The Proprietress looked at Yang Kai strangely, “Forget about Lang Ya Paradise for now. Tell me what happened with Yin-Yang Cave Heaven first.”
“Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?” Yang Kai immediately thought of Qu Hua Shang when he heard the name, hoping she was safe as well.
As such, he subconsciously asked, “What happened with Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?”
The Proprietress gritted her teeth slightly as she snapped, “I’m amazed that you have the cheek to ask me! A representative came to me to propose marriage! They are asking you to marry into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
“Propose marriage? Marrying into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened in surprise, “Y-you are joking, right!?”
The people surrounding them also turned to look at Yang Kai in astonishment. Yue He’s expression was resentful as she bit her scarlet lip lightly, looking like a wife who had been thoughtlessly abandoned.
“Hah…” The Proprietress gave a short humourless snort, “I thought they were joking at first, but they’re not. They even handed me a list of dowry gifts. Would you like to take a look?”
Yang Kai was oozing sweat like a waterfall as he shook his head, “No need. I’m afraid there must be some sort of misunderstanding somewhere!”
The Proprietress gave him a savage look, almost as though she was going to slowly shave off several pounds of flesh from his body, “It’s not a misunderstanding if Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is proposing marriage. I heard that you were very close with Qu Hua Shang in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
[You even know about that!?] Yang Kai was tempted to ask just which loud-mouthed person had told her this information. Be that as it may, this was not something that could be hidden anyway. Many people had seen him travelling with Qu Hua Shang before they arrived at the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
As such, Yang Kai solemnly answered the question, “Senior Sister Qu offered me great assistance in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. I would have been killed if not for her.”
“What happened?” The Proprietress’ eyes narrowed at those words and a chill began lingering around her. She only heard that Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang had travelled together inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and that their relationship looked very intimate, but she was ignorant of everything else. She had no information about how the two of them had supported each other in the face of several deadly crises.
In response, Yang Kai waved his hand to push the matter aside and simply said, “In any case, I owe a life-saving grace to Senior Sister Qu.”
He was reluctant to elaborate on this matter, not because he was afraid of causing further misunderstanding, but mainly because the person trying to kill him at the time was Yin Xin Zhao from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
The supporter behind First Inn was a Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. If the Proprietress learned about this matter, she would certainly stand up for him, but it would not benefit her if she burned her bridges with Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
She had protected him for so many years, so how could Yang Kai possibly cause trouble for her? As for the grudge of being hunted by Yin Xin Zhao back then, he would exact his own revenge one day!
The Proprietress gave Yang Kai a deep look before finally sighing, “It’s not that I want to speak badly of somebody behind their back. I also know the Qu Hua Shang girl. She is a good person, but she is also a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. It might even be possible for her to inherit the position of Sect Master one day. It’s not a good thing for you if she falls in love with you.”
“Rest assured, Proprietress. I will handle this matter myself.”
She sighed again and said, “In that case, you better take good care of yourself. We’re done here. It’s time for us to head back.”
As for those people who had not been found so far… Even if something bad had happened to them, it was the result of their own choices. On the other hand, if they survived, they would naturally find a way to return to First Inn in Thousand Birds Territory or Void Land; therefore, there was no point in lingering here further.
The ship quickly turned around and headed towards one of the Blood Monster Territory’s Territory Gates.
Inside his room, Yang Kai took a bath and changed into a set of clean clothes. These simple actions immediately refreshed him. Then, he checked his harvest from this trip and smiled brightly.
Strictly speaking, he did not gain many things from this trip, at least nothing compared to his harvest from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Even so, he was very satisfied. The main reason was that he had obtained a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core! This was what he needed the most right now.
However, he was in no hurry to refine the Monster Core. Refining a Seventh-Order Monster Core would definitely take some time, so he had to wait until he returned to cultivate in retreat.
Aside from the Seventh-Order Monster Core, his largest harvest was the 5 Innate Open Heaven Pills formed in the Universe Furnace! These were treasures that would make anybody jealous.
[I should give one of these to Proprietress later. It might allow her to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!] If the Proprietress could advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, then her status and strength would be greatly improved. It would give her the capital to speak even if she stood up against Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
In addition, Yang Kai had high hopes for the cultivators from Abundance City. From the City Lord Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the other Great Elders, down to Deacon Fan Wu Xin and the many ordinary residents, many of them had remained in the Emperor Realm for centuries, constantly improving themselves. In his eyes, they were all seeds that could sprout into Open Heaven Realm Masters. As long as the Blood Principles Restriction in their bodies were removed, they could advance into the Open Heaven Realm at any time! At that point, Void Land’s heritage would soar!
Yang Kai himself had been targeted by various major Cave-Heavens and Paradises, so a strong sense of crisis now existed in the depths of his heart. Unfortunately, he himself had no means of advancing into the Open Heaven Realm any time soon. So, he could only think of other ways to increase the strength of Void Land. Otherwise, how would Void Land fight back if a powerful enemy were to attack one day?
The Seventh-Order Monster Core, the Innate Open Heaven Pills, and the cultivators of Abundance City; these were Yang Kai’s greatest harvests during this trip. The partial method of cultivating Monster Beasts, the Alchemy Furnace, and the various pills obtained in the Blood Monster Divine Palace, and even the fragments of the Blood Light Scripture were only incidental gains. There was no comparison with the former gains that he obtained.
Naturally, there was also his Wood Element Divine Ability. Yang Kai had to take some time to properly comprehend the Divine Ability. At the time, the aura of the Divine Ability had burst out without any warning and came out of him directly. Hence, he himself was not clear how that Divine Ability worked. It was only natural that he had to understand his own methods; otherwise, how would he activate them again when he faced an enemy next time?
[That’s right! Mo Mei and the others are acquainted with the Proprietress. It’s time for me to let them meet.] Yang Kai had not had the time to tell the Proprietress about Abundance City in detail. After considering this, he immediately entered the Small Sealed World. When he swept his Divine Sense over his surroundings, he couldn’t help revealing a look of surprise.
He collected plenty of Spirit Provinces into the Small Sealed World back in the Blood Monster Territory but only the Spirit Province with Abundance City on it had received special treatment. Yang Kai used his authority as Master of the Small Sealed World to seal and contain the World Force of the Spirit Province. On the other hand, he had not bothered to do anything to the other Spirit Provinces. For that reason, the World Force contained in those Spirit Provinces had already begun to merge with the Small Sealed World.
At this moment, the World Force in the Small Sealed World was many times denser than before. As the Master of the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai could feel this difference very clearly.
He secretly sighed to himself. [Truly worthy of the Universe Cave Heaven left behind by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. All I did was collect some broken fragments, but the Small Sealed World experienced such a huge leap in growth as a result. What will become of the Small Sealed World if I devoured the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven?]
What’s more, the fusion of the World Force would not be completed after just a few short days. The World Force in the Small Sealed World would only become richer and richer with the passage of time. The benefits enjoyed by the Small Sealed World were also extremely beneficial to him! If the idea he concocted in his head could be completed, then his strength would surely be greatly enhanced in a short period of time.
Focusing himself, Yang Kai came to Abundance City with a flicker.
This place had been sealed by him. Consequently, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven aura had been preserved and the people of Abundance City remained safe.
Mo Mei and the others were gathered in one place, so they quickly came over to welcome Yang Kai when they noticed his arrival. After greeting each other, Yang Kai said, “Everyone, I came here to help you remove the Blood Principles Restriction. After that, I’m going to bring you to meet some old friends.”
“Old friends?” Mo Mei was astonished, but she quickly understood the situation, “Is it Big Sister Lan?”
“Exactly!” Yang Kai nodded, “My independent world is incomplete and cannot accommodate Open Heaven Realm Masters, so the Proprietress cannot enter this place. In that case, I can only bring you out to meet her instead.”
Mo Mei revealed a look of pleasant surprise and nodded repeatedly, “Good. I haven’t seen Big Sister Lan for many years. I wonder how she is now.”
He smiled, “You’ll know when you see her, City Lord Mo.”
Yang Kai immediately began using the Secret Technique without further ado. Thanks to his previous experience, it was not difficult for him. It was just that every time he cast the Secret Technique, some of his blood would be consumed in the process.
Numerous seals shot out and entered Mo Mei and the others’ foreheads. Closing their eyes, they perceived their conditions and soon Mo Mei said with a look of pleasant surprise, “Although there is no proof, it feels like something in my body has been freed and I feel more relaxed. I think the Blood Principles Restriction no longer exists.”
Pang Duo, Jin Yuan Lang, and the others also nodded in agreement.
“We’ll know whether the restriction has been lifted after we test it out!” Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged and wrapped around them. Then, he slipped out of the Small Sealed World. By the time Mo Mei and the others realised what had happened, they were already standing in a room.
Yang Kai watched them nervously. Although he was fairly certain that they would not suffer any backlash from the Blood Principles Restriction, there was always a possibility. Under his careful watch, he saw that they were in perfectly fine condition. Thus, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. [Hei Ya might have been despicable, but he at least did not deceive me in this matter.]
“Where is Big Sister Lan?” Mo Mei turned to look around but did not see the Proprietress.
Yang Kai beckoned to them and said, “Come with me.”
Leading them out of the room, he came to another room on the top deck of the ship and gently knocked on the door
The Proprietress’ voice soon called out, “Enter.”
Yang Kai opened the door to see the Proprietress and Yue He sitting opposite each other at the table. They seemed to be discussing something, but their expressions stiffened in surprise when they looked up.
In the next moment, the Proprietress slowly got to her feet. She stared at the people behind Yang Kai in shock, her beautiful eyes trembling slightly. Meanwhile, Yue He couldn’t stop herself from covering her red lips with her hands as she asked in a trembling voice, “Mo Mei?”
Even though so many years had passed, the memories they had of each other had not faded. Both Yue He and the Proprietress had recognised Mo Mei and the others as soon as they appeared.
Mo Mei’s eyes reddened. She walked forward and gave an elegant bow, “Big Sister Lan, Big Sister Yue He, we finally meet again after so many years! Have you been well?”
The Proprietress reached out to lift Mo Mei up, her cherry lips moving as though she wanted to speak, but she couldn’t bring herself to in the end. Her eyes reddened too.
Pang Duo and the others cupped their fists, “Greetings, Senior Sister Lan, Senior Sister Yue He.”
Yue He murmured in a daze, “You… Why are you here? What about the Blood Principles Restriction planted by Blood Monster Divine Monarch in your bodies?”
Mo Mei wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and explained, “It’s all thanks to Sir Yang. He removed the restriction on us. That’s how we broke free of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s shackles to appear here.”
The Proprietress looked at Yang Kai in astonishment, “You can remove the Blood Principles Restriction from their bodies?”
Yang Kai replied, “Black Crow Divine Monarch obtained Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance. I made a deal with him previously and received the necessary Secret Technique from him in exchange.”
A look of realisation appeared on her face, and she nodded at him. The truth was that she had never forgotten the people in Abundance City even though so many years had passed. After all, Lan Ting Yu had made a promise to them when he was still alive. Following his death, the Proprietress had wanted to fulfil this promise and thought about sending somebody into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven to help bring the people from Abundance City out.
Unfortunately, bringing them out without removing the Blood Principles Restriction was equivalent to sending them to their deaths. Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Blood Principles Restriction was also extremely difficult to remove; hence, she was strong in will but weak in strength. She never imagined that her wish would be fulfilled by Yang Kai at this moment.
Yang Kai was certain that they had a lot to say to each other; after all, it had been centuries since they last met each other. Besides, Mo Mei would surely want to ask about Lan Ting Yu; therefore, he did not stay for long after bringing Mo Mei and the others to the room. Yang Kai quickly left them there and returned to his room alone.
Returning to the Star City in Thousand Bird Territory from the Blood Monster Territory would take a long time, but Yang Kai did not want to remain idle. His top priority was to completely remove the Blood Principles Restriction from all the people in Abundance City. He might have sealed the Spirit Province containing Abundance City to prevent its World Force from dissipating, but he could not guarantee how long this solution would last. If he failed to free all the people in Abundance City before time ran out, they would be met with a gruesome death.
For that reason, Yang Kai remained inside the Small Sealed World over the next few days and constantly performed the Blood Secret Technique, consuming copious amounts of blood during this process. It was fortunate that his healing abilities were extraordinary; otherwise, he would not have been able to persevere for so long.
There were many people in Abundance City; therefore, Yang Kai decided to temporarily house them inside the Small Sealed World until he arrived at a safe place and could figure out his next course of action.
Four or five days later, Yang Kai was busy working in the Small Sealed World when he suddenly sensed somebody knocking on his door in the outside world. He asked the Abundance City cultivators who were waiting in line to wait for him, then returned to his room with a flash. Pushing the room door open, he saw Mo Mei and the others standing outside the door.
“Sir Yang!” Mo Mei bowed elegantly. Pang Duo and the others also cupped their fists in greeting.
“City Lord Mo, Elders, please come in!” Yang Kai did not know the reason they came to him, but he stepped to the side and invited them inside to talk. After they took their seats, he served them tea and finally asked, “Is there something you need from me?”
Mo Mei explained, “We came here to thank you, Sir Yang. Those of us who were born in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven lived our entire lives there. We have never left that place in our lives, and had very faint hope we ever would. It’s all thanks to your life saving grace that we can finally break free from the shackles of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and be released from the Blood Principles Restriction inherited from our Ancestors. We finally obtained our freedom.”
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “You’re too polite, City Lord Mo. This was a simple matter for me.”
If not for the jade slip he received from Black Crow Divine Monarch, it would have been impossible for him to bring them out. But, with the Secret Technique recorded within the jade slip, this matter was truly not an issue for Yang Kai. All it cost him was some blood and some time.
Mo Mei shook her head sternly, “It might be a simple matter to you, Sir Yang; however, what you did amounts to a life-saving grace for all of us in Abundance City. Such great kindness is not something Abundance City can ever hope to repay. Even… Even now, this Mistress has a request.”
“City Lord Mo, please speak freely. I will not refuse as long as it is within my means to help.” He looked her straight in the eyes.
Hesitating for a moment, she began to speak, “It’s like this, Sir Yang. I heard from Big Sister Lan that you have a Spirit Province called Void Land in the 3,000 Worlds. It is a beautiful place with a vast area…”
She looked a little ashamed of herself. Even Pang Duo and the others looked apprehensive.
Yang Kai nodded, “En, indeed.”
“The Blood Monster Cave Heaven has been destroyed, so we… have nowhere else to go. May we… may we request that Void Land take us in, Sir Yang?” Mo Mei asked tentatively.
Pang Duo and the others sat up straight and placed their hands on their knees, looking very uneasy.
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment, but immediately after, he was overjoyed and burst out laughing, “City Lord Mo, you’re far too polite. What do you mean by take you in? If you are willing to join Void Land, then there’s nothing more that I could wish for!”
He was certain that recruiting the people from Abundance City into Void Land would be easy; after all, he had just saved all their lives and they had nowhere else to go. It was just that he had yet to figure out how to broach the subject. He never imagined that Mo Mei would take the initiative to come and discuss this matter with him.
A moment later, realisation struck him. The Proprietress had probably helped by acting as the middle-man. She knew that Void Land was desperately in need of manpower. On the other hand, Mo Mei and the others were seeds that would eventually become Open Heaven Realm Masters. If they joined Void Land, they would not be the only ones benefiting from the deal. Their affiliation would also be tremendously beneficial for Void Land. It could be said to be a win-win situation.
Seeing how readily Yang Kai agreed to their request, they all breathed a sigh of relief and stood up in unison, “Greetings, Sect Master!”
Yang Kai raised a hand to stop them and smiled at them, “Please don’t be so uptight. In the future, we will all be one family. We can discuss the specific details once we arrive back at Void Land.”
They responded, “We obey your orders, Sect Master.”
Yang Kai was so elated that flowers were practically blooming in his heart. He swept his gaze over Mo Mei and the others, seeming to see them as future Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters! The people in front of him had experienced thousands of years of accumulation and precipitation in the Emperor Realm, so their heritage was extremely impressive. Advancing into the Open Heaven Realm would not be an issue for them. What’s more, he also had the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills. These Spirit Pills would dramatically improve their chances of successfully breaking through. It could almost be said that there was no risk of failure at all.
Pang Duo, Jin Yuan Lang, Mu Qian Xuan, and Gong Yang Xi had condensed the Fifth-Order Elements, while Mo Mei had condensed Sixth-Order Element Powers! And this was just a few of them. When Yang Kai helped to remove the Blood Principles Restriction from the Abundance City cultivators, he noticed that there were quite a few of them who had condensed Fifth-Order Elements.
It could be said that once these people advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, Void Land’s strength would increase by several folds. At the time, Void Land would no longer have a severe shortage of Open Heaven Realm Masters. It would become a true Second-Class great force!
During their conversation, the ship groaned loudly for some reason and came to an abrupt halt. A person’s voice rang out a moment later, “You there, stop! Lower your defences and prepare to accept our inspection!”
Yang Kai swept out his Divine Sense and frowned slightly. Many flight-type artifacts were floating around in the void ahead. Each artifact was magnificent in shape and huge in size. He could tell that they belonged to the Cave Heavens and Paradises at a glance. More importantly, there was a large Territory Gate slowly rotating behind these ships.
A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he vaguely guessed that this matter was related to Black Crow Divine Monarch.
The Proprietress had mentioned that the news of Black Crow Divine Monarch coming back to life via possession had already spread everywhere. All the Cave-Heavens and Paradises were searching for his current whereabouts. For this reason, they even went so far as to seal all the Territory Gates in the Blood Monster Territory to prevent him from escaping. Any cultivator or flight-type artifact that wished to leave the Blood Monster Territory would be subjected to careful inspection; therefore, it was not strange to be stopped here.
Nevertheless, the origins of Mo Mei and the others were a little special, so it would be best if they were not discovered.
After considering everything, Yang Kai said, “Everyone, please hide inside the Small Sealed World for now. I will let you out again once we reach our destination.”
Mo Mei and the others had no objection to his suggestion and did not resist.
Yang Kai successfully placed them back into the Small Sealed World, and when he was done, he moved to the deck.
On the deck, the Proprietress swept her beautiful eyes in Yang Kai’s direction. Seeing that Mo Mei and the others were nowhere to be seen, she knew that he must have hidden them away.
At this moment, everybody had gathered on the deck. Four figures came from the opposite side and slowly fluttered down.
Yang Kai looked at them and immediately felt a little sick. This couldn’t be helped. He recognised two out of the four figures. They were both from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. One was Guo Nu and the other was Yin Xin Zhao’s Master, Chu Liu Shan.
During their time inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Yin Xin Zhao had attempted to murder Yang Kai when he was heavily injured. It was only natural that Yang Kai did not hold a favourable impression towards Yin Xin Zhao’s Honoured Master. Be that as it may, both Guo Nu and Chu Liu Shan were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so they could not be underestimated.
It was not just them. The other two who landed on the ship were also in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
This was not difficult to understand though. The opening of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was a grand event, so the Masters leading the disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises could not have weak cultivations. Those in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm were considered High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no need for them to appear at these kinds of occasions. It was just right for Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to come.
Yang Kai did not recognise the other two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but he could be certain that one of them was from Great Battle Heaven. That was because the people of Great Battle Heaven were very recognisable in terms of the aura surrounding them and their uniforms.
This Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Great Battle Heaven wore a set of golden armour and had a full plate helmet. He also had a longsword at his waist. His appearance was similar to a Great General who just returned from battle. It was a glorious sight!
Yang Kai did not know which great force the fourth person belonged to, but that person most likely belonged to one of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Otherwise, he would have no qualifications to stand here.
“Why do I run into you wherever I go?” The Proprietress looked as sick and tired as Yang Kai as she gave Guo Nu an undisguised look of disgust.
Guo Nu chuckled, “This Senior Brother is relieved to see you so spirited, Junior Sister Lan.”
She coldly snorted and turned to look at the others. Then, she bowed only to the Golden Armour General from Great Battle Heaven, “Senior Brother Mao!”
The man with the surname Mao nodded lightly and cupped his fist, “Junior Sister Lan, this is routine procedure. Please forgive us. As you know, a person called Black Crow Divine Monarch appeared in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. This person is ruthless and cruel. He killed many disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. In order to prevent him from escaping the Blood Monster Territory, all flight-type artifacts and people who want to leave have to undergo a strict inspection.”
The Proprietress flicked her sleeve, “I know. Please go ahead, Senior Brother Mao.”
He immediately gave a wave of his hand, “Check carefully. Don’t let any corner go uninspected!”
Following his orders, a bunch of Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stepped out from behind him and charged into the ship to investigate.
While everybody was waiting on the deck, Senior Brother Mao did not spare all the people who were gathered here either. Yang Kai clearly felt a powerful Divine Sense sweeping over him. It probably belonged to the man surnamed Mao; however, he soon furrowed his brow tightly together. The man surnamed Mao quickly had withdrawn his Divine Sense after a quick inspection, but there was another Divine Sense that was locked onto him the whole time.
Yang Kai could not figure out who the Divine Sense belonged to. The four people standing in front of him were all in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm after all, so the difference in strength between them was simply too great.
He vaguely guessed that the Divine Sense belonged to Chu Liu Shan. That was because this old man was on bad terms with the Proprietress. Not to mention that there was also now a feud between Yang Kai and his disciple, Yin Xin Zhao. It was not strange for him to be paying extra attention to Yang Kai at this moment.
Just as Yang Kai was making guesses in his head, the fourth Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that he did not recognise suddenly spoke up, “Madam Lan, I heard that you have a little one called Yang Kai in First Inn. Which one is he?”
The Proprietress immediately looked at that person vigilantly, “Why are you looking for him?”
That person smiled and replied, “There are some things I want to ask him.” He turned his gaze to Yang Kai and continued, “If my guess is correct, it should be you, right?”
This person probably did not know Yang Kai directly. It was just that Yang Kai’s aura stood out distinctly from among the many Emperor Realm Masters here, so it was not surprising for his cover to be blown.
In any case, Yang Kai didn’t bother to hide his identity either after being called out so directly. There were so many people here who knew him that it made no sense to hide anyway. Instead, he quickly responded, “Yes. Who are you? How can I help you?”
That person smiled and nodded, “You might not know me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union, Kong Feng.”
[Heavenly Sword Union? I can’t believe that this guy does not belong to one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises!] When Yang Kai first saw this person standing beside Guo Nu, Chu Liu Shan, and Senior Brother Mao of Great Battle Heaven, he had assumed that he too was from one of the Cave-Heavens or Paradises. Only now did he realise that this person was the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union.
Nevertheless, Heavenly Sword Union was one of the top Second-Class great forces. As the Union Master, this person was indeed qualified to stand in this place. After all, neither Guo Nu, Chu Liu Shan, or Senior Brother Mao were especially powerful people in their respective Sects. They could only be considered middle-management at most.
Knowing that this person belonged to Heavenly Sword Union, Yang Kai immediately recalled the few Heavenly Sword Union disciples he killed previously. [Is this person here to seek justice for his disciples? That can’t be it. Among those who witnessed me killing them were Qu Hua Shang, Zhang Ruo Xi, and that Lang Ya Paradise disciple called Du Xu.]
Those Heavenly Sword Union disciples had brought death upon themselves by persistently chasing and trying to kill Zhang Ruo Xi and Du Xu. Qu Hua Shang and Zhang Ruo Xi would never expose this matter to the public. [Could it have been Du Xu?]
Sure enough, the smile on Kong Feng’s face suddenly faded and he said, “I heard you killed some of the outstanding disciples belonging to my Union.”
Yang Kai was furious. [As I thought, it was that little bastard Du Xu who leaked the news! Otherwise, there’s no reason for Kong Feng to know about this matter. I should have killed him!]
It was bad enough that Du Xu had focused on running away alone without any regard for the safety of his fellow Junior Sister when they were in danger; however, it could also be said that Yang Kai had saved his life.
[I can’t believe he is repaying a live-saving favour with enmity! If I had known that he was such a despicable villain, I would never have allowed him to live at the time!]
Before Yang Kai could say a word, the Proprietress coldly snorted, “Union Master Kong, rice may be eaten at will, but some words should not be spoken casually. You claim that Yang Kai killed several of Heavenly Sword Union disciples. Where is the evidence?”
She was convinced that Kong Feng did not have any evidence. That was why she countered his question in this manner.
To her surprise, Kong Feng answered lightly, “Naturally, I have the evidence. I was informed about this matter, and I believe that person is not lying. I only came here to confirm the truth.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Those Heavenly Sword Union disciples were blinded by greed and were trying to oppress the weak, so I killed them. What will you do now?”
Kong Feng didn’t seem to expect Yang Kai to be so hard-hearted, so he couldn’t help glancing at him again. He nodded lightly and said, “It’s good that you admit to your actions. It saves this King from wasting more time on nonsense. Since ancient times, debts are repaid with money and murder is repaid with one’s life. You killed several of Heavenly Sword Union’s Core Disciples and caused Heavenly Sword Union to suffer huge losses, including the loss of several talented individuals who were the backbone of the future generation. Don’t you think this King should avenge them? “
The Proprietress did not move, but her aura at the peak of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm permeated the air and her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, “I dare you to try!”
He glanced at her and calmly replied, “Madam Lan, your reputation precedes you. This Kong is aware that he is not your opponent. Besides, I have no wish to fight you. If this boy was unrelated to you, this Kong would have killed him to provide justice for my disciples. But, since you wish to protect this boy, Madame, then this Kong will back down out of respect for you. As long as this boy can provide some compensation, then we can forget about this matter. What do you think, Madame?”
She scowled fiercely, vaguely sensing that Kong Feng’s intentions were not noble; otherwise, he would not have brought up the deaths of his disciples at a time like this. It was just that she did not know what snake oil he was selling. She asked warily, “What kind of compensation do you want? Yang Kai is only in the Emperor Realm. What can he offer as compensation?”
He smilingly answered her question, “You don’t need to worry about that, Madame. This Kong will discuss with him myself.” Turning to look at Yang Kai, he asked, “You don’t have any objections to that, right?”
The rage in Yang Kai’s heart blazed even higher. [If I had enough strength, I would not be wasting time talking nonsense with him! I only killed those Heavenly Sword Union disciples because they were doggedly chasing Zhang Ruo Xi. Why is Kong Feng talking about justice? How ridiculous!]
Unfortunately, the only reason he could stand here today was thanks to the Proprietress’ protection. If he made things difficult, it would only drag her into this mess; thus, he suppressed the rage in his heart and asked coldly, “What do you want?”
Kong Feng calmly said, “Don’t worry. What I want is definitely in your possession. Moreover, it won’t harm a single hair on your head.” All of a sudden, he stopped talking out loud and sent a Divine Sense transmission to Yang Kai instead, “I want that Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Beast Core!”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed at those words. His first reaction was to wonder how this guy knew that he had a Seventh-Order Monster Beast Core, let alone that it was of the Metal Element. However, he soon realised the truth.
Kong Feng learned about the fact that Yang Kai killed those Heavenly Sword Union disciples because Du Xu tipped him off. On the other hand, Old Hong of Heaven’s Border had witnessed Yang Kai obtaining the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Beast Core back then. He could also have tipped Kong Feng off about this matter.
[So, this is his true purpose!]
Yang Kai responded flatly without even thinking about it, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
If Kong Feng had asked for anything else, there might have been room for discussion. Yang Kai was not averse to exchanging money to avoid disaster. Be that as it may, it was impossible for him to hand over the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core. This matter was related to his future. If he lost the Monster Core in this place, he did not know when he would obtain another opportunity like this again.
Kong Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, “Boy, you should think carefully before you answer.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I was wondering why those Heavenly Sword Union disciples were so despicable. Now I understand. If the house is crooked, then the foundation must be too.”
Kong Feng gave Yang Kai a deep look and calmly said, “I hope you don’t regret your choice.”
After that, he stopped conversing via Divine Sense and spoke out loud instead, “A Seventh-Order Monster Core might be a precious treasure, but you are only in the Emperor Realm. Don’t you think possessing something like that is very dangerous?”
“A Seventh-Order Monster Core?” Both Guo Nu and Chu Liu Shan murmured in unison, immediately turning to look at Yang Kai. Even Senior Brother Mao gave Yang Kai a surprised look. It was obvious that they had been kept out of the loop earlier.
A Seventh-Order Monster Core was an extremely rare object. When the Blood Monster Cave Heaven collapsed, everything inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had flowed out as a result, but as far as they were aware, there was only one instance where somebody had killed a Seventh-Order Earth Attribute Monster Beast and obtained a Seventh-Order Monster Core. Aside from that, there were no other known Seventh-Order Monster Cores in existence. Therefore, it was unexpected to learn about another Seventh-Order Monster Core here.
Chu Liu Shan frowned, “Brother Kong, are you saying that this brat possesses a Seventh-Order Monster Core?”
Kong Feng gave Yang Kai a deep look and said, “That’s right. This boy is quite lucky. It seems he killed a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Beast and obtained a Metal Element Monster Core.”
Guo Nu scowled, “Brother Kong, how did you find out about this? And… how could he possibly have the strength to kill a Seventh-Order Monster Beast?”
Kong Feng chuckled, “You don’t need to be so suspicious, Brother Guo. This Kong learned about this matter from a personal source of information, but there is no doubt about the truth of this matter. I can guarantee that this boy possesses a Seventh-Order Monster Core.”
He paused for a moment and continued with malicious intentions, “I heard that this boy is very ambitious. He plans to advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. He has already condensed many Open Heaven Powers. If he refines the Metal Element Monster Core, I’m afraid it won’t be long before he succeeds.”
Turning to Chu Liu Shan, he cupped his fist, “Congratulations, Brother Chu, Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven will soon have another talented individual!”
Chu Liu Shan’s expression was extremely ugly. If Yang Kai had been somebody from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, he would have been so happy that he would wake up laughing from his dreams for the next month. The problem was that Yang Kai was not from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. First Inn might have some involvement with Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, but they were ultimately unrelated. Besides, Lan You Ruo had always had a poor relationship with him.
More importantly, his disciple had a life-or-death feud with Yang Kai. If Yang Kai were to advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven, the future of his disciple would be disheartening. [This can never be allowed to happen!]
Looking at Yang Kai, he spoke in a cold voice, “Hand it over!”
Yang Kai glanced sideways at Chu Liu Shan, “What the Hell do you count for?”
“What an impudent Junior!” Chu Liu Shan’s expression darkened.
The Proprietress stepped forward and scolded, “Brazen old dog!”
Chu Liu Shan was livid, “Lan You Ruo!”
Guo Nu hurriedly came forward to mediate the situation. He stood between them, lest they actually got into a fight, “Alright, alright. Calm down, both of you. Stop arguing.”
He turned to the Proprietress and continued, “Junior Sister Lan, you’re not unaware of the boy’s situation. The Seventh-Order Monster Core in his possession is not a good thing for him.”
The Proprietress coldly snorted, “Why bother coming up with such high-sounding excuses when all you want is to snatch the Seventh-Order Monster Core by force?”
Guo Nu shook his head, “Junior Sister, what are you saying? We don’t want to snatch anything from him. If he does have the Seventh-Order Monster Core, we can purchase it from him. Ask him to set a price. As long as the price is reasonable, this Senior Brother will not quibble about it.”
Snorting, she replied, “Let’s put aside whether or not he does have a Seventh-Order Monster Core in his possession. Even if he does have one, it will never belong to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven!”
Turning to look at Yang Kai, she asked, “Do you have a Seventh-Order Monster Core?”
Yang Kai replied decisively, “That’s a groundless accusation!”
Chu Liu Shan coldly snorted, “We’ll know whether he has the item or not if we perform a check!”
“I dare you to try!” the Proprietress glared at Chu Liu Shan.
