Being aware of this fact, Yang Kai was not bothered by the issue. He was happy and content just to eat and drink by himself.
On the other hand, Lu Jing brought the Elders of Gathering Yuan Union over to offer a toast out of gratitude for Yang Kai’s protection on the Prison Star. Even so, he was soon dragged away by his Elders.
The banquet ended and Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s guests gradually left.
Before leaving, Lu Jing met with Yang Kai one more time to inform him that the Sixth-Order Yang Element treasure he previously promised would be sent directly to Void Land.
Three days later, Yang Kai was led by Qing Kui to the Spirit Peak where Xu Ling Gong lived.
Xu Ling Gong sat confidently inside the Grand Hall on the Spirit Peak, studying Yang Kai who was sitting below with piercing eyes and a strong sense of scrutiny.
After bowing in greeting, Yang Kai stood there quietly with a calm look on his face. He had no idea why Xu Ling Gong had summoned him, but Qu Hua Shang was Xu Ling Gong’s Disciple. Now that he was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-In-Law, they had a much closer relationship with each other than most ordinary people.
After a while, Xu Ling Gong finally raised his hand and said, “Take a seat.”
“Many thanks, Senior,” Yang Kai responded before he turned around and walked over to a chair by the side. Flicking his outer robe slightly, he took a seat.
“To be honest, this Monarch was very surprised that you managed to win the top spot in the Dao Theory Assembly,” Xu Ling Gong said. The outcome had certainly astonished him. In his opinion, only disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises could have won, so Yang Kai coming out on top was a shock.
After all, the heritage of those who came from the various Cave Heavens and Paradises was generally superior to others, especially since they were newly advanced Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Xu Ling Gong believed that was true even if he had heard the rumours about how Yang Kai had planned to advance directly Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and refined multiple Seventh-Order Powers to that purpose.
However, the reality was that Yang Kai had taken the top spot with almost double the achievements of the person in second place. In terms of performance, Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch was the only person who could compare.
“It’s good that I didn’t disappoint you, Senior.” Yang Kai bowed.
Xu Ling Gong chuckled, “You definitely didn’t disappoint me. For this Monarch, it doesn’t matter who takes the top spot as long as it’s not those old farts in the Fifth Order. This Xu’s Disciple cannot be humiliated by others!” His smile faded and he quickly said, “But, the fact that you killed Zhao Xing is still quite a hassle.”
At the mention of this matter, Xu Ling Gong couldn’t help feeling a headache. He had been resisting the pressure from Thousand Cranes Paradise and protecting Yang Kai in order to maintain Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s face; after all, the Dao Theory Assembly was organised by Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and he was the one who claimed that one would not be held accountable for any loss of life. Zhao Xing had been killed by Yang Kai, so if Yang Kai was killed by Zuo Quan Hui as soon as the Dao Theory Assembly ended, what would happen to the reputation of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?
At the time, he had not known that Yang Kai would end up taking the top spot and simply wanted to protect Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s reputation by defending him in public. As for whether Yang Kai could survive Thousand Cranes Paradise’s retaliation in the future, that was entirely on Yang Kai. He could not be bothered to care that much.
Unfortunately, the situation was different now. Yang Kai was now a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-In-Law and the future Husband of his Disciple. Xu Ling Gong had no choice but to meddle in this affair even if he didn’t want to; otherwise, Qu Hua Shang would become a widow if Yang Kai was killed.
“It was an accident,” Yang Kai replied. At the time, he had not intended to kill Zhao Xing, it was just that he used a bit too much strength…
Xu Ling Gong waved his hand, “It doesn’t matter whether it was an accident or not. It has already happened. You heard what Zuo Quan Hui said before he left.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Void Land will not be bullied so easily.” [Why is Xu Ling Gong telling me this? Could it be that he feels I have caused too much trouble and Yin-Yang Cave Heaven does not wish to be involved in this matter? If that’s the case, I can understand.]
Xu Ling Gong coldly snorted, “Do you think they will let you return to Void Land? If my guess is correct, they are waiting for you along your return path. There will be no escape for you the moment you show up.”
“Senior, do you mean to say…”
Xu Ling Gong continued, “If you’re in no hurry to return to Void Land, you should remain here for the time being. As for Thousand Cranes Paradise… This Monarch will try to negotiate with them to see if there’s any room for mediation.”
He glanced at Yang Kai and added, “Don’t worry too much. Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is perfectly capable of withstanding the pressure from Thousand Cranes Paradise. Zhao Xing was killed during the Dao Theory Assembly and this Monarch openly declared that no will be held accountable for deaths during the trial. It would be best if they give up on this matter, but if they refuse, this Monarch will show them whose fist is bigger!”
Yang Kai was slightly touched. The meaning behind Xu Ling Gong’s words could not be clearer, he would deal with this troublesome matter. Thus, Yang Kai’s impression of Xu Ling Gong improved considerably. He stood up and bowed deeply, “Many thanks, Senior!”
Xu Ling Gong nodded lightly, “Also, you should carefully regulate your condition in the near future. Yin-Yang Cave Heaven might have another opportunity for you.”
“An opportunity?” Yang Kai raised his brow at those words, keenly aware of the astonishment on the faces of Su Ying Xue and Qing Kui, who had been standing behind Xu Ling Gong all this while. It was obvious that this potential opportunity was not small.
“I can’t confirm anything yet. I’ll tell you when the time comes,” Xu Ling Gong did not provide any further explanation.
Yang Kai nodded lightly. Then, he suddenly remembered something, “By the way, Senior, this Junior has a favour to request.”
Xu Ling Gong glanced sideways at Yang Kai, “You are now my Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Son-In-Law, which makes you part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. As long as your request is not excessive, this Monarch can fulfil your request.”
“I would like you to help me free someone, Senior!” Yang Kai said.
“Who?”
“Grey Bones Heavenly Monarch from the Prison Star!”
…..
A short while later, Qing Kui led Yang Kai back along the way they came.
Xu Ling Gong had readily agreed to Yang Kai’s request. As an Inner Elder of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven who was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, he held a high position and great authority in the Sect. Aside from the Supreme Elders who essentially never came out of retreat, he was one of the most influential people in the entire Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Setting someone free from the Prison Star was a simple task.
It was also not until this moment that Xu Ling Gong understood how Yang Kai could obtain such great achievements during the Dao Theory Assembly. It turned out that it was all thanks to Hui Gu secretly helping Yang Kai from the shadows.
Be that as it may, Hui Gu had a criminal record, so Xu Ling Gong was honestly quite uneasy about releasing the former from the Prison Star. However, he happily agreed to the request after Yang Kai revealed the Loyalty List to him.
“Senior Brother Qing Kui, what is the opportunity Martial Uncle Xu mentioned earlier?” Along the way, Yang Kai raised this question. Judging by Su Ying Xue and Qing Kui’s reaction earlier, they definitely knew the secret behind this mystery.
Qing Kui smiled and shook his head, “I can’t say. If you receive approval, then you will be told in due time. If the matter falls through, then there’s no point in knowing. Just wait patiently. I can only tell you that even in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, only very few people are eligible to obtain this opportunity.”
Yang Kai was slightly moved hearing that. He never imagined that the so-called opportunity would be so precious that only a few people were eligible to obtain it, even in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Unfortunately, he was not in a position to ask further questions seeing as Qin Kui was not willing to talk.
It didn’t take long for Yang Kai to return to his living quarters.
After waiting for another two days, Hui Gu was brought out from the Prison Star by Qing Kui. Hui Gu couldn’t help sighing softly when Master and Servant reunited. From the day he was thrown into the Prison Star, he never even imagined that he would one day leave that place alive. It was just a pity that Bai Mo, who had served him loyally for so many years, had not survived.
“Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch has also been released, but I don’t know his current whereabouts. Rest assured. I will ask somebody to investigate him in the future. There will always be a chance to seek revenge.” Yang Kai comforted Hui Gu.
Hui Gu bowed, “Many thanks, Sir! If I can avenge Bai Mo, then this Hui Gu will have no other regrets in life!”
Bai Mo’s strength was not impressive, but he was extremely loyal. It was impossible not to develop feelings after spending so many years together. Hui Gu had long since considered Bai Mo to be his disciple and family; therefore, Bai Mo’s murder that took place in front of him had caused him to thirst for revenge.
As time passed, Yang Kai and Hui Gu remained inside the residence. During this time, Qu Hua Shang came to inform Yang Kai that she was going to enter retreat. She also asked him to look forward to seeing her again in 100 years.
Yang Kai naturally agreed and after spending three days together, they parted ways for now.
After a few more days, Qing Kui suddenly dropped by the residence. He looked at Yang Kai with admiration and envy, “Congratulations, Junior Brother. The opportunity has come. Accompany me.”
Yang Kai was stunned, but suppressing the overwhelming curiosity in his heart, he instructed Hui Gu to wait for him and not to wander around arbitrarily. Then, he followed Qing Kui out.
They travelled at a hurried pace, though Yang Kai did not know where they were heading.
In the beginning, they occasionally encountered some Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples along the way. When these people noticed Qing Kui, they quickly stopped in their tracks and bowed deeply; however, the further inward they went, the fewer people they met. At one point, there were no traces of anybody else. It could be seen that the place they were going was located at an extremely isolated location.
Some time later, up ahead of them was a figure standing proudly in the void, quietly waiting for their arrival. It was none other than Xu Ling Gong.
Qing Kui led Yang Kai straight to Xu Ling Gong. Cupping his fist, he reported, “Honoured Master, I’ve brought him here.”
Xu Ling Gong nodded, “You should head back first.”
Qing Kui responded, “Yes!”
After that, Qing Kui turned around and returned along the way he came.
Xu Ling Gong gestured towards Yang Kai, “Let’s go. Up ahead is one of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Restricted Areas. Nobody is allowed to enter this place without permission; those who try will be killed without mercy!”
Yang Kai’s expression hardened. It was only natural for a giant organisation like Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to have their own Restricted Areas; however, even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Qing Kui could not enter this place at will. It could be seen just how much Yin-Yang Cave Heaven valued this Restricted Area.
He was becoming more and more curious about this so-called opportunity as well as the Restricted Area he was about to enter.
Whilst travelling, Xu Ling Gong’s voice entered Yang Kai’s ears, “You might have taken the top spot in the Dao Theory Assembly, but it was only thanks to a convenient strategy. When it comes to your strength among the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, you are no different from the little ones who participated in the Dao Theory Assembly. All of you rank at the bottom of the Sixth Order since you’ve only advanced into the Open Heaven Realm recently.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, Senior.”
He knew that Xu Ling Gong was unaware of his actions on the Prison Star, but it made sense when he thought about it. Almost all who witnessed his true strength were dead. Although the Core Disciples of the various Cave Heavens and Paradises had witnessed his strength when he killed Zhao Xing, they left the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven as soon as they came out. On the other hand, Lin Feng and the others who remained were Yang Kai’s friends and would not spread his secrets if they were not forced to.
Therefore, Xu Ling Gong believed that Yang Kai’s strength was ranked at the bottom of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm since he had only just advanced into the Open Heaven Realm recently. In addition, he also believed that Yang Kai obtained the achievements that allowed him to win the Dao Theory Assembly only thanks to Hui Gu’s help.
As for how Yang Kai persuaded Hui Gu into cooperating with him, that was the result of his own ability and charisma. Xu Ling Gong didn’t bother to pay much attention to that matter.
“The cultivation of Open Heaven Realm Masters comes from the accumulation and precipitation of time. Refining Open Heaven Pills or cultivation materials of various Orders has been the most orthodox cultivation method among Open Heaven Realm Masters since ancient times. Although this is a lengthy process, it is also the safest and simplest method.
“Naturally, there are people who want to take shortcuts. Refining the heritage of Universe Worlds for one’s own use is one such method, but it has many drawbacks. The heritage of those Universe Worlds that have been refined might not be perfectly compatible with oneself. If any rejection occurs, one’s heritage might even plummet as a result. The benefits are simply not worth the loss. Moreover, every single Universe World is unique. That includes the Small Universes within Open Heaven Realm Masters like ourselves. It is unimaginably difficult to find a Small Universe that complements perfectly with your cultivation.”
Xu Ling Gong’s voice slowly entered Yang Kai’s ears.
Yang Kai nodded lightly. He once met an Open Heaven Realm Master who tried to refine the heritage of the Demon Realm to restore his strength. It was just that he stopped that Open Heaven Realm Master from succeeding and eventually killed him for trying. On the contrary, the World Force released during the death of that Open Heaven Realm Master had nourished the Demon Realm instead.
“But, just because it is difficult to use shortcuts does not mean that there are no shortcuts!”
Yang Kai’s expression changed with those words and he asked, “Senior, do you mean…”
Xu Ling Gong glanced at Yang Kai meaningfully, “You had high ambitions in the beginning and aimed to advance directly into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Unfortunately, your actions touched on the tolerance of many people. In the end, you were forced to advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in Shattered Heaven. It has only been a few years since then, so how is it possible for a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in such a short period? I believe that the information I received is accurate, so you should have only advanced into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in Shattered Heaven, not the Sixth-Order.”
Yang Kai remained silent. That was not something he could hide even if he wanted to. Many people were there to witness his advancement after all. Even Qu Hua Shang had been present, so it was not strange for Xu Ling Gong to know about this matter.
“It is rumoured that there is a miraculous medicine in this world known as the World Fruit. World Fruits can be divided into Low, Mid, and High-Rank. The Rank of the World Fruit corresponds with the Rank of the Open Heaven Realm. More importantly, the World Fruit allows a cultivator to safely and directly advance to the next Order without any hidden dangers!” Xu Ling Gong continued speaking without regard for Yang Kai’s opinion, “Both you and Qu’er entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary in the past. Around that time, someone auctioned off a Low-Rank World Fruit in Yin-Yang Territory. That person had also entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary before. According to the information obtained by Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, that person obtained their Low-Rank World Fruit from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!
“That is why I believe that you managed to advance from the Fifth Order to the Sixth Order in such a short time by consuming a Mid-Rank World Fruit!”
“Senior is indeed insightful!” Yang Kai admitted frankly, “Indeed! I advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm by consuming a World Fruit!”
“Good!” Xu Ling Gong smiled slightly, “If that’s the case, then you and Qu’er are definitely a good match for each other! I was initially worried that there might be a gap between Qu’er’s future limit and yours. It looks like I was worried for nothing.”
If Yang Kai had advanced into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then his limit was the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm; however, if he reached the Sixth-Order with the help of a World Fruit, then his future limit would be the Eighth-Order, which was the same as Qu Hua Shang. With aptitudes like theirs, as long as they were given enough time, it was only a matter of time before they advanced into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
“You sure had good fortune to obtain such a precious treasure like a Mid-Rank World Fruit. No wonder you were willing to advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm back at Shattered Heaven.” Xu Ling Gong nodded lightly and glanced at Yang Kai approvingly, “Consuming the World Fruit is the best-known shortcut in existence!”
“Senior, are you saying that… there are other shortcuts?”
Xu Ling Gong smiled slightly, “Of course! The 3,000 Worlds is vast and contains endless mysteries. Even a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master like me may never discover all its mysteries in my lifetime. The only reason you’ve never heard of these shortcuts before is that you have not seen or experienced enough of the world yet.”
Yang Kai said seriously, “Please enlighten me, Senior!”
Xu Ling Gong asked, “Have you ever heard of a Temporal River?”
“A Temporal River?” Yang Kai was astonished.
“It is an innate phenomenon filled with the mysteries of time. The flow of time inside a Temporal River is different from the outside world. It can be 10 times, 100 times, or even 1,000 times faster. Do you know what that means?”
Yang Kai expression stiffened in surprise, “Does Senior mean that if one cultivates in a Temporal River for 1,000 years, only one year will pass in the outside world!?”
“En!” Xu Ling Gong revealed an expression of nostalgia, “Although only one year passes in the outside world, you can cultivate for tens, hundreds, or thousands of years inside. The heritage you accumulate will naturally be stronger than others. Moreover, this is the standard process of accumulation and precipitation, so there will be no hidden dangers whatsoever. Back then… I entered a Temporal River and gained great benefits as a result!”
Yang Kai looked shocked. [I can’t believe there is something as strange as a Temporal River in this world! If I didn’t hear this from Xu Ling Gong himself, I might not believe something like that exists!]
However, he soon remembered about Flowing Time Great Emperor!
Flowing Time Great Emperor was proficient in the Dao of Time, and the Flowing Time Temple he left behind was once sealed a rich amount of Time Principles. The two little ones, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, had cultivated in retreat for several hundred years inside the Flowing Time Temple, but only several years passed in the outside world. Hence, the Flowing Time Temple was akin to an artificial Temporal River that Flowing Time Great Emperor created.
It was a pity that the Time Principles Sealed within had long been exhausted and the flow of time in the Flowing Time Temple had returned to normal.
Looking at things from this point of view, it could be seen that Flowing Time Great Emperor was an unprecedented genius. If he had not died after his encounter with Mo Sheng, he would certainly have a place in the 3,000 Worlds.
At that thought, Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly, “Senior, could the opportunity you mentioned be a Temporal River?”
Xu Ling Gong burst into laughter, “You wish! If anybody were to come across a Temporal River, they would have gone in to cultivate a long time ago. They would never leave that place until the Time Principles inside had been exhausted, so you should stop dreaming about Temporal Rivers.”
Yang Kai was astonished. Only then did he realise that a Temporal River was something like a consumable resource. If somebody were to discover one, it only made sense that they would not leave anything behind for others.
“Don’t bother dreaming about Temporal Rivers for the time being. It is a very rare occurrence in the 3,000 Worlds. Even if one did appear, you would not get a chance to experience it.” Xu Ling Gong paused for a moment before he continued, “A Temporal River is one of the shortcuts, but another type is Small Source Worlds!”
“Small Source Worlds?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly and revealed a dubious expression. He had never heard of such a thing before.
“Since you obtained a World Fruit, you must have entered the world inside the World Fruit.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s right.”
Furthermore, he had done so more than once. Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling that time in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Using the Small Sealed World to cheat, he carried a group of people with him to experience more than a dozen worlds within the various World Fruits. He eventually angered the World Tree, which caused it to beat him up badly. [That incident… was truly traumatic.]
“A Small Source World is similar to what you experienced when you entered the world within the World Fruit. It can be said that a Small Source World is a weaker version of the World Fruit’s World.”
“Please enlighten me, Senior!” Yang Kai humbly said.
“The flow of time in a Small Source World is different from the outside world, and if you can refine part of the Small Source World’s Source Strength, then you will only obtain a part of the Small Source World’s World Force. If you integrate this World Force into your body, it will strengthen the heritage of your Small Universe and save you many years of cultivation!”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened at those words.
If he could obtain the Small Source World’s World Force by refining the Small Source World’s Source Strength, then it was certainly as Xu Ling Gong mentioned. He would strengthen his heritage and save a lot of hard cultivation time. [No wonder he mentioned that a Small Source World is a weakened version of the World Fruit. A World Fruit can help an Open Heaven Realm Master advance directly into the next Order, but a Small Source World cannot.]
“Even so, the Small Source World has its own advantages compared to a World Fruit. A World Fruit can only be used by one person once. On the other hand, a Small Source World can become a training ground for many people. Small Source Worlds are one of the foundations that support the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Every Cave Heaven and Paradise will have at least one Small Source World. Yin-Yang Cave Heaven has a total of three Small Source Worlds!”
Yang Kai looked excited, “So, the opportunity you mentioned earlier…”
Xu Ling Gong replied, “That’s right. The opportunity this Monarch prepared for you is the chance to enter one of the Small Source Worlds. This Small Source World is the highest ranked among the Small Source Worlds in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. If you can refine part of the Source Strength, you will surely obtain great gains!”
Yang Kai gratefully said, “Many thanks, Martial Uncle!”
Such a precious gift was incredibly generous. Qing Kui also mentioned that few people received this opportunity, even among those in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Yang Kai could roughly guess the reasons for such strict restrictions. Xu Ling Gong had mentioned that a Small Source World could become a training ground for many people; however, the Small Source World would weaken every time somebody refined a portion of its Source Strength. If care was not taken, the Small Source World would vanish completely one day.
Compared to a one-time-use consumable item like the World Fruits, a Small Source World could be used many times, although the effects were not as good as the World Fruit, but had their respective advantages. Be that as it may, there was a limit to how many times a Small Source World could be used within a certain amount of time. That was why only the most talented cultivators in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven could enter the Small Source World.
In any case, the existence of a Small Source World was no doubt more important for a Sect than a World Fruit; after all, the former could help increase the strength of many disciples over time, while the latter would only benefit a single person.
Xu Ling Gong must have gone through a lot of trouble to let a semi-outsider like Yang Kai into the Small Source World.
“You don’t need to think too deeply. This Monarch is only doing this for Qu’er. Since you only just advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, your foundation is unstable and your heritage is lacking. Entering the Small Source World will give you a chance to accumulate and precipitate some strength. Otherwise, it would be unfair for Qu’er if you encounter danger and die early,” Xu Ling Gong said lightly, “Besides, there’s no guarantee you will gain anything even if you entered the Small Source World. It all depends on your own effort and luck.”
“Rest assured, Martial Uncle. This Junior will do his best!” Yang Kai promised solemnly.
“We’re here!” Xu Ling Gong suddenly stopped in his tracks and stood in the middle of the void.
Yang Kai looked around but saw nothing.
Meanwhile, Xu Ling Gong formed a set of hand seals before he suddenly pointed to the front and shouted, “Please answer my call, Ancestor!”
A stream of light burst forth, causing ripples to spread out in the Void ahead. After the ripples settled, an old man sitting cross-legged eerily appeared in Yang Kai’s vision without warning.
The old man had white hair and a white beard. His brows were so long that they drooped to his chest. His upper body was unclothed and covered in firm muscles that gleamed with a bronze glow that seemed to contain an endless amount of power. His lower body was only covered in a pair of plain linen trousers. To top it off, he was barefooted.
When the old man opened his eyes though, it felt as though two bright suns flashed into existence!
“Greetings, Ancestor!” Xu Ling Gong bowed respectfully.
Yang Kai, who was standing behind Xu Ling Gong, hurriedly followed suit and bowed. After listening to the way Xu Ling Gong addressed this old man, how could he not know that this person was one of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Supreme Elders? More importantly, only those in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm could serve as a Supreme Elder in the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
This was Yang Kai’s first time meeting a cultivator in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Although Bi Xi possessed strength on par with an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was a Divine Spirit, so there was an obvious difference between him and an actual Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai snuck a glance in that direction and saw that the old man’s bare chest was covered in dense, criss-crossing scars. They looked like ferocious centipedes crawling all over his body. The longest scar extended from his left shoulder to the right side of his waist.
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback. An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was extremely powerful, so who could injure an Ancestor of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven so badly? It had to be said that Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had extremely robust vitality and vigorous recovery abilities, so most injuries would not leave a trace on them. Even so, the scars of past injuries remained shockingly apparent on this old man’s body. It was conceivable just how severely injured he had been at the time.
“What is it?” The Supreme Elder asked quietly.
Xu Ling Gong replied, “Ancestor, please understand. This Disciple wishes to send this Junior into the Divine Armament World. Please open the world boundary and create a corridor, Ancestor.”
The Supreme Elder glanced at Yang Kai and furrowed his brow lightly, “This boy… is not a disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, right?”
His eyes were incredibly sharp, so he could tell at a glance that Yang Kai did not belong to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Xu Ling Gong explained, “He might not be a disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, but he can be considered a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-In-Law now.”
“So that’s how it is,” the old man nodded lightly. “Since he is a Son-In-Law of our Cave Heaven, he does have the qualifications to enter the Divine Armament World. Do you have the edict from the Sect Master?”
“The edict is here. Please have a look, Ancestor!” Xu Ling Gong raised his hand and shot out a stream of light.
The old man caught the stream of light and took a quick glance. Then, he nodded, “Everything is in order.”
While saying so, he suddenly lifted a hand and pointed to a spot beside him. A huge vortex suddenly appeared in the Void without a sound. The extremely clear and distinct aura of a Universe World came from within the vortex.
“Go on. The Small Source World is an interesting place. Don’t panic no matter what you encounter inside. Carefully explore and it will definitely benefit you!” Xu Ling Gong patted Yang Kai on the shoulder.
“Many thanks, Martial Uncle Xu! Many thanks, Ancestor!” Yang Kai nodded and plunged straight into the vortex. A feeling of weightlessness immediately washed over him.
It was not until Yang Kai’s figure disappeared that the vortex slowly faded away. The Supreme Elder glanced at Xu Ling Gong and asked, “You didn’t give him a seal to escape. What if he dies inside?”
Xu Ling Gong smiled, “If he dies inside, then it means that he is nothing special. In that case, he is not qualified to become a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-In-Law!”
“Good!” The Supreme Elder did not say another word. Closing his eyes, his figure gradually vanished once more.
…..
“Eldest Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother, wake up!” Yang Kai felt as though somebody was tugging at him in his dazed state. An urgent cry entered his ears and he slowly came awake and opened his eyes. However, the world spun around him and his vision was bleary.
“Ugh…” He held his head in his hands and groaned in pain.
“Eldest Senior Brother, stop drinking! You’ll die if you continue drinking like this!” The voice that woke him up rang out again.
A strong smell of alcohol lingered in his nose and Yang Kai instinctively sensed that he was drunk; thus, he couldn’t help feeling surprised. He was not such a heavy drinker. Besides, how could a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him get drunk so easily?
When he tried to urge his power to scatter the effects of the alcohol and recover from his hangover, Yang Kai stiffened in shock and his eyes abruptly jerked wide open. There was not much power in his body, only a faint trace flowing through his meridians and his body. Compared to his strength as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, this paltry bit of power was so weak that it was practically unnoticeable.
The shock was so great that he immediately broke out of his drunken stupor.
Before Yang Kai could understand what was going on though, he felt pain running through his head. An endless stream of complicated information poured into his mind, causing him to groan in pain like an injured beast.
The person in front of him was startled and quickly exclaimed, “What’s wrong, Eldest Senior Brother!? Don’t frighten me!”
A short while later, Yang Kai finally calmed down and stared at the table in front of him in a daze.
His name was still Yang Kai, but now he was a disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was an extremely small Sect with only several dozen members. It was nothing but a grain of sand when compared to the entire Divine Armament World. There were countless other small Sects like Void Spirit Sword Sect in this World.
He had entered the Sect early and became the Eldest Senior Brother of this generation of disciples. As the Eldest Senior Brother, he had a mild temperament and treated people generously. His aptitude was relatively good among the others in the Sect, so the Elders in the Sect had high hopes for him. They believed that he was their only hopeful candidate to enter the Earth Realm in the last 100 years.
There were four distinct Great Realms in this world, known as Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Spirit! Furthermore, each Great Realm had nine Minor Realms. This was how the cultivators in the Divine Armament World categorised their strength.
At present, Yang Kai was only in the Fourth-Order Mortal Realm. He used to live up to the expectations of his Elders, working hard and cultivating diligently; however, ever since he met a girl one year ago when he was running errands outside, he became so enamoured with her that his entire life was turned upside down. Just a few days ago, he fought for the attention of that girl out of jealousy and lost her to another. As a result, he became depressed and tried to drown his sorrows in alcohol…
This information was what Yang Kai found from the memories that flowed into his head just now. Everything was so vivid and life-like, almost as if these events had happened to him.
[Am I… Yang Kai from Void Land? Or, Yang Kai from Void Spirit Sword Sect?] His thoughts were a mess. He could clearly recall Xu Ling Gong bringing him to the entrance of the Small Source World where he was supposed to enter for training. Why was he suddenly in this situation then?
In addition, his strength that was as vast as the sea could not be mobilised at all. He could clearly sense that his power was still there, but it was suppressed by some kind of inexplicable force.
[Is this the Small Source World?] All of a sudden, Yang Kai recalled what Xu Ling Gong mentioned just before he entered the Small Source World, “The Small Source World is an interesting place. Don’t panic no matter what you encounter inside.”
[This is… certainly very interesting!]
Yang Kai suddenly thought back to the time when he brought a group of subordinates with him to train within the World Fruits. Each World Fruit was unique. For instance, when he entered the second World Fruit, both he and Lang Qing Shan had been transformed into rusty iron swords. It turned out to be a world of swords. There was also a time when several of his subordinates transformed into Monster Beasts. That was a world inside a fruit where Monster Beasts ruled…
Inside each of those World Fruits, Yang Kai could only leave and obtain his prize once he found a method to escape. It would seem that the existence of the Small Source World was indeed somewhat similar to the World Fruit even though there were clear differences.
When he entered this Small Source World, it felt as though the Divine Armament World had given him a brand-new identity as the Eldest Senior Brother of Void Spirit Sword Sect. This was the identity accepted by the entire world, so that was why everything felt very natural.
“Eldest Senior Brother, what’s wrong with you? Please don’t frighten me!” The person in front of him was still shouting.
Yang Kai looked up, and after trying his best to focus his blurry vision, he finally managed to see clearly. A petite and adorable young girl was looking at him nervously from across the table, her expression filled with concern. She was only around 16 years old, but she had seemingly developed quite well for her age, as emphasized by the two large mountains on her chest. She was also wearing a light green dress that hugged her graceful waist.
[Wan Ying Ying, the Little Junior Sister of Void Spirit Sword Sect!] This thought popped into his mind out of nowhere.
“It’s you, Little Junior Sister…” Yang Kai murmured, his tongue involuntarily slurring over his words.
“How are you, Eldest Senior Brother?” Wan Ying Ying asked in concern, “Where do you feel unwell?”
“Ugh… My head hurts!” Yang Kai reached out to rub his forehead, “Wait for a moment. I need to sober up!”
She quickly nodded at his words, “Good, good, good. It’s good as long as you stop drinking.” Then, she turned around and called out, “Shop-hand, bring a bowl of hangover soup!”
The shop hand nearby responded immediately.
A short while later, a bowl of hot hangover soup was brought over. Wan Ying Ying personally brought the bowl to Yang Kai’s lips and fed him.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai sat motionless as he combed through all the new information in his mind. At the same time, he drew upon his strength to dispel the lingering effects of the alcohol. Although his cultivation in the Fourth Stage Mortal Realm could not be considered anything amazing, it was still not bad for a member of the younger generation. It was at least enough to help speed up the process of sobering up.
His current location seemed to be inside a restaurant, one that was filled with customers. Some were ordinary people while others were cultivators. These people were drinking together in small groups of three to five.
“The Divine Armament Tournament that is only held once every 100 years is finally over. When the Masters fight, it’s the ordinary people like us who suffer. I wonder how many lives were destroyed and how many people lost their homes during the Divine Armament Tournament this time.” A voice came from one of the tables by the side.
Yang Kai immediately became interested and quickly paid attention to the ambient gossip.
“There’s no helping it. The Divine Armament Tournament is the biggest event in the Divine Armament World. It only happens once every 100 years; moreover, winning a Divine Armament means wielding supreme power. How could people not be tempted?”
“Speaking of which, the Ten Great Divine Armaments of our Divine Armament World change hands every 100 years. When will these battles end?”
“If some Heaven-defying person can collect all of the Ten Great Divine Armaments, that might end the chaos in this land.”
“What a joke!” Somebody shouted, “It is said that just refining one Divine Armament takes infinite mental strength. Not to mention that each Divine Armament is extremely ferocious and bloodthirsty. If one’s willpower is insufficient, one will only become the Divine Armament’s puppet. It’s difficult enough to refine just one of them, so who could possibly collect all ten?”
After listening to the conversation in the surroundings, Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly.
This Small Source World was called the Divine Armament World. Furthermore, a Divine Armament Tournament would be held every 100 years. His purpose in coming here was to refine a portion of the Small Source World’s Source Strength to enhance his Small Universe’s heritage.
Judging from the current situation, it would seem that the Divine Armament Tournament was the key. Perhaps, he could obtain a part of the Small Source World’s Source Strength by obtaining the Divine Armaments.
[100 years… It’s not a short time, so I should have ample time to cultivate in peace. Besides, I don’t need to worry about the outside world right now. The Small Source World is similar to World Fruit; hence, the flow of time here is different from the outside world. 100 years in here might be less than 1 year in the outside world, maybe even just a month.] Yang Kai soon made up his mind. [I have to cultivate diligently. In 100 years, I will participate in the Divine Armament Tournament!]
“Young man, I can see a dark mark on your forehead. Moreover, your gaze is dull and your Essence Spirit has dissipated. I’m afraid a catastrophe will befall you soon!” A voice suddenly entered Yang Kai’s ears.
Yang Kai turned to look to the side and saw an elderly man standing in front of him with a smile. The elderly man wore a tall hat and a long linen coat. He was also holding a cloth banner that had big characters for ‘Fortune-Telling’ written on it!
“My Eldest Senior Brother is just drunk! What nonsense are you saying Old Man!” Before Yang Kai could respond, Wan Ying Ying shouted with a glare.
Yang Kai raised a hand to stop her and looked up at the elderly man with a smile, “A Divination Master?”
In his memories, there was indeed such a mysterious group of people in the Divine Armament World. He did not know whether their predictions were accurate or not, but he couldn’t help being interested since it was his first time meeting one.
“This Old Master is indeed a Divine Oracle. I can see five hundred years into the future and five hundred years into the past. Everything below the Heavens and above the Earth is not beyond my knowledge. There’s nothing I don’t know. Young man, if you wish to resolve this catastrophe, then you should let this Old Master divine your future for you. Perhaps, it might save you.”
“You certainly have a lot of confidence!” Yang Kai chuckled, “If that’s the case, then why don’t you divine my fate for me?”
“Sure!” The Divine Oracle immediately felt refreshed now that he had a sale in his hand. Placing the cloth banner in his hand aside, he sat down and asked, “Young man, do you want me to divine your handwriting or read your palm?”
“Let’s make it simple. Please read my palm. Do you want my left hand or my right hand?”
“It doesn’t matter! This Old Master’s fortune-telling is not so limited,” The Divine Oracle grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowing teeth.
Wan Ying Ying stood beside Yang Kai, looking hesitant. She wanted to tell her Eldest Senior Brother that this group of people made a living by scamming people, so there was no need to believe them. After thinking about it again though, she changed her mind. He had been so depressed and disheartened for the past year that it was rare for him to show interest in anything, so she couldn’t bring herself to dampen his mood.
[We’ll only lose some money, but it’ll be worth it as long as it can make Eldest Senior Brother happy.] With that thought in mind, she quietly shot a look at the Divine Oracle to warn him to speak carefully.
There was no saying whether the Divine Oracle noticed her look as he picked up Yang Kai’s hand and studied the lines on his palm with a frown, “Young man, it seems your life is not going very well and your path ahead is full of disasters. If this Old Master is correct, you encountered something sad recently, right?”
Wan Ying Ying angrily spoke up from the side, “Stop talking nonsense. Who wouldn’t know something like that?”
“Haha…” The Divine Oracle chuckled softly. He was not bothered by her outburst and continued his examination until all of a sudden, he frowned as if he had discovered something extraordinary and his expression became extremely dignified.
