannot be described in words.” His eyes were bloodshot, but he was in high spirits. His entire being was filled with vigour as he pointed forward and continued, “The first three layers of the Grand Array are the basic foundations of the Grand Array. When in operation, they will draw Star Power from the outside and pour the energy into the Grand Array to keep it running smoothly. The excess energy will be stored for emergencies. That is not all. The first three layers of the Grand Array are also capable of self-restoration. As long as the damage is not too serious, they will be able to repair most damage by themselves.”
Yang Kai was mentally connected to the Array Jade, so when he studied the first three layers of the Grand Array, he discovered that Grandmaster Wu Liang had not exaggerated his words. Thus, he nodded lightly. Grandmaster Wu Liang had already explained these functions to Yang Kai before setting up the Nine Heavenly Layers after all.
Grandmaster Wu Liang continued, “The three middle layers are Defensive Arrays. The first function is for concealment. If you wish, True Monarch, you can activate the Spirit Array to hide Void Land completely so that it cannot be seen from the outside. Of course, you can also lure the enemy deeper into your trap if you wish with this method. This Concealment Spirit Array does not only work to conceal but also to create illusions. The second function is to bewilder one’s enemies. Those who enter this Spirit Array will experience all sorts of hallucinations. They will not be able to distinguish North from East, West, or South. Naturally, you can also increase the power of this Spirit Array if you have a suitable artifact to act as its Array Core. This Old Master has already reserved a spot for this Array Core in advance. When that time comes, you can decide for yourself whether to use it or not!
“The third function is for pure defence. I have already set the Heavenly Net Umbrella you brought back previously into the Array Core. I have no idea who created the Heavenly Net Umbrella, but it is very powerful. If you use this as the Array Core to activate the Defensive Grand Array… This Old Master does not dare to say that Void Land will be impenetrable, but it would take at least ten Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters working together for three days and three nights to break through it.”
Yang Kai raised his brow at those words and happily expressed his thanks, “Many thanks, Grandmaster.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang waved his hand dismissively, “You don’t need to thank this Old Master; in fact, it is I who should be the one thanking you instead. The cost of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array is truly enormous. This Old Master conceived this Spirit Array several hundred years ago but has never had the chance to arrange it. With your support, I was finally able to see my grand idea come alive. It can be said that this Old Master’s lifelong wish has been fulfilled.”
Changing the topic of conversation, Grandmaster Wu Liang continued, “Let me tell you about the last three layers of the Grand Array. These last three layers of the Grand Array are Offensive Spirit Arrays. Most of the Star Power gathered by the first three layers of the Grand Array will be stored in the last three layers of the Grand Array. These three Spirit Arrays are capable of transforming flexibly. Moreover, each layer is stronger than the last. If anyone were to fall prey to this Grand Array, even a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master will not escape unscathed!
“This Old Master has already placed suitable artifacts in the Array Cores of the first two Offensive Spirit Arrays. The Heavenly Executioner’s Sword that True Monarch gave me earlier has been placed in the second Spirit Array. If you activate the power of the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword with the power of the Grand Array, most Open Heaven Realm Masters will be unable to block a single blow!
“As for the last one… this Old Master did as you instructed, True Monarch. The position for the Array Core has been reserved in advance. I might not know what you have prepared, but please do not forget that the last layer of the Grand Array uses a person as its foundation. It is best not to activate it for no reason before you amass enough strength; otherwise, you will risk a powerful backlash.”
Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “I will remember that. Many thanks, Grandmaster!”
Grandmaster Wu Liang exhaled a long breath and stared down at Void Land. His gaze seemed to penetrate the numerous layers to take in the entire Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. There was a look of satisfaction in the depths of his eyes.
“Grandmaster, this is the promised reward. Please accept it.” Yang Kai took out a Space Ring and handed it over. He had asked Grandmaster Wu Liang to help set up this Grand Array, so it was only natural that he could not allow the other party to work for free. Besides, the remuneration had been agreed upon earlier. Now that the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array had been completed, it was only right to deliver the payment.
Grandmaster Wu Liang sighed and accepted the Space Ring silently as he said sadly, “This Grand Array is probably the greatest achievement that this Old Master will achieve in this life. There will be no more chances to surpass this pinnacle in the future. Please treat this Grand Array kindly, True Monarch.”
For a Spirit Array Grandmaster like him, the Nine Heavenly Layers that he worked so hard to set up was not just the crystallisation and culmination of his entire lifetime’s cultivation, it was also a child he had given birth to in a sense; thus, he was a little reluctant to part ways with it.
