The last stage was several times harder to comprehend than the previous two stages. It was just that those who could reach the third island were all talented and intelligent people, so the casualty rate was much lower. All the people who departed earlier were safe and sound; about to arrive at the palace in the middle of the lake soon.
After another quarter hour or so, those people more or less arrived at the island where the palace was located. They exchanged a glance with each other for a moment, then they rushed towards the palace in unison and vanished out of sight in the blink of an eye.
Pei Wen Xuan was the only one who remained there. He turned around and looked towards Yang Kai, who was making his way across the blood lake.
Their gazes met and Yang Kai felt his heart sinking and thought to himself, [This is bad. This guy is going to pull some dirty trick.]
Pei Wen Xuan had tried to make trouble for Yang Kai when he first arrived at the blood lake, only to be stopped by Qu Hua Shang at the time. Now that Pei Wen Xuan was safely standing on the island in the middle of the lake while Yang Kai was standing on the surface of the lake, he finally found the perfect opportunity to do something,
The thought had only just occurred to Yang Kai when he saw Pei Wen Xuan grinning at him.
Following that, Pei Wen Xuan clenched his fist and punched out in Yang Kai’s direction. Both Demon Qi and Blood Qi churned violently all over his body before flowing out along his arm to become a pitch-black Demon Dragon that bared its fangs menacingly. The Demon Dragon skimmed across the surface of the lake and came charging in this direction with a shocking momentum.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai might not have taken this blow seriously; however, he was currently standing in the middle of the blood lake. Most of his concentration was being used to maintain the Blood Light Scripture in order to resist the pulling force coming from the blood lake. He could not even bring out 30% of his actual strength. If he was hit by an attack of this calibre, his concentration might lapse for a moment and he might make a mistake in circulating the Blood Light Scripture. The situation would surely end in tragedy then.
Pei Wen Xuan had truly chosen the best timing to attack.
“Senior Sister Qu, get away from me!” Yang Kai shouted. At the same time, he glared fixedly at the Demon Dragon charging towards him while silently urging his strength in preparation to defend against the attack.
However, the Demon Dragon only flew a couple dozen metres before it suddenly sank into the blood lake and vanished out of sight, like it was pulled downward by some unknown guiding force. It didn’t even make a single ripple on the surface of the lake.
Yang Kai was taken aback.
Similarly, Pei Wen Xuan was dumbfounded. He frowned slightly and fired another violent attack in disbelief. Just like before, the attack was absorbed into the blood lake before it could even approach Yang Kai. This situation made his expression turn ugly. He coldly snorted and glared at Yang Kai fiercely, “You got lucky this time.”
After that, he turned around and rushed towards the palace. The fact that the blood lake could even absorb attacks was beyond his expectations; otherwise, he would have made Yang Kai suffer greatly. In this situation, there was no point in wasting more of his time here. The others had already entered the palace ahead of him. Besides, he was also eager to try his luck inside the palace.
Yang Kai stared at Pei Wen Xuan’s disappearing back, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Secretly gritting his teeth, he called out to Qu Hua Shang, “Let’s go.”
The two of them continued onward, taking almost an hour before they arrived at the small island where the palace in the middle of the lake was located. The moment they stepped foot on the island, Qu Hua Shang heaved a sigh of relief. The anxiety that had been weighing down on her finally lifted from her shoulders. Turning around, she studied her surroundings and said, “Junior Brother Yang, there doesn’t seem to be a reward for this stage.”
Yang Kai made a non-committal response. He had already noticed this when Pei Wen Xuan, Zhou Yi, and the others arrived on the island earlier. Unlike the previous three islands, this place did not offer any Monster Cores as rewards. This discovery disappointed him very much.
Based on his calculations, the rewards for the first, second, and third islands had been, on average, Fourth-Order, Fifth-Order, and Sixth-Order Monster Cores, respectively. In that case, there was a high possibility that Seventh-Order Monster Cores might appear on the central island! Unfortunately, it turned out that there was nothing here at all.
It would seem that Seventh-Order Monster Cores were extremely rare, even in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was not something that could randomly be given out as a reward. Not to mention, Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance might be hidden inside this palace. What reward could be more valuable than the inheritance itself?
It was just that… Yang Kai mainly came here in hopes of obtaining High-Rank Open Heaven materials. Having gained nothing after coming here, it was only natural for him to feel extremely disappointed. Nevertheless, he was already here. He might as well go inside and have a look. Who could say whether he might find other treasures inside?
Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang glanced at the palace with a measuring look before walking towards the gates of the palace. A short while later, they entered the Grand Hall and immediately felt a chill running up their spines. This place was so eerie that it made all the hairs on their body stand on end.
Yang Kai initially assumed that there would be more tests and greater dangers set up in this place, but now it seemed things were completely different from what he had imagined. The Grand Hall was small enough that the entire situation within could be seen at a glance. Moreover, it was completely empty except for the platform located right in the centre.
A white skeleton sat cross-legged on that platform. There was no saying how many years it had been since the owner of the skeleton died. All the flesh had long since fallen off the bones, but the skeleton remained as white as jade, even exuding a faint trace of spirituality.
Yang Kai was extremely impressed. Although he did not know which era Blood Monster Divine Monarch lived as one of the apex Masters of his time, he was certain that at least several tens of thousands of years had passed since then. It might even be longer than that. The fact that the skeleton of a person from that era could remain preserved in such pristine condition after his death only served to show just how powerful his cultivation was when he was alive.
The people who arrived earlier were gathered around the skeleton. They were sitting separately and staring at the skeleton with scorching gazes as though they were staring at a supreme precious treasure! Upon sensing Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang’s arrival, they glanced in the direction of the entrance in unison.
“Seems everybody’s here!” Pei Wen Xuan chuckled.
Yang Kai glared at Pei Wen Xuan coldly, his murderous intent flaring. Pei Wen Xuan had come looking for trouble when he first arrived at the blood lake and even tried to kill him when he was crossing the blood lake just now. Now that they met again, it was only natural that he had no plans to be soft-hearted.
“Wait, Brother Yang!” Just as Yang Kai was about to attack, Zhou Yi of Great Thousand Blood Land suddenly raised his hand and shouted.
Yang Kai glanced at Zhou Yi and asked lightly, “Do you have an objection, Brother Zhou?”
Zhou Yi politely replied, “No. It’s just that this place is where Blood Monster Divine Monarch left his Dao of Blood inheritance. If you were to fight here, there’s a high chance that you might destroy the inheritance. This Zhou hopes that you will calm yourself for now and not cause a disturbance.”
“This place is where Blood Monster Divine Monarch left his Dao of Blood inheritance?” Yang Kai frowned slightly.
Zhou Yi nodded seriously, “Indeed!”
Several others nodded in agreement.
“How do you know?”
Zhou Yi pointed at the skeleton, “You will know just by immersing your mind in the jade skeleton, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai glanced at Zhou Yi suspiciously. Spreading out his Divine Sense, he immersed himself into the jade skeleton. His expression soon changed drastically and his eyes filled with astonishment. He could sense the rest of the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture inside the jade skeleton.
They passed through the three islands earlier, and including the stele on the shore, there were a total of four steles. The steles each contained one of the first four chapters of the Blood Light Scripture. However, the four chapters did not make up a whole. They could only be said to make up less than half of the Secret Art.
Yang Kai had guessed that the rest of the Secret Art would be located within the palace in the middle of the lake. It was only by joining both parts into one would the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture be considered complete! At this moment, he could sense the rest of the Blood Light Scripture coming from this skeleton that had died countless years ago!
[This skeleton…]
Zhou Yi looked at Yang Kai and explained, “If my guess is correct, this skeleton is the remains of Blood Monster Divine Monarch. He set up a test in this place and engraved the second half of the Blood Light Scripture on his skeleton, all in the hopes of encountering a fateful person.”
[This is the skeleton of Blood Monster Divine Monarch?] Yang Kai had the vague feeling that something was off. [Didn’t they say that Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s inheritance was hidden deep within the Blood Monster Divine Palace? And, the Blood Monster Divine Palace is located in the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. We have only been here for a few days. This area is only in the periphery of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Why would the inheritance appear here? The location doesn’t match up…]
It was true that the tests in the blood lake were extremely dangerous, but he could not shake the feeling that something was not right. [But, the Blood Light Scripture in this jade skeleton does not seem to be fake…]
The most important basis of Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance was the Blood Light Scripture. If they comprehended the mysteries of the Blood Light Scripture, then it would be no different from obtaining Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance.
[Just what is going on?] Yang Kai frowned, feeling doubtful
Zhou Yi continued, “Blood Monster Divine Monarch died many years ago, so the Blood Light Scripture is now unique in the world. His skeleton might look like it is perfectly preserved, but nobody can guarantee that it can withstand violent impacts. If anybody were to fight here, they will most likely destroy the skeleton containing the inheritance. That was why we came to a consensus before you arrived, Brother Yang. We agreed to get rid of anybody who tries to use force in this place.”
Yang Kai had wondered why they were still standing around peacefully even though they arrived more than an hour earlier. It would seem that they had taken some time to reach a consensus. In addition, they were only being so restrained towards one another out of fear that the impacts of their fight would destroy the jade skeleton.
He glared at Pei Wen Xuan coldly. The other party returned the look with fierce fighting intent and a reckless expression, which made the others frown in response.
Zhou Yi secretly sent a Divine Sense transmission to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, please endure for a moment. I will join forces with you later and we can kill him together when this matter is over!”
He had been harassed by Pei Wen Xuan earlier; unfortunately, he knew that he was not Pei Wen Xuan’s opponent and had no choice but to endure the humiliation as a result. With the chance of working together with Yang Kai in front of him, it was only natural that he did not wish to miss the opportunity.
After pondering for a while, Yang Kai nodded, “Good! I’ll let him live for a little while longer.”
Pei Wen Xuan immediately sneered, “It’s uncertain who is the one with the opportunity to live a little longer.”
Zhou Yi was overjoyed and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Brother Yang! Since everybody has no objections, let us start.”
After saying that, he eagerly closed his eyes and immersed himself in the jade skeleton to comprehend the Secret Art.
He deeply believed that he had a great advantage and it was inevitable that he would obtain Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance. It was for that reason that he was also the most afraid of conflict breaking out among each other. Otherwise, he would not have persuaded Yang Kai as soon as he saw him arrive.
The others naturally followed suit.
Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang took a few steps forward. They found a seat below the skeleton and looked up at the jade skeleton.
After thinking about it, Yang Kai sent a transmission to Qu Hua Shang, “Be careful, Senior Sister Qu. If you notice something wrong, protect yourself immediately!”
Qu Hua Shang turned to look at him and asked quietly, “Junior Brother, did you notice something wrong?”
He shook his head, “It just doesn’t feel right.”
He could not say what was off about this place. He simply felt that Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s inheritance would not be located in this place. But, he could not guarantee that his conjecture was correct either. What if this really was Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance?
Focusing his mind, he closed his eyes and immersed himself into the jade skeleton once more. A string of characters immediately jumped out at him inside his mind, “Whoever obtains this King’s inheritance may inherit the Blood Monster Cave Heaven!”
Yang Kai had only taken a quick glance earlier, so he failed to notice this sentence just now. However, the feeling of unease in his heart became even stronger after seeing this sentence.
Blood Monster Divine Monarch was proficient in the Dao of Blood and the Dao of Beast Taming when he was still alive. This fact was portrayed extremely evidently throughout the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. The blood lake was the manifestation of the Dao of Blood while the various Monster Beasts were the embodiment of the Dao of Beast Taming. So, why would a person be able to inherit the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven just by obtaining the Dao of Blood inheritance?
Another point that puzzled Yang Kai greatly was the location of the blood lake. The location of the blood lake could not be considered hidden. The area in which the blood lake was located was also indicated in the map given to him by the Proprietress; in other words, their predecessors had definitely explored this area before. However, the blood lake was not marked clearly upon the map!
If the blood lake had existed in the past, then why was it never mentioned before over the years? After all, the Dao of Blood inheritance was no trivial matter. The slightest information leak regarding this matter would cause such a huge commotion that everybody would know about it. Be that as it may, nobody had ever heard about the existence of the blood lake or the Dao of Blood inheritance until the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened this time.
As such, there was only one explanation that would make sense. The blood lake and the Dao of Blood inheritance only appeared recently. It had not appeared in the past. That was why their predecessors who entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in the past had no knowledge about this matter. That was also why the blood lake was not marked on the map.
The cultivators who entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were the first batch of people to come into contact with the Dao of Blood inheritance. But, if that was the case, then it did not make sense either.
If Blood Monster Divine Monarch had set up various tests in this place in hopes of handing down his Dao of Blood inheritance to his destined successor, then there was no reason for him to hide this place for so many years. It was not until the most recent opening of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven that this place was revealed to the public. If he really wanted to find an Inheritance Disciple, then this blood lake should have appeared before the eyes of the world a long time ago; after all, the most likely result of hiding this place too deeply was the loss of his legacy with time.
[It doesn’t make sense. I just can’t figure it out…] Yang Kai shook his head while comprehending the rest of the Blood Light Scripture. In any case, the Blood Light Scripture was definitely genuine. Such an exquisite Secret Art was very rare. At this point, the only thing he could do was take it one step at a time.
As time passed, blood mist lingered around the people sitting around the skeleton. They were immersed in the mystery of the Blood Light Scripture, unable to extricate themselves. A glimmering light suddenly lit up in the eye socket of the skeleton without anybody noticing. The glimmering light was very dim and weak, almost like a candle that was about to go out. It silently drifted out of the sunken eye socket, circled around the skeleton leisurely before floating over to Qu Hua Shang.
The glimmering light floated up and down, seeming to be searching for something. It did not stay in front of Qu Hua Shang for long before moving on to the next cultivator. The short man who hid his abilities earlier was sitting to her right, not far away from her. The glimmering light seemed to have a sentience of its own and after observing the short man for a while, it moved away.
After investigating the cultivators one by one, the glimmering light came to Zhou Yi. It stopped in front of Zhou Yi for the longest time, almost as though it had found something of interest; however, it eventually floated towards the next person sitting beside Zhou Yi.
The glimmering light soon circled around and came to Yang Kai, who was sitting close beside Qu Hua Shang. Then, the glimmering light suddenly shone brightly like a wild beast that had found the most delicious food and immediately slammed straight into his mind without hesitation. Even though it looked like a flickering flame that was on the verge of extinguishing, it slipped into Yang Kai’s head without the slightest hindrance and quickly vanished out of sight.
Yang Kai was focused on comprehending the latter portion of the Blood Light Scripture when all of a sudden, his body shuddered slightly and a feeling of coolness spread throughout him. Before he could figure out what was going on, he felt his Knowledge Sea defences being penetrated. It seemed to be caused by something entering without his permission. Immediately after that, a cold voice sounded in his mind, “Junior, hand over your body!”
Shocked, Yang Kai quickly immersed his mind into his Knowledge Sea and transformed into his Soul Avatar. The first thing he saw was an illusory phantom charging towards him. The illusory phantom clearly looked very weak, but it gave him the feeling that it was very powerful. All of a sudden, it exploded without warning and turned into a cloud of grey mist that tried to wrap around him.
Hurriedly backing away to avoid the grey mist, Yang Kai was shocked as he shouted, “Soul Possession!?”
The illusory phantom that invaded his Knowledge Sea was clearly a Soul!
The horror he felt in his heart was indescribable. Although he had been concentrating on comprehending the Blood Light Scripture, a part of his consciousness had remained aware of the outside world. It was a countermeasure he took in case Pei Wen Xuan secretly attacked him. Even so, he failed to notice anything until this Soul invaded his Knowledge Sea. There was only one explanation for this outcome. This person’s Soul was so much stronger than his that it could completely evade his perception.
[Who!?] He immediately thought about the jade skeleton sitting cross-legged in front of him. For a moment, he was so shocked that it felt as though his Soul had been blown away. [It can’t be Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Soul, right!? If that’s the case, then this might be the end for me!]
Blood Monster Divine Monarch was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Even if he had been dead for countless years, his Soul was not something Yang Kai could resist.
Yang Kai watched as the fog relentlessly approached him. Gritting his teeth, he stretched out his hand in that direction and roared, “Cut!”
A sword light silently slashed downward as the Soul Splitting Saber that had been nurtured in his Knowledge Sea all this time manifested in his grip. Combined with the Heaven Severing Slash that Tian Yan taught him in the past, the power of this move was absolutely staggering. However, what made Yang Kai sink into utter despair was that the mist only scattered for a moment under the sword light of the Soul Splitting Saber before it converged together once more and doggedly chased after him. He nearly spat blood at the sight!
The Soul Splitting Saber was an Emperor Artifact. Its strength was no longer able to keep up with his cultivation progress, so it had fallen into disuse. Nevertheless, it was specially meant to target Souls. Not to mention that it had been nurtured with the Heaven Severing Slash Secret Technique for so long. It could be said that even a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who was caught off guard by this move would become dazed. Be that as it may, the mist was completely unobstructed in any way. It could be seen just how pure and powerful the Soul was.
“Junior, are you trying to resist?” An aged voice came from within the mist, “This Old Master has been waiting for tens of thousands of years and finally obtained a good opportunity! How can you possibly resist? Obediently hand your body over to this Old Master and you will suffer less pain!”
Yang Kai of course ignored the voice and repeatedly activated the Soul Splitting Saber. The Soul Splitting Saber transformed into countless sword lights that slashed down. Accordingly, his Spiritual Energy also flowed out like the ebbing tide.
Every blow from the sword light would scatter the mist, but the mist would gather together again quickly. Although the attacks seemed to have no effect on the other party, they bought Yang Kai precious time to escape. After all, everything would be over if he was enveloped by the mist.
After launching several dozen consecutive attacks, Yang Kai calmed down considerably. Judging from the situation, this invading Soul was indeed extremely powerful; however, too much time had passed. It was no longer in its peak condition. How could he have resisted otherwise? Furthermore, it turned out that the attacks of the Soul Splitting Saber were not completely ineffective. The grey mist had faded ever so slightly after being subjected to this barrage of attacks. It was not very obvious. Nonetheless, this place was within his Knowledge Sea, so how could he not notice the changes?
“Insolent Junior! Once this Old Master has seized your body, I will capture your Soul and make you beg for death!” An exasperated voice came from within the grey mist.
Yang Kai became more and more at ease upon hearing those words. Thus, he relaxed and continued to attack the other party with the Soul Splitting Saber. Concurrently, he asked, “Are you Blood Monster Divine Monarch?”
The grey mist charging at him froze for a moment, but immediately a furious howl followed, “Don’t you dare mention that Old Dog in front of this Old Master! Beneath the Heavens this Old Master cannot coexist with him!”
Yang Kai was absolutely shocked. [This guy is not Blood Monster Divine Monarch!?]
Based on his speculation, the Soul had probably been hiding inside the skeleton. If that was the case, then how could it not be Blood Monster Divine Monarch? Moreover, it sounded like this person had a huge grudge against Blood Monster Divine Monarch. A possibility suddenly flashed through his mind. [Unless… that skeleton is not the remains of Blood Monster Divine Monarch. It belongs to somebody else!]
“Who are you? Announce your name!” Yang Kai slashed down with the Soul Splitting Saber once more, blocking the other party’s offensive to a certain extent. This place was within his Knowledge Sea; therefore, he held a unique advantage in this battle. Unless the gap between their Spiritual Energy was extremely wide, the act of possession would never succeed under general circumstances.
The grey mist coldly snorted, “This Old Master is the Black Crow Divine Monarch!”
Yang Kai was secretly speechless, [Another Divine Monarch!]
Only those in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm had the right to crown themselves with the title of ‘Divine Monarch’. [Doesn’t that mean that the Black Crow Divine Monarch was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master when he was alive!? No wonder his Spiritual Energy is still so powerful that he can even try to possess somebody else to resurrect himself even though so many years have passed since his death!]
What made him curious was the reason why this Black Crow Divine Monarch turned up in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
“How dare Xue Yao, that old fart, imprison this Old Master!? Hahaha! So many years have passed, yet that old fart is dead while this Old Master still lives! How ironic!” The grey mist continuously pounced on while laughing maniacally.
Only then did Yang Kai realize that this person had been imprisoned within the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
Blood Monster Divine Monarch was certainly very impressive. He even managed to imprison another High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master in his Small Universe. That being said, it was highly likely that this Black Crow Divine Monarch was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm when he died. If not, he would not be so helpless against Blood Monster Divine Monarch.
“This Old Master spent countless years and only a hundred years ago broke free of that accursed seal. Unfortunately, this Old Master’s physical body was destroyed eons ago. Only my Remnant Soul remained. Fortunately, Xue Yao left behind his Dao of Blood inheritance. What kind of aptitude do you think this Old Master has!? I easily comprehended his Dao of Blood inheritance. Junior, do you know why that old fart’s Dao of Blood Secret Art is called the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture?”
It was hard to say whether it was because Black Crow Divine Monarch had been feeling lonely for countless years, but he was very talkative, and Yang Kai was perfectly willing to be his conversation partner. Upon hearing those words, Yang Kai said, “Please explain, Senior.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch chuckled softly, “The emphasis is placed on the word ‘Immortal’ in the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture. It allows a person to become immortal, undying, and indestructible! When you cultivate the Blood Light Scripture to its limit, you can be reborn from just a single drop of blood! This Secret Art is the ultimate Secret Art throughout the entire universe. It incited a reign of terror when it first appeared in the world and in the end, it ultimately fell into old dog Xue Yao’s hands.”
Yang Kai was curious, “If you can be reborn from just a single drop of blood, then why did Blood Monster Divine Monarch die in the end?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch coldly snorted, “One’s lifespan is limited. He simply died of old age. The power of time is extremely cruel. There have been countless heroes throughout the ages, but who among them has managed to escape the clutches of time?”
Yang Kai backed away while attacking ruthlessly and nodded, “So Senior obtained Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance? What about the tests earlier? Were they also your doing, Senior?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch said it himself, he had thoroughly comprehended the Blood Light Scripture. In that case, why would the various tests for the Dao of Blood inheritance still remain?
“That’s right. How would this Old Master find a suitable candidate to possess if I had not done that?” Black Crow Divine Monarch readily admitted, “All the tests in this place were indeed set up by that old dog, Xue Yao, before his death. It’s just that this Old Master used certain means to move them here. This Old Master initially had his eye on another one of you brats. He seems to have a foundation in the Dao of Blood, so it would save me a lot of effort if I possessed him. But… your vitality is so abundant that it is simply outrageous. If I can possess you, I will get double the result with half the effort when cultivating the Blood Light Scripture in the future. Boy, you can only blame your poor luck for appearing in front of this Old Master at this time!”
The person with a foundation in the Dao of Blood that he mentioned was undoubtedly referring to Zhou Yi of Great Thousand Blood Land. Among the few people who arrived at the palace in the middle of the lake, he was the only one with a foundation in the Dao of Blood.
From what Black Crow Divine Monarch mentioned, Yang Kai also learned that all the tests in this place were indeed set up by Blood Monster Divine Monarch in order to pass down his Dao of Blood Legacy. They were simply relocated to this area by Black Crow Divine Monarch through unknown means.
[For a man to retain such great abilities even after his death… Divine Monarchs truly cannot be understood with common sense.] Just as Yang Kai was feeling amazed, the aura exuding from the grey mist suddenly soared. Immediately following that, an invisible and intangible Soul Attack shot out from within the grey mist.
Yang Kai was caught off-guard and took the attack straight on as a result. In that instant, his Soul became unstable, his mind was greatly shaken, and his entire Knowledge Sea became turbulent. Even his Soul Avatar nearly collapsed.
[This old dog… he’s been concealing his real ability!] Yang Kai was deeply shocked. After seeing Black Crow Divine Monarch getting slashed by the Soul Splitting Saber and failing to approach him, he had mistakenly assumed that the other party was not that strong. It was not until Black Crow Divine Monarch suddenly unleashed such a terrifyingly powerful attack that he realised his mistake. The other party had been hiding his skills all this while; it was just so that he could catch Yang Kai off guard.
Thinking about it again, it made perfect sense. The enemy was a Divine Monarch after all. How could he not have a trick or two up his sleeves? If not, how could he have penetrated Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea defences or even plan on possessing him?
“Hahaha!” Black Crow Divine Monarch laughed madly. The scattered mist gathered together again and lunged at Yang Kai like a tiger pouncing on its prey, “Junior, why did you think this Old Master kindly explained all of this to you!? It’s simply to distract you! Youngsters nowadays truly do not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! But worry not. This Old Master will definitely take good care of your body after possessing it. You can also tell me if you have any dying wishes. This Old Master will fulfill them to the best of his abilities!”
While he was speaking, he had already arrived in front of Yang Kai and looked like he was about to envelop him entirely.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s dull eyes suddenly regained clarity. He backed away and shouted, “Many thanks for your kindness, Senior, but this Junior will fulfill his wishes himself! I don’t need to trouble you for your help, Senior!”
The Soul Splitting Saber unleashed another burst of sword light and slashed down diagonally to scatter the grey mist once more.
“You…” Black Crow Divine Monarch’s voice was filled with disbelief. He was nothing more than a Remnant Soul at the moment, so the power he could exert was limited as a result; even so, he was still the Remnant Soul of a Divine Monarch! How could a trivial Emperor Realm Junior resist him? And yet, that was exactly what happened just now. The boy in front of him had recovered in a matter of moments, causing the plans he believed were fool-proof to go horribly wrong.
Yang Kai did not give Black Crow Divine Monarch the slightest chance to approach him again. Having suffered once just now, he did not dare to underestimate his opponent. He reached out a hand when the sword light came slashing down and his Spiritual Energy surged violently as he shouted, “Blossoming Lotus!”
A lotus suddenly blossomed in the middle of the grey mist. The flower was as white as jade and looked extremely delicate, as if it might be blown apart by a gentle breeze. However, this very flower was swiftly absorbing the Spiritual Energy of the grey mist. With this power, the flower bloomed quickly and several layers of lotus petals unfurled magnificently.
“Ahhh…” Black Crow Divine Monarch’s screams of rage and agony came from within the grey mist.
The Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique consumed a lot of energy to unleash, but it would use the enemy’s own Spiritual Energy as nutrients to bloom after it was activated. It was a move with unlimited potential. If this attack struck an opponent of similar strength, their Soul would immediately suffer heavy damage. Unfortunately, the power of Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Remnant Soul was simply on a different scale.
Yang Kai immediately clenched his fist after unleashing the Blossoming Lotus and shouted, “Sealed Lotus!”
Another huge lotus appeared, directly wrapping the grey mist within its petals. It practically presented the exact opposite situation compared to when the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique first appeared. This huge lotus swiftly closed and turned into a bud, sealing the grey mist within its petals so that it was plunged into an endless darkness.
*Hong…*
A huge force exploded from inside the flower and the entire lotus was torn apart immediately. The grey mist came rushing out aggressively from within the lotus and charged at Yang Kai viciously. Black Crow Divine Monarch roared in fury, “Your resistance is futile, Junior! This Old Master will not allow you to act so impudent in front of me!”
It was not until this moment that he finally revealed his true power. At the beginning, he had only wanted to numb Yang Kai’s will so that it was easier for him to take over his body. He was a Remnant Soul after all, so what little remained of his strength was running out and he had to use that power sparingly. Otherwise, he might be wiped out before he could even possess Yang Kai. That would make him the greatest laughing stock of all time!
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s aura, which was concealed until now, soared. It was more than twice as strong as before and the attacks of the Soul Splitting Saber did not have much effect on him. It simply slashed through the grey mist but did not delay or force him back in any way.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai’s expression remained as calm as before. His large hand slammed down in the direction of the grey mist once more as he shouted, “Blossoming Lotus!”
“Little bastard!” Black Crow Divine Monarch was furious. He had been struck by that Soul Secret Technique just now. Even judging the attack from the heights he achieved in the past, it was an ingenious idea even though the power behind it was not worth mentioning. The strength of the attack was weak, but that was related to the strength of the user. He believed that the power behind this attack would only increase steadily as Yang Kai’s cultivation improved over time.
The grey mist dissipated on its own, turning into a trail of grey vapour as though to avoid the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique. Unfortunately, this place was within Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and he was very sensitive to all the changes that occurred. How could he allow the grey mist to avoid his attack?
The flower appeared again and the flower petals of the lotus bloomed magnificently. Black Crow Divine Monarch screamed in agony but did not stop in place. Enduring the pain in his Soul, he charged towards Yang Kai as though desperate to take over his body right then and there.
“Sealed Lotus!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch was livid as he roared, “Junior, do you only know these two tricks!?”
Before he could finish his sentence, he was wrapped in a huge lotus once more. Although he soon broke out of the shackles, the delay gave Yang Kai some breathing space and allowed him to put some distance between them.
“It’s not about how new your tricks are, but whether they work or not!” Whilst fleeing, Yang Kai observed the changes of Black Crow Divine Monarch and what he saw made his heart sink.
It truly was the Remnant Soul of a Divine Monarch. Black Crow Divine Monarch had received at least several hundred hits from the Soul Splitting Saber, in addition to two rounds of the Blossoming Lotus and Sealed Lotus Secret Techniques, since he first revealed himself. However, the grey mist had not changed much at all. In other words, the damage he suffered was extremely limited.
Meanwhile, Black Crow Divine Monarch was about to explode with anger! He originally thought that he could succeed at taking over this boy’s body in an instant, but he had yet to succeed even after all the unexpected twists and turns. For some inexplicable reason, he vaguely sensed that something was wrong. It was just that he had no time to think about it at the moment. As soon as he broke free of the restraints, he charged towards Yang Kai again.
“Blossoming Lotus! Sealed Lotus!”
…..
The two self-created Soul Secret Techniques were unleashed repeatedly. The former was a method to attack one’s enemy while the latter was a means to restrain one’s enemy. Two Souls were engaged in a chase inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, caught in a life-and-death contest.
At the beginning, Black Crow Divine Monarch had cursed and yelled in exasperation. Later, he no longer called out so loudly. He simply said coldly, “Junior, let’s see how long you can keep this up. The burden on your body from casting these Soul Secret Techniques is not small. Sooner or later, the power in your Knowledge Sea will be depleted. Let’s see how you resist this Old Master then!? Once I take over your body, I will definitely kill all your friends and family. I will sell your women to the cheapest whorehouse and force them to take customers every single day!”
Yang Kai was furious, “Old dog, you court death!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch snickered, “This Old Master gave you a chance, but you didn’t know how to appreciate the opportunity I gave you. Who else can you blame but yourself? How dare a trivial Emperor Realm boy…”
His sentence trailed off all of a sudden. The grey mist that had been chasing Yang Kai relentlessly also came to a halt. Seeming to sense something, he silently perceived his surroundings and immediately cried out in alarm, “No! That’s impossible! You are just an Emperor Realm Junior! How can you have such powerful Spiritual Energy!?”
He finally realized what that nagging feeling in his heart was. Having been focused on trying to take over Yang Kai’s body, he did not think too much about other things. It was only at this moment that he realised something. How could an Emperor Realm cultivator be this powerful? This person’s Spiritual Energy was almost on par with a common Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s.
That was not the most important thing though. The most important point was that Yang Kai had unleashed so many Soul Attacks earlier, so logically speaking, his Spiritual Energy should have been exhausted long ago. Even if it was not depleted, it should have gone down considerably. On the contrary, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s perception told him that Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea remained as plentiful as ever. There were no signs of depletion at all. In other words, Yang Kai was still in peak condition.
“Are you not an Emperor Realm cultivator!?” Black Crow Divine Monarch felt as though he had been bitten by a poisonous snake. Even his voice became one pitch higher.
The anger on Yang Kai’s face disappeared in an instant and he floated just above his Knowledge Sea as he looked at Black Crow Divine Monarch lightly, “You must be joking, Divine Monarch. What else can I be if not an Emperor Realm Junior? I am indeed an Emperor Realm cultivator! Guaranteed exchange if not genuine!”
“How dare you still try to deceive me, Junior!? How can an Emperor Realm brat have such powerful Spiritual Energy!? You unleashed so many Soul Attacks earlier. How is it possible that your Spiritual Energy shows no signs of depletion!?” After saying that, Black Crow Divine Monarch seemed to discover something, “Wait! Your Knowledge Sea itself is strange !”
Grey and wispy attacks suddenly shot out of the grey mist and slammed into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. The sea became turbulent, revealing the seven coloured island hiding below. An inexplicable aura immediately leaked out from that seven coloured island. It was extremely mysterious, almost as though it contained some sort of Grand Dao.
“This is…” Black Crow Divine Monarch stared fixedly at the seven coloured island. Immediately after that, he reacted as though he made an amazing discovery and exclaimed in shock, “Soul Warming Lotus! Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus!”
“You sure are well-informed, Divine Monarch. Your vision is indeed sharp. This Junior is impressed!” Yang Kai said lightly. Stretching out his hand, the seven coloured island flew out of his Knowledge Sea and transformed into a seven colour lotus. It bloomed with a dazzling light, floating just beneath his feet. Since it had been discovered, then there was no need to hide it any longer. Yang Kai figured he would just display it proudly. It would also serve as a form of deterrent.
Above his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar stood silently on the Soul Warming Lotus and stared at the grey mist calmly.
If Black Crow Divine Monarch had a physical body right now, he would be dripping with cold sweat. He spoke in a voice full of disbelief, “Junior, were you plotting against me all this time!?”
If he remembered correctly, Yang Kai had appeared panicked and flustered several times before. Only now did he realise that there was no reason for Yang Kai to panic when the latter had the support of a Supreme Treasure like the Soul Warming Lotus. It was clearly all just a ruse.
The Soul Warming Lotus was a Supreme Treasure that constantly nourished the Soul. Moreover, the lotus in front of him shone with seven colours. With such a foundation, Yang Kai’s Soul was a virtually indestructible existence and his Spiritual Energy would be replenished at many times the average rate. He was hoping to possess Yang Kai when he exhausted himself, but now such hopes were clearly nothing more than an illusion.
“I simply replied in kind!” Yang Kai glanced at the grey mist faintly. How could he possibly hold back after learning that the other party was the Remnant Soul of a Divine Monarch? Who knew what kind of means these Divine Monarchs might have?