Wan Ying Ying grit her teeth at the sight and secretly vowed to herself, [If this old fart makes another rude remark, I’m going to beat him up and throw him out!]
“Old Sir?” Yang Kai called out softly.
The Divine Oracle stared at Yang Kai’s hand in his grip for a while, seeming to freeze in place. After a while, he slowly released Yang Kai’s hand and stood up. He grabbed the cloth banner he had placed by the side of the table and retreated, cupping his fist in apology, “I’m sorry for disturbing you!”
Wan Ying Ying looked at the Divine Oracle in confusion, wondering what tricks this old man was playing. However, she watched as the elderly man retreated to the door and turned around to run away. Who could have known that he would happen to bump into someone?
That person was an impressive and handsome young man who had a jade-like woman in his arms. One of his large hands fondled restlessly around the woman’s waist. When the Divine Oracle ran into him, he was caught off-guard and stumbled backward suddenly. Furious, he grabbed the old man by the collar and shouted, “Old dog, are you blind!? Don’t you look where you’re going!?”
The Divine Oracle apologised repeatedly before suddenly looking up at the young man and saying, “Young man, I can see a dark mark on your forehead. Moreover, your gaze is dull and your Essence Spirit has dissipated. I’m afraid a great disaster will befall you soon!”
This situation made Wan Ying Ying utterly speechless.
Meanwhile, the young man became even angrier. He slapped the Divine Oracle with his palm and knocked him straight to the ground. Then, he stepped forward and added two more kicks for good measure. His stomps made the Divine Oracle scream in agony. After fiercely venting his anger, he finally grinned savagely, “How dare you say that a great disaster will befall me? I’ll show you what a great disaster looks like!”
The Divine Oracle was powerless to resist and could only curl up into a trembling ball.
The young man called out, “Pull out all his teeth. Show him the consequences of speaking nonsense!”
“Yes!” Two attendants immediately rushed out from behind the young man. They grabbed the Divine Oracle from both sides and dragged him to the side.
On the other hand, the young man sauntered into the restaurant with the woman held snugly in his arms.
Wan Ying Ying immediately turned pale. She stood next to Yang Kai and grabbed him by the arm, “Eldest Senior Brother, let’s leave quickly.”
Who could have known that Yang Kai would be as immovable as a rock? She could not budge him whatsoever.
Near the door, the young man led the woman and his attendants inside. His gaze swept around and immediately landed on Yang Kai, causing him to grin meaningfully, “Isn’t that Yang Kai from Void Spirit Sword Sect? Goodness, what a coincidence!”
The gorgeously dolled-up woman who had been giggling away in his arms suddenly stiffened at those words. When she turned around to look at Yang Kai, her expression immediately became uneasy and she murmured softly, “Young Master Zhang, this old place has a shabby atmosphere. Let’s go somewhere else.”
The young man called Young Master Zhang sneered, “Does this place have a shabby atmosphere? Or, are you feeling uncomfortable after meeting an old lover?”
The woman looked embarrassed but did not open her mouth.
He sneered, “Since you’ve met an old lover, you should definitely go and greet him!”
While saying so, he dragged the woman in his arms over to Yang Kai and sat down opposite him. His attendants spread out to form a line behind him, giving off an impressive aura.
Yang Kai quietly watched the young man and information floated into his head. This person was Zhang Yu Lin from Tian Luo Hall!
Compared to a small force like the Void Spirit Sword Sect, Tian Luo Hall was much stronger. The cultivators in the Divine Armament World could be divided into four Realms, Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Spirit. The same applied for the great forces.
Both Void Spirit Sword Sect and Tian Luo Hall had Earth Realm Masters assuming command over their Sect, so they could be considered Earth Realm great forces. However, the Earth Realm Masters in the Void Spirit Sword Sect were only in the Third Stage at most. In contrast, Tian Luo Hall had several Ninth-Step Earth Realm Masters.
Therefore, Tian Luo Hall stood on a different level compared to Void Spirit Sword Sect in terms of both quantity or quality of Masters. Any random Elder in Tian Luo Hall could easily wipe out the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect.
Zhang Yu Lin’s strength was only slightly higher than Yang Kai’s, so there was not much of a difference between them. Be that as it may, their statuses and authority were as different as night and day as the former was a descendant of a Tian Luo Hall Elder
Meanwhile, the woman next to him was called Zhou Cen. She was a disciple of the Zhou Family.
Yang Kai had gotten to know her and secretly fell in love with her when he went out to run errands in the past. He initially thought that she was a gentle, kind, and intelligent woman; an ideal companion. Who could have known that Zhang Yu Lin would appear out of nowhere?
Faced with a choice between Yang Kai and Zhang Yu Lin, Zhou Cen had chosen the latter. That was also the greatest reason why Yang Kai had been drowning his sorrows in alcohol lately.
[The identity given to me by the Divine Armament World was such a failure!] Yang Kai sighed slightly.
“I told you never to appear before me again. I also told you that I would beat you up every time I saw you. Did you think I was joking?” Zhang Yu Lin glared at Yang Kai coldly. He might have stolen Yang Kai’s woman, but he had no intention of forgiving Yang Kai either. His arrival in this place today was not a coincidence. It was intentional.
“What a coincidence. I don’t know why I get so worked up when I see your face. I have the urge to beat you up too!” Yang Kai grinned. The Divine Armament World had given him a brand-new identity that naturally came with many different emotions. At this moment, he was filled with an inexplicable rage when he saw his love rival standing in front of him.
Zhang Yu Lin was taken aback by those words.
Similarly, Zhou Cen also looked at Yang Kai in astonishment from where she stood within Zhang Yu Lin’s arms. Her impression of Yang Kai was that of a warm and kind-hearted young man who treated others with generosity. She had never seen him looking so aggressive before. He even gave off a… murderous intent! A Yang Kai like this was very unfamiliar to her.
“What did you say!?” Zhang Yu Lin cocked his ear to the side and leaned his head close to Yang Kai, “Can you say that again? I don’t think I heard you clearly!”
*Pa…*
Yang Kai raised his hand and slapped the other party without another word. His palm landed squarely on Zhang Yu Lin’s face, causing a bloody tooth to fly out.
The force of impact sent Zhang Yu Lin flying through the air, spinning several times before he collapsed heavily to the ground. Even Zhou Cen, who had been embraced in his arms all this while, collapsed to the ground with him.
Two screams rang out at the same time. They came from Wan Ying Ying, who stood behind Yang Kai, and Zhou Cen respectively.
“Young Master Zhang!” Zhang Yu Lin’s attendants went pale with shock and hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, scrambling in panic for a moment.
At the entrance of the shop, the dishevelled Divine Oracle with several footprints still on his back rushed in with his cloth banner in his hand. He glanced at Zhang Yu Lin, who had collapsed on the ground with blood in his mouth, and roared with laughter, “This Old Master warned you that you will face a great disaster today, but you didn’t believe me! Hah! Let’s see if you believe me now!”
After saying that, he turned around and fled like a column of smoke.
Zhang Yu Lin stood up with some help from his attendants, feeling as though half of his face was swollen. Shaking his head vigorously, he stared at Yang Kai with a mixture of shock and fury, “You dare hit me!?”
Yang Kai replied nonchalantly, “I apologise. You stretched your head so far out that my hand just landed on it when I tried to turn!”
“Eldest Senior Brother, we need to go!” Wan Ying Ying was so anxious that her complexion was deathly pale. She tugged at Yang Kai’s arm with all her might. When she first saw Zhang Yu Lin, she had immediately wanted to drag Yang Kai away. Unfortunately, she failed to do so. Who could have known that things would take such a turn? [I can’t believe that Eldest Senior Brother hit Zhang Yu Lin! Now that things have gotten out of hand, there is no way to resolve this matter peacefully!]
“You want to leave!?” Zhang Yu Lin was livid, “Why are you still standing around doing nothing!? Get them! Break that bastard’s limbs! I want him to suffer!”
His attendants immediately rushed forward from behind him.
There was not much difference between his strength and Yang Kai’s as Yang Kai was in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm while he was in the Fifth-Step Mortal Realm. It was not that his aptitude was better than Yang Kai’s, but rather that Tian Luo Hall had more abundant resources, so he received better support. However, the attendants that he brought with him were all in the Eighth-Step or Ninth-Step Mortal Realm. They might not be in the Earth Realm, but they were not far from it.
“Eldest Senior Brother…” Wan Ying Ying’s small face was as white as a sheet and her petite body trembled slightly. Although she was extremely terrified, she stood in front of Yang Kai, “Go quickly! I will stop them!”
Yang Kai laughed and stood up, pulling her behind him, “Your Eldest Senior Brother is here. There’s no need for you to come forward. Just stand there and watch. My journey in this world will begin here!”
*Ceng…*
Following a soft sound, a sword light dazzled his eyes. Yang Kai looked down at the long sword in his hand and gave an exclamation of surprise, “Oh? It turns out that I have a sword. It looks like this world treats me quite well!”
Void Spirit Sword Sect naturally focused on the Sword Dao, so it was only natural that the disciples carried swords. Yang Kai had been ignorant of this fact and it was not until he instinctively drew his blade that he discovered he had a sword.
*Chi…*
Soft stabbing sounds rang out as one of the Eighth-Step Mortal Realm Masters charging at Yang Kai froze in place and looked down at his chest. A longsword had pierced right through his chest and a stinging pain spread out from his heart.
“You…” The attendant lifted his head and looked at Yang Kai in disbelief. He neither understood what had happened nor how he had been stabbed by a sword.
“Pang San!” The expressions of the other attendants nearby changed greatly. From their point of view, it seemed as though this attendant called Pang San had accidentally impaled himself on the other party’s longsword. And, this was the outcome of the accident.
*Chi…*
Yang Kai pulled out his sword, causing blood to splatter everywhere. Then, Pang San turned pale and collapsed face-first to the ground.
“You court death!” The rest of the attendants were enraged. There were several Eighth-Step and Ninth-Step Mortal Realm Masters attacking a single boy in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm, so how could they accidentally be killed by their opponent? It was a great humiliation to them. Roaring furiously, they circulated their strength and drew their weapons to attack from both sides.
A fight had suddenly broken out and one person had already died. Screams rang out in the restaurant and everybody quickly fled outside. Even the shopkeeper and shophands of the restaurant vanished without a trace.
Inside the restaurant, Yang Kai and the attendants were at each other’s throats. Sword lights flashed as Yang Kai retreated while protecting Wan Ying Ying behind him. At the same time, he raised his sword to parry the ferocious attacks that kept raining down on him. The sounds of swords clashing against each other rang out endlessly.
Yang Kai suffered from the impact of all the blows landing on him, and consequently, his arms went numb and his vitality churned violently. His cultivation was no match for his opponents, so he was bound to suffer at their hands. He was at a disadvantage in a frontal confrontation and his longsword trembled continuously, almost as though it could be sent flying at any moment.
*Chi…*
Another soft stabbing sound rang out as an attendant in the Ninth-Step Mortal Realm halted in his tracks and looked down at his chest in disbelief. His eyes instantly widened at the sight.
He had suffered the same fate as Pang San. Yang Kai’s sword had skewered him through the chest and stabbed straight into his heart. Before he could understand what had happened, he felt a large invisible hand squeezing his heart. All the vitality in his body rapidly drained away and he collapsed to the ground.
The remaining two attendants were shocked and horrified. They did not understand why their companions seemed to have the tendency to run straight into the opponent’s sword today! The boy opposite them was clearly much weaker than them, but he had managed to kill two of their companions in such a strange manner. Rather than being killed by Yang Kai, it was better to say that both their companions had impaled themselves on the opponent’s sword on their own.
“Weak! Too weak!” Yang Kai’s expression was filled with dissatisfaction. The body given to him by the Divine Armament World was so weak that he could not bear to look at himself. Compared to the strength of his original body, this Yang Kai of Void Spirit Sword Sect was no different from an ant.
He only managed to kill two of his opponents by relying on his overwhelming experience and skill. Although he could not use his actual strength in this place, he could freely wield the techniques he honed from so many years of fighting. It didn’t matter whether the enemy was greater in numbers or stronger than him, killing them was not difficult as long as he could seize the fleeting opportunities before him to make his move.
These attendants in the Eighth-Step and Ninth-Step Mortal Realm might have Spirit Qi protecting their bodies, but he could find openings at critical moments and position his longsword so that they impaled themselves on his sword all on their own. Rather than saying that Yang Kai had killed them, it was better to say that their own strength had killed them. That was why, in the eyes of outsider, those two people who died seemed as though they had committed suicide. It was extremely peculiar.
Zhang Yu Lin had brought along six attendants with him. Two of them had gone to dispose of the Divine Oracle and their current whereabouts were unknown. Out of the remaining four, Yang Kai had killed two; therefore, only two were left.
These two remaining attendants were frozen in place, horror spreading across their faces. Their calm looks from before were gone. Two of their companions had been killed in quick succession. It would be weirder if they failed to realise that something was strange about Yang Kai. It was just that Yang Kai was only in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm no matter how they looked at him. Not to mention, the fluctuation of the Spirit Qi surrounding his body was much weaker than their own.
“In a deadly battle, hesitation is one’s greatest flaw!” Yang Kai flicked his sword and sneered coldly. When his body moved, he boldly took the initiative to charge straight towards those two and his sword flashed so swiftly that nothing could escape its reach.
The two remaining attendants paled with shock and hastily defended themselves; however, what depressed them greatly was that even though their strength was clearly greater than their opponent’s and their Spirit Qi was much denser than his, the figure in front of them was as slippery as an eel. They could not grasp his position and instead were the ones to reveal more flaws due to the fear and unease in their hearts.
A short while later, there were two additional corpses in the restaurant whose blood stained the ground.
“A family should never be separated!” Yang Kai flicked off the blood on his blade. The longsword in his hand was pitted and damaged along its entire length as it was not some extraordinary weapon. It was simply a Mortal Grade longsword, so after fighting with four Eighth-Step and Ninth-Step Mortal Realm Masters, the sword was at its limits.
Still, Yang Kai looked up at Zhang Yu Lin, only to see that the latter was utterly dumbstruck.
When the battle first began, Zhang Yu Lin had energetically shouted provocations from the sidelines, but as his attendants fell one by one, the horror on his face grew stronger and stronger. At this moment, he was shocked to the core.
[Is he really the same Yang Kai who grovelled and didn’t dare to say a word in front of me?] He felt as though he was dreaming. Everything felt almost surreal.
Even Zhou Cen beside him was full of doubts.
Seeing Yang Kai approaching step by step, Zhang Yu Lin immediately panicked, “Stay away!”
“Didn’t you want to chop off my limbs? How are you going to chop my limbs if I don’t come over?” Yang Kai stared at Zhang Yu Lin calmly, suppressing the rage in his heart. The Divine Armament World had given him a brand-new identity that came with its own set of emotions. These memories felt so real that he felt as though they were his actual life experiences.
“I… I was just joking.” Zhang Yu Lin shivered in fear. All of a sudden, he saw Zhou Cen standing next to him, pale-faced with fear. Without hesitation, he hurriedly shoved her in front of him and shouted, “Didn’t you like this woman? I’ll return her to you. Just don’t come near me.”
Zhou Cen was shoved so hard that she stumbled and slammed into Yang Kai’s chest, causing her complexion to turn even paler than before. When she looked up, all she saw was Yang Kai looking down at her coldly. The gaze was so unfamiliar that she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
*Chi…*
A sudden stab of pain came from her chest. Looking down, she saw the tip of a sword piercing her in the back and protruding from her chest. The sword had penetrated her body to stab into Yang Kai’s abdomen.
“Hahahaha!” Zhang Yu Lin’s hysterical laughter came from behind her, “How dare you act so arrogantly in front of this Young Master!? Let’s see if you survive that!”
Wan Ying Ying’s scream rang out.
On the other hand, Yang Kai gave a furious roar and raised his sword to slash at something behind Zhou Cen. A sword light flashed and Zhang Yu Lin’s head flew into the sky. His vicious and triumphant expression remained on his face as his headless corpse swayed slightly before slowly collapsing to the ground, blood gushing out from his neck like a fountain.
Zhou Cen went limp in Yang Kai’s arms. Yang Kai took two steps back and gently laid her down on the ground. Her gaze went slack, but she stared at Yang Kai fixedly and muttered, “I’m sorry!”
Wan Ying Ying rushed over and immediately saw the wound traversing Zhou Cen’s chest.
Zhang Yu Lin’s longsword had passed directly through Zhou Cen’s chest and pierced her heart. With such injuries… there was no hope for her. After she finished speaking that sentence, her eyes slowly closed and her aura disappeared. The stench of blood was incredibly strong inside the restaurant, permeating the air and causing one to gag.
“Eldest Senior Brother, are you alright?” Wan Ying Ying glanced nervously at Yang Kai only to see a patch of red slowly spreading across his abdomen and staining his clothes. Zhang Yu Lin’s final attack where he used Zhou Cen as a distraction had injured Yang Kai. That was not all. Both Yang Kai’s sleeves were also dyed in red blood, a result of him tearing his muscles from his earlier battle.
When fighting Zhang Yu Lin’s four attendants, Yang Kai had killed them by relying on his overwhelming skills. Nevertheless, the gap in their cultivation had caused him to suffer some losses. The force of recoil that rebounded back at him had turned both his arms into a bloody mess.
“I’m fine!” He waved his hand dismissively as he sent a complicated gaze towards Zhou Cen, who was laid out on the ground. [This world is strange indeed. I’ve never even met this Zhou Cen before, but sorrow fills my heart to see her die in front of me.]
The reason he had been injured by Zhang Yu Lin was that a ripple had involuntarily emerged in his heart when Zhou Cen was shoved into his arms. That feeling had left him reeling in shock for a moment.
“You’re bleeding so much! How can you say you’re fine!?” Wan Ying Ying was close to tears. She hurriedly dug through the small cloth bag at her waist and took out a bottle of pills. Tipping a single pill out of the bottle, she stuffed it into his mouth. Then, she took out some medicinal powder, tore his clothes open, and helped him to apply the powder on his wounds.
While treating his wounds, she also examined the severity of his injuries and discovered that the stab wound at his abdomen was just a flesh wound. It had not gotten further than three centimetres past his skin. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
“Eldest Senior Brother, we need to return to the Sect immediately. We must not stay here any longer!” It was her first time seeing so many people die and so much blood spilled. Despite that, she only experienced a short moment of panic before she quickly realised that they had to leave this place as soon as possible.
Zhang Yu Lin was the favoured descendant of one of the Elders in Tian Luo Hall, so Tian Luo Hall would never let this matter go now that he had died at Yang Kai’s hands in a place like this. Moreover, this town was under Tian Luo Hall’s jurisdiction. Once word of this incident spread, Tian Luo Hall’s members would surely swarm out to surround and suppress them.
Wan Ying Ying’s heart was filled with worry. [Eldest Senior Brother caused such a huge mess. How will we resolve this incident?]
“En!” Yang Kai nodded in agreement. The two of them gathered their things quickly and swiftly left the restaurant.
Walking on the street, he suddenly sensed something and turned around to look. The Divine Oracle stood at the corner of the street with his bruised and swollen face. He was stroking his beard and looking in this direction with an unreadable expression. When their gazes met, he bowed deeply. His attitude immediately became flattering and he kept bowing politely with a cupped fist.
[This old guy… is interesting! Did he notice something?] Yang Kai retracted his gaze and followed Wan Ying Ying to the horse stables to retrieve their mounts. Afterwards, they travelled in the direction of Void Spirit Sword Sect located several dozen kilometres away.
In this world, only Masters in the Heaven Realm and above could fly. Those in the Mortal Realm and the Earth Realm were incapable of such feats; therefore, most people could only travel by horse. Be that as it may, even those in the Heaven Realm would not choose to fly unless it was an emergency as doing so consumed too much Spirit Qi, making flight hard to sustain for long periods of time. Only those in the Spirit Realm would fly about without any care in the world.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was located between several medium-sized Spirit Peaks. Yang Kai searched his memories and found that Void Spirit Sword Sect had been established for quite a long time, over 1,000 years ago, in fact. In a world like this, not many great forces could pass down their inheritance for 1,000 years. Only the very ancient great forces had such long histories. Moreover, the Ancestors of Void Spirit Sword Sect seemed to have produced a Sword Lord in the past!
The so-called Sword Lord was the Master of a Divine Armament. The Divine Armament World had a total of ten Divine Armaments. The True Void Sword was one of them. One of the Ancestors of the Void Spirit Sword Sect had the great honour to obtain the True Void Sword and became the True Void Sword Lord. That era was Void Spirit Sword Sect’s most glorious and prosperous.
It was just that the Divine Armament World would hold a Divine Armament Tournament once every 100 years and the Divine Armaments would often change hands during that time. Void Spirit Sword Sect suffered terrible losses in the battle 100 years after obtaining the True Void Sword and gradually weakened in strength over the following years. At present, only a small number of people remained in Void Spirit Sword Sect, barely keeping the Sect from dying out. Even the strongest in Void Spirit Sword Sect was only in the Third-Step Earth Realm.
*Clop clop clop…*
The constant sound of horse hooves crunching against gravel filled the air as Yang Kai led his Little Junior Sister, Wan Ying Ying, up the mountain on horseback. Their travel speed was neither fast nor slow and the mountain gates of Void Spirit Sword Sect were only several kilometres ahead.
However, Wan Ying Ying kept staring at Yang Kai’s back in heavy silence throughout the return journey. His actions today had frightened her greatly. He was so different from the person in her memories that she couldn’t help feeling a strong sense of unfamiliarity.
Several Eighth and Ninth-Step Mortal Realm Masters had barely lasted an incense stick of time against him before they were slaughtered. Even Zhang Yu Lin of Tian Luo Hall was killed by his sword.
“Why do you keep staring at me? Do you no longer recognise your Eldest Senior Brother?” Yang Kai’s voice rang out. Only then did Wan Ying Ying realise that he had stopped at some point and was currently looking back at her with a smile.
The familiar face and smile reassured her considerably. Urging her horse to step forward, she continued onward side-by-side with him where she asked tentatively, “Eldest Senior Brother, have you always been that strong?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s not that I’m strong. It’s that they are too weak. They had too many shortcomings. When the gap between our cultivation is not big, a single small mistake can mean the difference between life and death in a fight.”
[Is the gap between a Fourth-Step Mortal Realm Master and an Eighth-Step Mortal Realm Master not large?] Nevertheless, his performance today left her unable to refute his words.
“Eldest Senior Brother, were you using the Void Spirit Sword Art just now? Why does it feel a little different?” Wan Ying Ying continued asking questions.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was established based on the Void Spirit Sword Art, so every single disciple was required to cultivate this Sword Art. Thinking back to the battle today, Wan Ying Ying realized that although the moves Yang Kai displayed contained a shadow of the Void Spirit Sword Art, they were not completely the same.
“It is the Void Spirit Sword Art, but I modified it slightly. I’ll teach you next time!” Yang Kai reached out to ruffle her head.
She was speechless. The Void Spirit Sword Art had been passed down through the Sect for over 1,000 years. Countless Seniors and Ancestors had improved and modified the Sword Art over that time. It could be said that even though the Void Spirit Sword Art was not highly ranked in the Divine Armament World, it was an extremely solid entry-level Sword Art. The fact that her Eldest Senior Brother could further improve it was simply incredible.
During their conversation, they arrived at the mountain gates of Void Spirit Sword Sect. It was a large stone monument that gave off an ancient aura. The characters ‘Void Spirit’ were carved into the stone monument. In addition, there were two disciples dressed in blue and white robes guarding the entrance. These clothes were the standard uniform for Void Spirit Sword Sect disciples, and as soon as they caught sight of Yang Kai and Wan Ying Ying, they immediately came forward to greet them.
“Eldest Senior Brother is back!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. Leaping off his horse, he handed the reins to one of the disciples and asked, “Where is the Sect Master?”
“Sect Master is most likely discussing matters with the two Elders in the Main Hall. You can find him there, Eldest Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai nodded, “You’ve worked hard.”
Afterwards, the two disciples couldn’t help feeling a little absent-minded as they stared at Yang Kai’s departing back.
“It feels like something is different about Eldest Senior Brother today,” one of them said.
“I get the same feeling. In the past, Eldest Senior Brother…” The other person thought about it and considered his words carefully, “He had felt like he was shrouded in heavy Death Qi before, but it feels like he came back to life today.”
“That’s right. That’s right. That’s what it feels like. It looks like Eldest Senior Brother has gotten over the issue from before.”
“That’s good. The world is not lacking in flowers. Zhou Cen doesn’t look like a good woman anyway. She is an ambitious social-climbing woman. It’s a good thing that Eldest Senior Brother can get over her.”
The Yang Kai of Void Spirit Sword Sect had a gentle temperament and always treated people generously; hence, he received the love and respect of his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters. When the incident with Zhou Cen took place, many of his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters had been very worried about him. It was only natural for them to feel happy for him when they saw that he had overcome his hardships.
Inside the Main Hall, Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Sect Master Su Chang Fa, Great Elder Gu Kang Ning, and Second Elder Hong Xiu were gathered together.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was weak, so these three were the only pillars of the Sect among the older generation. They were also the three strongest people in the Sect. All three of them were in the Third-Step Earth Realm.
Unfortunately, there was a big dividing line between the Third-Step and the Fourth-Step. It was similar to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm and the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. One could not cross this dividing gap without sufficient aptitude and resources.
Sect Master Su Chang Fa had exhausted his potential, and for that reason, he would never be able to go further than the Third-Step Earth Realm. The same went for Great Elder Gu Kang Ning. If there was anybody among the three of them who could overcome the divide, then it could only be Hong Xiu.
Hong Xiu was the youngest among the three of them, but be that as it may, she was already in her forties. It was just that she had taken good care of herself, so she looked like she was only in her early twenties. Her skin was fair and tender, her bosom was ample and full, and her figure was slim and slender. She was also the only female among the three of them.
“I don’t know how the information that we discovered a Black Jade mine within Void Spirit Sword Sect’s territory on Ash Mountain was leaked out; however, the Sect Master of Roaring Tiger Sect has already sent a letter to me the other day. His message was heavily ladened with hints. I’m afraid he wants a slice of the pie!” Su Chang Fa sighed. He was now in his early hundreds. With a cultivation in the Earth Realm, he theoretically had quite a long life ahead of him, but handling the affairs of the Sect for so many years had exhausted him, causing him to look haggard and old.
“That bastard! That is Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Black Jade mine! What right does Roaring Tiger Sect have to ask for a share!?” Great Elder Gu Kang Ning roared furiously.
Su Chang Fa sighed, “Even if we refuse, Roaring Tiger Sect will not give up easily. An ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make him guilty! Roaring Tiger Sect is much stronger than us, so there is nothing we can do if they resort to using force.”
Hong Xiu chimed in solemnly, “It’s such a tempting meal. We won’t be able to monopolise the benefits with Void Spirit Sword Sect’s strength alone. Roaring Tiger Sect is arrogant but also powerful, so it’s only natural that they want a share of the benefits. But, what about Tian Luo Hall? Now that the news has spread, Tian Luo Hall won’t remain silent either.”
Su Chang Fa shook his head, “Tian Luo Hall has yet to make a move. I don’t know what they are thinking, but it’s a given that they will meddle in the Black Jade mine!”
Hong Xiu contemplated and then said, “If that’s the case, we can just watch how things play out for the moment. Tian Luo Hall and Roaring Tiger Sect are similar in terms of strength, and since they both have interest in the Black Jade mine, there will surely be conflict between them. Void Spirit Sword Sect might be able to find a good opportunity among the cracks.”
Su Chang Fa nodded, “You’re right, Hong Xiu. This Old Master had the same idea. That’s why I have yet to send a reply to Roaring Tiger Sect. We should see how Tian Luo Hall reacts to this matter before we come to a decision…”
He suddenly paused and looked up in the middle of his sentence; then, a smile appeared on his aged face, “Little Yang Kai is back?”
Gu Kang Ning glared in that direction with an expression of disappointment. Meanwhile, Hong Xiu glanced at Yang Kai in concern.
“Disciple greets Honoured Master and two Elders!” Yang Kai came to a stop before he cupped his fist and bowed in greeting. Behind him, Wan Ying Ying followed suit.
Along the way here, Yang Kai had taken the time to change into another set of clothes; otherwise, his bloody appearance would have surely frightened many people.
Gu Kang Ning scolded angrily, “Where were you?! You’ve been slacking off on your duties all day long! And why do you stink of alcohol!? Void Spirit Sword Sect will be wiped out if we depend on you!”
It was not that he disliked Yang Kai, it was just that Yang Kai’s recent performance had disappointed him so greatly that he could not help but reprimand him out of anger!
Hong Xiu quickly said, “It’s not that serious. A child’s temperament is simply not steady enough. He just needs time to polish himself.”
“Polish himself? Do you know how old he is now? He’s only in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm still! When will he reach the Earth Realm!? With his current attitude, I’m worried that he might not fight back even if somebody hits him! That’s what happened last time after all, he came home with a bruised and swollen face after being beaten up outside! That was such an embarrassment to Void Spirit Sword Sect,” he muttered angrily.
Yang Kai bowed in the Great Elder’s direction, “Many thanks for your guidance, Great Elder. This Disciple has learned from his mistakes. In the past, this Disciple has failed the earnest teachings of Honoured Master and two Elders. Fortunately, this Disciple has come to his senses and will work hard in the future so that I don’t fail your expectations of me.”
Gu Kang Ning seemed a little stunned to hear those words. He could not tell whether Yang Kai meant what he said, but his anger still subsided and he nodded, “It’s best if you think that way. But, I hope you can do more than just talk.”
“This Disciple has already begun following your teachings, Great Elder. I encountered some people who provoked me today, so this Disciple gave them a painful lesson!”
Behind him, Wan Ying Ying’s brow twitched at those words.
“Oh?” The Great Elder immediately became interested, “Who is this person with no eyes who dared to provoke you? What was the outcome?”
“This Disciple killed them all!” Yang Kai nonchalantly replied.
An eerie silence fell over the entire hall.
After a while, Gu Kang Ning lightly coughed, “It’s good for young people to be hot-blooded. Only hot-blooded people have the drive to improve. Ahem. Who were these people?”
The only people who could be killed by Yang Kai were most likely inferior cultivators; therefore, Gu Kang Ning was not too bothered even though he was surprised that somebody as gentle and kind as Yang Kai could kill another person. Void Spirit Sword Sect might be weak, but not just anybody could afford to provoke them either.
“Zhang Yu Lin of Tian Luo Hall and several of his attendants.” Yang Kai reported truthfully, “At the time, this disciple was in the restaurant when…”
Before he could finish speaking, he heard a clattering sound and looked up. Both his Honoured Master Su Chang Fa and Great Elder Gu Kang Ning had gotten to their feet with expressions of horror on their faces. Meanwhile, Elder Hong Xiu reached out to cover her red lips with her hand.
“You… What… What did you say!? Who did you kill!?” Gu Kang Ning stuttered.
“Zhang Yu Lin of Tian Luo Hall. Uh… Great Elder, you might not know this person. He is a descendant of Tian Luo Hall’s Third Elder, Zhan Bo Xiong. You know Zhan Bo Xiong, right, Great Elder?” Yang Kai explained seriously.
“Of course, I know… Obviously!” Gu Kang Ning roared, the corners of his eyes twitching violently, “Are you certain the person you killed is Zhang Yu Lin!”
“There’s no doubt!” Yang Kai nodded.
The Great Elder slumped down in his chair, all the colour in his face draining away. If that was what Yang Kai said, then there could be no mistake. Besides, there was a long-standing grudge between Zhang Yu Lin and Yang Kai. It was impossible for Yang Kai to mistake Zhang Yu Lin for somebody else.
[Zhang Yu Lin has been killed! It’s over! It’s all over! It’s over for Void Spirit Sword Sect!]
Even Su Chang Fa and Hong Xiu were unable to react for a time. They could not understand why Yang Kai would cause such a catastrophic disaster. Zhang Yu Lin had been killed; how could Zhan Bo Xiong possibly forgive such a thing? Who in Void Spirit Sword Sect could stop a Seventh-Step Earth Realm Master like him!?
“Judging from the situation, it’s not that there is no response from Tian Luo Hall. Rather, they’ve already taken action.” After a long time, Hong Xiu finally said softly.
Upon hearing those words, Su Chang Fa and Gu Kang Ning looked at her and suddenly seemed to understand something.
They had been wondering why Tian Luo Hall had seemed disinterested in the Black Jade mine. It would now seem that they were not unresponsive; rather, they had already taken matters into their own hands and were planning to use Yang Kai as their excuse to attack.
As the Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect, Yang Kai represented the face of Void Spirit Sword Sect in the outside world; therefore, they sent Zhang Yu Lin to stir up trouble with Yang Kai in order to use the grudges between the younger generation as a catalyst to start a war between the two great forces. It was all a conspiracy to obtain the Black Jade mine.
They probably never imagined that Yang Kai would have the guts to kill Zhang Yu Lin though.
It would seem that Tian Luo Hall had a larger appetite than Roaring Tiger Sect. Roaring Tiger Sect had only sent a letter to ask for a share of the pie. In contrast, Tian Luo Hall had secretly plotted from the shadows. Their intention to devour and eliminate Void Spirit Sword Sect could not be more obvious.
After considering all this, both Su Chang Fa and Gu Kang Ning gave a soft sigh. Even without the incident involving Zhang Yu Lin, Tian Luo Hall would have come up with a different method to oppress Void Spirit Sword Sect. It was just that Yang Kai had killed Zhang Yu Lin, which gave them an even better excuse to attack.
“This incident is not your fault. They were already planning on attacking our Void Spirit Sword Sect!” Su Chang Fa waved his hand lightly.
Hong Xiu furrowed her brow tightly, “As things stand, our only option left is to cooperate with Roaring Tiger Sect. Perhaps, we can borrow Roaring Tiger Sect’s strength to stop Tian Luo Hall.”
Yang Kai was extremely perplexed by the flow of the conversation; thus, he couldn’t help asking, “Honoured Master, Elders, what are you talking about?”
Gu Kang Ning and Hong Xiu exchanged a glance, and after a moment of consideration, Gu Kang Ning explained, “As the Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect, you have the right to know. It’s like this… We discovered a Black Jade lode with abundant reserves on Ash Mountain recently. It’s just that the information was leaked out somehow. Roaring Tiger Sect has sent us a letter stating their intentions to help us develop the mineral lode, and it’s likely that Tian Luo Hall tried to start trouble with you due to the mineral lode.”
“A Black Jade lode!?” Yang Kai’s expression changed. Aside from absorbing World Energy, cultivators in this world could also consume certain resources to improve their cultivation. It was similar to the Star Boundary in this regard. The most common type of cultivation resource here was Spirit Jades. Spirit Jades contained dense World Energy inside them; hence, they could increase a cultivator’s cultivation efficiency by a large margin.
