Heavenly Moon Palace was Zhu Jiu Yin’s place of residence, the woman who was previously Yang Kai’s Protector. They had negotiated a deal with each other when Yang Kai brought her out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary; however, on his last trip to Shadowless Cave Heaven, Zhu Jiu Yin had agreed to escort him, which was outside the scope of their original agreement, which Yang Kai managed to get her to do on the condition that her identity as a Protector would be lifted.
In other words, Zhu Jiu Yin was now free and no longer bound by her Source Oath, so Yang Kai’s life or death no longer had anything to do with her.
If not to take care of and instruct Shan Qing Luo, someone who shared the same bloodline as her, it was hard to say whether Zhu Jiu Yin would still be in Void Land now.
This woman was not easy to talk to. It took a lot of cajoling to even persuade her to do anything in the past when she was still his Protector, so it may not even work at all now.
When Yang Kai heard about the incident at Three Brilliances World, he guessed that it was Zuo Quan Hui’s doing. When he rushed to Three Brilliances World to support them, he had also specially asked Bian Yu Qing to notify Zhu Jiu Yin so he could borrow her strength.
However, from beginning to end, the woman never showed up. It was obvious that she had no intention of intervening in this matter.
This time, it would probably be fruitless even if he begged her for help.
Since he was already here though, he might as well try.
With his mind made up, Yang Kai cupped his fist and shouted, “Greetings, Senior, Junior Yang Kai requests an audience!”
To his surprise, the doors of Heavenly Moon Palace opened immediately after he spoke. Yang Kai raised a brow, wondering when Zhu Jiu Yin had become so hospitable, until a spider thread suddenly shot out from within and wrapped him up.
Shocked, Yang Kai tried to escape, but he was exhausted from the fight with Zuo Quan Hui and was unable to recover much in such a short amount of time. Being taken off guard, he was caught by the spider web and dragged into Heavenly Moon Palace.
Then, the door closed with a thud!
Soon, there was a series of bangs coming from the inside.
A few moments later, the door opened again, and Yang Kai was thrown out like a ragged sack. After rolling a few times, he stood up in a miserable state with his face bruised and swollen. There were even large black marks around his eyes, naturally a result of Zhu Jiu Yin’s fist.
Yang Kai’s lungs were about to explode from anger; still, he cautiously distanced himself from Heavenly Moon Palace’s entrance before gritting his teeth and roaring, “Crazy woman! Why can’t you use your words instead of your fists!?”
Even though the injuries were not serious, it was still a little embarrassing for Yang Kai. He was Void Land’s Lord, after all, so it was a big loss to his face to be seen by the many disciples walking past this scene.
“This Queen will do whatever she wants! If you have the ability, then fight back!” Zhu Jiu Yin’s voice rang out in Yang Kai’s ears.
Yang Kai was indignant, “Senior is a venerable Divine Spirit, this Junior knows he is not Senior’s opponent; however, this Junior has shown great respect to Senior, and the daily offerings have also never been lacking! If there is anything that this Junior has done wrong, Senior can just inform me of it. Why raise your hand against me directly?”
“You wish to reason with this Queen? Fine, this Queen will reason with you!” Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted, “Let me ask you. Are you enjoying yourself as Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s son-in-law?”
Yang Kai’s momentum withered instantly, and his brow twitched, “Senior found out?”
He cursed in his heart, wondering which bastard spread the word around. Zhu Jiu Yin lived deep within Heavenly Moon Palace and essentially never left, so who could have told her about it? But after some careful thought, Zhu Jiu Yin was still a Divine Spirit, so if she wished to seek out information, then nobody in Void Land could hide anything from her.
“What are you feeling guilty for?” Zhu Jiu Yin snickered.
Yang Kai cupped his fist and cleared his throat, “Senior must be joking, there really is a misunderstanding behind this matter. It was not this Junior’s intention!”
“I don’t care whether it was your intention or not, it happened and that’s a fact!”
Yang Kai blinked, “But, what does this have to do with Senior?”
Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted, “Luo’er is so devoted to you, and yet now that she’s in retreat to cultivate in seclusion, you’re out picking flowers and trampling the grass. It is difficult for her to do anything about it, but as her Honoured Master, what problem is there for me to teach you a lesson in her place?”
Yang Kai was speechless. If Luo’er found out about his most recent escapade, the most likely course of action she would take would be to find a way to drain him dry, in various ways. There was no way she would casually raise her hand at him like this insane woman.
As such, Yang Kai brushed her off surreptitiously, “Senior is mighty, whatever Senior says is right; however, there is another matter which this Junior requires Senior’s help with right now.”
Zhu Jiu Yin did not even wait to hear what it was before stopping him, “Don’t even think about it, you brat! This is a problem that you brought upon yourself, so you deal with it yourself; otherwise… If Luo’er were to find out that I, as her Honoured Master, stepped out to do your dirty work for you for the problems that you yourself caused, then would she not blame me for it?”
“Don’t be like that, Senior. Zuo Quan Hui is a Seventh-Order Master. Other than you, no one in my Void Land can best him. This time, we were fortunate enough to be able to force him back, but what about next time?”
“I’ll teach you a method!” Zhu Jiu Yin declared.
Raising his brows, Yang Kai said respectfully, “Please teach me, Senior!”
“Next time you meet Zuo Quan Hui, wash your neck and stick it out… then let him cut your head off!”
Yang Kai’s face darkened in an instant. He was naive to even have hoped to gain Zhu Jiu Yin’s help…
“If you die, then Luo’er will not be tied down by you anymore. Where else can she not go in this vast world with this Queen bringing her along? It would be much better than following a fickle man like you, only to be abandoned sooner or later.”
Yang Kai turned with a flick of his sleeve, “Good, if you won’t help, then so be it! Why slander others in such a malicious manner? Why purposefully be so infuriating!? If I had known that it would be so, then I would never have brought you out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and would have let you stay there until you died of old age!”
There was a bang, and the tightly shut doors of Heavenly Moon Palace flung open as Zhu Jiu Yin appeared and beckoned, “Here, come inside! Let me show you something nice!”
Space Principles surged and Yang Kai hurriedly fled.
Three days later, Void Land’s Main Conference Hall.
Yang Kai sat in the head seat, with many Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting below. The group of people glanced up at Yang Kai from time to time. Old Bai, Chef, and the others were all trying their best to stifle their laughter, but their shoulders were still shaking uncontrollably.
Yue He, on the other hand, had a heartbroken expression.
Yang Kai glanced around at the crowd and said in a tone that was half exhausted, half aggrieved, “If you want to laugh, then go ahead and laugh, why hold it in? Don’t choke yourselves.”
Old Bai and the others finally could no longer hold back and broke out laughing.
Hui Gu said with concern, “Sir, have your injuries not healed? Zuo Quan Hui’s methods are truly despicable. How could…” Before he could finish his sentence, Zhou Ya next to him tugged on his sleeve.
Hui Gu was puzzled. He had been focusing on healing these past few days and had no idea what happened outside. He just knew that Yang Kai came out today and was now sitting with two big, black eyes, making him look both miserable and a little bit funny.
Yang Kai cleared his throat helplessly, “Are you done laughing yet? Let’s get to business!”
Meanwhile, he cursed in his heart. It wasn’t enough that that damned Zhu Jiu Yin kicked and punched him that day, but she even went so far as to use her Source Strength to punch his eyes, leaving black bruises that even a few days later refused to disappear. He had no idea how long it would even take for him to recover.