A sudden idea came to Yang Kai seeing this kind of sentiment and he smiled, “Grandmaster, if you can’t help worrying about the Grand Array, why don’t you remain in Void Land? I’m sure it will be able to operate for a very long time if you take care of it yourself.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang shook his head, “True Monarch, please don’t try to win over this Old Master. This Old Master is used to the freedom of living alone. I can’t bear to be restrained by anything. If this Old Master had really wanted to join a great force, I would have done so a long time ago and not have waited until today.”
Although Yang Kai knew that the possibility was very slim, he couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed when he was rejected by Grandmaster Wu Liang so decisively. It would have been a great help to the future development of Void Land if a Spirit Array Grandmaster like Grandmaster Wu Liang could remain in Void Land. Unfortunately, a forcefully picked melon was not sweet, so there was nothing he could do since the other party was unwilling.
“Please rest assured, True Monarch. Now that the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array has been arranged in Void Land, this Old Master will be tight-lipped about the various mysteries behind it and will never leak a single word to outsiders. If this Old Master lets even the slightest information slip, may my Small Universe collapse and death come for me on the spot!” Grandmaster Wu Liang was clearly making a sworn oath on his Small Universe.
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “There’s no need for such extremes, Grandmaster. Proprietress herself invited you to set up this Grand Array for me. It’s only natural that I trust you.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang laughed, “That little one called Nanmen Da Jun under your command has extremely high attainments and understanding in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Although he is still lacking at the moment, I have great expectations of his growth in the future. Handing the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array Hand over to him will also put my mind at ease.”
After saying that, he cupped his fists, “True Monarch, this Old Master is leaving. I hope to see you again in the future!”
Yang Kai was startled, “Are you leaving right now, Grandmaster?”
Grandmaster Wu Liang responded with a smile, “Thanks to you, True Monarch, this Old Master was able to make full use of and display all his talents. Arranging this Grand Array recently has greatly inspired this Old Master, which in turn gave birth to many insights. The bottleneck that has been troubling this Old Master for many years has shown signs of loosening and I’m afraid I’m not too far from my next breakthrough. This Old Master has to go back and enter retreat.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai was surprised before he cupped his fists with a smile and said, “In that case, I should be congratulating you, Grandmaster.”
Even now, Yang Kai had yet to figure out what Order in the Open Heaven Realm Grandmaster Wu Liang was in; after all, they had very few opportunities to come into contact with each other. Looking at the other party’s aura, Grandmaster Wu Liang seemed to be in the Fourth or Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. For a Spirit Array Grandmaster, such a level of cultivation was not weak at all.
Knowing that Grandmaster Wu Liang wanted to return to enter retreat and advance into the next Order, Yang Kai did not keep the other party for much longer. He politely saw Grandmaster Wu Liang off outside Void Land. It wasn’t until Grandmaster Wu Liang’s artifact vanished out of his sight that Yang Kai turned around and returned to Void Land.
Yue He came out to meet him and glanced behind him suspiciously, “Has Grandmaster Wu Liang left?”
Yang Kai nodded, “The Grandmaster realised the opportunity for a breakthrough and hurried back to enter retreat.”
Yue He was stunned for a moment before her expression became slightly gloomy as she informed him, “Young Master, we don’t have many resources left.”
Yang Kai was a bit surprised and asked curiously, “Weren’t there still some surpluses from before?”
It had indeed cost a lot to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array and he even had to give Grandmaster Wu Liang a hefty payment at the end. Even so, Yang Kai was certain they still had some resources left over from before.
To which she replied, “The several Sirs you brought back with you have all begun to enter retreat to cultivate. Each of them also needs Sixth-Order materials. There are also several at the peak of the Emperor Realm who have taken away a lot of the Fifth-Order materials. We can just barely manage to get by for some time, but once more people begin to condense their Dao Seals, the demand for materials will only increase.”
Yue He was in charge of finances for all of Void Land and Yang Kai had previously told her to accommodate the cultivation needs of the cultivators from the Star Boundary without limit. Those in the Third-Order Emperor Realm and below were not hard to deal with and their cultivation requirements did not worry her. However, the Great Emperors were existences that had long ago condensed their Dao Seals. They had remained at the level of a Great Emperor for tens of thousands of years each, so they all had extremely solid foundations. After familiarising themselves with the environment for a bit, they settled down and began to cultivate in retreat.
Iron Blood, Bustling World, Marital Beast, Serene Soul, Heavens Revelations, Wondrous Pill, Flower Shadow, and Ice Feather. All Eight Great Emperors would consume eight Sixth-Order materials all at once, and that was only the beginning. The follow-up demand would only be greater and greater.