Spirit Jades could be divided into several grades. From the lowest, a Spirit Jade could be classified as a White Jade, Black Jade, Red Jade, and finally Gold Jade. The difference in the value and the World Energy contained within the Spirit Jade varied about 1,000 times between the same portion of Gold Jade and White Jade.
Yang Kai checked his memories and, in the past, it seemed he had used Spirit Jades to enhance his cultivation. Be that as it may, he only had the privilege to obtain White Jades for his cultivation. Although he would occasionally receive a few pieces of Black Jade, these were extremely rare. Furthermore, they were things that Su Chang Fa had specially saved up for him.
If this was the case for the Eldest Senior Brother of the Sect, then there was no need to mention the Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters; therefore, it was very shocking for a Black Jade lode to appear in the Ash Mountain!
A single Black Jade lode was enough to allow the strength of an Earth Realm great force to soar within a few dozen years. Generally, only Heaven Realm great forces could monopolise such a thing, so it was no wonder Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall were eyeing the Black Jade lode greedily.
Su Chang Fa continued, “The Black Jade lode is too valuable, so Void Spirit Sword Sect does not have the strength to monopolise it. We initially wanted to see how things went between Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall, but now…”
Yang Kai immediately understood, “Now that I’ve killed Zhang Yu Lin, Void Spirit Sword Sect can only borrow the strength of Roaring Tiger Sect to resist Tian Luo Hall.”
“That’s right!” Su Chang Fa nodded.
Feeling slightly stunned, Yang Kai clicked his tongue and muttered, “I would have left him alive if I had known earlier.”
Su Chang Fa shook his head, “Tian Luo Hall’s actions clearly indicate that they wish to monopolise the Black Jade mine; otherwise, they could have openly sent a message to this Old Master without creating an excuse by instigating a fight between the younger generation. Therefore, even if you had not killed Zhang Yu Lin, Tian Luo Hall would not have given up so easily.”
Gu Kang Ning waved his hand dismissively, “Now that you know these things, you should know how to be grateful. But, there’s no need to think too much about this. With your current strength, there’s no point worrying about these matters. Even if the sky collapses, you have us to hold it up. We will protect you. You’ve already wasted a whole year, so it is better if you focus on your cultivation for now rather than worry about things you cannot change.”
Yang Kai quickly said, “Yes. After this incident, this Disciple has realised how lacking his strength is. I will cultivate seriously from now on.”
Su Chang Fa and the two Elders stared at Yang Kai in amazement. Then, Su Chang Fa nodded, “It’s good that you have such thoughts.”
Yang Kai added, “This Disciple would like to request for some cultivation resources. I hope you will allow it, Honoured Master.”
Su Chang Fa immediately tossed the Sect Master Token to Yang Kai and declared, “Go and collect them from your Martial Uncle Chang yourself. You can take as much as you want.”
In any case, if Void Spirit Sword Sect survived this disaster, they would have more than enough resources in the future. On the other hand, if they failed to survive this disaster, then it was a waste to leave those resources untouched.
“Many thanks, Honoured Master!” Yang Kai took the token and turned to leave.
“Is there something else, Ying Ying?” Hong Xiu glanced at Wan Ying Ying, who remained standing below them.
Wan Ying Ying opened her mouth and was tempted to say that her Eldest Senior Brother had not only killed Zhang Yu Lin today but also four other Eighth-Step and Ninth-Step Mortal Realm Masters; however, she did not know how to express the words that were at the tip of her tongue. [Nobody will believe me if I said something like that. Besides, now that I think about it, I can’t be sure whether those attendants were really in the Eighth-Step and Ninth-Step Mortal Realm…]
“It’s… It’s nothing. I’m going to cultivate,” she mumbled and quickly took her leave.
Following a discussion between Su Chang Fa and the two Elders in the Main Hall, they eventually decided to cooperate with Roaring Tiger Sect. They hoped to borrow Roaring Tiger Sect’s strength to block Tian Luo Hall’s advances. Zhang Yu Lin had been killed, so it was conceivable that the retaliation from Tian Luo Hall would soon come. Void Spirit Sword Sect would be powerless to resist without the help of Roaring Tiger Sect. The survival of a 1,000-year-old Sect was currently hanging by a thread thanks to the unexpected appearance of a single Black Jade lode!
Standing in front of the Sect’s storehouse, Yang Kai took the Sect Master Token and came to the Martial Uncle in charge of this place. The Martial Uncle had the surname ‘Chang’, and although he was getting on in years, he was still stuck in the Ninth-Step Mortal Realm due to insufficient aptitude. In terms of hierarchy, he belonged to the same generation as Su Chang Fa.
Martial Uncle Chang naturally had no objections when he saw the Sect Master Token and readily allowed Yang Kai to pass.
Yang Kai entered the storehouse and began walking around aimlessly, grabbing anything and everything that could help with his cultivation. It didn’t take long before he walked out with a large bundle in his hands.
After Yang Kai departed, Martial Uncle Chang entered to check the storehouse and immediately felt his vision go black. He nearly fainted on the spot. That was because not a single Spirit Jade remained in the storehouse. Several dozen bottles of elixirs purchased from other Sects at a high price had also been cleared out. Even the spirit flowers and spirit herbs for Alchemy were gone.
It could be said that anything with the slightest value inside the storehouse had been taken away by Yang Kai. The entire storage was cleaner than a rice field devoured by locusts. Thus, it gave him such a shock that he hurriedly went to the Sect Master to report about this matter.
…..
Carrying his huge bundle, Yang Kai stood in front of a statue and looked up at the several-metre-tall carving of a man. The statue was exquisite and highlighted the charming features of this person clearly. He was extraordinarily brave and heroic and his gaze was powerful. Of particular note was the sword he wore on his waist. This was a statue of Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Ancestor who became the True Void Sword Lord.
In Yang Kai’s memory, he had walked past this statue on countless occasions, but this time he seemed to discover something interesting about the statue. After staring at the statue for a long time, he finally grinned and headed towards his residence with his large bundle in hand.
As the Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect, it was only natural that Yang Kai had a private residence. He entered the secluded home and put the bundle down before taking off his shirt to check his wounds.
In addition to being stabbed in the abdomen by Zhang Yu Lin, his arms had been reduced to a bloody mess from him overusing them during his battle against the attendants. Even so, his injuries were already showing signs of recovery. He quietly examined his wounds for a moment before raising a brow.
“Is it the power of my Dragon Vein?” Yang Kai could clearly sense faint traces of his Dragon Clan bloodline flowing through his body and his meridians. It was precisely because of these faint traces of the Dragon Clan bloodline that his injuries could heal so quickly.
It would seem that although he could not mobilise his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm strength, the Divine Armament World was also unable to fully isolate him from the power of his bloodline.
The power of the Dragon Vein flowing through his body was extremely weak, to the point that it was barely perceptible, but this power was enough to make a Fourth-Step Mortal Realm Master undergo Earth-shaking changes.
Furthermore, he had the vague sense that the power of the Dragon Vein within him would become more and more powerful as his strength gradually increased and the endurance of his body was enhanced.
[At present, what I urgently need to do is to cultivate hard and increase my strength. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for the Divine Armament Tournament or for the imminent danger I will face… I’m running out of time!]
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and carefully went through the information in his mind.
The sword was the foundation of Void Spirit Sword Sect. They cultivated a Secret Art known as the Void Spirit Art paired with the Void Spirit Sword Art. What he used when fighting Zhang Yu Lin’s attendants back then was the Void Spirit Sword Art; however, it was a version that he had modified and improved. With his rich experience, modifying and improving a simple Sword Art was not a problem.
It would now seem that the Void Spirit Art also had room for improvement. He immediately activated the Spirit Qi flowing in his body and slowly changed the cultivation route in his body.
In less than an hour, Yang Kai finished improving the Void Spirit Art. After a series of experiments, he discovered that both the cultivation speed and absorption of the World Energy of the improved Void Spirit Art were at least 20% percent higher.
Yang Kai was in no hurry to begin cultivating. After spending so many years in the outside world doing just that, he was no stranger to the principle of sharpening his axe before chopping wood. He dug out all the pills he retrieved from Void Spirit Sword Sect’s storehouse. Several dozen bottles of pills sat in several rows before him. Then, he opened them one by one to check their various medicinal efficacies.
His attainments in the Alchemic Dao were extremely deep, so distinguishing the uses of these pills was very easy for him, more so since the pills in Void Spirit Sword Sect were not particularly high-grade products. It didn’t take long before he had neatly sorted all the bottles of pills into several categories.
He randomly grabbed one of the bottles, opened it without a care, and poured the entire contents into his mouth. Immediately after that, he followed with the second bottle, then the third bottle… It was not until he emptied the contents of the fifth bottle that his stomach felt slightly full and bloated.
If he wanted to increase his strength then his body was his greatest capital. Recalling the journey he took to get here, the toughness of his body had given him many advantages over time. Whether he was cultivating or facing enemies, the resilience of his physique always played a huge and crucial role in his success. The tougher his body, the more pressure he could withstand, and the faster he could cultivate.
Yang Kai had secretly examined his body in the Divine Armament World, quickly discovering that his current aptitude was neither particularly good nor bad. It could only be considered average, nothing special; however, the toughness of his body was practically unmatched.
Something like aptitude was basically fixed from the moment of birth. It was difficult for him to enhance his aptitude, so he could only start from a different path. Fortunately, the potential of his Dragon Vein was still intact. Focusing on enhancing his Dragon Vein to improve this body was perfectly feasible.
The medicinal efficacies inside his stomach dissolved and the slight feeling of fullness from earlier rapidly ballooned. Yang Kai soon felt as though there was a fire in his stomach and all his internal organs were burning.
This was only to be expected though, as while Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Spirit Pills weren’t high-grade, he was only in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm. In the Divine Armament World, his existence was no different from an ant. How could he possibly withstand the impact of so many medicinal efficacies all at once? If it were an ordinary Fourth-Step Mortal Realm Master, the explosion of such enormous medicinal efficacies would have been enough to kill him.
Yang Kai himself was also having a hard time at the moment. Crimson blood slowly flowed out of his seven orifices, his body trembled uncontrollably, his complexion turned green and pale, and his stomach felt as though countless cats were clawing at him from the inside with all their might.
Still, he forcefully endured the discomfort while at the same time circulating the Void Spirit Art to guide the enormous medicinal efficacies through his blood and muscles, nourishing every part of his body.
The power of his Dragon Vein hidden in his blood slowly exerted its power. Although it was not much, it constantly helped to repair his damaged body and meridians. It was enough to prevent him from dying as he walked along the fine edge between life and death to seek great opportunity.
As he slowly became accustomed to the impact of the medicinal efficacies, Yang Kai’s mental state improved considerably. The enormous medicinal efficacies were gradually absorbed into his body with the help of the Void Spirit Art to become the foundation of his strength.
Approximately an hour later, he finally sensed that the medicinal efficacies in his body were almost depleted. Yang Kai quietly examined himself and found that the toughness of his body had improved sharply compared to before. His muscles were more compact and felt stronger and his meridians were wider and more resilient, allowing him to tolerate a stronger flow of Spirit Qi.
These effects were not just thanks to the five bottles of Spirit Pills but also thanks to the subtle transformation brought about by his Dragon Blood. In fact, the latter accounted for a larger proportion of these changes. Compared to before, the toughness of his body had increased by approximately 20%. This result was quite satisfying.
A pungent smell filled Yang Kai’s nose and he felt his entire body was incredibly wet and sticky, almost as though he was covered in a layer of mud. He knew that this was the effect of his body excreting a large number of impurities; however, he couldn’t be bothered and simply swallowed several more bottles of pills.
This cycle repeated over and over again. Those several dozen bottles of pills that Void Spirit Sword Sect worked so hard to accumulate over the years were used up by Yang Kai in a mere three days. The final result was that the toughness of his body had increased many times over. Even the power of his Dragon Vein had been greatly stimulated. Traces of golden Dragon Blood flowed through his veins now, carrying with it a horrifying power.
In addition, his newly awakened Dragon Blood was now constantly influencing and enhancing his body. Even if he did nothing, the toughness of his body would only become stronger and stronger over time. His cultivation had also risen from the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm to the Fifth-Step Mortal Realm!
There were four Great Realms in this world, Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Spirit. Each Great Realm had nine Minor Realms. The concept was similar to the Nine Orders of the Open Heaven Realm. Among them, the barrier of the Fourth-Step and the Seventh-Step were the hardest to overcome in each Great Realm, doing so would lead to a whole world of difference in strength. On the other hand, one could easily break through from the Fourth-Step to the Sixth-Step as long as one had accumulated enough Spirit Qi.
Yang Kai had consumed many Spirit Pills during this period, and while most of the medicinal efficacies had been used to enhance and strengthen his body, quite a lot of the remaining medicinal efficacies had also been transformed into Spirit Qi. That Spirit Qi flooded his body and meridians, naturally allowing his cultivation to progress at a rapid pace.
Suddenly, the sound of a grumbling stomach rang out. Yang Kai was starving. He was so hungry that he felt he could eat a horse. This feeling was very new to him, or rather, very old, making him wonder just how long it had been since he last felt hunger.
In the outside world, thanks to the constant advancement of his cultivation, Yang Kai had long ago overcome the need to eat to sustain himself. Even if he ate something once in a while, it was only to satisfy his appetite and cravings, not to fulfil a basic physical need. However, things were different in the Divine Armament World. The cultivators in the Mortal Realm were not at a level where they go without food indefinitely, and in fact, it seemed the higher their cultivation became, the greater their appetite.
The impurities discharged from Yang Kai’s body had already formed a hard shell over his skin at this point, so he decided that he might as well leave his secluded home. He took a bath and changed into a new set of clean clothes before he went to the Sect’s kitchen and practically gobbled up everything he could get his hands on.
The disciples guarding the kitchen stared at Yang Kai in stunned shock, watching helplessly as he finished eating all the food in the kitchen. They could barely believe what they were seeing.
The main reason was that Yang Kai’s appearance had changed quite drastically. Compared to the last time they saw him a few days ago, he seemed to have become much thinner. The clothes that used to fit him like a glove now seemed almost empty, hanging loosely around his frame. Those who met him for the first time would think that he was malnourished; yet, his eyes were so bright that it was scary.
“Who are the visitors in the Main Hall?” Yang Kai held a half-eaten leg of lamb on each hand, chomping on his food with great relish while glancing in a certain direction.
There were two rows of disciples lined up on both sides outside the Main Hall, making for quite the formal sight. In his memories, Void Spirit Sword Sect would only perform such grand gestures when dealing with the arrival of important guests.
A Junior Brother nearby quickly answered, “I heard that one of the Protectors of Roaring Tiger Sect arrived today. Sect Master and the two Elders are currently discussing important matters with that person.”
“People from Roaring Tiger Sect, huh…” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “They sure act fast!”
The reason for Roaring Tiger Sect’s arrival was undoubtedly the Black Jade mine.
It was just as Elder Hong Xiu mentioned before; with Void Spirit Sword Sect’s current strength, it was impossible for them to monopolise the Black Jade mine. They were powerless to resist if Roaring Tiger Sect wished to interfere in this matter; therefore, they had originally planned to survive in the cracks formed when Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall fought for control of the mine. It was just that Yang Kai ended up killing Zhang Yu Lin, so it was useless to count on Tian Luo Hall now.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai’s current strength was too low, so he couldn’t help with these matters even if he wanted to.
“Burp…”
Yang Kai let out a loud belch and licked the grease off his fingers. After that, he patted the person next to him on the shoulder and wiped the rest of the grease on his fingers on that person’s clothes, “Good, I’m going back to cultivate. Watch the kitchen well. Don’t let some random wild beast in to steal all the food here!”
The Junior Brother stared dumbfound at Yang Kai’s departing back. When he turned around to look at the empty kitchen, he became desperate to cry but was unable to shed any tears. [Our Fellow Brothers will most likely have to go hungry tonight!]
Yang Kai returned to his secluded home and glanced at the White Jades scattered across the ground. Then, he loosened his muscles.
There were more than 2,000 pieces of White Jade stored in Void Spirit Sword Sect’s treasury. This number was not large, but for Yang Kai, in his current cultivation, it was not small either. It was enough for him to cultivate for some time. Each White Jade was about the size of a finger. Moreover, it was cool to the touch and the Spirit Qi contained within could be perceived clearly.
He sat down cross-legged in the middle of the White Jade pile. Grabbing a handful in each hand, he let out a breath and began to circulate the Void Spirit Art. Pure Spirit Qi immediately flowed out from the White Jade into his body. The Spirit Qi circulated through his meridians to sink into his body and dantian.
His body that underwent three days of conditioning still might not seem that strong, but his physique had clearly gotten much stronger than before. It was perfectly reflected in the speed in which he absorbed the Spirit Qi from the Spirit Jade. His meridians had become wider and more resilient, which in turn allowed more Spirit Qi to flow more smoothly. It was only natural that his rate of absorption would increase significantly.
Large amounts of Spirit Qi flooded his body and transformed into his new foundation. Yang Kai’s originally thin figure seemed to swell slowly like a balloon being pumped full of air. It didn’t take long before he transformed into a brave, heroic, and extraordinary figure. The loose clothes gradually fit around his body once more.
A short while later, Yang Kai stopped feeling any Spirit Qi flowing into his body from his hands. He spread open his palms and saw that the two handfuls of Spirit Jade had become grey and dull. The energy in these Spirit Jades had been absorbed cleanly.
Discarding the used Spirit Jades, Yang Kai grabbed another handful to continue his cultivation.
Time passed slowly, and after refining more than 600 White Jades, Yang Kai felt as though he had reached his current limit. His body was filled with Spirit Qi to the point that no more could be accommodated. The Spirit Qi surged wantonly throughout his meridians and his body. It was unbearably painful and his exposed skin turned blood red as a result.
Most cultivators would stop cultivating and slowly take the time to digest their gains when they encounter such a situation; after all, cultivation should be done slowly and steadily. Haste was never the answer.
However, Yang Kai had no time to waste. He had kicked a hornet’s nest as soon as he arrived in the Divine Armament World and according to his estimations, Tian Luo Hall’s retaliation would arrive soon. If he did not increase his cultivation quickly, he would not have enough strength to survive the calamity. Besides, he wanted to use this kind of crazy cultivation method to increase the limits of his body.
As he continued to refine the Spirit Qi in the Spirit Jades, his body acted like a bottomless pit. His clothes danced and flapped around him even though there was no wind while the entire secluded home seemed to rumble faintly.
Fresh blood leaked out of his pores and soon dyed his clothes red, but even so, Yang Kai ignored everything and continued to refine the White Jades like mad. The damage to his body was left to the power of his Dragon Vein to heal.
All of a sudden, he felt his entire body becoming light all over. It felt as though he had broken through a barrier and the surging power in his body was immediately alleviated as a result.
Sixth-Step Mortal Realm!
Now that Yang Kai’s cultivation had increased to the next Step, the pressure that was bearing down upon him vanished without a trace. Thus, he grabbed another handful of White Jades and frantically continued to circulate the Void Spirit Art.
The White Jades scattered around him decreased at a very fast rate and his cultivation improved rapidly in turn. Three days after he advanced into the Sixth-Step Mortal Realm, he achieved another breakthrough and advanced into the Seventh-Step!
At a certain point, his hand came up empty when he reached out to the side. Yang Kai lowered his head and looked down only to see that he had finished consuming over 2,000 White Jades in the short span of six or seven days! Thanks to the abundant White Jades and the several dozen bottles of pills, he had advanced from the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm to the Seventh-Step Mortal Realm in one session!
If it were any other cultivator, it would have been impossible for them to achieve such a rapid cultivation speed. Yang Kai had relied on the power of his Dragon Vein, which allowed him to be so unscrupulous in his cultivation. Even so, many dark injuries remained in his body from this process.
These dark injuries were like cracks in the foundation of the building. The higher the building, the greater the chance of it collapsing. Nevertheless, Yang Kai was not too bothered. With the power of his Dragon Vein, these dark injuries would repair themselves sooner or later.
Moreover, with the increasing enhancement of his physique, the power of his Dragon Vein that he could stimulate would also become increasingly intense. There was a positive cycle that had no defined limits.
Without more White Jades, Yang Kai could only cultivate by absorbing ambient World Energy. Needless to say, he was dissatisfied with such cultivation speed. He was just considering whether he wanted to visit the Black Jade lode to obtain some Black Jade for cultivation when a figure rushed inside his house.
“Little Junior Sister? Why are you in such a panic?” Yang Kai stared at Wan Ying Ying in astonishment when she rushed over to him.
Wan Ying Ying’s complexion was pale as she stretched out her hand and stuffed a bag into his arms before hurriedly saying, “Eldest Senior Brother, Sect Master has issued an order. You are to set off for Green Mountain Town immediately.”
“Green Mountain Town?” Yang Kai frowned, “That place is over 1,000 kilometres from here. What does Honoured Master want me to do there?”
Wan Ying Ying shook her head, “I don’t know the specific details. Sect Master only said that you will know once you arrive. Eldest Senior Brother, this matter is very urgent. You need to leave now.”
While saying so, she grabbed his hand and tried to drag him out, but Yang Kai did not budge. Despite tugging at him twice, Wan Ying Ying could not move him at all, so she turned around anxiously and stomped her foot, “Eldest Senior Brother, let’s go!”
“What happened outside?” Yang Kai looked at her quietly.
Her expression immediately became unnatural as she shook her head hard, “N-Nothing!”
“Since you were a child, you’ve always stuttered whenever you lied. Tell me. What happened outside?”
“N-Nothing! I s-swear!”
He ruffled her head, “Did somebody from Tian Luo Hall come?”
“N-N-No!” She shook her head vigorously.
Yang Kai stepped outside with a suspicious expression, “How strange. Didn’t Honoured Master say that he was going to borrow the power of Roaring Tiger Sect to deal with Tian Luo Hall? Where are the people from Roaring Tiger Sect?”
Wan Ying Ying clutched at him from behind, screaming and crying, “Eldest Senior Brother, don’t go! It’s very dangerous outside! Sect Master wants you to leave now! It’s also to ensure that Void Spirit Sword Sect will continue to exist. You have to hurry up and leave before they find you!”
“So, it really is somebody from Tian Luo Hall.” Yang Kai raised his brow and returned the bag in his arms to Wan Ying Ying, “I caused this situation. Tian Luo Hall will never relent if I don’t show up. The Master Sect raised me, so how can I stand by and watch when it is in trouble? Let me go and have a look.”
Yang Kai walked out with large strides as he spoke. Even though Wan Ying Ying desperately tried to stop him, how could she possibly do that?
The Sect’s main square was a huge mess and fresh blood staining the entire ground.
There were only several dozen people in Void Spirit Sword Sect and all of them were gathered in this place. From Sect Master Su Chang Fa down to the most common disciple, all of them looked sorrowful. Su Chang Fa, Gu Kang Ning, and Hong Xiu were covered in wounds and fresh blood dyed their clothes red. The corpses of more than ten Void Spirit Sword Sect disciples lay scattered across that square.
Many shadows stood around the square, surrounding the Void Spirit Sword Sect members. These people were vaguely divided into two factions. One was headed by a middle-aged man while the other was headed by an elderly man wearing black robes.
Su Chang Fa looked at the middle-aged man sadly and called out, “Protector Wan, is this how Roaring Tiger Sect does things? You and I clearly had an agreement!”
He initially thought that he could borrow the strength of Roaring Tiger Sect to resist Tian Luo Hall, and for that reason, Void Spirit Sword Sect had offered the other party a high price that amounted to 80% of the Black Jade lode. In other words, 80% of the profits from the Black Jade lode would belong to Roaring Tiger Sect. Who could have known that this bastard surnamed Wan would do nothing and simply watch from the sidelines when Tian Luo Hall attacked today?
Wan Tian He laughed when he heard those words, “Agreement? What agreement? This Protector does not recall ever making an agreement with Void Spirit Sword Sect.”
Wan Tian He’s expression of denial made Su Chang Fa boil with rage. Blood surged up his throat and came out his mouth. His complexion immediately waned. Unfortunately, the overall situation was more important than his personal feelings at the moment, so he was forced to back down and plead in a trembling voice, “Protector Wan, if you can save Void Spirit Sword Sect from this disaster, then the Black Jade mine will belong entirely to Roaring Tiger Sect! Void Spirit Sword Sect will not intervene in this matter again!”
Wan Tian He smiled lightly but did not answer.
The other elderly man coldly snorted, “Su Chang Fa, do you still not understand? This is the law of the jungle. The strong stand on top. Only the person with the biggest fist has the right to speak. Void Spirit Sword Sect lost its right to exist in this world a long time ago! With Void Spirit Sword Sect gone, won’t the Black Jade mine still belong to Roaring Tiger Sect regardless?”
“You’ve been colluding with each other right from the beginning!” Su Chang Fa suddenly realised. Both Wan Tian He from Roaring Tiger Sect and Zhan Bo Xiong from Tian Luo Hall were in the Seventh-Step Earth Realm. Void Spirit Sword Sect was completely powerless against them, and judging by their actions today, it was clear that they had been secretly working together for a while now. Void Spirit Sword Sect was the only one who had been kept in the dark! Su Chang Fa thought he could use the wolf to drive away the tiger, but all he did was invite the wolf into his home!
“Hand over the True Void Spirit Art and that brat called Yang Kai; otherwise, I will wipe out your entire Sect!” Zhan Bo Xiong shouted coldly.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was undeniably weak nowadays, but the True Void Sword Lord was counted among their Ancestors. It could be seen that the Sect was not without some heritage. It was rumoured that Void Spirit Sword Sect possessed a Secret Art known as the True Void Spirit Art, one that was completely different from the one the disciples generally cultivated. Furthermore, the True Void Sword Lord supposedly achieved all his success by relying on the True Void Spirit Art.
If not to obtain the True Void Spirit Art, Zhan Bo Xiong would have already killed all the people in front of him rather than wasting his time talking to them.
Su Chang Fa smiled miserably, “There is no real or fake Void Spirit Art. There is only one Void Spirit Art. It is unfortunate that the younger generation is mediocre and are unable to reproduce the glory of our Ancestors. It is ridiculous how you believed that there’s some hidden inside story. You really are foolish! As for my Eldest Disciple, this Old Master sent him down the mountain a long time ago. Go ahead and search for him if you think you have the ability to find him! Hahahaha… Cough, cough…”
The smile on Su Chang Fa’s face stiffened quickly as he stared at the figure running here from the bottom of the mountain.
That figure moved incredibly quickly. He had only been halfway up the mountain when Su Chang Fa first noticed him, but he arrived at the top of the mountain in the blink of an eye. There was a loud explosion that sounded like a meteor crashing into the ground when the figure wrapped in a sharp aura landed at the top of the mountain.
“Honoured Master, this Disciple has arrived late!” Yang Kai shouted.
Su Chang Fa’s eyes rolled back into his head. He was so furious that he fainted from anger.
Gu Kang Ning, who was drenched in blood, was so enraged that he slapped his thigh and cursed, “Foolish! Foolish brat! How maddening!” [We are in such a desperate situation. How dare this little bastard come here!? Didn’t we send Wan Ying Ying to secretly pass him a message asking him to leave this place!? This is just great! The entire Void Spirit Sword Sect will be killed by the enemy and wiped from history now!]
Next to him, Hong Xiu sighed softly, “This is our fate! This Disciple has been unfilial! Void Spirit Sword Sect’s inheritance which survived for 1,000 years will die along with us today!”
On the other hand, Yang Kai was shocked and hurriedly rushed over to Su Chang Fa. It took a lot of effort before he finally managed to wake Su Chang Fa and asked in concern, “Honoured Master, how are you feeling?”
Su Chang Fa slowly opened his eyes and saw Yang Kai staring down at him. Yang Kai continued with a look of shame, “Honoured Master, this Disciple was immersed in cultivation and failed to extricate himself in time. This Disciple has come late to the rescue. Please forgive me, Honoured Master!”
“You… You…” Su Chang Fa pointed at Yang Kai and shuddered slightly, then his head suddenly tilted to the side. He had fainted from rage again.
Yang Kai did a quick check and discovered that Su Chang Fa was just unconscious. The wounds covering Su Chang Fa might look ghastly, but they were not fatal. The realisation gave him a small sense of relief.
Turning to look around him, he saw many corpses lying around them. There were at least ten Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters lying in pools of their own blood. Meanwhile, those who were still alive were covered in wounds. The sight immediately made his expression turn frosty.
“Are you Yang Kai?” Zhan Bo Xiong squinted at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai looked Zhan Bo Xiong up and down, “That’s right. Who are you?”
“This Old Master is Zhan Bo Xiong!”
A look of understanding filled Yang Kai’s face as he asked, “Are you the ones who killed my Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters?”
“So what? It is a given that a murder should be paid for with one’s life! I’m just here to collect my debt. How dare you kill my grandson!? I will send the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect to accompany him in the afterlife! As for you…” Zhan Bo Xiong waved his large hand, “Capture him. I’m going to skin this bastard alive in front of Yu Lin’s mourning hall and drain his blood dry to comfort my pitiful grandson in Heaven!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, two Tian Luo Hall disciples rushed out from behind him and charged at Yang Kai.
The expressions of Hong Xiu and Gu Kang Ning immediately changed drastically. Judging by the Spirit Qi fluctuations of these two Tian Luo Hall disciples when they attacked, both of them were at the peak of the Mortal Realm, just one step away from advancing into the Earth Realm.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was only in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm even though he was Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Eldest Disciple of the current generation. There was no way he could resist them.
“Run!” Hong Xiu screamed. It was not that she didn’t want to help, but that she was too heavily injured; moreover, Earth Realm Masters from Tian Luo Hall were watching her, so she couldn’t take a single step forward.
Likewise, Gu Kang Ning was caught in the same situation.
To her despair, Yang Kai showed no intention to escape despite facing two Masters at the peak of the Mortal Realm. On the contrary, he actually stood up and rushed straight at them.
“Don’t be so presumptuous!” Zhan Bo Xiong’s eyes were cold.
When the three figures crossed each other, Yang Kai reached out both hands at the same time to cover the faces of the two people charging towards him.
The confrontation lasted only a flash, and nobody saw what happened clearly. All they heard was a loud explosion and after that, they saw Yang Kai half-kneeling on the ground. His two large hands were wrapped around the heads of the two Tian Luo Hall disciples as he slammed them into the ground fiercely.
*Kacha…*
The sound of bones cracking rang out and brains and blood flowed profusely. The two bodies twitched incessantly under Yang Kai’s grip as horrifying cracking sounds came from the two heads.
The entire square fell silent!
Su Chang Fa slowly regained consciousness and saw the two Tian Luo Hall disciples twitching under Yang Kai’s hands as soon as he opened his eyes. Thinking that he was dreaming, he closed his eyes again and continued to sleep; however, he soon jerked his eyes open again to stare forward with a mixture of shock and confusion.
“Life is beautiful yet oh so fragile. It seems that you don’t understand this. Unfortunately, the ignorant are destined to be cast out by the flow of time. Let me show you the true meaning of power!” Yang Kai slowly stood up, cleaned the blood off his hands, and looked up at Zhan Bo Xiong coldly.
“Seventh-Step Mortal Realm!?” Both Hong Xiu and Gu Kang Ning couldn’t help widening their eyes at the sight. The aura emanating from Yang Kai was clearly something that only a Seventh-Step Mortal Realm Master could possess.
[Isn’t he only in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm? When did he become a Seventh-Step Mortal Realm Master? Has this brat been hiding his strength all this while? But… even if he is a Seventh-Step Mortal Realm Master, how does that change anything?]
Even Third-Step Earth Realm Masters like the three Elders had been defeated so badly. A Seventh-Step Mortal Realm Master was bound to be powerless to fight back in this scenario. Disregarding the fact that Tian Luo Hall had a Seventh-Step Earth Realm Master like Zhan Bo Xiong, there were also several other Earth Realm Masters present. This line-up was not something Yang Kai could fight alone.
“Arrogant Junior! How dare you behave so boastfully!?” Zhan Bo Xiong was livid. In a moment of carelessness, two of his people had been killed by the other party. It was extremely embarrassing for him.
The truth was that the power Yang Kai displayed earlier had shocked him too. A Seventh-Step Mortal Realm Master had killed two Masters at the peak of the Mortal Realm in an instant. Such a feat was not something just anybody could do. Only the most talented geniuses had the ability to kill enemies above their own Realm.
The current Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect was not well-known; therefore, this sudden display of strength immediately gave Zhan Bo Xiong all sorts of thoughts. [Perhaps this boy cultivates the True Void Spirit Art of Void Spirit Sword Sect! As long as I can capture him, I can obtain the biggest secret of Void Spirit Sword Sect! No matter how strong this Junior is, he is just in the Seventh-Step Mortal Realm while I’m in the Seventh-Step Earth Realm. There’s a difference of a whole Great Realm between us. He is definitely not my opponent!]
His hatred towards his grandson’s murderer and his greed towards the True Void Spirit Art compelled Zhan Bo Xiong to make up his mind to capture Yang Kai personally. His figure flickered while he was speaking and he lunged towards his enemy. Under the urging of his Earth Realm Spirit Qi, he came pressing down on Yang Kai with overwhelming force.
“Honoured Master, the Ancestors of Void Spirit Sword Sect actually left us a huge gift, it’s just that we never noticed it before.” Yang Kai suddenly uttered this inexplicable sentence. After that, he lifted his hand into the air and shouted, “Come, sword!”
*Kacha…*
The sound of something shattering rang out. Su Chang Fa and the others turned to look in the direction of the sound and saw fine cracks running down the sword worn by the statue of their Ancestor not far away.
Su Chang Fa abruptly widened his eyes. Seeming to recall something, his expression immediately became filled with emotion.
*Kacha…*
Following that cracking sound, a sword light suddenly shot out from the statue and flew into Yang Kai’s grasp.
It was a sword that emitted an inexplicable halo of light. The sword was a little more than a metre long, with a flat surface that shone like a mirror so clear it could reflect a person’s image perfectly. The shape was smooth and streamlined and its edge was so sharp that it looked like it could slice through space itself.
“The True Void Sword!” Gu Kang Ning exclaimed softly.
Hong Xiu revealed a look of realisation, “So it was here all along. It turns out that the records in the ancient books were true!”
Needless to say, this True Void Sword was not the real True Void Sword. The real True Void Sword was one of the Ten Great Divine Armaments of the Divine Armament World. Only those with great destiny and opportunity could wield the real True Void Sword.
The True Void Sword in Yang Kai’s grip had been hidden in the old statue and was a replica of the Divine Armament. According to the records written in the ancient books of Void Spirit Sword Sect, the True Void Sword Lord spent an enormous amount of manpower and resources to forge this imitation True Void Sword based on the Divine Armament during his final years to leave behind for future generations.