After hiding for a few days, trying to resolve the situation, Yang Kai realized this wasn’t a problem he could solve in short order, so he decided to just let things be and came out to meet everyone in this state.
Seeing that Yang Kai was starting to get angry out of shame, Old Bai and the others finally restrained their laughter and sat upright.
“Are your injuries healed?” Yang Kai asked.
Hua Yong rose, “Many thanks for Sir’s concern. Our injuries were not severe, so we are all fine after recuperating for a few days.”
Yang Kai nodded, “You should still pay attention to the Madame’s health; after all, she has borne a child just recently. Go and see Second Manager when you return later and get some nutritional tonics to help aid in her recuperation.”
After many years of gestation, Shu Mu Dan was finally able to give birth to a son just half a year ago. Yang Kai had also gone to visit him, and the child was indeed born with great talent and exceptional aptitude. Shu Mu Dan was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm after all, so the child she had been carrying for many years was not one that ordinary people could compare with.
“Many thanks, Sir!” Hua Yong hurriedly responded.
Yang Kai nodded and went on, “Guo Zi Yan has brought news that someone has spotted five people leaving Void Territory, each one with powerful cultivation. There were four men and one woman, so it had to be Zuo Quan Hui and his group.”
Everyone breathed sighs of relief. Even though there was no way that Zuo Quan Hui would linger in Void Territory for long after eating such a heavy loss, it was hard for anyone to say what he would do for sure. It was only now that they finally had a solid confirmation.
If a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Zuo Quan Hui truly did stay in Void Territory and continued committing atrocities throughout the land, then Void Territory would have no good way of dealing with him.
“There is the matter of Three Brilliances World next. Second Manager, what is the situation there right now?” Yang Kai turned to Bian Yu Qing.
Bian Yu Qing responded, “Three Brilliances World has suffered a lot of damage. It is, after all, only a Universe World. With the wanton destruction of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, nearly 20% of the landscape was destroyed, which has caused unrest across the entire Three Brilliances World. Many have died in the disaster. I have already dispatched people to Three Brilliances World to assist World Lord Peng in accommodating the refugees and calming the masses; however, this matter will not be resolved in a short time. If Three Brilliances World wants to restore its strength and vitality, then it would take at least hundreds or even thousands of years. As for the damaged landmass, there is a good chance it will never return to normal.”
Yang Kai said, “Whether the land can be restored or not is a secondary matter. The most important thing is the people. Do your best to fulfil any needs that Three Brilliances World may have.”
“Yes!” After a moment’s hesitation, Bian Yu Qing added, “Sect Master, we should take what happened at Three Brilliances World as a precaution. Should we send people to guard the other Universe Worlds, too?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “There are more than a dozen Universe Worlds in Void Territory. It would take too much manpower to guard them all. Moreover, who can we even send to guard them in our current situation? Zuo Quan Hui’s strength is in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, it would be difficult for anyone present to put up a struggle against him, so it’s useless to go. What’s more… Zuo Quan Hui is still from Thousand Cranes Paradise. He has his own scruples about committing such treachery in Universe Worlds. Otherwise, he would not have used Huang Quan’s hand to wreak havoc on Three Brilliances World in his place. Huang Quan’s reputation is already nefarious, and it’s not as if he hasn’t done similar things before, so it wouldn’t hurt him to do it again. Comparatively speaking, Zuo Quan Hui more or less cares about his own reputation still. For that reason, I think it’s unlikely that he will use a similar method again!”
Everyone nodded lightly at his words as Yue He commented, “If he really did do so, then Thousand Cranes Paradise will definitely suffer criticism and be forced to intervene. Even though rumours say that he and his lineage have all defected from Thousand Cranes Paradise, anyone who is not a fool will know that this is merely a cover. His actions were more or less still tied to Thousand Cranes Paradise’s face, and something as low as raising one’s hand against mortals is something they cannot afford to accept.”
“There’s no need to worry about the Universe Worlds. Zuo Quan Hui has been injured by my Divine Ability, and it will not be easy for him to recover from it. I estimate that he will need around three to five months on the shorter end, but on the longer end, it may take him a year and a half. However, once he recovers, then he is bound to come back for us. Our Void Land still lacks the power to face a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who is determined to seek revenge!” Yang Kai massaged his forehead lightly.
Void Land had two Divine Spirits to watch over them, protecting their Headquarters and Star City, where it was indeed safe and secure. However, it was impossible for Void Land’s many inhabitants to stay cooped up all the time and not go outside.
With a true body that was too large, it was more than enough for Bi Xi to play a defensive role, but not an offensive one in such a situation. On the other end, Zhu Jiu Yin’s anger had yet to subside, so she could not be counted on.
If Void Land had a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the situation could be greatly improved.
The Proprietress was currently in retreat in order to break through to the Seventh Order, but no one could say for sure how long that would take. It may be a couple of years, but it can also be well over 100 years. The uncertainty was too great.
Yang Kai looked down at Mao Zhe, “Head Mountain Lord, provided with the resources, how confident are you in advancing into the Seventh Order in a short amount of time?”
There were quite a number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters present here, but in terms of cultivation and heritage, it was Mao Zhe who was closest to advancing into the Seventh-Order besides the Proprietress.
Mao Zhe had a troubled look on his face and shook his head slowly, “Sir, the difference between the Sixth Order and the Seventh Order is the difference between the Mid-Rank and High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. This is not just about resources. This subordinate has not wanted for resources since following under Sir, but something still feels lacking when it comes to advancing into the Seventh Order. Even if this subordinate were to go into retreat and cultivate, it would not be very effective.”
Yang Kai nodded. Even Mao Zhe was in this situation, so there was no need to talk about everyone else who was further away from the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
“Without power equivalent to Zuo Quan Hui’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, we will always remain on the passive side in a fight with him,” Yang Kai muttered. Then, he looked down at everyone, “Do any of you have any good solutions to this matter?”
Everyone looked at each other, all going deep into thought.
Hui Gu spoke up, “Perhaps we can ask Yin-Yang Cave Heaven for help?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Zuo Quan Hui and his followers did not hesitate to rebel against Thousand Cranes Paradise in order to exact revenge for Zhao Xing. Though, their attempt to make a cover story will only make it more obvious. Anyone with a discerning eye can see what is going on. If not for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s efforts in pressuring them, then it would not stop at being just Zuo Quan Hui and his followers stirring up trouble in my Void Territory, but several Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters!”
Zhao Xing and Zhou Ti may both be in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but their status in Thousand Cranes Paradise was very different. Zhao Xing advanced directly into the Sixth Order, so he had hope of one day reaching the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, making his status much higher than Zhou Ti’s.
Any Core Disciple with Zhao Xing’s qualifications was seen as a treasure for any Cave Heaven or Paradise, so they could not afford to lose them; otherwise, the Sect would do everything in its power to avenge them.
The reason why Thousand Cranes Paradise did not make a big fuss about Zhao Xing’s death was completely thanks to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, because there was Xu Ling Gong to mediate the situation.
Not to mention that asking for help from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would be useless, Yang Kai was personally unwilling to do so as well. It was true that he was currently a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven son-in-law, but Void Land was Void Land and Yin-Yang Heaven was Yin-Yang Heaven. If they were to borrow Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s power in order to resolve this crisis, then it would not be long before Void Land simply became someone else’s subordinate.
This was not something Yang Kai hoped to see.