Black Crow Divine Monarch gnashed his teeth in hatred. The grey mist shifted erratically for some time, indicating the fluctuations in his mood. He was currently stuck in this situation with no way out, so he was secretly feeling regretful. If he had known about this earlier, he would have chosen the Junior with the foundation in the Dao of Blood instead. At the beginning, he simply felt that Yang Kai’s aura was much more vibrant which would be more advantageous when cultivating the Blood Light Scripture in the future. From the looks of the situation though, he walked himself right into a deep pit-fall. There was no way to extricate himself now that he was so deeply trapped in this situation.
“Divine Monarch, you asked if this Junior only knows those two tricks!” Yang Kai leisurely lifted his hand while speaking.
A sense of crisis suddenly filled Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Soul and he instinctively realised that Yang Kai was going to unleash a far more dangerous move.
“Now I can finally answer your question, Divine Monarch. This Junior indeed has another trick, but… I wonder if you’ll appreciate it!” After saying that, Yang Kai gestured forward with his hand and commanded, “Consume him!”
A loud buzzing sound suddenly filled the air. Immediately after that, small black dots suddenly flew out from a bracelet on Yang Kai’s wrist. Those black dots were innumerable and soon turned into a large black cloud that swiftly enveloped the grey mist.
Black Crow Divine Monarch was extremely horrified as he shrieked in terror, “Soul Devouring Insects!”
Those small black dots were not black dots at all. There were distinct and oddly-shaped insects.
It was not as if Black Crow Divine Monarch had never seen Soul Devouring Insects before. These kinds of Exotic Insects specialised in devouring Spiritual Energy and could be said to be the natural nemesis of all Souls. That was also precisely the reason why they had a hard time surviving or reaching maturity because most cultivators who came across them would exterminate them while they were still young and weak.
Generally speaking, it was difficult for even mature Soul Devouring Insects to threaten cultivators who were in the Dao Source Realm and above; however, these Soul Devouring Insects far surpassed his cognition. Each insect exuded a ferocious aura that caused Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Soul to feel terrified. He was almost certain that things would not end well for him if he were to be enveloped by this cloud of insects. No matter how powerful his Soul was, he could not withstand the devouring of these insects.
His guess was right. Yang Kai had the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, so his Spiritual Energy was virtually inexhaustible; as such, there was no need to worry about his Soul being damaged. He could safely use his own Spiritual Energy to rear these insects. After so many years, how could they not become powerful?
If Black Crow Divine Monarch had been at his peak, he might not have been threatened by this cloud of insects. Unfortunately, he was currently just a weakened Remnant Soul. He was nothing but delicious food in front of these Soul Devouring Insects.
The Soul Devouring Insects had been dormant when Yang Kai hid them inside the Insect Enslavement Bracelet earlier, but now that they were released, they eagerly swarmed towards the grey mist like a cat that had caught the scent of a delicious fish.
Black Crow Divine Monarch gave a strange cry before turning and fleeing. The cloud of insects followed closely behind, relentlessly giving chase
Standing on top of the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai coldly watched from the side-lines. Black Crow Divine Monarch was not the first person to invade his Knowledge Sea, or even the first person to try and possess him. However, anybody who dared to invade his Knowledge Sea had suffered a tragic ending.
All of this was thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus. It was certainly worthy of being known as a Supreme Treasure. Not only did it nourish his Soul over the years, but it also made his Spiritual Energy become unimaginably powerful. It was what allowed him to turn certain defeat into victory numerous times in the past. It could be said that Yang Kai would have died countless times by now if not for the Soul Warming Lotus. This Supreme Treasure that he obtained a long, long time ago had helped him a lot throughout his journey on the Martial Dao; thus, he was very grateful for it.
It had to be said that Black Crow Divine Monarch was both cunning and resourceful. This place was within Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, so his Soul would naturally be subjected to some amount of suppression; even so, he was extremely fleet-footed in his escape. The cloud of Soul Devouring Insects could not do anything to him.
Upon seeing this situation, Yang Kai sent out a few thoughts. The cloud of Soul Devouring Insects immediately split into four and transformed into four columns of black smoke. These four columns of black smoke moved in four separate directions to chase and encircle Black Crow Divine Monarch!
This time around, Black Crow Divine Monarch fell into a dangerous situation. Although he was struggling hard, he could not escape from the jaws of the Soul Devouring Insects. The grey mist was soon covered in a layer of black insects. The Soul Devouring Insects silently and constantly fed on his Soul and devoured his Spiritual Energy. It made him scream in agony. Even the speed of his escape became significantly slower. The moment he slowed down, even more Soul Devouring Insects latched onto him. It only took several tens of breaths for the grey mist to be completely shrouded in the cloud of black insects.
“Junior, let me off! This Old Master can teach you the true Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture and bring you to the Blood Monster Divine Palace to receive Xue Yao’s inheritance in exchange!”
“The true Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture?” Yang Kai frowned at those words, “Are you saying that what we saw before is fake?”
“Those are real. Otherwise, how would people be able to circulate it smoothly? If not, you would not have passed those tests earlier nor would you have reached the palace in the middle of the lake. But, the Blood Light Scripture that this Old Master carved on his skeleton is fake. This Old Master modified several parts.”
“You sure are evil, old dog!” Yang Kai cursed.
“Let me go and I will hand over the real Blood Light Scripture. Your vitality is so abundant, so if you can cultivate the Blood Light Scripture, you will have twice the result with half the effort! It won’t take even a thousand years for you to become the next Blood Monster Divine Monarch!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Stop trying to tempt me. This King cultivates the Grand Dao of Space. The Dao of Blood is useless to me!”
If not because he wanted to obtain the Seventh-Order Monster Core reward, Yang Kai might not have interfered in this chaos in the first place. The Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture might be amazing, but it was not very attractive to him.
Black Crow Divine Monarch kept trying though, “Of course, it’s good to have your own Dao, but the Blood Light Scripture is a miraculous creation! If you cultivate it to the limits, you can even resurrect from a single drop of blood. You will be immortal and indestructible! Doesn’t that tempt you at all!?”
“Blood Monster Divine Monarch died. What do you mean by immortal and indestructible?” Yang Kai snorted with disdain.
The Black Crow Divine Monarch was furious, “Even if you don’t need the Dao of Blood, don’t tell me you don’t want Xue Yao’s inheritance? It’s the inheritance of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! If you obtain that, you will instantly become wealthy beyond your imagination!”
Yang Kai faintly said, “Of course, I want it. How can I not want it? But… I don’t trust you!”
The other party was a Divine Monarch after all. It was better for him to just ignore such tempting words. If he really became interested, then he would surely be devoured to the point where even his bones would be gone. The words of this old fox who had lived for countless millennia were incomparably shrewd. How could they be so easy to deal with?
“Junior, do you really plan to kill this Old Master!?” Black Crow Divine Monarch roared furiously.
“You wanted to possess me, Divine Monarch. Why should I show you mercy? Time is running out. Divine Monarch, please stop resisting and just hurry up and die!”
“How you vex this Old Master!” Black Crow Divine Monarch was furious. If he was given another chance to choose, he would never have tried to possess Yang Kai. Unfortunately, things had already progressed to this point where regret would not make a difference. Thus, he ruthlessly made up his mind and snarled, “Junior, if you want this Old Master to die, then don’t think you will get off easily either! This Old Master will fight you to the death!”
While saying so, the grey mist that was covered in a layer of Soul Devouring Insects abruptly turned around and charged towards Yang Kai. A terrifying Spiritual Energy fluctuation came from within the grey mist and it was obvious that Black Crow Divine Monarch was about to unleash a powerful Secret Technique.
How could Yang Kai dare to take the desperate Soul Attack of a Remnant High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s Soul lightly? He immediately drew upon the power of the Soul Warming Lotus. Seven-coloured light shone brightly, wrapping around his Soul Avatar. With the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, he would not be defeated regardless of how mighty the attack unleashed by his opponent.
Yang Kai had only finished preparing when the grey mist arrived in front of him. The grey mist slammed into the seven-colour light barrier without any hesitation whatsoever. Violent Spiritual Energy burst out, killing countless Soul Devouring Insects that were latched onto the grey mist in an instant while the rest were sent flying by the impact.
The seven-colour light barrier shuddered fiercely and even Yang Kai, who was standing atop the Soul Warming Lotus, felt the impact shaking his Soul. He couldn’t help feeling shocked. The desperate struggle of a Divine Monarch’s Remnant Soul was certainly impressive. He had to admit that he had underestimated his opponent’s strength.
A buzzing sound rang out as the Soul Devouring Insects that were sent flying earlier swarmed towards the grey mist once more. It didn’t take long for them to devour the grey mist cleanly.
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback!
[Has Black Crow Divine Monarch died?] Even though the last attack was very powerful, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling that it was more show than substance. It didn’t feel right. Just as Yang Kai was mulling over this matter, he suddenly grunted as he could feel that his Soul defences had been torn open and something was fleeing from his Knowledge Sea.
It was all a diversion to escape!
Resentment filled Yang Kai’s heart. He had taken all sorts of countermeasures and guarded against countless possibilities, but in the end, he still allowed Black Crow Divine Monarch to escape. He had assumed that Black Crow Divine Monarch’s attack was a last-ditch attempt born out of desperation, but who could have known that the other party was simply making a feint?
It was uncertain what kind of Secret Technique it was, but Black Crow Divine Monarch managed to separate out a thread of his consciousness. By doing so, he attracted the attention of Yang Kai and the Soul Devouring Insects while the rest of his Remnant Soul immediately found a chance to escape.
[He truly is an old fox. Cunning indeed.]
Nevertheless, what Black Crow Divine Monarch did would severely damage his foundation even though he survived. In the beginning, he had been slashed countless times by Yang Kai with the Soul Splitting Saber. Next, he suffered several rounds of the Blossoming Lotus and Sealed Lotus Secret Techniques. Afterward, his Soul was gnawed on by the Soul Devouring Insects. In the end, he was forced to split a thread of his consciousness to fake his death and escape. It could be said that Black Crow Divine Monarch had suffered great losses. It would be a miracle if he even managed to retain half of his Spiritual Energy from before.
[Now that he has escaped from my Knowledge Sea, he will surely try to possess somebody else!]
Yang Kai did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly dragged his mind out of his Knowledge Sea, opened his eyes, and glanced around his surroundings. What he saw shocked him greatly. That was because he was the only one who was safe and sound among all the people present. On the other hand, the vitality of the others was churning violently. The blood mist around their bodies was dense; moreover, they had pained expressions on their faces like they were enduring great suffering. They were all experiencing cultivation dissonance!
Black Crow Divine Monarch himself mentioned that he had modified the second segment of the Blood Light Scripture that he left in his skeleton; therefore, it would be weirder not to experience cultivation dissonance after cultivating the modified Blood Light Scripture. Only Yang Kai escaped this crisis because he was too busy to cultivate this Secret Art when Black Crow Divine Monarch penetrated his Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai turned his head to look at the people around him and swept his Divine Sense across the Grand Hall, but he failed to locate any traces of Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Remnant Soul. Nevertheless, he was certain that the other party was not only still here but had also entered somebody else’s body. Black Crow Divine Monarch was most likely in the process of taking over somebody’s body right now. It was a pity that Yang Kai had no way to determine who Black Crow Divine Monarch was trying to possess.
A groan came from beside him. It was Qu Hua Shang sitting next to him who made the sound. At this moment, her complexion was flushed red and the blood mist around her body was literally steaming. She looked like she was in great pain.
Yang Kai had no time to search for Black Crow Divine Monarch. If he could not find a way to resolve Qu Hua Shang’s current situation, then it was likely that her meridians would be destroyed and she would become a cripple.
Coming to stand behind her with a flash, Yang Kai slapped his palm against her back and circulate his strength. He poured his own power into her body, attempting to restore her chaotic vitality and Emperor Qi to order.
Although she was experiencing dissonance in her cultivation, it had not been long since it began. She instinctively realised that something was wrong, so she did not reject his help and willingly cooperated with him instead. Soon after, her churning vitality gradually calmed down. The entire process only took about half a cup of tea’s time. Her complexion softened and her Blood Qi that had been churning like boiling water became calm once more.
She slowly opened her eyes, a trace of lingering fear flashing through her eyes as she said softly, “Many thanks, Junior Brother!”
She did not know what had gone wrong. After comprehending the second part of the Blood Light Scripture recorded in the skeleton, her Blood Qi went out of control and began to boil. Even her consciousness became hazy. If Yang Kai had not stepped in to rescue her at that moment, she would have suffered a disastrous fate.
“Senior Sister, it’s more important to treat your wounds immediately!” Yang Kai said. At the same time, he secretly sent a Divine Sense transmission to her, “Senior Sister, listen to me. The Dao of Blood inheritance here is a complete conspiracy. It’s a trap set up by a guy who has the title ‘Black Crow Divine Monarch’…”
He gave her a simplified explanation of Black Crow Divine Monarch’s plot and she was extremely shocked after listening to it. Qu Hua Shang could never have imagined that there was another Divine Monarch’s Remnant Soul in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Simultaneously, she also came to understand the reason for her cultivation dissonance just now. It turned out that the Blood Light Scripture she comprehended had been maliciously tampered with.
“Junior Brother, are you saying that Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Remnant Soul is in one of these people’s bodies right now?”
He replied, “Yes. I suspect that he had already succeeded in possessing one of them.”
Yang Kai’s situation was an exception among exceptions. Not only did his Spiritual Energy exceed other cultivators of the same Realm by a wide margin, he also had the Soul Warming Lotus and extremely powerful Soul Devouring Insects. Those were the only reasons he could turn the situation around on Black Crow Divine Monarch. Unfortunately, others would not have such deep heritage or equally profound methods. Even if they were the elite disciples of their respective great forces and could grow to become extremely powerful figures in the future, they would still be helpless in front of somebody like Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Remnant Soul could not escape from this palace; otherwise, he would not survive for long. If he wanted to live, then he could only continue with his attempt to possess somebody. And, they were the only ones in the Grand Hall at the moment. Who else could he possess aside from them?
Among these people, there was no doubt that Qu Hua Shang was safe. That was because she was a woman. If Yang Kai were in Black Crow Divine Monarch’s shoes, he would never choose to possess a woman’s body as it was extremely likely his Soul and her body would be incompatible, leading to all sorts of negative consequences in the future. Another important reason was that Black Crow Divine Monarch placed great importance on the Blood Light Scripture.
As a woman, Qu Hua Shang’s body was inherently Yin-aligned and unsuited to cultivating the Blood Light Scripture. This could be seen from her previous performances. Although she and Pei Wen Xuan had started comprehending the Blood Light Scripture at the same time, Pei Wen Xuan would finish faster than her every time.
It was out of this consideration that Yang Kai immediately rescued Qu Hua Shang from her predicament. As for the others… He warily swept his gaze over the rest, feeling troubled. There was no way to determine who had been possessed from their outward appearances.
Among them, Zhou Yi of Great Thousand Blood Land was undoubtedly the biggest suspect. Black Crow Divine Monarch himself mentioned before that he originally had his eye on the person with a foundation in the Dao of Blood. It was only because Yang Kai’s vitality was so abundant that he gave up on his original idea of possessing Zhou Yi.
[Is it Zhou Yi?] Yang Kai fixed his gaze intently upon Zhou Yi’s face. Just as he was about to attack Zhou Yi as a test, a roar came from nearby. Immediately after that, Pei Wen Xuan abruptly jerked his eyes open. His eyes trembled violently and the Demon Qi in his body churned vigorously. While roaring loudly, he punched himself hard in the chest.
Fresh blood spurted out of his mouth and his aura weakened significantly as a result.
He then immediately got to his feet and glared at the skeleton in front of him furiously while swearing and cursing, “What the Hell!? This shitty Blood Light Scripture nearly destroyed me!”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight. [I can’t believe Pei Wen Xuan actually freed himself from that state of cultivation dissonance with his own strength. Is it because he is just that talented? Or, is it because he was possessed by Black Crow Divine Monarch? If he was possessed, then this performance is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.]
Pei Wen Xuan’s expression was resentful, mixed with a hint of lingering fear. There were no flaws in his performance.
Seeming to sense Yang Kai’s gaze, he turned to look in this direction and exclaimed in amazement, “Ho… that’s impressive! Did you break free too? Looks like I underestimated you.”
“It’s you! Old Dog, die!” Yang Kai shouted as he lunged forward at the same time and viciously slammed his fist out at Pei Wen Xuan, leaving his back wide open.
Pei Wen Xuan’s eyes widened. He had not expected Yang Kai to attack him at such a time. Although he had provoked Yang Kai earlier, the situation then and now was completely different. Yang Kai appeared completely unharmed right now while he had only just broken free from cultivation dissonance. He had damaged his foundation as a result, so his strength had been greatly reduced.
Even so, Pei Wen Xuan was still a disciple of Myriad Demons Heaven and had his own pride to uphold. Thus, he laughed fearlessly instead of becoming furious, “Since you’re begging for death, this Pei will grant your wish! I’ll bring your head back as proof that I completed my mission!”
Forcefully enduring the pain coming from his body, he pushed his palms forward with great vigour. The Demon Qi in his body surged like the waves in the sea, suppressing Yang Kai with overwhelming force.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s fist turned into a barrage of fist shadows, slamming into the Demon Qi with little effect. He only managed to resist for a few moments before the Demon Qi slammed into him, sending his body flying through the air like a paper kite before falling backward.
At that moment, Qu Hua Shang suddenly screamed, “Junior Brother, watch out!”
Pei Wen Xuan couldn’t help feeling stunned. That was because he saw Zhou Yi, who had been sitting cross-legged all this time while suffering from signs of cultivation dissonance, opening his eyes abruptly. Then, Zhou Yi’s figure drifted towards Yang Kai’s back like a ghost, his hand stretched out like a claw, aiming straight for Yang Kai’s heart.
Not far away, Qu Hua Shang tried her best to rush forward to provide support. Unfortunately, Yang Kai was falling in the direction of Zhou Yi, so there was no way she could reach him in time. By the time she arrived, he would already be a corpse.
[Why did Zhou Yi launch a sneak attack on Yang Kai?] The sudden turn of events left Pei Wen Xuan feeling confused. Be that as it may, he could not be happier. He was severely injured at the moment, so it was inconvenient for him to engage in protracted battle. If Yang Kai was killed by Zhou Yi, then it would save him a lot of trouble.
While watching coldly from the side-lines, he suddenly felt that something did not add up. That was because Yang Kai’s expression was so calm that it was terrifying. [Besides… this guy isn’t that weak, right?]
It was rumoured that Yang Kai had defeated Yu Luo Sha in one move in the Asura Arena. Even if the rumours had exaggerated the truth, it made no sense for him to be sent flying with a single blow, much less from a hasty attack made by him right after having suffered from cultivation dissonance and receiving heavy damage as a result.
[This bastard is up to something!] A thought crossed Pei Wen Xuan’s mind as he knit his brow.
At this moment, a harsh and ear-splitting sound of metal rubbing against each out rang out. Sparks flew all over the place. Yang Kai spat out fresh blood as though he were struck by lightning and was sent flying back towards Pei Wen Xuan again. Spinning his body around, he turned and landed not far from him.
Pei Wen Xuan did not make another move. How could he attack again when he could tell that something was wrong? Raising his eyes, he saw that the clothes covering Yang Kai’s back were in tatters but a layer of golden scales that looked like Dragon Scales had appeared in their place. It was just that most of the Dragon Scales had been blown away at this moment, leaving a bloody wound that stretched across Yang Kai’s entire back. It was a horrifying sight and under his gaze, he saw the Dragon Scales slowly fade and vanish out of sight. Only the bloody wound remained.
Not far away, Zhou Yi looked down at his hand with a slightly puzzled look. He seemed surprised that Yang Kai had survived his sneak attack. When they came into contact earlier, he distinctly sensed a powerful layer of defence covering Yang Kai’s body. It was that layer of defence that caused all his previous efforts to come to naught. In the end, he failed to crush Yang Kai’s heart with his claw hand as a result.
*Pui* Yang Kai turned to the side and spat out a mouthful of blood. Lifting his chin, he looked down on Zhou Yi with a condescending expression, “Fooled you, old dog!”
Attacking Pei Wen Xuan was a feint; luring Black Crow Divine Monarch into action was his real aim.
In the situation just now, Yang Kai had no way of knowing who Black Crow Divine Monarch had possessed. There was no way for him to rescue the others under those circumstances. He might not be able to defend himself if Black Crow Divine Monarch attacked him while he was busy trying to rescue the others.
If Pei Wen Xuan had really been possessed, then it would be perfect. He could take the opportunity to kill him. Fortunately, Black Crow Divine Monarch failed to hold back and leaped out first.
Even though Yang Kai had already prepared himself in advance, he still nearly died at the hands of Black Crow Divine Monarch. If he had not used his Dragon Transformation Secret Art to form Dragon Scales on his back at the critical moment, he would not have gotten off with such light injuries.
“What are you talking about?” Zhou Yi looked at Yang Kai calmly.
“Are you still going to pretend?” Yang Kai looked at Zhou Yi contemptuously, “Does a noble Divine Monarch really need to act so cautiously in front of a mere Junior like me?”
“Divine Monarch?” Pei Wen Xuan was dumbfounded by those words. He was also very tempted to ask Yang Kai, “What in the world are you talking about?” How could a disciple of Thousand Great Blood Land be a Divine Monarch? That was a title only High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could possess.
“Brother Pei, open your eyes wide and look carefully.” Yang Kai pointed at Zhou Yi, “The person in front of you is not Brother Zhou from Great Thousand Blood Land. He has been possessed by an old ghost by the name of ‘Black Crow Divine Monarch’. Black Crow Divine Monarch was imprisoned in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven by Blood Monster Divine Monarch. After Blood Monster Divine Monarch died, he stole Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance and moved it to this place. It was all to lure us here so that he could find a suitable candidate to possess.”
Pei Wen Xuan frowned, “How do you know all that?”
Yang Kai replied, “Because he tried to possess me just now, but he failed! That’s why he changed targets and possessed Zhou Wu instead.”
Pei Wen Xuan turned to glance at Yang Kai. He instinctively felt reluctant to believe his words, choosing instead to believe that Yang Kai was up to something nefarious; after all, who in this place could escape if a Divine Monarch tried to possess them? But, Yang Kai claimed that the other party had failed to possess him.
Zhou Yi said, “Senior Brother, you must be joking. This Zhou Wu is true and genuine. How could I have been possessed? On the other hand, you are so wantonly slandering me, Senior Brother. What tricks are you up to? Are you trying to sow discord among us in order to enjoy all the benefits in this place yourself?”
Pei Wen Xuan, who had been staring at Yang Kai suspiciously, immediately turned to look in that direction after hearing those words as a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.
“Hahahaha!” Yang Kai burst into uncontrollable laughter, “How dare you say that you have not been possessed? Let’s see how you plan to talk your way out of this now!?”
Zhou Yi frowned slightly. Glancing at Yang Kai, he then turned to look at Pei Wen Xuan and quickly came to a realization, “Where did this Monarch slip up?”
From the look on Pei Wen Xuan’s face, he could tell that his lies had been exposed; therefore, he did not bother to pretend any longer.
Pei Wen Xuan clicked his tongue and replied, “The owner of your body is called Zhou Yi, not Zhou Wu!”
‘Zhou Yi’ immediately understood and nodded lightly in response. Turning to look at Yang Kai approvingly, he said, “Junior, you are cunning and quick-witted indeed. There truly are talented people all over the world!”
[This Brat’s speech just now revealed nothing suspicious. He even revealed the name ‘Zhou Wu’ at the end, misleading me into believing that the person I possessed was named ‘Zhou Wu’. I simply followed his lead and answered accordingly. Who could have known that this Brat’s words were meant to mislead and test me? It looks like he was not too sure of his judgement even after I attacked him. That’s why he came up with a test like that.] Although it is just a simple sentence, it requires extremely quick thinking.
[This Brat has very strong Spiritual Energy, as well as a Supreme Treasure like the Soul Warming Lotus. At this rate, he will surely become extremely powerful once he matures. If I want to kill him, I have to do so now. Or else, I might not be able to in the future.]
“Your affairs have nothing to do with this Pei. This Pei has more important things to do, so I will take my leave first.” While saying that, Pei Wen Xuan turned and rushed out of the Grand Hall in a flash.
Black Crow Divine Monarch, who popped out of nowhere, gave him an extremely bad feeling. Even though the other party was nothing more than a Remnant Soul that had just taken over another person’s body, it was unknown how much power the enemy could exert. Nevertheless, the other party was a Divine Monarch. Nothing good would come from remaining in this place, so he decisively made the decision to withdraw.
Yang Kai was dumbstruck. [This bastard from Myriad Demons Heaven is far too unreliable! How can he avoid taking personal responsibility at a time like this!?]
Hence, he hurriedly said, “Brother Pei, do you really think you can remain uninvolved now that things have reached this point? If I were Black Crow Divine Monarch, I would make sure that nobody walks out of this place alive. How else would I keep my secret hidden?”
“You understand me well, Junior!” The man who used to be Zhou Yi but was now Black Crow Divine Monarch nodded in approval. His expression seemed to say that their thoughts were in sync. With a gentle wave of his hand, the entire Grand Hall suddenly rumbled and all the entrances shut tight.
Pei Wen Xuan paused mid-step. His expression was slightly ugly as he tilted his head to look at Black Crow Divine Monarch, “Old thing, you should have rejoiced when I left you alone. I’m afraid things will now end tragically for you because of your mistake!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch chuckled, “Are all the Juniors of the current generation this arrogant? Very good! Very good! The world is more interesting this way! This Old Master will not be bored!”
While speaking, his body suddenly shuddered slightly. An inexplicable pulling force surged out of his figure. Immediately after that, several groans rang out. The blood mist surrounding those people sitting cross-legged around the skeleton churned violently and transformed into numerous Blood Qi Dragons that rushed towards him and poured into his body. It was as though his body had turned into a bottomless pit that devoured the Blood Qi completely.
Black Crow Divine Monarch could not help revealing an ecstatic expression, as though he was enjoying the most pleasant experience in the world. Following his actions, the vitality of those people dropped swiftly and their bodies withered away. They were experiencing cultivation dissonance already, so they were completely unable to fight back. Moreover, Black Crow Divine Monarch was using one of the Blood Light Scripture’s Secret Techniques which was compatible with their cultivation dissonance. How could they resist?
Both Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang felt their scalps tingling in horror at the sight. Although they had comprehended the first part of the Blood Light Scripture previously, that was just the Blood Light Scripture Secret Art. It did not contain any Secret Techniques. It was not until they saw what Black Crow Divine Monarch did that they realised how cruel the Blood Light Scripture really was.
This was definitely an Evil Art! However, it was not difficult to understand. Blood Monster Divine Monarch was not a kind and benevolent man. It stood to reason that the Blood Light Scripture he cultivated was not a peaceful Secret Art either.
What made Yang Kai even more uneasy was that the aura around Black Crow Divine Monarch’s body was climbing steadily with his actions. Although Zhou Yi was originally an elite disciple of Great Thousand Blood Land, he was not that strong. On the other hand, Yang Kai could feel a sense of oppression coming from him after he was possessed by Black Crow Divine Monarch.
A person who could cultivate to the realm of a Divine Monarch could not be a soft-hearted weakling. In addition, Black Crow obtained an inheritance like the Blood Light Scripture. The various unimaginable methods made him even more powerful than before.
[We can’t let him continue any longer. This is definitely the best time to attack. He has only just taken over Zhou Yi, so his Soul and his body may not have fully integrated yet. Combined with the fact that Zhou Yi’s heritage is limited, it can be said that he is currently at his weakest. He will definitely become much stronger once he completely devours the vitality of those people.]
“Attack!” A shout entered Yang Kai’s ears as Pei Wen Xuan was the first to take action. He evidently came to the same conclusion as Yang Kai. While shouting, he pushed his hands forward. A large pitch-black cone sliced through the air and swiftly shot towards Black Crow Divine Monarch. The pitch-black cone was formed from pure Demon Qi and rotated rapidly, almost like it could even rip through space.
Pei Wen Xuan was not finished yet. Immediately following behind the cone, he lunged forward like a panther. His hands were clawed, stretching towards Black Crow Divine Monarch through the air. All five of his fingers contained Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth Element Powers, forming a cycle of the Five Elements which mutually reinforced each other. His power increased significantly as a result.
Likewise, Yang Kai’s reaction was very fast. In other words, he would have attacked even if Pei Wen Xuan had not. Black Crow Divine Monarch had invaded his Knowledge Sea and learned about many of his secrets, not to mention the Soul Warming Lotus had also been exposed.
Black Crow Divine Monarch would never let Yang Kai go. He would definitely target the Soul Warming Lotus. As a wounded Remnant Soul, this Supreme Treasure was exactly what he needed to recover.
Yang Kai made a wide sweep with his arm, condensing a large Moon Blade that slashed towards Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Meanwhile, Qu Hua Shang flicked her head back, unravelling the long red ribbon tying her hair up and shooting it towards Black Crow Divine Monarch’s chest.
Be it Yang Kai, Pei Wen Xuan, or Qu Hua Shang, all three of them were not ordinary Emperor Realm cultivators. The latter two were Core Disciples of the 36 Cave-Heavens, so it could be said that they stood at the very peak of the Emperor Realm. There were few beneath the Open Heaven Realm who could be their opponents, and even less need be said about Yang Kai. He had already killed several Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters so his strength could not be measured by common sense.
The power unleashed by the combined attacks of these three was something even Black Crow Divine Monarch could not help but acknowledge. He nodded repeatedly in approval, “Good! Good! You three little ones are very impressive! You will definitely have grand accomplishments in the future!”
Words of praise came out of his mouth, but his eyes were filled with contempt. Despite facing their combined attacks, he did not step aside nor dodge. On the contrary, he stepped forward all of a sudden. He looked at Yang Kai and shouted, “But, you are too arrogant, Junior! Did you think this is still within your Knowledge Sea!?”
He had suffered a terrible defeat within Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. He was originally no more than a Remnant Soul after all. In the end, he was forced to use a sacrificial diversion in order to escape. In contrast, he currently possessed a physical body. With his previous heritage of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, how could he fear three measly Emperor Realm Juniors even if his strength was not at his peak anymore?
When he took that step forward, a dense Blood Qi permeated the entire Grand Hall as though mountains of corpses and seas of blood were going to come crashing down on the three of them. Be it Yang Kai, Pei Wen Xuan, or Qu Hua Shang, all three of them couldn’t help stiffening slightly as an overwhelming sense of helplessness involuntarily flooded their minds.
*Hong…*
The Demon Qi cone slammed into Black Crow Divine Monarch but was rendered useless. The attack was stopped by the dense layer of Blood Qi more than metre away from its target.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s Moon Blade tore apart Black Crow Divine Monarch’s defences. Unfortunately, its speed dropped sharply after it sank into the Blood Qi, allowing the latter to easily sidestepped the attack.
Qu Hua Shang’s hair ribbon had even less to show for her efforts. After sinking into the Blood Qi, its halo immediately began flickering violently. It lost so much spirituality in an instant that she hurriedly withdrew the ribbon in shock.
Even Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would not dare to take the combined attacks of these three lightly; nevertheless, Black Crow Divine Monarch blocked them all with little effort.
At the same time, he finished devouring all the Blood Qi of the other cultivators within the room. Their bodies shrivelled up like mummified corpses. Up until their deaths, those people had been clueless about what was going on. It could be said to be extremely tragic.
Those who could reach this palace were the best among their respective great forces. They were the strongest among their peers, so their vitality was incredibly robust. Having received nourishment from them, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s aura soared madly and reached a level that terrified the three of them.
Although he did not have the aura of the Open Heaven Realm, his momentum at this moment was almost as imposing as that of a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. In other words, he was a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who could not exert the signature power of the Open Heaven Realm!
The three of them felt their hearts sinking!
If that really were the case, then there was no way for them to win. Even if Black Crow Divine Monarch was unable to utilize World Force due to Zhou Yi’s lacking heritage, he still had the foundation of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. There was no saying just how much strength he could display.
The Blood Qi around him churned violently, making him look like he was covered in a mist of blood. He stared fixedly at Yang Kai and sneered, “Junior, how dare you act so presumptuous before this Monarch!? I will start with you!”
While saying that, he suddenly waved his large hand. A rain of blood suddenly fell on Yang Kai from above. The blood rain did not look special in any way, but it obviously contained great power.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered repeatedly to avoid the blood rain, but contrary to expectations, his perception told him that Black Crow Divine Monarch was ignoring him after the initial move.
A hand suddenly reached out from within the blood mist and clawed at Pei Wen Xuan across the barriers of space.
This old dog was truly cunning and insidious. Even when facing these three youngsters, he did not hesitate to use feints and diversions!
Thinking about it again, it made sense. Black Crow Divine Monarch coveted Yang Kai’s Soul Warming Lotus, so how could he kill him so easily? He most likely planned to capture Yang Kai alive in order to claim the Soul Warming Lotus as his own. If he could not kill Yang Kai, then he could only attack Pei Wen Xuan and Qu Hua Shang. Pei Wen Xuan had taken the lead to attack him earlier, so he probably held some grudges for that.
Yang Kai had not expected Black Crow Divine Monarch to take such actions and neither did Pei Wen Xuan; therefore, the large hand immediately wrapped around Pei Wen Xuan’s neck tightly as a layer of red Blood Qi swiftly seeped and enveloped the latter.
Pei Wen Xuan had lunged at Black Crow Divine Monarch after unleashing his previous attack, but at this moment, it seemed like he walked straight into his death instead. He was caught off guard and captured almost instantly.
Wrapped by the Blood Qi, Pei Wen Xuan felt as though something was suppressing the power in his body and blocking his meridians so that his strength could not flow out. He was absolutely horrified. [Is this really the power that an Emperor Realm cultivator can exert!?]
Zhou Yi was no more than a disciple of Great Thousand Blood Land. His aptitude and comprehension abilities were incomparable to those of Pei Wen Xuan. If it were before he was possessed, then Pei Wen Xuan alone would have been able to defeat three to five of him without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately, he became capable of subduing Pei Wen Xuan in a single move after being possessed by Black Crow Divine Monarch!
It was not until this moment that Pei Wen Xuan finally understood one thing, this might be Zhou Yi’s body, but the ‘Zhou Yi’ that stood in front of him could no longer be viewed as the same person at all.
“Die, Junior!” Black Crow Divine Monarch grinned, exerting a sudden burst of force in his hand in order to kill Pei Wen Xuan on the spot. However, his brow twitched at that moment and a huge sense of crisis enveloped him as the aura of death loomed over him.