It was just that nobody knew where the True Void Sword replica went after the death of the True Void Sword Lord, even though there were vague records in the ancient books. 1,000 years later, even if the disciples of the later generation came across the records written in the ancient books, they simply assumed that the True Void Sword replica was either lost or destroyed. Who could have known that it had always been concealed inside the Sect’s guardian statue? It was hiding right under their noses the whole time.
The True Void Sword replica was a far cry from the real Divine Armament True Void Sword, but even so, the power it contained was not to be underestimated.
“A Spirit Armament!?” Zhan Bo Xiong charged towards Yang Kai, narrowing his eyes at the sight. Immediately after that, he became overjoyed, “I never imagined that a small force like Void Spirit Sword Sect would have such a good thing hidden away, hahahaha! The Heavens are truly on my side today! Junior, you are not worthy of this Spirit Armament! Hand it over to this Old Master!”
He reached out and grabbed at Yang Kai while speaking.
Cultivators were divided into Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Spirit Realm. The weapons in the Divine Armament World were categorised in the same manner. Below the Divine Armaments were Spirit Armaments, Heaven Armaments, Earth Armaments, and finally Mortal Armaments.
The sword Yang Kai carried previously was just a Mortal Armament and had been destroyed during his battle at the restaurant.
Divine Armaments could not be created and were only innately formed. Even if the True Void Sword Lord spearheaded the creation and collected the most precious materials available in the Divine Armament World, he was still unable to create a real Divine Armament. The most he could create was a Spirit Armament!
That said, a Spirit Armament was powerful enough to wipe out an entire kingdom! Naturally, that also depended on who was wielding the Spirit Armament. In the end, a weapon was only an auxiliary, a tool to be used; therefore, the amount of power it could exert depended on the strength of the wielder.
A Seventh-Step Mortal Realm Master like Yang Kai was cut by the sharp Sword Intent just by holding this Spirit Armament in his hand. His entire body became drenched in blood and his flesh curled violently.
On the other side, Wan Tian He of Roaring Tiger Sect, who had been watching coldly from the side all this while, revealed a look of interest. Who would not be tempted in the face of a Spirit Armament?
Just as he was preparing to join the fight and snatch the Spirit Armament for himself, his heart suddenly clenched tight. He instinctively felt a sense of crisis looming over him, as if a terrible fate would befall him if he made a move.
His cultivation was not that great, only Seventh-Step Earth Realm; even so, his danger perception had always been very sensitive. He had relied on his instincts to escape many disasters over the years, so after a moment of hesitation, he chose to remain motionless.
Zhan Bo Xiong had arrived within ten metres of Yang Kai and was staring greedily at the Spirit Armament in the latter’s hand, already dreaming about his majestic appearance after obtaining this Spirit Armament.
*Hu…*
An enormous illusory phantom suddenly appeared behind Yang Kai. The illusory phantom was several dozen metres tall and filled with an immense aura. The entire illusory phantom was formed from condensed Sword Qi. Moreover, the illusory phantom was identical to the statue that had stood in Void Spirit Sword Sect for 1,000 years. The illusory phantom also held a sword in his hands around which sharp Sword Qi churned.
“Ancestor…” Su Chang Fa stared at the illusory phantom in shock, “The Ancestor has appeared!”
Similarly, Gu Kang Ning and Hong Xiu were staring at the illusory phantom in shock while all of Void Spirit Sword Sect’s disciples were dumbstruck by the sight.
“Huh?” Zhan Bo Xiong felt his chest tightening all of a sudden, as if his skin was being pricked by thousands of tiny needles. Stabbing pain came from all over his body and at the same time, an inexplicable sense of panic filled his heart.
Yang Kai swung the sword in his hand, staring at Zhan Bo Xiong coldly, “Death to all who have harmed Void Spirit Sword Sect!”
Sword Qi was suspended in the air while Sword Intent permeated the sky. Slicing sounds rang out incessantly and fresh blood splattered everywhere while severed limbs flew in all directions.
It felt as though 1,000 years had passed in an instant, and when the Sword Qi rampaging in the void finally dissipated, all the Tian Luo Hall cultivators had been killed on the spot. Chunks of flesh and blood covered the ground and not a single one of them retained a complete corpse, their bodies sliced into multiple pieces by the overwhelming Sword Qi. Even the mountain ahead had been razed to the ground!
Meanwhile, the Void Spirit Sword Sect disciples who were collapsed on the ground were not harmed in any way. The criss-crossing Sword Qi seemed to have eyes and did not cause them any harm.
*Sii…*
Wan Tian He drew a sharp breath of cold air, his expression a mixture of sickly green and deathly pale. He couldn’t help feeling thankful that he had not made his move just now; otherwise, he would have suffered the same fate as Zhan Bo Xiong. Under that horrifying Sword Qi, a Seventh-Step Earth Realm Master was no different from an ant.
“Fools who are completely ignorant of what true strength is!” Yang Kai flicked the sword lightly. His entire body was drenched in red, making him look like he had been dredged out of a pool of blood. He then turned to look at Wan Tian He and asked solemnly, “Protector Wan, do you have anything to say?”
The attack just now was naturally not his own strength, it was the power sealed within the Spirit Armament True Void Sword. All Yang Kai did was use Void Spirit Art to stimulate that power. It was naturally impossible for him to come out unscathed after acting as the carrier for such power. There were countless wounds all over his body and horrifying Sword Intent leaked out of those injuries, preventing them from healing. The blood that flowed down his legs had stained the ground around him red.
Wan Tian He gulped nervously and stared at the True Void Sword in Yang Kai’s hand in fear.
[Zhan Bo Xiong was in the Seventh-Step Earth Realm, just like me. Our strengths are fairly evenly-matched. Zhan Bo Xiong was killed without the slightest hint of being able to resist. How can I possibly defend myself if that brat attacks me?]
He suspected that even a Heaven Realm Master would have been powerless against that strike just now. Only those in the Spirit Realm had the right to fight back.
“Zhan Bo Xiong dared to offend Void Spirit Sword Sect, so his death is not worth pitying. Little Brother, you did well in killing him. To tell you the truth, this Wan has long disliked him!” Both his legs trembled uncontrollably, but he lied without batting an eyelid.
“Let us be practical.” Yang Kai looked at Wan Tian He calmly, “Otherwise, I might just fail to suppress the restlessness of the sword.”
Wan Tian He decisively said, “This Wan was in such a hurry to come today that he brought nothing with him. In the future, this Wan will visit again with gifts of apology. I guarantee that you will be satisfied with the amount, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Good!”
Wan Tian He forced out a smile, “Your noble Sect underwent such a huge event today, so I’m sure you have many other things to deal with. This Wan won’t disturb you any longer. Farewell!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Have a safe journey, Protector Wan. Little Junior Sister, please see Protector Wan off!”
Wan Ying Ying had fallen behind when she followed Yang Kai here, and when she arrived at this place, she was just in time to see Yang Kai wiping out their enemies in a single move. At this moment, she was still unable to recover from her shock. She simply could not understand how her Eldest Senior Brother had gotten so strong in such a short time. It was not until she heard his shout that she finally came back to her senses and responded with a nod.
“No need to trouble yourselves!” Wan Tian He replied politely. Leading the people from Roaring Tiger Sect, he hastily rushed down the mountain.
After Wan Tian He and the others left, Yang Kai suddenly coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and stumbled. He immediately stuck the sword into the ground and half-knelt.
“Eldest Senior Brother!” A bunch of people immediately panicked and shouted noisily.
Su Chang Fa, Gu Kang Ning, and Hong Xiu hurriedly moved towards him. One supported him, another took out Healing Spirit Pills for him to eat, and the last examined his wounds. They were extremely attentive.
After a quick examination, Su Chang Fa’s expression became so grim that he was practically dripping with gloom. Yang Kai’s internal condition was a complete mess. His flesh was torn, his bones were cracked, and his five viscera and six organs were heavily shifted. Such injuries were generally fatal. Truthfully, Su Chang Fa himself was surprised that Yang Kai was still alive with these injuries. [Just how strong is his vitality!?]
He also immediately understood why Yang Kai had not killed the people from Roaring Tiger Sect earlier and allowed them to leave peacefully instead. It was not that Yang Kai did not want to, but that he simply could not. The first attack had already caused him such serious injuries. If he struck another blow, his body might explode on the spot.
“Brat, you better not die!” Gu Kang Ning exclaimed in concern.
Yang Kai had turned the tides around and rescued the Sect from a great disaster. It would be too much of a loss if he were to die here after everything had already been settled.
“Great Elder, rest assured. I won’t… Ugh…” Yang Kai coughed up another mouthful of blood before he could finish his sentence. His blood sprayed all over Su Chang Fa’s face across him.
Hong Xiu anxiously said, “Stop talking! The top priority is to treat your wounds as soon as possible!”
“That’s right,” Gu Kang Ning quickly nodded in agreement.
After making some arrangements, Yang Kai decided to focus on recovery immediately. Su Chang Fa and the two Elders personally stood guard around him while the other Void Spirit Sword Sect disciples scattered around in the vicinity to keep a vigilant watch and guard against any unexpected events.
Su Chang Fa looked at Yang Kai who was sitting cross-legged on the ground with amazement. His Disciple’s display today had shocked him to the core. Not only had the threat to their Sect’s survival been resolved so easily, but the True Void Sword Spirit Armament had also been found.
With the strength that Yang Kai displayed earlier, Void Spirit Sword Sect’s revival was just around the corner. For a moment, Su Chang Fa felt as though he could rest peacefully even if he died today.
Unfortunately, the most important matter at hand was whether Yang Kai could survive this disaster!
Yang Kai could sense that his current condition was absolutely terrible. The injuries he received from acting as a conduit for such a Heaven-defying attack were far more severe than how they seemed on the surface. If not for the fact that he had stimulated the power of his Dragon Vein greatly over the past week, he would have died along with the people from Tian Luo Hall; even so, he was currently on the verge of death.
His physical injuries were actually not too worrisome. Although he could only stimulate a small portion of the true power of his Dragon Vein, his powerful regenerative abilities were slowly healing his injuries. All he needed was time.
The main issue was the sharp Sword Intent!
The True Void Sword forged by the True Void Sword Lord contained his own Sword Qi. Upon activation, the Sword Qi had injured Yang Kai first before he could even harm the enemy.
The horrifying Sword Intent permeated his wounds and prevented his injuries from healing. It could be said that his injuries would only worsen with time if he did not scatter the Sword Intent in his wounds. There was no possibility of healing under these circumstances. At this rate, he would eventually be slivered away by the Sword Intent.
Although he tried to dispel the Sword Intent with his own power, his repeated attempts were only met with failure. The difference between this body’s cultivation and the True Void Sword Lord’s cultivation was too large, leaving him completely powerless against this Sword Intent.
Yang Kai suspected that even Heaven Realm Masters would not be able to dispel this Sword Intent! It was only possible for Spirit Realm Masters. However, if his strength was in the Spirit Realm, he would not have needed to rely on the Sword Qi within the True Void Sword Spirit Armament in the first place. That was because he himself would already have that level of power.
[This isn’t right… The True Void Sword Lord left the True Void Sword replica behind as a safety guarantee for his descendants. There’s no reason for him to make them sacrifice their lives just for that security. There must be some way to resolve this Sword Intent!]
As soon as that thought entered his head, Yang Kai suddenly thought of another possibility. Perhaps this Sword Intent… was never meant to be dispelled!
Following that thought, Yang Kai quickly circulated the Void Spirit Art and guided the Sword Qi to circulate through his body.
A week later, Yang Kai’s spirits lifted. He could clearly sense that the horrifying Sword Intent permeating his wounds had weakened a little.
This discovery delighted him greatly. It would seem that his guess had been correct, there was no need to dispel the Sword Intent at all. It would naturally be resolved as long as he circulated the Void Spirit Art. Furthermore, the dissolved Sword Intent did not disappear but was transformed into pure Spirit Qi that filled his entire body instead.
In just a week, he felt the Spirit Qi in his body increasing significantly while his body became nourished and refreshed. What would happen if he digested all of this Sword Intent then?
Not daring to procrastinate, Yang Kai focused on maintaining his circulation of the Void Spirit Art. The Sword Intent that remained in his wounds decreased steadily as time passed while his aura became stronger and stronger.
Su Chang Fa, Gu Kang Ning, and Hong Xiu, who were standing guard around him, were astonished by this sight. They had been paying close attention to Yang Kai’s movements and condition all this while, so it was only natural that they were aware of the changes happening to him.
“Senior Brother, how is this brat’s aura getting stronger? Isn’t he supposed to be healing his wounds? Why does it feel like he is cultivating instead? Not to mention… it feels like he is about to break through,” Gu Kang Ning asked in confusion.
Su Chang Fa slowly shook his head. He had never encountered such a situation before either. A person suddenly reaching the point of a breakthrough during the process of recovery was truly an unheard-of phenomenon.
“We probably perceived wrongly. He might just be circulating his strength to alleviate his injuries,” The words had only just left his mouth when he saw Yang Kai stiffen slightly.
An invisible wave of energy erupted in all directions with Yang Kai as the centre. The Spirit Qi fluctuation mixed in that wave of energy belonged to the Eighth-Step Mortal Realm!
“He really… broke through!” Hong Xiu was dumbfounded.
It was not over yet though as no more than two days later, Yang Kai’s aura show signs of inflation again. His cultivation advanced from the Eighth-Step Mortal Realm to the Ninth-Step Mortal Realm not long after, but even so, his aura continued to strengthen as though there was no end to his progress!
Su Chang Fa’s brow twitched, “He can’t possibly break through into the Earth Realm, right?”
Gu Kang Ning shook his head decisively, “The Mortal Realm and the Earth Realm are two different Great Realms. Breaking through to the Earth Realm is not something you can just do overnight…”
*Hong…*
Intense Spirit Qi fluctuations erupted from Yang Kai at that moment, and their aura belonged to the First-Step Earth Realm.
Gu Kang Ning’s mouth fell open in shock. He was forced to swallow the second half of his sentence. Stiffly turning his head to the side, he looked at Su Chang Fa and asked, “Senior Brother, you’ve gone through so much effort to hide this from us.”
Su Chang Fa was confused, “What did I hide from you?”
Gu Kang Ning said, “Did Yang Boy advance into the Earth Realm a long time ago? Why didn’t you tell us?”
Hong Xiu nodded sharply in agreement.
No matter how great a person’s aptitude was, it was impossible to just advance from the Seventh-Step Mortal Realm to the Earth Realm in a few days. That did not make any sense; hence, the only explanation was that Yang Kai had advanced into the Earth Realm a long time ago but had concealed the fact all this while.
Su Chang Fa didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “I’ve also just found out that this little brat reached the Earth Realm…”
He had been eagerly waiting for Yang Kai to advance into the Earth Realm so he could inherit Void Spirit Sword Sect and lead it back to prosperity. And yet, Su Chang Fa couldn’t help feeling like he was dreaming when the time really came.
“Honoured Master, Elders, what are you discussing so spiritedly?” Yang Kai’s voice sounded and the three of them turned to look in his direction. To their surprise, they saw that Yang Kai had walked over to them at some point, holding the replica True Void Sword in his hand lightly as he looked at them curiously.
“Have you recovered from your injuries?” Gu Kang Ning asked in surprise.
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, more or less.”
All the Sword Intent permeating his wounds had been refined into his capital to increase his strength, and without the interference of the Sword Intent, his injuries were no more than flesh wounds. Besides, this incident had further strengthened the power of his Dragon Vein. With such powerful regenerative abilities, it would not take more than a few days before Yang Kai completely recovered.
“How do you feel? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” Hong Xiu asked worriedly.
Yang Kai replied, “This Disciple feels like he is bursting with strength! I really want to find somebody to fight!”
While speaking, he swung the True Void Sword in his hand around. The Sword Intent left behind by the True Void Sword Lord had allowed him to advance from the Seventh-Step Mortal Realm to the Earth Realm in one go. In that case, wouldn’t he save a lot of cultivation time if he repeated the experience a few more times?
However, he knew that his hope was unrealistic. That was because the Sword Qi sealed within the True Void Sword by the True Void Sword Lord could only be used to attack thrice.
There were actually two reasons as to why Yang Kai did not kill the people from Roaring Tiger Sect. The first reason was that his strength was lacking. The other reason however, was that he did not wish to waste the limited resources he had. His current strength could not be considered high and he would be powerless in front of a true Master; hence, the True Void Sword was a precious trump card.
“Honoured Master, Elders, thank you for standing guard for so many days. The three of you should hurry and get some rest. This Disciple will explain everything tomorrow!” Yang Kai cupped his fist. He knew that Su Chang Fa and the others would surely have many questions and doubts in their hearts; after all, his previous performance had been a little too outrageous.
Su Chang Fa gently nodded, “En!”
They had also been injured during the conflict with Tian Luo Hall, but they had to stand guard for Yang Kai over the past few days, so they had yet to get a good rest themselves.
Following the departure of the three Elders, Yang Kai finally looked around at the Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters surrounding him, their gazes filled with awe and respect.
“Have you all realised your own vulnerability and insignificance?” Yang Kai asked lightly.
They lowered their heads in shame upon hearing those words.
“Tian Luo Hall attacked us, but we were powerless to fight back. Many of our Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters were killed before our very eyes, but we could only watch helplessly. Why? Because they were stronger than us! Because they have more power than us!”
Their heads lowered even more at those words.
“Do you want to get stronger? Do you want to seek revenge!?” Yang Kai questioned them.
“Eldest Senior Brother, we want to be as strong as you! We want to avenge our Fellow Brothers and Sisters!” Somebody shouted, “But, how do we do that?”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “It’s enough if you have these thoughts. Even the tallest tree starts off as a weak seedling. There is nothing that can be achieved overnight. From tomorrow onward, I will prepare a training plan for all of you. I hope you can persevere through this training. For now, you should have a good rest.”
“Yes!” The disciples quickly dispersed with raging flames burning in their eyes.
The next day, Su Chang Fa and the two Elders sat on their elevated seats in the Main Hall. Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood below them and told them the story he had come up with beforehand.
After a long while, Su Chang Fa finally spoke, “So, you’re saying that you learned that the True Void Sword is hidden in the Ancestor’s statue thanks to the Ancestor’s Legacy Inheritance?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded in affirmation.
His previous performance had been far too bizarre. Somebody who was constantly drowning his sorrows in alcohol every single day had suddenly obtained the strength to turn the tides of an unwinnable battle and even brought out a secret weapon of mass destruction like the True Void Sword. Su Chang Fa and the others were bound to feel uneasy if he could not give them a reasonable explanation.
After pondering for some time, Yang Kai could only come up with a nonsensical reason like a Legacy Inheritance. It would now seem that the effects of his excuse were not too bad. Although Su Chang Fa and the others were sceptical, they had no choice but to believe him; after all, his previous performance had completely exceeded their ability to comprehend.
“It’s precisely because of the Ancestor’s Legacy Inheritance that this Disciple was able to advance into the Earth Realm so quickly and learn the whereabouts of Ancestor’s Legacy Artifact, the replica True Void Sword!”
In reality, Yang Kai had noticed that something was hidden inside the statue when he saw it for the first time. Combined with the records of the ancient books in his memory, it was easy for him to infer that the hidden object was Void Spirit Sword Sect’s long-lost replica True Void Sword.
Gu Kang Ning nodded, “It seems that Ancestor has not abandoned us incompetent Juniors. I am too ashamed to face the Ancestor.”
On the other hand, Su Chang Fa looked at Yang Kai with concern and asked, “You have indeed advanced into the Earth Realm, but do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Yang Kai’s advancement was too fast. It could be said that they had watched as he broke through from the Seventh-Step Mortal Realm to the Earth Realm in a matter of days. Speedy progress generally resulted in an unsteady foundation, so Su Chang Fa was naturally worried about this.
“Rest assured, Honoured Master. This Disciple does not feel any discomfort,” Yang Kai replied. Holding the True Void Sword with both hands, he took two steps forward and offered the sword up, “When the Ancestor first forged this sword, he sealed three mighty Sword Qi attacks inside of it. This Disciple activated one of those attacks a few days ago, so there are two left. But, since this sword is the foundation of Void Spirit Sword Sect, I think it’s best for you to safe keep the sword, Honoured Master!”
Su Chang Fa glanced at the True Void Sword but did not take it up. He slowly shook his head and said, “Since the Ancestor left his Legacy Inheritance to you and told you the whereabouts of the True Void Sword, that means the Ancestor values you. He believes that you can lead Void Spirit Sword Sect and bring back our lost glory. This sword… you should keep it.”
Yang Kai pondered for a while before he nodded, “En. By the way, Honoured Master, Ancestor’s Legacy Inheritance also revealed many shortcomings in our cultivation and even contained an improved version of the Void Spirit Art. This Disciple has tried the new Secret Art and can conclude it is far superior to our current Void Spirit Art. May I teach this Secret Art to the other Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters?”
“Oh?” Gu Kang Ning became interested, “The Ancestor improved the Void Spirit Art? Hurry up and explain…”
He was not only the Great Elder of Void Spirit Sword Sect, but also the Elder in charge of teaching cultivation in the Sect; therefore, he naturally took these things very seriously.
And so, Yang Kai began explaining to the three Elders everything about the Void Spirit Art that he had modified. The three Elders immediately gathered together to research the new Secret Art, and seeing their excited expressions, Yang Kai slowly exited the Main Hall.
This Void Spirit Art was something he modified and improved himself, and it was certainly much better than the original Void Spirit Art. He believed that the three Elders in the Sect would quickly teach the Secret Art to the rest of the disciples, allowing them to achieve twice the result with half the effort in their cultivation. Moreover, since it was an improvement made on the original foundation, there were no hidden dangers in replacing the Secret Art they were cultivating.
[But before that, the foundation of those Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters will need to be solidified first.]
“Eldest Senior Brother!” Wan Ying Ying was waiting outside the hall. When she saw Yang Kai coming out, she quickly shouted, “Everybody is waiting for you!”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded and walked forward with her.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the same square as before. All the disciples of the Sect were gathered there, but even so, the total number of people did not exceed 40. In addition, many of them were not completely healed from their injuries yet. Their complexions might be pale, but their spirits were surprisingly high.
“It looks like everybody is eager for greater strength!” Yang Kai smiled and looked around.
One of the Junior Brothers called out, “Eldest Senior Brother, what should we do now? Please teach us, Eldest Senior Brother!”
“Please teach us, Eldest Senior Brother!” The others echoed, their shouts reverberating through the skies.
Yang Kai nodded, “Even the grandest of palaces must be built from the ground up. What is the most important thing for cultivators like us? It is not an overwhelmingly powerful cultivation, it is an unshakable foundation! Without a strong foundation, everything else is meaningless! But if that is so, what is our foundation? Our foundation is our body! If our bodies are strong, then we can take in and circulate more Spirit Qi. If our bodies are strong, then we can exert greater strength! That is why we should train our bodies before we cultivate! If you can train your physique to its absolute limit, you can even crush cities and destroy nations without having the slightest Spirit Qi!”
While speaking, Yang Kai suddenly threw out a punch. A violent force burst out along with a deafening explosion that caused everybody’s ears to ring and their eyes to glow with excitement.
“I will now teach you a set of Body Tempering Techniques that you must all cultivate diligently from now on. Don’t slack off!”
“Yes!” They promised with vigour.
Yang Kai had mastered many Body Tempering Techniques, and over the years, he had travelled far and wide, killing countless powerful enemies and gaining their Secret Arts in the process. Naturally, several Body Tempering Techniques were included among them. It was not a problem for him to teach these Secret Arts to the younger generation of Void Spirit Sword Sect after making some slight adjustments to them. As for how far they could go in the future, that would depend entirely on their own efforts.
After teaching the Body Tempering Techniques, Yang Kai summoned two Junior Brothers, wrote a prescription, and sent them down the mountain to purchase various medicines.
The cultivation of Void Spirit Sword Sect disciples in the younger generation was too low, so it was impossible for them to show significant improvement in a short period. They could only take their time to cultivate. Nevertheless, buying some herbs to concoct some medicinal liquid for Body Tempering would speed up the rate of their growth.
The two disciples accepted his orders and left. Then, he asked Wan Ying Ying to guide him to another place.
The name ‘Ash Mountain’ sounded extremely barren and desolate; however, it turned out to be a beautiful place. Inside one of the mining tunnels that stretched for several kilometres under the Ash Mountain, Yang Kai strode forward while Wan Ying Ying followed behind him with a torch.
The further they went, the more they could sense the dense Spirit Qi fluctuations. This place was a Black Jade lode that contained large amounts of Black Jade after all. It was not surprising to have such dense Spirit Qi in this place.
Void Spirit Sword Sect’s storehouse had been emptied out by Yang Kai, but he needed large amounts of money to develop the Sect and improve his own cultivation. The Black Jade lode was the only hope to quickly achieve this.
“This place used to be an ordinary mineral lode where ordinary mortals would come to mine for ores, but in the process, they managed to dig up Black Jade one day. As this place is under the jurisdiction of Void Spirit Sword Sect, the news was reported to the Sect Master and the two Elders,” Wan Ying Ying explained from behind him. It was obvious that she knew that he had been so drunk over the past year that he was completely ignorant about everything in the outside world.
Yang Kai nodded lightly. When he tried to activate the Void Spirit Art, he immediately felt abundant Spirit Qi flowing towards him; however, it was not as good as using the White Jades to cultivate.
“This Black Jade needs to be mined,” he said.
She replied, “We can ask Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters to come here.”
Yang Kai, however, shook his head, “Void Spirit Sword Sect is already stretched thin. Just relying on the others alone won’t be efficient.”
“How about hiring people to work this mine them?” Wan Ying Ying suggested.
“No need. I have an idea.” After saying that, Yang Kai turned around and walked out.
A short while later, the pair returned to Void Spirit Sword Sect. Yang Kai instructed Wan Ying Ying to cultivate on her own while he went to the stables and took out a horse before riding off into the distance. He soon arrived in the small city at the foot of the mountain. After he bought some herbs from the pharmacy, he spent half a day at an inn before he put away a small porcelain bottle and left on horseback.
…..
Tian Luo Hall’s Headquarters was located in a huge manor. As an Earth Realm great force, they had many disciples under their banner, as many as 600 in total. Compared to the few dozen people in Void Spirit Sword Sect, it was a whole world of difference. Besides, so many people gathering together in one place had made the Headquarters very lively and prosperous. Its existence was almost comparable to a small town at this point.
Tian Luo Hall’s Sect Master and eight Elders were gathered together in their Main Hall currently.
There used to be nine Elders, but Third Elder Zhan Bo Xiong was killed by Void Spirit Sword Sect, so only eight remained. Nevertheless, all eight of them were Earth Realm Masters. The weakest among them was in the Fourth-Step Earth Realm. In contrast, the strongest among them were Great Elder Li Zheng Qing and Palace Master Shu Wan Cheng. They were both in the Ninth-Step Earth Realm, only one step away from advancing into the Heaven Realm. Compared to Void Spirit Sword Sect where the strongest Master was only in the Third-Step Earth Realm, Tian Luo Hall had much greater strength.
At this moment, the Main Hall was blanketed in gloom and the atmosphere was absolutely depressing.
Palace Master Shu Wan Cheng quickly said, “I summoned all the Elders here today because of a major incident that occurred recently. I’m sure you’ve all heard about it. Third Elder Zhan Bo Xiong was killed by somebody from Void Spirit Sword Sect; moreover, the one who killed him was the Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect, a mere boy only in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm!”
The Eight Elder scowled deeply, “Palace Master, I’ve also heard about this matter, but my information is not that specific. Was Third Elder really killed by a brat in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm?”
Shu Wan Cheng nodded solemnly, “It’s the truth! This is information I received from Wan Tian He of Roaring Tiger Sect. He was present at the time, so he knows the situation best. In any case, the murderer apparently borrowed a power that was not his own. It was a Sword Qi attack left behind by the True Void Sword Lord. That’s why the Third Elder was killed without any power to fight back.”
“The True Void Sword Lord!” Several of the Elders looked terrified.
“The murderer was originally only in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm, but he suddenly became a Seventh-Step Mortal Realm Master for some reason!” Shu Wan Cheng added.
The Second Elder stroked his goatee and narrowed his eyes, “To activate the Sword Qi left behind by the True Void Sword Lord with cultivation in the Mortal Realm… I’m sure that things will not end well for that boy either.”
There was no power in this world that could be gained for free; therefore, activating power far beyond one’s ability to withstand would surely come with a heavy price.
Shu Wan Cheng confirmed the fact, “According to Wan Tian He, the boy who activated the Sword Qi was severely injured. He will not live for much longer!”
The eyes of the Elders below him instantly lit up at those words.
“Palace Master, the reason you summoned us here…”
He explained, “Third Elder has contributed greatly to Tian Luo Hall. I cannot allow him to be killed by Void Spirit Sword Sect for no apparent reason. Otherwise, what would happen to Tian Luo Hall’s face if news about this incident were to spread? This Palace Master intends to dispatch forces to Void Spirit Sword Sect to avenge Third Elder!”
He swept his gaze over the people below him, “Which Elder is willing to take a trip to help relieve the worries of this Palace Master?”
The eight Elders all fell silent suddenly, with nobody saying a word.
Even a Seventh Step Earth Realm Master like the Third Elder had been killed by the Sword Qi left behind by the True Void Sword Lord. Not many among the Elders present here were stronger than the Third Elder, so they were not confident that they could defend against such a Sword Qi attack. Although the brat who activated the Sword Qi attack in the first place was bound to have suffered a disastrous ending, who could say if there was anybody else in Void Spirit Sword Sect who could activate more of the Sword Qi? It would be bad if they met the same fate as the Third Elder.
Acting as the vanguard was not a pleasant task and the slightest carelessness could put their lives at risk. All the Elders were worldly and experienced, so how could they not understand this principle?
When Shu Wan Cheng saw that all the people below him were playing dead, he felt slightly angry in his heart. [They always clamour to be the first when something good happens, but they hide away like turtles in their shells when something dangerous occurs. They are completely unreliable.]
“Second Elder…” Shu Wan Cheng lowered his head to look at the Second Elder on his left.
The Second Elder suddenly coughed violently. He coughed so hard that his complexion went pale and blood trickled out from the corners of his mouth. Once he stopped, he spoke with some difficulty, “Sect Master, please understand, this Elder is plagued with a chronic illness. It just happened to flare up again recently, so my strength has weakened considerably. As much as I am willing to share your burden, Sect Master, I’m afraid I will not be able to handle such important matters well.”
Shu Wan Cheng stared at the Second Elder fixedly. After a long time, he finally nodded and said, “You should have a good rest if your health has deteriorated, Second Elder.” He turned to look at another person, “Great Elder?”
Li Zheng Qing stroked his beard and replied, “It’s only natural for this Elder to obey the Sect Master’s orders. But… my thirteenth concubine is about to give birth. It will only take a few days. Can you give this Elder a few days to witness the birth of my child before I set off for Void Spirit Sword Sect?”
For a moment, the entire group of Elders stared at this old man in amazement. It was soon followed by a stream of congratulatory words. The Great Elder responded with a smile, and the Main Hall became very lively.
On the other hand, Shu Wan Cheng’s face twitched at those words. How could he not know that the Great Elder was simply making up excuses? [Heaven knows what’s the true situation with his thirteenth concubine. Am I supposed to wait forever if she doesn’t give birth?]
He couldn’t help but snort lightly. Only then did the people in the Main Hall finally quieten down. Shu Wan Cheng tiredly looked down at all the Elders of Tian Luo Hall and hardened his heart. Just as he was about to announce that he was going to take action himself, a strange commotion suddenly sounded outside the Main Hall.
Even the weakest among the people present in this Main Hall was in the Fourth-Step Earth Realm, so it was only natural that their hearing was extraordinary. They reflexively turned to look outside curiously.
“What’s happening?” Shu Wan Cheng asked with a stomach full of grievances. [It’s bad enough that the Elders are only pretending to show compliance, but now even the disciples are acting so inappropriately! Tian Luo Hall is no longer the united Sect I first established.]
His question was naturally met with no response.
Shu Wan Cheng’s brow furrowed deeply as he could vaguely sense that something was wrong; moreover, there seemed to be a faint stench of blood wafting through the air.
Many of the Elders also became vigilant with the Second Elder exclaiming with a frown, “Something is wrong!”
“I’ll go and take a look!” The Seventh Elder volunteered and his figure flashed as he rushed outside.
A short while later, loud crashing noises mixed with the sound of painful groans came from outside. The expressions of the people inside the Main Hall immediately darkened when they heard those noises and they all stood up from their chairs in unison.
Shu Wan Cheng exchanged a glance with Li Zheng Qing. They both saw the deep wariness in each other’s eyes.
Just then, a figure slowly walked into the Main Hall. It was a handsome young man with a brave and heroic figure. He was dressed in blue and white robes, holding a sheathed sword in one hand while carrying a person in his other. The person in his hands was none other than the Seventh Elder, who went out to check on the situation just now!
The Seventh Elder, a Fifth-Step Earth Realm Master, was now unconscious and being carried by the young man like a sack. His weight of nearly a hundred kilograms seemed as light as a feather in this young man’s hands. The young man’s footsteps were silent as he walked forward, which went to show his great strength and control.
“Who are you?” The Second Elder shouted with a solemn expression. He could vaguely sense that this young man was not someone easy to deal with. This youth had knocked the Seventh Elder unconscious in just a few breaths, so his strength was clearly not to be underestimated.
“Void Spirit Sword Sect, Yang Kai!” Yang Kai broke into a dazzling smile and tossed the person in his hands into the Main Hall. The Seventh Elder crashed into the ground with a loud thud.
“Yang Kai?” Everybody was shocked by the greeting.
Li Zheng Qing narrowed his eyes, “Are you the Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect?” [We were just talking about this person. I can’t believe he showed up here. He truly is reckless to dare to barge into Tian Luo Hall’s Main Hall.]
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Were you the one who killed Elder Zhan Bo Xiong?” Li Zheng Qing asked again.
“Yes!”
Li Zheng Qing turned his head and exchanged a glance with Shu Wan Cheng, a look of suspicion flashing through his eyes.
Logically speaking, Yang Kai should have been heavily injured after he used that devastating Sword Qi attack. Even if he had survived, he should have been crippled, yet just a few days had passed since the incident and he was now standing here in perfect condition. Even if he hadn’t died and somehow made a miraculous recover, it was still impossible for him to knock the Seventh Elder unconscious. The gap in strength between a Seventh-Step Mortal Realm Master and a Fifth-Step Earth Realm Master was simply too wide to cross.
Li Zheng Qing frowned and looked at Yang Kai, “Good, we shall assume that you are Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Yang Kai. So, why have you come to Tian Luo Hall?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Void Spirit Sword Sect discovered a Black Jade mine, but we lack the manpower required to exploit it. I heard that Tian Luo Hall has many disciples, so… please submit to Void Spirit Sword Sect and send some people to help me with this work! You should also know that Void Spirit Sword Sect has very few members. We simply do not have enough hands to go around.”