There was a moment of silence in the Grand Hall. They could not put their hopes on Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and Void Land itself did not have the equivalent power to deal with the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Zuo Quan Hui. No matter how they looked at it, they could only remain passive in this situation.
“Sect Master, we may be able to settle this matter with an advantage in numbers,” Bian Yu Qing suggested thoughtfully.
Yang Kai looked over at her, “Explain.”
The others also turned their heads to her. Any ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator would probably be shaking if they were stared at by so many Fifth and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and begin stuttering, but as Void Land’s Second Manager, Bian Yu Qing, had long been in charge of all of Void Land’s matters over the years, so she naturally would not be afraid of this attention.
“This Mistress’ abilities are paltry, and I do not even know what the Orders of the Open Heaven Realm are like, so if there is something wrong with this Mistress’s opinion, then I must ask Sect Master to please not laugh at me.”
Yang Kai raised his hand, “There is no harm in putting forth a suggestion. Since you are in the Emperor Realm, perhaps you can consider things from a different perspective from us, and that may just reveal a path forward we have otherwise overlooked.”
Bian Yu Qing nodded and continued, “Zuo Quan Hui is in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, so indeed, nobody in our Void Land is his equal. However, when it comes to Masters in the Sixth-Order and the Fifth Order, our Void Land holds the advantage. Since we do not have any Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, nor will any appear among us in a short amount of time, then why don’t we try and surround Zuo Quan Hui with Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters? If three won’t do it, then perhaps five will. If five is not enough, what about ten? If ten still won’t do it, then we’ll use twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. That should be enough to defeat Zuo Quan Hui, right?”
Hui Gu laughed, “Twenty would indeed be enough. Even ants can bite an elephant to death, let alone Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Under normal circumstances, a Master in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm can resist against the combined forces of ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters without issue; however, if Sir was among the ten, then Zuo Quan Hui would definitely be at a disadvantage. Hm… Maybe we won’t even need ten in that case.”
Yang Kai’s strength was clear to all, and it was something that no ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could compare with. In a one-on-one fight, he was indeed not Zuo Quan Hui’s opponent, but a few days ago, with just Geng Qing and Mao Zhe’s help, he was still able to put up a good fight. Though he was constantly at a disadvantage, they were not wiped out in a short time. In the end, Yang Kai was even able to injure Zuo Quan Hui using his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel.
If ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were to team up with Yang Kai against Zuo Quan Hui, it would naturally be no problem for them to suppress the latter.
“But where will we find twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters?” Hui Gu laughed bitterly, “All of our Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are already gathered here. Excluding Sir, we only have nine at our disposal.”
Yang Kai was thoughtful, “What Second Manager means to say is…”
Bian Yu Qing explained, “We have many Great Emperors, as well as several of Sir’s Madams and the Pseudo-Great Emperors. There is even the newly joined Xiang Ying, Fang Yue, and the others who all have the potential to advance into the Sixth Order. These days, they have all been refining various Sixth-Order materials, and what they lack now are merely the Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element treasures. If we had enough Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element treasures, then Void Land would have no problem increasing its Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters by more than a dozen!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at her words, feeling enlightened.
He had been thinking of ways for Void Land to acquire a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in order to deal with Zuo Quan Hui, but Bian Yu Qing’s idea was to have Void Land increase its Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If they had enough Masters in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then that would naturally allow them to fight against Zuo Quan Hui, who was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Sure enough, those who sit in different positions have different perspectives on the same issue!
Currently, there were many from the Star Boundary who were committed in Void Land to advancing directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The Great Emperors, Iron Blood, Hong Chen, Marital Beast, Serene Soul, Flower Shadow, Ice Feather, Heavens Revelations, and Wondrous Pill; his wives, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, Yu Ru Meng, and Ji Yao; the Pseudo-Great Emperors, Yang Yan, Jiu Feng, Li Wu Yi, and Bing Yun; Martial Beast Great Emperor’s daughter, Mo Xiao Qi, Iron Blood Great Emperor’s Disciple, Lin Yun’er, and Yang Kai’s younger sister, Yang Xue… There were a total of twenty-one people at least!
The eight Great Emperors need not be mentioned as they had already been in the Emperor Realm for countless years. Their foundations were strong and they had long developed their own Dao Seals back in the Star Boundary. Due to the isolation of the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors could only further polish their Dao Seals to increase their strength.
Once they leapt out of the Star Boundary, all of their Dao Seals could withstand the impact of Sixth-Order Powers, which gave them the qualification to advance directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, placing them on par with Core Disciples of any Cave Heaven or Paradise.
In comparison, Yang Kai’s wives, and even Li Wu Yi and the other Pseudo-Great Emperors had much shallower foundations, so it would normally be risky for them to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. However, Yang Kai had a treasure like the Divine Dao Water, which could strengthen one’s Dao Seal, which naturally made up for their shortcomings and allowed them to stand at the same high starting point as the Great Emperors.
Once it truly came time for them to advance, Void Land also had the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to help them in minimizing any risks.
Then, there were Xiang Ying and Fang Yue, both of whom Yang Kai had brought to his side from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Both of them were owners of Divine Medicines. Yang Kai had obtained three Divine Medicines from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, namely Pu Bai Xiong, Little Mushroom, and the Gourd Vine. Xiang Ying had obtained the Purple Bamboo that was able to break all Principles, and Fang Yue had obtained the Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus, which improved his defenses several times over.
These two used to be Bearers chosen by Divine Spirits, and had received their greatest support in nurturing them. Both of them have refined Sixth-Order Powers; however, due to their lacking aptitude, it was a huge risk for them to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm directly. When they learned that Void Land possessed Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, Fang Yue was the first to seek out Yang Kai and take refuge with him.
With Yang Kai’s support, Fang Yue opened the Grand Ancient Ruins Shop in Void Star City that specifically recruited the Bearers who were able to come out of the Grand Ancient Runs Boundary alive.
This happened before Yang Kai left for the Shadowless Cave Heaven. After the Grand Ancient Ruins Shop became famous, it did manage to recruit some Bearers, among which was Xiang Ying.
Including these two, Void Land had twenty-three prospects!
Twenty-three people were expected to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the near future. If all of them could succeed, then adding the current nine that they had, then the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that Void Land possessed would become terrifying!
And that was not counting those from the Dragon Clan, who also came with Yang Kai from the Star Boundary!
The cultivation of the Dragon Clan was different from ordinary cultivators. Even though they also needed a lot of cultivation resources, they refined their own bloodlines and Source rather than splitting Heaven and Earth apart in their bodies to enter the Open Heaven Realm.
Once a Dragon Clan member’s bloodline reached a certain purity and concentration, the power that they could wield was no less than that of those in the Open Heaven Realm.
Any mature Divine Spirit would also have power on par with a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
However, it took a lot of time for a Dragon Clan member to refine their bloodline and Source, much longer when compared to the advancement of Human cultivators into the Open Heaven Realm. After all, the Dragon Clan members themselves lived much longer lives.
Even Yang Kai himself had no idea how the Dragon Clan purified their bloodlines further. Other than taking Dragon Blood Pills, he was not sure of any other way. So, in recent days, the Dragon Clan members had all been running over to Dragon Sons’ Peak to seek Old Man Bi Xi’s tutelage.
Tracing back his roots, Bi Xi also had a Dragon Vein, so he was able to give some guidance to the younger Dragons to help them in their cultivation.
The Dragon Clan couldn’t be counted on in such a short amount of time, but those with the potential of advancing into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were worth looking forward to.