Yue He was truly baffled by this. She simply could not understand why these people had such powerful heritage and great aptitude that all of them had chosen to refine Sixth-Order materials. She had seen many Great Emperors from other Universe Worlds in the past, but those Great Emperors had a mixture of both strong and weak aptitudes.
In general, a Great Emperor of a Universe World could at minimum withstand the strain of Fourth-Order Open Heaven materials. Nevertheless, those people had not been as exaggerated as the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary.
The reason for this discrepancy was that the Great Emperors had an extremely solid foundation. Their Dao Seals were firm and could withstand stronger impacts. They had remained at the level of a Great Emperor for much longer than normal after all. On the contrary, the Great Emperors of other Universe Worlds would generally begin to condense their Yin, Yang, and Five Elements shortly after arriving at their current realm. They did not spend time refining and stabilising their foundations for thousands of years, so their Dao Seals naturally could not compare to Zhan Wu Hen and the others.
Aside from the eight Great Emperors, others such as Tian Yan, Sheng Yu Zhu, Li Wu Yi, and Yang Yan had already condensed their own Dao Seals within these past few months and began their own cultivation. Further down the line, Wen Zi Shan, Li Jiao, and the others were still in the process of condensing their Dao Seals.
There were also the 30 people whom Yang Kai brought back with him from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, such as Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man. They were also consuming materials from different Orders.
At present, the most abundant resource in the entire Void Land was Open Heaven Pills. There were as many as 7 or 8 eight billion Open Heaven Pills! That was because there were not many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land, so the consumption of Open Heaven Pills was minimal. Aside from the cost of purchasing the materials to set up the Grand Array, there had not been much consumption of the Open Heaven Pills.
While 7 or 8 billion Open Heaven Pills might sound like a lot, how many cultivation resources could they actually be exchanged with? A full set of 7 Sixth-Order materials cost at least 100 million Open Heaven Pills; therefore, one billion could only purchase 10 portions, and that would only be under the most ideal of circumstances. After all, Sixth-Order materials were not exactly common resources that could be found everywhere and would often be sold for much higher prices.
In the long run, Void Land’s finances were a huge unsolved problem, so it was no wonder that Yue He was looking so gloomy.
“What about the gourd vine? Didn’t I ask you to harvest materials from those Little Bottle Gourds?” Yang Kai asked.
Yue He replied, “We have already started the process. It’s just that… Although the Little Bottle Gourd can produce a full set of Fifth-Order Element treasures, the number of times they can be harvested is limited. We can only harvest them about once a month.”
The gourd vine could be said to be one of the biggest gains that Yang Kai obtained from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The value of the gourd vine was the highest among the three Divine Medicines. Compared to the healing power of Pu Bai Xiong and the hallucinogenic effects of Little Mushroom, the gourd vine not only allowed Yang Kai to unleash a terrifying force equivalent to the attack of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master at a critical moment, but it could also become one of the financial foundations of Void Land.
There were seven small bottle gourds growing naturally on the gourd vine, each of which corresponded to the Powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. The Powers were usually hidden within the bottle gourds and their energy was not obvious; however, that Power could burst out at critical moments. If it could explode, naturally it could also be harvested.
After returning from his trip to the Star Boundary, Yang Kai immediately planted the gourd vine in Void Land. Every time the Little Bottle Gourds had accumulated enough energy, he would ask Yue He to harvest it. Every time the energy was harvested, it could supply one cultivator with a set of Yin, Yang, and Five Element materials they needed for their cultivation. Moreover, it was a Fifth-Order Element Power!
It was conceivable that countless cultivators in Void Land would benefit from the existence of the gourd vine over time. If the disciples needed Fifth-Order materials, they were perfectly capable of being self-sufficient!
Under the current circumstances where Void Lands was unable to refine Open Heaven Pills, this gourd vine had become the greatest financial resource of Void Land and could help to alleviate the current crisis to some extent. The price was that Yang Kai had to give up one of his trump cards. It was definitely worth the sacrifice in the long run but it was not an immediate solution to their current problem.
“But, Young Master, those Little Bottle Gourds have become somewhat unruly and grumpy. They have been clamouring to relocate.” Yue He looked exasperated when the gourd vine was mentioned.
“Don’t worry about them. Ask Chen Tian Fatty to monitor them closely in my place. If anything goes wrong, make him take responsibility.”
“Yes!”
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead and sighed, “Still, we need to solve the problem regarding the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills.”