Upon hearing those words, Shu Wan Cheng looked at Yang Kai with a weird expression, “You want Tian Luo Hall to surrender to Void Spirit Sword Sect? Did I hear it wrong? Or, did you misspeak?”
Yang Kai looked at Shu Wan Cheng, “Are you the Sect Master of Tian Luo Hall, Shu Wan Cheng?”
“Yes, I am the Sect Master!” Shu Wan Cheng acknowledged.
The words had only just left his mouth when he felt a strong burst of wind blowing at his face. Upon a closer look, he saw that Yang Kai, who was originally standing below him, had appeared not far in front of him at some point.
*Xiu…*
A clear sword cry rang out, followed by a flash of light as the two figures brushed past each other.
All the people in the Main Hall looked up in horror to see Yang Kai and Shu Wan Cheng standing back-to-back one metre apart. Shu Wan Cheng was standing frozen in place, as though somebody had cast a Binding Technique on him. On the other hand, Yang Kai slowly returned his sword to its sheath.
It was only at this moment that the blinding sword light slowly dissipated.
“You…” Shu Wan Cheng opened his mouth, but a line of blood seeped out from between his brow to the tip of his chin. Following a strange sound, his body split in half before both parts exploded out. Blood and organs scattered across the ground and a heavy stench of blood instantly permeated the air.
A series of shocked gasps rang out inside the Main Hall. Every single Tian Luo Hall Elder looked at Yang Kai in terror, urging their respective Spirit Qi so that they were prepared for anything at any time.
Shu Wan Cheng was dead! Tian Luo Hall’s Sect Master was killed by Yang Kai in a single blow! And, they didn’t even manage to see how it had happened!
Shu Wan Cheng was Tian Luo Hall’s strongest Master. He was in the peak of the Earth Realm, only one step away from advancing into the Heaven Realm, yet such a Master had been split apart by a single sword strike as easily as if he was a chicken!
If Yang Kai were to attack any one of them, they would be powerless to fight back. The threat of death made all the hair on their bodies stand on end and chills ran up their spines. They never expected that this young man would be so ruthless as to kill somebody without a single word.
“Where is Tian Luo Hall’s Great Elder?” Yang Kai turned around and looked down at them.
Li Zheng Qing felt his heart clench up in fear. He instinctively wanted to run away, but he could clearly feel that a trace of the young man’s aura was locked firmly on him. If he acted rashly, he would immediately follow in Shu Wan Cheng’s footsteps; thus, he bit his lip and stepped forward, “This Old Master is Tian Luo Hall’s Great Elder. How may I help you?”
At this point, he could be certain that this person was not the Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect. That was because Yang Kai was only in the Seventh-Step Mortal Realm. However, the burst of power from this person just now was obviously higher than the Mortal Realm. He could not distinguish the specific strength of the other party’s cultivation because they had moved too quickly, but it was definitely above the Mortal Realm.
“Congratulations! From now on, you are the Sect Master of Tian Luo Hall!” Yang Kai grandly sat down on the seat that used to belong to Shu Wan Cheng and looked down at Li Zheng Qing standing below him.
Li Zheng Qing was speechless and did not know how to respond. Although he had been waiting for Shu Wan Cheng to die so that he could take the seat of Sect Master for himself, under these circumstances, he did not have the guts to take the seat of the Sect Master even if it was given freely to him.
“This place will be Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Tian Luo Hall Branch from today onward. You will remain as Tian Luo Hall Elders while everything about how the Sect is run will remain unchanged.” Yang Kai issued orders without regard for the others.
The Elders below looked at each other, completely clueless as to what Yang Kai was trying to do.
Li Zheng Qing steeled himself and asked, “May I know what your purpose is?”
“Purpose?” Yang Kai scratched his chin gruffly and replied, “Didn’t I tell you just now? Void Spirit Sword Sect is short of miners, so I want you to send some people over to help!”
“Is that all?” Li Zheng Qing stared at Yang Kai incredulously.
“What else did you think I would want?” Yang Kai looked back at Li Zheng Qing faintly.
Li Zheng Qing looked at the two halves of Shu Wan Cheng’s corpse on the ground and let out a long sigh. [The Sect Master truly died for no reason at all. He was killed just because of something as trivial as this.]
“If that’s all, then this Old Master can make the decision on his own and agree to your request. Tian Luo Hall has nearly 600 disciples, so mining the Black Jade mine will not be a problem.” [In any case, I just need to agree for now. As for the future, we will play it by the ear and see what happens.]
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded, “In addition, this King came here to bring you some small gifts. You can consider them as a welcome present for joining under Void Spirit Sword Sect’s banner.”
Saying so, Yang Kai reached into his pocket and took out a jade bottle. He opened the jade bottle and shot out several round objects with a flick of his hand. These objects flew towards each Elder with great precision.
Li Zheng Qing and the others stretched out their hands to catch the item only to see a light blue soybean-sized pill in their hands. Their expressions immediately tightened and they raised their heads and asked, “What is this?”
“Poison Pills!” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
Even though Li Zheng Qing had prior speculations in his heart, his eyes still twitched when Yang Kai openly admitted the truth.
“You don’t need to worry about what kind of Poison Pill it is; all you need to know is that you will need to consume the antidote once every month; otherwise, you will suffer pain as though thousands of ants are biting your heart and your meridians are shattering. It is truly a feeling worse than being burned to death!”
With Yang Kai’s attainments in the Alchemic Dao, refining something like this was extremely easy for him. He had casually procured some herbs in the local city at the foot of the mountain and refined these Poison Pills. He was currently in urgent need of manpower, but he had no time to make others truly submit to him; therefore, he could only use such methods. Such tactics might be considered despicable, but its advantage lay in the simplicity and convenience.
Li Zheng Qing suppressed his anger and glared at Yang Kai, “Is this the small gift you brought for us?”
“Is it not to your liking, Sect Master?” Yang Kai asked.
Li Zheng Qing suppressed his anger as he yelled in his heart, [Who in the world will like something like this!?]
“Go on! Eat! Why are you not eating? Not eating would be disrespectful! Disrespecting me will not lead to a good ending!” Yang Kai stabbed the True Void Sword into the ground in front of him and his expression darkened.
“You can keep something like that and eat it yourself! Kill him!” All of a sudden, a furious roar rang out. Two figures flew out from the left and the right without warning, almost as though their actions were discussed in advance. The Spirit Qi in their bodies surged violently. One person wielded a dagger while the other was bare-fisted. They came at Yang Kai from both sides in a pincer attack.
Shu Wan Cheng had managed Tian Luo Hall for many years, so he was bound to have a few loyal subordinates. That was the case for the two Elders who lunged at Yang Kai. When Shu Wan Cheng was killed just now, they had failed to react and didn’t even have the time to rescue him; however, their patience ran dry when Yang Kai forced them to consume this Poison Pill and they immediately leapt forward.
The Sword Qi on the dagger was impressive, causing it to gleam with a dazzling light. It was obvious that this dagger was an extraordinary Earth Armament. Meanwhile, the other person’s swinging fists flushed red like a red-hot iron. It was obvious that he had pushed his Spirit Qi to its limits with some kind of Secret Technique.
Yang Kai sat in the main seat, a trace of mockery flashing through his eyes at the sight. His sword slid out of its sheath with a loud clang. When the sword halo flowed out, he slashed at the person wielding the dagger. He simultaneously clenched his free hand into a fist and punched out at the other person.
*Dang…*
A crisp sound rang out and blood splashed in all directions. The victor was determined in that moment of confrontation.
The dagger-wielding Elder had fallen to one knee on the ground, staring at the broken armament in his hand, he widened his eyes in shock and exclaimed, “How… is this possible!?”
His dagger was an Earth Armament that had taken a lot of resources for him to hire somebody to refine. It was no Heaven Armament, but it was not that inferior in terms of quality. Even so, his dagger had been cut in two in a single blow. Furthermore, the cut was so clean that it was almost like a piece of tofu that had been sliced with a sharp knife.
He looked up and saw a glowing sword radiating an overwhelming aura pointed directly at him, a drop of blood dripping from its tip.
“Spirit Armament!” The dagger-wielding Elder’s eyes widened in astonishment. [No wonder my Earth Armament was so fragile in comparison! He is wielding a Spirit Armament!]
A dense and heavy darkness loomed over him in the next instant and he collapsed to the ground head-first. Blood gushed out of the wound in his chest and his vitality swiftly dissipated.
On the other hand, the other Elder who lunged forward at the same time was being lifted into the air by the neck by Yang Kai with one hand. His crimson fists were a bloody mess and his arms simply hung weakly by his sides.
Yang Kai remained seated in the head seat, almost as though he had not moved from the spot at all. He slowly increased the strength in his grip as he spoke, “I like stubborn people like you. The sound they make when I crush them gives a very satisfying crunch!”
The Elder who was being held by the neck struggled with all his might, but he could not break free from Yang Kai’s iron grip. A gurgling noise bubbled up endlessly from his throat.
*Kacha…*
There was a loud crack, and the Elder’s head tilted to the side, his aura vanishing in the next instant.
Yang Kai tossed the corpse in his hand to the ground and looked down coldly at the others, “You can all come at me together. I’ll admit that you’re capable if you can kill this King!”
The Elders who were eager to take action earlier were now drenched in a cold sweat. They stared up at the young man above them as though they were looking at a ghost.
They had failed to see what happened when Shu Wan Cheng was killed; hence, they suspected that the Sect Master’s death was due to a sneak attack. They did not have a precise understanding of Yang Kai’s power at the time, and it was not until the two Elders working together had been killed just now that they finally realised the truth. The sword in Yang Kai’s hands was a Spirit Armament! If their guess was correct, that was the True Void Sword replica left behind by the True Void Sword Lord!
A single Spirit Armament was not enough to shock them to their core, but in the end, a Spirit Armament was just an external object. It was not enough to represent the wielder’s true strength. It could be said that the dagger-wielding Fourth Elder had been killed because his weapon was inferior to his enemy’s. His death was unfair.
However, the Fifth Elder’s death was a testament to the young man’s true strength! The Fifth Elder was a Sixth-Step Earth Realm Master, but in a head-on clash of fists, he couldn’t even make that young man rise from his seat!
[Could this person be in the Heaven Realm!?] The Elders immediately despaired as soon as that thought crossed their minds. They originally had their own thoughts and agendas, but all their plans dissipated in that moment. In front of a Heaven Realm Master, they were nothing more than ants.
Great Elder Li Zheng Qing was the first person to return to his senses. Stuffing the Poison Pill in his hand into his mouth, he swallowed hard and cupped his fist, “Tian Luo Hall will obey you from today onward, Sir! As long as you have orders, Tian Luo Hall will not disobey!”
It was not until this moment that the rest of them reacted. They swallowed the Poison Pills at the speed of lightning to profess their surrender.
Yang Kai smiled brightly, “A wise man will submit to the circumstances. You will not regret the choice you made today.”
What came next was simple. Tian Luo Hall’s Sect Master and two Elders had died at Yang Kai’s hands. In addition to Zhan Bo Xiong who was killed previously, only six Elders remained from the original nine. Great Elder Li Zheng Qing took over as Tian Luo Hall’s Sect Master, and Tian Luo Hall became a branch of Void Spirit Sword Sect.
The turbulent changes at the top had little effect on the disciples below them. Li Zheng Qing announced to the public that the Sect Master, Fourth Elder, and Fifth Elder lost their lives due to dissonance in their cultivation. Although the disciples had some doubts in their hearts, they could only accept what they were told.
A mighty procession consisting of hundreds of disciples then marched towards Void Spirit Sword Sect under the leadership of the Elders, ready to help Yang Kai with mining the Black Jade lode.
Meanwhile, Li Zheng Qing brought Yang Kai on a tour of Tian Luo Hall’s storehouses to report on the assets and the industries under Tian Luo Hall’s name.
Yang Kai was not too interested in such matters. On the contrary, he was extremely interested in the items inside Tian Luo Hall’s storehouses. After refining the Sword Qi in the True Void Sword, his cultivation had advanced from the Seventh-Step Mortal Realm to the First-Step Earth Realm in one go, but he was now short on cultivation resources. That was why he came here to obtain the necessary manpower for mining.
Unfortunately, mining the Black Jade mine would not produce results in a short time. Conversely, the items inside Tian Luo Hall’s storehouse would solve his immediate needs.
“Enough. Everything in Tian Luo Hall will remain unchanged. You can take care of it yourself. I’m going to cultivate in retreat for a while. Just send three meals a day to me.” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively and interrupted Li Zheng Qing’s endless chatter.
This old man was very perceptive, and his ability to jump onto the bandwagon was quite amazing. Since surrendering to Yang Kai, his attitude quickly changed accordingly.
“Sir, are you going to enter retreat here?” Li Zheng Qing was slightly taken aback, “Do you need this Old Master to find you a secluded room?”
“No need. It’s a pain to move around.” Yang Kai waved Li Zheng Qing away.
“In that case, this Old Master will take his leave.” Li Zheng Qing said nothing more and left respectfully.
When the door to the storehouse closed tightly, the light inside became dim. Fortunately, various stones that glowed in the dark were placed around the interior of the storehouse, so it was not completely pitch-black.
Yang Kai took out the many pills stored in the storehouse and sat on top of a huge pile of White Jades.
Tian Luo Hall’s financial resources were undoubtedly many times greater than those of Void Spirit Sword Sect. When Yang Kai emptied out the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect’s storehouse back then, he only managed to procure slightly more than 2,000 White Jades. He didn’t even see a single piece of Black Jade.
In contrast, Tian Luo Hall’s storehouse had nearly 20,000 White Jades as well as several hundred Black Jades. On top of that, there were about 300 bottles of different pills.
[So many resources! I wonder how far my cultivation will increase with these!]
Be that as it may, he had already reached the Earth Realm, so his need for cultivation resources was also greater now.
Yang Kai opened several bottles of pills and swallowed them whole. After that, he grabbed a handful of White Jades with both hands. Just as he was about to circulate the Void Spirit Art though, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
The Void Spirit Art could be considered a fairly impressive Secret Art in the Divine Armament World; if not, the True Void Sword Lord would not have been born in the past. As long as one cultivated steadily and had enough aptitude and resources, advancing into the Spirit Realm was not an issue.
There were two reasons as to why Void Spirit Sword Sect consisted of just a few mediocre disciples. The first was that their aptitude was insufficient, but the second and more important one was that they lacked adequate resources. If they had enough resources, Void Spirit Sword Sect would definitely be much stronger than it currently was.
Besides, the current Void Spirit Art had been modified by Yang Kai, resulting in its efficiency rising by some 30% compared to the original. But, no matter how extraordinary it was, it was still just a Secret Art from the Divine Armament World. It was unable to break free from the shackles of the Divine Armament World.
Yang Kai had been travelling across many Worlds for hundreds of years, and during that time, he killed countless enemies and plundered countless Secret Arts. Naturally, he had Secret Arts that were much more powerful than the Void Spirit Art.
[Perhaps… I can try using a different Secret Art to cultivate.] While considering all this, a certain Heaven-defying Secret Art suddenly leapt into his mind!
Yang Kai might have collected countless Secret Arts, but if he was honest, he never came across another Secret Art that was more amazing than this particular one. It was just that cultivating this Secret Art came with severe drawbacks, which was why he never tried it before even though he had mastered it long ago.
[I might be able to try and study the mysteries of this Secret Art inside the Divine Armament World! This place is a Small Source World after all, so even if something goes wrong, it won’t affect my true body too much.]
After various considerations, Yang Kai quickly made up his mind. This was a great opportunity and it would be such a waste to let it simply slip through his fingers.
Taking a shallow breath, he activated the Spirit Qi in his body and modified its circulation route to activate the most profound Secret Art he knew, the Heaven Devouring Battle Law!
In an instant, Yang Kai felt as though his body had turned into a bottomless pit. The Spirit Qi contained in the White Jades poured into his body at a terrifying speed and even the medicinal efficacies from the pills he previously consumed quickly dissolved into his body and seeped into his internal organs.
He was absolutely astonished and nearly stopped circulating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law as a result.
This was the first time Yang Kai had personally cultivated this strange Secret Art. Although he received the Heaven Devouring Battle Law in the past, he only allowed his Embodiment to cultivate this Secret Art. He had never tried it for himself before.
Following a series of coincidental encounters, Yang Kai later learned that not cultivating this Secret Art had been the right choice.
The Heaven Devouring Battle Law mainly worked by refining the energy of all things in the world for one’s own use; hence, the Secret Art could turn absolutely anything into a cultivation resource. Naturally, the benefits were extremely high. However, by using this Secret Art, a cultivator would refine both the good and the bad into his body, which would cause indelible damage to himself unless he could find a method to expel the massive amount of impurities this resulted in.
The Embodiment had the body of a Stone Spirit Clansman, so he had the innate ability to expel all forms of impurities. That was why he did not suffer any drawbacks from cultivating this Secret Art. It could be said that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was perfectly suited for the Stone Spirit Clan.
Yang Kai did not know how Wu Kuang resolved this drawback, but he was certain he had some method.
Now that Yang Kai was properly using the Heaven Devouring Battle Law for the first time, he discovered that this Secret Art’s speed of refining was absolutely insane. The efficiency was not just several times greater than the Void Spirit Art, it could be said to be over 100 times more effective.
The light of the White Jades in his hand dimmed at a speed that was visible to the naked eye. As the Spirit Qi faded away, the medicinal efficacies from the pills in his stomach were simultaneously refined cleanly. That was not all though as even the Spirit Qi of the White Jades and the Black Jades around him surged madly and poured towards his body under the guiding force of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
In less than three days, the energy contained within the White Jades and the Black Jades surrounding Yang Kai was completely exhausted. The Spirit Jades turned into dull and dim waste as a result. That was not all. Over two hundred bottles of pills had also been cleanly devoured by him.
In exchange, his cultivation rose from the First-Step Earth Realm to the Third-Step Earth Realm.
This outcome surprised him. He originally thought that he could increase his cultivation by five or six Minor Realms with so many cultivation resources, but in the end, he was unable to continue after reaching the Third-Step Earth Realm.
There were many reasons for this outcome.
The Heaven Devouring Battle Law was powerful indeed. As soon as Yang Kai activated this Evil Art, his body would turn into a bottomless hole that refined all the energy in the world for his own use; however, his body was unable to withstand the burden.
It would not have been a problem for his Sixth-Step Open Heaven Realm body, but in the Divine Armament World, he was just a trivial Earth Realm Master. His body was unable to digest the enormous amount of power pouring into his body in such a short period of time.
Some of the energy was inadvertently wasted, but a larger portion of the energy was diverted to temper the physical quality of his body. That was why his cultivation only increased from the First-Step Earth Realm to the Third-Step Earth Realm.
With the improvement of his physique, his Dragon Vein was further stimulated. In turn, the power of his Dragon Vein further enhanced his physical quality…
It was worth the effort and sacrifice.
However, the improved strength of his physical body resulted in him needing more energy than ordinary to advance to the next Realm.
On another note, Yang Kai was starting to feel the drawbacks of cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
Most people would suffer from a weak foundation if their cultivation improved too quickly, and a weak foundation would put them at risk of experiencing cultivation dissonance one day. Fortunately, he did not have such worries. His original cultivation was in the Sixth-Step Open Heaven Realm after all, so there was nothing to worry about since his comprehension and consolidation were already far above the mere Earth Realm. This was a drawback he could ignore.
The more serious drawback was that the energy devoured by the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was very complex and filled with impurities. This Secret Art was meant to devour all the energy in the world for one’s own use, but it did not differentiate between what energy was useful and what was harmful, everything was simply devoured altogether.
Although he only started cultivating this Secret Art, he was already feeling the effects of this drawback.
Surprisingly, the power of his Dragon Vein was slowly removing the impurities in his body and refining it into pure, useful energy.
A sudden understanding washed over Yang Kai. It would seem that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law could be cultivated as long as the impurities drawn into the body could be purged.
[I’m not sure if I can do that when I return to the 3,000 Worlds. If it’s possible, then my speed when refining large amounts of cultivation resources will be increased significantly. I should find an opportunity to experiment in the future.]
Tian Luo Hall’s storehouse had now been emptied. There were a few remaining items that were valuable, but they were not beneficial for cultivation; thus, Yang Kai stood up and walked out the door.
A familiar figure stood outside the door, and when she heard movement, she quickly turned around and exclaimed in a mixture of shock and wonder, “Eldest Senior Brother, you really are here!”
The person who came was his Little Junior Sister Wan Ying Ying.
The newly-appointed Palace Master, Li Zheng Qing stood nearby and smiled when he heard those words, “Sir, Young Lady Ying Ying came here to look for you, so this Old Master told her you were cultivating in retreat inside. Unfortunately, she did not believe this Old Master and nearly resorted to violence.”
He turned to look at Wan Ying Ying, “How is it, Young Lady Ying Ying? This Old Master did not deceive you, right?”
A look of shame appeared on Wan Ying Ying’s face for a moment, but her embarrassment was quickly tossed to the back of her mind as she began shouting, “Eldest Senior Brother, what happened!? Yesterday, many people from Tian Luo Hall came to the Sect to help with mining the Black Jade mine. Moreover, they claimed that you sent them there. Sect Master and the two Elders didn’t know whether it was true or not…”
Yang Kai raised a hand and rubbed her head with a smile, “It’s true, I sent them over. En… Things happened so quickly that I didn’t have the time to report to Honoured Master. Come, let’s go back home. I’ll explain the situation to Honoured Master and the two Elders myself.” Turning around, he instructed Li Zheng Qing, “Prepare the horses!”
Li Zheng Qing quickly left to carry out his orders.
Wan Ying Ying couldn’t help feeling like she was in a dream when she saw Tian Luo Hall’s newly-appointed Palace Master acting so respectfully and deferentially to her Eldest Senior Brother.
Soon, Li Zheng Qing personally led two horses over, and a short while later, Yang Kai and Wan Ying Ying headed straight for the mountain gates of Void Spirit Sword Sect.
Meanwhile, Li Zheng Qing watched Yang Kai’s departure and secretly wiped away his cold sweat. When he turned around to check on the situation inside the storehouse, his vision turned dark and he nearly fainted at the sight.
Half a day later, Yang Kai and Wan Ying Ying returned to the Master Sect. They went straight to the Main Conference Hall to meet Su Chang Fa and the two Elders.
To their surprise, they saw many Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters gathered outside the hall in extreme wariness. They gave off the air of those preparing to give up their lives for their cause.
On the other hand, an elderly man stood outside the Main Hall with a bitter smile. He was all alone and looked to be in a rather awkward position.
Upon hearing movement, the elderly man turned around to look and immediately reacted as though he saw the arrival of his saviour. He stepped forward to greet Yang Kai, “Sir, you’re finally here!”
This elderly man was Tian Luo Hall’s Second Elder.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai’s expression darkened. No matter how he looked at the situation, it seemed as though Void Spirit Sword Sect was prepared for battle.
The Second Elder wiped at the cold sweat on his forehead and laughed dryly, “Sir, please understand. Your Sect seems to believe that this Old Master is here to harm them, so they got into formation to stop us.”
Yang Kai was speechless, “Didn’t you explain the situation to them?”
The corners of the Second Elder’s brow twitched, “I did! But, they don’t believe me! They stubbornly claim that this Old Master is up to no good. In order to appease your Sect’s disciples, this Old Master doesn’t even dare to let a single servant remain by my side; however, they are still on guard.”
Yang Kai immediately understood the situation; after all, Tian Luo Hall’s Third Elder was killed here no more than a few days ago. Anybody would assume that the Second Elder was here for revenge when he suddenly brought several hundred people here for no apparent reason.
As for something as absurd as Tian Luo Hall submitting to Void Spirit Sword Sect, how could Su Chang Fa believe such words? If he didn’t even have this bit of common sense after living for such a long time, then he would have been swallowed whole by others a long time ago.
Therefore, this incident was not the fault of Tian Luo Hall’s Second Elder.
Yang Kai patted the Second Elder on the shoulder and said, “Wait here. I’ll go in and talk to Honoured Master.”
The Second Elder nodded in response.
“Eldest Senior Brother!” When Yang Kai strode forward, a group of Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters respectfully cupped their fists in greeting. Although they were curious as to why their Eldest Senior Brother was on such friendly terms with Tian Luo Hall’s Second Elder, they did not ask any questions. Ever since Yang Kai turned the tides and rescued the Sect from disaster, his position as the Eldest Senior Brother in their hearts had been elevated to an unreachable level.
“You’ve all worked hard!” Yang Kai responded and continued forward along the path they opened up for him.
A short while later, he entered the Main Hall and explained the situation to Su Chang Fa and the two Elders…
Su Chang Fa, Gu Kang Ning, and Hong Xiu were utterly dumbfounded by what they just heard!
What happened over the past few days was too ridiculous to believe. When Yang Kai resolved the annihilation crisis looming over the Sect, it was still possible to explain that incident away by saying that the Ancestor had shown himself and bequeathed his legacy upon his descendent. But now, Tian Luo Hall had surrendered and became Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Tian Luo Hall Branch!?
“So, you’re saying that Tian Luo Hall’s Second Elder was not joking?” Su Chang Fa asked with a little uncertainty.
Yang Kai replied, “How could he joke around about something like this? Rest assured, Honoured Master. The entire Tian Luo Hall is now under my control. Don’t we lack the manpower to mine the Black Jade lode? That’s why this Disciple took it upon himself to let them mine the Black Jade for us.”
Gu Kang Ning said, “And, Shu Wan Cheng agreed to cooperate so easily? He is not such an easy-going person.”
“I didn’t ask him. I made an example of him by killing him!” Yang Kai declared with a calm and relaxed expression.
Hong Xiu was flabbergasted, “Shu Wan Cheng is in the Ninth-Step Earth Realm! How can you possibly kill him!?” All of a sudden, she seemed to recall something, “Did you use the True Void Sword Qi again!?”
“You’re worrying too much, Second Elder. The True Void Sword Qi is an ultimate weapon, how could I possibly waste something like that on trash? This Disciple killed Shu Wan Cheng with his own abilities. En… I’ve already inquired around previously. Shu Wan Cheng has done many atrocious things in his life, so his death isn’t worth pitying! At the moment, Tian Luo Hall’s Palace Master is Li Zheng Qing.”
Su Chang Fa and the others looked at each other and wondered, [If a Ninth-Step Earth Realm Master like Shu Wan Cheng is trash, then what does that make us?]
Although they did not dare to believe what Yang Kai was telling them, there was no other reasonable explanation for the situation in front of them. When several hundred people from Tian Luo Hall came marching here yesterday, they thought that death was inevitable.
Who could have known that the other party would plunge directly into the Ash Mountain and leave only the Second Elder to communicate with them? Even so, Void Spirit Sword Sect was powerless against the other party.
Tian Luo Hall’s Second Elder was an Eighth-Step Earth Realm Master after all. If he wanted to harm Void Spirit Sword Sect, he would have taken action a long time ago!
Seeing that Su Chang Fa and the others were still doubtful of the truth, Yang Kai turned his head to the side and called out, “Hey, you! The one standing outside! Come inside and explain!”
Tian Luo Hall’s Second Elder… Actually, he should be regarded as the Great Elder now; Li Zheng Qing had taken over as the Palace Master, so the Second Elder would naturally be promoted too. It was just that Yang Kai was uncertain how to address him and had not bothered to ask clearly either.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s shout, the elderly man hurriedly walked in with a deep bow and an ingratiating smile, “Sir, this Old Master is Shi Ming Hui. What orders do you have for me?”
Seeing his grovelling attitude made Su Chang Fa and the others’ eyes bulge in shock.
This man was an Eighth-Step Earth Realm Master! Eighth-Step Earth Realm Masters rarely even bothered to glance at a person below them under normal circumstances. When had they ever behaved so obsequiously before?
“Tell my Honoured Master about the current situation in Tian Luo Hall.” Yang Kai instructed.
“Yes!” Shi Ming Hui responded before he turned to face Su Chang Fa and the two Elders sitting in the hall. Then, he spoke righteously, “The entire Tian Luo Hall admires Sir for his great character and virtue; therefore, we decided to make a change and show our proper respect to him. From now onward, we will serve under him, come Hell or high water!”
Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction and waved Shi Ming Hui away, “You can go now.”
“Yes!” Shi Ming Hui retreated respectfully.
Meanwhile, Su Chang Fa and the two Elders stared down at Yang Kai from above with very complicated gazes. They seemed to have aged considerably in the blink of an eye, but they were mostly filled with excitement and gratification.
After a long while, Su Chang Fa finally said, “Child, I’m not going to ask you how you did all of this. Since the Ancestor passed his Legacy Inheritance down to you, it can only mean that you are the future hope of Void Spirit Sword Sect. It would now seem that the Ancestor has very good eyes. Even so, you need to be more careful. Tian Luo Hall is… much stronger than us after all. If you are not careful, you may get burned.”
“This Disciple understands. Please don’t worry, Honoured Master,” Yang Kai nodded solemnly.
“I’ll leave the matters regarding the Black Jade mine to you then,” Su Chang Fa waved his hand to dismiss Yang Kai. It could be seen that the incidents today had been a huge shock to him. He needed some time to digest the overwhelming information he received today.
After a few more questions, Yang Kai was preparing to leave when he suddenly remembered something and turned around to ask, “By the way, Honoured Master, did Roaring Tiger Sect send anything over?”
Su Chang Fa shook his head, “No.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “This Disciple will take his leave!”
Outside the Main Hall, Yang Kai asked his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters who were standing guard to stand down and return to their cultivation. Only Wan Ying Ying remained, and Shi Ming Hui quickly stepped forward to greet him, “Sir!”
Yang Kai walked ahead while asking Wan Ying Ying a question, “I asked two Junior Brothers to go down the mountain and buy some herbs a few days ago. Have they returned?”
Wan Ying Ying replied, “Yes, but we didn’t know what to do with the herbs they purchased, so we placed them all in your home, Eldest Senior Brother.”
“Good,” Yang Kai responded and led the two of them in the direction of his secluded home.
A short while later, they arrived outside his house and Yang Kai asked Shi Ming Hui to wait for him before he entered with Wan Ying Ying.
The main reason Yang Kai sent his two Junior Brothers down the mountain to buy some herbs was so that he could use them to produce some medicine for Body Tempering purposes. Void Spirit Sword Sect was not only few in numbers, but the disciples also had very low cultivations. Even though he had taught them the modified version of the Void Spirit Art, there would not be obvious results in a short time.
In any case, cultivation was something that had to be done slowly and steadily. Using this Body Tempering Medicine to aid his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters in their cultivation would also help to build a strong foundation for them.
It was impossible for Yang Kai to continue doing something like this for the long term; fortunately, Wan Ying Ying was a good candidate. He could teach her about the methods to prepare the medicine.
Inside the secluded home, Yang Kai skillfully separated and categorised various herbs. At the same time, he patiently explained the process to Wan Ying Ying. It was a stroke of good fortune that she seemed talented in this regard. Although she had never been exposed to Alchemy before, she quickly learned the skills under his patient explanation and tutelage.
He taught her to prepare several medicines, and her performance was remarkable.
Something like this could not be considered complicated, not even qualifying as true Alchemy. It was simply mixing different herbs together in the correct proportions. When needed, they simply had to boil the herbs in water so that the medicinal efficacies would seep into the water. The disciples could then absorb the medicinal efficacies in the water while cultivating to strengthen their bodies.
“You can observe those within the Sect to see if there are any Junior Brothers or Junior Sisters who are interested in Alchemy. I will find an opportunity in the future to teach you all,” Yang Kai casually said while instructing Wan Ying Ying.
The Divine Armament World also had Alchemists; moreover, they held great status. It was just that a small Sect like Void Spirit Sword Sect had been too poor to raise an Alchemist. The several dozen bottles of pills that he found in the storehouse previously were bought at a high cost from other places.
“Eldest Senior Brother, you also know Alchemy!?” Wan Ying Ying shouted in disbelief.
To which Yang Kai just chuckled, “As you know, the Ancestor’s Legacy Inheritance is in my possession. The Ancestor knows many things. I’m just scratching the surface.”
“Oh!” She did not doubt his words at all.
After confirming that Wan Ying Ying had no issues with the proportions and methods of preparing the Body Tempering medicine, Yang Kai immediately left the rest to her and walked out of his secluded home alone.
Shi Ming Hui was still waiting outside and quickly approached Yang Kai when the latter appeared.
Yang Kai swept a glance at Shi Ming Hui and asked nonchalantly, “How does Roaring Tiger Sect compare with Tian Luo Hall in terms of strength?”
“The difference is not much,” Shi Ming Hui replied respectfully, “The Sect Master of Roaring Tiger Sect, Zhuang Ju He, is also in the Ninth-Step Earth Realm while their Left and Right Protectors are in the Eighth-Step Earth Realm. There are also several Elders in the Fourth-Step Earth Realm and above! But, this meagre amount of power is nothing in front of you, Sir. Are you planning to attack Roaring Tiger Sect, Sir?”
He had personally witnessed the Ninth-Step Earth Realm Master, Shu Wan Cheng, being killed in an instant by Yang Kai. Zhuang Ju He was not much different from Shu Wan Cheng in terms of strength, so how could he be Yang Kai’s opponent?
“They owe me something,” Yang Kai snorted lightly. Wan Tian He had boldly claimed that he would return with a gift of apology that would satisfy Yang Kai the other day. So many days have passed since then, but there has been no sight of him. Did he think that he was easy to bully just because he was young?
“It’s only right and proper to pay back one’s debts!” Shi Ming Hui’s expression was righteous, “I’ll be honest with you, Sir. Wan Tian He of Roaring Tiger Sect once contacted us. He was the one who told us about the Third Elder Zhan Bo Xiong’s death and the appearance of the True Void Sword. This man is despicable and cunning. He clearly wanted to instigate a fight between Tian Luo Hall and you so that Roaring Tiger Sect could swoop in at the last moment to enjoy all the benefits.”
“Is that so…” The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth lifted.
“It’s the truth,” Shi Ming Hui vowed.
Yang Kai pondered something for a moment before looking at Shi Ming Hui, “If I send you to deal with Roaring Tiger Sect…”
Shi Ming Hui’s expression stiffened, and he gave a dry laugh, “Sir, please understand. Roaring Tiger Sect has been operating for hundreds of years, so its foundation is very solid. Even if Tian Luo Hall dispatched all our elites, it is unlikely that we will come out on top in their territory.”
“Waste!” Yang Kai looked livid, “If I have to do everything myself, then what’s the point of having you!?”
Shi Ming Hui did not dare to make a single sound in response.
“Where is Roaring Tiger Sect Headquarters? Lead the way. We’ll set off right now,” Yang Kai instructed.
[It just so happens that I’ve run out of cultivation resources, and the mining of the Black Jade mine will still need some time. It’s not a bad idea to plunder Roaring Tiger Sect for resources. Besides, Roaring Tiger Sect will surely have many people. If I can rope them into mining for me, it will help to increase the efficiency.]
Two men on horseback departed from Void Spirit Sword Sect soon after.