Chu Liu Shan calmly said, “It doesn’t matter who has the Seventh-Order Monster Core, but it must not be in this brat’s hands. This matter is very important. There is no room for negligence. Lan You Ruo, I advise you not to make a mistake!”
She was so furious that she laughed instead, “This Queen will happily be your opponent if you want to fight. Why are you wasting time with nonsense?”
Saying so, World Force surged around her body.
Similarly, both the auras around Chu Liu Shan and Kong Feng fluctuated violently, seemingly ready to attack at any time.
Guo Nu revealed a troubled expression. He did not want to make an enemy of the Proprietress. Unfortunately, he could only side with Chu Liu Shan now that things had progressed to this point, so he sighed softly, “Junior Sister Lan, why must you do this?”
Yang Kai’s expression was extremely gloomy.
If it came down to a fight, the Proprietress would surely suffer a loss. Although both the Proprietress and Yue He were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, they were still outnumbered. Leaving aside the fact that Chu Liu Shan and the others were also in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, even the Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters inspecting the ships were a formidable force that could not be ignored. It could be said that First Inn would definitely suffer a loss if it came down to a battle.
He was not willing to let the Proprietress and Yue He suffer because of him; thus, he sighed inwardly. [It’s so depressing to be weak. Even if I obtain something good, I can’t keep it. Do I really have to hand over the Seventh-Order Monster Core?]
Yang Kai was extremely reluctant. All the cultivation resources he obtained along his journey were the results of personal effort, great opportunities, and massive amounts of luck.
The Wood Element Power came from the Immortal Tree he obtained in his early years, which happened naturally. He later obtained the Fire Element Power by stealing the Golden Crow carcass from under the noses of a bunch of Open Heaven Realm Masters. It could be said to be a narrow escape from death. Next, obtaining the Earth Element Power was a daunting experience but not dangerous. He had picked up and refined the Monster Core of an Earth Attribute True Dragon. Nevertheless, it was only possible for him to find the Monster Core thanks to the Dragon Source in his body.
His Water Element Power came from the Moon Essence he obtained and refined in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, having to escape from Kun Sha at that time. Lastly, he obtained the Yang Element Power by refining the Seventh-Order Primordial Yang Profound Ginseng. Even that had come with quite a hefty price tag.
It had taken so much effort, and he had struggled so hard just to pave the way to advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. All his efforts had been for the sake of a brighter future. He wanted to set foot in a wider sky and enjoy better scenery.
Obtaining the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core this time had also been a lucky coincidence. Who could say whether he would come across another opportunity like this? What kind of dangers would he face to obtain the cultivation resources he needed again? How long would he have to wait?
Once he refined the Seventh-Order Monster Core, he would only be one step away from advancing into the Open Heaven Realm! How could he reconcile himself with the idea of falling short right at the last moment!? But, what could he do even if he was extremely reluctant? Under the current circumstances, a huge battle was inevitable unless he brought out the Seventh-Order Monster Core. It was a given that First Inn would be the one to suffer if a battle broke out.
The scene was tense and a battle could erupt at any time.
Yang Kai swore ruthlessly to himself, [Even if I have to destroy the Seventh-Order Monster Core, I will never sell it to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven or allow Heavenly Sword Union to get their hands on it!]
At this moment, Senior Brother Mao, who had remained silent throughout the entire situation suddenly said, “Boy, do you have a Seventh-Order Monster Core in your possession?”
Yang Kai looked up and calmly replied, “There’s no such thing!”
Senior Mao Brother nodded lightly, “In that case, there’s nothing to be done here. You may leave.”
After saying that, he waved them away.
Everybody was dumbfounded by this turn of events and Kong Feng shouted, “Brother Mao!”
Senior Brother Mao asked coldly, “How can I help you, Brother Kong?”
Kong Feng exclaimed, “This brat definitely has a Seventh-Order Monster Core in his possession! We can’t let him just leave like that; otherwise, it will lead to a huge problem in the future!”
Senior Brother Mao replied indifferently, “He claims that he does not have one. Why do you keep insisting otherwise? Do you want to snatch his Space Ring from him to check?”
“That…” Kong Feng was suddenly at a loss for words. [I can’t do something so shameless. No matter how brazen he is, this Yang Kai is still just a Junior. How can a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like myself snatch his Space Ring in public!?]
Even he could not act so shamelessly as it would severely tarnish his reputation and face. Otherwise, instead of trying to negotiate with Yang Kai, he would have simply stolen it from him directly.
“Junior Sister Lan, I apologise for the commotion.” Senior Brother Mao cupped his fist at the Proprietress, then he turned to the ship and shouted, “Are you done with the inspection!? If you’re done, then return immediately!”
The group of people who boarded the ship for inspection earlier quickly leapt down. After that, he waved his large hand, “Let them through!”
Nobody objected when he allowed them to pass. Chu Liu Shan and Kong Feng exchanged a glance with each other and were unhappy with the situation, but they were also unwilling to fall out with this Senior Brother Mao. The people from Great Battle Heaven were not to be trifled with.
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Mao!” The Proprietress gave Senior Brother Mao an elegant bow before she drove the ship towards the Territory Gate.
Before they left, Yang Kai’s expression changed when he heard a transmission from Senior Brother Mao, “Take care of yourself, kid.”
He nodded at Senior Brother Mao gratefully. He knew that if not for Senior Brother Mao speaking up at a critical moment, things would not have been resolved so smoothly today.
When the ship passed through the Territory Gate and vanished out of sight, Chu Liu Shan finally said, “Brother Mao, I heard that several Great Battle Heaven disciples became acquainted with Yang Kai inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
Senior Brother Mao glanced sideways at Chu Liu Shan and responded lightly, “You are very well-informed, Brother Chu. But, if you have time to worry about Great Battle Heaven disciples, why don’t you spend it figuring out a method to track Black Crow Divine Monarch’s whereabouts instead?”
Chu Liu Shan’s gaze flickered slightly. Staring in the direction of the Territory Gate, he gave a soft snort.
…
At the same time, on the ship, the Proprietress gave Yang Kai a strange look, “Are you acquainted with Great Battle Heaven?”
Yang Kai pondered the question, “Perhaps, it’s because I rescued several Great Battle Heaven disciples in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
He couldn’t help thinking about Bu Lian Zhong and the others. Back at the swamp filled with countless Void Cracks, Yang Kai had helped the trapped Bu Lian Zhong and his companions to escape. It could be considered that he had saved their lives. It was just that he was separated from Bu Lian Zhong and the others when they later arrived at the blood lake.
In any case, Yang Kai had not taken such a trivial matter to heart. Rescuing Bu Lian Zhong and the others was just a matter of convenience. He never imagined that his actions would return to benefit him or that Great Battle Heaven would return the favour here.
The Proprietress immediately understood the situation and nodded lightly, “The people of Great Battle Heaven are upright and just. Since you rescued those Great Battle Heaven disciples, it makes sense why Senior Brother Mao reciprocated the favour just now.”
Yue He asked, “Young Master, did you really obtain a Seventh-Order Monster Core?”
Likewise, Old Bai looked over curiously.
These were people Yang Kai trusted friends and allies, so there was no need to hide anything from them. He nodded in response, “That’s right. But, it was a lucky coincidence. The Monster Beast was heavily injured in the first place, and I also used the Divine Ability Bead given to me by Proprietress from the outset. That’s how I managed to kill it.”
The Proprietress narrowed her eyes slightly, “What Elements are you missing now?”
Yang Kai replied, “After refining this Metal Element Power, then only the Yin Element will be left.”
Old Bai was shocked, “Only one left…”
It had not been long since Yang Kai came to the 3,000 Worlds, so it was shocking that he was going to advance into the Open Heaven Realm so soon!
Which Emperor Realm cultivator would not spend decades, if not centuries before advancing into the Open Heaven Realm? Very few people could successfully refine the Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements and advance into the Open Heaven Realm within a hundred years. The main reason was that finding suitable cultivation resources took much time, energy, and money.
This was true for any cultivator, including the disciples from the major Cave-Heavens and Paradises. The only exceptions were Core Disciples like Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan who were carefully nurtured by the Sect and given basically unlimited resources.
Be that as it may, even Core Disciples like them would need to spend some time refining these resources and consolidating their foundations; therefore, it could take between several years to several decades just to refine the necessary Elements. Those with poorer aptitude would take an even longer time.
Soon, Old Bai became excited, “Tsk. Tsk. You’re going to advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm! Brat, you’re reaching the sky in a single step!”
If Yang Kai could advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, it would be no different from ascending to the Heavens in one bound. Be it in terms of strength or status, there would be Earth-shaking changes.
On the other hand, the Proprietress and Yue He were not happy; instead, they looked at each other worriedly.
Yang Kai was already being targeted by the major Cave-Heavens and Paradises. Although it could be said that not every Cave-Heaven and Paradise was out to cause trouble for him, there would always be some.
Those Masters had been holding back from making a move personally because they were still concerned about their respective reputations. They did not wish to be seen as oppressing the weak. The main reason for their inaction was that they believed it would take much more time for Yang Kai to grow and develop. However, if news about the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core spread out, some people might become desperate.
“Brat, you should focus on carefully refining the Metal Element Monster Core in retreat once you return. As for the Yin Element… I’ll search for you.” The Proprietress sent a transmission to Yang Kai.
She had warned him against taking this path in the past, but now that he was already so far down it, all she could do was support him as much as possible. She might not be able to acquire a Seventh-Order Yin Element treasure, but she certainly had more connections than him.
“En!” Yang Kai replied respectfully. Suddenly recalling something, he hurriedly took out a jade bottle and handed it over, “Proprietress, take a look at this and see if it will be useful for you!”
This jade bottle contained one of the Innate Open Heaven Pills that he obtained in the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
She took the bottle from him suspiciously, but after opening it and sweeping the contents with her Divine Sense, her expression changed drastically. She quickly resealed the jade bottle and glanced at Yang Kai in astonishment, “Where did you get this!?”
With how knowledgeable and experienced she was, she immediately understood what this Open Heaven Pill was, as well as its true origins.
Yang Kai of course answered her honestly.
Upon hearing his explanation, she returned the jade bottle to him, “This is useless to me right now. You should keep it for yourself. If I ever have a need for it in the future, I will ask you for it then.”
She had advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her cultivation would only reach its limit when she reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Taking this Open Heaven Pill now was a complete waste.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai understood that she was still restrained by the Heart Demon Oath she took in the past after hearing what she said. As long as Golden Rainbow Province and Boundless Altar remained standing, she would never be able to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Otherwise, she could have advanced into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm even without the help of this Innate Open Heaven Pill!
Sighing softly, Yang Kai put the jade bottle away before adding, “In that case, please don’t forget to come to me when you need it.”
Yang Kai also secretly made a vow. [When I advance into the Open Heaven Realm, the first thing I’m going to do is eliminate Golden Rainbow Province and Boundless Altar to resolve her Heart Demon Oath.]
Old Bai probably guessed Yang Kai’s intentions, so he secretly gave him a meaningful look, one that said ‘make sure to call me when that time comes.’
During his advancement into the Open Heaven Realm, Bai Qi nearly failed because of Qin Ji of Golden Rainbow Province and Ling Chun Qiu of Boundless Altar. If Yang Kai had not given him the World Source Liquid at the critical moment, he would not be standing here today. This blood feud never left Bai Qi’s thoughts and was something that would need to be repaid one day.
In the deserted void, a ship sailed forward silently. All the people on board were consolidating their harvest from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Although Yang Kai lost five to six subordinates during this trip, those who came out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven alive definitely had grown leaps and bounds. This experience would be of great help to their futures.
In his room, Yang Kai hid in the Small Sealed World, helping the cultivators of Abundance City to remove the Blood Principles Restriction.
Time passed, and it took almost a month for Yang Kai to finish this task. While helping them to remove the Blood Principles Restriction, Yang Kai took some time to meet and speak with each of them.
He found out that Abundance City had brought up quite a few talents. In addition to the several Great Elders like Pang Duo, there were more than ten people who had condensed the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Elements. Deacon Fan Wu Xin, who ‘captured’ him and Qu Hua Shang back to Abundance City, was one of them.
Although they had not been in the Emperor Realm as long as Pang Duo and the others, and had weaker foundations overall, they were still more than qualified to break through to the Open Heaven Realm.
Furthermore, plenty of other cultivators from Abundance City had condensed Fourth-Order and Third-Order Element Powers.
Yang Kai was extremely delighted about this. If he brought these people back to Void Land, once they broke through in the future, one could imagine a sharp increase in Void Land’s strength in a very short time!
However, the number of Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills needed would be huge too!
Initially, Yang Kai wanted to spare some time to comprehend his new Wood Element Divine Ability, but it seemed he would have to put that aside for now. It was crucial to refine more Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills as soon as possible.
Before leaving for the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Yang Kai had refined some Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, but there were not many, and definitely not enough for those from Abundance City.
Yang Kai estimated he would need at least 500 Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills to barely meet the consumption of the first batch of Abundance City cultivators.
For other great forces, it would certainly not be worth it to exchange a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to secure a single cultivator’s breakthrough to the Third-Order or Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. After all, the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was essentially an extinct Spirit Pill. Anyone who obtained one would regard it as a treasure, leaving it for their Disciple with the greatest potential.
However, Yang Kai could refine this Spirit Pill on his own, and he possessed a large amount of World Source Liquid; thus, he need not be concerned in this regard. Now, his main priority was to enhance Void Land’s strength within the shortest timespan, giving it the capability to protect itself in this 3,000 Worlds.
Yang Kai kept himself busy in his room, refining Spirit Pills without rest. Furnace after furnace of Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills appeared, with each one representing the birth of an Open Heaven Realm Master for Void Land!
After refining for an unknown time, Yang Kai only realized that his job was done when all his auxiliary ingredients were consumed. He calculated the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills he had, coming up with 435 in total. Although there was still a little gap from his initial estimate of 500, it should be enough for now. Not every cultivator would need this Spirit Pill to break through after all. It was unnecessary to waste it on someone who was confident in breaking through.
Nevertheless, for those such as Mo Mei and Pang Duo, Yang Kai had to let them take this pill to assure their breakthrough, even if they were confident.
Opening the barrier of the room, Yang Kai stepped onto the deck, and looked at the scenery of the void around him. He suddenly realized that something was wrong. It should not have taken them so long to return to Thousand Birds Territory from Blood Monster Cave Heaven. He spent one month helping the cultivators of Abundance City to remove their Blood Principles Restriction, and about more than a month refining Spirit Pills. Given that it had been about two to three months, they should have arrived at Thousand Birds Territory by now.
Confused, he took out his Universe Chart to check their position, and was dumbstruck.
“Young Master!” Probably because of noticing Yang Kai coming out of his retreat, Yue He hurriedly came out of her room too.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, and asked puzzledly, “Why are we in Void Territory?”
With the help of the Universe Chart, Yang Kai could easily tell that they were now in Void Territory instead of Thousand Birds Territory.
Yue He explained, “Elder Sister wanted to send us back to Void Land first, then they will return to First Inn of Thousand Birds Territory.”
Yang Kai immediately understood what this meant. The Proprietress was worried that they might encounter some kind of danger during their journey, so she decided to escort them all the way here. His heart could not help feeling a little warm.
“I am going to see Proprietress,” He turned around and walked towards the room on the top floor.
It was necessary to pay the Proprietress a visit after coming out of his retreat, so Yang Kai knocked, entered the room, and had some casual conversation with her. Then, Yang Kai took out a bottle of Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, “Proprietress, Chef and Accountant will surely be breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm soon after returning. These Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills should be useful to them.”
Back then at the auction in Thousand Birds Star City, Yang Kai got the pill recipe for the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill; furthermore, the Proprietress also learnt from Old Bai that Yang Kai had World Source Liquid on him, so she was not surprised that he could hand over Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills so casually.
There was no need for her to refuse as they were really useful for Chef and Accountant. As such, she immediately took the bottle and said, “I’ll accept it with gratitude. When Chef and Accountant reach the Open Heaven Realm Masters, I will ask them to thank you in person.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “No need, we’re friends. I hope they can successfully break through to the Open Heaven Realm as well.”
The Proprietress nodded gently, and asked, “What are your plans after going back this time?”
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai answered, “No matter what, it’s important to refine the Metal Element Monster Core first; after all, such a treasure could only truly belong to me after refining it.”
“As it should be,” the Proprietress agreed, “After refining it, don’t be in such a rush to exit retreat. Stay to consolidate your cultivation. Although you have excellent aptitude, I’m afraid that your foundation will be unstable in the future given that you refined so many High-Rank materials so quickly. Fortunately, it’s not too late. There is still a chance to rectify some minor flaws before condensing the Yin Element Power.”
“Proprietress is wise,” Yang Kai accepted her advice humbly. He agreed that he should spend some time consolidating his cultivation. It was not necessarily good to progress rapidly when it came to cultivating. Although his Dao Seal was incredibly firm due to the Divine Dao Water he had used, it would not hurt him to settle down a little and stabilize his foundation.
During his adventures in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Yang Kai had comprehended a potent Wood Element Divine Ability, but he still lacked a Water Element Divine Ability and a Yang Element Divine Ability. When he condensed his Metal Element Power upon returning this time, he should finish comprehending these. He had a faint feeling that if he could fully comprehend all the Divine Abilities of the seven Elements before advancing to become an Open Heaven Realm Master, it would be of great benefit to him during and after his breakthrough.
It was an inexplicable feeling, but Yang Kai had no doubt about it.
After a few days, the ship finally reached Void Land.
Standing on the deck, the Proprietress praised, “Grandmaster Wu Liang has extraordinary skill indeed. This Grand Array is magnificent. It is so profound that even I can’t see through it. Run this place well. One day, it may be one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises!”
During her last trip here, she brought Grandmaster Wu Liang to patch or arrange a Grand Array for Yang Kai. At that time, Void Land was still Seven Wonders Land, but the current atmosphere had changed dramatically compared to that time.
Yang Kai grinned, “This Grand Array that Grandmaster Wu Liang set up is called the Nine Heavenly Layers and has nine Grand Arrays linked together, including Bewildering Arrays, Illusion Arrays, Killing Arrays, and Trapping Arrays. It’s indeed powerful.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang had excellent skills, but Yang Kai had to give him tremendous support to create this Grand Array. Even though he had made a huge fortune in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had to spend the majority of it for the sake of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. Only someone like Yang Kai would have the courage to support Grandmaster Wu Liang in arranging a Spirit Array like this. If it was any other Second Class great force, they would not have had the financial resources necessary to support such an endeavour.
Cost was also the main reason why it was so difficult for Grandmaster Wu Liang to implement his design before, even though he had conceived of it a long time ago. He had designed the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array many years ago and strongly recommended it to various great forces; however, those great forces rejected it despite their interest after hearing the price tag.
It was only after he met Yang Kai that he was finally able to display his true mastery over the Dao of Spirit Arrays!
After setting up the array, Grandmaster Wu Liang had a burst of inspiration and enlightenment and went into retreat. He estimated that his cultivation would improve after he came out of his retreat.
“En, a good Spirit Array!” The Proprietress did not hesitate to praise.
“There’s nothing special to see from the outside. You’ll understand its true mystery only from the inside. Please enter, Proprietress!” Yang Kai gestured.
Contrary to his expectations though, the Proprietress shook her head, “I’m not going in.”
Yang Kai was startled, “Are you leaving now?”
The Proprietress nodded gently, “This trip away from First Inn has taken too long. It’s not good to delay any longer. Don’t forget what I told you. Cultivate well after you go back.”
Yang Kai was a little reluctant to send her off. Void Land and Thousand Birds Star City were not close to each other, so it was not easy to have them here. Now that they were leaving before even stepping foot into Void Land, Yang Kai somehow felt like he lost an opportunity to welcome them as a host.
However, if the Proprietress did not want to enter, he could not force it either. As such, he just nodded as he replied, “I’ll remember. Don’t worry, Proprietress. I will work hard and not slack off.”
Leading Yue He and the others off the ship, Yang Kai solemnly bid farewell to the Proprietress and the rest. After seeing the ship, Yang Kai beckoned to the rest, “Let’s go home!”
It was Guo Miao’s first time coming to Void Land, and she could not help looking around curiously. She felt that this place was many times better than Blood Swan Continent, where she had stayed before. Although Void Land was also a Second Class great force, Blood Swan Continent could not be compared with it at all!
Yang Kai was the Master of Void Land, so the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array naturally could not stop him from leading his people inside. The alarm activated by the Grand Array startled Bian Yu Qing, who immediately came to investigate, but after finding that it was Yang Kai who returned, she quickly welcomed him delightedly, “Sect Master, you’ve returned!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Many thanks for your hard work, Second Manager.”
Speaking of the people who followed him all these years, besides Head Manager Hua Qing Si, it was Second Manager Bian Yu Qing who had worked the hardest.
Yang Kai was a well-known arm-flinging shopkeeper, always running around all year round while pushing the administrative work onto others. When he was not home, these two women were in charge of essentially all matters in the Sect. Many would feel envious of the two Managers for how much authority they possessed, but these people had no idea how much effort they had put in, and how much cultivation time they had sacrificed for the Sect.
Back then in High Heaven Palace in the Star Boundary, Head Manager Hua Qing Si was there to share the burden with her, but now in Void Land, Bian Yu Qing was doing it all alone.
Recalling the time when he was captured by Bian Yu Qing’s subordinates when he first left the Lower Star Field and entered the Star Boundary, Yang Kai could not help sighing nostalgically. All kinds of memories from the past were still vivid in his mind.
In the Main Hall at the centre of Void Land, Yang Kai sat in the head seat, while Yue He stood behind him. Although she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was as humble as a maidservant, standing by the side to pour tea for Yang Kai.
Below, Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue sat on the left and right. Hearing of Yang Kai’s return, the two of them hurriedly came to greet him. For now, Void Land was lacking Open Heaven Realm Masters, so besides Yue He, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, there were only Lu Xue, a Fifth-Order Open Realm Master, Chen Tian Fei, a Fourth-Order Open Realm Master, and Guo Zi Yan, a Third-Order Open Realm Master. These were all the Open Heaven Realm Masters Void Land had for now.
Of course, there was also Hei He, who was restricted by the Loyalty List, but Yang Kai stationed him outside the Star Boundary to ensure its safety.
In addition, there was the Divine Spirit Heavenly Moon Demon Spider, Zhu Jiu Yin. This woman was extraordinarily strong, and after coming out of Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for such a long time, a good portion of her strength should have been restored, but no one knew what her true condition was at the moment.
Bian Yu Qing’s voice echoed in the Main Hall as she reported the developments and transformations of Void Land during this period of time to Yang Kai. In fact, there were not many changes. The 600,000 people who Yang Kai brought back from the Star Boundary were mostly cultivating in the retreat. All the Great Emperors and Pseudo-Great Emperors had obtained some cultivation resources and now just needed time to refine them, so there would not be many results in the short term.
However, as a result, the expenses for cultivation resources had become shockingly high. Although Void Land was still quite rich, it was clear that it could not handle this rate of consumption for long. If they continued to consume without any means of replenishing, Void Land would eventually be completely drained. Signs had already started showing when Yang Kai departed, but after this period of time, the situation had become progressively worse.
In conclusion, the expenditures of Void Land were overwhelming. Before Yang Kai left, he basically handed over all the cultivation resources he had to Bian Yu Qing and allowed her to distribute them. But now, after listening to the reported figures, there was really not much left, and they would most likely be exhausted soon.
After reporting the spending, Bian Yu Qing continued, “Even taking into consideration the expenditures though, the current income is also pretty good.”
Yang Kai raised his brow as her statement piqued his interest, “Oh? Let’s hear about it.”
Bian Yu Qing turned to look at Chen Tian Fei, and smiled faintly, “Sect Master, just so you know, the biggest income in Void Land now comes from the Gourd Vine, which is under the care of Sir Chen. The Gourd Vine truly lives up to its name as a Divine Medicine. In essence, we can collect a full set of Fifth-Order Yin, Yang, and the Five Element materials once a month. It is truly valuable, and what makes it even more precious is that all of the materials stem from the same source. If a disciple can refine all their Fifth-Order materials from the Gourd Vine, there may be unexpected gains.”
Yang Kai gave a light nod. When he saw the Gourd Vine in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he already had a vague feeling that it would become a foundation to the success of any Sect that obtained it. By the looks of it now, it seemed that he was right.
“Good work, Fatty,” Yang Kai nodded at Fatty Chen Tian.
Chen Tian Fei hurriedly got up. Although he replied humbly, his face was radiant, looking notably proudly. To be honest, it was a boring job to watch over the Gourd Vine, and the task of collecting the Element treasures was not something really worth praising, but he was still glad to be noticed by Yang Kai. Although he was forced to leave his name on the Loyalty List, and his fate was now Yang Kai’s to control, after even a short period of time, he realized the terrifying potential Void Land had. It was many times better than Scarlet Star. Although Void Land was still in its infant stage, it would definitely have the world at its feet in time.
His cultivation was not too high, but he had an exceptionally sharp vision, so he had no doubts about this. Even without the restriction of Loyalty List, he would never choose to leave Void Land. This place had a broad and promising future. If he continued to stay here, he would benefit as Void Land rose. How could he find any place better than this?
Not to mention, staying with Yang Kai could quickly improve his strength too. Until now, he still did not understand how Lu Xue could rapidly reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm after a simple trip out with Yang Kai. Initially, they were both Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and he had reached that realm long before Lu Xue, but she had broken through to the next Order first.
Besides Lu Xue, even Guo Zi Yan reached the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Previously, Chen Tian Fei secretly tried to gain information from Lu Xue, but her lips were tightly sealed, so he could not figure out anything. However, he was not discouraged. He believed that as long as he could win Yang Kai’s trust, sooner or later he would be able to make sense of it all.
Additionally, since he was now in charge of collecting the resources from the Gourd Vine, he believed that he must be able to have a share of the collected resources when he was promoted to the Fifth Order in the future.
The Fifth-Order materials were exceedingly valuable as each one cost on after 1 to 2 million Open Heaven Pills, making a set of seven nearly 10 million. Fatty Chen had witnessed Yang Kai’s generosity towards his subordinates during this period of time, and he believed that as long as he could be promoted to the Fifth Order, he would definitely be able to obtain quite a number of Gourd Vine materials. With that, reaching the Sixth Order would be just a matter of time.
If he left Void Land, where could he find this many resources?
It could be said that Chen Tian Fei had now truly pledged his loyalty to Void Land.
Bian Yu Qing pressed on, “However, there is a problem now. The number of disciples who can refine Fifth-Order materials is limited, and a lot of the materials collected from the Gourd Vine may accumulate.”
The requirements for the Dao Seal of a cultivator to refine Fifth-Order Elements were somewhat high, and only Bing Yun, Wen Zi Shan, and other top Emperors could refine them safely. Therefore, although there were 600,000 people in Void Land, not many of them could refine the Fifth-Order materials. Therefore, as the resources were collected monthly from the Gourd Vine, they would naturally begin to pile up.
“In contrast, Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials are in extremely high demand, and we are short on them. Therefore, without Sect Master’s approval, this subordinate decided to exchange some Fifth-Order resources from the Gourd Vine for the Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials in the Star City. If there is anything wrong about this, this subordinate is willing to be punished.”
Yang Kai beamed, “How could I punish Second Manager for doing such a good job? I should be thanking you instead.”
It was a reasonable move to exchange the Fifth-Order materials that could not be used for Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials that they lacked.
Bian Yu Qing was slightly relieved when she heard him, and further reported, “Inside Void Land, aside from the income of the Gourd Vine, there are the Spirit Fruits collected in the various Orchards. Although Wondrous Pill Great Emperor is deriving the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills, the progress has been quite slow because he is focused more on cultivating in retreat, so the accumulated Spirit Fruits cannot be refined into pills.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ve solved the matter of the pill recipe and will give it to the Great Emperor later so that he can begin refining pills.”
Bian Yu Qing nodded and continued, “That’s all for the income from within Void land. Regarding the external income, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master named Yun Xing Hua came to Void Land and claimed that it was Sect Master that sent him to manage Void Territory’s Star City. The harvest there is also not bad, and there is a fixed income every month from taxes and rent. I have asked him to exchange all the income into cultivation materials of various Orders and ship them to Void Land.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I did send Yun Xing Hua over, but he is an outsider after all, so it’s difficult to entrust such an important task to him. It’s better to have someone in the Star City to assume proper command.”
Blood Swan Continent was originally Guo Miao’s great force, but after Yang Kai broke through its Sect Defending Array, he forced Yun Xing Hua to leave his name on the Loyalty List. There was a shortage of manpower in Void Land, so Yang Kai had ordered Yun Xing Hua to lead a group of people from Blood Swan Continent to enter and manage the Star City.
Although there was the Loyalty List to guarantee his compliance, and Yang Kai was not afraid of Yun Xing Hua betraying him, he worried that this guy would be tempted by the fortunes he made and would begin embezzling them for himself. In Yang Kai’s plan, the Star City of Void Land needed to be well managed and developed, and it would not be difficult to do so. As long as he threw out the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, the reputation of the Star City in Void Territory would soar overnight. When that happened, it would certainly attract countless people to the Star City of Void Land. The increase of population would bring the Star City to life, and by that time, even if he did not do anything, he could make a fortune just collecting taxes.
For now though, Void Territory’s Star city had no fame to its name and could only be regarded as a medium-sized Star City, incomparable to Thousand Birds Star City, not to mention the Star Cities in the Cave-Heavens and Paradises’ Territories. Although the Star City was making some income, it was not much, so Yang Kai was not worried about letting Yun Xing Hua take charge of it for now. However, when the Star City matured in the future, Yang Kai needed to station someone trustworthy there to manage it.
More importantly, that person needed to be strong enough! At that time, the Void Territory Star City would be bustling and full of all kinds of people. Without enough strength, the one in charge would not be able to maintain order and security.
That person had to be at least a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! Currently, it seemed that Mo Mei was the only suitable candidate as there was no way Yang Kai could let Yue He take charge of the Star City as she had to take care of Void Land itself.
While thinking about it, Lu Xue got up and volunteered, “Sir, let me go to the Star City.”
Lu Xue was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now. If she went to the Star City, Yun Xing Hua would not dare to be presumptuous; after all, he had only just reached the Fourth Order.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “No, Lu Xue. Just focus on teaching in Void Land. The people I brought here from my homeland know nothing about the Outer Universe and the Open Heaven Realm, so I need you to guide them.”
There were only a few Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land. Chen Tian Fei was in charge of the Gourd Vine, while Lu Xue taught the cultivators from the Star Boundary. Almost every day, she had to solve countless questions and doubts of the disciples. It could be said that her task was tough. Even the Great Emperors would ask her for advice during their spare time outside of retreat.
Although in the future, the achievements of Lu Xue may not be as great as those Great Emperors who were refining Sixth-Order materials, she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now and had the experiences they needed most. At this stage, it was no problem for her to provide guidance to the Great Emperors.
Lu Xue sat down after Yang Kai announced what she should do.
Bian Yu Qing continued, “From the current situation, the income of Void Land is sufficient to cover the expenditure, and there’s even some revenue left over, but it will be difficult to maintain in the long run.”
This was because as time passed, there would be more cultivators who condensed their own Dao Seals. Once they had their Dao Seals, they would need Open Heaven materials, which would put more pressure on Void Land’s finances.
It would be fine if there were just one or two of them. The problem was that there were 600,000 people in Void Land!
Hearing that, Yang Kai asked, “Does Second Manager have a solution?”
Bian Yu Qing proposed, “Other than increasing the income of Void Land, I think we can let the disciples go out for training to find resources for themselves. Void Land can support them for the time being, but not for a lifetime!”
Yang Kai kept silent.