Yang Kai looked down towards Bian Yu Qing, “Second Manager, how is our Void Land doing on resources? Are the Great Emperors making progress on their cultivation?”
Bian Yu Qing nodded, “In general, they are doing well. With the Star City prospering, Void Land has no shortage of materials. At least 80% of our earnings are used to barter for cultivation materials in each Order, and it is enough to supply the cultivation needs of the Sect. We have also stockpiled many Sixth-Order Five Elements materials; the only tricky ones are Yin and Yang Element treasures, which are truly too rare. Counting the Sixth-Order Yang Element treasure that Lu Jing of Gathering Yuan Union brought the other day, the Yin and Yang Element materials we have now are only enough to provide for the advancement of three people!”
“Three people…” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Compared to the demand of twenty-three people, this number was truly too small. He pondered for a moment before asking, “If resources weren’t an issue, how long would it take for the Great Emperors to advance to the Sixth Order?”
“The Great Emperors all have deep foundations and their Dao Seals are firm and stable, so they are also able to refine materials quickly. If we had abundant resources, then all the Great Emperors would be able to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm within a decade. The faster ones may only take three to five years.”
Yue He frowned at that, “Even three to five years is still a bit long.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Indeed, it is a long time, but the victor in this fight cannot be decided in a short amount of time either. We have to look at things from a long-term perspective. What’s more, whether it is for the sake of dealing with a fight like this or not, it does not change the fact that Void Land is lacking in Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials, and something has to be done about that.”
Yue He nodded, “Young Master is right.”
Yang Kai sat up straight and raised his voice, “Good, the problem before us is clear. Where are we going to find so many Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials? If you have any good ideas, let’s hear it.”
Bian Yu Qing suggested, “We can continue to offer a premium in exchange for the materials in the Star City, but I don’t think it will do much good; after all, we have been doing the same thing for a long time now and have only been able to acquire a few Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials.”
Yang Kai said, “We must continue it even if the results are not good; after all, any piece is better than none.”
Bian Yu Qing nodded in response.
Mo Mei added next, “Perhaps we can look for the Cave Heavens and Paradises? Why don’t we go directly to them and ask to purchase the materials we need? Those Cave Heavens and Paradises have ruled over the 3,000 Worlds for many years, so they are bound to have accumulated some reserves.”
Yue He shook her head, “It’s useless. In the entirety of the 3,000 Worlds, materials in the Sixth Order and above have always been scarce. Even if those Cave Heavens and Paradises were able to accumulate some of these resources, they would rather stockpile them as strategic reserves. It would be impossible for them to sell them off to others so simply, much less now that we are in a confrontation with Zuo Quan Hui, who has Thousand Cranes Paradise behind him.”
Hui Gu narrowed his eyes, “Then, does that mean that there’s really no other way?”
Bian Yu Qing asked, “Sect Master, didn’t you meet with the Young Union Master of Gathering Yuan Union the other day? Since they are a Trade Company, they should have a way to get such materials, right?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Of course, Gathering Yuan Union definitely has their own methods. Even though Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials are scarce, they will surely be able to get their hands on some; however, the possibility of us working with Gathering Yuan Union is low. They may not be willing to take the risk of offending Zuo Quan Hui and Thousand Cranes Paradise to do business with us.”
If it were a few days ago, then there would still be some possibility of the two of them cooperating with each other; however, after the big fight with Zuo Quan Hui, and the killing of the Sixth-Order Zhou Ti, Gathering Yuan Union will surely hear the news soon. And Gathering Yuan Union had already revealed some fear of Thousand Cranes Paradise, so it made it even more unlikely for them to cooperate with Void Land after what happened.
Mo Mei muttered, “It would be great if there was another Universe Cave Heaven or Universe Paradise like Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Those High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would surely leave behind a rich inheritance after their death!”
Yang Kai laughed, “Even the Universe Paradises and Cave Heavens left behind after the deaths of those High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters may not contain what we need.”
Blood Monster Cave Heaven was the greatest example. Indeed, Yang Kai obtained many great things in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, but he really did not find that many Yin or Yang Element treasures, which showed just how rare these things were.
“I do know of a place that may have what we need, and in a good volume, too,” Old Bai, who was sitting at the side the whole time, suddenly spoke.
“Where?” Yang Kai quickly turned over to look at him in high spirits, at the same time cursing himself for being so muddle-headed. Old Bai, Chef, and Accountant were originally the Proprietress’ subordinates, and First Inn itself was in the intelligence gathering business, so they were the best people to ask if there was anything they needed answers for in the 3,000 Worlds.
The others also looked towards Old Bai.
After some hesitation, Old Bai began, “Do you still remember Luan Bai Feng?”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “Luan Bai Feng from the Black Prison?”
“Yes, her!” Old Bai nodded.
“Naturally!” Thinking back, Yang Kai had met with this woman twice. The first time was when she followed Heavenly Sword Union’s Union Master Kong Feng when he led the Hundred Sect Alliance to attack Void Land. It was during those events that Yang Kai learned that this woman had extremely high attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so she was invited by Kong Feng to crack Void Land’s Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array! She also proved herself to be extremely strong and competent as she was almost able to dispel the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array completely.
After the defeat of the Hundred Sects Alliance, Kong Feng was killed, and Luan Bai Feng disappeared without a trace.
Later, when Yang Kai went to Shadowless Cave Heaven, this woman appeared again and blocked his way together with Heavenly Sword Union’s new Union Master, Shen Liang. Shen Liang was killed in that conflict, but Luan Bai Feng escaped again.
Yang Kai had a deep impression of her; firstly, Luan Bai Feng’s attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays were truly high, and the other was that she was also very good at keeping herself alive. Once she saw that the situation was not right, she immediately retreated.
Two successive generations of Heavenly Sword Union’s Union Masters died in battle, but she escaped both conflicts.
However, Yang Kai did not know very much about her. He knew only that she was the leader of a great force called Black Prison.
Now that Old Bai brought her up, Yang Kai could not help but feel a little puzzled, “Is there something special about this woman?”
Old Bai shook his head, “No, there’s nothing particularly special about her. What’s special is the Black Prison!”
Everyone looked towards him, but only Yue He had a thoughtful look on her face.
Among the many Open Heaven Realm Masters present, more than half of them came from Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s Abundance City. Before meeting Yang Kai, generations of them had been living in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, unable to escape due to the Blood Principle Restriction placed on their ancestors. There were also those who were brought out by Yang Kai from the Shadowless Cave Heaven who did not know much information about the current state of the 3,000 Worlds.
Yue He knew a few things, but not as much as Old Bai did.
“The Black Prison is called the Black Prison because it was a naturally formed prison with all sorts of Natural Arrays within. Its environment is also extremely harsh, so one could say that unless one were very familiar with the place, it is all but impossible to leave alive after entering.”
Yang Kai nodded, “No wonder Luan Bai Feng has such high attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays!”
To live most of one’s life in a place that was filled with countless naturally formed Arrays, one would only be killed if their attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays were not high.
“The Black Prison is such a dangerous place that even if a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master were to step foot into it, they may still not be able to escape safely. Rumour has it that even High-Rank Open Heaven Masters may not be Luan Bai Feng’s opponent inside the Black Prison as she can borrow the strength of all sorts of Grand Arrays there to display a strength far greater than her own.” Old Bai went on, “So, in all the 3,000 Worlds, Luan Bai Feng, and even Black Prison itself have become well-known; after all, not every Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master has the heritage and ability to kill Masters in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “To be able to manipulate and control such impressive Grand Arrays… She’s a remarkable woman indeed. But… what sort of place is this Black Prison?”