Three days later, Shi Ming Hui led hundreds of people to Void Spirit Sword Sect. The Sect Master of Roaring Tiger Sect, Zhuang Ju He, also met with Su Chang Fa under Shi Ming Hui’s leadership to announce that these people were here to help with the mining; moreover, Roaring Tiger Sect had surrendered to Void Spirit Sword Sect and would be known as Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Roaring Tiger Sect Branch in the future.
After the previous experience, Su Chang Fa easily accepted this turn of events. Be that as it may, he still felt like he was experiencing a strange dream.
[How did the two largest great forces within the surrounding thousand kilometres suddenly become Void Spirit Sword Sect’s subordinates? Not to mention how hesitant and cautious Zhuang Ju He had been when he met me… I wonder why his face was bruised and swollen.]
Over a thousand people had now poured into Ash Mountain, and a constant stream of Black Jades were being mined. It had to be said that these 1,000 people were not ordinary commoners either as they were all cultivators whose strength ranged from the Mortal Realm to the Earth Realm. Their efficiency was naturally much higher than ordinary people.
A few days later, Yang Kai returned from Roaring Tiger Sect.
After devouring the abundant resources inside Roaring Tiger Sect’s storehouse, his cultivation had now reached the Fifth-Step Earth Realm! It had to be said that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was simply Heaven-defying. If not for this Secret Art, Yang Kai could not have had such a speedy cultivation rate. This Heaven-defying Evil Art that he obtained from Wu Kuang had greatly accelerated his growth in this world.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was now the veritable overlord within a radius of 1,000 kilometres. The two strongest Sects, namely Tian Luo Hall and Roaring Tiger Sect, had already submitted to Void Spirit Sword Sect, so it was only natural that the remaining small fries could not do anything to change the situation.
In any case, Yang Kai had no plans to cause trouble for those small great forces. On the contrary, these small great forces themselves could not hold back any more. They did not know why Void Spirit Sword Sect rose up so suddenly or what attitude Void Spirit Sword Sect had towards others; therefore, they quickly sent representatives to give their greetings and express their willingness to submit to Void Spirit Sword Sect in the future.
Yang Kai was open to all those who came. These small great forces had no grudges against him and they might not have many resources themselves, but each Sect could always send some manpower over to help with the mining.
In less than a month, there were more than 2,000 people working day and night on Ash Mountain.
The number of Black Jades that were mined every single day ranged from 300 to over 1,000 pieces. Moreover, as the mine deepened, the number of Black Jades that could be mined in a day increased steadily.
80% of the mined Black Jades were delivered to Yang Kai’s secluded home, leaving only 20% for the development of the Sect. Even so, this amount was not enough to keep up with his consumption. The Black Jades were quickly swallowed up almost as soon as they entered his hands.
Two months later, Yang Kai’s cultivation reached the Ninth-Step Earth Realm! That was not all though as the cultivation of the Void Spirit Sword Sect disciples also began to show progress. Although the increase in their strength was not that great, their physical strength had been enhanced to a remarkable degree.
Aside from cultivating, Yang Kai spent his remaining time teaching Wan Ying Ying and two other Junior Brothers Alchemy.
Void Spirit Sword Sect would surely have a high demand for pills in the future; thus, it was necessary to train their own Alchemists.
Aside from Wan Ying Ying, the other two Junior Brothers were disciples with some talent in Alchemy whom Yang Kai recruited from the Sect. It was just that Void Spirit Sword Sect was too few in number. He could not ask for too much and could only make the best of what he had.
Even though the aptitudes of the other two might not be as great as Wan Ying Ying, they were not bad. Unfortunately, as their cultivation was still low, they were unable to use their Spirit Qi for Alchemy.
Moreover, Void Spirit Sword Sect had no Earth-Fire for them to use. Every time they performed Alchemy, they had to use something called a Radiant Flame Stone as their Alchemy Flame.
This was the path that many new Alchemists in the Divine Armament World had to take.
It was fortunate that Void Spirit Sword Sect had the Black Jade mine; otherwise, it would have been impossible to support Yang Kai’s consumption.
In addition, Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall operated many businesses. The profits from the various businesses were delivered directly to Yang Kai to satisfy his insatiable cultivation needs. Life might be a little difficult these days, but they managed to persevere.
Yang Kai was teaching Wan Ying Ying and the two Junior Brothers when a set of footsteps came from behind him. He remained seated and didn’t bother to turn around. It wasn’t until he finished what he needed to say that he finally addressed the person behind him, “What is it?”
Shi Ming Hui stood behind Yang Kai and cupped his fist, “Sir, I’ve gotten news.”
“Oh? So quickly?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrow in surprise.
“It was by luck!” Shi Ming Hui replied, “In half a month, the Heaven Grade Alchemist Gao Xin Peng will be staying in Heavenly Martial City for three days. Before Gao Xin Peng became famous, he became indebted to Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord. Not only is Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord old and frail, but he is also reaching the end of his life expectancy. Gao Xin Peng will personally come and help him refine some Life Extension Pills.”
“Heavenly Martial City!” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “How far is that?”
“It will take three days to arrive by horse!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly at those words and instructed, “Make preparations. We will set off for Heavenly Martial City in three days to meet Gao Xin Peng!”
“Yes!” Shi Ming Hui quickly replied and turned around to leave.
Yang Kai issued a few more instructions to Wan Ying Ying and the others before he entered the secluded room next door. The Black Jades that were mined today had been delivered. Aside from the 20% left behind, all the rest were here. There were as many as 700 pieces.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to swallow them! However, even though he devoured all the Black Jades cleanly, he continued to show no signs of advancing into the Heaven Realm.
“It looks like this is the World Principles Restriction of the Divine Armament World. If I want to advance into the Heaven Realm, I will really need the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!”
With a Secret Art as Heaven-defying as the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, Yang Kai had already advanced into the Ninth-Step Earth Realm a month ago. He was only one step away from advancing into the Heaven Realm; however, he remained stagnant at this Realm even though one month had passed since then.
It was not that his cultivation resources weren’t sufficient. He refined and devoured hundreds of Black Jades every day. After accumulating bit by bit for a whole month, this amount was extremely terrifying. It should have been enough to meet the advancement requirements a long time ago.
It was not that his aptitude was lacking either. The identity given to him by the Divine Armament World might only have average abilities, but Yang Kai himself was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Something like aptitude would not limit his progress in any way.
When it came down to it, it seemed he was simply lacking a certain pill.
In the Divine Armament World, it was not difficult to advance from the Mortal Realm to the Earth Realm. Anybody with adequate aptitude and sufficient cultivation resources could advance from the Mortal Realm to the Earth Realm as long as they put in enough effort.
However, it was not as easy when it came to advancing from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm. One required the help of a pill known as the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in order to succeed. Without that pill, one’s efforts would be futile no matter how great their aptitude or cultivation resources were.
Yang Kai originally wanted to borrow his many years of cultivation experience to force his way through this shackle, but to his dismay, he discovered that all his efforts were in vain after working hard for one month!
His cultivation seemed to be bound firmly by shackles. Furthermore, the invisible chains vaguely felt like the Principles of the Heavenly Way. It could be said that the Divine Armament World itself was preventing him from advancing into the Heaven Realm!
Unless he had the strength to go against the entire Divine Armament World, there was no way he could break these shackles.
Advancing from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm required the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. On the other hand, advancing from the Heaven Realm to the Spirit Realm required the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. The former could only be refined by a Heaven Grade Alchemist while the latter needed a Spirit Grade Alchemist. The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was a Heaven Grade pill while the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was a Spirit Grade Pill!
Thanks to the memories from his Divine Armament World self, Yang Kai had long known that the status of Alchemists was extremely high in this damned place. In fact, it was even higher than in any other world that he had ever known in the past. That was because Alchemists were needed to refine both the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. It could be said the advancement of a cultivator often depended on a tiny little pill!
It was somewhat incomprehensible.
In the outside world, many pills had the effects of aiding advancement and improving the success rate of breakthroughs. Be that as it may, it was never a necessary component. Even without those pills, there was hope for a cultivator to achieve a breakthrough by relying on their own efforts.
However, that was impossible in the Divine Armament World! The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill were requirements for those standing at the peak of the Earth Realm and the Heaven Realm respectively.
Consequently, the status of Alchemists became absolutely unrivalled in this World. Not only were many Masters willing to act as bodyguards for Alchemists in the same Realm as themselves, but they were also very proud of such deeds.
While this was something that was inconceivable in the outside world, it was something very normal in the Divine Armament World.
Yang Kai had very profound accomplishments in the Alchemic Dao. All the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills that were currently being consumed by Void Land’s disciples when advancing into the Open Heaven Realm came from his hands. Needless to say, he had handed this matter over to Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang and Wondrous Pill Great Emperor now.
With his attainments in the Alchemic Dao, refining a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was not difficult. If not for the limitations of his cultivation, even refining the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pills would not be a problem. The main issue was that… he did not have the pill recipe!
This was an extremely awkward problem.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was a run-down Sect in the Divine Armament World. It might have been glorious 1,000 years ago, but that glory was long since faded. They no longer had any Alchemists in their Sect, much less various rare pill recipes.
Regardless of whether it was Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill or Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, both were extremely valuable and they would never be sold to the general public.
More importantly, the pill recipes of each Alchemist were different, each one having slight variations and arrangements. However, all the results were ultimately the same. The Clear Heart Pills refined by any Alchemist would have the effect of helping cultivators break through to the next Great Realm. It was just that the subtle differences in their refining methods and materials would also result in slightly different effects.
If Yang Kai wanted a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, then aside from refining one himself, he could only spend copious amounts of money to purchase it.
Unfortunately, there were many cultivators in this world who were stuck at the peak of the Earth Realm and wanted to advance into the Heaven Realm. If nothing else, Roaring Tiger Sect’s Sect Master Zhuang Ju He, Tian Luo Hall’s former Palace Master Shu Wan Cheng and Great Elder Li Zheng Qing had been stuck at the peak of the Earth Realm because they had no Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
Both parties had once paid exorbitant prices for a Heaven Grade Alchemist to help them refine a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill; however, that Heaven Grade Alchemist’s schedule was fully booked for years to come. Even though the Heaven Grade Alchemist accepted their luxurious gifts with no trace of politeness, there was a long waiting list before they could obtain their Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!
Zhuang Ju He had a four-year wait before his turn for the Heaven Grade Alchemist to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill for him. On the other hand, Shu Wan Cheng was worse. He had to wait for ten years!
How could Yang Kai afford to wait for such a long time? Besides, a conservative estimate indicated that he would have to spend 100 years in the Divine Armament World. Running around on his own for such a long time would be too tiring. He would have to recruit some trustworthy people. Those in the Earth Realm were too weak while those in the Heaven Realm were just barely acceptable. Be that as it may, who would be willing to slave away for him without the temptation of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill?
After thinking about it, Yang Kai felt that it was more secure to obtain this pill recipe for himself. As long as he could refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, he could easily obtain both cultivation resources and subordinates in the Heaven Realm.
Unfortunately, the Alchemists in the Divine Armament World were extremely respected. Each Alchemist had a large group of guards around them, so he could not conspire against them; thus, he had no choice but to think of a different method.
Gao Xin Peng was the Heaven Grade Alchemist who accepted Zhuang Ju He’s large payment but could only perform Alchemy four years later. According to Zhuang Ju He, Gao Xin Peng belonged to a great force known as the Profound Pill Sect. This Sect was built on the Alchemic Dao and their inheritance had been passed down for countless years. There were as many Masters in the Sect as there were clouds, which not only included a large number of Heaven Realm Masters, but also Spirit Realm Masters.
At present, the Profound Pill Sect was one of the top ten Sects in the Divine Armament World. The main reason was that the Sect Master of the Profound Pill Sect had won one of the Ten Great Divine Armaments during the last Divine Armament Tournament, the Medicine King Furnace!
Originally, there were several Sects in the Divine Armament World which dealt with Alchemy. They used to compete with the Profound Pill Sect on equal ground, but ever since the Medicine King Furnace came to the Profound Pill Sect, the Profound Pill Sect established its position as the top Alchemy Sect in one fell swoop.
For the next 100 years, the Medicine King Furnace would bring overwhelming prosperity to Profound Pill Sect, and it could be said to be at the peak of its power!
Gao Xin Peng was not only backed by a behemoth like Profound Pill Sect, but he was also a Heaven Grade Alchemist himself. It could be said that his status was extremely noble.
The truth was that Shi Ming Hui felt extremely uneasy about Yang Kai’s intention to meet Gao Xin Peng; even so, Yang Kai had already made up his mind. There was nothing Shi Ming Hui could do to stop Yang Kai.
Three days later, three people set off from Void Spirit Sword Sect on horseback and headed straight for Heavenly Martial City.
Aside from Shi Ming Hui, there was also a female Elder from Roaring Tiger Sect who was travelling with Yang Kai. She was known as Du Yu Yu. There was no saying what Zhuang Ju He’s intentions were, but Du Yu Yu was as beautiful as a cherry blossom; moreover, she had two majestic peaks, a soft and slender waist, and enchanting eyes. Even the way she spoke was very sweet and charming.
Yang Kai was not bothered by this as he only asked Zhuang Ju He to send somebody to accompany him to Heavenly Martial City. Zhuang Ju He probably sent Du Yu Yu here because he felt that a woman was easier to talk to.
Heavenly Martial City was not located near Void Spirit Sword Sect, but it was not far either.
After travelling for just over three days, a majestic city suddenly appeared in front of them.
Shi Ming Hui called out, “Sir, Heavenly Martial City is just ahead.”
Yang Kai lifted his head and looked at the sky; then, he nodded, “Let’s find a place to stay.”
Shi Ming Hui quickly said, “Rest assured, Sir. This one has made arrangements in advance. Tian Luo Hall has property here.”
“Very good.” Although Yang Kai was surprised that Tian Luo Hall had property here, he did not inquire any further.
It didn’t take long for the three of them to enter the city. Under Shi Ming Hui’s guidance, they soon arrived in front of a shop. The shopkeeper immediately greeted them and arranged living quarters for them in the inner courtyard as soon as they stepped inside.
There was another ten days before Gao Xin Peng was scheduled to arrive at Heavenly Martial City, so Yang Kai was not anxious. What he needed to figure out right now was how to meet Gao Xin Peng and obtain the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill from him.
According to the information Yang Kai obtained, Gao Xin Peng came here to refine Life Extension Pills for Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord to whom he was indebted.
When he arrived, Gao Xin Peng would surely be welcomed into the City Lord’s Mansion. The City Lord himself was at the peak of the Heaven Realm and in addition, commanded a large number of Masters.
[I will lose all chance of contact if he enters the City Lord’s Mansion. Perhaps… I can approach Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord and enter the City Lord’s Mansion in advance to wait for his arrival?]
Yang Kai pondered for some time and a plan gradually forming in his mind. All of a sudden, a knock came from outside the door and he looked up reflexively, “Enter!”
The door opened and Du Yu Yu walked in with a tray. She was dressed very lightly; furthermore, there were several plates of exquisite dishes and a bottle of alcohol on the tray.
Yang Kai couldn’t help taking a second glance at the woman. The main reason was that she was very scantily dressed. Her clothes were as thin as gossamer and her chest and thighs exposed large patches of her snow-white skin. What’s more, she seemed to have just gotten out of the bath. As soon as she walked into the room, a faint fragrance filled the air. Her hair that was not fully dry also gave her a stunning appearance.
Seeming to notice Yang Kai’s gaze, Du Yu Yu lowered her head slightly and a red blush crept across her face as she sweetly announced, “Sir, it’s time to eat!”
“En!” He nodded lightly, “Put it down over there.”
Du Yu Yu placed the dishes on the table and personally poured him a glass of wine before she stood nearby with her hands hanging by her sides.
“I don’t need you to serve me here. Help me buy something instead,” Yang Kai instructed.
“What do you want this Mistress to buy?”
“First, bring me a brush and some paper!”
She made a sound in response and turned around to walk out again.
Not long afterwards, she brought the brush and paper. Yang Kai wrote something down before he handed it back to her.
Du Yu Yu glanced at the paper and saw a list of herbs. Unable to recognize the names but still understanding what she had to do, she bowed elegantly, “This Mistress will go and buy them now.”
Yang Kai had decided to bring 20% of the mining proceeds accumulated by Void Spirit Sword Sect over the past two months on this trip in case he needed to purchase something. As a result, there were close to 10,000 pieces of Black Jade in his wallet. Judging from the current situation, his decision had been a wise one.
The City Lord of Heavenly Martial City was getting old and frail and would not live for much longer; therefore, the reason for Gao Xin Peng’s visit was to refine some Life Extension Pills for him to extend his lifespan.
Yang Kai had many pill recipes for longevity, and their effects were extraordinary. If he could refine just one of them, he could guarantee that Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord would regain his vitality in an instant and his lifespan would increase significantly as a result.
The problem was that his pill recipes required extremely rare and valuable herbs. Leaving aside whether he could find them in the Divine Armament World, the chances of finding them in a small Heavenly Martial City were slim to none.
Besides, Yang Kai did not know anything about the Life Extension Pills that Gao Xin Peng planned to refine or what kind of effects they had.
But, if he could gain the trust of Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord, then he could enter the City Lord’s Mansion in advance. Under those circumstances, he was bound to run into Gao Xin Peng once the latter arrived.
That was why Yang Kai planned to prepare some pills that would strengthen and regulate one’s vitality. These pills were relatively easy to refine, and more importantly, the required herbs were not that rare. He should be able to find them in Heavenly Martial City.
If Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord consumed the pills that Yang Kai refined over the long term, living for a few additional years would not be an issue.
The night passed peacefully and when dawn broke the next day, Du Yu Yu returned with a large bundle of herbs.
“Good work,” Yang Kai nodded.
She smiled, “It’s an honour for this Mistress to share your worries, Sir. Do you need anything else?”
“No, you can leave.”
“Yes!”
Du Yu Yu retreated respectfully. Only then did Yang Kai take out a rudimentary and simple-looking Alchemy Furnace and several fiery-red stones. This Alchemy Furnace was something he found in Void Spirit Sword Sect’s storehouse. He did not know how many years it had been left there but it was probably a relic left behind by one of the Alchemists in the Sect from several generations ago.
There were quite a few of these Alchemy Furnaces in Void Spirit Sword Sect’s storehouse in fact. Wan Ying Ying and the two other disciples learning Alchemy had also obtained one each.
The fiery-red stones were the Radiant Flame Stones. Yang Kai had no Alchemy Flame of his own, and there was no Earth-Fire to borrow here either; hence, he could only use the Radiant Flame Stones for Alchemy.
The Vitality Pill that he planned to refine was not complicated. He would have easily succeeded in refining these pills in the outside world, but unfortunately, it would take some effort for him to refine them in this place.
Two days later, Yang Kai finished refining a bottle of Vitality Pills. These dark-red pills were around the size of soybeans, and one small bottle contained 100 pills in total.
Yang Kai summoned Shi Ming Hui and sent the latter to offer up two of the Vitality Pills to the City Lord’s Mansion. As long as the City Lord’s Mansion could verify the efficacy of the Vitality Pills, they would surely invite him over for a discussion. At that time, he could openly stay in the City Lord’s Mansion and wait for Gao Xin Peng to arrive.
Contrary to his expectations, however, Shi Ming Hui vanished without a trace. Despite waiting for an entire day, Shi Ming Hui did not return, and no one appeared from the City Lord’s Mansion. Thus, Yang Kai faintly realised that something had gone wrong and instructed Du Yu Yu to ask around for information.
The outcome left him stunned.
It would seem that women were indeed much easier to talk to, more so if the woman was as beautiful and well-endowed as Du Yu Yu. She easily managed to obtain some clues even though the information from the City Lord’s Mansion was tightly guarded.
According to what she learned, Shi Ming Hui had indeed offered up the Vitality Pills to the City Lord’s Mansion, but apparently, a problem arose during the testing of the pills. One of the Earth Grade Alchemists in the City Lord’s Mansion declared that the Vitality Pills Shi Ming Hui brought with him were poison and accused Shi Ming Hui of trying to assassinate the City Lord. Therefore, Shi Ming Hui was captured on the spot and thrown into Heavenly Martial City’s dungeons. It was currently unknown whether he was dead or alive.
Yang Kai was so furious that he burst out laughing!
[An Emperor Grade Alchemist like myself deigned to take the time and effort to refine those Vitality Pills! How dare they claim that they are poisonous!?]
Yang Kai immediately felt the urge to storm straight into the City Lord’s Mansion with his sword drawn.
Shi Ming Hui might have been subdued using rather unscrupulous means by him, but he had been a good subordinate for Yang Kai during this time.
Yang Kai could not ignore the situation now that something had gone wrong; moreover, seeing as nobody from the City Lord’s Mansion came searching for him, it was obvious that Shi Ming Hui had not revealed any information about them. Otherwise, the people from the City Lord’s Mansion would have come for him a long time ago.
However, Yang Kai quickly suppressed the impulse to act. He had the nagging feeling that this matter was more complicated than it seemed on the surface. He seemed to have gotten involved in some sort of power struggle, which meant that Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord was likely not just on the verge of dying from old age.
Hence, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling doubtful about the current situation.
With his current abilities, charging straight into the City Lord’s Mansion was actually not difficult. The difficult part would be rescuing Shi Ming Hui. Yang Kai was confident that he could move about undetected if he infiltrated the City Lord’s Mansion, but it was different if Shi Ming Hui was added into the equation.
There were many Heaven Realm Masters in Heavenly Martial City after all. Not to mention, Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord himself was at the peak of the Heaven Realm. He also had the backing of Gao Xin Peng of Profound Pill Sect.
It would not be beneficial for Yang Kai or Void Spirit Sword Sect if things got out of hand here.
After pondering for some time, Yang Kai asked Du Yu Yu to find a way to inquire about Shi Ming Hui’s current condition. His main concern was to determine whether Shi Ming Hui was alive or dead; meanwhile, he decided to wait until nightfall to infiltrate the City Lord’s Mansion.
Du Yu Yu accepted the orders and left.
On the other hand, Yang Kai began making meticulous preparations. It was not until night fell that he changed into a set of black clothes, snuck out of his room, and headed straight for the City Lord’s Mansion.
As he ran forward, Yang Kai felt exasperated in his heart. A noble Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him was acting like a thief in the Divine Armament World. It was nothing less than a disgrace!
The perimeter of the City Lord’s Mansion was heavily guarded, to the point that even Heaven Realm Masters could only dream of sneaking into the building without anybody knowing. Nevertheless, these defences were useless against Yang Kai.
He concealed his aura and infiltrated the City Lord’s Mansion under the cover of the night, and it didn’t take long for him to slip through the outer perimeter and reach the inner courtyard.
The surroundings were quiet. From time to time, Yang Kai would pass by some patrolling cultivators or come across people talking in hushed voices. Unfortunately, their conversations held nothing of value.
At first, he wandered around aimlessly. As he did not know where Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord was located, he could only search slowly.
A short while later, Yang Kai quickly hid in the shadows of a rockery as he heard the pitter-pattering of light footsteps came from not far away. He snuck a glance in that direction and saw a luxuriously dressed woman walking along the corridor with several maidservants in tow.
The woman had a gorgeous appearance, an ample bosom, and a slim figure; however, she had a cold and indifferent temperament. She walked straight into one of the palaces. Meanwhile, the maidservants accompanying her stopped outside and quietly stood there waiting.
Yang Kai did not know the identity of the woman, but judging from the scene in front of him, her status in the City Lord’s Mansion was not low.
Just as he was preparing to leave, he suddenly heard another set of heavy footsteps accompanied by an extremely ferocious aura.
[A Heaven Realm Master!] Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed. Even though there was no Spirit Qi fluctuation around the other party, he could clearly sense that this person was in the Heaven Realm!
This was his first time meeting a Heaven Realm Master since entering the Divine Armament World; thus, he couldn’t help glancing in that direction curiously.
The approaching person was a strong and burly man. He was short and stocky, and his muscles were quite bulky.
Although Yang Kai was confident in the Secret Technique he was using to conceal his aura, he did not dare to act recklessly at such close distance. The other party had a much higher cultivation than him, so he only glanced briefly in that direction before he withdrew his gaze, lest the other party noticed him.
The burly man walked straight to the door of the palace that the woman had entered earlier. The two maidservants by the door bowed elegantly in greeting. On the other hand, he simply pushed the door open and entered the room without saying a word.
A short while later, some strange sounds came from within the room. It was a mixture of grunts and muffled moans…
Yang Kai’s expression turned black, and he took this opportunity to leave.
An incense stick later, Yang Kai hid in the shadows and studied the majestic palace in front of him. There were guards stationed outside the palace and pained groans sounded faintly from within, giving off a sense of breathlessness similar to when a lamp was running out of oil.
[If my guess is correct, then this place is the residence of Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord!]
After searching for so long, he finally came across the right place. Before coming here, Yang Kai had been thinking about how to approach Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord and explain his intentions, as well as how to convince the City Lord about the efficacy of the Vitality Pills he refined.
However, when he heard the sounds coming from within the palace, he realised that Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord was dying. The situation seemed to be more serious than what he had heard as he could even detect a weak Death Qi coming from within!
All the plans Yang Kai made earlier were now useless. He did not know when Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord would die, so he could not afford to hesitate any longer.
Yang Kai found an opportunity and tossed a stone to distract the guards outside the door. With that, he successfully infiltrated the palace from a skylight on the roof.
Inside a private room with a spacious area, Yang Kai unexpectedly found not a single person standing guard. There was only one person lying on top of a large bed, covered by a blanket. Moreover, this man was breathing weakly and would cough with great difficulty from time to time.
The dim candlelight inside the room only illuminated a small portion of the room. Yang Kai looked down from above and saw that the man lying on the bed did not look very old.
That man had the appearance of someone in his early forties, but his sickly complexion made him seem deathly pale. Be that as it may, it could be seen that this man had good facial features and could be considered quite handsome.
As Yang Kai was observing the situation, the man on the bed suddenly opened his eyes and stared straight at where he was hiding on the roof beam. The gaze might be a little turbid, but a piercing light flashed through those eyes at this moment.
Yang Kai was shocked as he did not expect to be discovered so quickly when he had taken such pains to hide himself.
Soon though, Yang Kai figured it was related to how he had been staring at the other party for such a long time. At the same time, it also went to show just how powerful the man on the bed was.
It was rumoured that Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord was at the peak of the Heaven Realm, only one step away from advancing into the Spirit Realm. It could be seen that he really lived up to his reputation! Even though his physical condition had deteriorated so badly, his perception was still extremely sharp.
“Who are you?” The man on the bed spoke calmly, showing no intention of calling for help and simply asking this question quietly.
Since Yang Kai had already been discovered, he couldn’t be bothered to hide any longer. He landed lightly on the ground without making the slightest noise and walked over to the bed. Then, he tentatively asked, “City Lord Miao?”
Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord had the surname Miao and the given name Hong. It was only natural that Yang Kai knew about such information.
“It is this Miao. Who are you, Little Brother?” Miao Hong glanced at Yang Kai calmly, “Why did you come to visit the City Lord’s Mansion so late at night?”
After confirming that this person was Miao Hong, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Void Spirit Sword Sect, Yang Kai!”
“Void Spirit Sword Sect…” Miao Hong frowned, as though recalling the information he received about Void Spirit Sword Sect. Void Spirit Sword Sect was just one of the small great forces nearby, so he never really paid much attention to such things. For that reason, he could not recall much information at such short notice; thus, he frowned and asked, “Void Spirit Sword Sect is far from Heavenly Martial City. Why did you come here? Are you here to kill me?”
Yang Kai laughed and said, “There is no enmity between Void Spirit Sword Sect and Heavenly Martial City. You worry too much, City Lord Miao.” [Looks like this guy has many enemies; otherwise, he would not have asked me if I was here to kill him as soon as he saw me.]
After pausing for a moment, Yang Kai eventually continued, “I’ll be honest with you. I am an Alchemist. When I heard that you were ill, City Lord, I decided to try refining some pills for you. I sent my subordinate to offer the pills to you as a sign of my sincerity, but to my dismay, the City Lord’s Mansion claimed that the pills I refined contained poison and captured my subordinate on the spot.”
“You are an Alchemist?” Miao Hong glanced at Yang Kai in surprise.
Yang Kai didn’t just look young, he was young, probably no more than 17 or 18 years old. Having his cultivation at that age was surprising enough, so it was hard to believe that he was also an Alchemist!
It had to be said that Alchemists were highly revered in the Divine Armament World; moreover, their inheritance was very strictly guarded. Not just anybody could become an Alchemist.
“What Grade of an Alchemist are you?” Miao Hong asked curiously.
“Earth Grade!” Yang Kai did not dare to say too much. In truth, his Alchemy Grade could not be categorised according to the standards of the Divine Armament World. If he had enough materials and adequate strength to persevere, even refining a Spirit Grade Pill would be a simple task for him.
Miao Hong originally showed some interest, but his expression immediately turned cold and a trace of displeasure entered his eyes when he heard what Yang Kai said.
It was one thing to have such outstanding cultivation at such a young age. Somebody like that could be considered a talented individual, but an Earth-Grade Alchemist… How could a young brat achieve something like that?
It had to be said that Heavenly Martial City was a notable great force in its own right. Even so, they paid a huge fortune and spent hundreds of years just to nurture two Earth-Grade Alchemists.
It would take at least several dozen years of hard work to become an Earth Grade Alchemist.
“Little Brother, this City Lord has no idea why you came here. I don’t have the mood to ask, let alone be bothered to care. Just go back to where you came from,” After saying that, Miao Hong closed his eyes a little disinterested.
Yang Kai was astonished and asked, “You don’t believe me, City Lord?”
Miao Hong replied coolly, “There’s nothing interesting about mocking a dying man!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and took a good look at Hong Miao before he started speaking, “If my guess is correct, your condition is not caused by old age but the relapse of an old injury. Isn’t that right, City Lord?”
Miao Hong’s tightly closed eyes opened slightly again, and he murmured approvingly, “You have a good eye, Little Brother. How could you tell?”
The public only knew that he was dying of old age. They did not know that he was actually suffering from the relapse of an old injury.
Yang Kai explained, “You don’t seem that old from your appearance, City Lord. Of course; when it comes to a Master like you, your cultivation makes it hard to tell your actual age from your appearance alone. However, the vitality in your body has clearly not been exhausted, yet is still strangely weak. Moreover, you seem to have a different force surging inside your body…”
Miao Hong finally revealed a surprised look at those words, “You can even tell that much!?”
Yang Kai asked, “City Lord Miao, if you can trust me, can you let me perform an examination on you?”
Miao Hong studied Yang Kai solemnly for a moment before he lightly said, “There’s nothing for a dying man to fear. You can take a look if you want, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai apologised for any offending actions and took Hong Miao’s hand. Placing two fingers on Hong Miao’s wrist, he probed Hong Miao’s condition with his Spirit Qi.
Hong Miao immediately noticed Yang Kai’s true cultivation as soon as his Spirit Qi flowed into his body. This boy was actually at the peak of the Earth Realm!
Although Hong Miao had been fairly certain that Yang Kai was at least in the Earth Realm after seeing him silently sneaking into this place, it wasn’t until this moment that his speculations were confirmed. Not only was Yang Kai in the Earth Realm, but he was at the peak of the Earth Realm! He was only one step away from advancing into the Heaven Realm!
“Little Brother, how old are you?” Miao Hong asked curiously.
“18… I think,” Yang Kai answered casually. In his memories, that was indeed the approximate age of this body in the Divine Armament World.
Miao Hong smacked his lips in wonder, “A true genius!”
It was unprecedented for anybody in the Divine Armament World to achieve such outstanding cultivation at such a young age. If there was a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill on hand right now, Miao Hong was certain that Yang Kai could break through into the Heaven Realm in one go.
[An 18-year-old Heaven Realm Master! Just how sensational is that!?]
Although he never had much expectations for Void Spirit Sword Sect in the past, Miao Hong now had a vague feeling that the rise of Void Spirit Sword Sect was just around the corner.
A short while later, Yang Kai retracted his hand, “There is indeed a strange force in your body, City Lord. It is devouring your vitality.”
Miao Hong replied, “I was injured in battle many years ago, and that energy has always been lurking inside my body. I can’t get rid of this energy no matter how hard I try to dispel it. Since you are aware of this, do you have any good solutions to the problem, Little Brother?”
Yang Kai mulled over the question for a moment, “I have both good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first, City Lord?”
“Tell me the bad news first!” Miao Hong decided.
“City Lord, you have very little vitality remaining, and what little is left is rapidly fading away. If left untreated, you will die within three days!”
Miao Hong couldn’t help snorting, “That sounds like pretty good news.”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m actually amazed you can still maintain consciousness, City Lord!”
Logically speaking, most people in Miao Hong’s condition would have lost consciousness or become confused and disoriented; however, Miao Hong was still capable of speaking coherently. It could be seen that his willpower was extremely strong.
“What’s the good news?” Miao Hong asked.
“The good news is that I can help you extend your lifespan, City Lord Miao. You won’t die so quickly, but to remove this energy from your body…” Yang Kai shook his head slightly, “I don’t have enough strength. I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.”
Miao Hong’s eyes lit up, “It’s fine. You only need to help this City Lord stay alive for another 7 or 8 days!”
[7 or 8 days…] Yang Kai calculated the time. That was probably when Gao Xin Peng would arrive at Heavenly Martial City. [It looks like Miao Hong is staking his hopes on Gao Xin Peng.]
That was not surprising. Gao Xin Peng not only had a long history with Miao Hong, but he was also a Heaven Grade Alchemist. Compared to a person of unknown origins like Yang Kai, it was only natural for Miao Hong to trust Gao Xin Peng more.
Going by this logic, it would seem that Gao Xin Peng was not coming here to refine Life Extension Pills. He was probably coming here to help suppress the strange energy in Miao Hong’s body.
“That’s not a problem.” Yang Kai nodded. Taking out the Vitality Pills he refined, he tipped two pills out of the bottle, “These are the pills I refined personally. They can enhance and stimulate the vitality in your body, City Lord. They should help improve your condition.”
Miao Hong glanced at the soybean-sized pills in Yang Kai’s hand, feeling uncertain whether he could trust Yang Kai.
While Miao Hong was hesitating, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed, “Somebody’s coming.”
Miao Hong had also detected the approaching presence. He might be terminally ill, but his powerful cultivation was not just a decoration. Besides, the visitor had no intention of hiding their movements. There was no way he could not hear them coming.
Hardening his resolve, Miao Hong sucked in a breath of air that drew up the two pills in Yang Kai’s hand into his mouth.
Yang Kai had no time to escape, so he could only leap back onto the roof beam where he had been hiding before.
A short while later, the sound of light footsteps approached from a distance and soon arrived in front of the door.
“Greetings, Madam!” The voice of the guard at the door rang out.
“How is the City Lord?” A cold voice sounded. It obviously belonged to this ‘Madam’.