Bian Yu Qing added, “It’s an honour that Sect Master showed such generosity and care to the disciples. It’s truly a blessing for them to belong to a Sect like Void Land. But if they don’t contribute, they won’t appreciate their gains. Furthermore, while it’s safe for them to stay in Void Land, if they don’t go out for training, how can they fight alongside Sect Master in the 3,000 Worlds in the future? Flowers raised in the greenhouse will not be able to withstand wind and storms. Back then, when Great Demon God, Mo Sheng, caused disaster in the Star Boundary, everyone from High Heaven Palace participated in the battle. There were many casualties, but the ones who survived grew by leaps and bounds! “
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “What Second Manager says is reasonable.”
He certainly understood this. When he went to Blood Monster Cave Heaven this time, he also agreed to let Lang Qing Shan and the others move separately for training, because he knew that he could not always keep them under his wings. Similarly, he could not protect the 600,000 elites that he had brought back from the Star Boundary forever.
They needed to grow and gain experiences of their own.
“Since Second Manager proposed this, do you have a specific plan?” Yang Kai questioned.
Bian Yu Qing answered, “This subordinate does have an idea. As for whether it will work, I’ll need Sect Master to decide.”
Yang Kai gestured her to speak.
Bian Yu Qing suggested eloquently, “The 600,000 cultivators who came back from the Star Boundary have different strengths. There are the strong ones like the Great Emperors, who have long condensed their own Dao Seals, and are now refining Sixth-Order materials. As for the weaker cultivators, some of their cultivations have not reached the Dao Source Realm or even the Origin King Realm. It’s too dangerous for such cultivators to travel the 3,000 Worlds. Allowing them to leave would be the same as killing them. Therefore, this subordinate was thinking of letting them travel to the Universe Worlds within Void Territory first.”
Yang Kai roughly knew about the situation of Void Territory. Originally, other than Seven Wonders Land which was a Second Class great force, there were 7 third-class great forces, and more than a dozen Universe Worlds.
When Yang Kai occupied Void Land back then, the Masters of these third-class great forces and Universe Worlds paid him a visit. Since Yang Kai had become the ruler of Void Territory, these subordinate forces and Universe Worlds naturally had to pay him proper respect.
“There are many places to seek both training and opportunity in those Universe Worlds. If the disciples go there, not only can it temper their minds and bodies, but it will also let them learn the difficulty of obtaining resources.”
Yang Kai nodded at her suggestion, “This plan seems feasible!”
Seeing him approve, Bian Yu Qing added, “In addition, this subordinate feels that Void Land can follow the contribution system set up by other Sects and the prices of all kinds of cultivation resources should be clearly stated. If the disciples want to get the resources they need, they can exchange with their own contribution points. Of course, the disciples can get them by completing missions assigned by the Sect too, or turning in the contribution points that they obtained through their training.”
Yang Kai had experienced the system of contribution points many times in the past and such a system existed in High Heaven Palace as well. This system was used by many Sects with different names, but they were all similar. Up to now, there were many great forces in the 3,000 Worlds practising the same system.
The fact that the contribution points system was used by many Sects proved that it was helpful to their development.
Yang Kai beamed, “With the help of Second Manager, how can Void Land not be prosperous?”
Bian Yu Qing blushed slightly, “Many thanks, Sect Master, for your high praise. This subordinate only adopted this idea from others.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Whether it’s from others or not, I’m relieved to have Second Managers overseeing Void Land. Just proceed as you mentioned.”
Bian Yu Qing quickly bowed, “Yes!” After a pause, she continued, “Sect Master, this subordinate has another request!”
“En, name it!”
After organizing her thoughts, Bian Yu Qing remarked, “Although this subordinate has been following Sect Master for many years, my personal cultivation is too low for my current position. I was able to assist Head Manager in High Heaven Palace before, but now, it’s really overwhelming for me to support the operation of Void Land all alone. Sect Master, you are always away, and the Great Emperors are all in retreat. If Void Land encounters any trouble, it will be difficult for me alone to make decisions. I request Sect Master set up an Elder Council. If there is any problem, the Elder Council can discuss and act together.”
There were Sect Masters, Protectors, Elders, Deacons and so on in many other positions in normal Sects. Although Void Land had quite a number of people, other than having Yang Kai as the Sect Master, Bian Yu Qing was the only other one who had a specific status, which was Manager. Meanwhile, the rest were just ordinary disciples who had not been given any position yet.
It was not because Yang Kai forgot about this matter, but simply that the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land was far too limited, so it was hard to even appoint people to such positions.
Bian Yu Qing proposed this not only for the development of Void Land, but also to avert suspicion; after all, if she had all the power, it would inevitably cause some dissatisfaction among others. Of course, the main reason was that she truly needed help with the hectic workload.
“Does Second Manager have any suggestions?” Yang Kai asked.
Bian Yu Qing replied, “This subordinate has received a lot of help from Sir Chen and Madam Lu these days, and I ask for their advice at times. They have experience in management and have good cultivation. As such, this subordinate feels that we can allow them to join the Elder Council first, and be the first batch of the Elders of our Void Land!”
Chen Tian Fei was originally one of the Managers of Scarlet Star. Back then, when Zhao Bai Chuan was in retreat all year round to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Chen Tian Fei was in charge of Scarlet Star, while Lu Xue was a Manager from Sword Pavilion with numerous subordinates under her. Because of this, they both had experience in managerial positions.
Hearing Bian Yu Qing’s words, Fatty Chen, who was sitting to the side, hurriedly straightened his back, sat upright and looked in front of him steadily, while Lu Xue just remained indifferent.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Second Manager is right. Fatty Chen, Lu Xue.”
The two quickly got up, stood side by side, and cupped their fists, “Sect Master.”
“You two will establish an Elder Council with Second Manager to jointly manage Void Land. If there are any difficult decisions to be made, the 3 of you can discuss it among yourselves and follow a majority rule for the final decision!”
“Yes!” Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue responded in unison. Fatty Chen did not forget to bootlick, “This subordinate assures Sect Master that he will do his best to assist Second Manager, and develop Void Land without slacking off!”
Yang Kai waved his hand and asked them to sit down again. He next took out several Space Rings and pushed them over to Bian Yu Qing.
Bian Yu Qing wondered, “These are…”
Yang Kai explained, “These are the cultivation resources I obtained during my trip. You should keep them and distribute them according to the situation. As for the Open Heaven Pills, keep some of them in reserve if you can and take the rest to the Star City to purchase more resources.”
Bian Yu Qing accepted the order before scanning the rings with her Divine Sense, and exclaiming, “So much!”
Yang Kai literally spent billions of Open Heaven Pills on his way to First Inn in Thousand Birds Territory to buy the Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials. Just when he spent almost all his Open Heaven Pills, he obtained another 1.25 billion Open Heaven Pills in the Asura Arena, all of which he spent wildly on purchasing items at the following auction and exchange meet. If he had not paid a large number of resources and pills to win the Seventh-Order Primordial Yang Profound Ginseng, there would be even more resources in the rings.
Bian Yu Qing let out a sigh of relief, “With these things, Void Land can still maintain itself for another five years without issue!”
Yang Kai coughed gently into his fist, “I’m afraid it won’t last that long.”
“Why?” Bian Yu Qing looked at Yang Kai puzzledly.
Yang Kai disclosed, “Because Void Land will have a new batch of members joining, and their demand for cultivation resources will certainly be much more than the current disciples from the Star Boundary.”
After saying so, he waved his hand, releasing Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the other Elders from Abundance City.
Mo Mei and the others were stunned for a moment but then hurriedly saluted when they finally comprehended the situation, “Sect Master!”
Bian Yu Qing looked at Mo Mei and the others curiously, and asked, “Sect Master, these are…” Lu Xue and Chen Tian Fei looked confused too.
Yang Kai introduced everyone and briefly explained the background of Mo Mei and the others. Lu Xue and Chen Tian Fei were dumbstruck, for they did not expect Yang Kai to even bring back so many native cultivators from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. What’s more, they could sense that Mo Mei had condensed Sixth-Order Element Powers. Although Pang Duo and the rest looked a bit old to still be Emperor Realm cultivators, they permeated stable and powerful Fifth-Order Element auras. Once they advanced to the Open Heaven Realm, they would be in the Fifth Order!
“Second Manager, please settle the people of Abundance City down carefully. They will all be our Void Land’s disciples in the future.” Yang Kai ordered.
Bian Yu Qing was delighted, “Don’t worry, Sect Master. This subordinate will make proper arrangements for them.”
What Void Land lacked now more than anything was Open Heaven Realm Masters. These people in front of her were all seeds of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Once they broke through, there would be a sharp increase in Void Land’s strength. How could Bian Yu Qing not be happy?
However, after a moment of excitement, she suddenly understood what Yang Kai meant.
There were not many cultivators from Abundance City, only 3 or 4 thousand. Nevertheless, their needs would only be greater than the 600,000 disciples from the Star Boundary. Although there were a large number of people from the Star Boundary too, their cultivations were quite uneven and the vast majority had not even condensed their Dao Seals, so they needed far fewer resources. However, the cultivators of Abundance City were different. Many people had begun to condense Open Heaven Powers, which was exactly the time when they were extremely eager for the materials of various Orders.
Although Yang Kai brought back a massive amount of cultivation resources from his trip, they would not last long if so many people had to use them.
But overall, it was worth celebrating. Bian Yu Qing could even foresee the scene of the tremendous birth of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land.
Yang Kai turned to look at the several people from Abundance City, and asked, “Mo Mei, how many people from Abundance City can break through to the Open Heaven Realm right away?”
Mo Mei immediately replied without a second thought, “Besides this Mistress and the four Great Elders, there are four Deacons, who have condensed Fifth-Order Elements. Below the Fifth Order, there are at least 300 who can break through to the Open Heaven Realm at any time. However, we have just left Blood Monster Cave Heaven, so we must first become familiar with the outside world before proceeding.”
“As you should.” Yang Kai nodded before taking out a ring, “Here are some Spirit Pills. Take them and distribute them to those who can break through. Take one before they attempt to break through as it will ensure that they can successfully ascend.”
Mo Mei accepted and happily thanked Yang Kai.
To the side, Chen Tian Fei looked at Yang Kai with some surprise, “Sect Master, what Spirit Pills are these?”
Mo Mei and the others had lived in Blood Monster Cave Heaven for a long time so they did not know anything about the outside world and had never been in contact with the Open Heaven Realm before. Therefore, how would they know the hardships and dangers of breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm?
After a cultivator condensed their Dao Seal, they had to work hard to collect all kinds of materials to refine. Even after they gathered the Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers, they may not have the courage to proceed to attempt to break through; after all, their Soul was at risk of being extinguished upon failure. This was why there were countless Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Masters throughout the 3,000 Worlds. Some were limited by their financial resources and could not gather sufficient cultivation materials, while some lacked confidence in themselves or had problems with their cultivation and dared not attempt to break through.
It was for this reason that there were numerous Second-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, as well as many even in the First-Order. Not because these people did not have dreams to pursue, but because the lower the Order one attempted to break through to directly, the lower the impact on themselves would be. Likewise, the lower the risk they would need to take.
The risk of advancing to the Open Heaven Realm was well-known, but there was no way to avoid it, and auxiliary aids or Spirit Pills that could increase the chances of success had all but vanished over the ages.
Although Mo Mei did not fully understand how miraculous the Spirit Pills Yang Kai handed to her were, how could Fatty Chen and Lu Xue not know?
“Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills.” Yang Kai answered casually.
Chen Tian Fei replied with a cracked voice, “Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill? As in, the legendary Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills that have long gone extinct?”
Even Lu Xue had her beautiful eyes widen as she stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
“They’re not extinct anymore. I won the pill recipe for the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill during my trip to the Thousand Birds Territory Star City in an auction. These Spirit Pills were refined by me.”
Chen Tian Fei was stunned on the spot as if he was struck by lightning.
Lu Xue, who had been indifferent throughout the whole meeting, could not help covering her red lips with her hands as she gasped.
Seeing their reactions, Mo Mei and the others finally realized the value of the Spirit Pills in their hands. Although they had never heard of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, it did not mean that they lacked common sense. Earlier, when Yang Kai passed her the ring, she scanned it casually and found hundreds of Spirit Pills inside. She thought that these Spirit Pills were ordinary things that could be easily found everywhere, but now, she learnt how rare they were.
Tentatively looking at Chen Tian Fei, Mo Mei asked, “Elder Chen, is this Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill very precious?”
Chen Tian Fei gulped and started to explain with difficulty, “It’s more than just precious. It’s a treasure that one can essentially never find. It’s said that this Spirit Pill can stabilize one’s Dao Seal during their breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm, greatly improving their chances of success. Moreover, it is rumoured that taking it during one’s breakthrough can help a cultivator experience the birth of a new world, which harmonizes perfectly with the Grand Dao of the splitting Heaven and Earth apart…”
Then, he continued with a solemn tone, “Junior Sister Mo, let’s put it this way. If a cultivator has gathered Sixth-Order Element Powers like you, but their Dao Seal is not firm enough to support their breakthrough, they are likely to fail and die if they insist on it. But with such a pill, their chances of succeeding increase dramatically. In other words, each of these Spirit Pills can guarantee the successful breakthrough of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!”
After hearing what Chen Tian Fei said, Mo Mei and the others finally understood the value of these Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills. Although it seemed to only be a Spirit Pill, it actually represented a powerful Open Heaven Realm Master!
Chen Tian Fei continued, “If you put such a Spirit Pill up for auction, it would be worth at least 10 to 20 million Open Heaven Pills, and that is the absolute lowest price possible. En, you may not know what 10 million Open Heaven Pills means. In the 3,000 Worlds, the value of a Sixth-Order material is generally 15 million.”
Mo Mei’s hand, which was holding the ring, started trembling.
Each of these Spirit Pills were worth 10 to 20 million Open Heaven Pills, and there were some 300 of them in the ring Yang Kai gave to her! Didn’t that mean this single ring was worth billions of Open Heaven Pills?
They had no idea about the value of an Open Heaven Pill, but they did understand the value of a Sixth-Order material as they had only obtained a handful of them even after centuries of accumulation.
“Sect Master, these Spirit Pills are too valuable!” Mo Mei hurriedly looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai waved his hand, and grinned, “What Elder Chen just said is not wrong. A single Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill is worth a fortune, but that is only under the circumstances that they cannot be found.”
Previously at the auction, the price of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill and its recipe was indeed high, costing Yang Kai a great fortune just to win them.
“If a large number of these things were available in the world, their value would naturally reduce greatly. What our Void Land lacks now are Open Heaven Realm Masters, so you don’t have to feel pressured about these pills. I can refine them myself, so I can always make more when they are used up. What you have to do is to assist the people of Abundance City to advance to the Open Heaven Realm as soon as possible.”
Despite Yang Kai’s words, everyone knew that the value of Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills would not drop much even if a large quantity of them became available on the market. No cultivator could be absolutely certain that their breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm would succeed, so as long as they had enough money, anyone would definitely be willing to buy one as insurance.
Before Mo Mei could say any more, Yang Kai stopped her, “This has already been settled. You don’t need to think too much. Just use these Spirit Pills when you should.”
Realizing Yang Kai’s decision was firm, Mo Mei grasped the ring in her hand and bowed deeply, “Many thanks, Sect Master.”
“Good, that’s all for today. Second Manager, please help those from Abundance City settle in.”
Bian Yu Qing received the order and the group followed Yang Kai out of the Main Hall. After Yang Kai released all of the cultivators of Abundance City from the Small Sealed World, Bian Yu Qing led them away.
Yang Kai dismissed Yue He and then returned to his residence with his hands folded behind his back. Knowing that he was heading to see his wives, Yue He did not bother to follow him.
Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue still remained in Main Hall with somewhat complicated feelings.
After a long time, Chen Tian Fei smiled bitterly, “If I had a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill in the past, I would have been confident in attempting to break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm…”
He chose to break through to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm due to limitations in his aptitude, but if he had a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to secure his breakthrough, he would stand a chance to directly advance to the Fifth-Order. Although there was only one Order difference between the Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order, the difference in upper limits was immense. The highest limit a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could achieve was the Sixth-Order, which was still in the Mid-Rank, but a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could attempt to reach the Seventh-Order, which was the High-Rank.
Lu Xue remained silent. She had always been quiet, but she could also understand Chen Tian Fei’s feelings right now. If she did not obtain a Mid-Rank World Fruit from Yang Kai due to unforeseen circumstances, how could she have the power and achievements she had today?
“Our Sect Master is not a simple man. The future of Void Land… is really worth anticipating!” Chen Tian Fei sighed. Although he did not have as much authority as he did back in Scarlet Star, he was still proud to be in a Sect with such high prospects!
What could he do even if he wielded power in Scarlet Star? Scarlet Star would forever be a small place that could never stand out in the one Star City where it was situated, while Void Land had unlimited potential and would one day rise to become an existence on par with the Cave-Heavens or Paradises! By that time, Chen Tian Fei would also be famous!
…..
When Yang Kai returned to his residence and pushed the door open, he saw Yu Ru Meng, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, and Ji Yao standing side by side, with Yu Ru Meng in the lead.
They had obviously heard the news of Yang Kai’s return, so they had decided to wait here.
As soon as they saw him, happiness covered their faces. Under the lead of Yu Ru Meng, they all saluted and greeted in unison, “Husband, many thanks for your hard work.”
Yu Ru Meng smiled sweetly, Xia Ning Chang and Ji Yao blushed, Xue Yue grinned, while Su Yan lowered her head slightly, her long hair falling from both sides of her ears and resting on her ample peaks.
Yang Kai stared at all of them, stunned.
Yu Ru Meng’s face remained unchanged, but the rest flushed increasingly red.
It was mainly because they had never done something like this before. They were still in retreat previously, but were summoned out one by one by Yu Ru Meng. They still had not gotten used to the situation where they all gathered together to welcome their man back.
With a bang, Yang Kai closed the door again and left the room.
Standing at the door, Yang Kai touched his chin, frowned, and pondered for a long time. He secretly thought to himself that he did not do anything out of line in Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Although that enchantress kept trying to seduce him, he righteously rejected her and did not display any inappropriate behaviour towards her. Thinking so, he calmed down and put a smile on his face before pushing the door open again.
“Husband, why did you do that?” Yu Ru Meng asked puzzledly.
Yang Kai hurriedly answered, “I can’t help but be in such bliss when I see my wives welcome me like this, together. It took me by surprise. I forgot how to behave myself for a while. Please forgive me!”
Yu Ru Meng looked at him suspiciously, “Really? Why do you seem to look a little guilty?”
Cold sweat drenched Yang Kai’s back as he smiled, “Ru Meng, why would you say something so ridiculous? I wasn’t unfaithful to you all, so why would I feel guilty? Heh heh.”
Yu Ru Meng grinned, “This Mistress never accused Husband of being unfaithful… so why is Husband in such a hurry to explain himself, hmm?”
“Am I?” Yang Kai frowned, “Nonsense. There’s nothing of the sort. I’m afraid Ru Meng has misunderstood me. I haven’t seen you all for too long, and I miss all of you very much. Oh, Ning Chang, have you condensed your Dao Seal?”
Little Senior Sister nodded innocently, “En, I have condensed my Dao Seal. Not just me, but everyone has condensed their Dao Seal already. However, Elder Sister Ru Meng said that we should only start cultivating after you come back, so we haven’t condensed any Elements yet.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Ru Meng is right, it is exactly as she says. Come come, let me check everyone’s Dao Seal.”
After declaring so, he spread his arms open and grabbed all the women together without hesitation, pushing them towards the bedroom.
Su Yan, Ji Yao, and Xue Yue all exchanged looks, their faces flushed an even deeper red than before. They naturally knew what kind of ‘checking’ he wanted to perform on them; however, Little Senior Sister in all her innocence still had no idea that she was being led into the wolf’s den, so she continued to boast proudly, “We asked Senior Zhu Jiu Yin to check us once before. She said that we can condense Fifth-Order elements without a problem, and we can directly advance to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future!”
“En, en!” Yang Kai kept nodding, “Since Zhu Jiu Yin said so, it should be right. However, in the end, she is a Divine Spirit, different from us Humans. There could be errors in her judgement, so I still need to check each of you thoroughly.”
“Is that so?” Xia Ning Chang thought about it for a while, and nodded, “It seems like what Junior Brother said is reasonable.”
Yu Ru Meng sneered, “Then Ning Chang, you can be the first one he ‘checks;’ later.”
Xia Ning Chang replied, “En… Ah, Junior Brother, what are you…”
The ladies, whether it was Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue or Ji Yao, had good aptitudes; otherwise, they would not have been able to cultivate to the Emperor Realm in such a short time while still in the Star Boundary. Especially Su Yan, who bore the Ancestral Ice Phoenix Source and possessed the Ice Crystal Jade Body. She had the most outstanding aptitude among all of them.
Their time spent on cultivation was not a lot, but there were never insufficient resources when they were in the Star Boundary, allowing them to build upon solid foundations.
They were restricted by the World Bottle of the Star Boundary and could not be recognized by the World’s Will, so they could not condense their own Dao Seal. Nevertheless, it was no longer the case when they leapt out of the Star Boundary and entered the Outer Universe. Here, it became a simple matter for them to condense their Dao Seals.
Due to their firm foundations, their Dao Seals were also extremely stable.
Zhu Jiu Yin was right. It would not be a problem for them to refine Fifth-Order Elements. As for Yu Ru Meng, she was the Demon Saint of the Demon Race, so she already had her own Dao Seal and had begun to refine Sixth-Order materials like the Great Emperors.
Yang Kai would be pleased enough if the common disciples in Void Land could refine Fifth-Order materials, but since they were his wives, he definitely wanted the absolute best for them.
As such, he took out the remaining Divine Dao Water and distributed it to them.
It was given to him by Zhu Jiu Yin in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Zhu Jiu Yin had lived in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for many years and possessed a lot of valuable treasures. As a Divine Spirit though, the Divine Dao Water was completely useless to her, so she generously gave it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had used some for himself and traded a couple of drops away, but there was still about half of it left. Even though each one of them could only obtain three or four drops now, it was enough to further stabilize their Dao Seals.
One must first sharpen his axe before chopping wood. Ever since Yang Kai left the Star Boundary, he had realized the importance of a Dao Seal to cultivators. It could be said that the future achievements of a cultivator, and even one’s chances of successfully entering the Open Heaven Realm were tied directly to their Dao Seal.
The firmer the Dao Seal, the higher the Order of Elements they could condense, while the chances of failure during the final breakthrough would be smaller too.
Yang Kai and Yu Ru Meng stood guard, while the others entered retreat to refine the Divine Dao Water.
“Does Husband want them to condense Sixth-Order Elements?” Yu Ru Meng guessed Yang Kai’s plan and secretly asked via Divine Sense. At the moment, her clothes are a little untidy, her hair was dishevelled, and her cheeks were still slightly flushed, giving her an extremely seductive air.
Yang Kai grabbed her hand and played with it softly as he whispered, “Entering the Open Heaven Realm is not the end of the Martial Dao. The difference between just one Order is enormous, so if they can have a higher starting point, it will save them many years of cultivation and also allow them to have a more promising future. So, I’ll try to provide them with the best possible starting point.”
“En!” Yu Ru Meng nodded lightly. With a slight tilt, she fell into Yang Kai’s arms, gently stroked the stubble on his chin, and stated in distress, “My Husband has been running around all over the world these past few years. It must have been difficult.”
Although it was her first time hearing about the Divine Dao Water and she had never seen it before, how could anything that could improve a cultivator’s Dao Seal be common? It was definitely a treasure that most cultivators could only dream of.
Everyone wanted such a treasure, so to obtain it, Yang Kai must have gone through plenty of hardships and only succeeded after much hard work.
Yang Kai lowered his head, traced his finger over her ruby-red lips, and asked with a playful smile, “Indeed. How do you intend to compensate your hard-working Husband, Ru Meng?”
Yu Ru Meng glanced up at him shyly, “They are refining the Divine Dao Water. Don’t make trouble. It’s bad to disturb them.”
After a pause, she continued, “It’s not often that you return home. When they’re done, you should go and see Luo’er.”
Yang Kai nodded, “How has Luo’er been doing recently?”
His wives were all here, except for Shan Qing Luo. He could not help it, because when he brought her to Void Land from the Star Boundary, Zhu Jiu Yin instantly felt a familial aura from Shan Qing Luo and immediately took her away. Yang Kai could not stop this, and did not intend to either; after all, this was a good opportunity for Shan Qing Luo too, and Yang Kai believed that with Zhu Jiu Yin’s teaching, Shan Qing Luo would definitely have great achievements in the future.
Yu Ru Meng answered, “I don’t know. Luo’er has been following Senior Zhu Jiu Yin, and hasn’t shown up lately. However, I heard from Su Yan that when they met Luo’er last time, she looked well.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll make time to see Zhu Jiu Yin then.”
The several women did not take too long, only about three days to refine the Divine Dao Water. They opened their eyes one after another, and Yang Kai checked their Dao Seals one by one. After confirming that their Dao Seals were indeed stable enough to support Sixth-Order Elements, he was relieved.
If he did not have the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill with him, he may not be bold enough to encourage his wives to condense Sixth-Order Powers; after all, having the capability to condense such Element Powers was completely different from having the courage to do so. The risks of breaking through directly to the Sixth-Order rather than the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm were orders of magnitude different.
However, Yang Kai did have the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, which could secure their breakthrough in the future.
After ordering them to find Bian Yu Qing to request Sixth-Order materials, Yang Kai departed to Zhu Jiu Yin’s residence.
Other than meeting Shan Qing Luo, he also wanted to know how much of Zhu Jiu Yin’s strength had been restored. She was a Divine Spirit born and raised in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. After escaping the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, she had to adapt to the World Principles of the 3,000 Worlds in order to regain her peak strength.
It had been several years since she left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so in theory, she should have fully recovered.
Zhu Jiu Yin lived in the grandest palace complex which occupied an entire Spirit Peak. There were no outsiders here, only her and Shan Qing Luo.
Yang Kai came to the foot of the mountain, climbed the stairs, and soon reached in front of the palace. He adjusted his clothes as he cleared his throat before cupping his fist, “Senior, Junior Yang Kai is here to visit you.”
The sound echoed back and forth through the mountain peaks.
Zhu Jiu Yin’s voice immediately reached Yang Kai’s ear, “Brat, you’re not dead yet?”
Yang Kai was speechless, “Why did you say so, Senior? You are my Protector. Why do you wish for me to die?”
Zhu Jiu Yin snorted coldly, “It’s true that I’m your Protector, but I can only keep you safe in this small place. Since you like to wander around, what does it have to do to me if you get yourself killed outside?”
In fact, she could not wait for Yang Kai to die in a ditch somewhere outside. If he did, she did not have to guard this place anymore, and could go wherever she pleased with Shan Qing Luo.
Yang Kai was annoyed, and if not for the vast gap in their strength, he would have charged inside to teach her a lesson. Forcing down his grievances, he swiftly changed the subject, “Senior, please show yourself.”
Zhu Jiu Yin snorted, “Just say what you want to say and don’t waste our time. This Queen is really busy and doesn’t have the attention to spare to see you.”
Yang Kai wanted to ask her what she was busy with, but on second thought, since Shan Qing Luo was with her, she probably was doing something related to Shan Qing Luo. Irritated but still willing to compromise, Yang Kai simply asked, “Since Senior has been away from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for a few years, may this Junior ask how much of your strength had been restored? Do you need any assistance from me?”
Zhu Jiu Yin sneered, “How can you help me? I don’t need your help. If there’s nothing else, go back and don’t bother this Queen.”
Yang Kai ground his teeth. He really wanted to grab this woman out and bite her. He proceeded with a low voice, “It’s fine if Senior doesn’t want to show herself, but I want to see Luo’er.”
“Luo’er is busy too. She’s not free. Shoo shoo, go away!”
Yang Kai widened his eyes and burst out, “Senior, this is my Void Land. Not to mention, I am the Master here, Luo’er is my Wife. I just want to see her. Why won’t you allow me?”
“Bite me!” Zhu Jiu Yin sneered.
[I really do want to bite you to death!] Anger filled Yang Kai’s heart so he steeled himself and strode forward. [I was being polite just now for the sake of respect. Do you really think I have to look at your face? Do you think you can stop me from coming in?]
Just as he took one step forward though, a force travelled through the air and smacked him in the face. Yang Kai lost his balance and literally rolled down the mountain.
By the time he got up again, he was already at the foot of the mountain.
Yang Kai looked up at the top of the mountain with clenched jaws. [Zhu Jiu Yin, you crazy woman!]
“Brat, if you have time to bother me, why don’t you use it to study your Void Land? This place… is not as simple as it appears!” The voice of Zhu Jiu Yin resounded around his ears.
“Not as simple as it appears?” Yang Kai was stunned, “What’s not simple about it?” He shouted loudly a few times, but there was no response from Zhu Jiu Yin anymore. He had no idea if the woman did not hear him, or simply turned a deaf ear to him.
In the midst of his anger, a rumble happened nearby. The ground trembled and it sounded like a thunderstorm. Yang Kai turned to it in shock, and saw two huge figures flying rapidly towards him from the mountain forest. When they got close, he saw sticky, slimy fluid dripping from the mouth of one of them, while the other one extended its huge head over to him, its eyes full of joy.
“It’s you two…” Yang Kai was sulking, but his mood improved a bit at the sight. These two giant creatures were the Scarlet Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon that he brought out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Yang Kai had fed them Dragon Blood Pills once in a while since the time in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary; therefore, every time they sensed Yang Kai’s aura, they would run over and beg for food.
Although Yang Kai refined a tremendous number of Dragon Blood Pills in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and the quality was excellent, he had been consuming them all these years, so he did not have many left.
However, Yang Kai had no choice but to sigh helplessly when he saw the pleading looks on these two. He took out ten Dragon Blood Pills, and fed them five each as he said, “This is the last time. You won’t get it anymore.”
Without knowing whether they understood or not, they just swallowed the Dragon Blood Pills one by one excitedly before circling around Yang Kai cordially.
It was not surprising for them to appear here, because Zhu Jiu Yin lived here. They were all from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so they were more comfortable with each other. Furthermore, Zhu Jiu Yin would teach these two from time to time.
Given their somewhat childish behaviour, it was natural for them to stay here.
Yang Kai looked at them and found that both the Scarlet Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon were more than twice the size from the first time he saw them. The Dragon auras emanating from their body were also much stronger; after all, they both had Dragon Clan bloodlines, though only a trace amount. Nonetheless, the Dragon Blood Pills were extremely helpful to them and had strengthened them to a great degree.
“Zhu Jiu Yin, I will make you pay one day!” Hovering in the sky of Void Land, Yang Kai declared silently with his teeth gritted.
Since Zhu Jiu Yin stated that this Void Land was not as simple as it seemed, and asked him to investigate it carefully, Yang Kai naturally did not dare to neglect her words. This place was the foundation of his foothold in 3,000 Worlds. Not to mention, there were 600,000 people he brought from the Star Boundary here. If anything happened here, how could he face those that remained in the Star Boundary?
But after checking for days, he found nothing at all.
He had lived in this place for quite some time, and did not notice anything strange about it. At most, it was just a Spirit Province where a Second Class great force stood. There was truly nothing special about it.
He took Zhu Jiu Yin’s words seriously because she was a powerful Divine Spirit. That perhaps, she may have felt something.
But now, it seemed that it was either that woman had misled him, or he was too weak to detect it. Yang Kai believed that the former was more likely, which enraged him.
After a few bitter grumblings, Yang Kai gave up on continuing his investigation. He found Second Manager Bian Yu Qing, informed her that he would be in retreat for a while, and told her not to disturb him unless there was an urgent matter.
Bian Yu Qing respectfully acknowledged his orders.
Thus, Yang Kai returned to his residence, went into the secret room and activated the various barriers. He sat cross-legged and focused his mind for three days before solemnly taking out the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core.