Old Bai shook his head, “I do not know either; after all, I have never been there myself. I only know that the place is very strange, and its dangers are no less than the Shattered Heaven.”
“Why would she choose to stay in such a dangerous place?” Yang Kai was confused.
Old Bai laughed, “Men, or in this case, Women die for wealth just as birds die for food. If the Black Prison did not have something attractive enough, why would Luan Bai Feng stay there and not move? Black Prison is rich in a very special cultivation resource, and because it is fully black, it is called Black Stone.”
Mao Zhe was curious, “What’s so special about this Black Stone?”
Old Bai shook his head, “There’s nothing special about the Black Stones themselves, but it is a different story when it comes to what is contained within them. A piece of Black Stone may contain nothing, or it may be hiding Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, or even Seventh or Eighth-Order cultivation materials of various Elements!”
Everyone drew a sharp breath upon hearing this.
Hua Yong could not help but look wide-eyed at Old Bai, “Even Seventh and Eighth-Order materials can be found in these Black Stones?”
Old Bai nodded seriously, “That is what the rumours say. Nobody has seen it for themselves, but it has been confirmed that a good amount of Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order materials have come out of these Black Stones.”
Yang Kai was shaken, “There is no shortage of wonders in the 3,000 Worlds!”
Zhou Ya frowned, “If that is true, then as a cultivator who is merely in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, how did Luan Bai Feng gain control over the Black Prison? For a place as rich in resources as that, wouldn’t even the Cave Heavens and Paradises covet it?”
This question raised doubts in many of their minds.
Old Bai smiled, “Senior Sister Zhou is right. If Black Prison were just an ordinary place, then Luan Bai Feng would not be qualified to control it. It would have long been taken over by the Cave Heavens or Paradises; however, the Black Prison has its peculiarities. Not to mention, the major Cave Heavens and Paradises themselves have abundant wealth already. Who among them do not have their own resource production areas? The Black Prison may not even be worthy of their attention. Secondly, even if the Black Prison is rich in materials, they are extremely difficult to mine. Black Stone is something that only those in the Open Heaven Realm are strong enough to mine, and supposedly, the deeper you go into the Black Prison, the higher the Order required to mine the resources. The harsh environment in the Black Prison should also be taken into account. There are dangers everywhere, and a cultivator’s life may be lost at any moment. Even if they were fortunate enough to escape, their cultivation would still constantly be nibbled away by the Natural Arrays if they lived in such a place for long, which would eventually cause their Small Universe to shrink and collapse, a fate even worse than death!”
After a pause, Old Bai went on, “The price to mine Black Stone in Black Prison is the cultivation and vitality of an Open Heaven Realm Master. This was not something that those Cave Heavens and Paradises could afford to do; otherwise, they would be universally condemned.”
“Those who mine Black Stone in the Black Prison become ore slaves. Due to the harsh environment of the Black Prison, Open Heaven Realm Masters do not have long lifespans there, so the demand for ore slaves has always been great for the Black Prison. Ore slaves come from many different channels. Some are Open Heaven Realm Masters who committed great sins and were then bought by Luan Bai Feng at high prices to become lifelong slaves. Others were malefactors captured by Luan Bai Feng, and there were even those who were simply seized. There are also losers of conflicts between two great forces.”
While speaking, Old Bai shot a glance at Hui Gu, “Senior Brother Hui Gu has been staying in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Prison Star this whole time. In comparison to Black Prison, the Prison Star’s conditions are extremely hospitable. The Black Prison is many times harsher than what he knows.”
Cold sweat ran down Hui Gu’s head to hear that. Inwardly, he was feeling glad that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven did not have any agreements with Luan Bai Feng; otherwise, their convicts may have all been sold to the Black Prison, and they would become nothing more than withered bones.
Yang Kai descended into thought as he speculated, “If that is so, does that mean that Luan Bai Feng had other intentions in mind when she came along with Kong Feng’s Hundred Sects Alliance to Void Land?”
Old Bai nodded, “Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng have had several business dealings in the past, so they are well-acquainted with each other. He personally invited Luan Bai Feng to crack the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. Naturally, the most compelling reason for Luan Bai Feng to agree was the ore slaves she could obtain. If Void Land was defeated back then, then all of the Open Heaven Realm Masters would have been taken back to the Black prison where they would mine Black Stone for the rest of their lives.”
“Unfortunately for her, both she and Kong Feng did not expect the heritage of our Void Land to be so great. They tried to steal a chicken but failed and lost their rice, too.” Yang Kai stroked his chin, “In that case, this Black Prison is worth a trip! Luan Bai Feng has been running Black Prison for so many years, so she must have accumulated a good amount of resources by now. If we can bring her to our side, then the crisis that our Void Land is facing will be solved in no time.”
Old Bai shook his head, “I don’t suggest you find her directly in the Black Prison. I mentioned before that the Black Prison has countless Natural Arrays inside of it. Even if you are strong, you may not be able to find her even if you made it inside. And, if you do manage to find her, you may not be her opponent.”
Yang Kai looked at him, “Then, what do you think we should do instead?”
“To advance with stillness!” Old Bai explained concisely, “If there is anyone in this world most interested in the battle between great forces, then it has to be Luan Bai Feng. There is bound to be a loser in every battle, and any Open Heaven Realm Master defeated can become an ore slave she so needs, so she is happy to intervene in such fights, betting in advance the side she takes will win.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “Now that Zuo Quan Hui has engaged our Void Land in a head-on confrontation, we will not be able to hide the battle that took place here a few days ago from prying eyes. News will spread sooner or later, and Luan Bai Feng has caused trouble twice for our Void Land. No matter her original intentions, she has already formed a grudge with us. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters here, we are definitely a huge temptation for her.”
Old Bai nodded, “If news reaches her ears, she will definitely come out to help Zuo Quan Hui.”
Yang Kai got up at once, “We must not delay things. I will go to the Black Prison now. If we are too late… I may not be able to intercept her!”
Yue He hurriedly spoke up, “Young Master, I will go with you.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “This, I can do alone. Zuo Quan Hui may have left Void Territory, but he will definitely leave spies to monitor our every move. I may still be able to act quietly alone, but moving with more people will make it more difficult. In my absence, I will leave you all to take care of Void Territory. Zuo Quan Hui will most likely not raise his hand again on the lower Universe Worlds, so all you have to do is stay here and watch over the Sect, then everything will be fine. Do not fight him head-on before I return!”
Everyone cupped their fists, “Yes!”
Even though Yue He was worried, she knew that Yang Kai was right. With his attainments in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai could move freely and easily by himself. She would only be a burden if she went along with him, so she did not argue his decision.
Many days had already passed since the battle, and nobody knew when news of it would reach Luan Bai Feng’s ears. However, once Luan Bai Feng learned that Zuo Quan Hui was personally launching an attack on Void Land, she may not be able to resist the urge to get involved in the struggle. Time was of the essence, so Yang Kai did not dally for even a moment. As soon as he left orders for his subordinates, he set out.
Using Space Principles, Yang Kai could come and go secretly without fear of being discovered by anyone. While travelling, he continued recovering from the wounds he suffered in the previous battle, and in just a few days, he arrived at the local Territory Gate.
Divine Sense stirring, Yang Kai made sure that no eyes were watching him at the Territory Gate before diving in.