Pei Wen Xuan’s Identity Token that had been hanging at his waist suddenly burst out with dazzling white light. It was extremely blinding, so blinding that it breached the blood-coloured sea even through the thick blood mist. The white light leaped out from the Identity Token like a bolt of candlelight. It was not very conspicuous at first, but the light exploded in an instant to transform into a blade of overwhelming Demon Qi. Then, the blade came slashing down on Black Crow Divine Monarch!
Black Crow Divine Monarch was shocked. How could he dare to remain standing in place after sensing the terrifying power contained in this strike? Releasing his grip on Pei Wen Xuan, he turned into a ray of blood light and quickly retreated; however, he could not escape the power of this blade no matter how he tried to dodge.
The blade slashed down and a scream rang out. The blood light was split into two, revealing two bloody halves of a body.
Pei Wen Xuan landed heavily, coughing hard with his hands clutching at his neck. He glared fiercely at Zhou Yi’s corpse that had been sliced in half and ground his teeth, “How dare you mess with me, old dog!? How dare you attack me!? Serves you right for ending up dead!”
He let out a gloomy laughter that sounded quite ghastly. While he was speaking, the Identity Token hanging around his waist cracked and shattered before turning into dust.
Yang Kai was amazed by the sight. He had long known about the Identity Tokens carried by the Core Disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. These Identity Tokens not only symbolised their personal status but also contained a Divine Ability granted by their Elders to protect them. It would automatically be activated in the event that their lives were in danger. Although it could only be used once, it could save their lives at a critical moment. Just like what happened here!
Yang Kai suspected that even a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master might not have been able to withstand that attack if taken head on. Pei Wen Xuan’s Honoured Master was definitely a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master!
Black Crow Divine Monarch had possessed Zhou Yi, and while he had the heritage of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, he was limited by Zhou Yi’s body. Combined with the fact that he was a wounded Remnant Soul, the strength that he could exert at this moment was far from his peak. How could he come out unscathed after being hit by a Divine Ability like that?
[This old guy has been plotting for countless years only to suffer such a tragic ending when he finally succeeded in possessing somebody. I’m sure that he himself never anticipated such an outcome.] Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh in amazement.
Zhou Yi’s body had been sliced into two, but Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Remnant Soul remained nowhere to be seen; hence, Yang Kai did not let down his guard and instead released his Divine Sense to guard against anything that might happen.
Under his close watch, Yang Kai was surprised to discover something strange about the crimson blood flowing out of the corpse that had been sliced in two. The blood seemed to be guided by some sort of pulling force, gathering together from all directions and quickly merging back into one. In the next moment, the two halves of the corpse suddenly joined down the middle and were patched together once more.
The tightly closed eyes of Black Crow Divine Monarch reopened at this moment and he slowly climbed up from the floor.
Inside the Grand Hall, Yang Kai and the two others were dumbfounded by the sight!
“The Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture really does live up to its reputation! Hahahaha!” Black Crow Divine Monarch cackled uncontrollably. When he first stood up, there remained a wound that resembled an obvious blood line extending from the middle of his forehead down to his neck and further down his body where his skin was exposed. However, this wound quickly disappeared while he was laughing. His outward appearance at this moment seemed completely intact! Only his aura was significantly lower than before.
Pei Wen Xuan was shocked and terrified. [I can’t believe that this old dog is still alive! I saw him being sliced in half with my own eyes just now! How is he still perfectly fine!?]
Even Yang Kai found the sight in front of him difficult to believe, but he then remembered what Black Crow Divine Monarch told him before. Supposedly, if one were to cultivate the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture to its limits, they could even be reborn from a single drop of blood. One would be practically immortal and indestructible as a result.
Those words were certainly an exaggeration. Nevertheless, the current situation indicated that the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture was indeed an extraordinary Secret Art. The Blood Light Scripture was definitely the reason why Black Crow Divine Monarch could come back to life.
Black Crow Divine Monarch, who had just gotten back to his feet, cracked his neck and coldly said, “Junior, stop resisting. You will not be able to defeat this Monarch with your abilities. Why bother wasting your energy and suffering in vain?”
“You must be joking, Divine Monarch! Even ants fight to survive, much less cultivators like us!” Yang Kai shouted.
Black Crow Divine Monarch sneered and turned around to look at Yang Kai, “Do you think this Monarch is reluctant to kill you? If you think so, you are very wrong. I will definitely get what I want even after killing you.”
He gently nodded while speaking, “I’ve decided! I’ll start with you!”
The words had just left Black Crow Divine Monarch’s mouth when Yang Kai immediately took out a Wooden Token from his Space Ring and hung it around his waist. He then grinned at Black Crow Divine Monarch with a smug look, “Go ahead, try if you dare!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch glanced at the Wooden Token fearfully, his face twitching at the sight. The incident earlier had traumatised him as he had been ignorant of the situation. Just as he was prepared to kill Pei Wen Xuan, he was cut down by the Divine Ability sealed within the Identity Token that hung from Pei Wen Xuan’s waist. If not for the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture, he would have died from that attack.
As the saying went, ‘Once bitten, twice shy’. He now felt very troubled whenever he saw such a thing.
Unbeknownst to him, Yang Kai’s Wooden Token and Pei Wen Xuan’s Identity Token were completely different items. This Wooden Token was given to him by the Proprietress previously. It was engraved with an inexplicable pattern of a totem. She had claimed that it was a ‘favour’. Therefore, there was no Divine Ability sealed within. On the other hand, he also held a Divine Ability Bead that was given to him by the Proprietress. That was his greatest trump card.
Black Crow Divine Monarch gave Yang Kai a hateful look. Then, he turned to look at Qu Hua Shang.
Qu Hua Shang was no fool either so she gently reached out and tapped the Identity Token hanging at her waist.
[These Juniors… are too much!] Black Crow Divine Monarch felt a great sense of hatred.
“Divine Monarch, if you wish to kill somebody, then there’s a good candidate right there!” Yang Kai pointed in Pie Wen Xuan’s direction, “You ‘died’ at his hands just now. It’s a good opportunity for you to take revenge for what happened!”
Pei Wen Xuan was already coughing, but he nearly spat blood at those words. He gritted his teeth and snarled, “Yang Kai, this Pei will never forgive you if I die in this place, not even if I turn into a ghost!”
Yang Kai replied scornfully, “What has that got to do with me?”
Pei Wen Xuan was so filled with hatred that his teeth hurt, but there was nothing he could say or do. His Identity Token had been destroyed, so he no longer had a deterrent. If Black Crow Divine Monarch really attacked him, then he could only fight to the death.
“I’ll do as you wish then!” Black Crow Divine Monarch nodded.
His body suddenly transformed into a blood ray that charged towards Pei Wen Xuan. He had been ‘killed’ by the Sword Light Divine Ability earlier and severely damaged his foundation as a result. At this moment, he desperately needed to replenish his strength. Since he did not dare to touch Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang, he could only target easy prey like Pei Wen Xuan. After he slaughtered Pei Wen Xuan, it would not be too late for him to slowly torture the other two to death. In any case, the Grand Hall had been completely sealed shut so there was no fear that they might escape.
When Pei Wen Xuan saw that Black Crow Divine Monarch was charging towards him again, he felt a mixture of fear and rage. He let out a fierce roar and his Demon Qi churned violently. Raising his hand, he summoned his Coiling Dragon Shears and sliced through the blood light with them.
The Coiling Dragon Shears was a powerful artifact and the energy fluctuations that it emitted were by no means weak. Even so, the light flickered erratically when it sank into the blood light and its spirituality dropped sharply!
Qu Hua Shang had encountered the exact same situation just now. The blood light seemed to be extremely damaging and resistant towards artifacts.
Pei Wen Xuan turned pale in shock and involuntarily backed away while hastily forming a set of hand seals with both hands. One after another, a barrage of fierce attacks rained down on the blood light without any restraint. The explosions rang out endlessly as each of these attacks were defeated. The blood light flashed towards him like lightning, continuously shooting out blood-coloured blasts from within the blood light. The attacks were so oppressive that he was forced to retreat in a miserable fashion.
Even if Black Crow Divine Monarch had been cut down once and suffered heavy damage to his foundation as a result, Pei Wen Xuan was still not capable of being his opponent. Rather, it could even be said that how long Pei Wen Xuan could last under those attacks was a problem in and of itself.
In just a few breaths of time, Pei Wen Xuan could feel that he had reached his limits. At this moment, he felt the pressure lightening all of a sudden as Black Crow Divine Monarch’s evil laugh entered his ears, “Junior, you truly are insidious and cunning. Did you think this Monarch would not be wary of you!?”
The blood light that was approaching him halted without warning and Pei Wen Xuan looked up to see that Black Crow Divine Monarch had revealed his figure. Black Crow Divine Monarch had one hand blocking an attack to his side. Amidst the dense Blood Qi, Yang Kai had arrived with a spear in his hands at some point in time. It was just that he was trapped in the Blood Qi. It was like being stuck in a quagmire, making his movements extremely sluggish. That was not all. Sizzling sounds were coming from his body and it was obvious that the Blood Qi was corroding away at him.
Pei Wen Xuan immediately understood the situation. Yang Kai’s sneak attack caused Black Crow Divine Monarch to have no choice but to focus on dealing with him. That was definitely the reason why the pressure had suddenly eased off him just now. It could even be said that it was Yang Kai who rescued Pei Wen Xuan at the critical moment.
Even so, Pei Wen Xuan was not grateful. [This bastard sent Black Crow Divine Monarch after me. How abominable!]
Taking advantage of Black Crow Divine Monarch’s distraction, Pei Wen Xuan’s figure flashed consecutively, finally putting some distance between him and the other party, which gave him some breathing space.
As one of Myriad Demons Heaven’s Core Disciples, he was practically an invincible existence among those beneath the Open Heaven Realm. The fact that he could be defeated in such a short span of time only served to show just how powerful Black Crow Divine Monarch was. Moreover, this was after Black Crow Divine Monarch had been ‘killed’ already. If this were before he had suffered death once, how much strength could he have exerted?
For a moment, Pei Wen Xuan was both thankful and frustrated. He was thankful that Black Crow Divine Monarch was heavily injured at the moment but frustrated that his Identity Token was gone as a result.
Inside the Blood Qi that resembled a quagmire, Yang Kai’s movements were sluggish but his expression was calm as he roared, “Break!”
A small pitch-black light appeared at the top of the Azure Dragon Spear. When this pitch-black dot appeared, it was only the size of a pea; however, it immediately expanded wildly and turned into a massive black hole. Everything instantly collapsed!
Rupture!
Blood Qi poured into the black hole that appeared and vanished into nothingness, allowing Yang Kai to break free of its restraints and thrust his spear straight at Black Crow Divine Monarch. This attack was made in a direct, seemingly straightforward, simple, and ordinary manner. However, it contained intense murderous intent, perfectly demonstrating the strength of Yang Kai’s personal spear technique.
“The Dao of Space!” Black Crow Divine Monarch narrowed his eyes. He distinctly felt the fluctuation of the Space Principles at that moment; moreover, he could infer from those fluctuations that Yang Kai’s attainments in the Dao of Space were superb.
As those words left his mouth, the spear sliced through the air towards him. Black Crow Divine Monarch wanted to avoid the attack but was surprised to find that it had sealed off all his paths of retreat. There was no way to dodge.
The spear pierced through his head and came out through the back!
If it were a normal cultivator, they would not have survived after receiving such heavy injuries, but the person who received this wound was none other than Black Crow Divine Monarch who even revived after being sliced clean in half.
Yang Kai did not reveal the slightest hint of joy at succeeding. The truth was that this attack had not affected Black Crow Divine Monarch in any significant way. Although the Azure Dragon Spear had pierced Black Crow Divine Monarch’s head, Yang Kai had not felt the sense of having stabbed anything. It was as though Black Crow Divine Monarch’s head did not contain any resistance whatsoever at that moment.
“Boy, where did you get this spear?” Black Crow Divine Monarch asked in surprise.
He had a good eye, so he instantly noticed just how extraordinary the Azure Dragon Spear was. [This brat is not only proficient in the Dao of Space but also in possession of such an astounding treasure. He probably comes from quite a prominent background.]
“Why are you spouting such nonsense? Just die, old dog!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. The spear trembled slightly and a jet-black flame suddenly spread out across its length, igniting Black Crow Divine Monarch’s head.
“Ahh!” Black Crow Divine Monarch screamed loudly and his body abruptly retreated backward. The hole in the middle of his forehead swiftly sealed up, leaving him uninjured. Be that as it may, the pitch-black flames continued to burn him, causing him to suffer excruciating pain as he screamed in horror, “Golden Crow’s True Fire! You condensed the Golden Crow’s True Fire!?”
While screaming, his heart flooded with a deep sense of regret.
He had tried to possess Yang Kai earlier, but in the end, he suffered miserably inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and severely damaged his foundation in the process. He had been forced to separate out a thread of his consciousness in order to create a diversion to escape. When he finally possessed Zhou Yi and obtained a physical body, he thought that it would be easy for him to get rid of the Juniors around him, but how could he have known that Yang Kai would wield a High-Rank Element Power? Not to mention, this was the Golden Crow’s True Fire that was said to be able to burn everything in existence!
Didn’t that mean this boy condensed High-Rank Open Heaven Elements? If Yang Kai could even condense the Golden Crow’s True Fire, then condensing the other High-Rank Elements clearly would not be a problem. In other words, this boy had the qualifications to advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm!
What terrifying aptitude! How many people throughout the ages have been capable of breaking through directly to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm? It was impossible to imagine what kind of achievements Yang Kai would have in the future with such a high starting point.
Therefore, Black Crow Divine Monarch was wallowing in regret. If he had known earlier, he would not have given up on trying to possess Yang Kai no matter what. He would have fought to the death in order to possess Yang Kai. Who could say for sure? He might have stood a chance to succeed. It was unfortunate if he lost, but what if he won? Then, he would have obtained an extremely high starting point and his future achievements would be many times higher than that of the past.
Unfortunately, he had already possessed Zhou Yi and nothing would change even if he felt regret. He was originally just a Remnant Soul. In addition, he had been heavily injured. He no longer had the strength to possess anybody else at the moment.
While screaming, his Blood Qi surged violently to force out the Golden Crow’s True Fire inside his body. The flames of the Golden Crow’s True Fire continued to rage without fuel even after falling to the ground.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai attacked again with his spear. His expression was as calm as jade, but his attacks were as fierce as a Dragon’s. His spear formed shadows that filled the sky, and every blow landed on Black Crow Divine Monarch’s vital points.
At the same time, Pei Wen Xuan attacked from the side with his Coiling Dragon Shears. The Coiling Dragon Shears made a clicking noise every time it opened and closed, constantly cutting away at the Blood Qi surrounding Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Likewise, Qu Hua Shang was not idle. She held a lute in her hands, strumming the strings lightly. Plucking sounds that resembled the sound of beads clattering onto a jade plate rang out. These sounds transformed into invisible attacks that disturbed Black Crow Divine Monarch’s concentration. She also set up countless crimson silk threads that criss-crossed all over the Grand Hall to form a network that hampered Black Crow Divine Monarch’s movements.
At this moment, Black Crow Divine Monarch was facing three enemies at once; thus, his situation was disadvantageous for a while. Among the three of them, what caused him the greatest headache was not Pei Wen Xuan’s Coiling Dragon Shears nor Qu Hua Shang’s lute, but Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear.
Each attack from the spear displayed a refinement that was beyond anything he had ever encountered in his life. He simply could not imagine how a cultivator could execute such exquisite spear techniques. It was like watching a famous Grandmaster crafting a masterpiece. Each attack from the spear was a work of art.
He could understand if it were a cultivator with low strength who wholeheartedly cultivated the Spear Dao. Since they lacked strength, they could only make up for their shortcomings with technique; however, skill did not determine victory or defeat in the Emperor Realm. What really decided everything was strength. No matter how skilled a person was, it was useless if their strength was inferior to their opponent.
It would be one thing if Yang Kai’s spear technique was simply amazing, but the critical point was that the spear itself was extraordinarily powerful. Moreover, the spear was also covered in the pitch-black Golden Crow’s True Fire. It truly made Black Crow Divine Monarch suffer greatly as a result.
Due to a momentary lapse of concentration, Black Crow Divine Monarch was consecutively stabbed several times by Yang Kai. He screamed in pain and had no choice but to force out more Blood Qi to purge the Golden Crow’s True Fire that was burning his body.
Pei Wen Xuan’s Coiling Dragon Shears played a huge role in this situation. With every cut he made, he shaved off some of Black Crow Divine Monarch’s vitality and caused the latter to weaken steadily.
“Enough!” Black Crow Divine Monarch roared furiously. With a wave of his hand, two spots of blood light suddenly flew out from the skeleton on the round platform. They transformed into a pair of butterfly daggers, one for each hand. This artifact was clearly one he used in the past; furthermore, it was an artifact used by a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. It would surely be of high quality.
With the twin butterfly daggers in hand, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s weakening momentum suddenly soared again. He crossed the twin daggers and brought them down on the Azure Dragon Spear.
A mighty force spread out and sent Yang Kai flying backwards.
The twin daggers in his hands trembled slightly as he turned the two blades into a stream of light that shot towards Pei Wen Xuan and Qu Hua Shang.
Pei Wen Xuan was shocked and immediately used the Coiling Dragon Shears to defend himself. Contrary to his expectations, the Coiling Dragon Shears had only just come into contact with the blade light when they shattered into pieces with a loud explosion. His artifact was unable to stop the blade light and the strength of the light blade did not weaken as it slashed down on him. How could he afford to care about his pride at such a dangerous moment? He threw himself on the ground like a dog lunging for food and a large piece of flesh was sliced off his back.
Also, most of the silk thread network that Qu Hua Shang spent so much effort to arrange was sliced apart and destroyed by the blade light which did not stop and slashed down at her lute. The sound of strings snapping rang out as they were all cut apart. Qu Hua Shang spurted out blood and was thrown backwards. Even so, the blade light continued to chase after her, threatening her life.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai appeared with a flash. His spear swept across the blade light and sent it flying as he turned to look at her and asked, “Senior Sister Qu, are you alright!?”
“I’m fine!” She slowly shook her head.
Yang Kai immediately spun around and leapt forward. Arriving in front of Black Crow Divine Monarch in the blink of an eye, he stabbed out.
Black Crow Divine Monarch looked at Yang Kai coldly, neither blocking nor dodging. More importantly, a slightly mocking smile crept onto the corner of his lips.
Yang Kai immediately sensed that something was wrong as a huge sense of crisis befell him. At the same time, he saw a blade light coming towards him from the left. It was the blade light that slashed down on Pei Wen Xuan earlier.
How could Yang Kai dare to be negligent? He immediately drew upon the Powers within his Dao Seal and formed a Dragon Shield around his body to protect himself!
The khakis-yellow Dragon Shield had only just formed when the blade light came slashing down. The sound of something shattering rang out and fresh blood splattered everywhere. Yang Kai retreated by several tens of metres with a new wound at his waist, one so deep that bone was showing!
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s gaze was scorching, “A High-Rank Earth Element Power!”
The Dragon Shield Secret Technique was obviously formed from a High-Rank Earth Element Power. Combined with the Golden Crow’s True Fire that Yang Kai displayed earlier, Black Crow Divine Monarch became more and more convinced that Yang Kai was aiming to become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master directly.
[This Brat is definitely a rare genius!]
Yang Kai lowered his head to gaze at the wound on his waist. The spear in his hand trembled slightly as he lifted it with one hand and stared at Black Crow Divine Monarch mockingly, “Seems a Divine Monarch is nothing much!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch snorted, “What an arrogant mouth you have, boy. I will make you beg for mercy on your knees soon enough.”
While saying so, his body jerked slightly and took the initiative to fall apart of his own volition. He transformed into hundreds of thousands of Blood Crows that cawed loudly. They covered the sky as they threw themselves at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai kicked off against the ground and backed away but kept his eyes forward. He realised that his enemy feared his Golden Crow’s True Fire. That was why he created hundreds of thousands of Blood Crows to confuse him. He did not know what kind of Secret Technique it was that could produce such shocking effects and it did not look like part of the orthodox Blood Light Scripture. It was most likely Black Crow Divine Monarch’s own Divine Ability.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s voice rang out from all around, “Boy, this Monarch believes that you have a bright future ahead of you. If you kneel down and beg for mercy, I can spare your life.”
Possessing Yang Kai was no longer an option, but subduing and taking Yang Kai under him could also be considered a kind of compensation. The brat was a genius who could probably advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm in the future, so accepting Yang Kai as his subordinate was not a bad idea.
His voice floated around, giving no hint of his true location. There was no way for anybody to figure out which Blood Crow his Soul was hiding in. If it were anybody else, they would have no means of attacking in this situation.
However, Yang Kai put the Azure Dragon Spear away and summoned a bottle gourd instead. He pointed the mouth of the gourd forward and grinned wickedly, “This Junior is honoured by your offer and would like to offer a gift to show his thanks, Divine Monarch. Please accept it!”
While saying so, he activated the power of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, sending a blinding light pouring out of it to sweep across the flock of Blood Crows.
The Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was a Sixth-Order Metal Element Power, and even a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would need to use their World Force to block it. How could Black Crow Divine Monarch withstand this attack? Countless Blood Crows were struck by the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light and instantly riddled with holes, dropping to the ground while cawing loudly before turning into puddles of blood.
In just a few breaths of time, 20% of the Blood Crows were destroyed while the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light poured out strongly and continuously. Although those Blood Crows were numerous, they could not penetrate the defences of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, much less approach Yang Kai.
Qu Hua Shang hurriedly came to stand behind Yang Kai, lest Black Crow Divine Monarch attack her. On the other hand, Pei Wen Xuan also scrambled on all fours and ran over. Yang Kai turned to faintly glance at him, causing the former’s face to twitch slightly, but he did not know what to say.
Pei Wen Xuan was feeling very complicated. It was not as if he had never heard about how Yang Kai defeated Yu Luo Sha in one move in the Asura Arena. The truth was that this information had quickly spread far and wide after the incident, so many people knew about it.
However, he had not believed those rumours. That was because he knew how capable Yu Luo Sha was. She might not be as strong as him, but she was not much weaker either. Core Disciples of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises like themselves were capable of fighting to a certain extent even if they encountered a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Therefore, the reason Yang Kai defeated Yu Luo Sha in one move when they were in the same Realm was either a sneak attack or Yu Luo Sha had greatly underestimated her opponent.
When Pei Wen Xuan met Yang Kai at the blood lake, he wanted to test his ability. It was just that Qu Hua Shang had stepped in to stop him at the time, so he could only give up. He had been feeling extremely unconvinced as a result. But, by the looks of things, it was fortunate that Qu Hua Shang had intervened back then; otherwise, he would have embarrassed himself instead.
He was practically helpless against Black Crow Divine Monarch’s attacks and it had taken all his strength just to fight back just a few times. Even his Coiling Dragon Shears were destroyed in the process. On the other hand, Yang Kai was able to hold his ground against the enemy with confidence. The difference between them was obvious at a glance. Such talent was completely unheard of, and his ability to defeat Yu Luo Sha in one move no longer seemed like an exaggeration now.
Pei Wen Xuan had always thought highly of himself, so he couldn’t help feeling rather deflated at the moment.
Blood Crows flew about within the spacious Grand Hall, cawing loudly. It was very distracting. The Yuan Magnetic Divine Light flashed brightly. Thanks to the Sixth-Order Metal Element Power, the countless Blood Crows could not approach them. Once in a while, the occasional Blood Crow would manage to penetrate the defences but they were killed by Qu Hua Shang and Pei Wen Xuan in short order. Every single Blood Crow they killed would transform into a strand of crimson Blood Qi that dissipated in the Grand Hall.
All of a sudden, the hundreds of thousands of Blood Crows gathered and merged together once more to return to their original appearance. It was just that Black Crow Divine Monarch’s complexion was slightly paler compared to before. His aura was also no longer at its peak and it was obvious that he was heavily injured. His eyes were filled with deep hatred.
“Kill!” Yang Kai turned the mouth of the gourd around and the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light immediately gushed towards Black Crow Divine Monarch. At the same time, he reached out his free hand and summoned his Azure Dragon Spear. With a flash of his body, Yang Kai charged towards Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Qu Hua Shang and Pei Wen Xuan immediately followed suit. They were both well-versed in grasping the flow of the battle. Black Crow Divine Monarch’s aura was obviously at an all-time low, so with the opportunity to defeat him right in front of their eyes, how could they not act?
Three figures attacked Black Crow Divine Monarch, surrounding him from three different directions. Yang Kai took the lead while Pei Wen Xuan and Qu Hua Shang supported him from the side. They did not engage Black Crow Divine Monarch too much and only attacked whenever the opportunity arose. With the combined forces of these three, the battle with Black Crow Divine Monarch instantly became extremely heated.
However, the three of them became increasingly frightened the longer they fought.
At this moment, it was clear that Black Crow Divine Monarch’s strength had dropped sharply; even so, he continued to fight them on equal footing. It just went to show how powerful he used to be. Luckily, the three of them had whittled down a considerable amount of his Blood Qi earlier; otherwise, it would have been an extremely dangerous battle for them.
Inside the tightly shut Grand Hall, the lights of various Secret Techniques and artifacts flared blindingly. At the same time, these lights were accompanied by several groans and grunts. It didn’t matter whether it was Black Crow Divine Monarch or Yang Kai’s party; both sides were covered in wounds in just a short period.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Blood Light Scripture was extremely troublesome. All the injuries to his body would only cause his vitality to drop by a small margin while even the most lethal and fatal injuries could not kill him.
That was in stark contrast to the situation when Yang Kai and the two others were injured. The blood from their wounds seemed to be guided by some kind of invisible force, transforming it into blood mist that gathered around Black Crow Divine Monarch and poured into his body, vanishing from sight to become part of his strength.
Yang Kai had the Wood Element Power stemming from the essence of the Immortal Tree, as well as a very pure Dragon Clan bloodline flowing in his body. Therefore, his regenerative abilities were incredible and his wounds healed very quickly. For this reason, the Blood Light Scripture affected him the least. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Pei Wen Xuan and Qu Hua Shang. It was hard to say exactly how much vitality they lost in such a short period, but their complexions were now extremely pale.
Nevertheless, nobody retreated after things had come this far. That was because all three of them knew that only one side would survive the battle today. The slightest negligence or sign of weakness could bring about an irreversible and catastrophic outcome.
“Kill!” Yang Kai’s roar reverberated throughout the Grand Hall as his spear stabbed forward and Space Principles fluctuated wildly. The spear disregarded the barriers of space and stabbed towards Black Crow Divine Monarch’s head even though he was standing a thousand metres away.
Black Crow Divine Monarch narrowed his eyes and lifted his hands to push out a wall of Blood Qi.
There was a loud explosion and Yang Kai was sent flying by the impact. Similarly, Black Crow Divine Monarch was also thrown backwards. He spun lightly in mid-air and landed on the ground, glaring at Yang Kai with deep hatred as he viciously snarled, “Just you wait, Junior! Once this Monarch replenishes his strength, he will return to fight you again!”
After saying that, he turned around and shot a blast of light behind him.
Yang Kai felt his heart jump in horror as he witnessed this. He hurriedly stopped his body from flying backward any further and shouted, “Stop him! He’s trying to escape!”
How could Pei Wen Xuan and Qu Hua Shang dare to hold back upon hearing those words? They quickly unleashed their Secret Techniques at Black Crow Divine Monarch, but the latter simply ignored them. He forcefully took on the brunt of their Divine Abilities, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood while his back was turned into a bloody mess.
In the meantime, there was a loud rumbling sound and the gates that had been closed all this while opened all of a sudden. Before the gates even finished opening, Black Crow Divine Monarch transformed into a blood light and rushed out.
Yang Kai and the two others felt their hearts freezing in fear at the sight!
It had to be said that hundreds or even thousands of cultivators were gathered on the three islands, the blood lake, and the lakeshore outside the Grand Hall. With a Heaven-defying Evil Art like the Blood Light Scripture, Black Crow Divine Monarch would only need to kill a few people and devour their vitality to recover completely. How were the three of them supposed to fight him if that happened?
“The gates have opened!” An exclamation suddenly sounded from outside the Grand Hall. It was obvious that more people had arrived at the palace in the middle of the lake while the three of them had been battling Black Crow Divine Monarch inside. It was just that the gates had been firmly shut, so they could not enter. Now that the gates had opened so suddenly, it was only natural for them to be pleasantly surprised.
On the other hand, Yang Kai quickly gave chase with his spear in hand. He had only taken a few steps when he heard several short screams coming from outside the palace. By the time he rushed out of the Grand Hall, three corpses were lying at the entrance of the Grand Hall. They had died a miserable death and all the vitality from their bodies had been sucked out, leaving them as little more than withered husks.
The cultivators who could arrive at the palace in the middle of the lake were the elite amongst the elite; however, who among them could withstand the assault of Black Crow Divine Monarch, especially when he was essentially launching a sneak attack? They were immediately killed on the spot.
Yang Kai suddenly felt as though his eyes were about to pop. An intense feeling of danger enveloped him. He looked up and saw Black Crow Divine Monarch running across the blood lake. There were several cultivators cautiously making their way across the blood lake. They seemed to be heading towards the palace in the middle of the lake.
Upon sensing the commotion in front, they looked up and saw Black Crow Divine Monarch travelling towards them in the opposite direction. All of them were shocked; after all, the blood lake only allowed a person to move forward but not retreat. Somebody had tried to retreat earlier only to end up dying on the spot. So, why was this person completely unscathed?
Just as they were puzzling over this question, Black Crow Divine Monarch lifted his hand and shot out several rays of blood light. These cultivators were already walking on thin ice in the first place and most of their concentration was used to maintain the circulation of the Blood Light Scripture. Thus, they were completely powerless to resist these attacks.
The blood light reached them in an instant and enveloped them completely. A dense blood mist leaked out of the bodies of those cultivators who were enveloped by the blood light at a rate that was visible to the naked eye. All the Blood Essence in their bodies flowed out quickly, and when the blood light returned to Black Crow Divine Monarch, those cultivators who had been turned into mummified corpses fell into the blood lake.
“Zhou Yi, how dare you steal the Blood Essence of others!? You will definitely suffer the Heavens’ wrath for committing such evil and despicable acts!” Somebody who probably knew Zhou Yi roared furiously.
Black Crow Divine Monarch was naturally unmoved. He simply waved a hand in that direction, shooting a ray of blood light at that person who in turn roared furiously and summoned his artifact to fight back.
“Run! That isn’t Zhou Yi! It’s a Divine Monarch who seized his body to revive himself! He’s not an enemy you can fight!” Yang Kai circulated his strength to his throat and shouted so that his voice was transmitted clearly across the entire surroundings.
Everybody was shocked and horrified.
At that moment, several others fell to the attacks of Black Crow Divine Monarch. They lost all the vitality in their bodies and perished. The rest of the cultivators became terrified upon witnessing that sight. The cultivators on the third island hurriedly got up and rushed towards the shore when they saw Black Crow Divine Monarch heading straight towards them.
There had been a restriction placed on the blood lake that only allowed a person to move forward but not retreat; however, Black Crow Divine Monarch was currently safe and sound while running in the opposite direction. It gave them a glimmer of hope and sure enough, they discovered that the restriction had lost effect at some point in time when they tried to retreat to the shore. It was most likely because the palace in the middle of the lake had been opened.
For a time, all the cultivators on the first and second islands all turned around and ran for their lives. Meanwhile, the people who were gathered on the shore scattered far away, keeping a distance that could ensure their absolute safety.
Black Crow Divine Monarch stopped in the middle of the blood lake and turned around to glare at Yang Kai hatefully, “Junior, I’ll rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces for ruining my good deed!”
If possible, he would not have exposed his identity. He would have preferred to silently possess and replace a person so that he could slowly take his time to cultivate and reach the heights he once achieved in his past life. Unfortunately, his attempt at possession had failed. Moreover, he was forced by Yang Kai and the others to reveal himself in order to replenish his strength. His secret could no longer be kept hidden at this point. It was conceivable that countless Masters would hunt him down as soon as he left the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
“Black Crow Divine Monarch, do you dare to fight me!?” Yang Kai lifted his spear and pointed forward, shouting with his arms raised. [If I leave this old dog alone, he will only become stronger and stronger in the future. If I want to kill him, I have to do it now!]
Black Crow Divine Monarch coldly snorted, “Why do I have to fear? Junior, just stay there obediently. This Monarch will deal with you later!”
After saying that, he suddenly raised both his arms. The gigantic blood lake seemed to be lifted by some kind of force and the surface of the lake that had remained calm all this while suddenly began to churn violently, gurgling and bubbling as though it was boiling. When the bubbles burst open, they released dense Blood Qi.
Meanwhile, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s body seemed to have turned into a bottomless abyss that continuously devoured the Blood Qi.
Yang Kai felt his entire body going cold with fear…
The blood lake was definitely something Blood Monster Divine Monarch prepared for his Inheritance Disciple; after all, there was no point in inheriting his Blood Dao inheritance and cultivating the Blood Light Scripture if one did not have enough vitality. That was why he prepared this blood lake in advance.
Yang Kai had not given much thought to this matter before, so it was not until this moment that he understood. All the water in the blood lake was formed from genuine fresh blood. Just how many people were sacrificed to fill such a large blood lake? As expected, Blood Monster Divine Monarch was not a good or kind man either!
Black Crow Divine Monarch was unstoppable now! Having devoured all the vitality contained within the blood lake, his aura increased to new heights. Not only were his injuries from before completely healed, but he also experienced a huge boost in strength. His strength had reached a level where it was simply impossible to resist.
“Let’s meet again in the future!” Pei Wen Xuan immediately shouted at the sight. Turning around, he transformed into a cloud of black smoke and fled in a certain direction. He travelled across several dozen kilometres in an instant.
It had to be said that he was very clever indeed. He knew that nobody here was Black Crow Divine Monarch’s equal in terms of strength. Furthermore, the first thing Black Crow Divine Monarch would do once he finished devouring the blood lake was to come after Yang Kai. The old fart had suffered so badly at Yang Kai’s hands after all. It was only natural for him to take his revenge against him. Knowing all of this, why would Pei Wen Xuan continue to stick around with Yang Kai?
Yang Kai was so vexed that his teeth nearly cracked from grinding together; however, he did not dare to delay either. He grabbed Qu Hua Shang by the arm and shouted, “Let’s go!”