The Monster Core was the size of a fist, its entire mass golden, and a strong and pure Metal Element Power surrounded it. When he probed his Divine Sense into it, he could clearly feel the massive energy contained within.
Yang Kai was delighted, but his face remained calm.
It was not easy to obtain such a treasure, and it could be said that he was very lucky to have held onto it. He initially hoped to find the materials he needed in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, but his efforts turned out to be in vain. He had completely given up, especially when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was collapsing; however, when one door closes, a window opens. Yang Kai bumped into the severely injured Golden Wolf King that happened to have devoured the Monster Core of Golden Gorilla King, allowing it to advance from the peak of Sixth Order to the Seventh Order.
At that time, Yang Kai still had the Divine Ability Bead given to him by the Proprietress!
Part of the reason the Golden Wolf King could defeat the Golden Gorilla King and advance to the Seventh Order was because of Yang Kai. If he had not fought with Golden Gorilla King in Abundance City back then, there would not have been a decisive battle between the two Monster Beasts, both at the peak of Sixth Order. After all, they had fought with each other for many years, and neither had prevailed. It could be said that their strength was always on par with each other.
It was precisely because Yang Kai fought with Golden Gorilla King in Abundance City and greatly weakened it that the Golden Wolf King had a chance to succeed!
It was all kinds of opportunistic coincidences that brought Yang Kai the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core in his hand.
Now, it seemed that it was no longer necessary for him to go to Golden Antelope Paradise, where he was planning to head if he failed to obtain anything from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. After all, he might just be able to find something he needed there. However, he didn’t have to anymore.
No matter how indifferent he looked, Yang Kai was still a little exhilarated in his heart, because as long as he refined this Monster Core, he would be just one step away from the Open Heaven Realm. As soon as he found a suitable Yin Element treasure to refine, he could split Heaven and Earth within himself to create a Small Universe, directly advancing to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. By then, he would have the ability to protect himself in the 3,000 Worlds.
Yang Kai took a soft breath and closed his eyes. Before refining this Metal Element Monster Core, he still needed to make some preparations.
Among the Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers, Yang Kai first condensed his Wood Element, then Fire, then Earth. However, he had not found an appropriate Metal Element. Fortunately, Zhu Jiu Yin handed him the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture, allowing him to skip the Metal Element and condensed his Water Element as well as his Yang Element.
Nonetheless, although the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture was amazing, anyone who used it had to dedicate a part of their attention to maintaining its operation. Once it was interrupted, the Powers inside the Dao Seal would fall into chaos, leading to disastrous results.
When refining his Water Element, Yang Kai spared a part of his focus on operating the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture. Similarly, Yang Kai had to spare another part of his focus when condensing his Yang Element Power.
It could be said that Yang Kai has always been in the state of multitasking on at least three things at the same time. It was a great load on any cultivator who did this, because multitasking on three things would consume a lot of one’s focus. Without a powerful Soul, this could not have been done, let alone fighting with others in this state.
Maybe multitasking on three things would not be too difficult for a short time, but the problem was this circulation could not be interrupted and had to be maintained at all times.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s Soul was much stronger than other cultivators in the same Realm; thus, he was able to maintain this state without making any mistakes.
Now, since he wanted to condense the Metal Element Power, he had to spare another part of his focus again.
Divine Sense surged, and his focus was divided. As the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture was operating, Yang Kai held the Seventh-Order Monster Core with both hands, surged the Powers within his Dao Seal, and began absorbing the Metal Element Power in the Monster Core.
The Metal Element was renowned for its sharpness, and specialized in attacking. As such, the Monster Core’s Metal Element Power had an unparalleled sharpness to it. As soon as Yang Kai absorbed a trace of this Power, he felt a stabbing pain in his physique and meridians, as if a tiny needle had poked into his body, shuttled through his physique and meridians, and pierced his Dao Seal.
Yang Kai’s face trembled while he endured the pain.
Soon, an almost imperceptible golden aura appeared in his Dao Seal, and it began to tremble slightly. The Powers of Wood, Fire, Earth and Water seemed to become a little lively at this moment.
Yang Kai did not know whether it was an illusion, but he did not have time to find out now. Since he had begun to refine the Metal Element Power, he could not give up halfway, and constantly utilised his Dao Seal, absorbing the energy of the Monster Core in his hand.
As time passed, Yang Kai felt as though countless fine needles were drilling into his body, as if thousands of ants were eating his physique, and he had to endure the unbearable pain the whole time.
However, the golden aura in his Dao Seal was gradually growing stronger. With the increase of the Metal Element Power, the rest of the Five Element Powers became more and more active in his Dao Seal. Even the vibration of his Dao Seal became more and more apparent.
The Five Elements were a complete cycle that brought about unity. The process of advancing to the Open Heaven Realm was to integrate this unity into their Dao Seal. Before, the Five Element Powers in Yang Kai’s body were incomplete and could not harmonize with each other properly, so they had to act on their own. But now, Yang Kai has refined the Metal Element Power, and finally gathered all of the Five Elements.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth were gradually integrated with each other in an infinite loop, connecting to each other in an endless and wondrous cycle. The Dao Seal vibrated more and more, and its light flickered constantly.
With the refining of the Metal Element Power, Yang Kai’s aura also became stronger and stronger.
It was not easy to refine a Seventh-Order material, and if it were any other cultivator, they would have to be extremely careful, especially towards the Metal Element Power, because its innate nature to attack and kill was too strong. One mistake would lead to irreparable losses to their own meridians and Dao Seal, possibly even death.
Therefore, the time required for refining would naturally be exceedingly long, ranging from three to five years to more than ten years.
Yang Kai was not worried about this though. His Dao Seal was extremely firm, and among the Five Elements, he had gathered the Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth already. As such, he had great experience in condensing this kind of High-Rank Power.
He refined rapidly, and the aura of the Metal Element Monster Core in his hand disappeared at a visible speed. On the contrary, the golden light in Yang Kai’s Dao Seal gradually expanded.
At a certain moment, when the last bit of Power within the Monster Core in his hand was absorbed and condensed, Yang Kai felt that his mind relaxed, as if a heavy burden was lifted from him. He instinctively withdrew the several parts of his split focus, which had now been spared, and stopped the operation of the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture.
Although the technique was interrupted, there was no sign of disorder with the Powers in his Dao Seal. On the contrary, as the Five Elements in his Dao Seal were complete now, the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth Element Powers mutually reinforced and suppressed one another, forming a complete cycle.
Cultivators had to condense the Elements in a specific order, but the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture negated that necessity. Now that Yang Kai possessed all the Five Elements though, he naturally did not need this technique. It was a great relief for him, especially from the stress of maintaining it.
Yang Kai examined himself carefully and clearly perceived the endless cycle of the Five Elements in his Dao Seal. Following the cycle of the Five Elements, an inexplicable aura was released out of the Dao Seal. This aura felt like a newborn world, like the prototype of World Force, but at the same time not!
The feeling of the complete Five Elements circulating in his own body mutually reinforcing and suppressing each other was even more amazing. Yang Kai had long experienced the World Force; after all, he was the owner of the Small Sealed World, which was also an independent world itself and naturally had its own World Force. However, the Small Sealed World was not his own body, and the feeling that came from his own being at this moment was completely different.
A sudden realization suddenly dawned on Yang Kai, this was the true Half-Step Open Heaven Realm!
Although previously he had refined five Elements to reach the standard of the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm, due to the scattered Powers in his body, he did not form an orderly cycle at all. Therefore, he had not truly stepped into the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm.
But now, he had finally reached the threshold of the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. If he could take another step forward, he would be in the Open Heaven Realm!
Yang Kai concentrated his mind and immersed himself in this wonderful feeling. His Dao Seal constantly vibrated, and each vibration seemed to be a throb from the depths of his heart. The cycle of the Five Elements resonated with his Soul, giving rise to the illusion that his Dao Seal was about to evolve into a World.
And he himself was the creator of this World!
The feeling of dominating the World arose spontaneously, and his mood lifted a little. After condensing the Metal Element Power, Yang Kai stood firm in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. He could sense that his strength had increased by another leap. Even though it was not too outrageous, it was certainly different from before.
More importantly, with the completion of the Five Elements, it gave him another trump card to use.
Just when Yang Kai wanted to try a technique he had not used for a long time, a soft noise suddenly came out from within himself. Yang Kai was slightly stunned, unable to react to what had happened.
When the soft noise resounded for the second time, Yang Kai hurriedly examined its source and his face turned deathly pale.
A crack had appeared in his Dao Seal!
Yang Kai was beyond startled, his face turning green from shock. After reaching the peak of the Emperor Realm, the Dao Seal became the foundation of a cultivator. It was where their Grand Dao was stored, the product of a cultivator’s lifetime of hard work. If something went wrong with their Dao Seal, it would be the end of the cultivator.
Yang Kai never thought there would be a problem with his Dao Seal, because it was extremely firm and robust, especially with the nourishment of the Divine Dao Water.
But the most unlikely thing happened, and it happened so abruptly.
Yang Kai drew a deep breath and held it for a long while, focusing his Divine Sense closely on his Dao Seal. A small crack had indeed appeared in his Dao Seal, but he did not feel any discomfort. Instead, he felt light and refreshed.
[What’s happening?]
After waiting for a long while, the movement from his Dao Seal gradually stopped. Yang Kai tried to stimulate the Powers in his Dao Seal, but instead of any hindrance, they flowed smoother than ever. Still, the tiny crack was real, and there was no sign of it healing.
Yang Kai was baffled. Boldly, he raised his hand, and a wave of Sword Qi swirled around his fingertips, one that encompassed all Five Elements.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi was a Secret Technique that Yang Kai cultivated a long time ago. Resources of the Five Elements needed to be consumed during its cultivation, but the grade of those resources he used to do so were not very high. With the improvement of his cultivation, this Secret Technique lacked utility and was thus set aside.
However, this Secret Technique was also good because of its unlimited potential. The stronger the Five Element Powers used, the greater the power of the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi. The Five Element Powers that Yang Kai refined to reach the Open Heaven realm were all High-Rank; thus, the current Sword Qi he could use was on a completely different scale from before.
That Sword Qi lingered around the secret room ceaselessly for a long time, and one could imagine how difficult it would be for the enemy to contend against it.
Of course, Yang Kai was not testing out the power of this Sword Qi, but was instead using it to investigate his own Dao Seal.
After a while, he concluded that there was really nothing wrong with his Dao Seal.
Yang Kai frowned, feeling even more confused about his situation. He had no mentor to guide him throughout his cultivating journey, and had been experimenting and fumbling on his own most of the time. Right now, he was secretly worried that something had gone wrong and he was simply unable to detect it.
Feeling uneasy, he opened the secret room and summoned Yue He to ask her for some advice; after all, Yue He was an experienced Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she might know something.
Unfortunately, there was no reply even after a long time! As such, Yang Kai summoned Lu Xue, but there was no response from her either.
Yue He and Lu Xue were the two most powerful Open Heaven Masters in Void Land currently, a Sixth-Order and a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master respectively, and Void Land supposedly didn’t have any urgent matters going on currently, so how could they not reply to him? The only explanation was that they were not in Void Land!
This made Yang Kai’s heart clench tight. Did something happen to Void Land when he was in retreat? Completely abandoning the problems about his own Dao Seal, he hurried out and sent a message to Bian Yu Qing.
Fortunately, Bian Yu Qing quickly replied.
After the two met, Yang Kai quickly asked, “Second Manager, what happened to Void Land? Why are Yue He and Lu Xue not here?”
Bian Yu Qing was momentarily stunned, but then laughed lightly and reassured him, “Sect Master, don’t worry, something did happen to Void Land, but it’s something worth celebrating.”
Yang Kai raised his brow, “What is it worth celebrating?”
Bian Yu Qing pointed up at the sky and explained, “The people from Abundance City are breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm. There are many of them, and it was an important matter, so all the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land are standing guard outside.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai was overjoyed when he heard the news, and his anxiety was immediately relieved. He thought something serious might have happened when he did not receive a response from Yue He and Lu Xue, but now he learnt that they actually left to stand guard for the people of Abundance City.
Yang Kai silently calculated the time and figured he should have taken three months to refine the Metal Element Monster Core in retreat. It was not too long nor too short, and during this period, the people from Abundance City should have familiarized themselves with the outside world and made the necessary preparations to break through to the Open Heaven Realm.
Suddenly feeling excited, he quickly left after saying, “I’ll go take a look too.”
In a flash, he opened a hole in the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array and left Void Land, reappearing in the void alone.
The reason why the people of Abundance City chose to break through to the Open Heaven Realm outside of Void Land was mainly that they were afraid of what damage the failure of their breakthroughs might bring to Void Land.
The breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm did not have much requirement from the external environment. It could be done in a land rich in World Energy, or in the empty void as it was mainly dependent on one’s own heritage. Yue He and the others were naturally there too.
Outside of Void Land, Yue He, Lu Xue, Chen Tian Fei, and even Guo Zi Yan were standing by, spread out to the four corners of a huge space in the void where Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and several the others sat cross-legged, separated from each other by more than ten kilometres, each of them permeating vigorous auras.
There were not many of them, only 9. Besides City Lord Mo Mei, Pang Duo and the other four Great Elders, the remaining four were Deacons who had condensed Fifth-Order Elements.
Beyond that, there were many more cultivators clustered in another location.
Yang Kai arrived just in time for Mo Mei and the others to break through to the Open Heaven Realm. Without needing to approach, Yang Kai could already clearly feel World Force permeating from them.
He had witnessed Old Bai’s promotion to the Open Heaven Realm before, but he was the only one in that situation. Now that 9 people were breaking through together, how spectacular was the scene going to be? Void Land probably would be the only place to have such a spectacle in the entire 3,000 Worlds.
It was impossible for other Sects to find so many disciples who were all so close to Open Heaven Realm at the same time.
Yang Kai watched for a while, feeling that Mo Mei and others should have no problem with their breakthroughs, but he was still not sure so he flickered towards Yue He.
“Young Master, did you exit retreat?” Yue He was pleasantly surprised to see him. She felt around slightly, sensed the Metal Element Power Element permeating from Yang Kai, and confirmed that he had successfully refined it.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded as he motioned with his mouth to the people in front, “How are they doing?”
Yue He replied, “Everything is going well. I’m certain it won’t take more than three to five days for them to succeed.”
Yang Kai was delighted, “That’s good.”
Yue He covered her mouth and giggled, “Congratulations, Young Master, Void Land’s strength will greatly increase now.”
Yang Kai found what she said funny, then reached out and pinched her face, “You are also from Void Land, we should be celebrating together.”
After pinching her, Yang Kai froze. Although Yue He has always been obedient, he also knew the reason for it, so he had always been careful not to be too intimate with her. However, he was stunned by his own sudden action.
Yue He was also dumbfounded, and the both of them stared at each other.
After a while, Yang Kai cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly, “What’s their condition?”
There were nearly 300 people gathered there looking nervously at Mo Mei and the others, all of them likely cultivators of Abundance City.
Yue He reported, “They have broken through to the Open Heaven Realm already, Young Master. There are 315 new Open Heaven Realm Masters in total, including 35 Fourth-Order, 191 Third-Order, and 89 Second-Order Open Heaven Masters. This number is… quite unbelievable.”
Yang Kai was elated when he heard this.
Before now, the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land could be counted with just one hand, but the sudden rise in numbers to more than 300 of them meant that the strength of Void Land had soared.
With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, Void Land still may not be as good as some top Second Class great forces, but how many years had they been established and developing for? How old was Void Land?
And this was just the beginning. Not to mention that there were even more cultivators in Abundance City that were only one or two steps away from the Open Heaven Realm, the more than 600,000 people brought from the Star Boundary were also all elites. Many people would definitely break through to the Open Heaven Realm in the near future.
But even if the number was not as good as other forces, Void Land was definitely not lacking in terms of quality. Of the more than 300 people who had broken through successfully, 35 of them were Fourth-Order Open Heaven Masters. This ratio was terrifying, and only a special environment such as the Blood Monster Cave Heaven could foster such potential, giving them the time to accumulate and break out of their shells all at once.
Not to mention, there were still 9 more who were still in the process of breaking through.
These 9 people, except Mo Mei, who was about to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, were all going to break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm! Once successful, Void Land’s background would become quite terrifying.
Why did Yang Kai spend so much to set up the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array? It was to prepare for rainy days. The strength of the people who came from the Star Boundary was uneven, and the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land was scarce. If anyone really decided to come looking for trouble, they may not be able to triumph against them. But with the protection of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, they at least would have a safe environment.
However, he did not need to worry about that anymore, unless those Cave-Heavens and Paradises launched a major attack on them. Otherwise, there were only a few great forces in the 3,000 Worlds that could compete with Void Land now.
Excited, Yang Kai suddenly felt much more relaxed.
Although he had occupied Void Land that day by chance, formed a Sect here, then spent a fortune to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, he always felt a little insecure. However, he no longer felt that way. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters guarding Void Land now, this place had now become a true place of refuge for him.
In the distance, the World Force escaping from the bodies of Mo Mei and the others became more and more apparent, giving off a vague feeling that a new world was about to be born.
However, judging from their appearance, it would still take a few days before the real promotion to Open Heaven Realm took place. Yang Kai relaxed and then recalled the reason for coming out of his retreat, quickly asking in a small voice, “Yue He, I want to ask you something.”
Yue He turned her head and asked, “Feel free to ask anything, Young Master.”
Yang Kai reiterated what happened during his retreat, and Yue He could not help getting nervous, “A crack on your Dao Seal?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “Common sense says that when the Dao Seal is broken, even if one’s cultivation is not completely destroyed, they would at least be seriously injured, but… I don’t feel anything is off about myself. In fact, I feel quite comfortable.”
Yue He pondered for a while before asking, “Young Master, will you allow me to investigate carefully?”
Yang Kai nodded, “En. I was hoping you would.”
The Dao Seal was the root of a cultivator, so it was not something to be opened up to others casually. If the other party had any malicious intentions, he would be dead without knowing how he was killed. Nevertheless, Yue He was trustworthy and Yang Kai was confident it was impossible for her to have any ill intentions towards him.
Yue He immediately stretched out and tapped her slender jade finger on Yang Kai’s chest, surging her Divine Sense as she probed him carefully.
After a while, Yue He retracted her finger, a frown on her face.
“What is it?” Yang Kai asked nervously.
Yue He thought carefully before replying, “I didn’t notice anything wrong, but Young Master, your Dao Seal has signs of breaking. This is something unprecedented, and…”
“And what?”
“There are signs of you advancing to the Open Heaven Realm.”
“Signs of breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm?” Shock surfaced on Yang Kai’s face, “What do you mean?”
Yue He explained, “Young Master may not be aware, but whenever a cultivator is about to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, one’s Dao Seal must be broken to integrate Yin, Yang, and Five Elements together with one’s Grand Dao to form their Small Universe.”
She then pointed at Mo Mei and the others, “They are currently in that phase. Once they succeed, they can advance to the Open Heaven Realm. If they fail, the consequences will be dire.”
“Such a thing happens?” Yang Kai was astonished. He really did not know that the Dao Seal would have to be broken while advancing to the Open Heaven Realm. He always thought that the Dao Seal would accompany a cultivator for the rest of their life, but now it seemed that there was no Dao Seal in those within the Open Heaven Realm, because their Dao Seal would shatter and merge into their Small Universe, imprinting the cultivator’s Grand Dao.
Yang Kai then asked with a frown, “But the Dao Seal is critical to a cultivator, wouldn’t it cause irreparable damage to us when it shatters?”
Yue He chuckled, “What Young Master described is the consequences of one’s Dao Seal being destroyed by external forces. For example, if a certain Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master was subjected to a Secret Technique that shattered their Dao Seal, even if this person did not die, their cultivation would be completely crippled. However, when breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, this process is essential, otherwise, how would one integrate their own Grand Dao into their Small Universe? This can be considered as breaking the old to build up the new, that’s why the advancement to the Open Heaven Realm has always been extremely dangerous, and one careless mistake will put all previous efforts to waste.”
Yang Kai had a vague idea now but was still confused, “I am still one step away from Open Heaven Realm, but it is not easy to even take this step. So why did my Dao Seal change like this?”
Yue He did not understand what was going on either, so shaking her head, she replied, “I cannot say, Young Master. Do you really not feel anything wrong?”
Yang Kai answered, “If there was something wrong, I would notice it, but I truly don’t feel anything abnormal, except for the crack in my Dao Seal.”
Yue He pondered for a long time before opening her mouth hesitantly, “Perhaps, it has something to do with the Order of the materials you have refined, Young Master. Throughout the ages, there have been very few cultivators capable of condensing High-Rank Element Powers. Another might not appear for thousands of years, so no one would be able to predict what kind of abnormal situations may occur on the path of cultivation such as Young Master’s.”
If even Yue He could not give him an answer, Yang Kai did not know who else to turn to. She had the highest cultivation and was the most knowledgeable in Void Land, so it was impossible for the others to know more than she did.
Although Zhu Jiu Yin was a Divine Spirit and certainly stronger than Yue He, her cultivation method was completely different from that of a Human’s, so asking her would be pointless.
Seeing him still worried, Yue He comforted him, “But there is a benefit to the situation you’re in.”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “What’s the benefit? Let’s hear it.”
“Young Master’s advancement to the Open Heaven in the future will certainly be easier now as there are signs of your breaking through already. When you gather all of your Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers, your advancement will definitely come naturally without much obstruction.”
Although Yang Kai knew that she was just comforting him, he still felt somewhat relieved and nodded, “I hope so.”
Although talking to Yue He did not solve his doubts and he did not know why his Dao Seal had such a phenomenon, Yang Kai faintly noticed one thing; the long gorge of cultivation between Emperor Realm and Open Heaven Realm could be called a completely new realm, such as the Dao Seal Realm!
This was because when one’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Emperor Realm, they would need to condense their Dao Seal with their own Grand Dao and lifelong cultivation. When advancing to the Open Heaven Realm, one’s Dao Seal would be shattered and integrated into their Small Universe. The formation to the destruction of the Dao Seal was the rise and fall of a Realm, and its characteristics were extremely obvious.
The question was, why did such a Realm not exist?
Since he could not answer such a question, he decided not to think about it anymore. If there had never been the existence of a Dao Seal Realm before, there must be a reason for it.
Five or six days passed by in a hurry while Yang Kai was constantly paying attention to the situation of his Dao Seal. Suddenly, he sensed a notably obvious World Force swaying in the void. Looking up quickly, he saw Pang Duo get up with a smile and stood steadily.
However, at this moment, he was a lot stronger than before. His upright stature felt as though a new World had emerged, and a complete World Force lingered around him.
He has successfully broken though!
At almost the same time, World Forces constantly fluctuated around the void. Jin Yuan Lang, Mu Qian Xuan, Gong Yang Xi, and the others advanced to the Open Heaven Realm within just a half cup of tea’s time. These Great Elders of Abundance City had spent almost the same amount of time cultivating, and the Fifth-Order materials they refined were not much different in attributes, which was why their breakthrough was so close to each other.
After another half-day, Fan Wu Xin and the other Deacons also successfully broke through.
Finally, after another day, Mo Mei completed her breakthrough!
Yang Kai was overjoyed!
Although he gave Mo Mei many Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, which could greatly improve the chances of successfully breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, Spirit Pills were only external aids after all. What truly mattered was their respective will and foundation. No matter how much any external assistance was provided, if one was personally insufficient, there would still be a risk of failure.
Now that they were all successful and no one had failed, it was well worth being delighted about.
Having long noticed Yang Kai’s presence, Mo Mei did not bother stabilizing her cultivation after her advancement to the Open Heaven Realm and flew straight towards him.
Behind her, Pang Duo and the others quickly followed, followed by the hundreds of Abundance City cultivators who had already broken through to the Open Heaven Realm.
In front of Yang Kai, Mo Mei saluted elegantly, “Greetings, Sect Master!”
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to lift her up with a small smile before cupping his fist as well, “Congratulations to everyone on your advancement to the Open Heaven Realm. From now on, like the Great Pengs of legends, spread your wings and soar into the sky!”
Mo Mei replied humbly, “Many thanks to Sect Master for removing the Blood Principles on us, taking us out of Blood Monster Cave Heaven, and giving us such precious Spirit Pills. We will never forget Sect Master’s grace!”
Although Mo Mei’s tone was calm, her expression could not conceal her excitement. She and the Great Elders of Abundance City had long met the requirements to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, but they could not do so because they were suppressed by the Blood Monster Cave Heaven itself. They have lived in that Universe Cave Heaven for generations, and although they knew about the existence of the Open Heaven Realm, they could never reach it. As cultivators, how could they not have the desire to progress further on the Martial Dao?
Even in their dreams, they had never thought that one day they could really achieve what they so desired.
It was Yang Kai who broke them out of that cage, lifted the Blood Principles Restriction on them, and brought them to this vast universe safely. To them, this was tantamount to a life-saving grace and an opportunity to be reborn.
Furthermore, there were the Spirit Pills given by Yang Kai to them. Before their breakthrough, Mo Mei and the others were not aware of the dangers of attempting this breakthrough; however, after having experienced the process first-hand, they realized the various risks of this process. It could be said that if they had no special Spirit Pills, at least a hundred cultivators from Abundance City would have died in this attempt. Even Mo Mei could not guarantee that she would succeed, as it was possible that she could have fallen short just with a slight change in her inner state, resulting in her death.
If even she had no guarantee, what about the others?
However, with the help of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, hundreds of people were able to advance successfully together, and no one was injured. It was nothing short of a miracle!
Mo Mei’s gratitude was completely sincere and heartfelt.
The 300-plus people chanted in unison, “Many thanks, Sect Master!”
Yang Kai chuckled happily, “We are all one family now, there’s no need to be so formal.” After a little pondering, he added, “Mo Mei, you have now reached the Open Heaven Realm, and are also in the Sixth Order, so you and Yue He will be promoted to the positions of Left and Right Protectors of Void Land. I wonder if you are willing to take up this responsibility?”
Mo Mei replied, “It would be my honour, Sect Master.”
Yang Kai nodded and continued, “Good, then Mo Mei, you will be the Right Protector of my Void Land in the future. Additionally, you and the other Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters will join Void Land’s Elder Council. Second Manager will inform you of the details.”
Pang Duo and the others chanted in unison, “We will follow Sect Master’s command!”
Yang Kai guffawed, his face full of exhilaration, and the worries brought about by his Dao Seal were also washed away. He shouted in high spirits, “Today, Void Land has gained a great boon. There won’t be any need to worry about being prosperous in the future. It is Void Land’s honour to have you join us, just as it is this Yang’s honour!”
Mo Mei replied humbly, “Sect Master is too modest.”
Yang Kai continued, “We should set up a banquet and have a good drink to celebrate such a joyous occasion, but you have all just finished breaking through, so you still need to stabilize your cultivations. Let us return to Void Land first. We will celebrate well after all of your cultivations have been consolidated.”
Naturally, no one had any objections. They did need time to stabilize their cultivation and familiarize themselves with the might of the Open Heaven Realm.
Upon returning to Void Land, Yang Kai summoned Bian Yu Qing, informed her about the advancement of Mo Mei and the others, filled her in on the matter of the Protectors and Elder Council, and delegated her to make arrangements for it.
Pang Duo and the others had now advanced to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and indeed were qualified to be part of the Elder Council. As for those Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai gave the responsibility of delegating their positions and responsibilities to Bian Yu Qing.
Yang Kai did not stay any longer and returned to his retreat.
After studying his Dao Seal carefully for a few days, he finally let out a breath of relief when he did not find any hidden dangers. According to Yue He, although the incident with his Dao Seal was strange, it may not be a bad thing. At least it would be much easier for him to break through to the Open Heaven Realm in the future.
Mo Mei and the others needed time to stabilize their cultivation, and so did Yang Kai.
The Proprietress said before she left that the progression of his cultivation was too rapid. Although there would be no problems in the near future, it was difficult to guarantee that there would be no hidden dangers during his advancement to the Open Heaven Realm. There was no other cultivator like him who had condensed six High-Rank Elements in such a short period of time and was only one step away from the Open Heaven Realm.
Even the oddity with his Dao Seal was likely related to this.
Yang Kai naturally had to be careful.
He would not be able to obtain the last Yin Element treasure in short order. Since the Proprietress would be keeping an eye out for him, Yang Kai decided to not worry about it. The Proprietress definitely had much better connections than he did, so if even she was unable to find a High-Rank Yin Element treasure, he wouldn’t either, no matter how hard he tried.
Simply taking this time to consolidate his own cultivation was the best plan for the future.
With a clear mind, Yang Kai relaxed and entered retreat with peace of mind, focusing on exploring the current Powers he had.
“Towering Evergreen!”
Yang Kai’s lips murmured quietly in the secret room as the Wood Element Power in his Dao Seal shone brightly. Emerald light lingered around him, and a towering ancient tree suddenly sprouted behind his back, one so massive its crown seemed to cover the sky.
All kinds of mysterious sensations were imprinted in his heart, and Yang Kai could not help gaining a trace of enlightenment.
This was not a simple Wood Element Divine Ability, but a Divine Manifestation of the same grade as his Golden Crow Casts the Sun!
During his retreat, Yang Kai focused on consolidating his foundation and comprehending his gains, so as to avoid any twists and turns in his future advancement to the Open Heaven Realm. In order to do this, there was no better method than to comprehend the mysteries of his Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers.
As long as he could comprehend the secrets of these Powers within his Dao Seal, he would be able to completely master his strength.
Among the various Powers he condensed, Yang Kai had already comprehended the Golden Crow Casts the Sun from the Fire Element Power, and the Dragon Shield Secret Technique from his Earth Element Power, but he was still clueless about the Water Element, Yang Element, and Metal Element Powers he had condensed. Regarding the Wood Element Power, he came across an opportunity before entering the Blood Monster Divine Palace; however, he was in an urgent situation at that time, so after saving Qu Hua Shang, he hurriedly rushed into Blood Monster Divine Palace, and did not have time to carefully experience his new Wood Element Divine Ability.
Then, after returning to Void Land, he had been busy refining the Seventh-Order Monster Core in retreat until now!
Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised to find that what he comprehended through his Wood Element Power was no mere Divine Ability, but rather a Divine Manifestation!
It was no wonder that Yang Kai was able to block a terrifying blow from the Seventh-Order Star Turtle back then. Despite the High-Order of the Wood Element Power he had condensed from the Immortal Tree, Yang Kai could not believe that he managed to block that attack at the time; after all, there was a huge gap between him and the Star Turtle. Now, he finally understood that he had underestimated the might of this Divine Manifestation.
Divine Manifestations had always been exclusive to High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Only they were eligible to comprehend Divine Manifestation, but that did not mean all of them could. There were many powerful High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who did not have their own Divine Manifestation.
It was a miracle that Yang Kai could comprehend the Golden Crow Casts the Sun as an Emperor Realm cultivator. When the Head Manager of Scarlet Star, Zhao Bai Chuan, saw it last time, he commented that Yang Kai could compete with ordinary Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters with just this Divine Manifestation alone. Thus, one could imagine the power of a Divine Manifestation.
Now, after learning the Golden Crow Casts the Sun, Yang Kai obtained the Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation. If Zhao Bai Chuan knew about it, he would most likely jump out of his coffin in envy.
Finally registering that the towering ancient tree behind him was a Divine Manifestation, Yang Kai could not help guffaw, his mouth opened wide as he let out genuine roars of laughter.
After comprehending carefully for a while, Yang Kai fully understood.
This Towering Evergreen was not just a defensive Divine Manifestation, but also possessed an extremely shocking healing ability. After all, this was the Wood Element Power that was condensed from the essence of the Immortal Tree, so it came as no surprise that it had such utility.