Void Land currently had an abundance of Alchemy ingredients and many Alchemists, but there was no pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills. It made the situation rather awkward as a result.
It was certain that Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch had the pill recipe. Unfortunately, his Space Ring had been taken away by Yu Xiu Shan after he was killed by Zhao Bai Chuan and Yu Xiu Shan. Even if he had the pill recipe, it had fallen into the hands of Yu Xiu Shan.
Yue He followed up, “There are quite a few pill recipes for Open Heaven Pills in the 3,000 Worlds. Each one of them may be a little different, but few of them are spread around. Perhaps you should visit a Star City, Young Master. Who knows if you might find one there?”
“A Star City might not necessarily have it either.” Yang Kai shook his head. He once stayed in a Star City for a while and even dealt with many of the shopkeepers of prominent stores there. Even so, he had never heard of anybody selling the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills before. That undoubtedly meant that the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills was a rare item. While speaking, his eyes suddenly lit up, “I know who to look for!”
Yue He smilingly asked, “Are you thinking of Big Sister Lan?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Proprietress will surely have the pill recipe.”
Besides, he already planned to look for the Proprietress once the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was successfully completed. This couldn’t be helped. His cultivation had also fallen into an awkward state as there were no suitable Yin, Yang, or Metal Element materials. Even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice. The Proprietress had been in First Inn for a very long time and controlled a lot of rare information, so it might be possible to ask her about where to find what he needed.
Now that the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was completed and Zhu Jiu Yin had regained some of her strength, Void Land had secured very powerful defences. There was nothing to worry about even if he left on a journey; therefore, Yang Kai did not bother to delay any longer. Three days after Grandmaster Wu Liang departed, Yang Kai quietly made arrangements for many of Void Land’s affairs and set off on a journey.
This trip was different from his previous one. On the last trip, Yang Kai only brought Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan with him; this time, however, he brought quite a few people with him. The Falling Lotus that was ‘gifted’ to him by Flying Flower Boat was a large flight-type artifact that required many people working together to control it.
Most of the cultivators he brought from the Star Boundary were in the middle of cultivating; hence, Yang Kai decided to bring Lang Qing Shan and the group of people that followed him out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Yue He and Guo Zi Yan came along too. With a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yue He around, nobody would dare to pull the tiger’s whiskers by causing trouble for them.
Inside Void Land, Lu Xue, Chen Tian Fei, and Bian Yu Qing stood in a row and respectfully said, “Have a safe trip, True Monarch.”
Lu Xue and Bian Yu Qing were understanding; however, Yang Kai did not understand why Chen Tian Fei looked extremely disgruntled, almost like an abandoned resentful widow. Chen Tian Fei had volunteered to come along with Yang Kai when the decision to visit Proprietress was first made. Unfortunately, Yang Kai refused the request after taking the fact that Chen Tian Fei was needed to take care of the gourd vine into consideration. The expression on Chen Tian Fei’s fat face immediately became bitter after that.
Ignoring that resentful glare, Yang Kai nodded and plunged headfirst into the enormous lotus. The others quickly followed after him and a short while later, the enormous flower petals of the lotus slowly spread open under Yue He’s control. Spinning slightly, the lotus transformed into a stream of light that sped off towards the outside.
The Grand Array rumbled and cracked open by a gap through which the lotus rushed out and soon vanished out of sight.
“Haaaa!” Staring into the void, Chen Tian Fei let out a heavy sigh.
The last time Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue had gone out on a trip with Yang Kai, they had both experienced a breakthrough. He later tried to ask them about what kind of opportunity they encountered, but both Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue were very tight-lipped. They did not tell him the details and only claimed that it was Yang Kai’s gift that allowed them to enjoy their success.
Fatty Chen had been stuck in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm for many years; even so, it would take another several dozen to a couple hundred years of intense cultivation and accumulation before he could experience a breakthrough. If he could achieve a breakthrough just by following Yang Kai on a trip, then how could he not grasp at the chance? It was a pity that Yang Kai had refused him so he couldn’t help but sigh and mope as a result.
Reluctantly withdrawing his gaze, he turned to look at Bian Yu Qing and chuckled, “Second Manager, now that True Monarch is gone and Lady Yue He has accompanied him, all of Void Land’s affairs will depend on you.”
Bian Yu Qing politely replied, “I will be relying on the two of you to help me.”
He said, “Of course. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to give me the order, Second Manager. I, Chen Tian Fei, am loyal to the True Monarch. I will not refuse as long as it is within my capabilities.”
“In that case, allow this Mistress to thank you in advance.”