With a flicker of his figure, he chased after Pei Wen Xuan and it didn’t take long before the cloud of black smoke appeared in his field of vision.
Pei Wen Xuan turned around and nearly spat blood at the sight, “You bastard! Why are you chasing after me!? We are unrelated to each other; mind your own business and go your own separate ways!”
Yang Kai did not stop moving. Space Principles fluctuated and he arrived in front of Pei Wen Xuan with Qu Hua Shang in tow, “Brother Pei, you and I have faced life and death together. We wouldn’t have gotten to know each other otherwise. I admire your abilities greatly, Brother Pei. Senior Sister Qu is currently in poor condition so I need to bring her somewhere to treat her injuries first. I’ll have to trouble you to delay Black Crow Divine Monarch for a little while.”
After having said his peace, Space Principles fluctuated in consecutive motions and Yang Kai vanished out of Pei Wen Xuan’s field of vision.
Pei Wen Xuan couldn’t help cursing out loud! He had also attacked Black Crow Divine Monarch back at the Grand Hall, and although his attacks were not as damaging as Yang Kai’s due to his lack of strength, there was no denying that he had participated. If Black Crow Divine Monarch came chasing in this direction and caught sight of him, the former would not go easy on him; hence, he had been counting on Yang Kai to buy him some time to escape. Who could have known that Yang Kai would have the same idea? It truly was a case of karmic consequences; he reaped what he sowed.
The black smoke halted abruptly, revealing Pei Wen Xuan’s figure. He did not dare to flee in the same direction as Yang Kai; therefore, he could only turn and flee in a different direction. At the same time, he fervently prayed in his heart that Black Crow Divine Monarch would not come and cause trouble for him. His Identity Token had been destroyed, and although he did not fear encountering anybody else, Black Crow Divine Monarch was not somebody he could contend against with his strength alone.
He had not escaped far when he detected a bloody stench in the wind coming from behind him. Turning back to look behind him, Pei Wen Xuan was instantly stricken with terror. In the direction of the blood lake, he could see a blood cloud flying close to the ground and heading in this direction at a high speed. Moreover, there was a large face within the blood cloud. It looked so ferocious that it was absolutely horrifying. The mouth that was opened wide roared continuously, as though intending to devour the world itself!
The blood cloud travelled extremely quickly and arrived within several hundred kilometres in the blink of an eye. That face was glaring intently in the direction that Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang had fled just now; thus, Pei Wen Xuan secretly rejoiced. The thought had only just crossed his mind when the face suddenly turned to glance in this direction. It was just a passing glance, but Pei Wen Xuan immediately felt the sense of crisis looming over him.
The face opened its mouth and a blood arrow shot out, slicing through the Void and arriving in front of Pei Wen Xuan in an instant. The blood light immediately filled his vision, so he did not hesitate to bite his tongue and spray out a mouthful of Blood Essence. The Demon Qi in his body simultaneously surged violently. He had only just finished this when the blood arrow enveloped him.
There was a huge explosion and the entire world seemed to shatter from the impact. An enormous pit in the ground appeared out of nowhere and dust flew everywhere.
It was not until half a day later that a subtle movement stirred the dirt inside the deep pit in the ground. A large hand dug out of the earth and immediately after that, a bloody figure climbed out of the pit. He lay weakly on the ground, facing the sky without moving, his aura extremely weak. Who else could it be but Pei Wen Xuan!?
If an ordinary cultivator were in his shoes, they would not have any chance of surviving the attack. The only ending waiting for them was a death so tragic that not even their bones would be left. It was fortunate that he was a Core Disciple of Myriad Demons Heaven and his heritage was extremely rich, so he managed to survive after exhausting all his methods and strength.
Although he managed to survive, he was heavily injured as a result. It was impossible for him to fight anybody else with these injuries, not unless he recuperated for a month or two first. However, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was filled with dangers, so where would he find a safe place to recuperate from his injuries? There was a high chance that he would be eaten by the Monster Beasts here before he could recover; thus, he cursed in his heart, [Yang Kai, you bastard! If I survive this ordeal, I will definitely get my revenge on you one day!]
On the other side, Yang Kai was busy fleeing for his life. At some point, he had placed Qu Hua Shang into the Small Sealed World so she could treat her injuries. It was not the seductress’ first time entering the Small Sealed World anyway as she had entered it once before when leaving the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
With the help of Space Principles, Yang Kai was second to none when it came to escaping. He even managed to escape from a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like the Proprietress for a time in the past. What was Black Crow Divine Monarch, who had only just possessed Zhou Yi, in comparison? No matter how powerful Black Crow Divine Monarch was, he was limited by Zhou Yi’s physical body; hence, the strength that he could exert was also limited.
Half a day later, Yang Kai fled so far that Black Crow Divine Monarch was nowhere to be seen. He hid inside a cave in one of the mountains, sitting cross-legged to rest. At the same time, he used his Divine Sense to communicate with the Small Sealed World to check on Qu Hua Shang’s condition.
Qu Hua Shang was quite badly injured. First, she was affected by dissonance in her cultivation from cultivating the false Blood Light Scripture; then, she was wounded countless times and had most of her vitality devoured by Black Crow Divine Monarch. For that reason, her aura was currently very weak. It was fortunate that her life was not in danger and she only needed to recuperate for several days to recover fully.
After confirming that Qu Hua Shang was alright, Yang Kai withdrew his mind from the Small Sealed World.
The fact that there was another Divine Monarch inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was probably something nobody had ever expected. Nevertheless, Black Crow Divine Monarch had returned to life by possessing another. The various Cave-Heavens and Paradises would not ignore this situation once the information spread to the outside.
Black Crow Divine Monarch was bound to face all sorts of troubles when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven closed. In the worst case, he might even be hunted down by numerous Masters! Whether or not he could keep himself safe at the time was an unknown variable. It stood to reason that he would not have the excess energy to deal with Yang Kai at that time.
In other words, Yang Kai had to make sure that he could safely escape from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven! Fortunately, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was very large, so as long as he remained careful, it would not be difficult to avoid meeting Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Just as that thought came to mind though, Yang Kai felt his heart jump in fright. An inexplicable chill suddenly flooded his body and he did not hesitate to push his Space Principles and vanish from the spot.
At the same moment that his figure vanished out of sight, two blood snakes suddenly lunged out from their hiding places. These two blood snakes were very well-hidden and it was not until they made their move that they revealed a trace of their aura. If Yang Kai had not reacted so swiftly, he would have fallen prey to the attack just now.
Consequently, the blood snakes bit into nothing but air. Following that, they transformed into blood and the cave was instantly filled with an extremely unpleasant stench. Even the ground was corroded into a deep pit.
Yang Kai turned around to look behind him and gave a horrified exclamation, “Black Crow Divine Monarch!”
Somewhere no more than thirty kilometres away, a blood cloud entered his vision. Moreover, there was a lifelike face in the middle of the blood cloud. It was none other than Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Sensing the Space Principles fluctuations, Black Crow Divine Monarch immediately turned to look in this direction with an evil grin, “I found you, boy!”
Whilst saying that, a portion of his Blood Qi turned into a large hand that came crashing down on Yang Kai. The sky instantly darkened and all the light was quickly obscured as a result. After his palm slammed down on Yang Kai, he frowned slightly because Yang Kai had made a swift escape and disappeared with a flash of his figure.
Black Crow Divine Monarch was filled with hatred. [This brat is extremely proficient in the Dao of Space. How troublesome!]
Unbeknownst to him, Yang Kai was also feeling extremely annoyed at the moment. [I believe I ran far enough. How did Black Crow Divine Monarch find me? Could it be that he left some sort of Soul Mark on me? Is that why he can track my whereabouts? If that’s the case, it would explain how he managed to rush here so quickly.]
Spreading out his Divine Sense, Yang Kai investigated his Knowledge Sea and body, but despite checking every corner of himself thoroughly, he did not find anything. Thus, he scowled fiercely.
In an attempt to confirm his conjecture, Yang Kai escaped to a location that was even further away and secretly hid himself. That was not all; he also summoned the Shadowless Veil and covered himself with it. The Shadowless Veil was something that could even fool the perception of a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who was not actively searching for him. Although it had its limits, it was still an amazing treasure.
In less than six hours though, Yang Kai saw a blood cloud rushing through the sky from the distant horizon at high speed. Black Crow Divine Monarch shouted from afar before he even arrived, “Boy, cease your futile resistance! You will never escape from this Monarch even if you flee to the ends of the world!”
Yang Kai was furious and was now certain that Black Crow Divine Monarch had placed some sort of mark on him; otherwise, how could the latter accurately determine his whereabouts twice? It was just that he had no idea what kind of mark it was, so he had no way of removing it.
Yang Kai initially planned to avoid the old dog until the Blood Monster Cave Heaven closed as everything would be over after that. Unfortunately, it would seem that he was far too naive. In that case, he could only go all out and fight! This time around, he would not have Qu Hua Shang or Pei Wen Xuan with him. It would literally be a one-on-one battle!
Yang Kai remained hidden from view. Judging by the first time his whereabouts were exposed, Black Crow Divine Monarch could not determine his precise location despite the mark on his body and only had a general idea of his location. Otherwise, Black Crow Divine Monarch would not have used those blood snakes to search for him.
Yang Kai’s conjecture turned out to be correct. It didn’t take long for the blood cloud to arrive within ten kilometres of Yang Kai’s vicinity. The large face glanced about the surroundings for a while before its gaze fixed on the spot where Yang Kai was located. The blood cloud trembled slightly as numerous blood snakes emerged and immediately disappeared out of sight after landing on the ground.
Black Crow Divine Monarch then shouted, “Brat, don’t say this Monarch did not give you any chance! Although you embarrassed this Monarch greatly, it does not change the fact that this Monarch appreciates your abilities. I will spare your life if you come forward on your own initiative. Refuse, and it will be difficult for you to survive once this Monarch captures you!”
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to those words. [This guy relentlessly chased me for over ten thousand kilometres just to kill me. Who would believe him when he utters such nonsense at this time?]
*Chi chi chi…* A series of noises came from Yang Kai’s surroundings. It was the slithering sounds of countless blood snakes moving around. Just listening to those sounds made one’s scalp tingle in fear.
Yang Kai, who was in hiding, could even discern clearly that the countless blood snakes were forming an extremely large net as they swept towards him like a blanket. At this rate, his location would be exposed once they reached his hiding spot.
The endless hissing of the blood snakes entered Yang Kai’s ears. Their bodies wriggled forward, gradually approaching the place where he was standing.
[I’m going to be found!] He closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing to suppress both his heartbeat and his aura to make himself seem as still as a rock, becoming completely motionless.
Now that things had come to this, he could only take a gamble. Although he could use Space Principles to escape, the old dog was as persistent as maggots on rotting bones. He could not escape, which was extremely troublesome.
The overwhelming number of blood snakes were creeping closer and closer. 30 metres… 15 metres… 10 metres…
Yang Kai abruptly opened his eyes and raised his hand to grab at something. The Azure Dragon Spear immediately appeared in his grip. Following that, his Dao Seal shone brightly as he poured the power of the Golden Crow’s True Fire into the spear. Lifting his spear, he stepped forward and pointed the spear to the front. Space Principles fluctuated as he thrust forward and roared, “Eat this, old dog!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch noticed the movement as soon as Yang Kai took action; thus, the face in the middle of the blood cloud immediately turned to look in his direction. The countless blood snakes in the surroundings leaped forward with their mouths opened wide towards Yang Kai from all directions.
The blood snakes attacked in a frenzy and Yang Kai’s figure was torn to shreds. However, it was only his afterimage. His actual body had already arrived in front of the blood cloud, his spear stabbing forward like a Dragon!
*Hong…*
The large face was pierced right through by the spear. A huge hole appeared, causing the face to become so distorted that it was practically incapable of taking shape once more. The pitch-black Golden Crow’s True Fire spread out in all directions, wantonly burning.
*Cilala…*
The blood cloud evaporated in large patches. Even so, Black Crow Divine Monarch was calm and unaffected as his voice rang out faintly, “Junior, your courage is admirable. It’s a pity that your actions are foolhardy!”
He quickly sliced away the parts of the blood cloud that was being burned by the Golden Crow’s True Fire; then, the endless blood cloud rolled and wrapped around Yang Kai.
“Let’s see where you can run now!” He let out a wicked laugh. What troubled him the most was not Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear or the Golden Crow’s True Fire. Rather, it was his Space Principles.
If Yang Kai was determined to escape, he would not be able to catch up to him. Even if he could use his Secret Technique to determine Yang Kai’s general location, the Yang Kai’s Instantaneous Movement was too difficult to counter. Who could have expected that Yang Kai would stop running and throw himself into the trap instead? That was just what Black Crow Divine Monarch wanted.
Yang Kai was enveloped by the blood cloud which had Heaven Sealing, Earth Locking properties. Even if he was proficient in the Dao of Space, he could not perform Instantaneous Movement again. The winner of this battle would be determined once he was trapped to death inside the blood cloud.
The Blood Qi inside the blood cloud contained an extremely strong corrosive property that eroded away at Yang Kai’s body. It instantly damaged him so badly that he was covered in blood. Despite looking miserable, the look in Yang Kai’s eyes was as aggressive as ever as he coldly snarled, “Who said I was going to run!?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch was slightly confused, but before he could react, he heard Yang Kai shout something, “On this day, the Golden Crow casts the sun, below the Heavens, above the Earth, only I am supreme!”
A Great Sun suddenly leaped out from within the blood cloud, as though it was a newly-born star. Inside the sun, a Three-Legged Golden Crow danced playfully and joyously. A faint crowing could be heard coming from within the brilliant light. The majestic radiance caused the world to collapse and the surroundings to tremble. The aura in Yang Kai’s body soared to incredible heights in an instant.
Black Crow Divine Monarch exclaimed in utter disbelief, “A Divine Manifestation!”
He was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the past, so it stood to reason that he was very knowledgeable. He could tell at a glance that the Golden Crow Casts the Sun was not just an ordinary Divine Ability. On the contrary, Yang Kai had already condensed his very own Divine Manifestation.
There were two methods by which one could comprehend a Divine Manifestation. The first was to condense High-Rank Open Heaven Element Powers. The second condition was to reach the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm and comprehend one’s own Element Powers to the extreme. These were, supposedly, the only methods to comprehend a Divine Manifestation.
Nevertheless, those were only the most basic requirements. As far as Black Crow Divine Monarch knew, throughout all of recorded history, all those who had Divine Manifestations were in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. He had never heard of anybody in the Mid or Low-Rank having comprehended one, much less a mere Emperor Realm Junior. In fact, even many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters did not possess a Divine Manifestation. Even he had only managed to barely comprehend a Divine Manifestation when he was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the past.
[This boy is only in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. That’s still within the range of the Emperor Realm! How does he have his own Divine Manifestation!?] Black Crow Divine Monarch could not believe his eyes. Be that as it may, his senses told him that this attack was indeed a Divine Manifestation.
[I was tricked again!] His heart jumped in fright. [This brat might look like he is attacking me out of desperation, but he was waiting for this very moment to strike a decisive blow! Damn it! This boy is too deceptive, hiding his cards like this!]
Everybody had fought desperately inside the place in the middle of the blood lake and revealed all their best methods in the process; however, Yang Kai had kept this biggest card hidden all this while. As a result, Black Crow Divine Monarch had mistakenly assumed that Yang Kai’s strength was still limited to common sense. Who could have known that he would receive such an unpleasant surprise here?
The Great Sun hung in the sky, almost as though it was an actual sun. It was just a sun that was countless times smaller than normal. The blood cloud that surrounded the great sun was completely powerless to resist and swiftly began evaporating. It didn’t take long before a large clean space in the sky was cleared out.
Black Crow Divine Monarch let out a strange cry and the blood cloud abruptly shrunk and swirled about before it transformed into Zhou Yi’s appearance. Before he could even stabilise his figure though, a bright light filled his vision from the front. He looked up and saw Yang Kai’s spear piercing straight towards him, the great sun manifesting at its tip.
[I will die if I fail to block this attack!] Panic filled his heart for a moment. Black Crow Divine Monarch had always held the upper hand in the fight earlier, no matter how hard Yang Kai, Pei Wen Xuan, and Qu Hua Shang fought back. Hence, he had not even panicked. Besides, he had Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Blood Dao inheritance and cultivated the Blood Light Scripture. As long as his injuries were not too severe, he would be able to quickly recover. However, this attack was different. Black Crow Divine Monarch was certain that not even his ashes would remain if this attack struck him head on. He would be completely vaporized, to the point where nothing of him would remain.
With death looming right before his eyes, Black Crow Divine Monarch immediately became eerily calm. Two flashes of blood light rushed out from his body and entered his hands, transforming into his twin butterfly daggers. A raging fighting spirit erupted out of his body as he crossed his twin daggers above his head and shouted furiously, “I never imagined that there would come a day when this Monarch would be forced to go all out against a mere boy tens of thousands of years in the future! Brat, you have nobody but yourself to blame if you die at this Monarch’s hands!”
Yang Kai shouted a response upon hearing those words, “Divine Monarch, I will not mourn your death either if you die!”
“Hahaha!” Black Crow Divine Monarch burst into laughter, “Good good, very good!”
As they spoke, the distance between them shortened quickly. Yang Kai urged the strength in his body to the limits and even the Dao Seal in his body began trembling slightly. Likewise, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s vitality surged madly.
*Hong…*
An explosion rang out. At the same time, a huge and bright ball of light exploded.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s twin daggers blocked the Great Sun. In that moment, he attacked countless times. The knife shadows covered the entire sky, slashing down with incredible power in each stroke.
At the same time, Yang Kai wielded his spear techniques to the extreme. They transformed into boundless spear shadows and the Dragon Roars shook the sky continuously. The spear in his hand practically turned into a True Dragon that devoured Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Their figures passed by each other and the light gradually faded.
Black Crow Divine Monarch coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and staggered unsteadily. Using his two daggers to steady himself against the ground, he barely managed to stop himself from falling.
At this moment, the left side of his body was gone and the wriggling internal organs in his abdomen could clearly be seen. It was just that these injuries were nothing under the profound effects of the Blood Light Scripture. He had come back to life even after being sliced in half by the Divine Ability sealed within Pei Wen Xuan’s Identity Token, so what were injuries like these in comparison? His flesh squirmed and blood gathered in that spot. The half of his body that he lost was soon regrew in the blink of an eye.
On the other hand, Yang Kai stood motionless with the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand. It was just that the Great Sun attached to the tip of the spear had vanished. The vicious attack just now had practically drained all the strength out of his body.
It was not until this moment that countless blood arrows finally shot out from all over his body. Before his blood could land on the ground though, the golden blood arrows floated towards Black Crow Divine Monarch as though guided by an invisible force and were absorbed by him. That was not all. Yang Kai could clearly feel the fresh blood in his wounds being pulled towards Black Crow Divine Monarch.
[The Blood Light Scripture is a wicked art indeed!] Yang Kai did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly used his strength to seal his wounds. Turning around slowly, he saw Black Crow Divine Monarch watching him quietly with an expression of approval from several thousand metres away, “You are the first Emperor Realm Junior that has ever survived this long after meeting me!”
Yang Kai replied lightly, “Among the ‘Emperor Realm cultivators’, you are also the first person ever to block my Golden Crow Casts the Sun!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch slowly shook his head, “It’s not the same!”
He was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who possessed somebody else and came back to life; thus, he had thousands, if not tens of thousands of years more knowledge, experience, and heritage compared to Yang Kai. The reason his strength was only that of an Emperor Realm cultivator at the moment was that he had possessed somebody else’s body. If he really were an Emperor Realm cultivator, he would not have been able to block the attack just now.
“What this Monarch said earlier still stands. Surrender, and I will spare your life. You will be a pretty decent subordinate!” His expression seemed sincere and trusting.
“Die!” Yang Kai shouted. Suppressing all sorts of discomfort, he lifted his spear and thrust out.
Although the Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation was powerful, the consumption was also unimaginably huge. With his current strength, Yang Kai could only activate it once in a short period of time. It was hard to say whether he could successfully activate it a second time by force. Even if he did, it might shatter his Dao Seal even if he succeeded.
“What a pity! Talented people sure have such short lifespans!” Black Crow Divine Monarch shook his head and lifted his blades. The twin daggers turned into Blood lights that came slashing down on Yang Kai from both sides.
Yang Kai swung his spear to deflect the blood lights and send them flying away; afterward, he stabbed at Black Crow Divine Monarch’s heart.
Meanwhile, Black Crow Divine Monarch did not budge whatsoever. He allowed the spear to pierce his heart and the Golden Crow’s True Fire to burn him. All the while, he simply stared at Yang Kai with a cold smile.
*Chi chi…*
The two blood lights that Yang Kai sent flying earlier came hurtling through the air once more. They slashed two large wounds down the length of his body. Despite using his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique at the critical moment, his Dragon Scales were sliced through by the blood lights.
“Your strength isn’t bad, but your recovery rate is inferior to mine. How will you fight against me now?” Black Crow Divine Monarch sneered. He previously devoured the blood water in the blood lake cleanly, so his vitality was extremely abundant at the moment. Unless his vitality was completely exhausted, he was an existence that could not die. That was why he had nothing to fear!
On the contrary, although Yang Kai’s recovery abilities were indeed countless times stronger than the average cultivator, they paled in comparison to the extraordinary recovery abilities of Black Crow Divine Monarch.
The spear shadows danced and fresh blood splattered everywhere. Every attack Yang Kai unleashed struck Black Crow Divine Monarch’s vital points without fail. If it were anybody else, they would have been killed countless times by now. However, Black Crow Divine Monarch remained very much alive. He even kept up a steady stream of vicious mockery despite everything.
In contrast, Yang Kai’s injuries were becoming more and more severe. He had lost too much blood and was feeling dizzy as a result.
Aside from those Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters and High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters whose strength were on a completely different scale altogether, Black Crow Divine Monarch, who possessed somebody else and came back to life, was definitely the strongest and toughest enemy Yang Kai had ever encountered.
Even Great Demon God who he fought back then could not compare. That was because Black Crow Divine Monarch was practically undying and immortal! When Yang Kai fought Great Demon God, the entire Star Boundary had risen up to fight back together. He had countless companions by his side, supporting each other in adversity. However, he was currently fighting alone.
Moreover, Yang Kai was not confident that he could kill Black Crow Divine Monarch; after all, his most powerful attack, Golden Crow Casts the Sun, had been rendered useless by his opponent. It could even be said that he no longer had any cards left to play aside from the Divine Ability Bead given to him by the Proprietress!
It was a precarious situation! Yang Kai stabbed forward with his spear again and again as Space Principles fluctuated wildly. At the same time, his figure leapt about and flickered erratically. Each attack inflicted massive damage to Black Crow Divine Monarch, but the latter simply healed from even the most lethal and deadliest injuries in short order.
While Black Crow Divine Monarch continuously received heavy injuries, Yang Kai’s injuries were also becoming more and more severe. It had always been Yang Kai who relied on his powerful restorative abilities to put up a desperate fight against the others. Thus, he never imagined that there would come a day where somebody else would use the same method against him. It truly was a case of what went around came around. Fate was truly unpredictable!
Yang Kai’s vision flickered and went dark from time to time as he desperately drew out his potential to exceed his limits. Even if he failed to kill the old dog today, he had to let the other party know that he was not to be trifled with; otherwise, it would only be a matter of time before he became a lamp running out of oil if Black Crow Divine Monarch continued to hunt him down like this.
When the blood light struck towards him, Yang Kai lifted his spear to block the attack and deflected Black Crow Divine Monarch’s twin butterfly daggers to the side with soft clanging sounds. However, one of the blood knives suddenly turned into a cloud of blood and vanished. Simultaneously, a wave of murderous intent came from behind, locked onto him.
Yang Kai was shocked. How could he not realise that he had fallen into a trap? Hurriedly moving his body to dodge, he suddenly felt a slight pain around his waist and abdomen. He looked down only to see a blood light pouring into his back and coming out around his waist. The blood light had opened a gaping hole in his body that his blood was gushing out of!
The blood light flew back to Black Crow Divine Monarch’s hand, where he raised it in front of him in its dagger form, licked the blade lightly, and nodded in approval, “The blood of a Divine Spirit is delicious indeed!”
Yang Kai staggered backward by a few steps. Reaching out his hand to clutch at his waist, he circulated his strength to seal the wound as his figure swayed unsteadily.
[I’m at my limit!] Despite giving it his all, Yang Kai had reached the limits that his body could withstand. He might end up dying in this place if he continued fighting, causing him to sigh. Now that things had come to this point, he could only choose to escape and find a place to recuperate from his injuries. Unfortunately, it would not be easy to get rid of Black Crow Divine Monarch’s pursuit in his current condition.
“Junior, if you have any last words, speak them now!” Black Crow Divine Monarch held a dagger in each hand. After saying that, his figure shifted slightly and he rushed forward to come directly in front of Yang Kai. The twin daggers came slashing down from both sides as overwhelming murderous intent surged from him!
Yang Kai raised his spear to parry and in the next instant there was a loud explosion. He could sense an overwhelmingly powerful force coming from above him and even with his Half-Dragon Body, he could not withstand the impact. His entire figure was pressed down by the force, so much so that he was almost kneeling on the ground.
His vision went black again, and by the time it recovered, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s face was practically right in front of him, grinning as he sneered, “Die!”
Yang Kai grit his teeth and let out a roar. His Spiritual Energy erupted violently from within his Knowledge Sea, turning into a haphazard attack that blasted towards Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s savage grin instantly stiffened in response and even his eyes seemed to bulge as though he received a huge shock.
The terrifying pressure suddenly relaxed. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yang Kai quickly steadied himself and swung his spear at Black Crow Divine Monarch. His attack sent the latter flying, and before Black Crow Divine Monarch could get further away from him, the Azure Dragon Spear had already thrust out hundreds of times in a row. Every single attack blasted out with Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power.
Black Crow Divine Monarch was utterly powerless in the face of those attacks and his body was smashed to pieces as a result.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment as he had not expected such a change in the battle. It was out of desperation that he unleashed a Soul Attack just now. He simply wanted to relieve some of the pressure bearing down on him, but who could have known that he would strike Black Crow Divine Monarch’s weakness with that attack? It caused the latter’s strength to drop sharply and even froze him on the spot for a moment.
After pondering for a while, realisation suddenly struck Yang Kai.
Black Crow Divine Monarch was just a Remnant Soul in the first place; moreover, he was severely injured inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. Not to mention, he had been forced to separate a thread of his consciousness to create a diversion in order to escape. Afterward, he went on to possess Zhou Yi’s body. Although he was successful in his attempt, it was not as simple as it seemed from the surface.
Regardless of the circumstances, Zhou Yi was still an elite disciple of Great Thousand Blood Land, so his aptitude was not bad. Therefore, Black Crow Divine Monarch would definitely need to pay a price in order to possess his body. How strong could Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Soul be after overcoming all these obstacles?
In other words, his Spiritual Energy was nothing compared to the mighty power he displayed earlier and it was no wonder a single Soul Attack from Yang Kai was capable of causing such heavy damage to him. He didn’t even have the strength to fight back, and this was the reason.
Upon understanding this point, Yang Kai felt extremely annoyed. He had been fooled by the overwhelming momentum displayed by the other party and forgot about this crucial point. If he had realised it sooner, then this fight would not have been nearly as difficult. Using one’s strength to target the opponent’s weakness. How could he not understand such a simple truth? Nevertheless, it was not too late for him to realise this now!
Black Crow Divine Monarch was blasted to pieces by that attack just now, but he did not die. The pieces of hashed meat swiftly melted into blood that quickly converged together. The blood flowed and vaguely took on a humanoid figure.
How could Yang Kai simply stand back and watch? He sent out another blast of Spiritual Energy, causing the blood gathering together to immediately show signs of falling apart again. Swinging his spear, Yang Kai scattered the blood into the surroundings once more.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s mournful screams rang out. The blood squirmed and flowed, transforming into a blood cloud that quickly fled into the distance.
“Where are you trying to run!?” Yang Kai roared. Lifting his spear, he hurriedly gave chase; however, he had only taken a few steps when his strength left his body and he slumped to the ground. It was fortunate that he had the Azure Dragon Spear to support himself; otherwise, he would have collapsed on his face then and there.
“Junior, I’ll spare your life this time! I will definitely take your head the next time we meet!” From far away, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s voice sounded from the blood cloud.
“Don’t run! If you’re not a coward, come and fight me!” Yang Kai roared furiously. He wanted to pursue Black Crow Divine Monarch but did not have the strength to do so; hence, he could only watch helplessly as his enemy fled further and further away until he vanished out of sight.
Yang Kai smashed his fist heavily onto the ground, his expression full of annoyance. Having missed the perfect opportunity to kill Black Crow Divine Monarch this time, he was not sure if another chance would appear again in the future. An Old Monster that had been sealed for countless years like Black Crow Divine Monarch was not a common occurrence in the first place.
After catching his breath for a while, Yang Kai turned and studied his surroundings. He did not know if Black Crow Divine Monarch had really retreated or if he was only feigning retreat. In any case, he was currently in terrible condition and could not help feeling slightly uneasy as a result. He did not dare to remain in place for long, lest he suffer if the old dog decided to turn around and attack him.
Putting the Azure Dragon Spear away, Yang Kai stuffed a handful of restorative Spirit Pills into his mouth before fleeing in a certain direction. He had not gone further than a few hundred kilometres though when he suddenly collapsed on the ground, lacking the strength to move a single finger. The fight with Black Crow Divine Monarch had exhausted him completely and it was a miracle he could escape even this far.
Yang Kai was feeling extremely dizzy and his vision turned dark from time to time as he felt as though he could faint at any moment. Nevertheless, he forced himself to stay awake as he did not dare to lose consciousness. That was because there was no saying what would happen to him if he passed out under these circumstances. After all, there were countless Monster Beast and cultivators in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven at the moment.
He barely managed to activate his Divine Sense and opened the boundaries of the Small Sealed World to release Qu Hua Shang from within. Before he could even say anything to her, his head tilted to the side and he fell unconscious.
Qu Hua Shang had been in the middle of treating her injuries when she was brought out of the Small Sealed World by Yang Kai. She initially felt confused about the situation, but then she turned around to see Yang Kai lying on the ground and covered in blood. His clothes were in tatters and numerous bone-deep wounds dotted his body. In addition, there was a gaping hole that penetrated his body from front to back at his waist. Thus, she couldn’t help being shocked by the sight and called out in alarm, “Junior Brother Yang! Junior Brother Yang!”
Rushing over, she knelt beside him, her complexion pale. She had no idea what he went through while she was recuperating from her injuries; however, judging from the extent of his injuries, it was definitely an extremely dangerous battle. She tremblingly placed a hand under his nose and discovered that he was still breathing, albeit faintly. Letting out a deep breath of relief, she slumped to the ground weakly. [I thought he was dead! I’m so glad he’s still alive! But, with injuries this severe…]
She reached out a hand and lightly brushed against those vicious-looking wounds, her body shivering lightly. Leaving aside how long it would take for him to heal from these injuries, there was no saying what kind of consequences he might suffer even after fully recovering. She more or less had a grasp of Yang Kai’s true abilities and knew that not many people or Monster Beasts in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven could possibly force him to this extent. [Could it be that Black Crow Divine Monarch was pursuing us?]
The moment that thought crossed her mind, she suddenly became agitated and anxious. She did not dare to remain in this place; therefore, she hurriedly took out some topical healing medicine, tore open his clothes, and applied some of the medicinal liquid to his body. Afterward, she took out a robe from her own Space Ring and wrapped him in it. Lifting him onto her back, she then quickly ran off.
Yang Kai vaguely felt his body moving up and down in his unconscious state. A fragrant scent entered his nose, enticing him sweetly. Furthermore, there was a soft and plump sensation pressing against his body. Something tickled his cheeks, almost as though a strand of hair was gently stroking his heartstrings. It was the very picture of a so-called tender love nest.
For a time, he could not figure what kind of situation he was in, but just as he was about to get a clear look of his surroundings, a burst of pain erupted throughout his entire body, causing him to hiss in pain.
“Junior Brother Yang, are you awake?” Qu Hua Shang’s voice entered his ears. She was out of breath and her voice sounded weak.
“En.” He responded and opened his eyes to look. Only then did he realise that he was being carried on her back. Her hands were supporting his thighs and she was leaning forward slightly while running quickly. In addition, his head was resting crookedly on her shoulder. Due to a matter of angle, his mouth would occasionally come into contact with her delicate cheeks and fair neck.
[This…] He never imagined that he would be greeted by this kind of situation as soon as he opened his eyes; thus, he was stunned for a moment.
Yang Kai had barely managed to keep himself awake long enough to release Qu Hua Shang from the Small Sealed World at the time. The reason for his actions was so that she could watch over him in case he was attacked by either a cultivator or a Monster Beast when he was unconscious. It should have been safer for him that way; however, he had no idea why this woman was running desperately whilst carrying him on her back!
When his body rose and fell with her movements, all the wounds on his body screamed in pain, causing him to grunt in agony. Patting her on the shoulder, he weakly said, “Senior Sister, please put me down.”
“I can’t, Junior Brother.” She shook her head, her hair brushing against his cheek.
Just as he was about to ask why, he suddenly detected a violent attack coming from behind. The attack sliced through the air with a loud rumbling noise, forcing her to dodge to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Yang Kai was shocked and groaned, “Is that old dog still chasing me!?”
He could not tell how long he had been unconscious for; however, judging from the recovery of his injuries, it must have been two or three days by now. If they were ordinary wounds, he would already have recovered completely, but the situation this time was different from the usual. It was very difficult for the wounds that he received from his fight with Black Crow Divine Monarch to heal; therefore, he was still extremely weak and his strength had not recovered by much. There was a strange and troublesome force festering in his wounds that constantly ate away at them and prevented them from healing.
[So much time has passed. Don’t tell me Black Crow Divine Monarch is still chasing me!?] Yang Kai could not imagine how Qu Hua Shang had persevered for so long.
“It’s not Black Crow Divine Monarch.” She shook her head again. While speaking, she stumbled and nearly lost her balance. She herself had yet to recover from her injuries, so she was in dire need of recuperation. Unfortunately, she was currently being chased. Although she was not yet a lamp running out of oil, she wasn’t in good condition either.
“Then, who is it?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
At this moment, a person’s voice came from a distance behind them, “Junior Sister Qu, this Senior Brother has no intention to harm you. Put Yang Kai down and you are free to leave on your own. Why do you have to struggle so hard to escape?”