After passing through the Territory Gate and arriving at the adjacent Great Territory, Yang Kai concealed his aura as soon as possible. If Zuo Quan Hui left any eyes behind to monitor the situation, then they would most likely be near the Territory Gates which led to Void Land.
Yang Kai looked around for a moment but did not find anything to be concerned about.
Most likely, Zuo Quan Hui had not had enough time to leave any of his men here; after all, it had only been a few days, and he had the injuries incurred from the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel that required his full and immediate attention.
Since he found no eyes on him even after reaching this place, Yang Kai was able to breathe easy and began acting more boldly. The 3,000 Worlds were vast, and as a lone man, he was just like the water flowing in the sea. Nobody could even dream of catching his tracks.
Even though he had never been to the Black Prison before, Yang Kai was not worried about losing his way with his Universe Chart in hand.
Passing through one Great Territory after another, Yang Kai urged his Space Principles on and on, and in just one month, was able to reach the Great Territory neighbouring the Black Prison.
The Great Territory that the Black Prison was located in was marked as the Black Territory on the Universe Chart!
The Great Territory that Yang Kai was in at this moment was only separated from the Black Territory by a single Territory Gate. After passing through that gate, he would be able to reach the Black Territory without issue.
But before he could ascertain what the situation on the other side of the Territory Gate was like, Yang Kai did not dare to rush in headfirst. If he accidentally came across a Trapping Array, it was possible that he would reveal himself, which would force him into a direct confrontation with Luan Bai Feng. No matter what, fighting in someone else’s territory would always leave one at a disadvantage.
What was more, the greatest problem Yang Kai faced today was whether or not Luan Bai Feng was even in the Black Territory. If she were not here, then everything would have been for nought. Even if she were here, Yang Kai still could not guarantee that Luan Bai Feng would come out from the Territory Gate that he was in front of right now.
From the Universe Chart, Yang Kai could see that there were as many as five Territory Gates leading to the Black Territory that were connected to five different Great Territories. If Luan Bai Feng were to leave Black Prison, then there was only a 20% possibility of her coming out from this Territory Gate.
So, in Yang Kai’s opinion, the most important thing to do right now was to find out Luan Bai Feng’s whereabouts and lure her out of the Territory Gate that he was at.
Though, this was not going to be an easy task. It required patience and cunning.
For the next few days, Yang Kai rested in the area around the Territory Gate. He had decided to wait here for up to two months, and if nothing were to come out of this exercise, then he would take the risk of heading straight into the Black Prison to find out where Luan Bai Feng was.
Fortunately, a person’s aura suddenly appeared near the Territory Gate after just a dozen days. Yang Kai, who was sitting cross-legged cultivating nearby, looked over at the Territory Gate just in time to see a black-robed man leave from the Territory Gate.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. This man had obviously just come out from the Black Territory, and the fact that he could freely leave meant that he was one of Luan Bai Feng’s confidants. From the aura fluctuations coming off of this person, Yang Kai could also tell that he was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
After passing through the Territory Gate, the black-robed man gently shook his head to shake off the discomfort he was feeling. Then, after ascertaining the direction, he sped off into the void.
However, after going for just a short distance, something blurred in his vision and a figure blocked his way ahead.
The black-robed man was stunned and defensively shouted, “Who goes there? What do you want?”
The man ahead grinned at him, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. He suddenly reached out and grabbed him before chuckling, “Come over here, I have some questions that I’d like to ask you!”
A few moments later, the black-robed man stood respectfully before Yang Kai with a meek expression.
Yang Kai looked in satisfaction at the two characters on the eighth page of his Loyalty List, written in fresh blood, ‘Xin Peng’!
With Yang Kai’s current strength, dealing with a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was a simple matter. This Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master called Xin Peng did not even have the opportunity to struggle before he was subdued by Yang Kai.
This man was also very sensible. Knowing that he was not his attacker’s opponent, he immediately begged for mercy. After asking him a few questions, Yang Kai had him leave his name on the Loyalty List.
There were nine pages in the Loyalty List, and eight had been used thus far. Only one page was left, and for this very last page, Yang Kai intended to leave it blank for Luan Bai Feng.
Xin Peng was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so it was reasonable to say that he was now not qualified to have his name placed on the Loyalty List. Yang Kai used to be weak, and did not have many subordinates that he could use, so he did not have the qualifications to pick and choose his followers. That was why he chose to accept Chen Tian Fei, Hei He, and Yun Xing Hua. Now, the Masters among his subordinates were as many as the clouds, so it really was a waste for a trivial Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to take up space in his Loyalty List.
However, Luan Bai Feng was just barely worth the last slot he had!
Yang Kai carefully put the Loyalty List away before glancing over at Xin Peng, “Since you’ve already left your name on the Loyalty List, then you should be able to feel that your life or death is now in my hands. With just a thought, I can decide whether you live or die!”
Xin Peng’s sweat dripped down like rain as he quickly pleaded, “Mercy, Sir! Please be merciful! This subordinate will follow Sir’s lead and obey Sir’s orders!”
Yang Kai said indifferently, “Since I’ve taken you under my wing, then I naturally will not ask you to die.”
Xin Peng raised his eyes meekly at Yang Kai, “Then, is there anything that Sir needs this subordinate to do?”
“I have a question for you. You said that Luan Bai Feng was inside the Black Prison, did you not?”
Xin Peng quickly nodded, “Yes.”
“Can you be sure? Don’t lie to me.”
“It’s definitely the truth, Sir! This subordinate received orders from the Warden to purchase some things just a day or two ago.”
Yang Kai was happy to hear that answer and nodded, “Good.”
Obviously, there was no way that Xin Peng could lie under the effects of the Loyalty List, so Yang Kai was sure that Luan Bai Feng was currently inside the Black Prison. It seemed he had not made this trip for nothing, which made the ten or so days he spent waiting here worth it.
“How many Open Heaven Realm Masters are in the Black Prison?” Yang Kai asked.
Xin Peng thought about it for a moment before asking, “Including the ore slaves?”
“Including the ore slaves, and otherwise.”
Xin Peng gave a quick answer, “Including the ore slaves, there are almost 200. Otherwise, there are only a little over 30!”
Yang Kai was speechless. Based on what Xin Peng said, there are around 200 Open Heaven Realm Masters currently in Black Prison’s confinement. This was no small number as no ordinary great force would generally have such a high concentration of Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, most of them were merely the ore slaves in Luan Bai Feng’s subordination, so there was no need to pay them much attention. If anyone did enter into a conflict with Luan Bai Feng, there was no way they would help. The only ones who had gained Luan Bai Feng’s trust and could come and go freely in the Black Prison numbered around 30 people.
“How many are in the Fifth Order? What about Sixth Order?” Yang Kai asked.
Xin Peng answered, “Reporting to Sir, the Warden is the only one in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the Black Prison. As for those in the Fifth Order, there are seven of them. The rest are below the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Luan Bai Feng is the only Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the Black Prison?”
He thought that the Black Prison would have several Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters at least, so this was a surprising answer; however, this did make the rest easier.
Xin Peng laughed bitterly, “The Warden is a very paranoid person. Even after being in charge of the Black Prison for so long, she never allowed her subordinates to advance into the Sixth Order. Any with the potential and signs of advancing will be thrown into Black Prison’s depths to mine.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “What a ruthless woman.”
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai started with another question, “What were you asked to buy on this trip?”
Xin Peng answered what it was.
Yang Kai nodded, “Go to the Star City to finish your mission. I will wait here for you.”