The guard replied, “Same as usual.”
“Open the door. I’m going to take a look.”
Immediately after that, there were some sounds and the door was opened. Moonlight spilled into the room and a slender figure stepped inside.
Yang Kai looked down and couldn’t help feeling startled. That was because the Madam was somebody he had seen before. It was the woman he encountered while he was wandering around earlier.
[Their tryst ended so quickly?] Yang Kai couldn’t help muttering to himself in his heart; however, his expression soon became strange. [The guard at the door called her ‘Madam’… What kind of relationship does this woman have with Miao Hong? The only person in the City Lord’s Mansion with the right to be called ‘Madam’ is… the City Lord’s Wife.]
[This…] Yang Kai suddenly felt as though he had discovered a huge secret.
Nevertheless, he was not sure whether his speculations were correct. [It’s possible that this woman is not Miao Hong’s Wife. But, if they are not Husband-and-Wife, then why is she here in the middle of the night?]
When Miao Hong spoke to Yang Kai earlier, his voice had been weak but he still had some energy. At this moment, however, he just lay motionless on the bed. His aura was faint and gloomy, almost as though he might die at any time.
“Husband…” The woman came over to Miao Hong’s side and sat down by the side of the bed, calling out to him softly.
Yang Kai immediately knew this woman was really the City Lord’s Wife.
Lying on the bed, Miao Hong twisted with difficulty and tried his best to open his eyes to look at her. A low groan involuntarily came out of his mouth.
“Husband, your condition has gotten worse.” The woman’s beautiful brow was slightly wrinkled. Combined with her cold temperament, she seemed very pitiable, “Looking at you in this condition breaks this Mistress’ heart…”
Yang Kai sighed in his heart when he heard those words. [A married couple is devoted to each other for life after all, even if this woman betrayed Miao Hong with her actions, it must be hard for her to see him in this condition.]
Before he could finish his thought though, he heard the woman’s voice continue, “Why do you bother to struggle so hard? Why don’t you just die here? Death ends all troubles. How much longer can you live in this condition anyway? Two days? Three days?”
A gurgling noise came out of Miao Hong’s throat. There was no telling what he wanted to say.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was completely flabbergasted.
The woman smiled, and the dimly lit room suddenly became dazzling for a moment. Then, she leaned down and pushed her ample bosom into Miao Hong’s face. She gently said, “Smell this. This Mistress still has his scent on me. It’s very fresh!”
Miao Hong probably could not breathe properly with her twin peaks in his face. His hands tried to push her away weakly, but his efforts were to no avail.
Her laughter gradually became more sinister, “When you used such despicable means to snatch me from his arms back then, did you ever think that such a day would befall you? At this point, I’m not afraid to tell you this anymore. Our daughter is not yours. She is the product of Kou Yong and I.”
Those extremely vicious words came out of the mouth of this seemingly cold-tempered woman. If Yang Kai had not heard them with his own ears, he would never have believed it! He couldn’t help thinking of the saying, A wasp’s stinger and the fangs of a poisonous snake’s mouth were both venomous, but there was nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart!
When Miao Hong spurted out a mouthful of blood, the City Lord’s Wife deftly got up and stepped to the side to avoid being splattered by the filth.
“B-Bitch!” His entire body shuddered, and he coughed up blood again.
She stood by the side of the bed and looked at him coldly. It was not until his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he lost consciousness completely that she turned around and walked out. A short while later, her commanding voice came from outside the door, “The City Lord coughed up blood again. Go in and clean it up.”
“Yes!”
Half an hour later, Yang Kai leapt down from the roof beam once more and nimbly came to stand beside Miao Hong’s bed.
A faint stench of blood remained in the air, but the blood Miao Hong coughed up earlier had already been cleaned up by the guards.
“I apologise for letting you see that, Little Brother,” Miao Hong abruptly opened his eyes.
Yang Kai jumped in fright. He thought that Miao Hong had fainted earlier, but it would now seem that Miao Hong was only pretending to be unconscious. Moreover, his tone of voice was so indifferent at this moment that Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering whether he had always known that his Wife was having an affair with another man.
In any case, the City Lord’s Wife was ruthless indeed. Miao Hong was already in this condition, but she still came over to specifically anger him. If it were anybody else, they might have died from rage just then. The fact that Miao Hong managed to survive showed that he was definitely a person who could endure pain, both physical and mental.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling amazed. Despite travelling across many worlds for so many years, he had never encountered something like this before. Be that as it may, this incident confirmed his previous conjecture. He had definitely gotten involved in a troublesome matter on this trip to Heavenly Martial City.
“Little Brother, your pill is very effective!” Miao Hong exclaimed approvingly. He could clearly feel his vitality recovering slowly. If he previously had the mentality that it couldn’t hurt to give a dead horse medicine, he now had much more trust in Yang Kai, “At this point, I’m sure you’ve guessed the truth. This City Lord did not capture your subordinate who came here to offer medicine. Rather, it was the doing of others. They… want this City Lord dead!”
Yang Kai frowned, “If that’s the case, why don’t they make a move against you directly?”
Given Miao Hong’s current condition, he would probably be helpless to fight back if they attacked him.
Miao Hong coldly snorted, “If they make a move, they will leave behind too many traces. I have a friend who is coming to Heavenly Martial City in a few days. Those people would not survive if he noticed any issues.”
Realisation struck Yang Kai. He immediately understood why the City Lord’s Wife ran here specially and used such vicious words to anger Miao Hong. It was all to aggravate his injuries and hasten his death.
The friend that Miao Hong mentioned earlier was probably Gao Xin Peng. With the perception and experience of a Heaven Grade Alchemist, Gao Xin Peng would definitely notice if Miao Hong was murdered by somebody. On the other hand, there was nothing he could do if Miao Hong died of natural causes.
“Fortunately, the Heavens never close off all paths. This City Lord is thankful to have met you, Little Brother. Do you have more of the pills you gave me earlier, Little Brother?”
“I do.” Yang Kai nodded, “But, there’s another problem.”
“What problem?”
Yang Kai wrinkled his brow, “I did not know about your current condition when I refined these pills, so I didn’t consider something like this. These Vitality Pills will stimulate the vitality in your body after being consumed, but you also need to be supplemented with rich nutrients after taking them; otherwise, you will overdraw your remaining strength. Even if you can get through your current hardships, you will face endless troubles in the future.”
Miao Hong understood, “So, that’s how it is!”
He could tell that Yang Kai was not lying. Having consumed the Vitality Pills himself, he was the most aware of their effects on his body. After some consideration, he looked at Yang Kai earnestly, “Little Brother, I am afraid I must ask for your assistance. Can you help this City Lord bring in some supplements for the next few days. With your skills, you won’t have any trouble coming and going from this place as long as you’re careful. If this City Lord can survive this crisis, I will definitely reward you handsomely in the future.”
Yang Kai helplessly said, “That seems to be the only way.”
He only wanted to come and investigate the situation in the City Lord’s Mansion, but how could he have known that things would turn out like this? Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling speechless.
“City Lord Miao, my subordinate is still locked up in your dungeon currently. I don’t even know whether he is dead or alive!” Yang Kai said after a pause.
Miao Hong pondered in silence for a moment, “I’ll give you my Faith Token. Go and find a man named Huang Da. He is the Deacon of the City Lord’s Mansion. With his help, your subordinate will not be in danger.”
Although he was basically placed under house arrest by his own Wife, Miao Hong still had some loyal subordinates under him. This Deacon named Huang Da was probably one of them.
While speaking, Miao Hong took out a jade token the size of his palm from under his pillow.
Yang Kai took the jade token, which felt cool to the touch, and asked, “City Lord Miao, if Huang Da asks about your condition…”
Miao Hong’s eyes flashed, “You can tell him the truth!”
“Good!”
Afterwards, Miao Hong told Yang Kai how to find Huang Da’s residence. Only then did Yang Kai take his leave.
The City Lord’s Mansion was not small. Fortunately, Yang Kai still had a faint recollection of the layout after his earlier exploration. With the help of Miao Hong’s directions, he quickly found Huang Da’s residence.
It was only natural that their first meeting was laced with some misunderstanding.
After Yang Kai revealed the Faith Token though, Huang Da became very emotional and asked about Miao Hong’s condition. As such, Yang Kai explained everything to him. Huang Da was both pleased and surprised by the news. It was not until Yang Kai mentioned Shi Ming Hui that he finally realised that the latter was Yang Kai’s subordinate.
“Don’t worry. Your subordinate is only being locked up in the dungeons for the time being and is in no real danger. The City Lord’s Mansion is currently facing troubled times with many people plotting in secret who do not want to raise any further fuss, so he won’t be in danger until the dust of this huge incident settles. If anything unexpected happens, this Old Master will help to watch out for him,” Huang Da promised.
“Many thanks, Deacon Huang.” Yang Kai responded politely.
After a busy night, it was almost morning by the time Yang Kai returned to his living quarters.
A short while later, Du Yu Yu came to greet him. Yang Kai handed her the note he prepared in advance and sent her to purchase some items.
Miao Hong needed a large amount of nutrients to support his waning vitality; however, his body could not currently withstand the burden of strong supplements. Even his cultivation, which was at the peak of the Heaven Realm, could not help in this particular case; therefore, Yang Kai needed to think of a gentler method. After some consideration, Yang Kai determined that preparing a medicinal soup was the safest option.
Du Yu Yu did not know what Yang Kai wanted these ingredients for, but her biggest merit was her obedience. It didn’t take long before she returned after buying the listed items.
In the meantime, Yang Kai casually asked about Kou Yong.
Kou Yong was the man who had an affair with the City Lord’s Wife. According to the City Lord’s Wife, her Daughter was the result of her affair with him.
“Kou Yong?” Du Yu Yu pondered for a moment, “Is Sir referring to Heavenly Martial City’s Vice City Lord? I think he is in the Seventh-Step or Eighth-Step Heaven Realm!”
Yang Kai raised a brow at those words. It was not judgemental… He just felt that Miao Hong’s life was quite pitiful.
Yang Kai was busy all day, and when night fell, he secretly snuck into the City Lord’s Mansion again, this time to deliver food to Miao Hong…
The effects of the Vitality Pill were evident, and after finishing off a huge pot of medicinal soup, Miao Hong’s complexion became noticeably rosier. He was full of praise for Yang Kai, complementing him on being a promising young man. It was clear that he was trying to win Yang Kai over; after all, it was impossible to find another person in the Divine Armament World who not only stood at the peak of the Earth Realm but was also an Earth-Grade Alchemist at such a young age. It would surely be helpful if he could win Yang Kai over.
In the following days, Yang Kai would head to the City Lord’s Mansion at night to deliver nutrient-rich tonics to Miao Hong in order to supplement the Vitality Pills he had provided.
Miao Hong’s condition improved by the day, but his underlying injuries did not heal. There was no saying exactly how much strength he could exert, so he continued to endure under these circumstances and he would deliberately pretend to be dying whenever his Wife came to visit him.
The City Lord’s Wife would visit every few nights, and each time she came, she would viciously provoke him until he coughed up blood before she left in satisfaction.
On one occasion, Yang Kai was hiding on the roof beam when he saw the City Lord’s Wife and Kou Yong visiting together. They kissed and flirted openly right in front of Miao Hong…
This time around, Miao Hong was probably so angry that he passed out for real as it took Yang Kai a lot of effort to wake him up again.
On a certain day, Yang Kai was here to deliver the medicinal soup and Vitality Pills. After Miao Hong finished consuming both, he lay back on the bed and said, “Little Brother, I need to ask you for a favour.”
Yang Kai put away the items he brought and said, “Please speak freely, City Lord Miao.”
“I want you to go and welcome the Heaven Grade Alchemist of Profound Pill Sect, Gao Xin Peng!” Miao Hong panted for breath, “According to the plan, Alchemist Gao will arrive at Heavenly Martial City in three days’ time, but that cheating couple will not wait that long. You’ve seen the current situation over the past few days. They can’t wait for me to die. If I’m still alive when Gao Xin Peng arrives, they will probably risk making a move directly. That’s why I want you to meet Alchemist Gao and ask him to hasten his arrival, preferably without allowing anyone to find out.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t worry, City Lord Miao. I’ve already taken care of this matter. There’s no need to disturb Alchemist Gao.”
Yang Kai had anticipated the situation that Miao Hong mentioned. Knowing that the City Lord’s Wife and Kou Yong would become desperate, he had made preparations in advance.
“Oh?” Miao Hong was surprised, “What have you arranged, Little Brother?”
Yang Kai reached into his pocket, took out a small jade bottle, and tipped out a longan-sized black pill from the bottle, “This is a Turtle Breath Pill. City Lord Miao, you will fall into a kind of false-death state after consuming this pill. Both your vitality and aura will be suppressed to the point that even those two will not be able to detect it.”
Miao Hong was extremely astonished. Taking the Turtle Breath Pill from Yang Kai’s hand, he asked a little hesitantly, “Is this pill really that effective?”
“City Lord Miao, do you not trust me?”
Miao Hong shook his head, “I might not have known you for long, but I can tell that you’re a brave and righteous young man. If you really wanted to harm this City Lord, you could have made your move a long time ago. Besides, you saved this City Lord’s life, so how can I not trust you?”
“It’s best if you can trust me, City Lord Miao. You don’t need to worry either as this Turtle Breath Pill does not have any negative side-effects. You just need to consume the antidote later and you will wake up within a quarter hour.” Yang Kai paused for a moment, “Besides, meeting Alchemist Gao now will only tip them off. They also know that Alchemist Gao is your only hope, City Lord Miao, so I’m sure they’re already monitoring his approach. There’s no saying what consequences we might face if we rashly contact him at this time.”
Miao Hong pondered for a moment and nodded, “Your words make sense, Little Brother. Let’s follow your plan.”
Yang Kai did not know how much Miao Hong trusted him, but it was clear that someone as stubborn and forbearing as Miao Hong would not be a kind man at heart. The betrayal of his closest confidante would surely have caused him to lose his trust in others. Nevertheless, he could probably sense that Yang Kai had no ill will towards him. Coupled with the fact that he had experienced Yang Kai’s abilities over the past few days, it was reason enough to accept Yang Kai’s suggestion.
Two nights later, Yang Kai hid on the roof beam and personally witnessed as the City Lord’s Wife, Qin You Shuang, and Kou Yong angered Miao Hong so much that he spat up three litres of blood and ‘died’ on the spot!
The sudden death of Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord caused the entire city to mourn!
Everybody knew that the City Lord was old and frail. It was public knowledge that he was reaching the end of his life expectancy; even so, many people had trouble accepting the truth when this news was announced.
Many shops and houses voluntarily hung white silk cloth above their doors to express their condolences to City Lord Miao Hong.
Yang Kai stood beside the window on the second floor of Tian Luo Hall’s shop.
Du Yu Yu stood beside him. Following his gaze, she looked out the window but did not see anything unusual, so she asked curiously, “Sir, what are you looking at?”
“A storm is coming!” He said.
Du Yu Yu looked up at the sky where the scorching sun was obviously shining brightly and thought, [Is there something wrong with his eyes?]
“Somebody might come looking for me later. Just let me know at the time.” After saying that, Yang Kai returned to his room. He had handed the antidote for the Turtle Breath Pill to Huang Da in advance. It was foreseeable that there would be a bloody battle at the City Lord’s Mansion, but Yang Kai had no plans to participate in something like that. It was enough for him to quietly wait here.
The only thing that interested him was the Heaven Grade Alchemist, Gao Xin Peng, who was coming soon. The pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was in that person’s hands after all.
Less than a day after Miao Hong’s death, Gao Xin Peng arrived. A Heaven Grade Alchemist held an extremely high status in the Divine Armament World, so his arrival created a great sensation in the city and many people went to look at the excitement from afar.
As a Heaven-Grade Alchemist of Profound Pill Sect, Gao Xin Peng was quickly welcomed into the City Lord’s Mansion.
It was not until late at night that Du Yu Yu suddenly knocked on Yang Kai’s door, “Sir, a Deacon from the City Lord’s Mansion named Huang Da is here to see you. Also, Shi Ming Hui is back.”
“Good,” Yang Kai responded as he stood up and walked out.
Huang Da stood waiting outside the shop, and Shi Ming Hui stood next to him, looking ashamed. When he saw Yang Kai, he quickly spoke with chagrin, “This subordinate was incompetent. Please punish me, Sir.”
He was only supposed to offer up two pills, but he was captured and detained for eight days instead. Even he felt that he was very incompetent.
Nevertheless, it was exactly as Huang Da had mentioned before. The City Lord’s Mansion was facing troubled times, so the City Lord’s Wife, Qin You Shuang, and the Vice City Lord, Kou Yong, had no intention of causing further trouble. As a result, Shi Ming Hui was only captured and fortunately, was not subjected to torture.
“It’s not your fault. Go and have a good rest,” Yang Kai waved Shi Ming Hui away and cupped his fist at Huang Da, “Deacon Huang!”
Huang Da returned the greeting, “You are too polite, Little Brother Yang. The City Lord sent this humble one here to invite you to the City Lord’s Mansion.”
Yang Kai had already expected this outcome so he simply nodded, “Lead the way.” Turning back, he called out to Du Yu Yu, “Come with me.”
Du Yu Yu quickly responded with a confused look. She clearly heard Huang Da saying that the City Lord had extended his invitation, but… wasn’t the City Lord dead? Did Heavenly Martial City obtain a new City Lord so quickly?
Even though Yang Kai had gone in and out of the City Lord’s Mansion on numerous occasions, this was actually his first time walking in openly.
Upon entering the premises, Du Yu Yu was horrified. The guards around them were busy cleaning up the place as there were bloodstains that had not dried up all over the ground and traces of battle in many areas. It was obvious that a huge struggle had occurred in this place; however, she could not understand why people were killing each other in the City Lord’s Mansion.
Soon, the two of them arrived at a Grand Hall under Huang Da’s leadership. This hall was brightly lit, but a bloody aura permeated the air. Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord, Miao Hong, sat majestically on the main seat. As soon as he saw Yang Kai, he laughed loudly and stood up in greeting, “Little Brother, I was waiting for you.”
“This Yang is reassured to see that you are safe, City Lord Miao.” Yang Kai greeted warmly.
“It’s all thanks to you that this City Lord can stand here today! Come, come, come! Let me introduce you to an honoured guest!”
While saying so, Miao Hong enthusiastically grabbed Yang Kai by the arm and led him into the hall.
Yang Kai immediately saw the man sitting at the first seat on the left at a glance. There was nothing special about this man’s appearance. Rather, he seemed extremely ordinary. He was dressed in pale blue robes and at this moment, he was looking over with an inquisitive gaze.
Behind him stood a man and a woman. Their auras were concealed, but Yang Kai could clearly sense that they possessed horrifying strength. Similar to Miao Hong, these two were most likely Masters at the peak of the Heaven Realm!
At this moment, they were standing behind the seated man like bodyguards. Thus, Yang Kai immediately knew that this man was the target of his visit, Heaven Grade Alchemist, Gao Xin Peng.
Sure enough, Miao Hong pointed at Gao Xin Peng and introduced them, “Little Brother, this is Alchemist Gao of Profound Pill Sect!”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “This Junior has long admired Senior Gao!”
Gao Xin Peng looked at Yang Kai with interest. On the other hand, the expressions of the two guards behind Gao Xin Peng turned cold and a chilly pressure loomed down on Yang Kai. The status of a Heaven Grade Alchemist was highly revered so most people would bring large gifts and act worshipful; nobody would ever act as open and aloof as Yang Kai. It was only natural that these two were unhappy with his conduct.
Even Miao Hong was slightly surprised. It was just that he was not in the position to say anything, considering all the help that Yang Kai had given him; thus, he simply chuckled and continued with the introductions, “Brother Gao, this is the one I mentioned to you before, Little Junior Brother Yang. It’s all thanks to Little Junior Brother Yang’s help that this Miao turned misfortune into great fortune in this situation. Like you, he is this Miao’s saviour.”
Gao Xin Peng nodded lightly and smiled, “I didn’t quite dare to believe it when I first heard about you from the City Lord, but now that I see you, you are indeed a brave and talented young man. I’ve taken a look at both the Vitality Pills and the Turtle Breath Pill you refined. Your methods are quite unusual but profound. Even the way you proportioned the herbs is very innovative. I gained a lot from studying those pills. Are you an Earth-Grade Alchemist?”
“Probably!” Yang Kai smiled.
Gao Xin Peng was stunned, “If you are, then you are. If you’re not, then you’re not. What do you mean by probably? Forget it; seeing as you can refine those two pills, you definitely have the foundation of an Earth-Grade Alchemist. It looks like your Master is not an ordinary person.”
As a Heaven Grade Alchemist, Gao Xin Peng was qualified enough to take no notice of Earth Grade Alchemists, but Yang Kai was a little different. He was so young that his future was unlimited; otherwise, Gao Xin Peng would not have been this polite.
Yang Kai casually replied, “Perhaps. It’s just that the Master who taught me Alchemy has no origins, so I’m not too certain either.”
Gao Xin Peng nodded lightly, “There are many such hidden Masters in the world. If possible, can you introduce us, Little Brother? I would like to meet your Master!”
To teach a Disciple like Yang Kai, this hidden Alchemist was bound to be a Heaven Grade Alchemist or higher; thus, he was qualified to discuss Alchemy with Gao Xin Peng.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, Alchemist Gao. I won’t hide the truth. My Master only taught me for a few years when I was younger before he left. I’ve not heard from him since.”
As expected, Gao Xin Peng revealed a disappointed expression and sighed, “Is that so? What a pity!”
Miao Hong smiled by the side and said, “Let us sit and talk.” After Yang Kai sat down, he finally continued, “Both of you are my saviours. If not for your help, this Miao Hong would have died a tragic death.”
Yang Kai had helped him to prolong his life buying him time until Gao Xin Peng arrived. On the other hand, Gao Xin Peng brought two Masters at the peak of the Heaven Realm with him to help clean out the traitors in the City Lord’s Mansion and regain authority over Heavenly Martial City!
As for what happened to Kou Yong and the others, Yang Kai could not be bothered to ask. They most likely were met with a tragic end. In fact, Kou Yong might have contributed to the smell of blood in this very hall.
“Brother Gao and I have known each other for several dozen years and have a deep and inseparable friendship, so this City Lord won’t bother offering his thanks.”
Gao Xin Peng chuckled, “If not for your help back then, City Lord Miao, this Gao would not be standing here today. If you need help, this Gao will naturally come to your aid!”
Miao Hong nodded lightly and turned to look at Yang Kai, “Little Brother, we had not met until a few days ago, but you’ve already done a great kindness for me. This City Lord is extremely grateful. Besides, this City Lord promised to reward you handsomely! Little Brother, do you have any wishes? If you do, please do not hold back. This City Lord will not refuse as long as it is within my means!”
It could be seen that he was in a jubilant mood; moreover, it was a gesture of sincerity to speak of such matters in front of Gao Xin Peng.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before nodding, “There is indeed something I’d like you to do for me, City Lord.”
“Go ahead and speak freely!” Miao Hong looked at Yang Kai with a smile.
Yang Kai turned to look at Gao Xin Peng “I wish to compete with Alchemist Gao in Alchemy!”
The smile on Miao Hong’s face stiffened while Gao Xin Peng looked surprised. As for the two bodyguards behind Gao Xin Peng, they shouted in unison, “How dare you!”
Gao Xin Peng raised his hand slightly and looked at Yang Kai curiously, “You want to compete with me in Alchemy?”
“Yes! I hope you will fulfil my wish, Alchemist Gao!” Yang Kai said seriously.
Gao Xin Peng burst out laughing, “You are an Earth Grade Alchemist while I am a Heaven Grade Alchemist. We are in different Grades altogether. How can we compete?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve never competed with other Alchemists before, so I’m curious about the difference between myself and the others. It is a rare opportunity to encounter Alchemist Gao, so… I have a bit of an itch!”
Miao Hong spoke up from the side with a strange expression, “Little Brother, didn’t your Master tell you that a competition between Alchemists is a very serious matter? Unless they have grievances against each other, they would never make such requests easily.”
Yang Kai was extremely astonished, “Is there such an etiquette?”
He turned to look at Du Yu Yu. Her complexion was ashen, but she nodded, “Yes!”
When she heard that Yang Kai wanted to compete against Gao Xin Peng in Alchemy, she had been so frightened that she nearly fell to the ground weakly.
Miao Hong burst into laughter and shook his head, “Little Brother, your actions are equivalent to pointing a sword at this Miao and declaring a battle to the death!”
Yang Kai was stunned, [No wonder the two bodyguards behind Gao Xin Peng reacted so strongly. It seems that my request is no different from challenging Gao Xin Peng. Thank goodness Gao Xin Peng is not such a petty man; otherwise, we could have fallen out with each other right here and now.]
Yang Kai was ashamed and cupped his fist apologetically, “It appears this Yang is truly ignorant and uninformed. Please forgive me, Alchemist Gao!”
Gao Xin Peng laughed, “It looks like your Master did not tell you much about the taboos among Alchemists.”
Yang Kai did not know what to say to that as he did not have a Master to speak of. The only Master he had in the Divine Armament World was the Sect Master of Void Spirit Sword Sect. His random excuse was only to deal with Gao Xin Peng’s questions. [But, if I can’t compete with Gao Xin Peng, then how am I going to get my hands on the pill recipe of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill?]
Just as Yang Kai was feeling extremely conflicted, Gao Xin Peng suddenly spoke up, “It’s been a while since I’ve encountered something so interesting. Let’s do this instead; we can exchange some pointers with each other.”
“Really?” Yang Kai raised his brow at those words. He thought that he would need to change his plans, but who could have known that Gao Xin Peng would agree to his request? It was an unexpected surprise.
Gao Xin Peng smiled, “It’s just a friendly match. Since it’s not a competition, it’s not a big deal. Besides, this Gao is interested in your Alchemy Techniques.”
He was certainly an honest person who said what he was thinking. If he was not interested in Yang Kai’s Alchemy Techniques, he would never have agreed to this request; after all, he was a Heaven Grade Alchemist. It was impossible for an Earth-Grade Alchemist to surpass him in Alchemy Techniques.
Miao Hong hesitated, “Brother Gao, is this really alright?”
Gao Xin Peng smiled slightly, “Why? Are you afraid that this Gao will bully the weak, City Lord?”
Miao Hong quickly waved his hands in denial, “Brother Gao, you know that’s not what I meant. It’s just… Forget it. Since you’ve already agreed to this request, Brother Gao, this Miao won’t say any more. I just hope that you know when to stop. Don’t harm the peace!”
“Of course,” Gao Xin Peng turned to look at Yang Kai, “Little Brother, since you wanted to learn from me, I’ll let you decide on the topic. What pill do you think we should refine?”
“The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!” Yang Kai immediately replied.
Gao Xin Peng was slightly stunned, “The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill? Little Brother, are you sure you want to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill?”
Yang Kai said, “I’m already at the peak of the Earth Realm and I currently need a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance into the Heaven Realm. After I complete this pill, I can also make the best use of the pill.”
Gao Xin Peng asked, “Little Brother, could it be that you’re not aware? The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill cannot be refined by those who are not in the Heaven Realm.”
“Why is that?” Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows.
Gao Xin Peng explained, “The Spirit Qi in Earth Realm Masters is not sufficient to support the refining of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. Only those in the Heaven Realm can refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
Seeing Yang Kai’s ignorance, he couldn’t help doubting whether the Vitality Pills and the Turtle Breath Pill were refined by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had never heard of such things before. Although the Divine Armament World had given him some memories along with an identity to move around in the world, he didn’t know much of the common knowledge about the Alchemic Dao here.
Upon further consideration though, Yang Kai realised something. Cultivators needed the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm, but the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill could only be refined by those in the Heaven Realm. If that was the case, then how did the first Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill come about?
This question was similar to the question of ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ There was no answer.
“You won’t have any advantages if we refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. Why don’t you change it to something else instead?” Gao Xin Peng suggested.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I am confident that I can refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
Leaving aside the fact that the Spirit Qi in his body was much stronger than general Earth Realm Masters, his own accomplishments in the Alchemic Dao were enough to allow him to figure out a solution when faced with various problems. His top priority was to obtain the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!
Seeing Yang Kai’s persistence, Gao Xin Peng became slightly annoyed. He felt as though Yang Kai was deliberately trying to show off in front of him. No matter how good-tempered he was, he was still a highly revered Heaven Grade Alchemist. Nobody had ever been so presumptuous in front of him before.
As a result, Gao Xin Peng’s voice turned frosty and he declared, “If you’re so insistent, then we’ll refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
There was no denying that Yang Kai was extremely talented. He had heard from Miao Hong that Yang Kai was only 18 years old. Be that as it may, Yang Kai not only stood at the peak of the Earth Realm but was also an Earth Grade Alchemist. Such a person was incredibly outstanding in the Divine Armament World.
[His extraordinary talent must have made him arrogant. It might not be a bad thing for somebody like him to face some hardships in life.] Gao Xin Peng quietly vowed to himself. [I’m going to put him in his place during our Alchemy exchange. I have to show him that there’s always somebody better than him out there.]
Seeing that the two had come to an agreement, Miao Hong laughed, “This Miao is very fortunate to be able to witness two Alchemists competing with each other. What herbs do you need to prepare? This Miao will send somebody to purchase them immediately!”
Yang Kai immediately perked up his ears. How could he know what herbs he needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill? All his hopes were pinned on Gao Xin Peng right now. All his efforts in Heavenly Martial City were only for this moment.
A complete pill recipe not only included the list of herbs though, the refining steps, techniques, as well as the strength of the fire required was also needed. Nevertheless, it would be easier for him to deduce the pill recipe if he knew what kinds of herbs were needed.
Gao Xin Peng smiled, “There’s no need to trouble you, City Lord Miao. This Gao will send his subordinate to purchase the necessary herbs.”
After saying that, he turned around to the two Heaven Realm bodyguards behind him and issued some instructions. The female Heaven Realm Master immediately walked out.
Yang Kai nearly spat out a mouthful of blood at the sight! Despite knowing that it would not be easy to get his hands on the pill recipe of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, the scene in front of him still made him exceptionally gloomy.
[No wonder they say that the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill is an Alchemist’s greatest secret.] Gao Xin Peng’s actions were naturally to prevent others from learning what kind of herbs he used in this refinement process. But, if he was acting so secretive, then how was Yang Kai going to know what kinds of herbs were needed in the pill recipe?
Miao Hong turned to look at Yang Kai, who forced out a smile, “Many thanks for your concern, City Lord. I will also prepare my own herbs.”
“Good!” Miao Hong stopped insisting, “It’s getting late today and I’m sure the two of you have many preparations to make. In that case, let’s do this tomorrow. When the two of you are ready, this Miao will open up the Pill Room so that you may compete to your hearts’ content.”
The City Lord’s Mansion was in turmoil today and many people had been killed and injured. Miao Hong himself had barely escaped from the jaws of death earlier; thus, he was dead tired after forcefully pushing his energy to the limits and talking so much. Even so, he made sure to personally arrange for Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai’s living quarters before he left to get some rest.
That night, Yang Kai sighed and put on his familiar black robes. Instructing Du Yu Yu to keep watch, he silently left on his own.
In order to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, he had to know what kind of herbs Gao Xin Peng had purchased; therefore, he could only go out and investigate by himself.
It was fortunate that he had been wandering around the City Lord’s Mansion recently and he had perfected his stealth techniques over the past few days. After a short search, he quickly found the place where Gao Xin Peng was staying. Concealing his aura, Yang Kai silently crouched beside the skylight and looked down into the room.
There was a single flickering candle inside the room. Gao Xin Peng sat on the bed, seeming to be resting in meditation. There was no sight of the male bodyguard, so he was probably outside the door.
Thus, Yang Kai breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Both of Gao Xin Peng’s bodyguards were at the peak of the Heaven Realm and not people he could oppose right now.
There was already a precedent of being discovered by Miao Hong previously, so Yang Kai did not know whether his presence would be discovered if he kept spying into the room; therefore, the fact that the bodyguard was not inside the room was something to be celebrated.
Although Gao Xin Peng was also in the Heaven Realm, his cultivation was not at the peak of the Heaven Realm. Besides, an Alchemist like him would spend most of his energy on Alchemy. Despite being a Heaven Realm Master, he probably could not exert the strength corresponding to his cultivation.
As long as Yang Kai was careful, he would not be discovered.
After waiting for about an hour, Yang Kai suddenly heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. His spirits lifted, knowing that the female bodyguard had returned from buying the herbs.
Sure enough, the female bodyguard knocked on the door and entered the room. She placed the bag in her hands on the table and cupped her fist, “Sir, I’ve bought the herbs.”
Gao Xin Peng didn’t even bother to open his eyes, “Good. You may leave.”
“Yes!” The female bodyguard responded and respectfully took her leave.
Yang Kai’s gaze latched firmly upon that bag like a leech. He knew that all the herbs needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill were inside. As long as Gao Xin Peng opened the bag to check the contents, he could get a glimpse of what he needed.
And so he waited quietly…
What made Yang Kai so depressed that he wanted to spit blood though, was that Gao Xin Peng continued to meditate without moving. Dawn was about to arrive, but Gao Xin Peng remained calm and peaceful. It was obvious that he was extremely confident in his subordinate’s ability to carry out her duties.
However, Yang Kai was waiting for Gao Xin Peng to open the bag. [What am I supposed to do in this situation!?]
Yang Kai was beginning to contemplate luring the two bodyguards and Gao Xin Peng away with some sort of trick in order to investigate the contents of the bag himself, but just as he was preparing to move, Gao Xin Peng, who had been sitting cross-legged all this while, finally roused from his meditation.
Under Yang Kai’s scrutinising gaze, Gao Xin Peng got out of bed and boiled a pot of tea. While sipping slowly on his tea, he seemed to recall something and opened the bag, taking out all the herbs and checking them one by one.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was tempted to summon the Azure Dragon Spear and stab Gao Xin Peng to death! Unfortunately, he knew that the idea was unrealistic, so instead, he quickly memorised all the quantities and the types of herbs.
A short while later, Yang Kai quietly slipped away. He led Du Yu Yu out of the City Lord’s Mansion and returned to Tian Luo Hall’s shop. Taking all the Black Jades that he previously brought with him, he hurriedly rushed to the various medicine shops.
When the sun was high up in the sky, everyone gathered at the Pill Room in the City Lord’s Mansion. Miao Hong personally opened the Pill Room, then he led Yang Kai and Gao Xin Peng inside, smilingly reporting, “This is the Pill Room of the City Lord’s Mansion. You can access the Earth Fire here. Of course, it cannot compare with your Alchemy Flame, Brother Gao, but it is enough for the lowly Alchemists in Heavenly Martial City.”
Gao Xin Peng nodded reservedly, “Since this is a learning exchange with Little Junior Brother Yang, it’s only right for everybody to use the same Alchemy Tools. This is fine!”