The voice sounded rather familiar and Yang Kai vaguely felt like he had heard it somewhere before. After thinking about it, he abruptly became furious. [Doesn’t this voice belong to that little bastard Yin Xin Zhao from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven!?]
Before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened, Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven had come to seize their spot. In return, Yang Kai used his mastery of the Dao of Space to steal many of their entrances. He had targeted Yin Xin Zhao in particular and stolen the entrance that was nearest to him; hence, Yang Kai wrongly assumed that Yin Xin Zhao would not have the chance to step into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Who could have known that they would encounter each other here? Moreover, the other party was relentlessly hunting him down.
[This guy has pretty good luck. How did he enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven under those circumstances?] Turning back to look, Yang Kai saw Yin Xin Zhao doggedly chasing Qu Hua Shang, and he was not alone either. There were two helpers beside him, probably disciples of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
In terms of strength, Qu Hua Shang was probably not inferior to Yin Xin Zhao and neither of them would lose to each other in a one-on-one fight. It was just that she was still injured and the other side had two helpers with him. How could she be their opponent? It was not hard to understand why she was fleeing while being chased.
“How did you encounter this guy?” Yang Kai was livid. If he met Yin Xin Zhao under normal circumstances, he would not be afraid of him; however, he had yet to recover his strength after his battle against Black Crow Divine Monarch recently.
“Bad luck.” Qu Hua Shang gave a bitter laugh and briefly explained what happened.
After being released from the Small Sealed World by Yang Kai, she immediately took him away from the battlefield. She originally wanted to find a quiet and remote place to recuperate, but how could she have anticipated running into Yin Xin Zhao and his group, who came to investigate the situation, before she could find a place to hide?
The battle between Yang Kai and Black Crow Divine Monarch had created a huge commotion. Yin Xin Zhao and his two fellow brothers had been in the vicinity, so it was only natural that they noticed the commotion.
Upon seeing that it was Yang Kai, Yin Xin Zhao was overjoyed and immediately wanted Qu Hua Shang to hand him over to them. How could Qu Hua Shang agree to his demands though? As such, she fled while coyly refusing his request. It had been two days since then.
Fortunately, Yin Xin Zhao still had to give face to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven so he did not dare to kill her. Otherwise, it was hard to say whether she could protect Yang Kai. It was just that his patience gradually ran out as time passed, so his attacks were becoming more and more lethal. He was acting as though he was going to kill Yang Kai recklessly.
“That bastard!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and patted Qu Hua Shang on the shoulder, “Senior Sister Qu, please put me down.”
Although the feeling of lying on her back was very comfortable, how could he allow a woman to struggle desperately for his sake at a time like this? He couldn’t help cursing in his heart. [The Blood Monster Cave Heaven really isn’t a place for people to be in! I just got rid of Black Crow Divine Monarch and now I’m being targeted by Yin Xin Zhao. Does that mean I will constantly be hunted in this place!?]
“It’s fine. Junior Brother, you should continue resting. Let’s talk again once you’ve regained some of your strength.” Qu Hua Shang could sense that he was in very poor condition, so how could she agree to his request so easily?
“Junior Sister Qu, since you are so stubborn, then don’t blame this Senior Brother for attacking without mercy!” Yin Xin Zhao’s furious roar came from behind. Following his words, a whip-like sword light came slashing in this direction and arrived not far behind them in the blink of an eye. The power of this golden light was extreme and it could be seen that he had truly lost his temper. His scruples towards Yin-Yang Cave Heaven could not stop his resolution to kill Yang Kai.
By the time Qu Hua Shang noticed and wanted to avoid the attack, it was already too late. As a last resort, she could only turn sideways and throw out a palm in the direction of the attack together with Yang Kai.
*Hong…*
A violent force spread out, and although the two of them had managed to block Yin Xin Zhao’s attack together, they were also sent flying by the force of impact.
*Pu…* Qu Hua Shang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and her complexion turned as pale as a sheet.
Similarly, Yang Kai was in no better condition. He felt an even more intense pain coming from all the wounds on his body. A sweetness filled his throat and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Fortunately, he managed to force the feeling down in time.
Even in this situation, Qu Hua Shang continued to carry him on her back and did not throw him off. It made him feel extremely grateful towards her. He had no idea why she was struggling so desperately for his sake.
Seeing that Yin Xin Zhao and the others were approaching, Qu Hua Shang struggled to get back on her feet, but failed. On the other hand, Yang Kai had already recovered some strength from his rest earlier. Upon seeing this situation, he pulled her into his arms and took a deep breath. Space Principles wrapped around them and they vanished from the spot.
By the time they reappeared again, they were already several dozen kilometres away. It was just that this forceful method of exerting his strength left Yang Kai feeling extremely uncomfortable. He had only just stabilised his injuries when all the strength left his body and he collapsed to the ground again. Qu Hua Shang let out a scream of surprise as she tumbled to the ground.
Yang Kai coughed lightly but incessantly. Scrambling and crawling on the ground, he hurriedly came to her side and anxiously said, “Senior Sister, are you alright?”
She looked at him with tears in her eyes, “My butt is bruised from the fall! If you don’t believe me, you can touch and see for yourself!”
Yang Kai nearly spat blood at those words for an entirely different reason than before. [What kind of situation are we in right now!? How can you still be so flirtatious!? There’s no helping this woman anymore!]
Reaching out to grab her arm, Yang Kai carried her on his back and quickly sped off. Although he had used Instantaneous Movement to put some distance between them and their pursuers, they had yet to escape completely from Yin Xin Zhao’s range of perception. The three people from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven were still chasing them relentlessly, and although Yang Kai wanted to use Instantaneous Movement again, he no longer had the strength to do so.
It was Qu Hua Shang who was carrying Yang Kai earlier as they fled, but the situation was reversed now. She happily climbed on his back, wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist like an octopus.
It was not until this moment that Yang Kai noticed something strange, “Why am I wearing a dress!?”
Qu Hua Shang exhaled an orchid scent in his ear as she explained, “Your clothes were in tatters, so I tossed them. I couldn’t just leave you naked, right?”
He had no answer to that. It might be embarrassing to have a dress wrapped around him, but it was still within an acceptable range. It would have been far worse to be carried naked by a woman. His priority at the moment was to escape, so he had no time to complain about the way he was dressed.
He secretly regretted his decision. [If I had known that this would happen, I would have brought Pu Bai Xing with me.]
The grapes on Pu Bai Xing’s head were incredibly restorative Divine Medicines after all. It would only take a single grape for him to recover completely in a short time. Forget a single Yin Xin Zhao, he would even be able to kill ten Yin Xin Zhaos if he was at his peak.
It was just that he had left Little Mushroom in the Illusion Array to act as its Array Core after the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was fully set up. The Gourd Vine had also been left under the care of others in Void Land because of its special role. Out of the three Divine Medicines that Yang Kai brought out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, two had to stay in Void Land, so naturally, Pu Bai Xiong was not willing to leave either. He was adamant about staying behind in Void Land to accompany Little Mushroom and the Bottle Gourd Brothers. Therefore, Yang Kai had allowed him to do as he pleased.
Who could have known that a Divine Monarch would possess somebody and come back to life inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? Who could have expected the situation would become so dangerous? Yang Kai had assumed that his strength was enough that he could run wild in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. At the very least, he would not be in any danger.
[I was too careless! No matter what, I have to bring a few grapes along with me next time for emergencies.]
“Junior Brother, can we consider ourselves lovers after sharing life and death together?” Qu Hua Shang suddenly asked.
“Lovers my foot!” Yang Kai was rendered speechless by her. He had initially felt nervous being pursued by enemies, but the tense atmosphere vanished after listening to what Qu Hua Shang said.
She pouted in an aggrieved tone, “I’ve never struggled so desperately for a man in my life.”
To which Yang Kai nodded, “This Junior Brother will keep in mind the life-saving grace you have shown me today, Senior Sister. I will never forget it.”
Qu Hua Shang giggled and replied lightly, “Junior Brother also saved me back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Besides, I would have lost my life if you had not stopped Black Crow Divine Monarch earlier. Taking all these into account, you helped me more.”
“Things like favors and life-saving graces can never be settled with numbers.”
“That’s true.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and nodded lightly. A short moment of silence later, she said, “Junior Brother, put me down. You should escape on your own.”
Yang Kai was taken aback by her words, “What about you!?”
Her voice had weakened considerably as she muttered, “I’m afraid I can’t go on any longer. I’m too tired. I think I’ll take a little nap.”
His expression changed drastically, “Hold on, Senior Sister! You can’t fall asleep!”
It was not until this moment that he noticed his palms were sticky. He lifted his right hand and saw that they were covered in bright red blood. His blood was golden, so this red blood undoubtedly belonged to her. Although they joined forces and managed to block Yin Xin Zhao’s attack earlier, it was obvious that she had been injured at the time. Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense over her and discovered that she had a vicious wound on her waist. Moreover, her blood stained the ground in their wake.
“Hold on, Senior Sister Qu,” Yang Kai shouted, “You’ll be alright!”
“If something happens to me, will you be sad?” Qu Hua Shang asked softly.
“Of course! So, you can’t let anything happen to you!” Yang Kai nodded with certainty. As a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciple, Yin Xin Zhao would not have dared to lay a finger on her if she had abandoned him to his own devices. However, Qu Hua Shang had chosen to flee while carrying him and was currently on the verge of death as a result. If anything happened to her, he would definitely feel guilty for the rest of his life.
“In that case, I’m relieved.” She chuckled softly, “But, it’s a little regretful.”
“Senior Sister, what do you find regretful? Let’s hear it,” he quickly asked. She was currently in poor condition, so a conversation was just the thing to keep her focused.
“I’ve never tasted a man before. If I die just like this, then wouldn’t I have lived my life in vain?” Her tone was humorous.
Yang Kai had nothing to say in response. [As expected of a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciple, she really dares to say just about anything]
However, it was not that strange either after he thought about it. This woman was somebody who could clearly and eloquently discuss the Grand Dao of Yin-Yang Union Cultivation with him after all.
“Junior Brother, can you promise me one thing if I survive this time?”
“Don’t hold back, Senior Sister. Forget one thing; I don’t mind doing ten or hundred things for you!”
“Dual Cultivate with me!” Her words were incredibly shocking. It was almost as though she would not be happy unless she frightened him to death.
Yang Kai stumbled and nearly tumbled headfirst to the ground. His voice sounded rather uncertain, “Senior Sister, what did you say just now? I believe I misheard you.”
She chuckled softly, “You didn’t mishear me, Junior Brother.”
“Why are you still joking around at a time like this!?” He angrily snapped.
Nevertheless, she replied in all seriousness, “I am not joking around. I want to cultivate together with you. I want to do what men and women do when they are together.”
He shook his head, “Senior Sister, your injuries are too severe. You seem a little delirious. Why don’t you take a rest?”
After saying that, he poured his strength Qi into her body slightly, causing her to stiffen then faint on his back.
Behind them, Yin Xin Zhao and his two fellow disciples were getting closer and closer. Although Yang Kai had used Instantaneous Movement to put some distance between them earlier, he could not escape their pursuit in his current state. During their conversation just now, Yin Xin Zhao and the two others had already arrived within five kilometres. Such a distance was nothing to a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master.
The lights of various Secret Techniques and artifacts blasted out as Yin Xin Zhao’s group attacked from the rear.
Yang Kai shifted Qu Hua Shang, carrying her in his arms to prevent her from being hit by the attacks. At the same time, he activated the Dragon Transformation Secret Art to cover his back with Dragon Scales. He planned to avoid as many attacks as possible, but for those he couldn’t, he had to take them with his body. After several rounds, blood flowed endlessly and his condition worsened even further.
“Yang Kai, weren’t you acting so high and mighty back in the Blood Monster Territory!? Why don’t you stop and fight me now if you have the guts!? Let’s see if this Yin can’t take your life!” Yin Xin Zhao shouted whilst in pursuit.
Yang Kai roared furiously, “Yin Xin Zhao, I will definitely kill you one day if I survive this!”
Yin Xin Zhao roared with laughter, “Looks like you will never get the chance! Because you will definitely die here today!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted. He couldn’t be bothered to argue with Yin Xin Zhao. While he had the Divine Ability Bead given to him by the Proprietress, Yin Xin Zhao also had his Identity Token. It was just that one required active stimulation while the other was for passive protection. Be that as it may, Yang Kai had to admit that it was impossible for him to harm Yin Xin Zhao even if he used the Divine Ability Bead. He had witnessed the situation himself when Pei Wen Xuan’s Identity Token was activated earlier.
This was the first time he had such a hard time escaping ever since he began cultivating the Dao of Space. What vexed Yang Kai even more was that his pursuers’ strength was inferior to his own. It truly was a case where a Dragon could be toyed with by a shrimp in shallow waters while a tiger could be bullied by a dog if it left the mountains.
[I have to find a way out of this crisis; otherwise, things will end tragically for me.] Just as Yang Kai was studying his surroundings, he suddenly heard a loud noise coming from a certain direction. It was accompanied by extremely violent energy fluctuations. There were Masters fighting nearby!
Yang Kai turned to look in that direction and it didn’t take long before he heard another deafening bout of noise. The sound of explosions was mixed with the howls of a beast. Realisation struck Yang Kai immediately. One of the parties involved in the fight was unquestionably a Monster Beast. Moreover, it could be inferred from the energy fluctuations that the level of this fight had exceeded that of the Emperor Realm. There was no World Force, but the energy fluctuations indicated strength that was definitely on par with Open Heaven Realm Masters. The fight in the distance felt like two Black Crow Divine Monarchs fighting each other.
The strongest Monster Beast Yang Kai encountered ever since entering the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was only in the Fifth-Order. Based on his estimation, a Fifth-Order Monster Beast was the equivalent to an ordinary Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master. In a desperate battle, a Fifth-Order Monster Beast might be slightly weaker than the Core Disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises; however, the difference would only be a small margin. If Qu Hua Shang were to battle a Fifth-Order Monster Beast alone, she would have to pay a price even if she managed to slay the Monster Beast in the end.
On the contrary, the turmoil of the battle had already exceeded the limits of a Fifth-Order Monster Beast. It was a Sixth-Order Monster Beast! Furthermore, it was most likely a fight between two Sixth-Order Monster Beasts!
Sixth-Order Monster Beasts were not something the cultivators who entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven could fight alone; after all, they were capable of exerting strength on par with that of a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master! As for the Seventh-Order Monster Beasts… Yang Kai could not make an inference.
Looking in the direction of the commotion, Yang Kai grit his teeth and rushed towards it with Qu Hua Shang in his arms. The current situation could not get any worse. The only way he could survive was to seek life by crossing the gates of death.
Yin Xin Zhao clearly realised what Yang Kai was planning and the look in his eyes turned cold and he shouted, “Stop him!”
The other two Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples accompanying him were speechless when they heard those words. [You can’t even stop him yourself. How are we supposed to stop him?]
Even so, they chased after Yang Kai with all their might.
On the other hand, Yang Kai forced himself to take a deep breath and used Instantaneous Movement once more. He opened up the distance between him and his pursuers while steadily approaching the place of the battle.
After running for a few hundred kilometres, a bright golden light suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s field of vision. He looked up and inhaled a sharp breath of cold air. Now that he was here, he could finally see what kind of Monster Beasts were fighting each other.
One of them seemed to be a gorilla while the other was a wolf. Be that as it may, both the gorilla and the wolf had bodies that were several tens of metres tall, making them incredibly huge. Furthermore, both of them were gleaming with a dazzling golden light and every movement they made revealed great power. These were clearly two Sixth-Order Metal Element Monster Beasts!
The Metal Element Power was incomparably sharp and radiated in all directions during their battle, riddling the mountain peaks nearby with countless gaping holes. Many of the shorter peaks were even razed to the ground.
The two Sixth-Order Metal Element Monster Beasts looked evenly matched. Despite struggling hard against each other, it was impossible to tell who was holding the upper hand in the battle. That was not all. Both the Monster Beasts were also wounded and drenched in blood. Not to mention, their bodies were covered in countless wounds that had long since healed.
This fight seemed to have taken place many times before in the past. It would seem that these two Monster Beasts were incompatible enemies; thus, they had been continuously fighting each other in this Blood Monster Cave Heaven for countless years. Their fight would not stop until one party was dead.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling shocked when he felt the energy fluctuations from the fight between these two. [These two Monster Beasts are not ordinary Sixth-Order Monster Beasts. They are probably at the peak of the Sixth-Order; otherwise, it is impossible for them to cause such wide-spread damage.]
Despite the dangerous situation, Yang Kai carried Qu Hua Shang on his back and charged straight into the middle of the battle between these two huge Monster Beasts. He watched as the wolf came lunging straight at the gorilla’s neck while the gorilla lifted one arm to block the wolf’s gigantic maw. Meanwhile, the gorilla lifted its other arm, wrapped in dense Metal Element Power, and sliced towards the wolf’s abdomen.
Fresh blood splattered everywhere. Be it the gorilla or the wolf, both parties howled in agony. The wolf backed away, chewing on a piece of the gorilla’s flesh in its mouth. Similarly, the sharp Metal Element Power had sliced a bloody gash across its abdomen.
The two Monster Beasts stood thousands of metres apart and glared at each other across the distance. All of a sudden, they turned around in unison and looked in Yang Kai’s direction with vigilant expressions. It was obvious that they noticed his presence.
Yang Kai did not dare to be careless and hurriedly drew upon the power of his Dragon Source to reveal his Dragon Clan aura.
Although these two Monster Beasts looked like they were unrelated to the Dragon Clan, they were still Monster Beasts. As the head of the Divine Spirits, the Dragon Clan’s aura could act as a deterrent for almost all Monster Beasts.
The gorilla immediately let out a roar; likewise, the wolf bared its fangs at Yang Kai. The two enormous Monster Beasts were unhappy that Yang Kai’s arrival had interrupted their life-and-death struggle.
Even so, Yang Kai showed no fear and rushed straight at them. He held Qu Hua Shang up with one hand and took out the Proprietress’ Divine Ability Bead with his other, holding it up high above his head.
Both the gazes of the gorilla and the wolf were immediately drawn towards the Divine Ability Bead. The two enormous Monster Beasts could instinctively sense that the tiny bead contained terrifying power; thus, they both took a few steps back while looking extremely grim.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. He was afraid that the two Monster Beasts would attack him out of rage. If that was the case, then he had no choice but to activate the Divine Ability Bead. That would mean that he was forced to use his final trump card in this place. It was a huge loss that was not worth the benefits.
Fortunately, the sentience of the two Monster Beasts was not that low. They could tell that Yang Kai was a tough opponent, so they only watched him warily and did not do anything else.
Atop the mountains, a majestic Monster Qi permeated the air. The two enormous Monster Beasts were facing each other as Yang Kai slipped between them to stand right in the middle of their stand-off and breathed out heavily. He was in no hurry to leave. Since these two Monster Beasts were mortal enemies, they would not recklessly attack him as that would only give their opponent an advantage that could be exploited.
At this moment, Yang Kai was standing right on the balance point between them. It might look dangerous, but it was actually fairly safe. It was like standing in the eye of the storm. Yang Kai then turned around, his gaze becoming incredibly chilly.
*Shua shua shua…* Three bursts of noise, like something cutting through the air, rang out before the figures of Yin Xin Zhao and the others appeared and stopped nearby.
Yin Xin Zhao furrowed his brow deeply, glancing at the gorilla and the wolf. The depths of his gaze were overflowing with fear. Yang Kai had the courage to stand between these two Monster Beasts, but he did not. He did not dare to rashly attack Yang Kai either. He was as good as dead if the two Monster Beasts misunderstood his intentions.
“Yin Xin Zhao!” Yang Kai calmly stared forward, “This Yang will not forget what you did today! I will definitely pay you back a hundred times over for this!”
Yin Xin Zhao was silent. Besides, there was no point in saying anything in this situation. He could only hate the fact that he failed to catch Yang Kai in time; otherwise, how could he tolerate such impertinence?
After Yang Kai finished speaking, he carried Qu Hua Shang on his back once more and took several steps forward without even bothering to turn around, “Excuse me. Please continue your fight.”
*Hong hong hong…*
Earth-shaking noises rang out once more from behind him. It was the gorilla and the wolf continuing their vicious battle. Yin Xin Zhao nearly coughed up blood at the sight because while these two beasts were fighting between themselves, their battlefield was gradually moving towards him.
“Run!” He shouted and hurriedly escaped with his two Junior Brothers in tow. They quickly travelled across hundreds of kilometres before searching for a way around to continue their pursuit. Nevertheless, he knew that it would be difficult for him to trace Yang Kai’s whereabouts again after this delay.
At this moment, Yang Kai was desperately running with Qu Hua Shang on his back. Although he had borrowed the two powerful Sixth-Order Monster Beasts to temporarily get away from Yin Xin Zhao and the others, he was certain the other party would not give up so easily, so he had to continue fleeing for his life.
As he ran, he suddenly had the feeling that the terrain in this place was somewhat familiar. It vaguely felt like he had seen it before. After pondering deeply for a bit, the realisation struck him all of a sudden. He quickly stopped in his tracks and took out an animal skin map from his Space Ring. Studying the map carefully and comparing the places he passed by with the places marked on the map, he couldn’t help feeling surprised. [Isn’t this the route marked on the map?]
This animal skin map was something he obtained from the first cultivator he encountered in this place. The cultivator had tried to ambush him in the swamp when he first entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, only to be ambushed himself by a toad Monster Beast. At the time, Yang Kai had studied the map and discovered that it was probably part of a route in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was just that he had no idea what was waiting for him at the final destination.
Yang Kai originally planned to check out this place as the map looked ancient and might just lead to some hidden treasure. It was just that he met Bu Lian Zhong and the others along the way. Afterward, he encountered Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance and was delayed as a result. Who could have known that he would arrive at the route marked on the map by accident whilst fleeing for his life?
Taking a good look around, he found that the final destination marked on the map was located not far away from here. It would take him another four hours at most to arrive, so his eyes flashed in anticipation. Putting the map away, he headed in the indicated direction.
He was not going there in search of treasure though; rather, both he and Qu Hua Shang were currently in a condition where they were in dire need of a safe place to recuperate from their wounds. Regardless of whether the final destination turned out to be a hidden treasury or something else, it would surely be well-hidden!
Four hours later, Yang Kai arrived in front of an enormous lake. He took out the map, checked his location, and confirmed that this was indeed the final destination, but he just stared at the lake with a speechless expression. [What am I supposed to do if this is the final destination!?]
The reason he strove so hard to come here was to find a place to hide and recuperate from his injuries; however, the terrain around the lake was completely unobstructed. Forget being chased by Yin Xin Zhao and the others, even encountering a Monster Beast here would be troublesome.
Yang Kai angrily put the map away. At this moment, he could only conceal himself within the Sealed World Bead and hide the Sealed World Bead in a secluded place. It was not as if he had not considered hiding inside the Sealed World Bead earlier, it was just that every corner of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was fraught with danger. It would be perilous if the Sealed World Bead was discovered by a cultivator or a Monster Beast.
This lake turned out to be a pretty good spot though. He could sink the Sealed World Bead into the lake, assuming that there were no ferocious Monster Beasts swimming inside of it.
Upon considering all this, Yang Kai felt slightly better. His efforts to travel here were not completely in vain. He walked over to the edge of the lake and swept his Divine Sense out to investigate the situation.
The next moment though, his expression changed drastically! There was something strange about this lake! If he looked with his eyes, the lake was incredibly realistic. Light shimmered on its surface in a perfectly natural manner; however, he noticed something strange about it when using his Divine Sense to probe it.
[There’s a Spirit Array here! The lake is actually an extremely brilliant and sophisticated Illusion Array! The lake does not exist at all!] Yang Kai had only just figured this out when a black shadow suddenly came leaping at him from the surface of the lake. The shadow blocked out the sky and loomed over him.
He was startled. Just as he was about to flutter backward, a chill ran down his back at that very moment. Caught unguarded, he hurriedly turned around with a roar and viciously smashed his palm forward.
There was a loud explosion and his palm seemed to strike a person, drawing a grunt of pain from their lips. Then, a ghostly figure appeared in his field of vision. What he sent flying turned out to be a man with short stature.
The man looked like he had seen a ghost. It seemed that he had not expected Yang Kai to be so strong; after all, Yang Kai looked to be severely injured. Who could have expected that he would not be Yang Kai’s opponent even when the latter was in such a state? Nevertheless, this short man had achieved his goal.
Yang Kai was pushed back by the force of the impact and involuntarily staggered, only to fall headfirst into the black shadow coming from the lake. Immediately after that, he felt a mighty restraining force wrapping around him from all directions, trapping both him and Qu Hua Shang who was lying in his arms, together.
What came leaping out at him from the surface of the lake turned out to be a large net. At this moment, he and Qu Hua Shang had clearly fallen into an artifact trap. The large net tightened rapidly, causing him to feel extremely uncomfortable.
“That brat is tough. Quick! Use the Firm Yuan Nail!” The short man who was sent flying by Yang Kai earlier shouted.
*Chi chi chi…* Several cold lights came flying over and Yang Kai felt a slight pain in his body when they stabbed into his body. Following that, he stopped struggling against the net with a look of surprise.
The so-called Firm Yuan Nail turned out to be a strange artifact that could restrain the Qi in a cultivator’s body. From what Yang Kai could tell, there was a cold force seeping into his body that sealed his meridians and caused his strength to become obstructed!
Yang Kai hurriedly surged the Power in his Dao Seal to let the Golden Crow’s True Fire course through his veins and the Firm Yuan Nails were immediately burned to ashes, allowing his Qi to flow smoothly again.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
More than ten figures landed from all directions, surrounding him in the middle, but Yang Kai remained calm. Carrying Qu Hua Shang in his arms, he glared at his surroundings coldly. [If these people believe that my strength has been sealed by the Firm Yuan Nail, then they are in for a rude surprise.]
Nevertheless, what piqued his curiosity was that these people seemed to have no intention of killing him. Be it the restraining net or the Firm Yuan Nails, they were both only meant to subdue their enemies. Even the short man who attacked him from behind was only attempting to force him into the large net. These people had not displayed any murderous intent from the start.
[Who are these people?] Yang Kai initially assumed that they were the disciples of some random Sect; however, it did not seem likely now that he had taken a good look at them. That was because they were dressed strangely. Slightly differently from everything he had seen before.
The young man in the lead was charismatic and handsome with a jade-like face. As he turned to glance at the short man, he asked, “Are you okay?”
The short man shook his head, “His paltry strength is not enough to harm me.”
The young man coldly snorted, “That guy is severely injured. Did you think you’d be safe otherwise?”
The short man looked unconvinced, “I didn’t use my full strength either.”
The young man ignored the short man and swept his gaze over Yang Kai, “An Outer World visitor?”
“Huh?” Yang Kai frowned, not quite understanding the question.
The young man pointed at the sky, “Are you from the outside world?”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Aren’t you?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly recalled something. The Proprietress once mentioned that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven not only contained Monster Beasts but also some natives!
Blood Monster Divine Monarch had placed these people into his Small Universe so that they could thrive and reproduce in order to strengthen the vitality of his Small Universe.
The Small Universe of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would transform from ethereal to corporeal and become essentially no different from a genuine Universe World, so it was capable of sustaining living creatures. For that reason, the Small Universes of many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would contain living creatures in them. It was just that these living creatures were bound by certain restraints and could never advance into the Open Heaven Realm, not unless they could somehow escape the Small Universe they lived in.
[Could it be that these people in front of me are the natives of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? That must be it! No wonder they are dressed differently from those of us from the outside!] Upon realising this, Yang Kai immediately nodded in response, “That’s right. My companion and I both came from the outside world.”
The other party did not seem to be malicious, so he had no reason to make things difficult for himself. Besides, he had only just escaped from the clutches of two different enemies, so he truly could not afford to fight another battle at the moment. What he needed was a good rest to heal from his injuries.
“Has it been 200 years already…” The young man muttered under his breath and looked up at Yang Kai, “Don’t be scared. We won’t kill you, but you will need to come with us.”
Yang Kai retorted in his heart. [I’m not scared!]
In any case, the other party did not seem to be malicious so it wouldn’t hurt to follow them. He could also take the chance to go to where these people were located to have a good rest. It was not difficult for him to recover, but the main issue was Qu Hua Shang. Her injuries this time were rather severe.
While the young man was speaking, he raised his hand and retrieved the large net. However, he said nothing about the Firm Yuan Nails inside Yang Kai’s body. In his opinion, Yang Kai couldn’t even think about escaping as long as the Firm Yuan Nails were there.
The group of ten or so people immediately escorted Yang Kai towards the lake. The young man waved the token in his hand and a burst of light flashed across the surface of the lake. Following that, ripples spread across the space in front of them and a city came into view.
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback by the sight. Although he had discerned that the lake was an Illusion Array, he never imagined that an entire city was hidden behind it. [I brought Qu Hua Shang right to the gates of their city. No wonder they discovered my presence.]
At this point, he finally understood something. The place marked on the animal skin map that he obtained from somebody else’s Space Ring was this city! It was not some sort of hidden treasure trove. The person in question probably obtained the map from somewhere else and had no idea about the mysteries behind this place. If that person had found his way here, he would definitely be facing the same situation as what Yang Kai was experiencing right now.
Upon walking into the city, Yang Kai discovered that it was not very large, probably capable of accommodating a few thousand people at most. Great walls surrounded the entire city, all of them equipped with various large-scale ballista-like artifacts. There were also a few artifacts somewhat similar to the cannons of a Starship. Furthermore, the sturdy city walls were covered in bloodstains that had turned black with time. Parts of the city walls had collapsed and people were working on repairing them.
This place was clearly not some sort of paradise as there were various signs that it was constantly under attack. It was no wonder that they placed an Illusion Array on the outside to confuse one’s sight.
When they walked through the city gates, one of the cultivators on guard noticed the young man and hurriedly cupped his fists in greeting, “Big Brother Wu Xin.”
One of the younger cultivators laughed, “Big Brother Wu Xin, you truly are amazing. You captured them so easily. Are these two people from Emerald Thunder City?”
The young man shook his head, “No. They are Outer World visitors.”
“Outer World visitors!?” Everybody looked stunned to hear those words and curiously studied Yang Kai with a measuring gaze.
Although they lived in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, they had all heard their Elders talking about the Outer World visitors. It was said that every few hundred years, a group of people would enter this world from the outside before disappearing after some time. Nevertheless, it was not until today that many of them saw what an Outer World visitor looked like for the first time.
They discovered that the Outer World visitors were not much different from themselves. Moreover, this man was covered in wounds, so it was obvious that he had fought recently. On the other hand, the woman was unconscious. Her complexion was pale and her aura was weak.
“That’s enough. Guard this place carefully.” The young man waved his hands to dismiss the others before leading the group into the city.
The streets in the city were very spacious with row upon row of houses located in the surroundings. Yang Kai looked around while walking but did not notice anything special about this place. It looked no different from the cities that could be found everywhere in the outside world.
Under the guidance of the young man, they headed straight towards the building in the middle of the city. This place was most likely the City Lord’s Mansion. The young man contacted somebody once they arrived and gave a brief report about the situation before requesting that this matter be reported to the City Lord so that they could decide on how to deal with Yang Kai.
That person immediately entered the City Lord’s Mansion; however, he soon came back out with a frown on his face, “Senior Brother Fan, the City Lord is currently in retreat. She previously ordered that she was not to be disturbed unless it was for an important matter. What would you…”
Similarly, Fan Wu Xin frowned upon hearing those words and only spoke up after pondering in silence for a bit, “In that case, please place these two in custody for now. We can discuss this matter again once the City Lord comes out of retreat.”
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Fan.” That person cupped his fists.
It didn’t take long for Fan Wu Xin to bring Yang Kai to an underground prison where he gestured with his head, “Get in.”
Yang Kai glanced at Fan Wu Xin and said nothing. Carrying Qu Hua Shang in his arms, he squeezed into the prison. He had no intention of arguing with the other party as he was currently a prisoner. Besides, the prison might be on the smaller side, but there were no strange odours. It was also very clean and even had a small bed inside.
Fan Wu Xin stood at the door of the prison cell and said, “Please make do with this place for a few days. The City Lord will meet you after she comes out of retreat.”
Yang Kai did not respond. His most pressing concern was treating his wounds. Once he had recovered, nobody in this small city would be able to lift a finger against him; therefore, there was nothing to be worried about. More importantly, the other party believed that he was helpless after being restrained by the Firm Yuan Nail, not realizing that he was not affected in the slightest.
Fan Wu Xin was about to turn and leave when the look in his eyes suddenly changed. He lowered his head and glanced in the direction of Yang Kai’s waist. Then, he reached out his hand and grabbed the wooden token hanging there. After taking a closer look at the token, he asked curiously, “Where did you get this?”
This token was something the Proprietress had given to Yang Kai. Back at the palace in the middle of the lake, Yang Kai had made a bluff and hung this token on his waist to frighten Black Crow Divine Monarch. He had been fleeing for his life with Qu Hua Shang since then, so he had not had the time to store it away.
Judging by the way Fan Wu Xin spoke, it would seem that he recognised the token.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed for a moment, but without answering the question, he countered with one of his own, “What is this token?”
Fan Wu Xin glanced at Yang Kai deeply. Frowning, he did not say anything more. He closed the door and turned to leave without returning the token to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not ask for the token back. That was something the Proprietress had given him, so he could not lose the token so easily. He would just have to retrieve it once he recovered from his injuries.
Putting Qu Hua Shang on the small bed, Yang Kai finally let out a shallow breath of relief.
This trip to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had completely exhausted him. Aside from the first few days where things were relatively peaceful, he was first hunted by Black Crow Divine Monarch and subsequently chased by Yin Xin Zhao. And now, he was being imprisoned in this place. It could be said that his entire journey had been full of ups and downs.
Fortunately, he would finally have some peace for the next few days. With his regenerative abilities, he should be able to recover most of his strength in short order.
He placed his hand on Qu Hua Shang’s wrist to check the condition of her injuries, but the results made him frown. Her injuries were quite severe and her strength was almost completely exhausted. It was obvious that she had struggled desperately to escape from Yin Xin Zhao during the two days that he was unconscious.
Taking out some Spirit Pills, he ate some himself before stuffing the rest into her mouth.