Xin Peng had no idea what Yang Kai was planning to do, but he did not dare to ask too many questions, so he hurriedly responded, “Yes. Then, please wait here for a few days, Sir. This subordinate will go and return quickly.”
A moment later, Xin Peng left.
Yang Kai stood alone in the void, rubbing his chin and pondering. Right now, he had gotten confirmation that Luan Bai Feng was inside the Black Prison. Now, all that was left to do was to lure her out, and he also had to make sure that she would leave from this Territory Gate.
After studying the Universe Chart, Yang Kai felt much more assured. Even though the Black Territory had a total of five different Territory Gates that connected to different Great Territories, if Luan Bai Feng really had intentions to help Zuo Quan Hui to stir up trouble for Void Land, then there was a great possibility that she would leave from this Territory Gate; after all, this was the closest Territory Gate to Void Land. If she were to choose a different route, then it would take her a trip through at least two extra Great Territories to get there, which would delay her a great deal.
Now, the most critical thing left was to lure Luan Bai Feng out! Yang Kai had some certainty that she would come, but he also did not dare to be too sure.
Six days later, Xin Peng returned from the Great Territory’s Star City. Yang Kai, who was hiding, showed himself and gave him detailed instructions. Xin Peng nodded incessantly, putting Yang Kai’s orders to mind, and a short while later, he jumped into the Territory Gate.
A day later, inside a palace, Xin Peng stood submissively inside. Reclined on the long chair before him was Luan Bai Feng. She was sitting in a lazy manner with a pipe in hand. Faint smoke drifted out from the furnace. With eyes half shut out of comfort, Luan Bai Feng’s nose quivered faintly as the smoke entered and left her nose.
“Have you bought what I asked?” Luan Bai Feng asked.
“Yes, I’ve bought it, Warden!” Xin Peng answered respectfully and took out a Space Ring, offering it to her with both hands.
A woman dressed like a maidservant next to Luan Bai Feng came forward to take the Space Ring before returning to her position.
“You’ve worked hard,” Luan Bai Feng responded indifferently, her long phoenix eyes still semi-shut.
“It is this subordinate’s honour to serve!” Xin Peng flattered her with a big smile, but he did not excuse himself immediately because he knew that Luan Bai Feng would always ask for something else whenever he was sent to procure items from the Star City.
“En,” Luan Bai Feng made a lazy hum in response before asking, “Did anything interesting happen outside recently?”
Staring down at his toes, Xin Peng nodded, “Indeed, there are a few things.”
“Speak!” Luan Bai Feng played with the wisps of smoke in front of her with a jade finger, eyes looking distant.
“Firstly, the result of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly is out. The one who took first place was Void Land’s Lord, Yang Kai!”
“Huh?” Luan Bai Feng’s narrowed eyes opened slightly, and a cold light emerged in them, “That Yang Kai actually won first place? How could he, someone in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, achieve something like that? Are the disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises all wastes?”
Even though she was not present when Yang Kai advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, she would naturally keep herself apprised of his situation now that she had made enemies of Void Land. So, it was not strange for her to know that Yang Kai was only in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Xin Peng answered, “Warden, this subordinate heard that Yang Kai is not in the Fifth Order, but the Sixth Order.”
“Sixth-Order?” Luan Bai Feng’s eyes widened again. Then, she snorted, “Where did you hear that rumour? He was merely a Fifth Order when he broke through, that much is certain. The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of several Cave Heavens and Paradises saw it with their own eyes, so how could that be false?”
“This subordinate does not know where the mistake began, but that man is indeed in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there is no doubt about that. And, during Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly, he even killed a man called Zhao Xing.”
“Zhao Xing?” Luan Bai Feng’s finger paused, a contemplative look appearing on her face, “That name sounds familiar… What Sect is he from?”
“This subordinate heard that he is from Thousand Cranes Paradise, and is even a Core Disciple who broke through directly to the Sixth Order!”
Luan Bai Feng’s eyes, which were narrowed this whole time, widened into circles, and her stern gaze was fixed on Xin Peng standing below, who instantly began sweating from the mountain-like pressure placed on him.
Hearing Xin Peng’s story, she finally remembered who this Zhao Xing was. Indeed, he was a Core Disciple of Thousand Cranes Paradise, and when he successfully advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm a few decades ago, many great forces went to congratulate him. Even she had brought a gift over.
“Is that true?” Luan Bai Feng questioned sharply.
Xin Peng stammered, “This news has already spread among the general populace. Whether it is true or not, this subordinate does not know, but everyone is saying the same thing.”
Blinking, Luan Bai Feng muttered to herself, “Waves do not form without wind. This is a matter that concerns Thousand Cranes Paradise’s face. If it were not true, then Thousand Cranes Paradise would definitely step out to curb the rumours. However, the rumours have already spread to the masses, so it is most likely true… Zhao Xing advanced into the Sixth-Order several decades ago, but Yang Kai actually managed to kill him? Is he really in the Sixth-Order, too? But how did that happen?”
She thought about it for a while, but still could not figure out how Yang Kai could suddenly jump from the Fifth-Order to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Suddenly, she laughed like flowers trembling on a branch, her voice crisp and pleasant to the ears.
She laughed for a while before collecting herself, “How would Thousand Cranes Paradise stay still after Yang Kai killed Zhao Xing? Has Void Land been razed to the ground by them yet?”
“Not yet,” Xin Peng shook his head, “because Yin-Yang Cave Heaven intervened as Zhao Xing’s death occurred in the Dao Theory Assembly. There is no way that Thousand Cranes Paradise can openly exact revenge for Zhao Xing. In the end, his Honoured Master, Zuo Quan Hui, deserted Thousand Cranes Paradise while bringing along the disciples under him.”
“Zuo Quan Hui deserted Thousand Cranes Paradise!?” Luan Bai Feng was shocked. However, a person of her stature and experience only had to think for a moment before understanding the sequence of events, “That old fox! Continue.”
“Zuo Quan Hui led his disciples to Void Territory in order to kill Yang Kai; however, not only was he wounded after entering into a big fight with him, another Sixth-Order Disciple under him called Zhou Ti was killed during the battle!”
Luan Bai Feng was even more stunned at this revelation, “Zuo Quan Hui was wounded? Did you hear that wrong?”
Xin Peng shook his head, “That is what they are saying outside, and the rumours are still going strong in the Star City. If Warden does not believe it, she can send someone to inquire about the matter.”
Luan Bai Feng shook her head. It was not that she did not believe Xin Peng’s words, she just wondered whether there were any mistakes with those rumours or not. After all, Zuo Quan Hui was a Seventh-Order Master, so how could he be injured so easily?
Having suddenly thought of something, she began, “It was the doing of Void Land’s two Divine Spirits, wasn’t it?” Only the two Divine Spirits would be able to hurt a man like Zuo Quan Hui.
Xin Peng answered respectfully, “This subordinate does not think so. From beginning to end, the two Divine Spirits were never mentioned in the rumours. Rather, it was the huge number of Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land. Just the number of those in the Sixth Order was 9. In order to save his Disciple, Zuo Quan Hui was caught off guard and injured.”
“9 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters?” The more she listened, the more confused Luan Bai Feng became. She had been to Void Land before, and if there were 9 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters there at that time, then how could she have been able to return alive?
And, how many years had it been since the Hundred Sects Alliance besieged them? How could 9 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters suddenly appear?