He enthusiastically added, “Second Manager, if you have any questions regarding your cultivation, you can also come to this Old Chen. This Old Chen will be forthcoming.”
Lu Xue glanced at him warily and said lightly, “I will explain to Second Manager myself regarding matters of cultivation.”
Chen Tian Fei opened his mouth but said nothing. Then, he gave another heavy sigh. He could only head towards the place where the gourd vine was to carry out his duties. When he arrived there though, he discovered that the gourd vine was nowhere to be seen. There was only a large hole in the spot where the gourd vine used to be. His complexion immediately turned pale as he shouted, “My Little Ancestors, where did you run off to!?”
He frantically began searching. Fortunately, the Grand Array had not been opened since it was completed, so the entire Void Land was a sealed space. Therefore, the gourd vine could not escape Void Land even if it wished to.
…..
The Falling Lotus was extremely fast and it only took a day’s time to arrive at the Star City in Void Territory.
Every Great Territory that wasn’t entirely desolate had its own Star City. It was just that the scale of the Star City was directly related to the heritage of the Great Territory. If there were many powerful great forces in a Great Territory, then the Star City would be very lively. If not, it would be rather desolate.
The heritage of Void Territory was not that great as Seven Wonders Land was the only Second-Class great force present and it was at best average in terms of strength. For that reason, the Star City in this place was not very large and the goods that flowed through the city were not very valuable either.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai not only intended to ask for the Open Heaven Pills’ pill recipe from the Proprietress and inquire about information about materials for his cultivation, he also planned to purchase other cultivation resources during this trip. He still had some 8 billion Open Heaven Pills in his possession and at the moment, Open Heaven Pills were not urgently needed in Void Land. What they urgently needed were cultivation resources of various Orders. That was why it would be best if he could exchange Open Heaven Pills for materials of various Orders. Since he was already in a Star City, it was a given that he could not let this opportunity slip him by.
It was also Yang Kai’s first time coming to the Star City in Void Territory. The Falling Lotus stopped outside Star City and Guo Zi Yan remained behind to guard it while Yang Kai led Yue He and Lang Qing Shan into the city.
Half a day went by before they returned from the Star City. In half a day, Yang Kai spent almost a billion Open Heaven Pills to purchase Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials.
There was no need to expect to find Sixth-Order materials in a Star City of this scale because nobody else in the entire Void Territory had the ability to consume such high Order materials aside from Yang Kai and his people.
As for Fifth-Order materials, Yang Kai had no plans to buy them. There was enough since Void Land had the gourd vine. The gourd vine could be harvested once a month; moreover, each harvest was enough to provide a full set of Yin, Yang, and Five Element materials for a cultivator. Accumulated over the years, there would always be enough to use.
That was why he only bought Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials.
One Fourth-Order material was only 150,000 Open Heaven Pills and one Third-Order material was just 15,000 Open Heaven Pills. Spending more than 1 billion Open Heaven Pills, Yang Kai practically cleaned out all the Third and Fourth-Order cultivation materials from the entire Star City. In all the years since the Star City in Void Territory had been established, it had never dealt with such a large transaction before. Every shop in the city practically regarded Yang Kai as a God of Fortune and treated him reverently.
Yang Kai did not buy any materials below the Third Order though as all 600,000 people from the Star Boundary had very solid starting points. In addition, they had the entire Void Land backing them up so they would either fail to achieve the Open Heaven Realm or succeed to become a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master at the very least!
Besides, the people Yang Kai brought over from the Star Boundary were elites who underwent rigorous selection. Becoming a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would not be a problem for them. Naturally, the prerequisite was that they could condense their own Dao Seal.
There were countless Emperor Realm Masters who underwent intense cultivation but were unable to gain insight into their Grand Dao and failed to condense their own Dao Seal. In that case, their cultivation journey would stop there. In the end, how many of these 600,000 people could reach the Open Heaven Realm? It might be 10% or it might be 5%. Even so, they were part of Void Land’s future foundation so it was worth investing in them.
A few days later, Yang Kai and the others arrived at the Star City of another Great Territory. This Great Territory was called Flying Smoke Territory on the Universe Chart. It was the Great Territory where Flying Smoke Temple was located.
Seven Wonders Land and Flying Smoke Temple were originally neighbours and had a lot of friction between them. If not for Flying Smoke Temple’s all-out effort to attack Seven Wonders Land back then, Seven Wonders Land would not have fallen into Yang Kai’s hands through a stroke of luck. In a way, it was Flying Smoke Temple that contributed most to Yang Kai taking over Void Land.