The bed was too small and could only accommodate one person; therefore, Yang Kai flipped himself onto the bed and sat cross-legged at its head. He then placed Qu Hua Shang’s head on his lap and held her wrist with one hand. Activating the Wood Element Power in his Dao Seal, he poured the pure energy into her body while simultaneously treating his own injuries.
The Wood Element Power condensed from the essence of the Immortal Tree contained astonishing healing effects, and in less than an hour, Qu Hua Shang groaned softly and her lashes trembled slightly.
“Senior Sister Qu,” Yang Kai called out softly.
Qu Hua Shang’s long lashes fluttered harder and after a long while, she slowly opened her eyes and immediately looked up to see Yang Kai looking down at her. Blinking, she asked, “Junior Brother, are we dead?”
“No. We’re alive and well.” He smiled.
“No wonder it hurts so much.” She forced a smile, but her complexion was still as pale as a sheet of paper.
Yang Kai shook his head and chided lightly, “Since you’re awake, Senior Sister, then don’t get distracted. Your top priority should be to treat your injuries.”
Nodding weakly, she closed her eyes and began circulating some kind of Secret Art. She could clearly sense a powerful and energetic force flowing into her body through Yang Kai’s palm. Wherever that energy flowed, her injuries healed at an unimaginable speed. She initially thought that it would take her one or two months just to recover; however, judging by the current situation, it would not take longer than a few days at most. Hence, she was secretly amazed at how high the Order of the Wood Element Power Yang Kai must have condensed was.
She might not have condensed a Seventh-Order Element herself, but she was certain that what she was experiencing was not something a Seventh-Order Power could accomplish. A Seventh-Order Wood Element would simply not have such astonishing regenerative properties. [Is it an Eighth-Order? Or even… a Ninth-Order? Just what did Junior Brother condense for him to obtain such a horrifyingly powerful Wood Element Power!?]
Another half a day passed and her cheeks were now much rosier than before while her aura had stabilised somewhat. It was not until this moment that she realised she had been sleeping on Yang Kai’s lap all this while. Moreover, they were even sharing a small bed inside a tiny stone room.
“Junior Brother, what is this place?” She asked curiously.
He answered, “Inside a city.”
“A city?”
“En.” He nodded, “There are many natives inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, and this place is one of the cities where a group of natives reside. We were captured and brought back here.”
“Then, aren’t we prisoners?” She exclaimed in surprise. [Just what happened after I fell unconscious? How did we get captured by the natives?]
“I guess.” Yang Kai chuckled.
“What do we do now?” Her expression changed. [Who knows whether these natives have any malicious intentions towards us?]
“Since we’re already here, then we might as well see how things play out. Let’s just focus on recovering for now. What can they do to us once we are fully healed?”
She frowned and anxiously said, “I’m worried that they might do something to us before we recover completely. No, we can’t just do nothing and wait for death. Junior Brother, please cultivate with me.”
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he stared at her, feeling speechless, “Senior Sister, you’re becoming delirious again.”
She immediately retorted, “Don’t you dare knock me out again!”
The last time she had mentioned something similar, Yang Kai had knocked her unconscious without any hesitation; therefore, she immediately became vigilant upon hearing those words.
Yang Kai was truly exasperated as he grumbled, “What does our current situation have to do with cultivating together?”
“As a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciple, I have been cultivating a Yin-Yang Secret Technique since I was young. If we engage in Yin-Yang Union Cultivation, then we can recover even faster.”
“Even without doing that, our recovery is not slow.” Yang Kai chuckled.
“But, time is of the essence right now, Junior Brother.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before he sternly replied, “Senior Sister, Yin-Yang Union Cultivation should only be done between people who are deeply in love with one another. This is a major life event; you should think this over carefully.”
“Of course, I know that! Junior Brother, you are a great candidate!” She stared at him with clear eyes. It was just that her charming beauty in addition to her weakened state made her even more alluring than ever.
He was stared at so intently that he couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. Thus, he shifted his gaze away and muttered, “Including meeting here in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, you and I have only met each other twice, Senior Sister. You don’t know what kind of man I am. On the same note, I’m not sure what kind of character Senior Sister has. With such a loveless foundation, how will we blend with each other seamlessly and perform something like Yin-Yang Union Cultivation?”
“Feelings can slowly be nurtured in the future,” she said confidently, “I’m certain that you will surely fall for me once we’ve performed Yin-Yang Union Cultivation!”
Yang Kai scowled and spoke sternly, “Senior Sister, I am not talking about performing Yin-Yang Union Cultivation. I am talking about your lifelong happiness. You are so beautiful and intelligent, Senior Sister Qu. You should find somebody who is worthy of entrusting the rest of your life to.”
She replied, “But, I’ve already found one.”
Yang Kai was on the verge of a mental breakdown, feeling as though he could not communicate with her at all. What he could be certain of was that she had some feelings of admiration for him, just as he did for her. But, there was absolutely no love between them. How could she speak about dual cultivating together so easily?
“Junior Brother, do you think this Senior Sister is a woman without morals?” She suddenly asked.
“Why would I?” He shook his head. Over the past few days of interaction, he had more or less grasped her personality. She was not a loose woman. Otherwise, she would not mention that she had never tasted a man before. With her looks, who could resist her temptation and seduction if she really put her mind to it?
She broke into a wide smile, “In that case, why do you refuse to cultivate with me, Junior Brother?”
The conversation went full circle and came back to this topic again, so Yang Kai countered her question with one of his own, “Senior Sister, why are you so insistent on cultivating with me?”
Qu Hua Shang paused for a moment before explaining, “I’ll have to find somebody sooner or later. Junior Brother Yang is an outstanding man. I’ll never find somebody like you again if I let you slip away. You don’t understand. What I cultivate is the Heartless Dao.”
“The Heartless Dao?”
She nodded, “As a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciple, I must first cultivate the heart in order to advance into the Open Heaven Realm. We can either cultivate the Heartfelt Dao or the Heartless Dao. And, I am cultivating the latter.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly. Although he did not know anything about the Heartless Dao, the name itself made one uncomfortable.
Qu Hua Shang explained, “Those who cultivate the Heartfelt Dao have to fall in love to enter the Dao while those who cultivate the Heartless Dao have to cut off their affections to enter the Dao. But, both the Heartfelt Dao and the Heartless Dao will eventually end up at the same destination. In the end, we will achieve the Grand Dao and receive recognition as an Open Heaven Realm Master!”
“I still don’t understand how that is related to why you want to cultivate together with me, Senior Sister.”
“Stupid!” She rolled her eyes at him, “I have to cut off my affections in order to create my own Dao. But, I currently have no love to speak of. How am I supposed to cut off my affections and advance into the Open Heaven Realm?”
He understood, “So, you want to fall in love with me and then cut off your affections for me.”
“That’s right!” She readily admitted and looked at him with a pitiful gaze, “Junior Brother, just think of it as doing me a favour!”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. [How can there be such strange things in the world? Such a mesmerising woman wants to cultivate together with me, but it turns out that I’m just doing her a favour?]
Be that as it may, it was exactly as she said before. Regardless of which Dao Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples cultivated, they first had to fall in love with someone. Those who cultivated the Heartfelt Dao did not need to go through the trouble of cutting off their affections. On the other hand, the Heartless Dao could only be cultivated by those with great perseverance; otherwise, they would experience dissonance in their cultivation if they failed to cut off their emotions. The consequences would be unimaginable.
“Senior Sister, do you love me?” Yang Kai asked.
She considered the question seriously before making a pinching gesture with her fingers, “A little bit? But, it’s not enough. It doesn’t matter. I’m certain that I will fall in love with you once I cultivate together with you, Junior Brother.”
Yang Kai burst out laughing, “Love between a man and woman is not quite as simple as how you put it, Senior Sister.”
She blinked, “Junior Brother, you seem very experienced in this field.”
His face flushed bright red and he quickly changed the topic, “Please don’t mention cultivating together again. I’m sure you will eventually find the right person for you, Senior Sister. It’s just… that person is not me.”
“Fine!” Seeing his firm attitude, she immediately stopped talking about this matter. There were times when it was enough that she had expressed her intentions. It would have the opposite effect if she pressed too hard.
“Junior Brother, are you willing to join Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?” She abruptly changed the topic, “I’ll be honest with you. I actually came to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven with another task from the Master Sect.”
“What task?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Find you and ask you to join Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.” She explained, “I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what kind of situation you’re in right now, Junior Brother. Although you intend to advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm directly, you’ve stepped on too many toes in the process. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises only have two attitudes towards an existence like yours. They either want to take the cautious approach and kill you in advance or they want to win you over into their camp. Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is part of the latter.”
Yang Kai understood that she must have contributed a lot for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to willingly try to win him over to their side. All of a sudden, what Pei Wen Xuan mentioned in the past echoed in his ears once more.
Pei Wen Xuan had claimed that he was not the only person in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven who wanted Yang Kai dead. It would now seem that many of the Cave-Heaven and Paradise disciples in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were tracking Yang Kai’s whereabouts in order to kill him.
“Although I believed that you would enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, I never imagined that I would encounter you so quickly. It looks like you and I are destined for each other, Junior Brother.” Qu Hua Shang laughed lightly.
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Senior Sister, you mentioned that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wished for me to join them. If I join Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, will they guarantee that I can advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?”
If he remembered correctly, the Proprietress had clearly mentioned that the Cave-Heavens and Paradises would not be able to accept somebody like him with peace of mind. That was because they had no way to guarantee his loyalty. Only those cultivators who were nurtured from birth could safely advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm directly. It was just that cultivators like these were incredibly rare throughout the ages; hence, the appearance of anyone who could directly break through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm was bound to create a huge uproar in the 3,000 Worlds.
It was not just because the High-Rank materials were difficult to find and refine, it was also because forcefully cultivating them when one’s Dao Seal was not firm enough would only result in death. Even if somebody were to condense High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Powers, they would face great danger when trying to split Heaven and Earth apart inside their body to create a Small Universe.
Many talented cultivators who condensed High-Rank Elements would fail at the last moment and extinguish their souls as a result.
“No.” She shook her head, “If you join Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, you will have to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!”
Yang Kai was stunned. He thought that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would be able to guarantee that he broke through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Who could have known that their offer came with such a condition? It was just a casual remark in the first place, but what he learned immediately made him lose all interest in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. The Sixth and Seventh-Order might only be one Order apart, but they were fundamentally different.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai finally understood why Qu Hua Shang was acting so forward and kept making those kinds of requests when he met her again this time. If he cultivated together with her, then he would undoubtedly carry Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s mark. Not only would she be able to complete the task given to her by the Master Sect, but she would also find a partner to fall in love with. It was killing two birds with one stone.
“Many thanks, Senior Sister, for being so frank with me.”
No matter what her original intentions towards him were, the fact that she could tell him everything without hiding anything indicated that she did not wish to harm him.
“Junior Brother, are you unwilling?” She asked.
His answer was resolute, “I will go forward bravely on the road beneath my feet. I have already seen the path to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Even if it is narrow, muddy, and full of thorns, I will not retreat. My Dao Heart will become clouded if I choose the easier road instead!”
Qu Hua Shang sighed softly, “Junior Brother, you are still a long way from advancing into the Open Heaven Realm. Many people might have taken notice of you, but they have no intention of making a move against you yet. That is because they are people who must consider their own status. They cannot abuse their strength to crush you; otherwise, it will harm their reputation if word gets out. At the moment, they are only using their Juniors to cause trouble for and suppress you. But, if they perceive you as a threat one day, they will neither hold back nor be merciful.”
“Senior Sister, can you tell me why the Cave-Heavens and Paradises are so sensitive to advancing directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?” Yang Kai asked. He could not understand this point no matter how hard he thought about it. He was simply cultivating his own Dao. It was not as if he was harming other people, so why did he end up in this situation for no apparent reason?
Qu Hua Shang explained, “I don’t know if this is true as it is something I only heard about in rumours. A certain Paradise once recruited a talented and promising disciple like you, Junior Brother. That disciple certainly lived up to expectations and advanced directly into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and was granted an important position as a result. Subsequently, the Cave-Heaven exhausted all its resources and spent thousands of years helping him advance into the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. In the Open Heaven Realm, the First-Order is the weakest while the Ninth-Order is the strongest. Once he reached the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there was practically nobody in the 3,000 Worlds who was his equal. Afterward, nobody knew the reason why he suddenly had a drastic change of heart, but he went on to slaughter the entire Paradise in a single day. Not only did everybody from that Paradise lose their lives, but the Paradise itself was destroyed.”
She paused for a moment and highlighted, “Following those events, the Masters of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises who were allies of the previous Paradise joined together to hunt him down. Unfortunately, the force sent to subdue him was also wiped out. Moreover, it would seem that this incident caused that person to greatly despise the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises. He deliberately went on to wreak havoc for the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. For a time, the entire 3,000 Worlds was plunged into a reign of terror. All 36 Cave-Heavens and 72 Paradises were swept up in this incident. This matter lasted for several hundreds of years. Only then was that person besieged to death. Unfortunately, all the Cave-Heavens and Paradises took severe damage as a result. Having learned from the lessons of the past, the current Cave-Heavens and Paradises tend to pay great attention to those who advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, lest the tragedy repeat itself.”
She carried on, “At present, there exists a Desolate Territory where the space is shattered and the vitality is gone. That is where the final battle took place in the past. It is said that several hundred High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters alone died in that battle! It is impossible to calculate how many Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters and Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters died as well. Even though so many years have passed, that Great Territory is still fraught with dangers. The power of all sorts of Divine Abilities remains. No matter how powerful you are, nobody who enters that place has returned alive.”
“The Desolate Territory was a battlefield in the past?” Yang Kai was astonished.
In order to locate the Star Boundary, he once scoured the entire Universe Chart. Needless to say, he had noticed the existence of the ‘Desolate Territory’. He had not given much thought to this matter at the time and only felt curious as to why there was nothing marked within that Desolate Territory. Only now did he learn that the Desolate Territory had such history behind it.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t help looking down on the Cave-Heavens and Paradises that were so sensitive and stressed about something that occurred in the distant past. [Instead of guarding against others, why don’t they strengthen themselves instead?]
“Junior Brother, won’t you reconsider?” Qu Hua Shang glanced at him pitifully, but her expression was filled with anticipation.
He reached out and flicked her on the forehead, “Focus on healing. Stop talking so much.”
She clutched at her forehead and rolled her eyes in frustration.
As time passed, their injuries gradually healed and they were no longer as weak as before.
…
Inside the City Lord’s Mansion, Fan Wu Xin took out the Wooden Token that he obtained from Yang Kai and played with it. He was extremely curious as the pattern on the Wooden Token was very familiar to him. It was none other than the insignia of Abundance City. [But, why does a Wooden Token brought in by an Outer World visitor have Abundance City’s insignia on it? Not to mention, the appearance of this Wooden Token indicates that it is from hundreds or even thousands of years ago.]
Unable to solve this puzzling question, Fan Wu Xin asked several others about this Wooden Token. Unfortunately, nobody knew anything either. [Perhaps, I will only learn the truth once the City Lord comes out of retreat.]
Just as he was about to put the Wooden Token away, he suddenly felt a gust of wind brushing against him. Immediately after that, a beardless middle-aged man with a fair face appeared in front of him.
Fan Wu Xin hurriedly straightened up and cupped his fist, “Elder Tan!”
The person who just arrived was none other than Tan Luo Xing, one of the five Great Elders of the Abundance City. He was very powerful and held great authority.
Like Tan Luo Xing, Fan Wu Xin had also condensed the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Elements; however, the other party was older than him by several thousands of years. If it really came down to a fight, Fan Wu Xin was certain that Tan Luo Xing could take his life within a hundred moves.
“Deacon Fan!” Tan Luo Xing nodded in acknowledgement, “I heard you were asking about the origins of a Wooden Token.”
“Indeed!” Fan Wu Xin nodded.
“Is that it? Can I have a look?” Tan Luo Xing cast his gaze in the direction of Fan Wu Xin’s hands.
“Please have a look, Elder Tan.” Fan Wu Xin immediately handed the Wooden Token over. While Tan Luo Xing was investigating the Wooden Token, Fan Wu Xin briefly recounted the story about how he had captured Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang.
Tan Luo Xing’s eyes flashed and he narrowed his eyes slightly, “Are they really Outer World visitors?”
“Yes, they are Outer World visitors.” Fan Wu Xin nodded in confirmation, “Elder Tan, do you recognise this Wooden Token? Do you know what it is? Why does it have Abundance City’s insignia?”
“I know a little bit, but I will only know whether or not it’s as I believe once I meet the person in question.” Tan Luo Xing clenched the Wooden Token in his hand and looked up, “Where are those two right now?”
Fan Wu Xin said, “The woman is unconscious due to severe injuries while the man is sealed by the Firm Yuan Nails. They are currently being imprisoned in the dungeon.”
“I’ll go and take a look.” After saying that, Tan Luo Xing turned around and left.
[In the end, he didn’t say anything about the Wooden Token….] Although Fan Wu Xin was annoyed, he could not inquire further into the matter. After ruminating over something for a bit, he got up and followed Tan Luo Xing.
…
Inside the dungeon, Yang Kai was adjusting his breathing when he abruptly opened his eyes and sent a transmission to Qu Hua Shang, “Be careful, Senior Sister. Someone is coming.”
Qu Hua Shang hurriedly sat up at those words, her bright eyes watching the door of the prison vigilantly. All of a sudden, she felt Yang Kai’s aura weaken considerably. She immediately understood his intentions and restrained her own energy, pretending that she was still seriously injured and on the verge of death, her complexion as pale as could be.
The two of them had only just finished preparing their ruse when a voice rang out from outside the door, “Greetings, Elder Tan!”
Another person grunted faintly in response, “Are the two people that Deacon Fan captured inside?”
“Yes.”
“Open the door. I’m going in to take a look.”
“Yes!”
Soon, the door of the prison cell opened and a beardless middle-aged man with a fair face walked in. His expression was gloomy and slightly anxious. When he looked up and saw Yang Kai, he immediately paused at the door of the cell and a hint of astonishment flashed across his eyes before he blurted out, “It’s you!?”
“Huh?” Yang Kai stared at the man suspiciously. [What is he talking about? Do we know each other?]
“So many years have passed. What did you come back here for!?” The middle-aged man shouted again.
Yang Kai was utterly confused; he had no idea what the middle-aged man was talking about.
Just as Yang Kai was about to inquire about the situation, the middle-aged man’s expression suddenly turned savage and he gave a low laugh, “It doesn’t matter. Since you came back, die!”
Whilst saying so, he raised a hand and pushed his palm towards Yang Kai as the Power of the Five Elements swirled around him.
From the strength of his attack, he had obviously condensed Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Elements. Moreover, he must have been immersed in this Realm for many years because his control over his Five Element Powers was incredibly refined and potent. Among all the other Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Masters that Yang Kai had met so far, none of them could surpass this man in this regard.
Moreover, this attack was very aggressive and overflowing with murderous intent. It was obvious that the middle-aged man intended to take Yang Kai’s life.
Yang Kai immediately lost his temper. He had never met this man before, so why was he trying to kill him at their first meeting!?
If he had not neutralized the Firm Yuan Nails that were placed on him earlier, Yang Kai would have been helpless in the face of this attack. Fortunately, he was no longer bound by such restraints.
Lifting his hand, Yang Kai threw his own palm forward while drawing the powers of his Dao Seal. His clothes flapped about wildly, making rustling noises even though there was no wind.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai’s figure swayed slightly and the small bed under him immediately shattered into dust.
On the other hand, the middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically as he was sent flying backward, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood in mid-air.
The violent force from their exchange swirled and swept out in all directions. The dungeon was unable to withstand the impact and came crashing down with a loud rumble.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai grabbed Qu Hua Shang’s waist with one hand and shot upward.
At this moment, Fan Wu Xin was hurrying towards the dungeon, but before he could even reach the entrance, he suddenly heard a violent explosion coming from below. It was followed by the distinctive sounds of battle. He was startled, not knowing what was going on. Before he could understand the situation, the ground collapsed without warning and two figures flashed out from the opening to land not far away from him.
Turning around to look in that direction, Fan Wu Xin was shocked by the sight that greeted him. [Isn’t that man and woman the two Outer World visitors whom I captured and brought back recently!?]
When he captured them, the woman had been seriously injured and unconscious as a result. Furthermore, he had planted the Firm Yuan Nails in that man himself. Logically speaking, it was impossible for the other party to exert any strength at this moment, but looking at Yang Kai’s abundant vitality and violent Qi… There were no traces of weakness at all.
*Hong hong hong…* More figures emerged from below, all of them covered in dust. One of them was pale-faced and had blood trickling out of the corners of his mouth.
Fan Wu Xin cried out in shock, “Elder Tan!”
The person who seemed to be injured was none other than Tan Luo Xing, who had parted ways with him earlier. Judging by Tan Luo Xing’s appearance, Fan Wu Xin could tell that the former had been injured by the Outer World visitor. Thus, he couldn’t help feeling horrified by the discovery.
He had a clear understanding of just how strong Tan Luo Xing was. The number of people in Abundance City who could win against Tan Luo Xing could be counted on one hand. Besides, it had not been long since they separated. [How did Tan Luo Xing get wounded so quickly? How strong is this Outer World visitor for him to do something like this in such a short period of time!?]
“Cough… Cough, cough!” Tan Luo Xing coughed lightly and spat out the blood in his mouth. Staring at Yang Kai with a mixture of shock and horror, he shouted furiously, “This person is not an Outer World visitor! He is a spy from Emerald Thunder City! Don’t let him escape!”
When that order rang out, a group of people immediately gathered around from all directions.
Fan Wu Xin was stunned. [How did these two get tangled up with Emerald Thunder City? Could it be that I was mistaken previously? Are they not Outer World visitors but actual spies? Elder Tan must have his own reasons for saying this but…]
He had no time to think. Hurriedly summoning his longsword, he joined the encirclement.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was holding Qu Hua Shang by the waist with one hand, his expression gloomy. He had willingly let himself be captured in this place because he had urgently needed to find a quiet spot to recuperate from his injuries. Who could have known that he would be accused of being a spy and attacked before he had the chance to recover completely? It was only natural that he was in a foul mood.
Although he had yet to recover fully at the moment, he was no longer as weak as he was before. It was true that he could not exert his complete strength, but it was not a problem for him to fight at 80% of his maximum. For that reason, he was not scared in the slightest even though a lot of people were gathering around. It was just that this place was the enemies’ territory, so it would be rather troublesome if it came down to a fight.
Therefore, he turned to look at the middle-aged man coldly and asked, “You, are you misunderstanding something?”
“Misunderstanding?” Tan Luo Xing snarled, “Even if you turned into ashes, I would still be able to recognise you! What do you mean by misunderstanding!? What are you all doing!? Kill him!”
Following his command, more than ten figures lunged at Yang Kai from all directions. Every one of them used killing moves as their energy swirled wildly around them.
Seeing that, Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate them. He lifted his hand and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear into his grip. A bright light flashed, seemingly shocking the entire world as spear shadows flew in all directions.
Numerous cries of agony rang out as the people who threw themselves at Yang Kai were all thrown backwards. Each one of them collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.
The others in the surroundings were shocked by the sight. [Just who the Hell is this guy!? How is he so fierce!? Is he really a spy from Emerald Thunder City!?]
It was only a short moment of hesitation, but Yang Kai had already broken out of the encirclement during that time. Everywhere he passed, a reign of terror was left in his wake.
Fan Wu Xin was completely dumbfounded as a chill ran down from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. He had not realised just how powerful this man was when he first led his men to capture these two people. If this man had revealed such ability at that time, he and his men would not have been able to return alive. It was obvious that the other party had been terribly injured earlier but had recovered somewhat now.
“Watch out, Deacon Fan!” A shout broke Fan Wu Xin out of his daze. He looked up and felt fear flooding his heart. The Outer World visitor was charging straight in his direction, sending numerous figures flying along the way. Fresh blood splattered across the skies and screams reverberated through the air.
Fan Wu Xin quickly focused himself. With death looming right before his eyes, he slashed his sword wildly, sending out a torrent of sword waves towards the enemy.
There seemed to be no end to the sounds of the sword waves slicing through the air, completely obscuring the figure of the Outer World visitor.
[Did I get him?] Fan Wu Xin frowned, still feeling extremely uneasy.
*Hong…*
It was as if a giant ominous beast had rushed out from ancient-history. When the sword waves shattered, Fan Wu Xin saw a spear rapidly enlarging in front of his eyes!
[Oh, no!] He wanted to avoid the attack, but that spear seemed to block out all the light in front of him. There was no way for him to dodge.
[I’m going to die!] The moment that thought appeared, Fan Wu Xin felt an intense pain coming from somewhere in his body and immediately collapsed to the ground. A short while later though, he was stunned to discover that he was still breathing. Looking down, he saw that he was covered in blood and there was a wound at his waist area that had penetrated right through his body! Nevertheless, considering his Half-Step Open Heaven Realm cultivation, such an injury could be considered neither light nor serious because his vitals had not been destroyed.
[I can’t believe I’m not dead! Did he miss?]
All of a sudden, a series of groaning sounds entered Fan Wu Xin’s ears. Looking up, he was stunned by the sight before him. All the people who were defeated by the Outer World visitor earlier were injured and bleeding, but not one of them had died!
After witnessing this scene, how could Fan Wu Xin not understand? The other party had not missed; rather, he had held back! He had no intention of killing anybody and was simply fighting back and defending himself.
Fan Wu Xin looked around once more and saw countless cultivators of Abundance City continuing to besiege the Outer World visitor; however, none of them could even slow him down. Yang Kai left a path of destruction everywhere he went, mowing down his opponents as easily as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood. On the other hand, the cultivators of Abundance City were cut down like wheat in a storm, collapsing to the ground one after another.
[Is he really Human!?] Fan Wu Xin looked dumbstruck.
“Kill him!” Tan Luo Xing roared furiously with a savage expression as he, too, charged in the direction where Yang Kai was located.
Fan Wu Xin hurriedly followed suit after circulating his strength to staunch his bleeding. There was no other choice. He was the one who captured these people in the first place, so he could not just leave them be. Although the other party was still showing mercy, Fan Wu Xin could not just sit around and watch as he caused such a huge commotion in Abundance City.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai charged forward with his spear in hand, fighting his way through the city. He was extremely annoyed by now. It was not a pleasant experience to be besieged for no reason. Although he believed that there was a misunderstanding, he had no idea who to approach to resolve the situation. Thus, he could only fight while running. He initially wanted to find a way to leave the city, but he couldn’t find the exit at all. This city was guarded by a powerful Spirit Array and there seemed to be no way out unless it was deactivated or opened.
He had not killed any of the native cultivators here so as not to create an irresolvable grudge between the two sides. There was still room for resolving this misunderstanding as long as he did not kill anybody. On the contrary, he would have no choice but to fight to the end if he launched a slaughter.
Fortunately, all the cultivators in this city were now aware of Yang Kai’s strength after his astonishing display just now. Nobody dared to approach him carelessly, but there was still a large group of people surrounding him from afar no matter where he went. Even though they had him surrounded though, they were the ones gulping nervously as terror and panic filled their faces.
Yang Kai held his spear in hand while Qu Hua Shang followed behind him at a leisurely pace. The more she watched this Junior Brother of hers, the deeper her impression of how extraordinary he was grew. When she thought back to the hardships and dangers that they experienced together, an indescribable and unfamiliar emotion began to blossom in her heart.
Abundance City was a complete mess. Countless cultivators were gathered around in all directions with Yang Kai at their centre. Most of these cultivators looked terrified and were nervously gulping. They moved quickly with Yang Kai’s every movement, maintaining a distance of several dozen metres from him at all times.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai scurried around the city with Qu Hua Shang in tow. He had failed to locate the exit of this city’s Grand Array despite searching for over an incense stick worth of time; thus, his patience was wearing thin. He reached out a hand and Space Principles fluctuated before a young man appeared in his grasp.
That young man had originally been standing fifty metres away from Yang Kai, but before he could realise what was going on, he felt something tightening around his neck. He looked up and saw Yang Kai staring at him with a dark expression. Screaming in fear, he instinctively tried to fight back; however, a mighty force filled the other party’s palm and flooded his body, making him unable to exert any strength at all.
“Where’s the exit!?” Yang Kai asked sullenly.
Pale with fright, the young man swallowed nervously. A look of hesitation and struggle flashed across his face, but he soon closed his eyes and grit his teeth with a look that indicated he was resigned to his fate.
“How brave!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. Increasing the strength in his hand slightly, he threatened the young man, “I’ll ask you one last time. Where is the exit!? I’ll kill you if you don’t talk!”
The young man gritted his teeth tightly together. Even though he looked extremely frightened, he refused to say a single word.
Yang Kai turned to look at his surroundings. Countless pairs of eyes stared back at him, flickering with fright and anger as though he was some kind of wicked villain. He was so furious that he wanted to laugh. Lifting the young man in his hand high into the air, he snarled savagely, “Release the city’s Grand Array and let me out! Otherwise, I will raze this entire city to the ground and leave no man alive!”
Nobody responded, but his words made everybody’s expression change drastically. Nobody answered his demand either. It could be seen that although this city and population was not very large, they were incredibly united. Thinking about it, it was not that strange. Every corner of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was filled with danger, so if natives were not unified, it would be difficult for them to survive in this harsh environment.
“Junior Brother, are we really going to kill them?” Qu Hua Shang asked in a whisper.
“Senior Sister, please don’t be impatient. Just follow me closely.”
“En!” She nodded and snuggled tightly against him.
Afterward, Yang Kai turned his head to look at the middle-aged man who attacked him earlier. [The people here called him ‘Elder Tan’. He probably holds some sway in this city. I might be able to discover the location of the Grand Array’s portal from this man.]
When Tan Luo Xing noticed Yang Kai looking in his direction, his expression changed considerably and he subconsciously took several steps back. He had exchanged blows with Yang Kai back at the prison, which nearly resulted in his death; therefore, he had a deep understanding of the latter’s strength. This man was not somebody he could defeat. In fact, they could not stop him even after all the forces within Abundance City were mobilised. At this point, he seriously doubted that anybody in Abundance City could prevent Yang Kai from wiping out this city if so chose to.
At this moment, a shadow rushed over and landed not far away from Yang Kai. It transformed into a girl that looked quite young. She was dressed like a maidservant and in addition, she had a playful and pure appearance.
Upon seeing the situation within the city, the young girl revealed an expression of astonishment. Then, her beautiful eyes landed on Yang Kai. She swept a measuring gaze over his body as though trying to assess him.
“Be careful, Lady Jing! This person…” Fan Wu Xin shouted. After mulling for a long while, he finally added, “He is unfathomable!”
Lady Jing nodded lightly. Giving Yang Kai an elegant bow, she gently said, “This maid greets you, Sir!”
“What do you want?” Yang Kai glanced sideways at her.
She said, “I wouldn’t dare. The City Lord wishes to speak with you!”
“The City Lord?” Yang Kai squinted at the location in the middle of the city. Fan Wu Xin had brought him there once, but the City Lord had been in retreat at the time. That was why he and Qu Hua Shang were eventually thrown into the dungeon.
[It seems that all the commotion I caused here has roused the City Lord from her retreat. Nevertheless, this City Lord is certainly quite an interesting woman.] Even though he had made such a huge fuss in Abundance City, this person was still inviting him over for a chat. It went to show that the other party was either very generous, or was as timid as a mouse. Judging by the maid servant’s attitude, the former was more probable.
Just as Yang Kai was about to nod in agreement, Tan Luo Xing suddenly shouted, “You can’t! This person is a spy sent by Emerald Thunder City! Furthermore, he is very strong! If we recklessly allow him to approach the City Lord, the consequences will be dire! Everybody, please work with me to kill this man to prevent any further troubles!”
Yang Kai was furious. [Just what is wrong with this Tan Luo Xing!? Why does he keep accusing me of being a spy from Emerald Thunder City!?]
Listening to those accusations caused his murderous intent to rise, tempting him to kill this person on the spot with his spear!
Lady Jing, however, smiled and refuted, “Elder Tan, please watch what you say. The City Lord has made her decision. What’s more, if this man is as strong as you say, were he a spy sent by Emerald Thunder City, the city would be flowing with rivers of blood by this point. Nobody in Abundance City can stop him after all. However, that is not the case. While it is true that many of our people have been injured, not a single of them lost their life. It can be seen that this man has held back. I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding somewhere!”
[At least the City Lord is sensible.] Yang Kai nodded to himself, the rage in his heart subsiding slightly.
“Sir, Madame, please come this way!” After saying that, she turned sideways and gestured with her hand to show them the way.
Qu Hua Shang blushed, “I’m not a Madame.”
It was her first time being addressed in that manner, so it felt strange to her ears.
“Lead the way.” Yang Kai put away the Azure Dragon Spear, released the young man in his grasp, and nodded in acknowledgement.
Lady Jing looked to the side, “Deacon Fan, please come with us. I heard that you are the one who brought this Sir and Lady back.”
“Yes!” Fan Wu Xin responded as he clutched at his waist with one hand, his complexion pale. That spot was where Yang Kai had stabbed him with his spear earlier. Even now, the bleeding has not stopped completely.
“Everyone, please disperse. Those who are injured should receive proper treatment for your wounds!” Lady Jing waved her hands to dismiss the others before stepping forward to lead the way.
On the other hand, Tan Luo Xing could only watch helplessly as Yang Kai and the others departed. He was anxious and furious, but unfortunately, it was impossible to stop them with his current strength alone. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth, knowing that he was finished the moment that person entered the City Lord’s Mansion. He would no longer have a place in Abundance City. Staring in the direction of the City Lord’s Mansion that held so many of his memories, he immediately flew towards his residence.
…..
The City Lord’s Mansion was probably the largest building in Abundance City. Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang had been here before, but they had not been able to enter at the time. Now though, they had a smooth journey under Lady Jing’s guidance and soon arrived at the Main Hall. Lady Jing stopped outside the doors and announced, “City Lord, I’ve brought them here.”
“Since you’re here, then please come in.” A gentle voice came from within.
“Sir, please come this way!” Lady Jing gestured forward.
Yang Kai nodded and strode inside with Qu Hua Shang. Upon entering the Main Hall, he immediately felt a dozen or so Divine Senses shrouding him. He looked up and saw four people sitting at the head of the hall. There were two on each side, including both men and women. The others were hidden in the shadows, remaining alert and vigilant against him.
He was not bothered by their attitudes; after all, he had caused a huge commotion in the city earlier. Even if they invited him here, it was only natural that they took some precautions.