However, this Divine Manifestation was not really helpful to Yang Kai, because his own recovery abilities were already extraordinary, to the point that he did not need to rely on external forces.
The Golden Crow Casts the Sun was an offensive Divine Manifestation, while the Towering Evergreen was a defensive one. With both offensive and defensive abilities and also the newly refined Metal Element Power, there was a sharp increase in Yang Kai’s strength.
After studying it thoroughly for a while, Yang Kai dismissed this Divine Manifestation and began concentrating on comprehending his other Powers.
Being able to comprehend this Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation before the Blood Monster Divine Palace was greatly related to his perseverance in studying his Wood Element for a long time. Ever since he learnt about the Golden Crow Casts the Sun, Yang Kai put in effort to comprehend his Element Powers whenever he had spare time.
It was just that he had not perceived anything all this time. However, it was not because he was working in the wrong direction, but rather that the opportunity had not yet appeared.
Seeing the results now, Yang Kai knew that his efforts over the years had not been in vain, so he would spare no effort in doing so again.
Surprisingly, after half a year in retreat, Yang Kai made another achievement. In the secret room, a full moon suddenly rose slowly from behind him. It was the Moonlight Reflection in the Water, pouring down slowly in the room. The temperature dropped sharply, frost suddenly adorning everywhere in the room, emitting cracking noises.
The Water Element Divine Ability came into being!
He obtained his Water Element by refining a Moon Essence, and it could only produce such an amazing scene because of its Ice Attribute.
However, this Moonlight Reflection in the Water was not a Divine Manifestation, but rather a simple Divine Ability. Compared to Golden Crow Casts the Sun from the Fire Element and Towering Evergreen from the Wood Element, it was an order of magnitude weaker.
Yang Kai was not upset though. Given the rarity of Divine Manifestations, it was already exceedingly lucky for him to comprehend two with his current strength. How could he ask for more?
Now that he comprehended the Golden Crow Casts the Sun from his Fire Element Power and Moonlight Reflection in the Water from the Water Element Power, Yang Kai had gathered both the strength of the Sun and Moon. It was just a coincidence as it was truly rare.
As he thought about it, the full Moon set and the Sun rose.
The Sun rose when the Moon set, while the Sun set as the Moon rose… It was like an endless cycle. At this moment, Yang Kai actually felt that he had gained a deeper understanding of the Dao of Time.
In terms of attainments in the Dao of Time, Yang Kai knew he could not compare to Flowing Time Great Emperor, or even Yang Xiao and Yang Xue; after all, those two were the Inheritance Disciples of Flowing Time Great Emperor and had taken up his mantle. As such, their attainments in the Dao of Time were superior to Yang Kai’s.
Moreover, Yang Kai’s foundation was established on the Dao of Space. All along, he has been painstakingly comprehending Space Principles and did not invest much into the Dao of Time. Back then, it was only by chance that he learnt the Time Flies Seal, but he did not focus deeply on it.
However, at this moment, when he comprehended the Divine Ability, Moonlight Reflection, from his Water Element Power, Yang Kai could not help having a feeling of inspiration. If he could merge these Fire and Water Powers with the Time Flies Seal to form a new Divine Ability, it would definitely be one of his most powerful trump cards!
Without hesitation, Yang Kai started to surge his Fire and Water Element Powers in sequence in the secret room. Sometimes the Sun leapt out, and occasionally, the Moonlight poured down, while the Time Flies Seal fluctuated.
……
In the Void, a ship sailed forward slowly. Many people gathered on the deck of the ship in small groups, talking and laughing. It could be seen that this was a ship of a great force, and all the cultivators on board were the disciples of this great force.
Among the leaders, there was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm was an elderly man, while the two Third-Orders were a middle-aged man and a dignified woman.
An imposing young man stood beside the three of them. He was noble and handsome, and many Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters on the ship would steal glances at him quietly. From time to time, their eyes would meet his eyes, and they would quickly lower their heads shyly, but the young man just smiled gently, which sent the Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters swooning.
“Senior Brother Qi, does Void Territory’s Star City really have a complete set of Fifth-Order materials to be exchanged?” The dignified woman in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm asked, with a hint of disbelief in her beautiful eyes.
“Yes, Senior Brother Qi, we’ve crossed a few Great Territories to get here. It’d better not be false news; otherwise, we would have travelled all the way for nothing.” The middle-aged man also in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm questioned with a worried face.
The elderly man surnamed Qi stroked his beard lightly and smiled, “Don’t worry, the news is accurate, but it will be up to our own abilities to decide whether or not we are able to obtain these materials.”
The woman could not believe it, “But how could this Void Land be willing to sell their Fifth-Order materials? Don’t they need them?”
It was common to use lower Order materials to exchange for higher Order ones, but never did they expect that someone would be willing to exchange higher Order materials for lower Order ones, especially with other Second Class great forces. Why would anyone do such a thing?
Not to mention it was a complete set of Fifth-Order materials. The so-called ‘complete’ meant that it was a full set of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements materials. If one could get their hands on such a set of resources, it would completely meet the cultivation needs of a Junior who was looking to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, leaving no need to bother seeking out more materials.
The old man surnamed Qi replied, “I don’t know about this, but many people have traded for Fifth-Order materials from them already.”
Indeed, many people have exchanged for Fifth-Order materials from Void Territory’s Star City. Bian Yu Qing had reported this to Yang Kai before. It was because there were not many disciples who could refine Fifth-Order materials, but an enormous number who needed Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials, that she took the materials collected from Gourd Vine to sell in the Star City for the resources Void Land needed.
The move immediately created a sensation in the nearby Great Territories. Fifth-Order materials were neither high nor low in terms of Order. Perhaps, they might not be precious to the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, but they were strategic resources for any of the Second Class great forces. Not to mention those Third Class great forces that may not even know what Fifth-Order materials looked like.
Furthermore, the Fifth-Order materials that were brought out from Void Land were not just ordinary Fifth-Order materials, but obviously stemmed from the same source. If one could refine a complete set of such materials, there may be some unexpected gains; therefore, compared with normal Fifth-Order materials, a complete set of such materials was far more popular.
Initially, only a few great forces from the Great Territories nearby visited Void Territory’s Star City, but as the news spread, more and more people came. Many great forces even did not hesitate to pay a visit to Void Territory’s Star City despite all the obstacles in the journey, just to obtain a complete set of materials from the Gourd Vine.
Bian Yu Qing’s original plan was just to trade something they had for things they were lacking to solve the resource problems of Void Land. Beyond her expectation, she inadvertently promoted the reputation of Void Territory’s Star City.
The influx of cultivators coming and going from Void Territory’s Star City naturally livened up the city. Although it was only a medium-sized Star City and the differences were still significant compared with a large-sized one such as Thousand Birds Star City, the volume of trading in Void Star City had undoubtedly increased by more than ten times compared to before.
Void Star City was Void Land’s private property, so with the increase in trade volume, the tax that could be collected by Void Land would naturally rise too. Yun Xing Hua, who was sent by Yang Kai to take charge of this place, was delighted to see the development and growth of the Star City. He had even begun to consider ways to ask Yang Kai for credit and reward for it.
Yun Xing Hua was forced by Yang Kai to sign his name on the Loyalty List, and he had felt uneasy about it at first. He was worried that if Yang Kai was displeased with him one day, he could scratch his name off the Loyalty List, and his life would end.
On the boat, the old man surnamed Qi turned to look at the young man who had been standing beside him, “Han Jue, our Mountains and Seas Pavilion is prepared to spend all of our savings in exchange for a set of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements materials for you. You have to cultivate hard from now on, so as to live up to the expectations of us old fogeys.”
Mountains and Seas Pavilion used to be called Mountains and Seas Province, but because it had given rise to two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, it renamed itself to Mountains and Seas Pavilion, barely qualifying as a Second Class great force. The original Seven Wonders Land, which consisted of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and several Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Protector Venerables, was more than just a little stronger than Mountains and Seas Pavilion.
But these were the rules of the 3,000 Worlds. Any great force which had Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters assuming command could be classified as Second Class, and any great force with High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would be classified as First Class. Great forces with only Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could only be considered Third Class.
A great force such as the Mountains and Seas Pavilion was not rich in financial resources, and a complete set of Fifth-Order materials was worth no less than ten million Open Heaven Pills.
Under normal circumstances, they would not be able to afford it, giving them no way to obtain Fifth-Order materials.
But when the news of Fifth-Order materials being traded in Void Star City was heard, Mountains and Seas Pavilion could not help being tempted.
This could not be helped as a disciple, the young man named Han Jue, was born in the Mountains and Seas Pavilion with outstanding aptitude.
Mountains and Seas Pavilion was never too ambitious, so even if they knew that Han Jue’s Dao Seal was firm enough to condense Fifth-Order Elements, they did not even consider doing so. They were more than satisfied with him breaking through to just the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
With Han Jue’s aptitude, reaching the Fourth Order was a certain bet. Although they felt as though they had let him down, they had no choice. Mountains and Seas Pavilion needed money in order to continue functioning properly. Where could they find the spare Open Heaven Pills to purchase valuable Fifth-Order materials?
It was at this point that news reached Mountains and Seas Pavilion that Fifth-Order materials could be purchased at Void Territory’s Star City.
The old man surnamed Qi was overjoyed and immediately consulted the Pavilion Master. After explaining the situation, he persuaded the Pavilion Master to support Han Jue’s promotion to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm to the best of his ability!
As long as Han Jue could reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, the entire Mountains and Seas Pavilion would rise to a new height and eventually gain a firm foothold as a Second Class great force.
Of course, the Pavilion Master of Mountains and Seas Pavilion knew this. They did not have much hope before now, for they lacked financial resources, but most of all, there was no way to find appropriate Fifth-Order materials. There might be hope for materials of the Five Elements, for some could be purchased with Open Heaven Pills in various medium-sized and large-sized Star Cities. However, in many cases, even money could not buy Yin and Yang materials.
Since ancient times, Yin and Yang materials had always been much rarer and more expensive than Five Elements materials.
Now though, the Star City in Void Territory was selling complete sets of Fifth-Order materials; as long as they had enough resources or Open Heaven Pills to exchange, it would undoubtedly serve as a glimmer of light in the darkness for Mountains and Seas Pavilion.
Mountains and Seas Pavilion’s Master did not hesitate much and soon decided to strongly support the decision of the old man surnamed Qi, which was why this trip took place. They spent a month on this journey and crossed several Great Territories to arrive at this place.
Loaded on the boat were almost all the reserves of Mountains and Seas Pavilion. In order to successfully exchange for the Fifth-Order set of materials, Mountains and Seas Pavilion was ready to wager everything.
In this way, the old man surnamed Qi’s expectations for Han Jue were naturally understandable.
Han Jue obviously understood this, so he cupped his fist with the utmost solemnity, “Honoured Master, rest assured. This disciple will work hard to cultivate and break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm as soon as possible, never daring to slack off!”
The old man surnamed Qi stroked his beard with a smile, and replied with great faith, “This Old Master is not worried about your aptitude. As long as your temperament can keep up with your cultivation, there won’t be too many dangers in your promotion to the Fifth Order in the future.”
Han Jue respectfully saluted, “Disciple will follow Honoured Master’s teachings diligently!”
To the side, the dignified woman suddenly spoke up, “Senior Brother Qi, someone is approaching.”
The old man surnamed Qi turned his eyes to the front and saw that there was indeed a ship approaching them at an incredible speed, and by the looks of its direction, it seemed to be coming straight at them.
The expression on the old man surnamed Qi’s face changed slightly, and he uttered in a low voice, “These visitors don’t seem to have good intentions, be on alert.”
As soon as the words fell, the ship had arrived in front of them, blocking the way. On the deck, a dozen figures stood and looked at them with cold eyes.
The expression on the old man surnamed Qi and the two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Mountains and Seas Pavilions turned stiff. That was because the dozen people on the opposing ship were all Open Heaven Realm Masters! Although the leader seemed to only be a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like the old man surnamed Qi, the other side had vastly superior numbers.
Although it seemed like the other party was ill-intentioned, the old man surnamed Qi still cupped his fist, “Qi Chang Ying of Mountains and Seas Pavilion greets fellow travelers. May I know why you have stopped us here?”
“Mountains and Seas Pavilion?” The leading Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master scoffed disdainfully, “What Mountains and Seas Pavilion? I’ve never heard of it.”
The expression on the old man surnamed Qi darkened, and was about to say something when the man suddenly waved his hand and growled in a low voice, “Kill! Don’t leave a single one alive!”
Everyone from Mountains and Seas Pavilion was appalled when they heard these words. They never thought that they would encounter pirates in the void, much less ruthless ones who would kill without a second thought!
How could the Mountains and Seas Pavilion disciples sit still? Not only did they come with all the wealth Mountains and Seas Pavilion possessed, but even the Sect’s hope for the future, Han Jue, was on board too. If something happened to them, Mountains and Seas Pavilion would be completely done for.
Qi Chang Ying immediately shouted, “Retreat!”
When the words fell, the Grand Array of the ship was immediately activated and it drove forward at shocking speed.
He did not back down, because retreating would be futile. The enemy’s numbers were overwhelming, and Mountains and Seas Pavilion was no match for them at all. They could only move forward, hoping to reach Void Star City. As long as they could reach Void Star City, they would be safe, and these people would not dare to cause trouble.
At this crucial moment, Qi Chang Ying made a firm and resolute decision. His thoughts were very keen, and his judgment was even more accurate, but in the next instant, the enemy leader waved his hand and a shocking beam of light struck the middle of their ship. This attack was not something a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could throw out, and a single strike greatly damaged the Grand Array of the ship, shaking it violently and throwing many people to the deck.
Seeing this, Qi Chang Ying’s heart sank as he surged his own strength desperately, struggling to support the Grand Array as he continued their attempt to flee.
More than ten figures had already rushed over from the enemy ship in that time though, and the brilliance of artifacts and Secret Techniques bloomed before swiftly smashing onto the ship.
After a stick of incense, accompanied by a loud bang, the Mountains and Seas Pavilion ship shattered. The violent force from the explosion swept through the disciples, causing countless casualties.
Han Jue, the future hope of Mountains and Seas Pavilion, died instantly without a complete corpse.
Qi Chang Ying’s eyes were about to burst out of their socket when a ray of light slashed towards him. His mind still in a daze, he was too late to evade the blow, which cut through his body. All he could feel was his body almost splitting in two.
The severe pain cleared his mind for a moment. At this moment, no matter how much he resisted, it would be useless, and he would only be dying in vain, so he immediately held his breath, and concealed his aura, quietly suspending himself in the void as if he was really dead.
Each of the miserable cries for help coming from his surroundings represented a disciple on the brink of death. Every scream felt like a knife stabbing through his heart. Despite the excruciating physical pain Qi Chang Ying felt, it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
After a while, everything returned to calmness.
The ten or so enemy Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered. Qi Chang Ying pushed his Divine Sense secretly, and only vaguely heard the words ‘Void Land’ and ‘Senior Yun’ before falling into a coma.
He did not know how much time had passed when he woke up again. Shuddering from the severe pain, he barely stood up, looked around, and saw corpses scattered across the void, all vitality drained from their familiar faces. The fragmented ship was stained with blood, and broken limbs and hashed meat was scattered everywhere.
A mouthful of fresh blood spewed out as Qi Chang Ying growled through gritted teeth, “Void Land, I’ll never forgive you!”
This was Void Territory, the Great Territory controlled by Void Land. Qi Chang Ying did not think to relate the ambush to Void Land originally, because this did not make sense. How could Void Land provoke others and risk their own reputation within their own territory?
However, the few words he heard before he fell into unconsciousness reminded him of something.
As far as he knew, the person in charge of Void Star City was named Yun Xing Hua, who happened to be a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Master, which was equivalent to his cultivation!
If Void Land deliberately spread rumours about them selling Fifth-Order materials and lured victims like them to come with a lot of money just to rob them halfway, it would make sense!
[It’s over, Mountains and Seas Pavilion is finished!] All their wealth was swept away, and even the Sect’s most promising disciple that had a chance to break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm directly died tragically in front of his eyes.
Such a blood feud was absolutely irreconcilable! Qi Chang Ying panted violently for a while before hurriedly taking out a few Spirit Pills and stuffing them into his mouth. He then dragged his damaged body with gritted teeth towards the place where Void Star City sat, his eyes filled with vengeance.
…..
Time flew by, and soon a year had passed. In his secret room, Time Principles lingered around Yang Kai as the Sun and Moon rose and set in an infinite cycle above his palm.
It took a year to finally improve the Time Flies Seal. His comprehension of the Dao of Time and of his own Powers were much greater than before.
Yang Kai had not used the newly improved Time Flies Seal against any enemy yet, but he was sure that it was definitely not inferior to his Golden Crow Casts the Sun, and it could be even better!
Because this move integrated Golden Crow Casts the Sun and Moonlight Reflection in the Water, how could it be weak?
Yang Kai was confident that if a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was caught off guard, this Divine Ability was sufficient to take their life.
One could not guarantee that there would not be one in the future, but throughout the ages, it was absolutely unprecedented for an Emperor Realm Junior to make such an achievement!
While he was still rejoicing, the barrier of the secret room was suddenly disturbed.
Yang Kai frowned. He had left Bian Yu Qing instructions before he went into retreat that unless it was an urgent matter, he should not be disturbed. Now that the barrier has been touched, it was obvious that something major had happened.
“Sect Master, there’s been an accident in the Star City,” As soon as Yang Kai opened the door, Bian Yu Qing hurriedly reported, looking a little flustered.
Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise but quickly consoled her, “What happened, don’t rush and speak slowly!”
Letting her into the room, Bian Yu Qing took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then began to explain.
Something indeed had happened in the Star City, and it was a major issue.
Void Star City had been developing rapidly because of the availability of complete sets of Fifth-Order materials. Many people had been flocking towards the Star City, which increased its population, popularity, and daily trading volume.
However, since about a year ago, it seemed to have also attracted foreign great forces with ill intentions, ambushing and robbing others brutally and ruthlessly.
The news quickly spread to the Star City as these incidents happened in the space surrounding the Star City. Yun Xing Hua was not bothered by it at first; after all, such incidents were not uncommon in the 3,000 Worlds. Now that he was in high spirits ever since he took charge of Void Star City, he had no time to concern himself with such external matters.
However, as time passed, another ugly rumour began circulating. It was said that the robberies and murders were closely associated with Void Land; otherwise, why would Void Land sit idly by and allow criminals to act presumptuously at their doorsteps?
One after another, seven or so great forces travelling to and from Void Star City had encountered mishaps and suffered serious casualties. The site of the murders was even more appalling as not a single survivor was left, and all possessions were robbed.
As a result, the great forces that intended to trade in Void Star City in exchange for resources had all retreated. The most direct consequence was the sharp decline of Void Star City’s popularity and the sharp plummet in the number of cultivators residing in it. The rumours spread like wildfire, and after a brief period of fermentation, even the nearby Great Territories became aware of this situation.
Yun Xing Hua could no longer sit still. He was in charge of the Star City, and the income of the Star City had a lot to do with his position in Yang Kai’s eyes. If he could not even handle such a minor issue, how could he deserve such a good opportunity to be in charge of the Star City? He was afraid that Yang Kai might even punish him.
Therefore, he immediately sent a message back to Void Land to consult Second Manager Bian Yu Qing.
Bian Yu Qing could sense something was wrong. This was obviously the result of someone deliberately causing trouble out of envy of the development of Void Land and its Star City. Regardless of what happened behind the scenes, the tragedies did happen in Void Territory, so Void Land had to give a reasonable explanation.
Bian Yu Qing quickly took action and ordered Lu Xue and her subordinates to investigate the situation around the Star City.
Lu Xue, who was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master, brought more than ten Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Masters from Abundance City with her, quite a luxurious lineup. Unless they had to face a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master, there would not be any difficulties, so Bian Yu Qing was not worried at all. The instructions given to Lu Xue were very clear too, which was to find out who the criminals who caused all this trouble in Void Territory were, and report back immediately.
But it had been a month since Lu Xue left, and Bian Yu Qing still had not received any news from her!
Bian Yu Qing then sent a message to Void Star City, but there was no reply from them either.
She immediately realized that something went terribly wrong, and hurriedly came to report to Yang Kai who was still in retreat.
After listening to her report, Yang Kai’s face turned sullen and remained silent for a while, “It seems that Lu Xue and the Star City must have been attacked and captured, otherwise we would have heard from them already. Yun Xing Hua is a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Master and the Star City has a group of his Blood Swan Continent Masters who are all pretty strong. What’s more, there’s also Lu Xue, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master, who had a team of ten Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with her for support. It’s obvious that the enemy is very strong. There must be at least one Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master among them!”
Bian Yu Qing repeated, “Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master… Doesn’t that mean that it’s a top-tier Second Class great force we’re facing?” To have a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master meant that the enemy was among the top Second Class great forces, “Would anything happen to Elder Lu and the others?”
Although she was the Second Manager of Void Land and stood above almost all others in terms of authority, she had only been in Void Land for a short time so there was still much for her to learn about the 3,000 Worlds. What she was most worried about was the safety of Lu Xue and the others at this moment.
Yang Kai tapped the table lightly with his fingers, his eyes narrowed into slits as he sneered to himself, [Is someone getting impatient?]
He was almost certain that this incident was directed against him.
The road to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm was difficult and filled with obstacles. The Proprietress had told him before that the Cave Heavens and Paradises would never sit by idly and watch him break through directly to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm safely. Qu Hua Shang had also confided in him some ancient secrets about why this was so.
Although he had caught the attention of the major Cave Heavens and Paradises before, because he was still not a threat to them, he had not faced any real danger. Those top Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises could not be seen bullying the weak as they had their status and reputation to consider, which would be besmeared if they were desperate enough to lay a hand on far weaker Sects.
It was inconvenient for them to take action, but their Juniors did not need to worry about such things. Any tragedies caused between cultivators of the same generation would only display one’s lack of aptitude and luck, it was no one else’s fault.
That was why there were some who were set on killing him, while some wanted to form an alliance with him when he was in Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Qu Hua Shang too, wanted to recruit him into Yin Yang Cave Heaven, but the price was that Yang Kai could never advance directly to the Seventh Order, only the Sixth Order!
In short, the major Cave Heavens and Paradises wanted to stop anyone whose ability could exceed their control and challenge their authority and status one day in the future.
This was the same for every Cave Heaven and Paradise.
This was the situation before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened.
However, when Blood Monster Cave Heaven closed, there was a shift in the situation because Yang Kai obtained a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core!
He had used his Golden Crow Casts the Sun and Dragon Shield Secret Technique more than once and even displayed the Towering Evergreen outside the Blood Monster Divine Palace. He also spent a fortune to purchase the Primordial Yang Profound Ginseng from Ye Jian from Thunderclap Hall at the exchange meeting in Thousand Birds Star City. Anyone who was paying attention would be able to realize he had condensed Fire, Earth, Wood, and Yang Elements, and as soon as he refined the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core that he had newly obtained, how far would he be from ascending to the Open Heaven Realm?
Although directly breaking through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm was extremely dangerous, and no one dared say that Yang Kai would definitely succeed in doing so, what if he did?
They had not been oppressing him openly before because the situation was not yet urgent. The advancement from the peak of the Emperor Realm to the Open Heaven Realm was always a long process, and any accident along the way would be enough to take Yang Kai’s life.
But Yang Kai’s cultivation speed obviously exceeded everyone’s expectations, and there were even rumours now that Lan You Ruo of First Inn was sparing no effort to search for High-Rank Yin Element resources.
Many were aware of the relationship between Lan You Ruo and Yang Kai. Lan You Ruo was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master, so she had no reason to be looking for a Seventh-Order Yin Element treasure other than for Yang Kai.
Rumour had it that she now had a lead on such a resource and had led several subordinates of First Inn to a certain Forbidden Zone. If she succeeded in coming out safely, she might just bring a Seventh-Order Yin Element treasure with her. By then, Yang Kai would have a great chance of breaking through!
It was a matter that could not afford to be delayed any longer. If they wanted to make a move, it had to be done before Lan You Ruo returned. Otherwise, if this Sixth-Order woman went crazy, it would be hard to subdue her without a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master making a move.
Yang Kai was not aware that the Proprietress, Old Bai, Chef, and Accounted had risked their lives to venture into a Forbidden Zone to search for a Yin Element treasure for him, but he quickly realized after learning about the incident in Void Star City and the disappearance of Lu Xue and the others that someone had lost their patience and was now making a move against him!
[Is it the Cave Heavens and Paradises? Not necessarily, the Cave Heavens and Paradises are highly exalted and renowned, so they would not have acted out directly without a righteous cause; otherwise, it would put their reputations at risk. The loss would outweigh the gain.]
[Then, who could it be?] Only a top-tier Second Class great force could dispatch a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. After a little bit of pondering, a figure flashed across Yang Kai’s mind and a sneer appeared on his face.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai ordered, “Second Manager, be patient. Elder Lu and the others should not be in any danger, but they’re most likely captured and restrained.”
As long as that person still desired the Seventh-Order Monster Core he possessed, he would not mistreat Lu Xue and the others. If he pushed Yang Kai past his limits, what would he have to bargain with?
However, this was only Yang Kai’s speculation, and it was really hard to say whether it was accurate or not.
That person also knew that Yang Kai had Yue He, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, with him, and he was also only a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Where did he get the courage to stir up trouble? Unless, he had someone even stronger backing him!
After some thinking, Yang Kai’s confusion slowly cleared. At this moment, Bian Yu Qing’s expression suddenly changed and she took out a communication bead. After reading the message she just received, her face filled with great panic as she announced, “Sect Master, there are many ships coming towards Void Land!”
Yang Kai’s face sank, “Such an ugly appetite.”
Although he had already anticipated the situation after learning that Lu Xue and the others were missing, he did not expect the other party to come so quickly. He had just received the news, and the other party was already at his gates.
“Follow me to have a look,” Yang Kai shot out of the room as soon as he spoke, followed closely by Bian Yu Qing.
They arrived at the edge of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. After opening a window in the Grand Array and stealing a peek, the colour completely drained from Bian Yu Qing’s beautiful face while Yang Kai’s too, looking extremely sullen.
Previously, Bian Yu Qing was only informed by the patrols guarding the Grand Array that many ships were advancing towards Void Land, but the number was not specified. Now, from the glance into the void she just took, it was clear that an overwhelming number of ships was filling the void!
“Why are there so many?” Bian Yu Qing’s beautiful eyes quivered.
Yang Kai did not expect this scene either, but after a little thought, he understood.
If Void Land was really just an ordinary Second Class great force, the other party would probably not dispatch such an overwhelming lineup; however, Void Land’s Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was extraordinary, and the other party was not confident it could overwhelm them with only a slight advantage in numbers, hence they had called out for help from allies.
Yang Kai glanced back at his own Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, sneering coldly in his heart. It seemed that many people would die here today!
“Young Master!” Followed by a fragrant scent, Yue He appeared next to Yang Kai. She was cultivating in retreat before this, but she sensed that Void Land was encountering a crisis, so the first thing she did was to rush here to ensure Yang Kai’s safety. Although Yang Kai had astounding aptitude, he was still only a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master; therefore, his ability to protect himself on such an occasion was quite limited.
Yang Kai nodded to her before glancing up coldly at the void. There were more than a hundred flight-type artifacts there. Each flight-type artifact represented a great force. Even for Yue He, who was not unfamiliar with all kinds of grand occasions, could not help feeling goosebumps arising all over her body, her pretty face turning solemn.
The 3,000 Worlds was vast and full of bloody massacres and fierce battles. Countless people succumbed to death every day. Even the Cave Heavens and Paradises had no way to guarantee their eternal survival, let alone the other great forces. The cycle of birth and destruction of all kinds of major and minor great forces was never-ending. They could establish, soar, weaken, and be destroyed for a variety of reasons…
Just like how Seven Wonders Land’s inheritance was destroyed after being occupied by others.
However, not many great forces would encounter a situation of being besieged by so many foreign forces. For those who had no idea about why this was happening, they may think that Void Land had committed some kind of outrageous crime.
“Yang Kai, your Void Land is vile and cruel! You lured people to your Star City with sinister intentions, intercepting them halfway to seize their wealth and take their lives! Many great forces have been exterminated because of you! Such monstrous acts cannot be tolerated. Devil-spawn, come out and face death!”
A furious howl resounded loudly throughout the sky, echoing back and forth for quite a long time.
Yang Kai turned to look in the direction of the voice. On a certain ship, an elderly man with a ruddy face stood at the bow, fire burning wildly in his eyes, as if he had an absolutely irreconcilable enmity with Yang Kai.
This elderly man was Old Hong of Heaven’s Border. It was this old man who happened to find out that Yang Kai had obtained the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core and chased after him, only to lose him in the end and return in vain.
Soon after, the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union, Kong Feng, came to Yang Kai and tried to coerce him into handing over the Seventh-Order Monster Core. Needless to say, Old Hong must have informed Kong Feng about it; after all, he was the only one who knew about the Seventh-Order Monster Core.
Old Hong was also the first person to stand up and condemn Void Land today.
Yang Kai believed that he did not have any real enmity with this old man. At most, he just teased the old guy when he seized the corpse of the Golden Crow, but it did not cause him to suffer any losses. How could this lead to a deep enmity? Looking at Old Hong’s eagerness though, Yang Kai could only wonder who he was representing this time!
Yang Kai swept his eyes across the flight-type artifacts and soon, he saw Kong Feng of Heavenly Sword Union!
The Heavenly Sword Union ship was extraordinary, which was not surprising considering it was one of the strongest Second Class great forces.
Compared to the artifacts of other great forces, the ship of Heavenly Sword Union was much bigger. There were many cultivators standing on the spacious deck and in the middle were two seats, one of which was occupied by Kong Feng, and the other by a young woman.
They were undoubtedly the owners of the ship. The woman looked young, but the aura that undulated from her body was not inferior to Kong Feng’s. Without a doubt, she was also a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai could observe the situation outside clearly from the safety of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, but anyone on the outside would not be able to see anything on the inside. However, when Yang Kai’s eyes landed on Kong Feng, the latter seemed to sense him. He turned to the place where Yang Kai was standing and revealed a faint smile.
Not only Kong Feng, but the young woman too had seemed to sense Yang Kai’s gaze and looked over before whispering to Kong Feng.
Although Yang Kai had no idea about what they were talking about, by the looks of their behaviour, the woman did not seem to be from Heavenly Sword Union, but rather from a different great force.
Seeing Kong Feng coming here in person, Yang Kai confirmed that Old Hong must be the pawn of Heavenly Sword Union. Back then, it was Old Hong who had informed Kong Feng about the Seventh-Order Monster Core, and now he was the first to jump out and denounce Void Land. Yang Kai wondered what kind of the relationship Heaven’s Border and Heavenly Sword Union had.
“What is that old thing talking about!?” Yue He cursed furiously as murderous intent surged from her body, “Young Master, let me kill him!”
She was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she could easily kill Old Hong who was just a Fourth-Order Open Realm Master. However, even if she could successfully launch a surprise attack, it would be difficult for her to return safely under the circumstances; after all, there were too many great enemies assembled outside.
Yang Kai raised his hand and stopped her, “Don’t mind him. Just let him bark.”
Yue He ground her pristine teeth as she glared at Old Hong coldly. She secretly swore that if she had a chance, she would take this old dog’s life. She had been in retreat earlier, so she was actually clueless about what was going on outside and why there were so many forces surrounding Void Land all of a sudden, so she immediately sent a Divine Sense transmission to Bian Yu Qing to inquire about the situation.
Bian Yu Qing briefly told her everything she had explained to Yang Kai before. Yue He was a brilliant woman, so she instantly figured out the crux of the matter and couldn’t help turning to Yang Kai with worry.
The accusation of Void Land luring others in and then intercepting them was nothing more than an excuse. It was obvious that someone was using this matter to target Yang Kai!