He obviously did not wish to seem as though he was bullying the weak; otherwise, it would not be an honest victory even if he won. It was a symbol of fairness for both of them to use the same Earth Fire and Alchemy Furnaces in this place.
Miao Hong personally explained to Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai about how to use their Spirit Qi to draw upon the Earth-Fire; then, he asked the two of them to each find an Alchemy Furnace of similar standards. Only then did he stand to the side with a proud expression. As the witness of this competition, he was full of smiles.
Although he was a Master at the peak of the Heaven Realm, he rarely had the chance to observe Heaven Grade Alchemists like Gao Xin Peng personally performing Alchemy.
Under normal circumstances, the Alchemy Techniques of Heaven Grade Alchemists were absolutely confidential. Except for a few assistants, it was impossible for others to observe and emulate their actions from up close.
Miao Hong had known Gao Xin Peng for decades, but he had never seen Gao Xin Peng refining pills. It was only natural that he was extremely interested in this matter.
“If the two of you are ready, then this exchange competition can begin now.” Miao Hong gestured.
Gao Xin Peng nodded lightly. He opened his bag, took out the herbs, and arranged them by the side.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai continued to activate his Spirit Qi and familiarize himself with the Earth Fire. The strength of the fire was extremely important in Alchemy, so it was very important to familiarise himself with his new tools.
Needless to say, Yang Kai’s main reason was to buy more time so that he could observe and emulate Gao Xin Peng’s refining process.
Under normal circumstances, it was impossible to obtain the secrets of the pill recipe just by observing an Alchemist during the process of refining a pill; however, Yang Kai was not comparable with ordinary Alchemists. His profound attainments in the Alchemic Dao were his greatest capital.
Besides, he had partially deduced the pill recipe in his mind while buying the herbs. At this point, he already had several ideas in mind.
If there was a complete Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in front of him right now to further supplement the information he received already, he was 60% confident that he could fully deduce the pill recipe. Naturally, this process would take a long time, possibly taking several months to several years to complete.
On the other side, Gao Xin Peng finished arranging and preparing his herbs. He activated his Spirit Qi and stimulated the Earth-Fire; then, he skillfully placed herb after herb into the Alchemy Furnace to condense the medicinal liquid.
In the meantime, he also glanced over to see what Yang Kai was doing. When he saw that Yang Kai was still getting familiarised with the Earth Fire, he couldn’t help shaking his head slowly. He wondered whether he had been a little too hasty when he agreed to this competition as Yang Kai’s current performance was very disappointing.
It was not until Gao Xin Peng had tempered most of his medicinal liquid that Yang Kai finally made a move. Under Yang Kai’s instructions, Du Yu Yu opened the bag they brought and took out the herbs one by one.
Gao Xin Peng glanced over and couldn’t help being startled. Even the Earth Fire below his Alchemy Furnace flickered for a moment. It was obvious that his mental state had been affected quite badly. He panicked for a moment and quickly controlled the Alchemy Flame again.
The reason for his reaction was that he noticed the herbs Yang Kai brought were practically identical to what he took out earlier; moreover, even the quantities were similar.
This was very strange. Although the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill could be refined as long as one was a Heaven Grade Alchemist in the Divine Armament World, the pill recipe owned by each Sect was bound to have subtle differences. The most obvious manifestation of these differences was the difference in the type of herbs. Naturally, the medicinal efficacies of different Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill also varied in strength.
As one of the current top ten Sects in the Divine Armament World today, Profound Pill Sect boasted an impressive heritage and long-standing inheritance. The pill recipe for their Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill had thus undergone countless generations of improvements and modifications. Even if they dared not claim to be the best in the world, they would still rank among the top three.
Hence, it was impossible for the pill recipe mastered by other people or other Alchemy Sects to be identical to that of Profound Pill Sect! That was why Gao Xin Peng was so shocked to see that the herbs Yang Kai brought out were almost identical to his own.
On the other hand, Yang Kai looked up and nodded lightly at Gao Xin Peng. He knew that Gao Xin Peng was feeling suspicious.
He had previously considered buying several extra portions of herbs to disguise his intentions. His main purpose in performing Alchemy today was to imitate Gao Xin Peng; by doing so, he could then deduce and perfect the pill recipe during the process. Those additional herbs would not only prove to be useless at the end of the refinement process, but they would also serve to highlight his guilty conscience instead. So, he decided against that method.
Fortunately, Gao Xin Peng said nothing even though he did not understand why the herbs that Yang Kai brought were so similar to his own. The only difference was in their quantities. He simply suppressed his doubts and decided to inquire about this matter after he finished the refinement process.
As time passed, Yang Kai formed various hand seals that changed constantly. His Spirit Qi fluctuated wildly, and the Earth Fire he controlled also became stronger and weaker accordingly.
Yang Kai looked like he had fully immersed himself in condensing his medicinal liquid, but in reality, he had separated a thread of his consciousness to observe Gao Xin Peng’s movements. He then mimicked all of Gao Xin Peng’s methods, though he did not copy everything exactly.
His own attainments in the Alchemic Dao were extremely deep, so even though he was imitating Gao Xin Peng’s refining process, the truth was that many different concepts would instantaneously appear in his head. This allowed Yang Kai to use his own special means to replace Gao Xin Peng’s secret Alchemy Techniques. Be that as it may, their Alchemy refining process looked extremely similar.
There was too little time and he needed to keep up with Gao Xin Peng’s various Alchemy processes, so Yang Kai could not afford the time to conceal his actions too much.
Even Miao Hong, who didn’t know anything about Alchemy, could tell that something was wrong from where he stood watching by the side. His gaze would flicker between Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai from time to time with a puzzled expression.
With Miao Hong noticing something was off, there was obviously no fooling Gao Xin Peng. Even though Yang Kai had tried to change things up as much as possible, Gao Xin Peng could tell that Yang Kai’s movements when refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill were performed at practically the same rhythm as himself, only slightly slower.
This realization made his expression change subtly.
At this point, Yang Kai could not be bothered to care so much anymore. Things had already progressed to this point, so he could only continue until the end. As long as he could completely observe and emulate Gao Xin Peng’s refining process, it would be a success!
As more and more medicinal liquid was condensed at a steady rate, the temperature in the Pill Room increased accordingly. Gao Xin Peng’s expression remained unchanged. For a Heaven Grade Alchemist like him, refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was not a difficult matter. All he needed to worry about was whether or not he could succeed in producing a pill at the end.
In contrast, Yang Kai was drenched in sweat and his complexion was pale. It looked like the process was consuming a lot of his energy.
He was not faking it either. Refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill required a considerable amount of Spirit Qi and it was only now that he finally understood why Gao Xin Peng had said that it was impossible to refine this pill unless one was in the Heaven Realm. The Spirit Qi in the body of an Earth Realm cultivator could not satisfy this level of consumption.
Yang Kai was the only exception as his heritage was incomparable to ordinary Earth Realm cultivators. That was why he managed to persevere until now. If it had been any other Earth Realm cultivator, their Spirit Qi would have been exhausted long ago.
That was not all though as he also needed to keep an eye on Gao Xin Peng’s situation at all times and prevent the other party from finding any flaws in his performance. The mental consumption was not small.
Yang Kai was indeed rather tired, but his fatigue was not as severe as it seemed on the surface.
Half a day later, both of their refining processes reached the final stages.
Miao Hong’s expression was filled with shock and amazement. At this stage of the refining process, the pill was almost formed. He never imagined that Yang Kai might actually be a Heaven-Grade Alchemist.
Even so, Yang Kai remained steady and did not make any mistakes. The only difference between him and Gao Xin Peng was that his complexion was so pale that it was frightening. It would seem that refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill with a cultivation in the Earth Realm was still a little too much. Nevertheless, this was enough to showcase his attainments in Alchemy. All that was lacking was his cultivation.
An 18-year-old young man who not only stood at the peak of the Earth Realm but was also very likely to be promoted to the Heaven Realm soon. Not to mention, he had the heritage of a Heaven-Grade Alchemist, such a person was… absolutely terrifying!
Miao Hong felt that he needed to reassess his opinion of Yang Kai. The status of a Heaven Grade Alchemist was enough to leave even him behind in the dust, not to mention that Yang Kai’s cultivation was superb for his age as well.
At this moment, Gao Xin Peng suddenly reached his hand into his pocket and took out a clear bottle. The bottle contained an unknown substance that looked like some sort of viscous liquid. Opening the Alchemy Furnace, he uncorked the bottle and tipped the bottle slightly. A drop of amber liquid dripped into the Alchemy Furnace.
Yang Kai’s expression instantly became gloomy…
After all the effort he went through to reach this point, he never imagined that Gao Xin Peng would have a hidden ingredient! He had already figured out the necessary herbs and basic processes to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
[But, what is inside that bottle!?] It was fortunate that his mental strength was still strong; otherwise, his Alchemy Furnace could have exploded on the spot if he was not careful.
All he could do at this point was pray that the ingredient inside that bottle was not a necessary ingredient in the refining process; otherwise, his attempt to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill would end in a failure.
After Gao Xin Peng dripped a drop of the unknown medicinal liquid into the Alchemy Furnace, he quickly began condensing his pill. It didn’t take long before an unusual medicinal fragrance spilled out from within.
Miao Hong became excited. He knew that Gao Xin Peng was about to condense the pills. Success or failure would depend on this moment.
Gao Xin Peng was indeed worthy of being a veteran Heaven Grade Alchemist. Under the everchanging hand seals he used, he executed a Pill Condensing Technique and a soft sound immediately came from inside the Alchemy Furnace.
Taking a small breath, he was in no rush to open the furnace; instead, he looked up at Yang Kai and stared fixedly.
Similarly, Yang Kai was about to condense his pills. His tense nerves slowly relaxed. He discovered that even without the unknown medicinal liquid, the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill he refined were not affected. It would seem that the medicinal liquid Gao Xin Peng added at the end was not a necessary one.
When he reached the final stage to condense his pills, Yang Kai did not use his Nine Heavens Profound Pill Method as this Pill Condensing Technique was far too powerful for the Divine Armament World. Hence, he only used another Pill Condensing Technique that was neither too good nor too bad.
A series of clanging sounds rang out soon after and the medicinal fragrance in the Pill Room became denser than ever.
Yang Kai’s complexion was so pale that it was frightening. Pretending as though he was about to die, he stumbled and collapsed face-first towards the ground. Fortunately, Du Yu Yu moved quickly and caught him before he fell, calling out anxiously, “Sir!”
Gao Xin Peng hurried over and stated, “He is suffering from overconsumption. It should have been impossible for an Earth Realm Master to refine a Heaven Grade pill in the first place. I can’t believe he actually did it. Hurry up and let him lie down!”
Du Yu Yu laid Yang Kai down as she was told. Then, Gao Xin Peng took out a pill and handed it to her and ordered, “Give this to him.”
She took the pill but hesitated slightly; on the other hand, Yang Kai just weakly said, “Many thanks, Alchemist Gao.”
Gao Xin Peng waved his hand dismissively, “Don’t talk. Just focus on recovering. There’s something I want to ask you after.”
Yang Kai sighed in his heart. He knew that Gao Xin Peng was very concerned about his performance earlier. Whether it was in terms of Alchemy ingredients or the refinement process, he was being suspected of imitating Gao Xin Peng. Anybody who encountered something like this would probably be unable to get over it so easily.
He secretly felt thankful that Gao Xin Peng was good-natured and did not kick up a fuss on the spot, but how was he supposed to explain this situation now?
The current Void Spirit Sword Sect could not afford to upset a Heaven-Grade Alchemist. If he offended Gao Xin Peng here, he would probably suffer greatly in the future.
After being fed the pill by Du Yu Yu, Yang Kai’s Spirit Qi quickly recovered.
On the other side, Miao Hong walked over with two jade bottles in his hand and smilingly said, “This Miao has taken the initiative to collect the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that you two refined. This is what Brother Gao refined. There are four pills. Three of them are Mid-Rank pills and one of them is a Low-Rank pill.”
He handed one of the jade bottles to Gao Xin Peng. Gao Xin Peng accepted the bottle without reservation.
“This is what you refined, Little Brother.” Miao Hong’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Yang Kai, “You produced one Low-Rank pill!”
“Alchemist Gao, your skills are truly superb. This Yang is very lacking in comparison. I’ve learned a lot!” Yang Kai cupped his fist slightly.
Regardless of everything else, he had succeeded in secretly learning the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, so it made no difference to him even if he admitted his loss in this competition.
Besides, he deliberately made it so that he produced only one Low-Rank pill at the end. If he really put his mind to the task, it would have been impossible for him to produce such poor results even if it was his first time refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
Gao Xin Peng shook his head, “This Gao was unable to refine a Heaven Grade pill with the strength of an Earth Realm Master. It is this Gao who is lacking.” He turned to look at Miao Hong, “Brother Miao, please prepare a secret room. I need to have a good chat with Little Junior Brother Yang.”
“No problem.” Miao Hong immediately agreed.
Yang Kai sighed in his heart. He knew that it might be a blessing and not a curse, but even if it was a curse, it couldn’t be avoided.
The traces of how Yang Kai had imitated Gao Xin Peng were far too obvious. Gao Xin Peng probably suspected something a long time ago. He probably did not ask anything earlier because he did not want to be distracted during the competition. Now that the competition was over though, it was only natural to get to the bottom of the matter.
[How should I explain this situation?] Yang Kai was a little perplexed. [I can’t say that the pill recipe I obtained is identical to his. How can something so coincidental happen? But, there is no other reasonable explanation otherwise.]
At this point, he could only take one step at a time. Gao Xin Peng did not look like a pedantic person; furthermore, he was a Heaven-Grade Alchemist. Yang Kai did not wish to have a falling out with him if possible.
Miao Hong quickly prepared a quiet room and Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai entered it with their entourages. Then, Gao Xin Peng turned to the two Heaven Realm bodyguards who had been following behind him all this while and said, “Leave us.”
“Sir…” The female Heaven Realm Master hesitated slightly.
“Leave us!” He instructed once more, in a firmer tone.
Only then did the two bodyguards take their leave. Before they left, they shot a deep glare at Yang Kai, as if to say that they would immediately rush in and chop him into pieces if he dared to harm Gao Xin Peng.
“You stand down too,” Yang Kai ordered Du Yu Yu.
Du Yu Yu said nothing in particular and respectfully left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai were the only ones left in the room. Gao Xin Peng stared fixedly at Yang Kai with a measuring look. The way he observed Yang Kai up and down was as though it was his first time getting to know him.
Yang Kai was watched so keenly that he felt uncomfortable all over; thus, he began mulling over how to end things later once the truth was exposed.
There were two more Sword Qi attacks that he could activate in the True Void Sword, but those attacks were ridiculously overpowered. If he used the True Void Sword here, forget Gao Xin Peng, the entire City Lord’s Mansion would be razed to the ground.
He neither wished to be pursued by Profound Pill Sect as a wanted man nor drag Void Spirit Sword Sect into his mess; therefore, he could not use the True Void Sword Qi unless it was absolutely necessary.
“Little Brother, do you know the identity of the Master who taught you Alchemy? What was his name?” Just as Yang Kai’s thoughts were bouncing around in his head, Gao Xin Peng suddenly popped out this question.
Yang Kai shook his head solemnly, “Unfortunately, I don’t. I’m sure you know that I’m a Void Spirit Sword Sect disciple, Alchemist Gao. Master came to Void Spirit Sword Sect, taught me Alchemy for a few years, and then left to travel around the world again. From the start to the end, he never revealed his name.”
He casually responded to the question while thinking to himself, [How would I know what my non-existent Master is called? It’s unrealistic to make up a name now. If Gao Xin Peng decides to investigate, my secrets will quickly be discovered. I can only be as ambiguous as possible.]
Gao Xin Peng raised his eyebrows, “That Senior… Why did he teach you Alchemy?”
Yang Kai shook his head again, “I was only six or seven years old when my Master taught me Alchemy. I was too young at the time, so I don’t remember much from back then.”
“Six or seven years old…” Gao Xin Peng quietly made some calculations, “So, this happened approximately ten years ago?”
“En!”
“Do you remember how he looked?” Gao Xin Peng continued asking.
Yang Kai was helpless and could only continue talking nonsense, “I don’t quite remember. I think he is quite old as his hair was greying. He also always wore a set of dirty clothes…”
Gao Xin Peng’s eyes immediately lit up at those words, frightening Yang Kai so much that he quickly said, “As you know, I was very young back then. I don’t remember much.”
“I understand! I understand!” Gao Xin Peng nodded repeatedly, “Think about it carefully. What other more specific special characteristics did your Master have?”
“More specific? Which aspect?” Yang Kai was honestly at his wits end by now. He no longer knew how to continue with his story.
“His hand!” Gao Xin Peng raised his left hand and waved his hand around in front of Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before the realization struck him, “Yes, there was something. I think he either had an extra finger or was missing a finger!”
“An extra finger!” Gao Xin Peng’s expression was serious.
Yang Kai slapped his thigh, “Yes, that’s right! He had an extra finger!”
He didn’t dare to say more. If he said anything else, he might end up exposing his own secrets. At this point, he had the vague feeling that this nonsensical Master he created on the fly was an actual person. It was just that Gao Xin Peng seemed to have misunderstood something; therefore, he quickly tried to take control of the conversation by asking, “Alchemist Gao, do you know my Master?”
Gao Xin Peng breathed out lightly. Yang Kai could sense that the way Gao Xin Peng looked at him had become much more cordial. Nodding lightly, Gao Xin Peng replied, “Of course! How can I not know him? If that’s the case, everything makes sense now.”
Yang Kai sat up straight, “Please enlighten me, Alchemist Gao!”
Gao Xin Peng smilingly said, “Didn’t you realise that the herbs you and I both needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, as well as the refining process and the steps are basically the same?”
Yang Kai was astonished, “Is that so?”
Gao Xin Peng nodded and explained, “You were very focused on performing Alchemy earlier, so you probably didn’t have the time to observe your surroundings; however, I saw everything clearly. The pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that you and I have is almost identical! This should have been impossible as there are countless pill recipes for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in the Divine Armament World. Moreover, each pill recipe will have subtle differences unless they come from the same Sect. I was puzzled earlier and wondered why you had the pill recipe belonging to Profound Pill Sect, but everything makes sense now.”
Yang Kai pretended to humbly ask for advice.
Gao Xin Peng smiled, “Do you still not understand? The one who taught you Alchemy belongs to Profound Pill Sect!”
“Huh!?” Yang Kai was genuinely shocked. [I can’t believe that the non-existent Master I randomly created became related to Profound Pill Sect! This is quite a pleasant surprise.]
“Alchemist Gao, this…” Yang Kai didn’t know what to say. After careful consideration, he realised that the main reason for Gao Xin Peng’s speculation lay in the fact that their pill recipes were identical. As for the special characteristics of his fabricated Master, half came from his imagination and the other half was guesswork thanks to Gao Xin Peng’s guidance.
“Why are you still calling me Alchemist Gao?” Gao Xin Peng looked at Yang Kai with a smile.
It was said that great fortune brought wisdom, and Yang Kai’s wits were keen thanks to the good luck that came to him. He stood up and cupped his fist, “Greetings, Senior Brother Gao!”
“Sit down and talk!” Gao Xin Peng seemed even more amicable now.
Yang Kai sat down as he was told, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. He had been worried about what Gao Xin Peng would do to him, but things had taken such a sudden turn instead. By some unfathomable circumstances, he was now Gao Xin Peng’s Junior Brother.
“Of course, it’s hard to talk about the specifics since I have not met your Master in person. It’s only my speculation that you are the Disciple of that person, but I’m quite certain that is the case. Only that person will… uh, well, act in such a manner. The pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that you obtained is the best proof.”
In this world, there was nobody who could deduce a complete pill recipe just by observing and imitating another person performing Alchemy once. That was why Gao Xin Peng never suspected Yang Kai of imitating his refinement process on the spot. From the beginning, he suspected that Yang Kai was a Disciple taught by one of the wandering Senior Experts of Profound Pill Sect. His subsequent inquiry was only to confirm his speculation.
“Senior Brother Gao, what kind of person is my Master?” Yang Kai took the opportunity to inquire more about his fabricated Master; otherwise, he might accidentally expose his own lies in the future.
Gao Xin Peng pondered the question for a while before he gave a short and helpless laugh, “That person… How do I put it? His manner of conduct is very eccentric. It’s not something you can guess by using common sense. In any case, you only need to remember this, that man is one of the oldest and most authoritative Seniors in the Sect. Even I have to call him Martial Uncle if I run into him! It’s just that it has been many years since I last saw him. He doesn’t really like to stay in Profound Pill Sect. He prefers to travel all over the world. Only the Heavens know what he does out there.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “It turns out that Master comes from such a prominent background…”
“But, I’m surprised that person actually took in a Disciple,” Gao Xin Peng turned to look at Yang Kai with a pensive look. All of a sudden, the realization struck him. [Martial Uncle has such discerning eyes! No Earth Realm Master in Profound Pill Sect could have refined a Heaven Grade pill. Could Martial Uncle have noticed that Junior Brother Yang is incredibly talented? Is that why he made an exception and took in a Disciple?]
Yang Kai shook his head, “Master only taught me Alchemy for a few years. Moreover, he never allowed me to call him Master. He claimed that it was a disgrace to him.”
Gao Xin Peng failed to stifle his laughter, “That’s definitely how he does things! Don’t worry about it, Junior Brother Yang. Seeing as you were taught by that man, that makes you part of Profound Pill Sect. You should pack up your things later and follow me back to Profound Pill Sect to greet your Seniors!”
“But, Void Spirit Sword Sect…” Yang Kai hesitantly said, “I’ll be honest with you, Senior Brother Gao. This Junior Brother is the Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect. Furthermore, I grew up in Void Spirit Sword Sect and am deeply indebted to the Master Sect for raising me. This Junior Brother cannot be ungrateful.”
Gao Xin Peng was slightly taken aback, “I forgot about that.”
He pondered in silence for a moment before he continued, “In that case, I’ll return to Profound Pill Sect and ask for instructions first. We’ll see what the Sect Master decides. Your situation is rather special after all. Profound Pill Sect has never had such a precedent before. I’ll visit Void Spirit Sword Sect to inform you once I have further information.”
“Then I shall have to trouble you, Senior Brother Gao,” Yang Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He definitely had no intention of going to Profound Pill Sect. The Master he casually created on the spot had accidentally gotten him involved with Profound Pill Sect. Although he managed to fool Gao Xin Peng, he was bound to face more inconveniences if he went to Profound Pill Sect. It would be bad if his lies were exposed in some way.
“Why are you being so polite with me, Junior Brother?” Gao Xin Peng was clearly in a good mood. Reaching his hand into his pocket, he took out a jade bottle, “Since you are already at the peak of the Earth Realm, you will need a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance into the Heaven Realm. Don’t use that Low-Rank pill of yours as its effects won’t be good. Your aptitude might be extraordinary, but it’s better to be careful. I have a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill here. It’s just right as a welcome gift from me as your Senior Brother.”
This High-Rank pill was clearly not the one he refined earlier. Nevertheless, Gao Xin Peng was a veteran Heaven Grade Alchemist. It was not strange for him to have such a pill on him.
Yang Kai did not refuse and accepted the pill gratefully.
Man… it’s another thing to get justice from trashes but Gao Xin Peng is so nice…
With a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in hand, Yang Kai’s advancement into the Heaven Realm was as good as an accomplished fact.
Afterwards, Yang Kai asked about the amber liquid that Gao Xin Peng added at the end of the refining process.
Gao Xin Peng only said that it was a secret recipe he developed himself, which could increase the success rate of pill condensation by a slight margin. Its presence or absence had nothing to do with refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
Something like this was very common. Even if everybody had mastered the same pill recipe, each person would have a different understanding of it. That was why many Alchemists had their own special tricks. It was just that Yang Kai was meeting another Alchemist for the first time in the Divine Armament World, so such practices were very curious and strange to him.
“With your talent, Junior Brother, you might even be able to modify the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill if you work hard in the future. By doing that, you will leave your name in history. You will be famous for countless generations to come!”
Yang Kai was embarrassed, “You’re praising me too much, Senior Brother.”
Gao Xin Peng shook his head, “I have high hopes for you. To successfully refine a Heaven Grade pill as an Earth Realm Master, as far as I know, you’re the first person to ever succeed. Good, let’s end our idle chat here. Let’s go out now. I need to return to Profound Pill Sect as soon as possible and report about today’s matters.”
It would have been different if Yang Kai was an Alchemist with mediocre aptitude, but the key point was that his aptitude was extremely outstanding, so much so that he might even become the next Master of the Medicine King Furnace in 100 years. This matter was related to the glory of the Profound Pill Sect, so it could not be handled sloppily.
The two of them pushed open the door and walked out, smiling and chatting with each other.
Miao Hong, who had been standing outside the door, hurried over to greet them only to be stunned by the sight.
Gao Xin Peng then briefly explained the situation.
Miao Hong was shocked by the turn of events. Even his gaze became solemn when he looked at Yang Kai. He initially planned to recruit Yang Kai into Heavenly Martial City, but it would now seem that his plan was hopeless.
Yang Kai had not only gotten a connection with Profound Pill Sect, but he also considered Gao Xin Peng as his fellow brother. How could he take interest in Heavenly Martial City?
In addition, Miao Hong had also planned to prepare a banquet. There were two reasons for his actions. The first reason was to welcome Gao Xin Peng. The other reason was to thank both Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai for helping him.
Unfortunately, Gao Xin Peng was in a hurry to return to Profound Pill Sect to report about Yang Kai’s matters and politely declined the invitation.
Miao Hong did not insist.
Afterwards, Miao Hong and Yang Kai saw Gao Xin Peng out of Heavenly Martial City.
It wasn’t until the luxuriously decorated carriage disappeared from view that Yang Kai turned around and cupped his fist, “City Lord Miao, I must take my leave too. I apologise for all the trouble I caused over the past few days.”
“Alchemist Yang, you are too polite. This Miao has received your life-saving grace. If there is anything this Miao Hong can help with in the future, please don’t hesitate to let me know! This Miao and Heavenly Martial City will never refuse!”
Ever since he learned about Yang Kai’s connection with Profound Pill Sect, he recognised Yang Kai’s terrifying potential; therefore, these words came out decisively. Next, Miao Hong abruptly changed the subject, “Alchemist Yang, are you really not going to stay a few more days?”
Yang Kai shook his head with a smile, “No. I need to return to the Master Sect, but we might meet again very soon.”
Miao Hong was overjoyed to hear those words, “In that case, this Miao will quietly wait to hear from you.”
While he was speaking, he clapped his hands smartly. Two carriages immediately drove out from behind him. The furnishings might not be as luxurious as the carriage Gao Xin Peng took, but they were not bad either. Not to mention, the carriages seemed to be filled with something very heavy. The body of the carriages was clearly weighted down by something.
“This is…” Yang Kai looked at the carriages questioningly.
“100,000 pieces of Red Jades to show you my sincerity. Alchemist Yang, please don’t refuse!”
Despite listening to those words, Yang Kai did not react. On the other hand, the eyes of Du Yu Yu and Shi Ming Hui standing behind him immediately gleamed brightly!
100,000 pieces of Red Jade was equivalent to 1 million pieces of Black Jade or 10 million pieces of White Jade! This was a great display of sincerity indeed!
Void Spirit Sword Sect might own a Black Jade mine, but they could only mine 10 to 20 thousand pieces of Black Jade a month at most. It would take them at least 7 to 10 years just to accumulate an amount that was equivalent to 100,000 pieces of Red Jade.
Therefore, Du Yu Yu and Shi Ming Hui were blown away by Miao Hong’s generosity.
Miao Hong laughed, “Alchemist Yang, you will advance into the Heaven Realm soon. When your cultivation reaches this level, it’s best to cultivate using Red Jades. The efficiency is far too low if you use Black Jades.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Your kindness is appreciated, City Lord. It would be impolite for this Yang to refuse.”
Yang Kai currently required a large amounts of resources for his cultivation. Besides, Miao Hong was showing his favour in advance. There was no reason to refuse.
The value of two carriages worth of Red Jades was not small. For that reason, Miao Hong further arranged for people from Heavenly Martial City to escort them back. It took several days, but Yang Kai and his companions finally returned to Void Spirit Sword Sect.
The escorts left immediately after delivering the items; even so, the appearance of such a large force frightened Su Chang Fa and the others badly. They thought that somebody else was here to pick a quarrel with them again.
After receiving an explanation from Du Yu Yu and Shi Ming Hui, Su Chang Fa’s mouth fell wide open. It was not until a long while later that he shook his head in amazement and disappointment, “I’ve gotten old…”
Upon returning to Void Spirit Sword Sect, Yang Kai recounted the events at Heavenly Martial City to Su Chang Fa and the others. During the conversation, he secretly revealed that he was taught Alchemy by a strange man when he was younger.
There was no choice. Gao Xin Peng would surely come to Void Spirit Sword Sect in the future. At that time, Su Chang Fa and the others would learn about this matter. Rather than letting them hear about this from somebody else, it would be better for him to disclose this information in advance to give them some buffer time.
Sure enough, Su Chang Fa and the others were completely stunned by the news.
Gu Kang Ning frowned, “When you were 6 or 7 years old? Weren’t you spending all day long thinking about how to peek on your Martial Aunt Hong Xiu while she was bathing? Where would you find the time to learn Alchemy from others?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Hong Xiu immediately shot a sharp glare at him.
Yang Kai was shocked, “Did I do that when I was younger?”
Cold sweat dripped down the back of his head in waves. Hong Xiu’s sharp knife-like gaze immediately swept over him and his cold sweat oozed out even harder.
Su Chang Fa lightly coughed, “If it was a Senior Expert from Profound Pill Sect, we would not have been able to detect anything. That’s a good thing. I just never imagined that a brat like you would have such amazing talent in Alchemy. You even managed to refine a Heaven Grade pill.”
However, when he recalled that even the Ancestor had handed his Legacy Inheritance to Yang Kai, Su Chang Fa found that it was not that surprising after all.
Gu Kang Ning and Su Chang Fa exchanged a glance with each other before they nodded lightly in unison and said happily, “It is a joyous occasion for Void Spirit Sword Sect!”
The True Void Sword replica that had been missing for so many years finally reappeared. The three True Void Sword Qi fortified the fate of the Sect. Now that Yang Kai was a Heaven Grade Alchemist who had connections with Profound Pill Sect, it was easy to see that Void Spirit Sword Sect would soon rise to glory.
“Honoured Master, I’m afraid I have to enter retreat immediately even though I just returned to the Sect. Senior Brother Gao gave me a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill before he left. By the time this Disciple exits retreat, I will probably be able to advance into the Heaven Realm!”
Hong Xiu couldn’t be bothered to be annoyed by what happened in the past upon hearing that; instead, she exclaimed in astonishment when she heard those words, “What is your current cultivation!?”
“The peak of the Earth Realm!” Yang Kai surged his Spirit Qi while speaking. The aura belonging to a Master at the peak of the Earth Realm immediately permeated the air.
Su Chang Fa and the others instantly became dumbstruck! The three Elders of Void Spirit Sword Sect were astonished by how fast Yang Kai’s cultivation speed was. They could not wrap their heads around how a cultivator in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm could reach the peak of the Earth Realm in a short span of three months.
Ignoring their reactions, Yang Kai went off to cultivate in retreat on his own.
He had tried to break through before, but there was a layer of shackles formed by the World Principles of this world. The help of an external source was required to advance from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm; otherwise, it was impossible to break through to the next Realm just by relying on his strength alone.
He did not know the reason behind this phenomenon and could only assume that it was a special characteristic of the Divine Armament World.
Yang Kai sat beside a pile of Red Jades inside his secluded home and took out the High-Rank pill that Gao Xin Peng gave to him. After a quick check, he confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the pill and swallowed it.
The process of advancing from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm was a process of transformation for any cultivator. It was their first baptism in life; it was a sublimation of their power; it was a test of life and death. If they crossed this threshold, they would step into a wider world and see greater sights. If they failed to cross this threshold, they would suffer endless troubles in the future.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai’s heritage as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not just for show. Not to mention that he had a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to support him, so there was no need to worry that he might fail.
He activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and the medicinal efficacies in his abdomen quickly dissolved. In addition, the pure Spirit Qi contained within the Red Jades around him seemed to be pulled by a strong guiding force and transformed into a wave of Spirit Qi that poured into his body through his pores.
His aura was released without any reservations; then, it began to climb with a steady momentum and soon reached a peak.
During his past attempts, Yang Kai would feel an invisible layer of shackles restricting his body whenever he reached this point. As a result, he became powerless to proceed any further.
However, things were different this time. When he felt the invisible shackles wrapping around his body, he also felt the medicinal efficacies of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in his body simultaneously flowing throughout his body and quickly shattering the shackles around him.
He immediately felt lighter, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
His aura that had reached the peak earlier continued to climb once more; moreover, it grew in leaps and bounds. An overwhelming force burst out with him as the centre, along with a ripple of air waves visible to the naked eye. The loose rock around his secluded home cracked and heaved noisily.
All the cultivators in Void Spirit Sword Sect sensed something at that moment and quickly stopped what they were doing to look in the direction of Yang Kai’s secluded home.
Su Chang Fa, Gu Kang Ning, and Hong Xiu had been standing guard not far away from Yang Kai’s home all this while.
At this moment, the old man’s aged face became emotional, “A Heaven Realm Master! There is finally a Heaven Realm Master in Void Spirit Sword Sect! Our Ancestors have finally taken pity on us and have given us their blessings!”
While speaking, tears flowed down his cheeks freely.
Gu Kang Ning and Hong Xiu were similarly moved.
Su Chang Fa was getting older and his vitality was beginning to decline. His Martial Dao would forever stay in the Third-Step Earth Realm.
But, that was not the case for Gu Kang Ning and Hong Xiu. They still had the potential to move forward.
The main reason for the slow growth of their cultivation was the lack of resources that could not keep up with their demands; fortunately, the situation was getting better by the day. There were Black Jades being mined from the Black Jade mine every single day, and Yang Kai was a Heaven Grade Alchemist who could refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
As long as they worked hard in their cultivation, they would eventually reach the Heaven Realm in their lifetime. For a moment, their eyes were filled with great hope!
On the other side, Du Yu Yu and Shi Ming Hui stood together. Having followed Yang Kai out on his trip this time, it could be said that they experienced many new things.
Besides, their cultivation was not low. One was in the Seventh-Step Earth Realm while the other was in the Eighth-Step Earth Realm. It would not take more than a few years for them to reach the peak of the Earth Realm.
At that time, Yang Kai would be their biggest hope of advancing into the Heaven Realm! After all, it was not difficult for a Heaven Grade Alchemist like him to refine some Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills for his own subordinates.
After considering all this, the two of them exchanged a glance with each other and understood what the other was thinking. Even if Yang Kai were to remove the poison from their bodies now, they would not leave. They had made up their minds to follow him to the end.