Meanwhile, the four people sitting in the Main Hall were on par with Elder Tan in terms of strength. They were probably the highest-level Elders in Abundance City. Besides them, a woman dressed in imperial dress sat demurely on the head seat located at the central platform.
When their gazes met, Yang Kai discovered that this woman looked to be in her thirties. Time had not left any traces on her face and her appearance was dignified, looking like a true Young Lady of the house.
What surprised him even more was that the City Lord abruptly stood up from her chair the moment their gazes met. She was not the only one to do so as the other people sitting around them had the same reaction. All of them stood up abruptly and stared at him in shock. In addition, the City Lord’s eyes reddened, her breathing quickened, and her body trembled lightly. She covered her red lips with one hand.
“It’s you!?” An elderly man on the left shouted.
Yang Kai turned to look in that direction and studied the man, having no clue who he was.
He had heard these words twice now. The first time was when Elder Tan met him, and the second was in this place. That was not all. The people here had reacted strangely when they saw him, so much so that the City Lord even lost all her composure for some reason.
Yang Kai frowned as various thoughts ran through his head, “Have you mistaken me for somebody else?”
If they did not mistake him for somebody else, then how could they have these kinds of reactions?
As soon as those words left his mouth, everybody stiffened in surprise; then, they all turned to look at the City Lord in unison.
The City Lord’s eyes were red as she called out, “Ting Yu… is that you?”
Her voice trembled slightly, sounding weak and desolate. Like a woman calling out to her lover after waiting for many years. Her voice was filled with longing but also mixed with a trace of resentment.
Upon hearing the name ‘Ting Yu’, Yang Kai immediately understood what was going on. The people here had indeed mistaken him for somebody else.
“Madame, are you referring to Lan Ting Yu?” Yang Kai asked.
Everybody was stunned once more. The City Lord’s tender body trembled at those words. Her figure fluttered lightly as she came to stand in front of Yang Kai. She studied him carefully while weeping softly; however, her expression became disappointed after taking a closer look at him, “You’re not him!”
She slowly shook her head repeatedly. Turning around, she slowly walked back to her seat and sat down as though all the strength in her body was gone. Even her complexion looked lifeless.
The elderly man who spoke up earlier took a good look at Yang Kai and asked suspiciously, “Are you not Lan Ting Yu?”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Yang Kai greets fellow cultivators!”
Everybody exchanged glances with each other when they heard his greeting while one of the women couldn’t stop herself from muttering, “How can they look so alike?”
Another middle-aged man said, “It’s probably not Brother Lan. It has been nearly a thousand years since we last saw Brother Lan, but this man still looks so young.”
“Yes. What Elder Pang says makes sense.”
“Could he be a descendant of Brother Lan’s? Otherwise, how can they be so alike?” The last person who abruptly voiced out a whimsical thought was a fatty. The words had just left his mouth when the woman next to him viciously stomped on his foot. The pain was so intense that he grimaced and he called out, “Why did you step on my foot!?”
That woman glared at the fatty fiercely and gestured upwards with her mouth.
The fatty immediately fell silent and sneakily stole a glance in that direction. The City Lord was staring at Yang Kai blankly, her eyes seemingly flashing with memories of the distant past.
“I am not acquainted with Lan Ting Yu nor have any relationship with him,” Yang Kai slowly explained. He had only heard about ‘Lan Ting Yu’ from Yue He and the Proprietress. Back when Yue He first saw him, she had also shouted out the name ‘Ting Yu’.
“But, you look so alike.” Some people remained consumed by a sense of disbelief.
Yang Kai did not say anything else; after all, he had already expressed his point to them clearly. Judging by the current situation, it would seem that Lan Ting Yu had not only visited this place in the past but was also acquainted with the people here. Why else would they have mistaken him for Lan Ting Yu when they first saw him?
[And, that City Lord…] Yang Kai observed the City Lord’s expression, secretly thinking to himself that she must have held deep feelings for Lan Ting Yu. If not, she would not have been this agitated. [Lan Ting Yu sure was popular. First, there was Yue He, and now, there’s this City Lord. Not to mention, the City Lord lives in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Tsk! Tsk!]
All of a sudden, he was reminded of the Wooden Token that the Proprietress had given to him. At the time, she mentioned that it was a favour. It would now seem that the Wooden Token was most likely connected to the people here.
She had also hesitated to say anything and looked a little helpless when she handed the Wooden Token to him. Her reaction seemed to be related to the current situation. She probably expected the situation to turn out this way if he came to this place. It was just that this place was so well hidden. If Yang Kai had not been chased or coincidentally obtained the map, he would not have stumbled upon this place. Various coincidences had come together to allow him to come here and meet the people in front of him.
“This Queen has embarrassed herself in front of you, Honoured Guest. Please forgive me.” The City Lord was naturally not an ordinary woman though. Although she had been emotionally shaken upon meeting him, she quickly recovered her composure after confirming that he was not Lan Ting Yu. It could be seen just how firm and steady her will was. For a woman to have such strong mental cultivation, it was no wonder that she could sit on the throne of the City Lord
“You’re too polite, City Lord.” Yang Kai nodded lightly and asked, “May I know your names?”
“This Queen’s name is Mo Mei. I am the City Lord of Abundance City!” The lady answered. Following that, she introduced the other four people to him. These people were the Elders of Abundance City. The female Elder was called Mu Qian Xuan, the middle-aged man was Pang Duo, the old man was Gong Yang Xi, and the slightly chubby man was called Jin Yuan Lang, “There are five Elders in Abundance City. The last being Tan Luo Xing. I believe you’ve met Elder Tan already.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help coldly snorting. It was that very Elder Tan who had repeatedly slandered and accused him of being Emerald Thunder City’s spy. That was what caused the huge commotion in the first place.
“Where is Elder Tan?” Mo Mei suddenly asked.
Lady Jing replied, “I noticed that Elder Tan seemed to be injured earlier. He is probably treating his wounds right now.”
While speaking, she snuck a glance at Yang Kai. If she had to be honest, she had been extremely shocked to see the scene of wounded lying all over the ground when she arrived on the scene just now.
City Lord Mo Mei nodded lightly at those words.
Pang Duo then asked, “Little Brother Yang, how do you know about Lan Ting Yu if you are not acquainted with Brother Lan?”
Yang Kai answered, “Lan You Ruo, Yue He, and I are close acquaintances. It is through them that I learned about Lan Ting Yu’s existence.”
“So that’s how it is!” Pang Duo immediately understood the situation.
Jin Yuan Lang asked, ““How is Brother Lan doing now?”
Yang Kai turned to look at Jin Yuan Lang with a slight frown. Based on what he heard from these people and what he understood from their actions, it was likely that Lan Ting Yu, the Proprietress, and Yue He had come to Abundance City together and obtained that Wooden Token. Furthermore, City Lord Mo Mei seemed to have fallen deeply in love with Lan Ting Yu here.
Unfortunately, this was the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Outsiders would be forced to leave once the time limit was up, so there was no way for them to send word of what happened later to Abundance City. In other words, these people had no idea that Lan Ting Yu had died a long time ago.
Worried about how City Lord Mo Mei would react, Yang Kai was not sure whether he should tell them the truth. He pondered in silence for a time before deciding that honesty would be best here and explained, “You might not be aware, but… Lan Ting Yu died a long time ago.”
As soon as the statement came out, Mo Mei’s body shook violently. Her emotions that had just stabilised became disordered again. Pang Duo and the others glanced at her worriedly while Mu Qian Xuan quickly said, “Our condolences, City Lord. Please restrain your grief!”
Mo Mei lowered her head so that her hair obscured her eyes and cast a dense shadow over her face. They could not read her expression. Nevertheless, she slowly raised her hand and said, “It’s fine. I had a feeling that was the case. Why else would he fail to return after so long, unless something had happened to him? He promised to bring us out of this place back then after all.”
Seeing how she forced herself to remain strong and endured the pain even though it felt like thousands of blades were slicing her heart, the Elders felt sad too; however, they did not know how to comfort her. It was not just Mo Mei of course, the rest of them had also speculated that something had happened to Lan Ting Yu. It was just that they never received any news from the outside world, so they continued to hold on to that glimmer of hope. Now that they knew the truth, even that glimmer no longer existed.
“Were you all very close to Lan Ting Yu?” Yang Kai asked after observing them.
Pang Duo replied, “To tell you the truth, Little Brother, Abundance City was founded with the help of Brother Lan. If not for Brother Lan, we all would have perished long ago under the claws of the Monster Beasts. It can be said that Brother Lan is our saviour.”
“Is that how it is?” Yang Kai was astonished. [No wonder the Proprietress claimed that the Wooden Token was a favour. It turned out to be a favour indeed. Abundance City was only established with Lan Ting Yu’s help. That’s one heck of a favour!]
Yang Kai secretly guessed that Lan Ting Yu and the Proprietress encountered these people from Abundance City when they entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven back then and forged bonds of affection and friendship with each other. They later helped the people here to establish Abundance City and promised to find an opportunity to bring them out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was just that fate had other plans. After Lan Ting Yu left the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, the Heaven-defying opportunities he obtained made him the target of various Cave-Heavens and Paradises. These opportunities eventually cost him his life. Needless to say, he never returned to this place again.
Over a thousand years had passed since then. That was why these people had mistaken Yang Kai for Lan Ting Yu when he first came here. It was also why Tan Luo Xing was so shocked and blurted out, “Why did you come back here after so many years!?”
Upon considering all this, Yang Kai suddenly felt as though things were not adding up so he hurriedly asked, “Has Elder Tan Luo Xing ever met Lan Ting Yu in the past?”
Jin Yuan Lang nodded, “Of course. Elder Tan and the rest of us here can be considered the earliest residents of Abundance City. When we first arrived at this place, there were only a few dozen of us. It was only after so many years of progress that we reached our current scale.”
Yang Kai wrinkled his brow, “That’s strange. If Elder Tan is acquainted with Lan Ting Yu and mistook me for him, why did he insist on slandering and accusing me of being a spy from Emerald Thunder City? He tried to kill me as soon as he saw me. If not for the fact that I have some skill, I would be nothing more than a corpse by now.”
[I don’t even know where Emerald Thunder City is located.]
“Something like that happened!?” Pang Duo was surprised.
Mu Qian Xuan pondered in silence, but a moment later, she glanced in Mo Mei’s direction and heaved a heavy sigh without saying anything. Similarly, the others seemed to understand something and their expressions became ugly.
Qu Hua Shang suddenly whispered from behind Yang Kai, “Junior Brother, it seems that Elder Tan regarded you as a love rival.”
Realisation dawned on Yang Kai after listening to her words. Everything made sense if that was truly the case. Tan Luo Xing was in love with City Lord Mo Mei, but Mo Mei only had eyes for Lan Ting Yu. It was just that Lan Ting Yu failed to appear after so many years, leading Tan Luo Xing to believe that he still had a chance with her.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai happened to arrive at this place at this time and had his Wooden Token taken away by Fan Wu Xin. Only one such Wooden Token had been issued by Abundance City throughout history. It was something that Lan Ting Yu took with him when he left. Only a dozen or so people knew about the existence of this Wooden Token, and out of all the people who knew about the situation, many had died over the years. Mo Mei and the five Elders were the only ones left who knew about the origins of this Wooden Token.
When Tan Luo Xing saw the Wooden Token, he naturally sought to investigate the situation thoroughly. In the end, he saw Yang Kai and mistakenly assumed that Lan Ting Yu had returned, sparking a murderous impulse in his heart. He immediately tried to kill Yang Kai while the latter was bound by the restraints of the Firm Yuan Nail. Who would have learned the truth if he destroyed the corpse and removed all evidence?
It was Tan Luo Xing’s bad luck that Yang Kai was not bound by the restraints of the Firm Yuan Nail at all. Yang Kai wounded him with a single palm strike. Afterward, things spiraled out of control until there was no turning back.
“Jing’er, summon Elder Tan here at once. I have something to ask him.” Mo Mei’s expression was filled with rage.
Jing’er bowed, “Yes!”
Immediately afterward, she flew out of the City Lord’s Mansion to search for Tan Luo Xing.
Pang Duo glanced at Fan Wu Xin, who had followed along, “Deacon Fan, I heard that you were the one to bring Brother Yang, and his companion back.”
Fan Wu Xin quickly replied, “That’s right. A few days ago, my men and I were guarding the Grand Array portal when we suddenly noticed a figure approaching, as though searching for something. Worried that it might be a spy sent by Emerald Thunder City to collect intelligence, I led my men to attack and capture this Senior Brother and Senior Sister. I can now see that it was all just a misunderstanding!”
While speaking, he cupped his fist at Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang to express his apology, secretly afraid. It was fortunate that Yang Kai had been injured at the time and lost most of his combat capabilities. Fan Wu Xin could not have brought his men back safe and sound otherwise.
“What happened afterward?” Pang Duo asked again.
Fan Wu Xin immediately recounted what happened in detail. When he saw the pattern on the Wooden Token, he felt that it was very similar to the symbol of Abundance City; thus, he took possession of it and went around asking about it. To his surprise, nobody knew about the Wooden Token. Tan Luo Xing came looking for him after hearing the news and later took the Wooden Token and headed straight for the dungeon.
What followed was a huge commotion. Tan Luo Xing had issued an order for all the cultivators in Abundance City to besiege Yang Kai, in the name of killing a spy. Consequently, many people were wounded by Yang Kai.
Upon hearing that Tan Luo Xing had repeatedly accused Yang Kai of being Emerald Thunder City’s spy, the expressions of the Elders became rather ugly. Even if they ignored the fact that the City Lord and Lan Ting Yu were deeply in love with one another, Abundance City was first established with the help of Lan Ting Yu and the others.
Therefore, everyone in Abundance City essentially owed their lives to Lan Ting Yu. Tan Luo Xing had been blinded by jealousy and acted foolishly. As one of the five Great Elders of Abundance City, his actions undoubtedly repaid kindness with enmity and brought shame to them all!
“Where is the Wooden Token now?” Mu Qian Xuan asked.
Fan Wu Xin replied, “With Elder Tan.”
Mo Mei interjected, “The Wooden Token is not important. We only gave Ting Yu a Faith Token back then because he and the others helped to establish Abundance City at the beginning. Abundance City owes the bearer of the Wooden Token a great favour. Yang Kai, you are the one who brought the Wooden Token here. If there is anything you need, please speak freely. Abundance City will not refuse as long as it can satisfy your demands.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at those words and he quickly asked, “Does Abundance City have any Seventh-Order Yin or Metal Element Monster Cores?”
Pang Duo laughed bitterly at those words, “Little Brother Yang, do you think we have the strength to kill a Seventh-Order Monster Beast? If a Seventh-Order Monster Beast were to appear here, Abundance City would have been razed to the ground a long time ago. We don’t have any Sixth-Order Monster Cores in stock in Abundance City either. If you need any Fifth-Order Monster Cores, then we might be able to share some with you.”
[What use are Fifth-Order Monster Cores to me?] Abundance City had existed for thousands of years, so Yang Kai originally thought that it would have accumulated some Monster Cores over the years. There was a possibility that they had what he needed. Only now did he learn that Abundance City was not as wealthy as he imagined.
It made sense when he thought about it though. He estimated that a Seventh-Order Monster Beast could exert strength equivalent to a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. How could they win against a Seventh-Order Monster Beast with their strength?
Since there were no Seventh-Order Monster Cores available, then he had nothing else to ask for. In any case, he only came here to treat his wounds. Now that he was almost fully recovered, it was time for him to leave.
A blanket of silence fell over the scene.
“Wu Xin, why don’t you take your leave? You should get your wounds treated properly!” A short while later, Pang Duo dismissed Fan Wu Xin with a wave of his hand.
Fan Wu Xin left immediately.
At this moment, Jing’er returned. It was just that she was alone. Moreover, she had a strange expression on her face.
The generally taciturn Gong Yang Xi was puzzled and asked, “Where is Elder Tan?”
She replied, “I couldn’t find Elder Tan. His residence is empty.”
“How can that be?” Pang Duo was astonished, “Have you searched the city? Is Elder Tan treating his wounds somewhere else?”
Before she could respond, they heard a rush of footsteps coming from outside. Immediately after that, a person urgently shouted, “Reporting! Golden Gorilla King is here!”
“What!?” Jin Yuan Lang shouted. He was so shocked that he jumped up from his chair, “Why is he here again!? Didn’t he come here just a few days ago!?”
Likewise, the others also looked solemn. It was as though something major was about to happen.
Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang exchanged glances with each other. They did not know who this Golden Gorilla King was that he could make the people of Abundance City react like they were about to engage a formidable enemy.
“Reporting!” Another shout entered their ears. That shout was followed by a figure landing in the City Lord’s Main Hall.
“Speak!” Mo Mei shouted with great majesty.
That person cupped his fists, “City Lord, Elder Tan forcibly opened the Grand Array barrier and fled on his own just now. At this moment, the Grand Array is not functioning and the entrance to the city is wide open!”
“Bastard!” Mo Mei leapt to her feet with a furious roar while the expression of the others also changed greatly.
This truly was a case where ‘when it rained, it poured’. Golden Gorilla King’s sudden arrival was bad enough, but they could have dealt with the situation no matter how dangerous and critical it was so long as the Grand Array remained intact. However, Tan Luo Xing had forced open the Grand Array barrier and caused problems with its operation. It was like throwing Abundance City into the fire and roasting them on a stake. If they failed to handle this matter properly, there was a high chance that Abundance City would be reduced to ashes today.
Pang Duo was stunned, “Why did Elder Tan forcibly open the Grand Array? Why did he leave?”
Qu Hua Shang said, “Are you stupid? It’s obvious that bastard surnamed Tan ran away!”
“Ran away?” He sounded like he couldn’t believe it. He was just about to ask why Tan Luo Xing would flee when he suddenly realised something.
Tan Luo Xing clearly knew that he had been exposed for slandering Yang Kai. He was afraid of being punished by the City Lord and felt too humiliated to remain in Abundance City. That was why he hurriedly fled; after all, the commotion earlier was quite large. Although nobody died, it was only because Yang Kai had held back. Nevertheless, countless people were injured as a result.
If it wasn’t for Tan Luo Xing’s slanderous words, those incidents would not have occurred. As an Elder of Abundance City, he allowed jealousy to blind him, not only causing him to repay kindness with enmity and bring shame to Abundance City, but also resulting in great losses to Abundance City. Therefore, he simply had no face to stay.
“Leave aside the matters involving Elder Tan for now. Our priority at the moment is dealing with Golden Gorilla King!” Mo Mei walked down from the City Lord’s throne. Her voice was steady and her appearance was imposing as she began issuing orders, “Since he came here, he must want a tribute. He will leave as long as we can fulfil his requirements. Elder Mu, how many offerings does Abundance City have left?”
Mu Qian Xuan replied, “There’s not much left; only four or five Monster Cores at most. Golden Gorilla King usually only comes once or twice a year, so we have enough time to hunt Monster Beasts and gather the necessary tribute. It has only been a month since he last came here though. We emptied out our inventory at the time; moreover, the team we sent out to hunt Monster Beasts has yet to return. What tributes could we possibly have?”
Despite knowing that this was a possible outcome, Mo Mei still felt her heart sinking in despair after listening to Mu Qian Xuan’s report. Without enough tribute, they could not send Golden Gorilla King away peacefully. That could mean Annihilation for Abundance City.
“City Lord, Elders, Golden Gorilla King seems to be heavily injured,” the cultivator who reported this news earlier added.
“Golden Gorilla King is injured?” A light flashed in Gong Yang Xi’s eyes and he nodded, “That explains why he came back so soon. It’s obvious he wants the tributes to treat his wounds.”
Jin Yuan Lang smiled bitterly, “But, we don’t have any offerings for him. I wonder if he will become enraged.”
Mo Mei sighed, “Regardless of the circumstances, we should go out and meet him. Let’s hope it’s a blessing, not a curse. Even if it is a curse though, it can’t be avoided. It’s best if he can retreat peacefully. Otherwise… we can only draw upon the strength of the entire city to fight him.” After saying that, she turned to look at Yang Kai and added, “Sir Yang, Abundance City has wronged you regarding the matter with Elder Tan. Once this Queen finishes dealing with Golden Gorilla King, I will discuss the finer details with you.”
Yang Kai nonchalantly replied, “Please don’t worry about that, City Lord. As you’ve said, all this was caused by Elder Tan. What happened previously was just a big misunderstanding. On the other hand, I injured many of your people and should be asking for your forgiveness, City Lord Mo. As for this Golden Gorilla King, please allow us to come along if you don’t mind.”
Mo Mei glanced at him and gently nodded with a grateful expression on her face, “Many thanks, Sir Yang.”
Yang Kai had the strength to throw Abundance City into chaos, which clearly showed that he was very powerful. He could provide extra protection if he came along. Nevertheless, Mo Mei couldn’t help feeling ashamed. Abundance City was supposed to return Yang Kai a favour but instead a huge misunderstanding had caused him to suffer. Now, even after all that, he was voluntarily offering them his assistance.
[Sir Yang not only looks very similar to Ting Yu, but he also has the same old-fashioned compassion. If Lan Ting Yu had not rescued us back then, we would not have survived this long. We would have long been eaten by Monster Beasts.]
From Yang Kai’s point of view, Abundance City was jointly established with the help of the Proprietress and Yue He, so now that it was in trouble, he could not just sit back and ignore them. Although his injuries had yet to recover fully and he could not exert his complete strength, it would not be a problem for him to bring out 80% of his maximum.
While speeding forward, Yang Kai was just about to ask about Golden Gorilla King when he suddenly heard an Earth-shaking roar coming from not far away. This sound was a beast’s howl which clearly came from a Monster Beast Moreover… it also sounded very familiar, like he had heard this roar somewhere before.
When he followed Mo Mei and the others to the Grand Array portal, Yang Kai looked out and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. [What a coincidence!]
At this moment, the barrier of Abundance City’s Grand Array had been damaged after being forcibly opened by Tan Luo Xing during his escape and could not close properly as a result. A gorilla glowing with golden light was standing in front of the wide-open portal with his hands on the ground and his head held high. He was several tens of metres tall. Not to mention, he was looking down on the crowd with a contemptuous gaze as though he was looking at a group of ants. Moreover, his expression seemed impatient.
A while ago, Yang Kai had witnessed this gorilla fighting a life-or-death battle with a wolf. Their fight had shaken the very world itself. Yang Kai previously used the gorilla and the wolf as a deterrent to escape Yin Xin Zhao and his lackeys before he later arrived at Abundance City.
When Mo Mei and the others mentioned a Golden Gorilla King, Yang Kai mistakenly assumed that they were referring to some powerful cultivator. Only now did he realise that the other party was actually a Sixth-Order Monster Beast!
Yang Kai did not know what the outcome of the fight between the gorilla and the wolf was; however, he had the feeling that the gorilla did not win. That was because Golden Gorilla King was covered in wounds and dripping with blood. It was obvious that the wolf had bitten him and torn large chunks of flesh from his body. Even the golden light covering him seemed a little dim and his aura was rather weak.
Mo Mei and the others came to a stop several hundred metres away from Golden Gorilla King, each of them wearing a solemn expression. They bowed to him before Mo Mei spoke, “Golden Gorilla King, why have you returned to Abundance City so quickly?”
Golden Gorilla King lowered his head and growled something. The meaning was unclear, but the way he behaved indicated that he understood what they were saying. It could be seen that his sentience was quite high.
Mo Mei shook her head, “We’ve handed all the tributes we gathered to you earlier. Abundance City does not have any offerings left. We are powerless to help you even if you come here!”
*Hou!*
Golden Gorilla King flew into a rage. He lowered his head and let out a fierce howl, baring his fangs at them. A violent wind blew in their direction, causing Mo Mei’s hair to fly out in the wind. Even so, she remained motionless. Her expression did not change even when she stood in front of a furious Sixth-Order Monster Beast, showing her strong spiritual cultivation.
Mo Mei continued once the noise faded, “Abundance City will support you if you wish to treat your wounds. It’s just that we don’t have what you need. Nothing will change even if you lose your temper.”
*Hou!*
Golden Gorilla King let out another furious roar. Not only did he roar louder than before, but he also ran around and smashed several houses with his fists. Afterward, he waved his enormous fist at Mo Mei and the others as though saying, ‘Are you scared?’
Many of the cultivators who had gathered around couldn’t help taking several steps back. On the other hand, Mo Mei did not move. She simply called out calmly, “You are injured right now. It’s best not to get angry so easily; otherwise, it will be harder for you to recover.”
Golden Gorilla King ignored her completely, like a child throwing a temper tantrum. He was enraged because he could not get what he wanted. Clenching his fists tightly, he punched the ground repeatedly. Violent Monster Qi spread out in all directions, causing many to look terrified.
Yang Kai quietly asked Jin Yuan Lang, who was standing next to him, “What does Golden Gorilla King want?”
Jin Yuan Lang answered with a bitter smile, “Metal Element Monster Beast Cores.”
“A Metal Element Monster Beast Core?” Yang Kai could not hide his astonishment, “Why does it have to be of the Metal Element?”
“Little Brother Yang, you might be unaware of this fact.” Pang Duo leaned over, stroking his beard absent-mindedly while watching the raging Golden Gorilla King warily. He explained, “I don’t know about the Monster Beasts in the outside world; however, I’ve heard that there are some differences with the Monster Beasts here. The Monster Beasts here can strengthen themselves and recover from their injuries by consuming the Monster Cores of Monster Beasts of the same Element as them, thereby becoming more and more powerful.”
“The Monster Beasts here grow stronger through such a method?” Yang Kai was surprised at first, but he soon understood.
It wasn’t just the Monster Beasts in this place. There were many examples of Monster Beasts fighting for Monster Cores in the outside world too. Monster Beasts cultivated very differently from Humans. Humans had Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, but Monster Beasts did not. They relied completely on their instincts. If they felt that the Monster Core of another Monster Beast would be highly beneficial to them, they would not hold back if they could obtain it.
It was just that the Monster Beast Cores in the outside world usually contained a mixture of Attributes. It was not nearly as pure and singular compared to the Monster Beast Cores in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
“That’s right. The first time Golden Gorilla King appeared outside Abundance City, it had only just advanced to become a Sixth-Order Monster Beast. After so many years of receiving tribute from us, I’m afraid it’s not far from becoming a Seventh-Order Monster Beast.” Pang Duo’s eyes looked fearful.
They were no match for an ordinary Sixth-Order Monster Beast, so what more need be said about a Sixth-Order Monster Beast at its peak like Golden Gorilla King? One should not be fooled by its seriously wounded condition. If it really came down to a fight, the few thousands of people in Abundance City would not be enough to repel him.
Yang Kai asked curiously, “How did you manage to make an agreement with Golden Gorilla King to provide him with tributes?”
Jin Yuan Lang replied with a wry smile, “It’s not something that can be helped. Abundance City would have ceased to exist a long time ago if we refused to offer tribute. However, over the years, there have been several crises that Golden Gorilla King helped defend us against. He knows that we have value, so he allows us to exist in this place. If he decides that we no longer have any value though…”
A Monster Beast’s thoughts could not be inferred from Human common sense. If they failed to bring out a satisfactory tribute this time, there was no saying what kind of consequences they might face.
Abundance City and Golden Gorilla King seemed to be dependent on each other for survival. Although Abundance City was the weaker between the two, they could provide Golden Gorilla King with a steady supply of Metal Element Monster Beast Cores. It was for that reason that Golden Gorilla King would occasionally protect Abundance City from danger.
During their brief conversation, Golden Gorilla King was becoming more and more furious by the moment. He roared continuously, blowing a foul stench in their faces.
Mo Mei shouted, “Golden Gorilla King, I’m saying this for the last time! Abundance City does not have any tributes to offer at the moment, it’s useless no matter how angry you get! Why don’t you calm your anger and focus on healing yourself instead of wasting your energy in vain?”
Golden Gorilla King turned to glare at her, his crimson eyes filled with a cruel and ferocious light. All of a sudden, he raised his palm and slammed it down fiercely.
Mo Mei shouted, “Everybody, watch out!”
While shouting, she immediately moved to block the attack. Many of Abundance City’s cultivators trembled as they quickly used their respective Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques.
The moment they attacked in unison, the World Energy churned wildly. All sorts of Divine Abilities of various attributes transformed into a frenzy of attacks that shot towards Golden Gorilla King in different forms.
Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other’s eyes.
Strictly speaking, the people in Abundance City could not be considered powerful. They were suppressed by the Principles in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and could not advance into the Open Heaven Realm. It didn’t matter whether it was Mo Mei, the Elders, or the other cultivators; the strongest among them was only Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. In essence, their strength was still within the range of the Emperor Realm.
However, these Emperor Realm Masters seemed to be different from the Emperor Realm Masters in the outside world. That was especially true for Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the other Elders. All of them had an overwhelmingly powerful and extremely pure Emperor Qi while the Divine Abilities that they could unleash were also incredibly powerful.
When Yang Kai fought Tan Luo Xing back then, he had noticed this distinction. Among those in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Yang Kai knew, even Qu Hua Shang might not be Tan Luo Xing’s opponent. It had to be said that Qu Hua Shang had condensed the Sixth-Order Element Powers while Tan Luo Xing had only condensed Fifth-Order Powers. It would now seem that Tan Luo Xing was not a unique existence. It was the same case for Mo Mei and the other Elders.
After pondering over this matter for a while, Yang Kai understood the reason for this disparity.
In the outside world, people like Mo Mei and Pang Duo would have tried to advance into the Open Heaven Realm a long time ago. If they succeeded, they would experience a massive surge in strength. Of course, if they failed to break through, they would be reduced to ashes. There was no third possibility.
Unfortunately, the people in Abundance City were suppressed by the Principles in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and could not advance any further. They had been stuck in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm for thousands of years. For that reason, they could only find other ways to increase their strength. It was only natural that their use of their Open Heaven Elements became stronger and more refined after a long period of accumulation and precipitation. Similarly, the Divine Abilities that they could unleash were also more powerful.
Yang Kai was secretly surprised. It would not be difficult for Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the others to advance into the Open Heaven Realm if they could find a suitable opportunity; after all, they had much lower chances of failure with such solid foundations.
While he was immersed in his thoughts, numerous Divine Abilities had already collided with the giant palm of Golden Gorilla King. A golden light shone brightly as sharp Metal Element Power shot out in all directions like countless sword lights.
A buzzing sound rang out endlessly and in an instant, many Abundance City cultivators collapsed to the ground with their fresh blood staining their surroundings red.
Mo Mei and the others might have stopped that giant palm for a moment with their Divine Abilities, but their efforts could not be sustained for much longer. Just as the palm was about to slam down, Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the others did not hesitate to rush forward. They frantically drew upon their power and blocked the palm from below.
*Hong…*
A golden force ran rampant and sliced through the sky. Countless small wounds appeared on everybody. Meanwhile, the figures of Mo Mei and the others staggered slightly. They were nearly pounded into the ground by Golden Gorilla King.
No matter how powerful they were, they could not exceed the limits of the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. Even if Golden Gorilla King was injured, a peak Sixth-Order Monster Beast could exert the strength on par with a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master at will. Abundance City had no way to fight back at all.
*Crack!* The sound of something breaking rang out. Jin Yuan Lang’s legs had been twisted and broken. Despite being in intense pain though, he grit his teeth and persevered without letting out a single sound.
When Yang Kai saw that, he knew he could not stand by any longer. If he continued to just watch without doing anything, there was no telling how many people would die in this place today. He rushed forward and raised his hand, summoning the Azure Dragon Spear. In the next moment, the spear stabbed towards Golden Gorilla King like a Dragon going out to sea.
Golden Gorilla King turned to look in this direction and while baring his fangs, he raised his other hand that was covered in dense Metal Element Power and grabbed at Yang Kai.
“Sir Yang, be careful!” Mo Mei shouted. The words had only just left her mouth when she saw him vanishing out of sight after he was caught squarely in the middle of the Golden Gorilla King’s palm.
[This…] Pang Duo and the others looked speechless. They originally thought that Yang Kai had extraordinary strength since he could cause such a huge commotion in Abundance City. Who could have known that he would be so vulnerable?
That thought had only just come to mind when they heard the Golden Gorilla King crying out in surprise. Immediately following that, fresh blood spurted out like a hurricane from his tightly clenched hand. A figure holding a spear shot out from within, spinning like a top that directly drilled a hole through the giant palm. The spear kept going, heading towards the Golden Gorilla King’s head.
Yang Kai’s hair was dishevelled. Covered in Golden Gorilla King’s fresh blood, he shouted solemnly, “It’s best you don’t get too brazen!”
Golden Gorilla King roared furiously and drew back both hands. Completely ignoring the wound on his palm, he clasped his fists together and savagely brought them down on Yang Kai.
*Hong…* A shockwave spread out as Yang Kai’s figure was slammed into the ground like a meteor. Likewise, Golden Gorilla King’s figure was sent flying into the distance. An extra ferocious-looking wound was added to his body that was originally already covered in wounds.
With Yang Kai’s support, the pressure on Mo Mei and the others reduced significantly. They hurriedly ran over in concern and stood beside the pit when they saw Yang Kai being smashed into the ground with Pang Duo shouting out, “Little Brother Yang!”
*Shua…*
Yang Kai jumped out of the pit as his hair blew in the wind, shaking his head for a bit before stating, “I’m fine!”
Although his injuries had yet to heal, Golden Gorilla King was also severely injured. Both sides were on even ground and nobody held the advantage, a fact made obvious by the exchange of blows just now.
[He’s fine even after taking that!?] Pang Duo and the others were completely stunned. They couldn’t believe that anybody could survive after being smashed into the ground by Golden Gorilla King. They all thought that Yang Kai would definitely die from that attack.
“Pu!” Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood and stabbed the Azure Dragon Spear into the ground. He glared fiercely at Golden Gorilla King, who was also getting back up, and grinned savagely, “Do you think you can do whatever you please just because you’re bigger? Today, I’ll show you just what it means to be big!”
With a guttural roar, Yang Kai shouted, “Dragon Transformation!”
A high-pitched Dragon Roar exploded from his mouth, echoing across the sky. An enormous Golden Dragon appeared behind Yang Kai’s back, looking extremely life-like. The Dragon Eyes were filled with a majesty that stood above all other living beings.
The Golden Dragon phantom plunged into his body and vanished out of sight in the next instant before a crackling sound rang out. Under everybody’s stunned gazes, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly swelled and transformed into a 500 metre tall Half-Dragon in the blink of an eye.