With Heavenly Sword Union as the head of the assembly of these hundred or so great forces, Yue He could not help wondering which of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were the masterminds behind this, and how many of them were involved and just watching this show?
Yue He clenched her fists. This situation was somewhat similar to what had happened before. Back then, she was just a trivial Emperor Realm cultivator and she was helpless in the crisis. By the time she received word of what happened, that person had already died, leaving her completely heartbroken.
But she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now! She finally had some strength to protect herself and others. Perhaps a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was nothing in front of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but she would never let history repeat itself unless she died!
“Yang Kai, show yourself!” After Old Hong shouted, he was exasperated when Void Land did not react at all. After looking at Kong Feng for instructions, he called once more, “Do you think you can just hide behind your Grand Array? Today, we gather here to seek justice for our dead companions! It’s useless for you to hide in there like a coward. The Heavens have eyes, and wicked beings like you and your Void Land will be judged!”
“Come out now!” Someone suddenly yelled. Like a chain reaction, countless cultivators started shouting together. The scene was so spectacular that the void trembled endlessly.
Inside the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, Yang Kai watched indifferently and turned a deaf ear to these provocations. However, he also understood that this was truly a tough situation to resolve. The most important thing he needed to make sure was the safety of Lu Xue and the others, but he failed to find them even after searching around. Although he assured Bian Yu Qing that Lu Xue should be fine, it was just his own speculation. In truth, he was totally clueless regarding the real situation.
The commotion outside continued for a while, but seeing no response from Void Land, the people began to become furious and annoyed. On the Heavenly Sword Union ship, Kong Feng put down his teacup and waved his hand as he smiled, “Bring them up.”
When the words fell, the hatch of the ship opened up, and a group of people staggered out onto the deck.
The leader of the group was a woman dressed in palace robes. Other than the missing Lu Xue, who else could she be? It seemed that Lu Xue had just encountered a big fight. Blood stains were splattered all over her war-weathered robes, her hair was dishevelled, and her aura was weak. At the moment, she was bound tightly with her hands tied behind her back by a black rope-like artifact.
Following behind her was Yun Xing Hua, who seemed to be in much the same condition as Lu Xue. He too was bound by ropes, looking quite embarrassed.
In addition to the two of them, there were more than 30 Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Some of these people were from the batch of cultivators from Abundance City, while some were from the original Blood Swan Continent group.
Yun Xing Hua was ordered by Yang Kai to take care of the Star City with the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Blood Swan Continent. But now it seemed that he had been beaten and captured!
Lu Xue stumbled and almost fell flat onto the deck. A man, probably only a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master of Heavenly Sword Union, was pushing her from behind. He was extremely rude, pushing Lu Xue while also groping her waist and bottom as he grinned.
Lu Xue turned around and glared at him, but the man was not afraid at all. He was certain that Lu Xue and the others would be dead soon, so he had nothing to fear.
“What are you looking at? Move!” The man bellowed, whipping Lu Xue’s face with the whip in his hand, drawing a streak of blood from her delicate face.
Lu Xue grit her teeth, choked down the anger and humiliation in her heart, and walked up the deck.
“Hehe, Union Master Kong, isn’t it a little rude for you to treat a woman like this? She’s a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all!” On the deck, the young woman sitting next to Kong Feng suddenly giggled as she glanced at Lu Xue. The young woman had a beautiful and innocent look, seemingly only 25 years old. If someone met her for the first time, they would think that she was just a naïve and ignorant little girl.
Only those who knew her well would understand that innocence had nothing to do with this woman. She was as cruel as she was merciless.
This woman was Black Prison’s Warden, Luan Bai Feng!
The Black Prison was a very special Second Class force, because it was literally a prison, one formed naturally in a dreadfully dangerous environment. There were countless Natural Spirit Arrays inside the Black Prison, and if one was not familiar with the safe paths inside, even a High-Rank Open Heaven Master would be at risk of dying.
It was rumoured that although Luan Bai Feng was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, a normal Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not her opponent inside the Black Prison.
There were naturally prisoners in Black Prison, most of which were criminals who committed various crimes in the 3,000 Worlds. Others were individuals who were captured from defeated forces after battles between great forces. Normally such people would simply be put to death, but the Black Prison offered an alternative. Luan Bai Feng was happy to accept all such convicts, allowing them to escape death at the cost of their freedom.
Certainly, the Black Prison was not a safe place, and Luan Bai Feng was not a philanthropist who was happy to give alms. The reason she was willing to accept those Open Heaven Realm Masters was because the Black Prison was rich with a special cultivation resource which could only be collected by Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Luan Bai Feng often paid great forces to bring over Open Heaven Realm criminals to collect resources inside the Black Prison. With this, not only could those great forces get rid of these convicts, they could also make some profit from it. Naturally, many were more than willing to deal with her.
However, it was well-known that none of the Open Heaven Realm Masters who entered the Black Prison ever came out. The harsh environment and various dangers inside could take away the lives of cultivators at any time. Even if they survived there by chance, their cultivations would be devoured continuously. Eventually, the Small Universe in their bodies would be obliterated and they would suffer a fate worse than death.
Due to the special environment of the Black Prison, it had attracted many desperate cultivators seeking refuge, who Luan Bai Feng was more than willing to welcome. In any case, as long as she controlled the entrance to the Black Prison, no one could disobey her.
Every year, there would be countless casualties in the Black Prison, so as its owner, how could Luan Bai Feng be a naïve and innocent woman?
In the entire vast 3,000 Worlds, there were not many people who were as ruthless as her.
Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng were old acquaintances. This time, he invited her to join hands in dealing with Void Land. Since the closing of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Kong Feng had been gathering information about Void Land. As far as he knew, Void Land was once Seven Wonders Land, which was just an ordinary Second Class great force. It was nothing to him, as the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land was said to be extremely limited. Such a great force was simply vulnerable in front of Heavenly Sword Union.
If possible, Kong Feng would have preferred to act alone to seize Void Land. In this way, he could monopolize the benefits of Void Land without sharing with others.
However, he was dreadfully frightened by the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array protecting Void Land. Even a top tier Second Class great force such as Heavenly Sword Union did not have such a Spirit Array guarding its headquarters. It was truly hard for him to believe that Void Land had such a deep heritage.
He had gotten someone to investigate it before, and learnt that the array was arranged by a man named Grandmaster Wu Liang. He initially wanted to search for Grandmaster Wu Liang to inquire about the details of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. Unfortunately, Grandmaster Wu Liang was a lone wolf and did not serve any Sect or great force, so Kong Feng couldn’t track him down even after several months of searching.
In desperation, he could only invite Luan Bai Feng to assist him.
Luan Bai Feng was not weaker than him as she too was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. In addition, they knew each other, so they had the foundation to cooperate with each other. Of course, the main reason Kong Feng sought out Luan Bai Feng was because of her outstanding attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. For her to be able to live in a place where countless Natural Arrays existed, how could she not have a profound understanding about Spirit Arrays?
Among the people Kong Feng knew, Luan Bai Feng was definitely ranked in the top three in attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
With the help of this woman, they could crack the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, making it a simple matter to capture Void Land. However, before that, Kong Feng still needed to send some people to probe the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, so as to facilitate Luan Bai Feng’s analysis.
They definitely had to sacrifice lives to break such a Grand Array, but Kong Feng was naturally reluctant to sacrifice his Heavenly Sword Union’s disciples. As such, he could only gather others to use as pawns. This was what led to the current situation.
It could be said that Kong Feng was the main reason why 100 great forces were gathered around Void Land.
Hearing Luan Bai Feng’s complaint, Kong Feng smiled faintly, “Those who achieve great things don’t bother about small matters. How could we be soft when facing the enemy? If we were, how could we force that brat to show up?”
He secretly criticized, [Like I haven’t seen how cruel you are, Luan Bai Feng. Is it funny to say such a thing at this time?]
Luan Bai Feng replied with admiration, “Union Master Kong is truly a man who knows how to achieve great things. This Mistress appreciates your approach very much.” Then she giggled with her mouth covered, “It’s just that… will that Yang Kai really show up because of this?”
Kong Feng grinned meaningfully, “Void Land was established not long ago, and Yang Kai is just an Emperor Realm Junior. I have no idea how he recruited so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, but since most of his subordinates were captured by me, he will certainly show up. He simply has no choice.”
According to the information Kong Feng had gathered, there were not many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land. Since he captured more than 30 of them at once, Void Land had definitely suffered a great loss. Therefore, he was confident Yang Kai would show up.
Luan Bai Feng nodded slightly, “That would be for the best. It will be easy if he shows up. Union Master Kong, don’t forget to share the benefits with this Mistress when this is all over.” While speaking, she glanced at Lu Xue and the others while licking her lips, as if she saw delicious food in front of her.
“Don’t worry, this Kong won’t go back on his word.” Kong Feng responded casually. Although he and Luan Bai Feng were old acquaintances, he still had to promise her some benefits when requesting her help; otherwise, how could he convince her to assist him? The condition he offered was to give her all the Open Heaven Realm Masters he captured in this battle!
The defeated party in the battle often ended up as captives. For example, when Yang Kai took over Void Land, he captured Chen Tian Fei. If Chen Tian Fei had not offered up the Loyalty List, Yang Kai would certainly have executed the fatty; after all, they had a deep blood feud, and Yang Kai could not guarantee his loyalty at all, so how could he let him live?
However, Chen Tian Fei was quick-witted. He immediately took out the Loyalty List as soon as he realized that he was cornered, allowing him to preserve his life until now.
In general, the fate of such captives was dreadful. Most of them would be brought back to the vanquisher’s headquarters to be killed, because after the death of an Open Heaven Realm Master, their Small Universe would collapse and their World Force would leak out and be absorbed by the Spirit Province, enhancing its background.
Only those captives who could prove themselves to be valuable could be exempted from death!
For other great forces, the greatest value of captives was to kill them in their headquarters to collect their World Force. However, Luan Bai Feng was different. What she needed most in Black Prison was Open Heaven Realm mining slaves; the more, the better. As such, after Kong Feng approached her, they only negotiated for about half a day before finalizing the conditions of their cooperation.
There were already more than 30 Open Heaven Realm captives on the ship at present, all of whom would belong to Luan Bai Feng in the end. It could be said that she had already reaped a great harvest from this trip. And that was not to mention that there may be more Open Heaven Realm Masters waiting for her once they captured Void Land.
Among these more than 30 people, Lu Xue was her favourite by far. There were many ore slaves in the Black Prison, but not many of them were Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like Lu Xue. The value a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could provide there was enormous.
Seeing that Kong Feng agreed to her terms without hesitation, Luan Bai Feng was extremely satisfied with him. Of course, she had no idea that Kong Feng had plans of his own.
Luan Bai Feng did not know that Yang Kai had a Seventh-Order Monster Beast Core, but Kong Feng did. It had only been about a year since the collapse of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, and according to common sense, Yang Kai couldn’t have refined that Monster Core. If he could conquer Void Land, the Monster Core would be his.
Seventh-Order materials were incredibly valuable. Being a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Kong Feng would sooner or later break through to the Seventh-Order. At that time, he would need these Seventh-Order materials to improve his strength. As such, he naturally needed to collect resources like this whenever possible.
However, it was not just the Seventh-Order Monster Core that attracted him. The biggest temptation for Kong Feng was the complete sets of Fifth-Order materials.
It was no secret that Void Land traded numerous complete sets of Fifth-Order materials for materials of other Orders, so Kong Feng naturally knew about it.
Heavenly Sword Union even purchased a set from Void Land secretly.
After a thorough examination, Kong Feng was shocked to find that all these Fifth-Order materials came from the same source! He vaguely believed that Void Land must have a secret method which could regularly produce these Fifth-Order materials; otherwise, they would not have casually traded away so many of them.
If Heavenly Sword Union could gain control over this production method, it would definitely be able to produce more Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the future!
It could be said this material source was a critical component to the foundation of a Sect. How could Kong Feng not be envious of it? To him personally, the Seventh-Order Monster Core was more important, but to Heavenly Sword Union, this method to produce a steady stream of Fifth-Order materials was the most valuable.
If Heavenly Sword Union became more powerful, Kong Feng would benefit from it too. At that time, Heavenly Sword Union may be able to rise to the level of the Cave Heavens or Paradises!
During the simple conversation between the two of them, the Grand Array that enveloped Void Land suddenly distorted for a moment and three figures appeared in everyone’s sight.
Kong Feng raised his brow as he stared at Yang Kai and smiled.
As he expected, Yang Kai could no longer ignore them after they brought up Lu Xue and the others, and had to show up himself. At this moment, Yang Kai’s face was incredibly dark!
Luan Bai Feng, who was sitting next to Kong Feng, stared at Yue He enthusiastically. She had excellent vision so she naturally sensed that Yue He was strong. Unfortunately, because of the distance between them, she could not determine Yue He’s exact Order. She licked her red lips again as she asked, “Union Master Kong, what Open Heaven Order is that woman?”
Kong Feng answered, “Is Junior Sister Luan interested in her? I’m afraid that will be a little difficult; after all, she is also a Sixth-Order!”
“A Sixth-Order?” Luan Bai Feng was obviously taken aback. Given that Void Land was just newly established, it was already beyond her expectation that it could have more than 30 Open Heaven Realm Masters, including a Fifth-Order one like Lu Xue. She never expected Void Land to have a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master too!
The owner of Void Land was just an Emperor Realm boy; how could he convince so many Open Heaven Realm Masters to serve him?
As she thought of this, Luan Bai Feng turned to Yang Kai and saw that although this young man looked dignified and possessed an impressive demeanour, there didn’t seem to be anything else special about him. The gap between the Emperor Realm and the Open Heaven Realm was just too big. How could he get Open Heaven Realm Masters to listen to his orders?
Failing to understand this, she shook her head lightly and chuckled, “Union Master Kong, this Mistress likes that woman very much. I hope that you can help me capture her later.”
Kong Feng hesitated a while before he replied carelessly, “If there is a chance, this Kong will do his best.”
Kong Feng was naturally just brushing Luan Bai Feng off while he secretly cursed her for being insatiable. How could it be so easy to capture a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master alive? Both he and Luan Bai Feng were also just in the Sixth Order. Although Yue He was certainly no match for them in a straight up fight, given that the gap between their overall strength was not too large, capturing her alive would be all but impossible.
If Yue He wanted to escape, he would have no way to stop her. As such, he did not dare to promise too much.
Ignoring Luan Bai Feng, Kong Feng waved his hand as he ordered, “Act according to the plan!”
“Yes!” On the deck of the ship, several men cupped their fists. Then, followed by hundreds of others, they split into ten or so groups and flew out of the ship before scattering in all directions. Soon surrounding the local region.
The leaders of these groups were all Open Heaven Realm Masters, and after getting into position, each of them took out something like a square array plate one after another, and threw them into the void. Then, they formed a set of hand seals and the array plates quickly vanished into the Void. At the same time, the surrounding space solidified.
The changes in the environment were not obvious to others. Even Yue He, who was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, was only slightly aware of some unusual transformation in the surrounding region, but it was impossible to tell what the specific changes were.
Only Yang Kai could sense it so clearly that he could not help snorting coldly, “Old dog Kong Feng, you’re really well prepared.”
He watched the large group of people flying out from the ship, but he did not understand what they were doing. However, Yang Kai immediately understood when the surrounding space changed.
On the deck of the ship, Kong Feng turned to Luan Bai Feng, and nodded lightly, “Junior Sister Luan’s attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays are truly amazing. This Senior Brother salutes you!”
Luan Bai Feng smiled, “It’s the fruit of being forced in order to have a living, it’s not like I had a choice. But with the confinement of my Array, this area has become completely sealed. Even if that boy has high attainment in the Dao of Space, he has no way to escape from here.”
Kong Feng nodded lightly. He certainly learnt about Yang Kai when he inquired about Void Land, and knew that while he was not strong, he was good at escaping. Especially after hearing the report from Old Hong, Kong Feng learnt that Yang Kai had used Space Principles to slip away from even Lan You Ruo of First Inn before. As such, he understood that if he wished to capture Yang Kai this time, he had to use a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array. It would not be easy for even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him to stop Yang Kai once that happened.
Therefore, before they continued, they confined the space around Void Land in order to prevent Yang Kai from teleporting away.
With the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array set up by Luan Bai Feng, Yang Kai had no way to run this time!
They did not arrange this Array earlier because Kong Feng wasn’t certain Yang Kai was in Void Land, but as soon as Yang Kai appeared, Kong Feng immediately ordered them to execute the plan.
Now that everything was set, they just had to wait for the right moment to attack!
Kong Feng turned to Old Hong and exchanged looks with him. After receiving the signal, Old Hong yelled, “Little thief Yang Kai, you’ve finally shown yourself!”
Yang Kai glared at him as he retorted, “Old dog, stop barking non-stop and disturbing the peace. You court death!”
Old Hong grinned, “How dare you speak wildly when facing imminent disaster? The folly of youth indeed!”
Yang Kai did not bother to talk nonsense with him and instead turned to Kong Feng with a clenched jaw, his eyes burning in anger, “Union Master Kong, why did you capture my Void Land’s people? How has Void Land offended you?”
Kong Feng remained silent with a smile, putting on a look like Yang Kai had no right to speak to him. Meanwhile, old Hong continued shouting, “Do you still need someone else to tell you what your Void Land has done? Junior, today you must die!”
Yang Kai glared at him furiously, “Our Void Land has never offended others who have not offended us. I swear to the Heavens and Earth that we have never acted without conscience. Old dog, stop talking nonsense.”
Old Hong sneered deviously, “You really won’t shed tears without seeing the coffin, will you? Little brat, if you don’t wish for others to condemn you, you should not do deeds worthy of condemnation. Since you insist on denying the truth, this King will give you the proof.” He waved his hand, “Please, Junior Brother Qi!”
As he spoke, an elderly man stepped out from the crowd. His face was filled with such lament and sorrow that there seemed to be nothing else that could hurt him anymore. After gaining a stable foothold, he cupped his fist towards Old Hong feebly.
In front of the public, this elderly man was instantly recognized as Qi Chang Ying, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Mountains and Seas Pavilion. There were only two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Mountains and Seas Pavilion in total, which were Qi Chang Yi and the Pavilion Master himself. However, the Pavilion Master of Mountains and Seas Pavilion did not show up most of the time, leaving most matters of Mountains and Seas Pavilion to be handled by Qi Chang Ying. As such, he was known by many Open Heaven Realm Masters of other Second Class great forces.
Old Hong patted Qi Chang Ying on the shoulder with a supportive look, and continued in a deep voice, “Junior Brother Qi, I know that your Mountains and Seas Pavilion encountered a disaster a year ago and suffered great losses. Our Heaven’s Border faced a similar situation, but the culprit is too powerful so we can’t do anything about it. However, murder must be paid for with blood. Now that Heavenly Sword Union is here to seek justice for us, speak your grievances. Under the witness of everyone here today, we must eradicate this evil and return a bright future to the 3,000 Worlds!”
Old Hong’s speech immediately reminded Qi Chang Ying of the tragedy that happened under his watch a year ago. His eyes turned red, and he could not help feeling sorrowful. He turned to the ship where Heavenly Sword Union was located from a distance, saluted and proceeded in a trembling voice, “Many thanks, Union Master Kong. This Old Master has nothing else to ask for today, but vengeance for this blood feud. If this wish can be achieved, I shall die with no regrets!”
After a pause, Qi Chang Ying spoke about what happened a year ago heartbrokenly, how he heard that there were complete sets of Fifth-Order materials being sold in Void Star City, how they gathered everything they had, how they travelled all the way to Void Territory, how they were attacked, and how he managed to stay alive… He disclosed every single detail in his speech.
Old Hong clenched his teeth, “Junior Brother Qi, did you mention that you escaped by faking death, and vaguely heard the words ‘Void Land’ and ‘Senior Yun’?”
Qi Chang Ying nodded slowly, “That’s right! This Old Master also knows that the person in charge of Void Star City is a man named Yun Xing Hua. He has the same cultivation with this Old Master, and matches the person who killed our Mountains and Seas Pavilion disciples! This Old Master lived an ignoble life after that, sneaking into Void Star City to investigate and confirm whether Yun Xing Hua was indeed the one who killed my Mountains and Seas Pavilion disciples. This Old Master swore he would take revenge no matter what!”
Old Hong immediately asked, “What is the result of the investigation?”
Qi Chang Ying shook his head slowly, “Yun Xing Hua lives a reclusive life, and this Old Master didn’t have the chance to see him.”
Old Hong raised his brows slightly, “If I show you Yun Xing Hua, will you be able to recognize him?”
Qi Chang Ying gritted her teeth ferociously, “Even if he were reduced to ash, this Old Master would still recognize him!”
Old Hong nodded, “Good, Junior Brother Qi, look over there, Yun Xing Hua is among that group!”
Qi Chang Ying was stunned before he hurriedly looked to the direction that Old Hong pointed at. After a moment, he widened his eyes and leapt towards the ship with raging murderous intent, “Yun Xing Hua, suffer death!”
Among the captives, Yun Xing Hua was absolutely appalled. He already felt humiliated enough being caught due to his incompetence and was still worrying about his own safety. Fortunately, Lu Xue stood at the head of their group, preventing him from sticking out too much. But now, his face turned white as this unfamiliar old man suddenly rushed towards him to take his life. Unable to care about face any longer, he retreated while shouting horrifyingly, “Mercy, Old Sir, there must be some kind of misunderstanding!”
He was totally clueless about what was going on. He had never met Qi Chang Ying, let alone killed the disciples of Mountains and Seas Pavilion. Ever since he signed his name on the Loyalty List and was sent to Void Star City by Yang Kai, he has been taking care of the Star City conscientiously, in fear of being punished by Yang Kai for any mistakes.
Initially, the Star City was blossoming with activity, but he did not expect a large number of people to attack all of a sudden half a month ago. The people of Void Land failed to defend themselves and were captured, and then were brought here.
Hearing the previous conversations from the crowd, Yun Xing Hua vaguely sensed that someone was conspiring against Void Land, and he was just a pawn caught up in this plot. Previously, he felt a little fortunate that he was not their target, but he did not expect that he would be the first to die.
Qi Chang Ying naturally ignored him. While flying out, Qi Chang Ying slammed his palm at Yun Xing Hua with murderous intent even from thousands of meters away.
Yun Xing Hua was unable to resist as his strength was currently sealed. Seeing that palm strike about to land on him, he could not help exclaiming, “My destined end has come!”
He could only close his eyes and accept death!
But a moment later, the attack did not arrive as he thought it would. It seemed that someone had saved his life. When he opened his eyes, he saw Qi Chang Ying shouting and falling back to where he came from.
Yun Xing Hua was thrilled that he escaped death and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the young woman sitting on the chair withdrawing her fair hand. It was she who saved him!
He glanced at the young woman gratefully. Even though he had no idea who this woman was or why she wanted to save him, he was sure that the cultivation that she had was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Luan Bai Feng brushed her hair back behind her ear and looked at Yun Xing Hua with a smile. Surprised by her action, Yun Xing Hua quickly thanked her.
Luan Bai Feng chuckled, “If you have anything to say, just say it with your mouth. Why resort to violence right away? Life… is very precious. Union Master Kong, do you think so?”
Kong Feng smiled faintly, but he did not say anything.
He knew why Luan Bai Feng wanted to save Yun Xing Hua; it was all because these captives belonged to her. Anyone of them dying was a loss to her; therefore, no one would be allowed to harm her interests while she was present.
After Luan Bai Feng’s interception, Qi Chang Ying acknowledged her terrifying strength and dared not to do it again. Still, he glared at Yun Xing Hua angrily, as if he wanted to peel his skin off.
Old Hong continued in a deep voice, “Junior Brother Qi, please calm your anger. Do you recognize the man who attacked your Mountains and Seas Pavilion that day?”
Qi Chang Ying immediately pointed out his finger, “It was him! He led people to intercept my Mountains and Seas Pavilion ship and killed hundreds of our disciples… None of them were spared!”
As he finished his sentence, he let out a long cry to the sky as two streaks of tears rolled down his cheeks.
Stunned, Yun Xing Hua could not help shouting back, “Old Sir, you’ve recognized the wrong person! I haven’t done anything like that, you should take a closer look!”
“Shut up!” Qi Chang Ying glared at him, his eyes spitting fire, “Despicable bastard, how dare you quibble with me!? This Old Master saw what you did that day with his own eyes, how can I be mistaken!? If this Old Master does not avenge this blood feud, he does not deserve to be human!”
Yun Xing Hua’s lips trembled, and turned his head to look in the direction of Yang Kai desperately, begging, “Sir, this subordinate is innocent, this subordinate has not done it. Sir, save me!”
Then, Old Hong sneered and patted Qi Chang Ying on the shoulder again, “Is Junior Brother Qi sure he’s the one?”
Qi Chang Ying closed his eyes, turned his head, and quickly replied, “Yes!”
There was no way to express the anger boiling in his heart. He could hardly breathe! He has lived for so many years, and he was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so how could he be a fool? He was besieged, completely robbed of his Sect’s properties, and everyone other than him was slaughtered, including his Legacy Disciple who shouldered the future of Mountains and Seas Pavilion. The pain Qi Chang Ying felt was like a knife stabbing through his heart.
At that time, he really believed that Void Land was behind this matter, but after escaping from the claws of death, Qi Chang Ying thought more carefully about it. Why would Void Land do such a thing? Was this not smearing their own reputation for paltry gains? He really did sneak into Void Star City to investigate Yun Xing Hua and quickly discovered that the latter was not the same person who attacked Mountains and Seas Pavilion’s ship that day.
Qi Chang Ying had a feeling that someone was trying to tarnish Void Land’s reputation, but before he could uncover the truth of the matter, Old Hong had appeared and had a long talk with him. After some consolation and intimidation, Old Hong ‘politely’ asked Qi Chang Ying to step forward to identify the culprit, with a promise of heavy compensation.
By that point, how could Qi Chang Ying still not understand what was going on?
Void Land was like a tall tree that attracted the wind, and Mountains and Seas Pavilion was coincidentally involved in this dispute. Qi Chang Ying was probably able to escape the catastrophe and keep his life only because the other party allowed him to.
Now that things have escalated to this point, what choice did Qi Chang Ying have?
He may be able to keep his conscience by rejecting Old Hong’s proposal, but it would certainly offend powerful people. The murderers who dared to blatantly slaughter Mountains and Seas Pavilion’s disciples could even cause trouble at the Headquarters of Mountains and Seas Pavilion. On the other hand, if he agreed to their conditions, he could at least obtain some compensation.
Mountains and Seas Pavilion could not endure any more struggle. With their most prized disciple dead and most of the Sect’s wealth lost, if Qi Chang Ying just returned home like this, Mountains and Seas Pavilion would not be able to recover for hundreds of years. But if he could get some compensation, the future would definitely not be so bleak.
Therefore, even though Qi Chang Ying knew the truth, he had no choice but to cooperate with Old Hong at this moment and lie with his eyes wide open. He had to consider the future of Mountains and Seas Pavilion.
“Boy, Junior Brother Qi of Mountains and Seas Pavilion had identified the culprit in person. It is ironclad evidence! Do you still wish to deny it?” Old Hong rebuked sharply.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “For those determined to condemn others, there is never a lack of evidence!”
As soon as he finished speaking, shouts echoed from all directions. They were the representatives of the victimized great forces from the incidents in Void Territory.
Yang Kai looked around coldly before his gaze stopped at Kong Feng, “Union Master Kong is here in person. Did your allies’ ships suffer from the incident in the Void Territory too?”
Kong Feng smiled slightly, “Indeed. Many of my allied Sects encountered trouble and were robbed of all their property, with countless casualties. Naturally, as Union Master, I am here to seek justice for them!”
Yang Kai returned, “Then what justice does Union Master Kong want?”
Kong Feng tapped the armrest of his chair lightly, “If you are wise, you will deactivate this Defensive Grand Array, bind your own hands and feet, and follow this Union Master obediently. Rest assured, this Union Master will definitely investigate the situation thoroughly. If Void Land is innocent, you will be cleared of all guilt.”
Yang Kai sneered. How could he believe him? However, he still nodded gently, “Union Master Kong’s reputation is well known. I can trust this statement.”
Kong Feng raised his brow, “Since you trust this Kong, what are you still waiting for?”
Yang Kai raised his hand, “Union Master Kong, please wait a moment. I don’t know when I will be back. I must have a word with my family first.”
After saying that, he had already turned around and disappeared into Void Land without giving Kong Feng a chance to object.
Kong Feng frowned, vaguely feeling that Yang Kai was up to no good. However, after thinking about it carefully, Void Land would definitely not be able to resist. In the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy would be a joke.
He did not attack head-on mainly because he was afraid of destroying Void Land. There must be some hidden secrets in this place, so before he learnt the truth, he did not want to make a big move.
After pondering for a while, he spoke quietly, “Junior Sister Luan, your chance has come.”
Luan Bai Feng looked at Kong Feng with a smile, “What is Union Master Kong referring to?”
Kong Feng replied, “Don’t you want that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman? She’s called Yue He, and she obeys Yang Kai’s words. When Yang Kai arrives, you are responsible for keeping Yue He in check while I capture that boy. As long as Yang Kai is restrained, Yue He will definitely not resist, and you can have her in any way you want!”
Luan Bai Feng’s beautiful eyes lit up when she heard the words and her scarlet tongue flicked across her red lips, “That would be best.”
She naturally knew why Kong Feng wanted her to deal with Yue He. The other party was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all. It’s hard to say who would emerge the victor in a real fight, but if she could capture a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master to be an ore slave, this risk was worth taking, so she did not complain.
While the two were talking, a figure flickered next to Yue He, and Yang Kai reappeared.
Kong Feng was slightly surprised, “So fast?”
He thought that Yang Kai would definitely delay for a while, but who would have thought that he came back as fast as he left.
Yang Kai chuckled, “There’s nothing to explain, Union Master Kong. However, this Junior’s cultivation is low, and it is not safe to travel alone. So I request permission to bring my Left Protector along.” After saying so, he pointed at Yue He.
Kong Feng replied indifferently, “Only her then.”
He had already expected this. With his and Luan Bai Feng’s strength, a single Yue He would not be able to resist their united front.
Luan Bai Feng frowned slightly, vaguely feeling something was off, but most of her attention was drawn to Yue He at the moment, so she did not think much about it.
“Naturally!” Yang Kai nodded.
Signaling Yue He, he stepped forward and Bian Yu Qing, who was behind him, flew back into Void Land.
Kong Feng waved his hand and opened the barrier around the ship.
Yang Kai and Yue He landed on the deck soon after.
In the next moment, Kong Feng and Yang Kai shouted in unison, “Now!”
When the words fell, Kong Feng reached out to grab Yang Kai. Luan Bai Feng’s petite figure leapt up and rushed towards Yue He, who at the same time, raised her hand. A little flower umbrella appeared twirling in the air, then flew sharply in the opposite direction towards Luan Bai Feng and Kong Feng, obscuring their line of sight momentarily.
Yang Kai stepped back and opened the Six Fated Paths Bag. With a light pat, a dozen figures suddenly appeared.
The dozen figures, led by Mo Mei, immediately surrounded Yang Kai as soon as they appeared.
Heavenly Sword Union was a top-tier Second Class great force with outstanding strength. For this trip to Void Land, in addition to Kong Feng, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master, there were also numerous Fifth-Order Open Heaven Masters, and even more Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. This could only be described as a mighty army with the finest arms.
However, among the dozen or so people who suddenly appeared on Yang Kai’s side, Mo Mei was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, while the others were all Fifth-Order. Everyone was momentarily stunned by their sudden appearance.
When they finally came back to their senses, fierce attacks were already bearing down on them.
In a flash, screams and shrieks resounded one after another, followed by splatters of fresh blood and corpses collapsing to the ground.