The Star City in this Great Territory was not that different from the previous Star City, so after anchoring at the Star City’s Starry Sky Dock, Yang Kai, Yue He, and Lang Qing Shan stepped into Star City. Another half a day later, Yang Kai strode away as all the shopkeepers of the Star City’s main shops saw him off with huge, flattering smiles on their faces.
And so, they continued on their journey, making purchases along the way.
Three Star Cities later, Yang Kai now had less than 4 billion Open Heaven Pills remaining. The Open Heaven Pills he spent had been exchanged for several thousand Fourth-Order materials and tens of thousands of Third-Order materials. This amount was absolutely terrifying.
Another half a month passed by and the lotus entered a place known as Shocking Swan Great Territory. Referring to the Universe Chart and searching for the Star City’s direction, the Falling Lotus headed straight over under Yue He’s control.
Yang Kai estimated that they should have enough resources to cover Void Land’s current needs after he finished purchasing the Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials of this Star City.
As for the remaining Open Heaven Pills, he wanted to see if he could purchase some Sixth-Order materials. It was just that Sixth-Order materials were extremely rare and had always been priceless items not often seen on the market. Ordinary cultivators would never have the chance to even come across such resources. If Sixth-Order materials were to appear for sale, they would usually lead to a fierce competition that might even come to blows.
[Perhaps I should head to the Star City where the First Inn is located. That particular Star City is quite large and I might be able to find some Sixth-Order materials there. Besides, I have to keep some Open Heaven Pills in reserve. Although Void Land currently does not have many Open Heaven Realm Masters, they will need Open Heaven Pills when they are cultivating. In particular, the needs of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yue He are very large. She alone will consume thousands to tens of thousands of Open Heaven Pills in a single day.]
Yang Kai was deep in thought inside the lotus but when he raised his head, he suddenly noticed Guo Zi Yan looking at him hesitantly. Guo Zi Yan immediately looked away the moment their gazes met.
Yang Kai laughed, “Commander Guo, do you have something to say? Don’t hesitate to speak if you do.”
Guo Zi Yan scratched his head awkwardly and hesitantly said, “Sir, this subordinate would like to take a few days off.”
“Take a few days off?” Yang Kai glanced at Guo Zi Yan strangely, “Where are you going?”
Likewise, Yue He turned to look over in this direction.
Guo Zi Yan’s aged face blushed furiously, “Sir, do you remember this subordinate telling you that he has a daughter?”
Yang Kai was taken aback, but after carefully thinking about it, he nodded, “I remember. You mentioned that you sent her somewhere to study under a Teacher who was a friend of yours.”
This was something Guo Zi Yan mentioned back when they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. At the time, Yang Kai was giving out rewards for their meritorious deeds. Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man had chosen cultivation resources suitable for their use while only Guo Zi Yan, who was already in the Open Heaven Realm, had not made any requests.
Guo Zi Yan had only been in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm at the time, but he was very loyal to Yang Kai in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. It stood to reason that Yang Kai would deal with things justly so there was no reason for him to reward one person but not the others.
Guo Zi Yan later mentioned that he had a daughter and asked for some resources for her, to which Yang Kai agreed on the spot.
Yang Kai could still recall the proud expression on Guo Zi Yan’s face at the time. Guo Zi Yan had talked about how his daughter’s aptitude was several times better than his own. In terms of aptitude, his daughter had hopes of achieving the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm!
It was just that he was a Great Commander of Scarlet Star so both his status and cultivation were neither high nor low. He also risked his life every single day, so his future was always uncertain. There was no saying when he would die at the hands of his enemies; therefore, he did not allow his daughter to remain in Scarlet Star and sent her away to another great force to cultivate.
After considering all this, a sudden thought struck Yang Kai, “Is the place where your daughter is cultivating located somewhere in Shocking Swan Territory?”
Guo Zi Yan smiled lightly, “That’s right, Sir. Blood Swan Continent is located in the Shocking Swan Territory and this subordinate is an old acquaintance of one of the Elders of that force, Gu Zhi Xin. I entrusted my daughter to Elder Gu’s care not long after she was born.”
When speaking of his daughter, Guo Zi Yan became infinitely proud. He cupped his fists and added, “Sir, this subordinate would like to take my daughter and bring her back to Void Land to teach her personally. Please forgive my selfishness.”
Yang Kai laughed, “I’ve already promised you this long ago. Why would I forbid it now?”
While saying so, he checked the Universe Chart and discovered that Blood Swan Continent was located not far from the Star City. With Guo Zi Yan’s current speed, it would only take him three or four days for a round trip.