With the continued development of his Golden Divine Dragon’s Source and the purification of his Dragon Vein, Yang Kai was starting to gain better control over his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. His current 500 metre form should be enough to crush Golden Gorilla King, who was only several dozen metres tall, and if that wasn’t enough, he could always transform into a behemoth more than 3,000 metres tall!
Yang Kai’s entire body was covered with Dragon Scales; his hands transformed into Dragon Claws; Dragon Horns grew out of his head; a Dragon Tail swished about behind his back; and a Dragon Beard flew about wildly below his jaw. He was the very picture of majesty and invincibility!
Qu Hua Shang lifted a hand to cover her red lips, staring up at him with shock in her beautiful eyes! It was her first time witnessing his transformation. She initially thought that she understood him to an extent after the life-or-death experiences they went through together. It was not until this moment that she realised something, what she saw was only the tip of the iceberg!
Inside Abundance City, thousands of people raised their heads and stared up at Yang Kai. All of them felt as insignificant as ants in front of this enormous figure. It was one thing if it was just their height, but the majesty Yang Kai radiated was what truly made them shudder. They instinctively felt the urge to bow down and worship him.
The cultivators of Abundance City were not the only ones frozen in shock. Golden Gorilla King was also stunned for a moment.
As a Monster Beast, he could sense the Dragon Pressure that Yang Kai was releasing much more acutely than Humans ever could, so his eyes narrowed slightly and he instinctively took a few steps back. However, he soon directed a furious roar at Yang Kai. It was almost as though he felt ashamed for backing away just now, so he could only strengthen his momentum through this roar.
Similarly, Yang Kai roared back at Golden Gorilla King. The Dragon Roar resounded throughout the skies, making the wind and clouds pale in comparison. Then, he took a step forward and charged at Golden Gorilla King.
Golden Gorilla King did not shrink back in fear either, rushing forward instead. The two enormous figures quickly collided with each other with a deafening explosion that shook the entire world.
*Hong hong hong…*
A series of violent explosions rang out as the two enormous figures were tangled together, fighting each other with reckless abandon. Abundance City was a mess. The city was not that large in the first place, so how could it withstand the damage caused by the battle between Yang Kai in his Half-Dragon Form and Golden Gorilla King? It didn’t take very long for half of the city to be destroyed. Countless buildings collapsed and turned into ruins.
Yang Kai could not afford to care about that at the moment though. Golden Gorilla King might be severely injured, but every attack unleashed by a peak Sixth-Order Monster Beast contained great destructive power. In his current state, Yang Kai could not defend against those attacks unless he went all out; therefore, he had no time to be distracted or worry about anything else.
Although he had an absolute advantage when it came to size, there were times when having a larger body did not necessarily guarantee a win. Golden Gorilla King’s movements were swift and agile. He would climb onto Yang Kai’s body from time to time, biting and scratching his scales and flesh with his fangs and sharp claws. As a result, Yang Kai’s back was drenched in blood and his Dragon Scales flew in all directions.
On the other hand, Yang Kai countered by grabbing Golden Gorilla King by one arm. He tightened his grip and swung his foe left to right as though he was smashing something with a large hammer.
*Hong hong hong…*
The ground shook and the mountains shuddered. Golden Gorilla King roared furiously as his body shone brightly with golden light. Yang Kai suddenly felt pain coming from his palm, as though the sharp Metal Element Power was piercing his Dragon Claws, so he couldn’t help throwing Golden Gorilla King to the side.
As soon as Golden Gorilla King landed, he raised both arms and hammered his fists against his chest with loud thuds. He was completely enraged. Reaching out his hand, he picked up a rock beside him. He leaped up high and brought the rock smashing down on Yang Kai’s head. Like a meteor falling from the skies, his power was simply astonishing.
Everybody felt nervous at the sight. The scene in front of them was practically a battle between monsters. Nobody dared to approach within a kilometre radius.
Yang Kai clenched his Dragon Claw and threw a punch, smashing the huge boulder to pieces. At the same time, he took a deep breath and his belly swelled up rapidly. A majestic Dragon Roar sounded as he opened his mouth to spew out pitch-black flames.
Fire Dragon’s Flaming Breath!
Even before he refined the Golden Crow’s True Fire, Yang Kai had been capable of using this particular Dragon Clan Secret Technique. After he refined the Golden Crow’s True Fire, this Secret Technique became considerably more powerful with the blessing of the pitch-black flames. Scarlet Star’s Poison Lady had died tragically because of this attack back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Yang Kai had burnt her alive until she became nothing more than a charred corpse
The flames raged wildly, even causing the surrounding space to warp and tear.
Golden Gorilla King could sense the power and danger of these black flames and did not dare to underestimate this attack. The golden light around his body shone brilliantly and formed a defensive shell.
When the black flames and the golden light collided, the golden light was suppressed in an instant.
While Golden Gorilla King could exert the strength of a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, and his Metal Element Power was comparable to the Sixth-Order, Yang Kai’s Golden Crow’s True Fire was a High-Rank Open Heaven Power. One was clearly superior to the other. Besides, even among the Five Elements, fire suppressed metal.
Hence, the Sixth-Order Monster Beast could only forcefully endure the burning of the Golden Crow’s True Fire and rushed out of the jet of flames. He clenched both hands together and viciously slammed them down on Yang Kai’s head.
Yang Kai staggered under that attack and stumbled backward unsteadily.
Golden Gorilla King showed no mercy. He used both hands and feet to punch and kick at Yang Kai at a high speed. The golden light around his body gathered in front of him, transforming into the shape of a spear. Following that, the golden light shot, tearing the air apart.
A huge sense of crisis filled Yang Kai’s heart, so he hurriedly activated his Dragon Shield Secret Technique to protect himself from this piercing attack.
*Kacha…*
The golden spear slammed into the Dragon Shield and immediately shattered it to pieces. However, the golden spear did not seem to lose any momentum whatsoever and continued to enlarge rapidly in Yang Kai’s field of vision. A cold sense of fear swept over him as he quickly retreated.
Yang Kai realised that he had underestimated Golden Gorilla King. A peak Sixth-Order Monster Beast was extremely powerful indeed, remaining so ferocious despite his severe injuries. What would he be like if he were fully healed? Of course, Yang Kai was also badly injured and had not fully recovered, so he was unable to exert his full strength either.
Yang Kai reached out his hand and summoned something. The Azure Dragon Spear sliced through the air and flew towards him. The moment his claws closed around the spear, it suddenly swelled and turned into a world-shattering 500 metre long weapon.
The spear stabbed forward and smashed the approaching golden spear to pieces. Still, Yang Kai felt his arms going numb as the Azure Dragon Spear nearly flew out of his grip. Fortunately, he quickly clenched his fists and drew the spear back slightly before thrusting out once more.
Golden Gorilla King appeared from behind the golden spear light, charging forward aggressively. He bared his fangs fiercely, making him seem absolutely terrifying.
*Chi…*
Blood splattered in all directions as a low roar rang out. The Azure Dragon Spear had pierced right through Golden Gorilla King’s chest and come out his back. Yang Kai pulled out the spear, causing warm blood to gush out onto the ground. Even so, Golden Gorilla King advanced forward instead of retreating. Taking advantage of the momentary opening Yang Kai showed after unleashing his attack, he threw a punch that landed squarely on Yang Kai’s chest.
Yang Kai’s giant Half-Dragon Body was sent flying backwards, landing on the ground heavily and sliding for several thousand metres before coming to a stop. Everywhere he passed, buildings collapsed into rubble.
By the time Yang Kai got back up and prepared to continue his fight with Golden Gorilla King, he was astonished to discover that his foe was nowhere to be found so he called out hastily, “Where did he go?”
Qu Hua Shang stretched out a finger and pointed in a certain direction. Yang Kai looked over and saw a golden dot fleeing desperately into the distance. Golden Gorilla King was already more than a dozen kilometres away by now. He clearly understood that nothing good would come out of the battle even if he fought on; therefore, he decided to retreat. It was a wise decision.
It was just that Yang Kai was not prepared to let Golden Gorilla King flee. He raised his spear and laughed, “Want to run now? Do you think you can!?”
Before he could take more than two steps though, Mo Mei shouted at the top of her voice, “Sir Yang, please show mercy!”
Yang Kai stopped and lowered his head to look in her direction.
Seeing that she had his attention, Mo Mei spoke in a rather sad tone, “Sir, please don’t give chase. Please spare his life.”
“Why?” Yang Kai questioned.
To which Mo Mei replied, “Golden Gorilla King might have benefited greatly from Abundance City, but it is also true that he has helped us to survive through numerous crises over the years. It can be said that he is our benefactor. This time… it might be that he is in urgent need to recuperate, which was why he acted so rashly.”
Upon hearing those words, Yang Kai couldn’t help giving a word of advice, “Save a thief from the gallows and he will help hang you in the future. City Lord Mo, please think this through.”
But Mo Mei insisted, “Sir, please spare his life.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before he released his Dragon Transformation Secret Art and he returned to his Human form. Since Mo Mei had already said so much, he couldn’t be bothered to chase after Golden Gorilla King anymore. Not to mention, Golden Gorilla King was not an opponent to be trifled with. Although Yang Kai was confident he could hunt down and kill Golden Gorilla King with his current strength, there was no denying that he would have to pay a certain price to do so.
Mo Mei thanked him while the other Elders were staring at him in shock and awe. It was the first time they had ever seen anyone fighting Golden Gorilla King on equal terms. [This guy seems to be even stronger and more aggressive than Lan Ting Yu!]
Many things had happened in Abundance City today. First, Yang Kai had caused a huge commotion, then one of the five Great Elders, Tan Luo Xing, forced open the Grand Array and escaped the city. Before the dust had settled on these shocking events, Golden Gorilla King appeared. Yang Kai and Golden Gorilla King then fought a fierce battle, which practically leveled half of Abundance City.
Looking around at the ruined buildings and wailing residents, Mo Mei couldn’t help furrowing her brow deeply.
All the Elders were injured. In particular, Jin Yuan Lang’s legs had been broken. Many others in the city had been injured as well. It could be said that Abundance City had suffered severe damage to its very foundation.
Soon, those who were not injured began to rescue those who were under Mo Mei’s command. Another group of people was sent to do emergency repairs on the Defensive Grand Array. Thus, the entire Abundance City was swept up in a flurry of activity.
Yang Kai found a quiet place and rested for a bit. After that, he came out again to check on the situation in Abundance City. He said to Mo Mei, who stood next to him, “City Lord Mo, I’m afraid you can’t stay here for much longer. You spared Golden Gorilla King’s life today, but the thoughts of Monster Beasts are very difficult to predict. It is hard to say whether he will or will not come to take revenge on the city after he recovers from his injuries. How will Abundance City protect itself at the time?”
Mo Mei sighed, “I’m aware of that. It’s just… how could it be so easy to migrate to a different place?”
Back then, they only managed to build and establish the city thanks to the help of Lan Ting Yu, the Proprietress, and a few others. They finally reached their current scale following the gradual development of the city over thousands of years. Even if they wanted to migrate elsewhere, they needed to have a safe place to act as their stronghold at the very least.
It was just that there were no such safe places in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. What’s more, Abundance City had their own enemies, such as Emerald Thunder City, which had been mentioned several times before. If Emerald Thunder City learned about what happened to Abundance City, they would not hold back. They would definitely gather an army to swallow up Abundance City, bones and all.
“Have you never considered leaving the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
Mo Mei laughed bitterly, “Why would we stay here if we could leave this place? Sir Yang, you may not be aware of this, but my ancestors were kidnapped by Blood Monster Divine Monarch and forced to live here. Blood Monster Divine Monarch was proficient in the Dao of Blood, so he placed a Blood Principles Restriction on them. This restriction is passed down from generation to generation. If the Blood Principles Restriction does not constantly receive the aura of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, we will immediately suffer a backlash and die on the spot. That is why we must first remove the restriction before we can leave this place; otherwise, we will only be walking to our deaths.”
“Blood Principles Restriction?” Yang Kai raised his brow at those words, “City Lord Mo, may I have a look?”
She looked at him in surprise, “Sir Yang, do you understand the Dao of Blood?”
Yang Kai calmly remarked, “I didn’t at first, but now I know a little bit.”
He had never touched upon the Dao of Blood in the past, but he had now comprehended several chapters of the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture that were inscribed on steles at the blood lake in order to enter its central palace. Although the final inscriptions had been fudged by Black Crow Divine Monarch, what Yang Kai learned previously was undoubtedly part of the true Blood Light Scripture.
In other words, most of the cultivators present at the time had received some exposure to the Dao of Blood and Blood Principles. It was just that everybody was the same. They only understood some of the Blood Light Scripture’s Secret Techniques, but not the actual Secret Arts.
“Please go ahead, Sir Yang!” Mo Mei did not have the attitude of a shy young maiden and instead generously stretched out her hand towards him. Yang Kai apologised for his discourtesy and placed two fingers on her wrist.
His Divine Sense surged, probing into her bloodline where he soon discovered a mysterious restriction. It was closely connected to her bloodline and could not be separated by force. Not to mention, this restriction could be passed on continuously through reproduction.
[No wonder she mentioned that Lan Ting Yu wanted to find a way to bring them out of here. It now seems that they cannot leave the Blood Monster Cave Heaven at will. Under the effects of this restriction, they have no choice but to live in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.] A short while later, Yang Kai withdrew his Qi and slowly shook his head.
She asked, “How is it?”
Yang Kai sighed, “I can sense the restriction… But, I don’t have the ability to remove it.”
Mo Mei felt slightly hopeful when she heard his first sentence, only to quickly become disappointed with his next. In the end, she laughed bitterly, “You are being too humble, Sir Yang.”
After all, he was able to force Golden Gorilla King back. That was by no means a small feat.
Yang Kai felt a slight sense of pity. He had been planning to use the Sealed World Bead to bring Mo Mei and the others out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven if they were willing. They were old acquaintances with the Proprietress. It was nothing for him to help them out while he was at it.
More importantly, he believed that the people in Abundance City were extremely rare talents! Judging from their battle with the Golden Gorilla King earlier, these Emperor Realm cultivators had a much stronger foundation than average Emperors in the outside world. That was especially true for Mo Mei and the Great Elders. They were no different from Core Disciples of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises like Qu Hua Shang and Pei Wen Xuan. Mo Mei had condensed Sixth-Order Element Powers while the rest of the Elders had condensed the Fifth-Order Elements.
Thanks to their precipitation over the years, they would surely have a greater chance of breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm compared to others if they could obtain the opportunity. If that happened, they would form a whole batch of Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
What did Void Land lack the most right now? Wasn’t there a shortage of Open Heaven Realm Masters?
Yang Kai believed that it would not be a problem for him to invite them into Void Land if he could bring them out; after all, they had lived their entire lives in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven so they had no place to go in the outside world. Void Land was just right for them.
Unfortunately, the Blood Principles Restriction that Blood Monster Divine Monarch placed upon their ancestors had crushed all his hopes. If he placed them into the Small Sealed World, they would immediately die without the nourishment from the aura of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven!
Mo Mei sighed, “This place has become more and more unstable recently. I’m afraid our fate is to live and die together with this World. Many thanks for your kindness though, Sir Yang.”
The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was showing signs of collapse. That was something Yang Kai also knew. The most obvious manifestation of this phenomenon was the continuous increase in the number of entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven whenever the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened. That was a sign that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was merging with the Blood Monster Territory. If these signs were appearing in the outside world, then there was bound to be more obvious signs inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It would be particularly obvious to Mo Mei and the others who lived here.
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment, “City Lord Mo, you don’t need to abandon all hope just yet. I know somebody who can lift the Blood Principles Restriction in your bodies.”
“Who?” Mo Mei asked in pleasant surprise.
He grimaced, “A guy named Black Crow Divine Monarch.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch had stolen the Dao of Blood inheritance left behind by Blood Monster Divine Monarch and cultivated the complete version of the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture. It would be a simple matter if he were willing to lend a hand to help remove the Blood Principles Restriction. The main issue was that Black Crow Divine Monarch was wicked by nature. Moreover, he had a deep grudge against Yang Kai. It could be considered a miracle if they neither fought nor tried to kill each other when they encountered each other next, so how could Yang Kai convince him to help?
“Black Crow Divine Monarch?” Mo Mei looked astonished. Although she lived her entire life in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, even she knew what the title ‘Divine Monarch’ signified. Only a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was worthy of taking such a title. Why would a person standing so far above them be willing to help them remove the Blood Principles Restriction for no reason?
“Black Crow Divine Monarch is currently inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If I encounter him by chance, I will ask him to help. It’s just that there are some… misunderstandings between us, so I cannot guarantee whether he will agree. I can only say that I will do my best.”
Mo Mei bowed and exclaimed gratefully, “Many thanks, Sir Yang.”
Yang Kai raised a hand to stop her, “It’s not a big deal. Abundance City has deep ties with Madam Lan. Since that’s the case, it also relates to me. I can’t just sit back and watch now that I’ve met you. City Lord Mo, you should arrange for your subordinates to patch up the Grand Array. I cannot stay in this place for long, so I’ll be leaving soon.”
Mo Mei nodded and hurriedly relayed the order to her people.
It took three days and three nights for the repairs to Abundance City’s Grand Array to be completed. Nevertheless, the ruined buildings in the city caused by the battle between Yang Kai and Golden Gorilla King also needed to be repaired. In addition, the countless wounded needed time to recuperate from their injuries. The events over the past few days had severely damaged Abundance City’s foundation so it would take a long time to recover completely.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang took a good rest for a few days.
Three days later, the two of them took their leave. Mo Mei and the others did not stop them from departing as they knew that Outer World visitors like Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang had entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven to search for their own respective opportunities. It was impossible for these two to remain in Abundance City as once the time limit was up, they would be forced to leave even if they didn’t want to.
The Grand Array was reactivated, and with Mo Mei in the lead, many of the Elders and Deacons of Abundance City saw Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang off from afar. Thus, Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang exited the Grand Array. When they looked back, all they saw was a sparkling lake behind them. Who could have known that a city was hidden behind such a calm scenery?
“Let’s go.” Yang Kai called out.
Qu Hua Shang asked, “Junior Brother, where are we heading?”
“The depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.” He took out a jade slip and checked the contents briefly. Blood Monster Divine Monarch had left behind two main inheritances. Even though the Dao of Blood inheritance had been stolen by Black Crow Divine Monarch, there was still the Beast Taming inheritance. Yang Kai did not know where it was concealed, but the rumours claimed that the Blood Monster Divine Palace was located in the deepest depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. The reason Yang Kai even entered this place was to search for High-Rank Metal and Yin Element materials. Who could say? The Blood Monster Divine Palace might contain exactly what he needed.
Yang Kai was secretly looking forward to it. It would also be very interesting if he encountered Yin Xin Zhao again. The last time they met, Yang Kai had been forced to flee desperately, which was a huge humiliation. Now that he had recovered his strength, he would surely teach Yin Xin Zhao a lesson on showing proper respect.
The pair travelled forward for several consecutive days but did not come across anybody at all. They barely even encountered any Monster Beasts, much less any Spirit Flowers or Exotic Herbs.
Yang Kai knew that the series of encounters he experienced previously and the delay in Abundance City had caused him to be much slower than the others, so all the good stuff along the road ahead would surely have been taken.
Be that as it may, this did not bother Yang Kai. There were a lot of good things in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, but not many interested him; after all, it was practically impossible for anybody else in the Emperor Realm to be wealthier than him.
They continued onward for another half a day when all of a sudden, they halted in their tracks and stood atop a small hill to study the battlefield in front of them.
A huge battle had probably taken place here and there were still strong energy fluctuations lingering everywhere. The ground was also littered with damaged artifacts. A dozen or so corpses lay haphazardly on the ground, each one shrivelled up terribly, as though something had drained all the essence out of their bodies. Moreover, these corpses retained expressions of horror on their faces from just before they died.
Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang exchanged a glance with each other and blurted out in unison, “Black Crow Divine Monarch!”
These people had clearly died from having their vitality drained by the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture. Such obvious signs clearly indicated that Black Crow Divine Monarch had attacked this place.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s strength could be said to be invincible in this place. Even if Yang Kai went all out, he would not be a match for Black Crow Divine Monarch. This old dog had the heritage of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master after all. Now that he had possessed a body and revived himself, Emperor Realm Juniors were as insignificant as ants in front of him.
Fortunately, Yang Kai knew the old fart’s weakness. Black Crow Divine Monarch’s damaged Soul was a critical flaw. Yang Kai had nothing to fear even if he met Black Crow Divine Monarch again. It was just that he did not know how to ask Black Crow Divine Monarch to help remove the Blood Principles Restriction from the bodies of the people in Abundance City. It was extremely troubling.
Based on the appearance of these corpses, they had been dead for a few days. All of their Space Rings were nowhere to be seen, but Yang Kai could not tell whether Black Crow Divine Monarch had taken them or the people who passed by later had looted them.
If he had not come across Abundance City, Yang Kai would have taken a detour lest he run into Black Crow Divine Monarch again. However, he had promised Mo Mei that he would do his best to ask Black Crow Divine Monarch to help remove the Blood Principles Restriction in their bodies. As such, he could not avoid Black Crow Divine Monarch.
The pair continued to track Black Crow Divine Monarch’s progress. Along the way, they would occasionally come across some shrivelled corpses. It was not just the corpses of cultivators but also the corpses of Monster Beasts. All of them had died from having their vitality drained by the Blood Light Scripture.
Judging by Black Crow Divine Monarch’s path, he seemed to be heading into the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
This discovery shocked Yang Kai. It was rumoured that the Blood Monster Divine Palace was hidden at the core of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven where nobody had ever been before. All Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s inheritances were preserved inside, waiting for the lucky person to discover them. It was just that the rumours had remained as nothing more than rumours after so many years. Nobody had ever confirmed the rumours because nobody had ever arrived at the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven or found the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
Even so, the current situation seemed to indicate that there was a high possibility the Blood Monster Divine Palace truly existed!
If one were to say who had the greatest understanding of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, it would not be Yang Kai or the Proprietress. Rather, it would be Black Crow Divine Monarch! Although he had been sealed away by Blood Monster Divine Monarch for countless years, he had obtained Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance. How could he not have some understanding of the secrets in this place?
If he was heading in this direction, then it could only mean that there was something in this direction that was attracting him! The only thing that could move a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master could only be the inheritance of another High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
After figuring out this point, Yang Kai increased his speed and pursued Black Crow Divine Monarch. They continued forward for a while before he suddenly halted. Qu Hua Shang followed suit and stopped to look at him, “What’s wrong, Junior Brother?”
Yang Kai turned to look in a certain direction, “There are sounds of battle…” He paused for a moment and added, “It’s heading our way.”
When he spread out his Divine Sense, he could detect the sounds of battle coming from a certain direction. The other party probably detected him through their perception as a result and immediately rushed towards him. He did not know whether the other party intended to seek help or foist the enemy off on them instead!
He initially planned to ignore the other party, but before he could leave, he noticed something and exclaimed in surprise. Following that, he pushed his Divine Sense strongly and probed the situation in that direction. A short while later, he became overjoyed and called out, “Senior Sister, follow me!”
While saying so, he immediately rushed to meet the other party. Qu Hua Shang did not know why he was so elated, but she did not question him.
It didn’t take long before two figures that were fleeing desperately appeared in their field of vision. It was a man and a woman; moreover, this man and woman were being pursued closely by six others. They unleashed a continuous barrage of Secret Techniques and the power of artifacts, blasting those two fleeing figures until they became increasingly desperate.
A dazzlingly bright light burst out. It was a killing move summoned by one of the pursuers that shot straight at the backs of the fleeing duo. The woman seemed to perceive that danger and hurriedly turned around to mount a defence. On the other hand, the man focused on escaping and ignored what was happening behind him.
The longsword in the woman’s hand slashed downward and a sword light flashed out, colliding with the attack coming from behind. Following the commotion, the woman’s body flew into the air like a paper kite. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood in mid-air and her complexion turned as pale as a sheet.
The woman seemed to have suffered heavy injuries previously; therefore, this attack only made her condition worsen. The other man looked back in horror and a trace of struggle and hesitation flashed through his eyes before he fled without pause.
“Shameless!” Qu Hua Shang cursed upon witnessing this scene. The person she cursed was not the group of people attacking, but the man running at the forefront.
This fleeing pair were clearly companions. They were either lovers or Senior Brother and Junior Sister. Now that they were in danger, only the woman had turned around to defend against the attacks and was injured as a result. On the contrary, the man not only did not turn around to help but ran even faster instead. It was the height of despicableness.
His actions even made him seem like he wanted the woman to buy more time for him to escape. In their current state, he might not be able to escape his pursuers even if he turned around to help his companion. There was a chance that she might survive if he had done that; however, there was no doubt that she would die now that he had abandoned her.
Qu Hua Shang was also a woman. It could have been her in that situation. How tragic would that have been? Then, she thought back to what Yang Kai had done so far. No matter what kind of situation they were in, or how badly they were injured, he had never abandoned her. Be that as it may, they could not be said to have a close relationship with each other. They had only met once or twice before after all.
Comparing these two men, their characters were as different as night and day. She had not thought much about this before, but now that she made a comparison, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of warmth and sweetness in her heart.
Likewise, Yang Kai was also enraged. The pursuers were about to attack once more, but the woman was powerless to defend herself. Seeing that, he rushed forward and appeared in front of her while throwing out a punch at the same time. Space Principles flared and the Void shattered!
The expressions of the pursuers changed greatly. They hurriedly took action to defend themselves as one of them shouted, “Who!?”
There was a series of rumblings and when the dust settled, the pursuers were dishevelled and their complexions had gone pale. All of them looked in Yang Kai’s direction with fear in their eyes.
Yang Kai stared back at them coldly as he asked, “Ruo Xi, are you alright?”
The woman originally thought that she could not escape death today, but who could have known that a reliable figure would appear in front of her and block the barrage of attacks for her at a critical moment? She looked up, thinking that the back looked strangely familiar. When she heard his voice, her beautiful eyes widened in surprise as she asked in a trembling voice, “Sir?”
She nearly thought that she was dreaming! Ever since departing from the Star Boundary and heading out into the Outer Universe together, they had not heard anything from each other after they were devoured by a Myriad Facets Insect. She had tried to search for him, but the 3,000 Worlds were simply too vast. There were as many Great Territories as hairs on an ox. Moreover, each Great Territory was large and boundless. Trying to find a person in the 3,000 Worlds was harder than trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Throughout her journey, she continued her search and experienced all sorts of hardships. She finally arrived at Lang Ya Paradise. Following the legacy of her ancestor, she joined Lang Ya Paradise and became one of its disciples.
When she heard that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was about to open, she struggled desperately to obtain a place among the participants. With Yang Kai’s abilities and heritage, she believed that he would definitely enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. In that case, she only needed to search for him inside. It would be much easier than her search in the past.
Unfortunately, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was filled with dangers at every corner. She coincidentally met up with a Senior Brother, so they decided to travel together. Who could have known that they would encounter trouble and be hunted down by others? Just as she was about to die, Yang Kai miraculously appeared in front of her.
She had the sudden impulse to burst into tears. She had been able to endure all the hardships and tribulations on her own before she saw him. Her expression never changed even with a blade held to her neck; however, she reacted like a child who finally found support after suffering grievances outside the moment she saw him.
Yang Kai never expected to encounter Zhang Ruo Xi here either, much less that their reunion after so many years would be under such circumstances.
Back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had tried to ask Gu Pan from Lang Ya Paradise about her. It was a pity that Gu Pan claimed that she had never heard the name ‘Zhang Ruo Xi’ before. Yang Kai figured that there were two possibilities. One was that Zhang Ruo Xi had not gone to Lang Ya Paradise. The other was that Gu Pan had not met her. There were at least hundreds of thousands of people in Lang Ya Paradise’s Main Sect, so it was impossible for Gu Pan to know all of its disciples.
During their conversation, Qu Hua Shang landed next to Yang Kai and crouched beside Zhang Ruo Xi. She stretched out her hand to support her and asked in concern, “Junior Sister, are you alright?”
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head slowly and whispered, “I’m fine.”
Then, she abruptly opened her mouth and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Qu Hua Shang’s expression changed slightly. How could she not know that this woman’s injuries were very severe? She quickly took out some healing pills and fed them to Zhang Ruo Xi.
“Senior Sister Qu, please take care of my friend,” Yang Kai’s voice was low and grim. It was a tone she had never heard from him before. Although he sounded calm, she could sense the hidden rage rampaging beneath that tranquillity.
“Rest assured,” Qu Hua Shang carried Zhang Ruo Xi and moved to a spot in the distance.
The pursuers frowned deeply at the sight and the young man in the lead spoke with a dark expression, “Who are you? Please don’t interfere in the matters of Heavenly Sword Union.”
“Am I supposed to just stand back and watch as you try to kill my friend?” Yang Kai glanced at the young man coldly.
The young man frowned slightly. After briefly considering the situation, he cupped his fist, “In that case, I will take my leave now.”
After saying that, he turned to leave. He seemed to have realised that Yang Kai was strong after the exchange of blows just now, so he did not wish to start a fight so easily.
Yang Kai shouted, “Did you think you could just leave after hurting others? Do you think something so simple exists?”
Who could have known that the young man was actually only pretending to leave? His real purpose was to distract Yang Kai. The words had only left Yang Kai’s mouth when he suddenly shouted, “Die!”
*Xiu…*
The ground beneath Yang Kai shuddered and a green vine shot out without any prior warning. The vine was like a snake that wrapped around Yang Kai so tightly that he resembled a dumpling. That was not all. The vine was covered in incredibly sharp thorns that stabbed into his skin and released a powerful poison.
He never intended to retreat in the first place. The fact that he had tried to kill Zhang Ruo Xi and the other man could not be leaked out to the world; otherwise, he would be in huge trouble even if he managed to walk out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven alive. Heavenly Sword Union could be considered among the top Second-Class great forces with a number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters assuming command. Nevertheless, it was vastly inferior compared to Lang Ya Paradise. That was because Lang Ya Paradise had High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Blinded by wealth just now, he had planned to kill and rob Zhang Ruo Xi and the other Lang Ya Paradise disciple when he saw that they were not very powerful. Who could have known that they would encounter Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang here?
When he saw Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang, he immediately decided to silence all witnesses to his crimes. If word about this incident were to spread, forget about Lang Ya Paradise’s reaction, Heavenly Sword Union would be the first to capture him and offer his head up as an apology.
The only way to ensure his safety was to kill them all!
At the same time the green vine shot out of the ground, he charged towards Yang Kai. His sword flashed briefly and slashed towards Yang Kai’s neck. The others also quickly unleashed their killing moves. Every one of those attacks was extraordinarily powerful and they seemed intent on killing Yang Kai on the spot.
“How dare dead men like you come out to cause trouble!?” Yang Kai roared. With a whooshing sound, Golden Crow’s True Fire covered his entire body and began burning down everything around him. The vine curled around his body was an extraordinary treasure; nevertheless, it was powerless before the raging Golden Crow’s True Fire. Twitching like a living thing, it hurriedly shrank back and tried to plunge into the ground again.
Yang Kai grinned madly, reached out a hand, and caught the vine, all the while ignoring the thorns that dug into his flesh and secreted poison which was making him slightly dizzy.
With his Dragon Clan heritage, Yang Kai had incredibly strong resistance to poison. Most poisons were completely ineffective against him, but this vine managed to affect him slightly. It could be seen how powerful the poison was. Even if ordinary cultivators did not die from the effects of this poison, they would lose most of their combat power once afflicted with it. The realization struck Yang Kai suddenly. [No wonder the auras of Zhang Ruo Xi and that fleeing man seem so weak. It looks like they have been poisoned by the vine.]
Yang Kai held the vine in his grip, and under the heat of the Golden Crow’s True Fire, it kept twisting and struggling about. He then flicked the vine as though he was wielding a whip and sent it lashing towards the attackers.
Their expressions changed drastically. They never imagined that this man could break free so quickly; after all, they had used this very trick to kill many people before. Many of those victims had even been stronger than them.
Before they could understand what was going on, the vine sent them flying backwards. Every one of them coughed up blood in mid-air. They looked terrified when they hit the ground.
If Yang Kai had unleashed World Force, they would have understood why they were defeated in one move; however, the aura radiating from him was still within the bounds of the Emperor Realm…
[How can an Emperor Realm cultivator be this powerful!? We are not his opponents at all!]
“Retreat!” The young man in the lead shouted as they desperately performed their Secret Techniques to escape from this place. At this point, they did not care whether or not they would be exposed for trying to kill Lang Ya Paradise disciples. Survival was their top priority.
“Solidify!” Yang Kai shouted as he pushed his Space Principles and the surrounding space instantly transformed into a cage. Those people felt the space around them becoming viscous, like they had fallen into a quagmire and could not move.
They turned around and looked at Yang Kai in horror only to see him walking towards them with a wooden expression. He arrived at the closest person, glanced down at them, and casually threw a punch. That person’s head exploded open like a smashed watermelon, with brain matter and blood splattering everywhere.
Then, he walked over to the next person, glanced down at them, and threw another punch. Next came the third, followed by the fourth…
In the blink of an eye, only the young man leading the pursuers remained alive, trembling from head to toe. Although he was desperately trying to summon his strength, he discovered that his Emperor Qi was not flowing smoothly. Forget fighting back, even moving a finger was an extremely difficult task.
He watched helplessly as Yang Kai walked over to him. The fear in his heart overflowed from his eyes. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown as he screamed, “Don’t kill me!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you,” Yang Kai looked at the young man calmly.
The young man could barely believe his ears, “Really?”
On the other hand, Yang Kai said nothing. With a flick of the vine, he wrapped the young man up in it.
The young man, who was now wrapped up like a dumpling, asked in a horrified voice, “What are you doing?”
Yang Kai slowly crouched beside the young man and lowered his head to look at him. Then, he picked up the young man’s right arm and gave a powerful squeeze.
*Kacha…* The sound of bones breaking rang out. The young man screamed in agony, but before his scream ended, the sound of bones breaking rang out again, raising his screams by a whole octave.
*Kacha cha…*
Yang Kai slowly and methodically made his way up. In the blink of an eye, he broke the young man’s right arm into seven or eight sections. It would have been one thing if only the bones had been broken, but the key point was that the meridians along the young man’s arm had been destroyed completely as well.