Beyond all their expectations, in an instant, Heavenly Sword Union suffered heavy casualties, with as many as a dozen of Open Heaven Realm Masters under the Fifth Order being killed, not to mention countless other disciples below the Open Heaven Realm. At the same time, Pang Duo, Jin Yuan Lang, Mu Qian Xuan, and Gong Yang Xi had already rushed towards Lu Xue and the others.
The strength of the Heavenly Sword Union disciples guarding Lu Xue and the others wasn’t anything notable because their prisoner’s had their cultivations sealed.
Seeing these four pouncing towards them like tigers leaving the mountain, these disciples froze in place, not knowing what to do.
A brief hesitation in battle could lead to disaster. With the combination of four Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, the guards were cut down as easily as melons and vegetables, while Lu Xue and the others were dragged back into the encirclement.
At this moment, Yue He shouted in a strained voice, “Young Master!”
As soon as the words fell, the little flower umbrella exploded, and the colour on Yue He’s face drained slightly before a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out of her lips. Her artifact was destroyed, causing a backlash to her Soul and body.
However, there was no other way. This was the only option if they wanted to rescue the captives from the hands of the two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Kong Feng appeared with a livid face and spat through clenched jaws, “Junior, you court death!” He had never expected that in such a situation, Yang Kai would dare to attack first. He cursed silently, planning to give Yang Kai a taste of every kind of torture in the world once he was captured!
However, when he looked up, Kong Feng was stunned for a moment, because scattered all over his ship were broken bodies of countless disciples, including as many as a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters under the Fifth Order.
Opposite of him, a formation of more than a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters circled around Yang Kai as they, along with Lu Xue and the other captives, fled towards Void Land hurriedly.
[How did Void Land gain so many Open Heaven Realm Masters?] Kong Feng was dumbstruck. What made him even more terrified was that the more than a dozen people who suddenly appeared in front of him were all Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and one leading them was a woman in the Sixth-Order!
After escaping from the Little Flower Umbrella’s suppression, Luan Bai Feng swept her eyes around coldly and growled through gritted teeth, “We were too careless!”
She had finally understood where that sense of unease came from before. Yang Kai mentioned that Yue He was his Left Protector, and since there was a Left Protector, there must also be a Right Protector! Now, the truth was revealed that there was another Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in Void Land!
Everything happened too fast. It had only been three breaths from Kong Feng’s and Luan Bai Feng’s entrapment to their escape. Yue He lost her artifact and was hurt, but Lu Xue and the others had been successfully rescued from Heavenly Sword Union’s ship.
Seeing that the people of Void Land were escaping, Kong Feng became enraged from shame, and roared, “Kill them!”
As he shouted, he charged forward together with Luan Bai Feng. They were the strongest among all the people present, so they had to participate if they wanted to restrain the two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land, because the others were not capable of doing so.
World Force flared as Yue He and Mo Mei turned solemn, executing their own Secret Techniques to meet the enemy.
Although they were all Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yue He and Mo Mei had just broken through recently. In comparison, Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng both had more than 1,000 years of accumulation in their current Realm. With the difference in their heritages, their strength would be different too, not to mention that Yue He was injured. As soon as they clashed, one side gained an obvious advantage.
However, although the situation was somewhat unfavourable to Yue He and Mo Mei, Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng still could not take them down within a short period of time.
At the same time, the Open Heaven Realm Masters on the 100 surrounding ships had charged forward together. As they were gathered by Kong Feng this time, they had already become enemies with Void Land. Initially, none of them put Void Land in their eyes; after all, it was just a recently risen great force, so how strong could it be?
But after Mo Mei showed up with more than ten Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, all of them were taken aback. Only now did they realize that Void Land possessed its own mighty army, equipped with the finest arms.
They had the advantage in numbers now that they were fighting against Void Land together, but if they failed to eliminate it today and allowed them to stage a comeback, Void Land would definitely not spare them in the future.
Since they had chosen to side with Heavenly Sword Union, they could only follow through to the end.
Countless Open Heaven Realm Masters from various great forces used their killing moves mercilessly one after another.
The people of Void Land continued fighting while retreating. Although there were two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and more than ten Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they were too heavily outnumbered. After just ten breaths of time, several were already injured. Fortunately, no one was killed; otherwise, Void Land would have suffered a terrible loss.
The wounded immediately stepped back and hid in the encirclement while hastily trying to heal themselves.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and shouted, “Hold on for just a while longer!”
Void Land was just right behind them, and as long as they could enter the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, everyone would be safe.
Kong Feng obviously noticed this too and his eyes burned with impatience as he roared, “Don’t let them escape!”
With a flash, the illusory phantom of his Small Universe behind him, he surged his might even more ferociously. Luan Bai Feng did not hold back either. Her face was as hard as steel as she moved swiftly and kept using killing moves!
The captives were supposed to be hers, but they all were rescued by Yang Kai. How could she tolerate this? At this time, there was no time to blame Kong Feng for gathering inaccurate information; they had to try their best to recapture as many of the people from Void Land as possible.
World Force collided endlessly as rumbling noises resounded continuously.
The short 30 breaths the clash had been going on for felt as though decades had passed.
When the people of Void Land finally rushed into the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, almost everyone was seriously injured, except Yang Kai and the captives, who were being protected in the center. Even Mo Mei had a long wound on her lower abdomen where blood flowed and continued seeping through her robes. Yue He’s pretty face was pale and her aura was somewhat unstable as a trace of blood could be seen on the corner of her lips. The two of them had the strongest cultivation so they were responsible for defending the rear of the group and had subsequently been under the greatest pressure. Pang Duo and the rest were also panting heavily, their vitality roiling somewhat.
It was tough for them, who had just advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, to fight such an intense battle. They simply could not unleash the true might of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm yet. Fortunately, all of them worked together and overcame the immediate disaster. If anyone had made a mistake at that time, everyone in Void Land would have fallen into danger.
The Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was reactivated, isolating the inside from the outside, and the battle paused for now.
A cold aura surged from Yang Kai’s body as he slowly turned around, glanced at Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng, who were filled with frustration, then at the enemy ships, before he took a deep breath before he declared firmly, “If our Void Land survives this disaster, this Yang swears he will visit each and every one of your Headquarters to teach you how to show proper respect in the future!”
Despite his soft voice, it struck everyone’s hearts like a heavy hammer and goosebumps rose all over their bodies while their faces turned pale.
They would not care if they were threatened by an ordinary Second Class great force, because to be able to attack another force’s Headquarter, one had to possess overwhelming strength.
But after witnessing the terrifying heritage of Void Land, no one dared to take Yang Kai’s declaration lightly.
Such a lineup, with two Sixth-Order and more than ten Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, could almost match up to Heavenly Sword Union! This was the heritage that a true top-tier Second Class great force possessed. Other than the Cave Heavens and Paradises, who could stand against such force?
90% of the 100 great forces here did not even have a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master assuming command. If Void Land showed up at their doorstep, they would have no way to stop them. The only result would be the extermination of their Sect.
[Is this the kind of heritage a new great force can have? Just how did Void Land develop so rapidly and obtain so many Open Heaven Realm Masters in such a short time?]
Kong Feng’s face turned dreadfully ugly as he remarked coldly, “Do you think your Void Land still stands a chance? Today, your Void Land will be wiped from the 3,000 Worlds!”
Yang Kai sneered, “Come and try if you can. We’ll see who survives in the end!”
Then he beckoned, “Let’s go!”
Leading the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land, they all turned and disappeared behind the clouds and mists of the Grand Array!
Infuriated, Kong Feng clenched his fist and wanted nothing more than the give chase, but seeing the unpredictable changes of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, he did not dare to take the risk rashly. He turned to Luan Bai Feng and asked, “What can you see, Junior Sister?”
Luan Bai Feng answered with a cold face, “This Grand Array is not even displaying its full might yet, what can I possibly see from it? Union Master Kong, you didn’t tell me that there are so many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land.”
If she had known that Void Land was such a dangerous opponent, she would not have come here. Now that the captives that she obtained earlier were robbed away, it was natural for her to feel disgruntled.
Kong Feng replied while suppressing his anger, “What’s the use of blaming me now? It’s indeed this Union Master’s mistake for gathering incomplete intelligence about Void Land. This Union Master also didn’t expect that Void Land would have so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, but… isn’t this just what Junior Sister Luan wants? If we can conquer Void Land, you will be able to receive many times more benefits than you have expected.”
Luan Bai Feng snorted coldly, “But that can only be achieved if we take down Void Land. Now that the Grand Array has been activated, there’s nothing we can do unless we crack it.”
Kong Feng answered, “I invited Junior Sister Luan here precisely to resolve this issue. Don’t worry, I will arrange for someone to probe this Grand Array for you.”
Luan Bai Feng’s face softened a little bit, and she nodded, “It’s best if you make appropriate arrangements. But I wonder who Union Master Kong wants to assign to take the lead in this battle?”
Kong Feng’s eyes glinted slightly as he remained silent. Given this situation, it was highly unlikely anyone would volunteer to be the vanguard. Although their side looked imposing with 100 great forces seemingly joining hands, the truth was they were nothing but a fistful of loose sand. With the strength and prestige of Heavenly Sword Union, Kong Feng had forced many to support him here; however, those who had come expected the battle to be a one-sided massacre. Now that Kong Feng was facing difficulties, how could he still convince these people to follow his orders?
This was especially true for those who had to lead the first assault, as they would bear the greatest risks.
But… it was exactly because of this Grand Array that Kong Feng gathered so many people here.
Just as Kong Feng was pondering what to do, an elderly man suddenly flew over, stood several tens of meters away from Kong Feng, and cupped his fist, “Union Master Kong.”
Kong Feng raised his eyes and replied faintly, “Brother Gao.”
This person was an Elder of a great force called Azure Clouds Temple. Azure Clouds Temple was also a Second Class great force, but it was not very strong. It was similar to Mountains and Seas Pavilion in that it did not have a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master, just three or four Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Like Mountains and Seas Pavilion, Azure Clouds Temple encountered a similar incident in Void Territory. Its ship and property were robbed, with many of its disciples being killed or injured.
This man surnamed Gao was one of the ones who shouted down Yang Kai earlier, calling for revenge.
With an ashamed look, Elder Gao spoke, “Forgive me, Union Master Kong. I just received a message from the Temple Master that there is an urgent matter which needs to be attended to back at our Headquarters. This Elder must take his leave.”
Kong Feng narrowed his eyes slightly as he glanced behind Elder Gao. A number of people were watching them attentively and Kong Feng immediately sneered in his heart.
It was obvious that after seeing the strength of Void Land, Azure Clouds Temple dared not to offend it further and was attempting to distance itself from this matter. By the looks of this situation, Azure Clouds Temple was not the only force having such thoughts.
Kong Feng knew that once he accepted the request of Elder Gao, more than half of the 100 great forces here would leave.
Kong Feng was enraged, but he remained calm on the outside and asked with concern, “It’s easy for Elder Gao to leave, but if you can’t avenge your blood feud, how can the dead disciples of your Azure Clouds Temple rest in peace?”
Elder Gao averted his eyes as he replied insincerely, “Ten years is not too long for a gentleman to seek revenge.”
Kong Feng nodded, “Since Elder Gao has said so, then this Kong will leave the decision in your hands.”
Elder Gao cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Union Master Kong, for your understanding. This Gao wishes Union Master Kong success!”
Kong Feng smiled and made no comment.
Nevertheless, the moment when Elder Gao turned around, Kong Feng swiftly stretched out his arm to grasp him.
Elder Gao felt a slight pain in his neck, but before he could react, Kong Feng suddenly came close to him.
Elder Gao was puzzled and his eyes widened, “Union Master Kong, you…”
Before he finished, he immediately realized something was wrong with his vision, as if his head was on Kong Feng’s hand. He wanted to look down to check, but he failed to do so.
Kong Feng sneered as he grabbed Elder Gao’s severed head, still dripping with blood, and muttered, “You don’t wish to offend Void Land, but don’t care about offending my Heavenly Sword Union? Ridiculous!”
For a moment, Elder Gao’s eyes almost popped out of its sockets before his vitality quickly dissipated and his consciousness completely faded.
He was just a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was a trivial matter for Kong Feng to take his life once his guard was down.
Kong Feng held the bloody head high and shouted loudly, “The battle is imminent, but this old dog attempted to desert us and disturbed the morale of our army. This Union Master killed him to serve as a warning, I hope that all of you have learnt a lesson!”
After saying that, with a slight push of his hand, the wide-eyed head was sent flying to the crowd, stirring up fear in everyone present.
The Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was the culmination of Grandmaster Wu Liang’s lifetime of study into the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Nine interdependent Arrays which supported and reinforced one another.
Yang Kai spent nearly all of the wealth he acquired in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary on this Grand Array. Most forces did not have the boldness or even ability to pay such a huge price, but the returns would naturally be great too.
The array could be divided into three sections. The first, which consisted of three layers of the Array, was the foundation of the Grand Array. These three layers maintained the operation of the Grand Array, as well as drew in and stored Starlight Strength. These three layers had no lethality whatsoever; however, they formed the backbone of the Nine Heavenly Layers. On normal days, these three layers would draw in Starlight Strength to maintain the operation of the Grand Array without interruption, storing any excess for emergency use. Not only that, but the first three layers of the Grand Array were also capable of self-repair. As long as the damage was not too serious, it could fix any faults in the Grand Array.
The second section of the Grand Array was comprised of defensive mechanisms. It also consisted of three layers of the Grand Array. One layer was meant for concealment. Once activated, Void Land would become hidden from view. Anyone without a firm foundation of the Dao of Spirit Arrays would never be able to detect Void Land. The second layer was a powerful Bewildering Array, one that deprived ordinary cultivators of their external senses, blinding and misleading them. The third layer was purely protective, a shield to resist external bombardment. The Proprietress introduced Yang Kai to an Artifact Refining Grandmaster who produced two powerful Array Artifacts, one of which was the Heavenly Net Umbrella, which was used in this Defensive Grand Array as its Array Core.
The Heavenly Net Umbrella cost a fortune, but Grandmaster Wu Liang said that once the shield was activated, even the combined bombardment of ten top Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters for ten days and ten nights would not be able to break through it. It could be seen that the protective strength of this Grand Array was outstanding. Void Land now had a mighty army and was equipped with the finest arms, so how could it allow anyone to attack them for ten days straight without retaliating?
The last three layers of the Grand Array were the offensive parts. Most of the external Starlight Strength absorbed by the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was channelled here. Each of these three layers was different and more powerful than the one before.
The Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was placed by Grandmaster Wu Liang into the second layer of the offensive section of the Grand Array as its Array Core. The first offensive layer of the Grand Array did not have a specific core, but instead relied on a massive number of ordinary artifacts to function! These artifacts were brought back by Yang Kai after defeating enemies in this Outer Universe. Most of these artifacts were useless to the members of Void Land, but it would be too wasteful to simply discard them, so they were used to empower the Grand Array, which was a win-win solution.
As for the final offensive layer of the Grand Array, it was the trump card of Void Land, and it was saved for the most crucial of moments.
When the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was completed, Yang Kai had once considered that if someone was foolish to attack Void Land, he would teach them a lesson, and at the same time test the power of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array.
But this was just a random thought. No one would want their home to be besieged.
However, it was really under siege now, and the enemy’s numbers were overwhelming!
Yang Kai was extremely grateful that he did not make the stingy decision, but instead agreed to let Grandmaster Wu Liang arrange the complete Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array in Void Land. Otherwise, with the numbers and strength of the enemy today, even if there were hundreds more Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land now, it would be impossible to overcome such odds. Only by making use of the Grand Array could they possibly turn defeat into victory!
Standing in Void Land, Yang Kai looked out coldly. He was in control of the Array Jade and he knew the Grand Array inside and out. He rubbed his fingers together unconsciously as he stood nervously. In order to rescue Lu Xue and the others, he had no choice but to reveal some of Void Land’s strength. However, they immediately retreated. With such a display of weakness, old dog Kong Feng would certainly not just give up.
Behind Yang Kai, Left and Right Protectors Yue He and Mo Mei sat cross-legged and meditated to recover from their injuries. The Elder Council and the group of Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were also urgently restoring their own vitality.
Behind them were more than three hundred Open Heaven Realm Masters of various Orders, standing upright, their expressions solemn as a chilling air lingered in the void.
The majority of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land were from Abundance City, and it was all thanks to Yang Kai, who removed the Blood Principle Restriction, that they could leave the Blood Monster Cave Heaven alive. In addition to that, he also provided them with an excellent living and cultivating environment, and supplied them with Spirit Pills to support their safe ascension to the Open Heaven Realm.
It was safe to say that Yang Kai was the one who made them what they were today.
After finally breaking free of the prison which held generations of their ancestors and entering the outside world; how could they sit by and bear it when someone came to oppress them before they had time to witness the wonders of this world?
So even though this was their first battle since they broke through to the Open Heaven Realm, everyone was incredibly motivated! Void Land was their home, where they would build a new family and future. They could not just take from this land without giving back, and right now was the time to pay their dues. Only by keeping this land could they provide a safe place for their future generations!
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Yang Kai, waiting for his order to rush out and take down the invaders.
After a moment, Yang Kai muttered, “Here they come!”
Outside Void Land, a hundred or so of people from Azure Clouds Temple, led by two Third-Order Open Heavens, rushed towards Void Land with dark, sullen faces. Elder Gao tried to withdraw before the battle began, but was ruthlessly killed by Kong Feng instead. Everyone, including Azure Clouds Temple and the other great forces who wanted to leave, did not dare to act rashly anymore.
Shuddering at Kong Feng’s ruthlessness, they all feared that they would be the next unlucky one should they speak out.
However, Azure Clouds Temple still had to be punished as they took the lead in escaping, so Kong Feng forced them to be the vanguard in attacking the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array.
Although the two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were enraged, they were completely incapable of resisting, so they could only lead a hundred disciples they brought with them to the edge of the Grand Array.
After a slight hesitation, one of them sighed deeply and declared, “It may be a blessing and not a curse, and if it is a curse we cannot escape. Let’s go.”
Looking desolate, he took the lead and dived headfirst into the Grand Array. When the others saw this, they too rushed bravely into the swirling clouds and mists, soon disappearing from sight.
Aboard Heavenly Sword Union’s ship, Kong Feng turned to Luan Bai Feng, “Junior Sister Luan, it’s all up to you now.”
Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted, “Don’t worry, it would be one thing if the Grand Array was in an idle state, but once it begins operating, its intricacies cannot be hidden from this Mistress’ eyes.”
She pointed to her own eyes as she spoke, and a glamorous but sinister light flashed across her beautiful pupils, turning them a breathtaking shade of purple.
The reason why Luan Bai Feng had such profound attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays was not that it was taught to her by a powerful Master. In fact, she was completely self-taught, a feat only possible thanks to her innate Eye Secret Technique.
Within the Black Prison were countless Natural Spirit Arrays. After years of observing those Spirit Arrays with her Eye Secret Technique, she comprehended many mysteries from them, allowing her to accumulate a profound understanding of the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
From the outside, the 100 great forces watched the hundred or so Azure Clouds Temple disciples disappearing quickly into the rolling clouds, but through Luan Bai Feng’s eyes, their movements were actually traceable, and as long as she could keep track of them and the progress they made, she would be able to find a way to crack the Grand Array!
Inside the Bewildering Array, two small figures came together and whispered to one another quietly. One of them had a string of purple grapes on his head, his arms akimbo, looking as though he was second beneath the Heavens; the other figure had a large mushroom cap atop her head and a timid expression on her face, wearing a little floral dress.
These two little figures were Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom.
Little Mushroom suddenly tugged at the roots of the grapes on Pu Bai Xiong’s head, “Big Brother Pu, someone is here, what should we do?”
Two strands of roots on Pu Bai Xiong’s head swayed around his forehead, “Someone came in? En, leave them alone, Yang Boy will take care of them.”
Little Mushroom spoke weakly, “But… But I’m scared. They’re wandering around everywhere… what if they find us? Will they eat us?”
Pu Bai Xiong consoled, “Don’t worry. They’re completely lost in the Spirit Array and won’t be able to find us. Yang Boy told you, you are the Array Core of this Bewildering Array, and will only need to make a move at the critical moment. Don’t easily expose yourself, but when you do, we’ll teach them a big lesson to show them how powerful you are.”
Little Mushroom nodded obediently, “En.” Then she suddenly exclaimed, “Ah, someone is right next to us…”
Pu Bai Xiong jumped and looked around. Sure enough, he saw a figure staggering around like a drunk, and quickly pulled Little Mushroom away.
In Void Land, Yang Kai asked, “About a hundred people entered the Array, among them are two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters while the rest are all Emperor Realm cultivators. Who wants to deal with them?”
Fatty Chen Tian rushed out immediately and volunteered with a sonorous voice, “Sect Master, please let this subordinate go!”
How could Chen Tian Fei miss such an opportunity to showcase himself? He was not qualified to fight during the last mission to rescue Lu Xue and the others because he was only a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but now that he had the opportunity to exert his strength, he naturally would not let it fall into the hands of another.
Yang Kai turned his head to look at him and nodded lightly, “Good, Elder Chen, be careful.”
Immediately energised, Chen Tian Fei replied, “Sect Master, please wait for good news, this subordinate will be back before you know it!”
After saying so, his rotund figure soared into the sky, dashing towards the Grand Array.
Outside Void Land, aboard Heavenly Sword Union’s ship, Luan Bai Feng suddenly frowned. Kong Feng, who had been observing her expression hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Luan Bai Feng replied without removing her gaze on the swirling Grand Array, “It seems that something has changed. Someone entered the Grand Array from Void Land.”
Kong Feng raised his eyebrows, “Oh? Could they not withstand the pressure any longer?”
Luan Bai Feng was silent for a moment before suddenly sighing.
Kong Feng faintly sensed that something was wrong, but before he could ask, there were bursts of exclamations all around him. Turning his head back, Kong Feng narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight before him.
Severed heads drenched in fresh blood flew towards the fleet one by one from inside the Grand Array. Those heads belonged to the people from Azure Clouds Temple that he sent out before. One head for every person who went in was sent out. The blank expressions frozen on the faces of these severed heads obviously indicated that they had no idea what happened to them, right up to the moment they died.
Kong Feng’s face sank. [What is Void Land planning? Killing someone and throwing their head back is a naked provocation!]
Kong Feng turned to look at Luan Bai Feng, who shook her head lightly, “It was too short!”
It really was too short. It had only been several breaths of time since the hundred Azure Clouds Temple disciple entered the Grand Array. Although they only had two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters while the rest were Emperor Realm cultivators, meaning their strength was not great, it was still terrifying for them to be obliterated so quickly.
Chen Tian Fei descended from the sky, and landed in front of Yang Kai with a cupped fist, “Sect Master, fortunately, I did not fail my mission!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Good work, Elder Chen!”
Chen Tian Fei possessed a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, while there were only two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among the people from Azure Clouds Temple. Furthermore, Azure Clouds Temple’s cultivators had fallen into the Bewildering Array and were all blind and lost. How could they stand against this Fatty Chen? Killing them all had been a simple task.
With Yang Kai having full control of the Array Jade, he could naturally see the situation inside the Grand Array clearly and knew that Chen Tian Fei sent the severed heads of the enemies out into the void. Although this was not his intention, he did not disapprove.
Chen Tian Fei was delighted, “It is this subordinate’s pleasure to serve the Sect Master!” After that, he stepped back and stood still behind Yang Kai.
Outside Void Land, Kong Feng kneaded his forehead gently. He looked around coldly, and saw a riot rising up among the Hundred Sect Alliance. The swift annihilation of Azure Clouds Temple’s entire force obviously threw them into panic. Although the people of Azure Clouds Temple were not strong, it was still unbelievable that they died in such a short period of time.
Kong Feng immediately realized that it was the wrong decision for him to send the people of Azure Clouds Temple to serve as a vanguard. Instead of achieving what he wanted, he actually bolstered the morale and image of Void Land!
Now that Void Land was shielded by their Grand Array, if Kong Feng wanted to win this battle, he would first need to crack it.
After pondering for a while, he turned his head and asked, “Junior Sister Luan, with your ability, how long will it take to crack this array?”
“Just a stick worth of incense,” Luan Bai Feng answered proudly.
Kong Feng nodded solemnly, “Then I’ll give you that time.”
Luan Bai Feng turned to look at him and raised her brow slightly. Given the current situation, if they wanted to trace the details of the Grand Array, they would have to sacrifice many more lives. However, the people here were not fools. No one would be willing to follow in Azure Clouds Temple’s footsteps. Still, it was none of her business. She just needed to do her part in examining the Grand Array carefully whenever it began operating.
Kong Feng turned to look in a certain direction and began moving his lips, probably transmitting a Divine Sense message to someone.
In that direction, Old Hong looked up at Kong Feng helplessly, but Kong Feng remained stone-faced and unmoved by Old Hong’s pleading.
Left with no choice, Old Hong clenched his teeth, stepped forward, and shouted as he cupped his fist, “Union Master Kong, Void Land is simply too outrageous. This Old Master requests to lead Heaven’s Border forces to attack and capture that bastard Yang Kai. Please grant me permission!”
Kong Feng replied after a brief hesitation, “This Union Master appreciates Brother Hong’s determination, but with this Grand Array protecting Void Land, entering will be extremely dangerous. Think twice, Old Hong!”
Old Hong answered solemnly, “Void Land is a cesspit of disease and evil. Many Fellow Brothers have suffered at their hands, as has my Heaven’s Border. How can this Hong not step forward when the enemy is right in front of me? Even if I have to give up my life, I will rip a piece of meat from Void Land first! Please grant me permission, Union Master Kong!”
Kong Feng feigned reluctance for a while more before ‘reluctantly’ agreeing, “Good, since Brother Hong is so sincere, how can this Union Master refuse? How about this, this Union Master will send 80 disciples from Heavenly Sword Union to accompany you. Do not try to engage the enemy, we only need to stimulate the Grand Array so that Warden Luan can crack its secrets. Focus on staying alive and buying time.”
After saying that, with a swing of his hand, 80 people immediately appeared behind him. There were many Open Heaven Realm Masters among them, and their leader was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Overjoyed, Old Hong cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Union Master Kong!”
He was truly glad. He was only a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so after witnessing the powerful heritage of Void Land, he acknowledged that his strength was not enough to compete with them or even break into their Grand Array. If he really entered, he would definitely die miserably.
But now, he felt much safer being escorted by a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master sent by Kong Feng.
However, the people of Heaven’s Border and 80 members of Heavenly Sword Union alone were obviously still not enough. As such, Old Hong looked around and roared in a deep voice, “Who else will join this Old Master? Please step forward!”
All the others looked at each other awkwardly. They initially thought that they would easily take down Void Land under the lead of Heaven Sword Union, never having expected that Void Land would possess such strong forces and defences. They had also witnessed the frightening outcome of Azure Clouds Temple’s failed attempt to penetrate Void Land’s array.
But since Heavenly Sword Union had set an example for them, how could they do nothing? If no one was willing to stand out, Kong Feng would definitely hold a grudge against them. Even if they could escape today, they were afraid that they would have a hard time in the future.
Therefore, they had to send out some of their forces no matter what.
Just then, a man shouted, “Our Golden Rainbow Province will contribute.”
It was the leader of Golden Rainbow Province, Qi Jin. He had a great enmity with the Proprietress. Back then, he plotted to bait the Proprietress to bring Old Bai to a Restricted Area belonging to Golden Rainbow Province to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, then take the opportunity to besiege the Proprietress and kill her. Old Bai’s breakthrough had indeed been disrupted and the Proprietress had been thrown into a difficult situation. Fortunately, Yang Kai had World Source Liquid with him, which rescued Old Bai from certain death and allowed him to successfully break through.
Qi Jin naturally knew that Yang Kai had a deep relationship with the Proprietress, as did Kong Feng. It was for this reason that Kong Feng recruited Qi Jin to join the attack on Void Land this time. The enemy of one’s enemy was an ally, and Qi Jin certainly was more than willing to cooperate with Kong Feng.
Not only was Golden Rainbow Province recruited, but Boundless Altar was here too. After Qi Jin volunteered himself, Ling Chun Qiu of Boundless Altar also stood forward.
The enmity between these two and the Proprietress was inextricable. The Proprietress even made a Heart Demon Oath that until she wiped out their Headquarters, she would never advance to Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!
The Proprietress had not tried to follow through on her oath because it was hard for her to accomplish it alone. Although she was a peak Sixth-Order Master and had outstanding combat capability, it was still too much for her to destroy two Second Class great forces, Golden Rainbow Province and Boundless Altar, alone.
Therefore, although Qi Jin and Ling Chun Qiu had witnessed the Proprietress’ Heart Demon Oath with their own eyes, they had not worried much about it. However, after seeing the powerful heritage of Void Land, a strong sense of crisis could not help rising in their hearts.
In the past, Lan You Rou had not taken action because she lacked the necessary power, but since Yang Kai had a close relationship with Lan You Rou, if this group of Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land joined her, both Golden Rainbow Province and Boundless Altar would stand no chance to resist. They did not have a Grand Array like the Nine Heavenly Layers to defend themselves.
As such, among the many great forces here, other than Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng, Qi Jin and Ling Chun Qiu were the people most motivated to take down Void Land.
Old Hong did not expect that these two would respond to his call so enthusiastically, for he just shouted casually without hoping for any results. But no matter what, it was better to have more forces. As such, he immediately smiled, “With the help of Brother Qi and Brother Ling, this Hong can rest assured.”
Given the examples of Golden Rainbow Province and Boundless Altar, the other great forces naturally could not stay silent any longer. Furthermore, Heavenly Sword Union was still looming over them threateningly. So, others immediately sent out troops one after another.
Soon, the Hundred Sect Alliance dispatched nearly 5,000 people in total. It was a large number, with a few hundred Open Heaven Realm Masters leading the charge. Although there were only five or six Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among them, there were plenty in the Third and Fourth-Orders.
Kong Feng let out a soft breath, looked at the thousands of people, and shouted sonorously, “If we can break this Grand Array today, all of you will be meritorious contributors, and this Union Master will not mistreat you. After entering the Grand Array this time, do not aim to kill the enemy, just prioritize protecting yourselves. We just need to trigger the Grand Array for a stick of incense worth of time, and Warden Luan will be able to break the array!”
The crowd agreed with a roar, led by Qi Jin, Ling Chun Qiu, and the other Masters. With these thousands of cultivators gathering together, their courage and confidence was greatly bolstered. Somehow, the Grand Array did not feel that scary to them anymore.
Kong Feng waved his hand, “Go!”
Upon receiving the command, thousands of people rushed into the Grand Array. As Kong Feng ordered, they did not attempt to kill the enemy after entering the Grand Array, but hurriedly activated their protective artifacts and techniques before surging their strength to trigger the Grand Array.
Previously, only about a hundred people from Azure Clouds Temple took the lead into the Grand Array. Their number was far too small, so it only took a short while for Chen Tian Fei to wipe them out, resulting in very little change in the Grand Array. However, with thousands of infiltrators rushing into it, the Grand Array kept displaying various transformations, and Luan Bai Feng quickly inspected these details with her piercing purple eyes.
In Void Land, Yang Kai saw thousands of people charging into the Grand Array; but instead of panicking, he revealed a cold smile, and ordered faintly, “Elder Fan!”
At the front of hundreds of Open Heaven Realm Masters, Fan Wu Xin stepped forward and cupped his fist, “Sect Master!”
Fan Wu Xin was also a cultivator of Abundance City. He was just a Deacon back in Abundance City, and it was he who captured Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang back then. However, he had condensed Fifth-Order Elements and had now broken through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, becoming a member of Void Land’s Elder Council.