Yang Kai thus waved his hand, “Go. Bring your daughter back. This King dares not promise the Heavens, but he can promise that she will be provided with the best cultivation resources within her ability to refine.”
“This subordinate thanks Sir!” Guo Zi Yan solemnly said before turning around to leave.
“Wait!” Yang Kai stopped Guo Zi Yan.
“Is there anything else, Sir?” Guo Zi Yan turned back only to see Yang Kai tossing a Space Ring to him. A sweep of his Divine Sense told him that the Space Ring contained a few hundred thousand Open Heaven Pills and he couldn’t help being surprised, “Sir, this is…”
Yang Kai smiled, “You left your daughter in the care of others for so many years. Now that you want to take her away, you should give your thanks to Blood Swan Continent. Take these with you as a thank you gift. In any case, you and your daughter are now part of Void Land. Don’t sully Void Land’s reputation.”
Guo Zi Yan squeezed the Space Ring tightly and gratefully said, “Many thanks for your generosity, Sir.”
“Go swiftly and return quickly. We will be waiting for you in the Star City!” Yang Kai waved goodbye.
Guo Zi Yan nodded and rushed out of the Falling Lotus, heading towards the direction of Blood Swan Continent.
Once Guo Zi Yan departed, the Falling Lotus finally continued towards the Star City.
It didn’t take long for the Falling Lotus to arrive at Star City’s dock, which was bustling with people that came and went without pause. After searching for a place to anchor the Falling Lotus, Yang Kai led Yue He out into the city, immediately drawing a lot of attention from the surrounding people.
Compared to the other artifacts, the Falling Lotus was quite extraordinary. Its shape was also very unique. It was built by a Second Class great force like Flying Flower Boat at the cost of a lot of resources after all. It was not something an ordinary great force could compare with. The Third Class great forces did not have the money while on the other hand, there was only one Second Class great force in Shocking Swan Territory, known as the Shocking Swan Pavilion. Even Shocking Swan Pavilion might not be able to bring out an artifact of similar quality to the Falling Lotus.
Countless pairs of eyes turned in their direction, and when they saw that Yang Kai was only an Emperor Realm cultivator, they couldn’t help becoming astonished.
The dock was managed by a Shocking Swan Pavilion disciple to whom Yang Kai and Yue He had to pay a fee before they could successfully enter the city. In general, every Star City was similar. The strongest great force in the Great Territory where the Star City was located would control the Star City and manage its traffic. They would charge fees to those who entered the Star City and in addition, the shops in the Star City would have to pay a fixed rent to the great force in question on a regular basis.
Needless to say, the great force also had to guarantee the safety of the Star City whilst enjoying the benefits of controlling it. There were many Star Beasts in the void and the great force would have to provide the manpower for defence if the Star City was attacked.
In the past, Void Territory’s Star City was managed by Seven Wonders Land. By doing so, Seven Wonders Land would obtain income from the Star City. However, the Star City had been left ungoverned since Yang Kai occupied Seven Wonders Land.
It was not that Yang Kai could not see the huge benefits of controlling the Star City, but rather that he was strong in will but weak in strength. If he wanted to send somebody to manage the Star City, they had to be a Mid-Rank Open Heaven at minimum to maintain order. He would also need to send many disciples there to patrol and resolve disputes that might arise in the Star City.
How many Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters did Void Land have at present? There was Yue He, Chen Tian Fei, and Lu Xue. Even if Yang Kai included Hei He, who was at the Star Boundary, that was still only four in total.
It was impossible for him to send Yue He. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was Void Land’s biggest guarantee. Sending her to manage the Star City was not just overkill, it was simply not possible.
Lu Xue was the Hall Master of the Martial Hall. She now had the heavy responsibility of guiding the disciples in their cultivation.
On the other hand, Chen Tian Fei was needed to take care of the gourd vine. The gourd vine could produce Fifth-Order Element materials on a regular basis. It would be difficult for anybody who was not in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm to tend to the gourd vine.
Lastly, there was no need to expect anything from Hei He!
Among these people, the only one who could be dispatched was Chen Tian Fei. Even if Chen Tian Fei could be dispatched though, there were no other Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters to assist him, so it would be tough for him to succeed at this task alone.
Even though Yang Kai knew that controlling the Star City would bring a steady stream of income, he could only yearn helplessly. He could only do something about Void Land’s Star City when the cultivators in Void Land had grown stronger.
Fortunately, several people among Lang Qing Shan’s group that had followed Yang Kai for so many years were about to advance to the Open Heaven Realm. It would greatly ease the awkward situation caused by the lack of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land once that happened.