When they rescued Lu Xue and the others earlier, Void Land had deployed all of its Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters except for him. This could not be helped, because someone needed to stay behind to lead the 300 or so Open Heaven Realm Masters Void Land had.
After being called by Yang Kai, he hurriedly came forward.
Yang Kai turned to look at him, “It’s your turn.”
Fan Wu Xin’s expression hardened and replied in a deep voice, “Yes!”
Similar to Kong Feng’s order, Yang Kai advised, “There are quite a large number of enemies this time, and there should be several Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among them. You must be careful. Prioritize protecting yourselves rather than quickly killing the enemies. Never underestimate them. You are all my Void Land’s precious talents, losing any of you would be a great loss to us all.”
Fan Wu Xin responded, “Don’t worry, Sect Master. I will bring everyone back alive.”
Yang Kai nodded.
With a wave of Fan Wu Xin’s hand, the 300-plus Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land soared into the sky and disappeared into the Grand Array.
Yang Kai held the Array Jade in his hand and surged his Divine Sense, cooperating with the 300 Open Heaven Realm Masters as he guided them to their targets while creating opportunities for them to kill the enemy!
The Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array had the same bewildering effect on allies as well as enemies. Without Yang Kai’s guidance, Fan Wu Xin and the others would also lose all sense of direction. However, it was different if Yang Kai shielded and guided them. In the Bewildering Array, the enemies lost all sense of direction, so under the current situation, although Fan Wu Xin’s group was outnumbered, they were not in great danger as they were all Open Heaven Realm Masters and had the support of the Grand Array.
Just ten breaths of time after the 300 or so Open Heaven Realm Masters entered the Grand Array, mangled dead bodies began to rain down onto Void Land one after another from the sky like dumplings. The scene was both gruesome and spectacular to witness.
The Hundred Sect Alliance had deployed nearly 5,000 people, which was quite a large number. Among them were hundreds of Open Heaven Realm Masters. With such a lineup, any ordinary Second Class great force would not be an opponent at all. These people came with high morale, and under the leadership of numerous Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they plunged into the Grand Array from multiple directions. Immediately, they were surrounded by rolling fog which obscured their vision and severely suppressed their Divine Senses. Anyone below the Open Heaven Realm became essentially blind while even the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could only inspect the situation within a radius of 300 meters around themselves.
However, they kept in mind Kong Feng’s orders, summoned their defensive artifacts immediately, and kept moving around, sending out probing attacks to disturb the Grand Array so that Luan Bai Feng could investigate its reactions and trace its structure.
A group of people from Heaven’s Border gathered around Old Hong. He wanted them to huddle together to keep a lookout for each other. It was extremely dangerous for them to disperse given the current situation.
However, within ten breaths after rushing into the Bewildering Array, Old Hong realized that his group was getting smaller and smaller.
His heart sank, and was about to open his mouth to rally his forces when he heard a sudden outburst of screams from all directions. It was the obvious and abrupt sound of death. Old Hong, who had killed plenty of people in the past, knew these cries very well. It was obvious that his forces had been ambushed by Void Land.
“Follow me, don’t panic!” Old Hong roared loudly, but by now there were only three people left around him.
Old Hong was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so his Divine Sense was able to extend a few dozen metres into the surroundings; however, if they were really ambushed, such a minuscule distance would not be sufficient for them to respond effectively.
Suddenly, an unusually aggressive force rushed towards them from the side. Old Hong’s face paled and shouted, “Defend yourselves!”
At the same time, he slammed a palm towards that direction, sending out a burst of World Force.
He came in contact with the incoming assaulter lightly before quickly retreating, not stopping until he was at least several dozen meters away. His face changed abruptly, as he called out in alarm, “Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm!”
He had realized that the one who attacked him was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master,
[My predestined time has come!] He cried out silently. He was just a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so how was there any hope of surviving this crisis? Cursing Kong Feng silently in his heart, Old Hong did not dare to let down his guard and urged his defensive artifact to its maximum.
Another series of screams echoed, and Old Hong could not help but feel his heart bleed. Although the screams were short-lived, he could clearly distinguish that the voices belonged to the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from Heaven’s Border who had until recently been with him.
How could a few Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters survive the assault of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? They had all ended up on a one-way trip to the Yellow Springs.
Old Hong ground his teeth as he turned around to flee; however, the surging clouds and mists heavily obscured his vision. Knowing that if he did not leave this place he would die, he fled randomly.
Not far behind him, Fan Wu Xin looked at his silhouette with a frown. Unlike Old Hong, he and the others had Yang Kai’s assistance, which allowed them to come and go freely in this Grand Array without much restriction to their senses. As such, he was able to clearly see where Old Hong was fleeing.
Fan Wu Xin had just advanced into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and had not fully adapted to his new strength, making it impossible for him to unleash his full potential.
Nevertheless, he was still a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If he decided to be ruthless and pursued Old Hong doggedly, the latter would not be able to escape death. However, this would inevitably waste a lot of time. Rather than stubbornly chase after Old Hong, it would be better to kill more Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. There were quite a lot of enemies this time, so many they could be seen wherever he looked.
Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, Fan Wu Xin rushed to the side, and another scream erupted from that direction soon after.
Old Hong was terrified and fled forward like a headless fly without knowing how far he had escaped. Suddenly, a fierce attack came from the front, at the same time a voice boomed, “Die, bastard!”
Old Hong froze for a moment but quickly recovered to respond to the blow. Unfortunately for Old Hong, he was not fast enough and was struck by the blow, sending him tumbling as his blood churned unsteadily. Without waiting for the opponent to strike again, he shouted, “Brother Qi?”
A couple kilometres away, Qi Jin stopped and called out, “Old Hong?”
“It really is Brother Qi!” Old Hong was overjoyed and rushed forward. Sure enough, after a while, Qi Jin appeared in front of him. The two looked at each other and sighed when they realized that they were alone.
Old Hong inquired, “Brother Qi, are you able to see through the mysteries of this array?”
Brother Qi shook his head, “It’s difficult. This array is extremely profound, and this Qi is not very proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, how could I see through it?”
Old Hong looked aggrieved, “Does that mean we really have to wait for Warden Luan to rescue us?” Being trapped in this Grand Array, it was impossible for them to escape even if they wanted to, and the only hope was for Luan Bai Feng to crack the array as soon as possible and rescue them.
Qi Jin replied, “Warden Luan is renowned throughout the 3,000 Worlds, and Union Master Kong specially invited her to help out, so she is certainly capable. We can only trust in her for now. You and I should not separate, we need to keep a look out for each other to avoid disaster.”
Old Hong nodded deeply, “Brother Qi is right, but there are a lot of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land. You and I are too weak to face them, so it would be better if we could find Brother Ling and the others.”
“En,” Qi Jin agreed.
The two immediately began moving together as they searched for Ling Chun Qiu and other allies.
But after a while, Old Hong suddenly turned pale, “Brother Qi, did you hear that?”
Qi Jin frowned and listened intently for a moment before his face changed and he sighed deeply, “I don’t know how many will survive this battle…”
The screams all around were obviously not as dense as before, but rather scattered. This situation undoubtedly meant that the nearly 5,000 people who poured into the array had already suffered heavy casualties, otherwise it would never have been the case.
The Hundred Sect Alliance suffered heavy casualties. 5,000 people rushed in, but more than half had died in less than half a stick of incense.
Although Void Land only dispatched 300 people, all of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters. Although the Hundred Sect Alliance had the numerical advantage, only a few hundred of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters, and in addition to being trapped in the Bewildering Array, they were forced into an extremely passive situation. This battle was almost a one-sided slaughter!
Void Land did not suffer much. Except for a few wounded Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who retreated hurriedly, no one had been killed so far.
Given enough time, Void Land would certainly have no problem wiping out these invaders!
Yang Kai looked up into the sky, his eyes fixed on Heavenly Sword Union’s ship. He was not looking at Kong Feng, but rather was staring at Luan Bai Feng instead. Seeing this woman’s abnormal movements, Yang Kai figured she had cultivated some kind of profound Eye Secret Technique and was using it to spy on the mysteries of the Grand Array.
He was not afraid that Luan Bai Feng might discover something, but rather that she would not be good enough to see through any of the mysteries of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. If that was the case, his next plan could not be implemented.
The Hundred Sect Alliance had the audacity to attack them this time, so if they did not retaliate fiercely, what would happen to Void Land’s reputation? How could they let the Cave Heavens and Paradises, who were watching from the shadows, know that they were not to be trifled with?
It was not Yang Kai’s intention to slaughter thousands of people; however, Kong Feng, the mastermind, had to die. If someone dared to mess with Void Land, then he would destroy them by any means necessary!
However, Kong Feng was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If Yang Kai wanted to kill him, he had to lure him into a trap.
The massacre in the Bewildering Array was just the first step!
Just when Yang Kai was considering whether to make it easier for them, Luan Bai Feng suddenly frowned, and the purple glow in her eyes dimmed as she let out a soft sigh.
Seeing this, Kong Feng, who had been observing her closely, quickly asked, “Junior Sister Luan, what happened?”
Luan Bai Feng pursed her lips and smirked, “Union Master Kong, order the troops to attack!”
Kong Feng was overjoyed, “Junior Sister Luan is indeed amazing, but this Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array probably has many other tricks, not just this Bewildering Array!”
Luan Bai Feng replied, “Of course I know this, but as long as this Bewildering Array is broken, it will be a simple competition of strength.”
Kong Feng pondered for a while, then nodded in agreement, “Junior Sister Luan is right.”
He no longer hesitated, amplifying his voice as he shouted, “This devil spawn’s Grand Array will soon be destroyed. Everyone, follow this Union Master to claim victory!”
Everyone was delighted when they heard these words. No one knew what was happening inside after sending troops into the Grand Array, and would naturally be worried about the safety of their disciples. Knowing that the array was about to be broken was great news to them.
While Kong Feng’s booming voice echoed across the void, Luan Bai Feng had already summoned more than ten Array Flags and Plates. Performing a set of hand seals, each and every of the Array Flag and Array Plate disappeared swiftly into the Grand Array.
Forming a final set of seals, Luan Bai Feng clapped her hands together before pulling them apart. As her hands moved, as though a great invisible force was acting, a hole was opened in the Grand Array, revealing Void Land.
The Bewildering Array of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was broken!
Seeing this situation, the morale of the Hundred Sect Alliance was greatly boosted, but after seeing the situation inside the array, anger began to boil within them. This was because at this moment, there were less than 1,000 cultivators alive within the array!
Nearly 5,000 people had entered just a stick of incense ago, but in this short period of time, nearly 80% had fallen!
The fellow brothers, relatives, and lovers of the fallen who saw this were enraged. If everyone had only come here to besiege Void Land because of the pressure from Heavenly Sword Union earlier, now a true blood feud had been formed between them and Void Land.
Aboard Heavenly Sword Union’s ship, Kong Feng, who sat firmly on his seat, only uttered a single word, “Kill!”
All the ships rushed towards Void Land upon receiving the command.
Inside Void Land, Yang Kai raised his brow and sincerely praised, “This woman really has some skills. It’s likely her attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays are even greater than those of Grandmaster Wu Liang!”
If she was not incredibly capable, there would have been no way for her to crack the Bewildering Array in such a short time. The difficulty between arranging an array and cracking one was very different. With the same achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, cracking an array was undoubtedly a lot more troublesome than arranging one. However, given that Luan Bai Feng could crack the Bewildering Array of the Nine Heavenly Layers in just a stick worth of incense, she certainly had great attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
“Who is that woman?” Yang Kai mumbled softly.
“She should be the Black Prison’s Warden, Luan Bai Feng!” Yue He spoke next to him.
Yang Kai turned his head to look, “Why are you here? Heal your wounds quickly. There will be a tougher battle ahead.”
When Yue He, Mo Mei and the others rescued Lu Xue, Yun Xing Hua and the rest, most of them were injured on the way back, not to mention the destruction of her artifact had also caused backlash to Yue He’s Soul. This was why Yang Kai ordered Fan Wu Xin to lead the 300 Open Heaven Realm Masters into battle, so that Yue He and the others could recover from their injuries.
Yue He shook her head slowly, “I’m fine now. The Spirit Pills provided by Young Master are very effective.”
Yang Kai looked at her and saw that she didn’t appear to be distressed, so he did not insist. In order to let Yue He and the others recover in the shortest time possible, he had passed out the Spirit Pills that he brought back from the Blood Monster Divine Palace. These Spirit Pills were of exceptional grade and all had Pill Veins, so they naturally had potent medicinal efficacy.
“The Black Prison’s Warden?” Yang Kai raised his brow and vaguely recalled that there was such a great force in 3,000 Worlds, but he did not know much about the Black Prison.
Yue He continued, “The environment of the Black Prison is extremely hostile and is filled with countless Natural Spirit Arrays. Even a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would not dare to enter the depths of the Black Prison recklessly, but Luan Bai Feng can roam within it like a fish in water. She is unique in her own way.” Yue He did not recognize Luan Bai Feng at the beginning, for they had never met before after all; however, there were not many such powerful female Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the 3,000 Worlds. Furthermore, given that she had great attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, Yue He could easily guess her identity.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, and grinned, “I really have to thank her this time!”
During their conversation, the enemy forces, including their hundred-plus flight-type artifacts, had charged towards Void Land at full speed. Across the endless void, Kong Feng stood on the deck of his ship and bellowed solemnly with fury burning in his eyes, “Yang Kai! Your death has come!”
Yang Kai withdrew his smiling face and replied furiously, “Old dog Kong Feng, my Void Land and your Heavenly Sword Union are irreconcilable!”
Kong Feng guffawed, “A beat dog still dares to bark wildly! Just watch how this Union Master wipes out your Void Land today!”
After saying so, he swung his hand, “Kill!”
The flight-type artifacts of the Hundred Sect Alliance charged straight at Void Land, while the cultivators who survived the Bewildering Array also returned to their respective forces with lingering fear and boiling anger.
All of the sudden, the Hundred Sect Alliance morale rose to new heights.
Yang Kai looked flustered. He grabbed the Array Jade in his hand and roared, “Activate the array!”
When the words fell, a buzzing noise suddenly was emitted from the entire Spirit Province. The world trembled for a while and an umbrella artifact flew out from the depth of the earth, rose into the sky, and transformed into a light curtain that enveloped the entire Void Land.
It was the Defensive Grand Array of Nine Heavenly Layers with its Array Core, the Heavenly Net Umbrella!
Yang Kai invested a lot of resources into this Heavenly Net Umbrella. Through the Proprietress, he met Grandmaster Ma Fan and hired him to refine this Array Artifact for Void Land. It possessed incredibly strong protective strength. As soon as this array was activated, the entire Void Land became as solid as gold. The light barrier that wrapped around Void Land was extremely sturdy and for a moment, the Hundred Sect Alliance did not notice it and smashed head-long into it one after another, hindered from crossing to the other side.
Kong Feng laughed as he shouted, “Still acting stubborn even when your time is up? Do you think this Union Master cannot do anything about this tortoise shell? Break it for me!”
At Kong Feng’s command, nearly 10,000 cultivators from the Hundred Sect Alliance launched attack after attack, using their artifacts and Secret Techniques to bombard the light barrier.
As the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was being arranged, Grandmaster Wu Liang introduced its many wonderful functions to Yang Kai. He once boasted that the Grand Array was sturdy enough to handle attacks from 10 peak Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters for ten days and ten nights without a problem. It could be seen that the Grand Array was truly powerful.
However, at this moment, far more than 10 Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were attacking the Grand Array at the same time!
Although the Hundred Sect Alliance lost nearly 4,000 people in the Bewildering Array, with dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters falling as well, they were not doomed yet. At this moment, their combined attacks shook the world.
Even though the power of those cultivators below the Open Heaven Realm was limited, there was a large number of them. Just like how many ants could bite an elephant to death, even if weak individual attacks could not play a decisive role, they could wear down the power of the Grand Array bit by bit.
Streams of light flew out all across the sky, turning into sharp and violent attacks, colliding on the light barrier of the Grand Array, sending ripples across its surface in all directions. The light of the Grand Array faded rapidly, but Void Land could do nothing about it.
Kong Feng sneered, “He’s running out of tricks.”
If it was not as a last resort, why would the brat surnamed Yang activate his Defensive Grand Array? He obviously ran out of options. Earlier, Kong Feng was worried that Void Land might still have more cards up its sleeves, but when he saw Yang Kai activating the Defensive Grand Array, he was immediately relieved.
It seemed that he had overestimated the ability of this Grand Array. He looked down coldly, and saw Yang Kai clenching his fists, his eyes seemingly about to pop out of their sockets as the veins on his forehead throbbed violently. He looked angry and nervous, which further confirmed Kong Feng’s judgment.
Luan Bai Feng frowned slightly as she warned, “Union Master Kong, stay alert.”
Kong Feng raised his hand, “How can a trivial Void Land stand against the might of our Hundred Sect Alliance? Earlier, we suffered a loss because this Brat had the defender’s advantage. Junior Sister Luan, just wait for the good news. When this Defensive Array is broken, you may collect all the captives you want.”
Hearing this, Luan Bai Feng spoke no more and just nodded lightly. Her eyes lingered on Yue He and Mo Mei as she secretly pondered whether it would be worthwhile to try to capture these two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. However, even if she wanted to do so, she did not have much confidence, unless… Luan Bai Feng looked at Yang Kai again, and licked her red lips, making for an alluring sight.
The light barrier of the Grand Array dimmed progressively as countless attacks rained down on it, forming endless indents. After a cup of tea’s time, cracks started to form on the light barrier of the Grand Array.
“Almost time…” Yang Kai mumbled to himself. If they continued to fight like this, the Heavenly Net Umbrella would probably be damaged. This artifact cost a fortune to refine, so Yang Kai was truly reluctant to lose it in this battle.
He turned to look at Yue He, and Yue He also looked at him at the same time. After exchanging looks, as if their hearts were connected, they nodded slightly at each other.
The next moment, Yang Kai stealthily performed a hand seal.
With a bang, the light barrier that shrouded the exterior of Void Land suddenly burst into pieces, turned into little fluorescent lights and disappeared.
The Hundred Sect Alliance, which had been attacking ferociously, were dumbstruck at first when they saw this phenomenon, but soon they let out a thunderous cheer.
Kong Feng pointed forward as he roared through his clenched jaws, “Kill!”
There was no obstacle ahead, so the 100 flight-type artifacts charged into Void Land furiously. Under the command of Kong Feng, Heavenly Sword Union rushed straight towards Yang Kai’s location, obviously attempting to capture him first.
Looking at each other across the air, the panic and tension on Yang Kai’s face suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a smirk.
Kong Feng was stunned for a moment before a sense of crisis rose from the depth of his heart, as if something terrible was about to happen.
Luan Bai Feng, who stood beside him, was alarmed too and shouted, “Union Master Kong, be careful! It’s a trap!”
Nevertheless, even if they realized that there was a trap at this moment, they could not turn back. The Hundred Sect Alliance was diving recklessly towards Void Land, their formation in complete disarray; it was simply impossible to re-organize them in short order.
Kong Feng ground his teeth and World Force exploded from him as he personally steered his ship. The vessel immediately turned into a stream of light that shot forward.
At the same time, Yang Kai lifted his hand and the Array Jade floated in front of him. Yue He appeared beside him in a flash, and both of them formed a set of hand seals with solemn looks on their faces, sending streams of light into the Array Jade one after another.
After just three breaths of time, Yang Kai bellowed, “Start the array again!”
*Chi chi chi chi… *
The air crackled as tens of thousands of streams of light overshadowing the world abruptly emerged from the depths of Void Land.
Each of these streams of light emitted wild energy fluctuations suffused with thick murderous intent.
Previously, Old Hong suffered a great loss in the Bewildering Array. The Heaven’s Border disciples he led all were all dead or critically injured, leaving only him alone trying to survive. He felt dreadfully humiliated, but when the Defensive Grand Array of Void Land was broken and a smooth path was revealed ahead, Old Hong was overjoyed, especially when he saw Yang Kai who was close in front of him, frustrated and panicking. At Kong Feng’s command, Old Hong was the first to rush forward driving Heaven’s Border’s ship, attempting to force Void Land to pay for his humiliation.
But as soon as the countless streams of light appeared in front of him, Old Hong could not help but freeze in shock. He looked up, and when he figured out what those streams of light were, his face instantly turned pale and his eyes almost popped out of its sockets.
“Turn back! Turn back now!” He exclaimed in a cracking voice.
Every stream of light was an artifact! Tens of thousands of the streams of light meant tens of thousands of artifacts!
It was the Offensive Grand Array of Nine Heavenly Layers!
The offensive functions of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array set up by Grandmaster Wu Liang consisted of three parts, and this was only the first.
Back then, Yang Kai had gained an enormous number of Space Rings in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. In addition to what he had obtained from Seven Wonders Land after that, he now possessed countless artifacts. These artifacts were mostly useless to him, but it was too much of a waste to discard them. He could certainly earn some fortune by selling them, but using them to arrange this Offensive Array was a better option.
Yang Kai naturally could not control tens of thousands of artifacts alone. Even Yue He, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, was powerless to do so.
However, it was different with the support of the Grand Array.
Yue He had refined the Array Jade before; after all, Yang Kai would not always be in Void Land, so when he was away, Yue He had control over the Nine Heavenly Layers.
The Defensive Grand Array that Yang Kai triggered earlier functioned autonomously so it only needed to be activated, allowing him to do so himself; however, the Offensive Grand Array needed to be actively controlled, so he required Yue He’s assistance.
At this moment, Kong Feng realized that Yang Kai had baited them by acting as though he was at a disadvantage and was forced to activate the Defensive Grand Array. However, he figured it out too late.
He secretly cursed Yang Kai for being so deceitful. Instead of retreating, which was clearly impossible now, he ground his teeth and increased the speed of his ship. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had outstanding insight and possessed an exceptionally keen battle sense. There were only two Six-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land, and they were both injured earlier. Since Yue He was busy activating the Array Jade, Mo Mei was the only one he needed to pay attention to.
If he could rush to Yang Kai and have Luan Bai Feng tie down Mo Mei, he could easily capture Yang Kai and control the whole situation. At worst, he could disrupt his focus so the Grand Array would no longer function properly.
Considering all this in an instant, Kong Feng decided to act boldly.
In such a situation, how could Yang Kai not have predicted his plan, though? Following a cold snort, Yang Kai swung his hand, and a good portion of the tens of thousands of streams of light immediately changed directions towards Heavenly Sword Union’s ship, while the rest continued their bombardment of the Hundred Sect Alliance like a meteor shower.
As soon as the flight-type artifacts of various great forces noticed the dire situation they were in, they rapidly retreated and activated their own Defensive Arrays. For a moment, innumerable flashes of multi-coloured light illuminated the sky.
A moment later, the endless streams of light enveloped all the flight-type artifacts of the Hundred Sect Alliance with a rumbling boom.
Although the Hundred Sect Alliance brought over by Kong Feng had large numbers, their strength was inconsistent. Most of them were Third Class great forces, so how powerful would their flight-type artifacts be?
As soon as they clashed, the Defensive Arrays of the more than a dozen ships at the head of the charge broke. As more streams of light flooded in, these ships were all torn to pieces, severely wounding and killing all the cultivators aboard.
The streams of light continued to shuttle forward, blasting into the shields of the other flight-type artifacts, all of which shook dangerously and flickered precariously. All of the cultivators on these artifacts held their breath nervously.
Fortunately, they quickly found that despite the seemingly ferocious wave of attacks from Void Land, it was not as terrifying as they initially imagined. The power of the tens of thousands of streams of lights varied greatly, so the damage caused by them was limited as well.
Of course, the most important thing was that they still had the numerical advantage, allowing the damage to be distributed among all of them. The situation was still within a manageable range.
Even so, more than 20 flight-type artifacts of the Hundred Sect Alliance were smashed after the first wave of attacks, with nearly 2,000 cultivators dying all at once. The shattered pieces of the artifacts and cultivators filled the sky and rained down in an extremely gory scene.
Before the survivors could regroup though, the streams of light that shuttled through their formation turned around sharply and struck at them again!
Everyone was appalled, and quickly scattered to avoid the barrage!
At the same time, lights continued to flicker around Heavenly Sword Union’s ship. Thousands of artifacts bombarded it, but they were all blocked by the Defensive Array. As a top-tier Second Class great force, and given that Heavenly Sword Union’s ship was Kong Feng’s personal vessel, it certainly was superior to the other flight-type artifacts here and possessed exceedingly powerful protective ability.
However, no matter how strong a defence was, it could not withstand continuous and uninterrupted attacks forever. If the Defensive Grand Array of Nine Heavenly Layers could be broken, what more need be said about the Defensive Array of a mere ship?
When Heavenly Sword Union’s ship was only several tens of kilometres away from Yang Kai, the light barrier that protected it shattered to pieces, and everyone on the ship was exposed to the attacks from the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array.
But that was close enough.
Several dozen kilometres might seem far at a glance, but to a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Kong Feng, it was practically within arm’s reach!
Aboard his ship, Kong Feng clenched his teeth and roared, “Brat, let’s see if you can survive this time!”
As he shouted, he and Luan Bai Feng used Secret Techniques at the same time to push back the surrounding streams of light. Then, he stretched out to grab at Yang Kai, while Luan Bai Feng locked her Divine Sense onto Mo Mei firmly, so that she would not interfere with the situation. As long as Kong Feng could catch Yang Kai, they would win this battle, and she would be able to harvest all the captives at will.
Facing the incoming blow from Kong Feng, Yang Kai did not panic. His cold gaze still firmly planted on his enemy, Yang Kai and Yue He changed their hand seals together and the next moment, he lifted his hand high, clenched his fist tightly and bellowed, “Start the array!”
*Weng… *
A buzz echoed loudly throughout Void Land as the entire Spirit Province trembled.
From the Void, a sensational aura was suddenly born. With the appearance of this aura, threads of Sword Qi as thin as hairs permeated the entire Void Land, seemingly slicing through the World itself. At this moment, whether friend or foe, everyone felt sharp pain on their skin, as if there were invisible blades cutting their body.
Kong Feng widened his eyes, staring at a column of light that emerged from the depths of Void Land blankly, and exclaimed, “How is that possible!?”
Regarding the Grand Array of Void Land, he had witnessed the Bewildering Array, the Defensive Grand Array, and the Offensive Grand Array. He thought that was everything, but only now did he realize that this Grand Array literally had more layers to it.
Although there was only one stream of light this time, which was far less spectacular and magnificent than the tens of thousands of streams of light earlier, Kong Feng dared not look down on it. Previously, the streams of light were only large in number, but their real offensive power was not great. If this wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have been able to plow through them to approach Yang Kai. It was precisely because he knew that Heavenly Sword Union’s ship could withstand such a bombardment that he decided to advance instead of retreat. However, the beam of light in front of him was different. Even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Kong Feng felt threatened. If he was hit by this stream of light, even if he didn’t die, he would be seriously injured!
That stream of light was a mass of pure white Sword Qi. It was only 10 metres long, but it gave off an aura that seemed capable of splitting worlds.
Heavenly Executioner’s Sword!
Similar to the Heavenly Net Umbrella, this sword was Grandmaster Ma Fan’s creation, a powerful weapon tailored for Void Land to protect the Sect. Neither the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword nor the Heavenly Net Umbrella was an artifact that could be controlled by an individual cultivator, because they would both consume an extraordinary amount of energy. They were designed to be supported by Grand Arrays.
The Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was completed not too long ago, so it had not accumulated much Starlight Strength yet. Whether it was to activate the Defensive Grand Array or Offensive Grand Array, energy was required. Once this energy was consumed, the power of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array would be greatly weakened.
Therefore, Yang Kai purposely tricked the enemy into coming deeper by acting at a disadvantage, all so that he could fully utilize the Grand Array’s limited energy supply.
At this moment when the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was unleashed, Heavenly Sword Union’s ship became his first target, and Yang Kai was determined to take down Kong Feng.
Kong Feng’s face turned pale. The Defensive Array of his ship had been broken, so he did not have anything to shield him from the incoming attack. He wanted to dodge, but if he did, everyone from Heavenly Sword Union he brought along would be doomed; therefore, even if he realized the horror of this sword, he could not avoid it.
Grinding his teeth, and bellowed, “Junior Sister Luan, help me!”
As he shouted, World Force erupted from his figure and he raised his hands up to the sky, as if he was trying to hold it up and stop it from collapsing on him.
Luan Bai Feng secretly cursed Kong Feng for his incompetence in gathering intelligence. She never expected to face such a powerful foe here. If she knew it would end like this, she would never have waded into these muddy waters. But right now, she and Kong Feng were on the same boat, so how could she sit back and let it sink?
Enduring the heartache she felt, she summoned three Array Plates and poured her World Force into them. With a flick of her hand, the three Array Plates turned into three light barriers, shielding Heavenly Sword Union’s ship.
She was a Spirit Array Grandmaster, so naturally, she had some Array Plates on her for emergencies. The three Array Plates contained exceptionally powerful Defensive Arrays. If she still could not resist the sword with these, she could only quickly escape. As for Kong Feng, his fate would be up to the Heavens to decide.
Other than Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng, there were still quite a number of Open Heaven Realm Masters from Heavenly Sword Union aboard the ship, so at this moment, they all put everything they had into defending against this sword.
Sword light flashed as it slashed directly onto the ship.
With a sky-rending screech, the three layers of protection shrouding the ship exploded to pieces and disappeared into flashes of light. Even the three Array Plates were reduced to dust in a single strike.
The Sword Qi strike continued forward and as soon as it landed on the ship, cultivators with lower cultivation exploded into blood mist without being able to say a word, while the Open Heaven Realm Masters were all thrown out, many of them heavily injured and coughing blood continuously.
Kong Feng’s face paled slightly as even he was forced back two steps, the World Force coming from his body fluctuating erratically. Fear etched on his face while Luan Bai Feng looked incredibly gloomy.
On the other side, Yang Kai was so annoyed he couldn’t help cursing!
This was the first time he had activated the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array and he was completely satisfied with all the transformations and powers it displayed. His past sacrifices had finally paid off today. The power of Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was beyond his expectation, and if not for Luan Bai Feng interfering, Kong Feng would definitely be seriously injured even if he did not die.
But at the critical moment, Luan Bai Feng used three Array Plates to protect them.
Yang Kai glared at Luan Bai Feng, wishing he could gnaw her to death!
Without hesitation, Yang Kai made a hand seal again, and Yue He quickly cooperated with him. At the same time, she transmitted a Divine Sense message to Yang Kai, “Young Master, the energy consumption of the Grand Array is too great. I’m afraid it won’t last long.”
Yang Kai replied in a deep voice, “I know.”
Noticing the Sword Qi condensing again, Kong Feng’s expression immediately changed. As soon as his power surged, he drove the ship around to escape.
He was truly frightened by the Sword Qi’s previous attack.
Seeing this, Yang Kai could not help putting a weird look on his face, and stopped his action. He wanted to slash Kong Feng with another Sword Qi wave, because there was no way Luan Bai Feng could have so many Defensive Array Plates with her. Even if she managed to help block the strike once, she could not do so a second time.
But Kong Feng actually chose to run away!
Yang Kai guffawed, “There was a way to the Heavens but you refused to take it and chose to enter the gates of Hell instead! Old dog Kong Feng, you truly court death today!”
While remarking so, he put his hands on his back and grinned at the Heavenly Sword Union ship that was running away.
Heavenly Sword Union was not the only one escaping, all the surviving Hundred Sect Alliance ships were too. Although they came in high spirits, their morale instantly dropped after being attacked by Void Land’s Offensive Grand Arrays. Now, there were only about 70 flight-type artifacts from the 100 plus that came. More than 30 ships had been destroyed and countless casualties were suffered. It was not only animals that had the instinct to run away from calamity, but Humans too. They naturally wanted to escape, and many ran even earlier and faster than Kong Feng!