Upon entering the Star City, Yang Kai swept through the shops, one by one, and bought large amounts of resources like before. All the shopkeepers were extremely attentive towards him, so much so that they were practically worshipping him as the God of Fortune.
What surprised and delighted Yang Kai was that he actually managed to purchase a Sixth-Order material in this Star City. This Sixth-Order material came from a shop that was not too large and it seemed that the shopkeeper had only just gotten his hands on it recently. He was planning to send this material to a larger Star City for auction, but decided to try selling it to Yang Kai when he saw how deep the latter’s pockets were. Yang Kai immediately expressed his intention to purchase the material and after some bargaining, he finally bought it for 17 million Open Heaven Pills.
When Yang Kai first entered Seven Wonders Land, Dié You explained the value of the cultivation materials of various Orders. At the time, Dié You mentioned that Sixth-Order materials were worth approximately 15 million; however, that was only under the most ideal circumstances!
The real situation was that Sixth-Order materials were extremely rare and precious, so the price would generally be much more expensive. Even so, it would not be overly expensive either. That was because there were not many cultivators who could use Sixth-Order materials in the first place as the requirements towards one’s foundation and Dao Seal were extremely high.
17 million Open Heaven Pills was a fair price. The shopkeeper would also save on the risk of travelling long distances and the fees from the auction house; hence, he was quite happy.
For an ordinary cultivator, even one Sixth-Order material was extremely precious. However, for Yang Kai and Void Land, one Sixth-Order material was not enough to fill the gaps between their teeth. That was because all eight Great Emperors needed Sixth-Order materials!
After cleaning out the entire Star City, Yang Kai and Yue He did not rush to leave. It would take Guo Zi Yan a few more days to return, so they decided to stay at an inn and search for the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills whilst enjoying the different scenery and culture.
Around three days later, Yang Kai and Yue He had just ordered several dishes and a bottle of wine at the dining hall of the inn and sat down to share a meal together.
Although Yue He was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and her cultivation was extremely profound, she could not win against the strength of the alcohol. Her small face flushed red after only two or three glasses. Her skin had always been fair, but it was now tinged with a rosy hue. It looked like one could squeeze out water with a casual pinch. Thus, many cultivators in the hall secretly admired her from afar while drooling slightly. That annoyed her greatly and she secretly gnashed her teeth in anger, but her actions only served to make her look even more charming.
After several bottles of wine, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed and he cocked his ears to listen attentively.
One of the cultivators sitting at a table nearby was gossiping, “Yun Xing Hua has been in retreat for more than 10 years, but he finally exited half a year ago. It seems he successfully advanced into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. How enviable!”
Another scrawny cultivator commented, “He has been accumulating for close to 50 years in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm. What’s so strange about him advancing into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm?” He suddenly lowered his voice and continued, “Besides, I heard that Yun Xing Hua’s original aptitude was extraordinary. He was expected to advance directly into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm but was forced to advance to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm after Shocking Swan Pavilion interfered.”
The person who spoke first just now nodded at those words, “I heard about that too. Looking at the current situation, it would seem that those rumours were not groundless.”
The second man snorted coldly, “Shocking Swan Pavilion controls this Great Territory and while the Old Pavilion Master might be in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he is quite old and has grown weaker. I’m afraid he won’t live for much longer. However, Shocking Swan Pavilion doesn’t even have a single Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master under him. If Yun Xing Hua really did advance directly into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, who in the Shocking Swan Pavilion could stop him once the Old Pavilion Master passed on? Once Yun Xing Hua became stronger, Shocking Swan Pavilion would end up being devoured by Blood Swan Continent. If that happened, Shocking Swan Territory would need to change its name to Blood Swan Territory instead!”
“Your words make sense, Brother Sun. As the Leader of the Blood Swan Continent, Yun Xing Hua is a rare talent indeed. It’s unfortunate that he was born at the wrong time in the wrong place. How sad!”
“But, now that Yun Xing Hua has advanced to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, I wonder what attitude Shocking Swan Pavilion will have towards him. Will they try to win him over? Or, suppress him?”
“What do other people’s affairs have to do with us? Come, let’s drink!”
“Hahaha! That’s true. Brother Liu, I heard you received a new batch of beautiful women recently. Is that true?”
“I can’t hide anything from you, Brother Sun. If you’d like, you can come with me later. You can take any that you fancy.”
“I’ll have to thank you in advance then, Brother Liu.”
The conversation between those two ended there as they drank and laughed with each other.