“Right now, Zuo Quan Hui must still be recovering from his injuries. In this subordinate’s opinion, a fierce struggle between two evenly matched opponents will soon take place between Zuo Quan Hui and Void Land now that two Sixth-Order disciples of the former have been killed.”
Luan Bai Feng nodded lightly, “Zuo Quan Hui is still in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm after all. Naturally, if he lost face, then he must get it back. Otherwise, how will he still maintain his footing in the future?” She waved him off, “You’re excused.”
“Yes!” Not daring to say anything more, Xin Peng bowed and left.
Wisps of smoke were still fluttering from the pipe, but Luan Bai Feng was not as interested in it as before. There was an inexplicable glint in her narrow phoenix eyes as if she were thinking about something.
The maidservant next to her began softly, “Mistress, should this subordinate go out and verify the rumours?”
Luan Bai Feng shook her head, “Rumours are not to be believed. There’s no finding out the truth unless we find Zuo Quan Hui and ask him about what happened in person.”
The maidservant answered, “But if Zuo Quan Hui is still in recovery, he must be in hiding. Who would be able to find him?”
Luan Bai Feng rubbed her fingers subconsciously, “That’s right… Who will be able to find him? However, it is true that Void Land is troublesome…”
She also kept tabs on Void Land; after all, a grudge had formed between them, so who knew whether or not Void Land would find an opportunity to come to the Black Prison to seek revenge?
Void Land had gradually been growing stronger, and back then, those guys from the Hundred Sect Alliance went rushing over to apologize one by one while bearing gifts.
Meanwhile, Luan Bai Feng remained in the Black Prison. The environment here was treacherous, and there were also the countless Natural Arrays she could take advantage of. She did not care too much at first, but now, it seemed that Void Land had grown to the point where it could threaten her.
She alone would not be able to solve this hidden danger called Void Land, but perhaps… she may be able to seek out Zuo Quan Hui in order to cooperate with him and eradicate this scourge with his help.
The air was quiet, and a million-kilometre area around the Territory Gate was like a forbidden zone that nobody dared to approach. Even those who were in a hurry were unwilling to get too close.
Everyone knew that this was the entrance to the Black Territory, and they also knew how ruthless a woman Luan Bai Feng was. If they were to bump into her along the way, then they just might be captured and brought to the Black Prison to become ore slaves.
Yang Kai remained alone, quietly waiting.
The bait had been cast, but he could not be sure of whether the fish would take it or not. He had only agreed with Xin Peng that if Luan Bai Feng were to leave the Black Prison from another Territory Gate, he would find a way to inform him about it. That would also give Yang Kai time to adjust his plans.
Five days had passed since Xin Peng returned to the Black Territory, but there was still no movement at the Territory Gate.
On the sixth day, however, the Heavens seemingly heard Yang Kai’s pleas and a ship suddenly sailed out of the Territory Gate. Yang Kai, who was watching for any movements from afar, saw the ship as soon as it appeared.
What was certain was that, indeed, it was one of Black Prison’s ships!
However, he did not make his move immediately because he could not guarantee that Luan Bai Feng was aboard.
Concealing his aura and figure, he continued to watch closely.
At a certain moment, a brilliant light suddenly shot out from the ship. Naturally, it was the signal that he had agreed on with Xin Peng!
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, and his body flashed, lunging towards the boat at the speed of lightning.
In the uppermost cabin of the ship, Luan Bai Feng was sitting on her chair, twirling her finger around her hair with a contemplative look on her face. She had no idea why, but she had been feeling restless since leaving the Black Territory, as if something bad was about to happen.
This feeling made her extremely alert.
It was at that moment that a clear energy fluctuation rippled out from a certain part of the ship. She quickly turned her head to the window and, from the corner of her eye, caught a stream of light erupting and illuminating a large space.
Luan Bai Feng’s face paled. Spreading out her Divine Sense, she quickly detected a person leaving the ship and heading out at high speed.
“Xin Peng!” Murderous intent blazed in Luan Bai Feng’s eyes as she shouted his name through gritted teeth. Even though she had no idea why Xin Peng would betray her, the blinding Secret Technique from before was obviously some sort of code agreed upon by Xin Peng and some other party.
Before she even had any time to think about the situation, Luan Bai Feng quickly felt a familiar aura rapidly approaching her and a voice boomed, “Luan Bai Feng, suffer death!”
“Yang Kai!?” Luan Bai Feng was startled by the voice and turned her head towards the direction where the aura was coming from.
She had encountered Yang Kai twice before, so naturally, she was familiar with his aura.
There, in her vision, she saw Yang Kai rapidly approaching just as she had expected.
Luan Bai Feng’s first thought that it must be some sort of trap, and that Void Land’s army was ambushing her. She could possibly be surrounded at any moment and killed; however, from what she could detect, there was no army, only Yang Kai alone in this place.
“Brat who does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! You court death!” Luan Bai Feng began to move as she screamed, leaping through the window as she formed a set of hand seals and pushed her World Force before throwing out a palm at the approaching enemy.
Even though she did not understand why Yang Kai would come to ambush her by himself, she did not want to miss such a golden opportunity. If she was able to capture Yang Kai, then she would be able to offer him up as a great gift to Zuo Quan Hui. Then, once the battle against Void Land was over, her words would hold much more power, allowing her to get more ore slaves from Void Land.
Even though she did not use her full strength, it was still not something that an ordinary Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to withstand, not even for one in the Sixth Order. She had advanced to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm many centuries ago, so the heritage that she accumulated was extremely rich.
Faced with this palm, Yang Kai simply met it with a sneer as he shouted, “The one who does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth… is you!”
World Force erupted and their auras clashed as the two figures rapidly approached each other!
Luan Bai Feng’s face changed, and her eyes went wide!
[Xin Peng was right, this brat… is really in the Sixth Order!]
The moment their World Forces collided, Luan Bai Feng was able to sense this clearly. The World Force possessed by her opponent was definitely not something that a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator would be able to bring out. Yang Kai was definitely a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and not an ordinary one at that!
Luan Bai Feng had never felt this sort of oppression from any other Sixth-Order Master before. When her own World Force was faced with her opponent’s power, it was smashed apart like it was dry weeds or rotten wood. It was her total defeat!
Jolting in realization of the situation, Luan Bai Feng no longer dared to hold back. With her Small Universe’s illusory phantom flickering behind her, she immediately went all out!
However, she was still unable to block her opponent’s attack. Yang Kai’s palm practically crushed and flattened all the obstacles in front of him. Breaking through the force of Luan Bai Feng’s palm, he quickly cut their distance of 1,000 kilometres to zero.
In the next instant, the large palm enveloped in World Force struck Luan Bai Feng’s towering chest.
Her ribs sank down from the force as a look of horror and shock emerged on Luan Bai Feng’s face. Fresh blood spurted out of her mouth, and her aura deflated significantly.
They were both in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but she could not even withstand a single palm from Yang Kai and was severely wounded with just one hit!
However, this woman had presided over the Black Prison for so many years, so she naturally had some real ability. The moment she sensed she was at a disadvantage, she immediately used the force of the recoil to put distance between her and Yang Kai. At the same time, her wrist turned and revealed an Array Plate; launching it straight in Yang Kai’s direction, she shouted, “Open!”
The Array Plate activated, and the Killing Array that was engraved into it spread out in a flash, enveloping hundreds of kilometres in an instant. A violent power erupted from it, transforming into countless attacks that changed the area within the radius into a slaughtering field.
Luan Bai Feng did not pause, however. Although her Array Plate was powerful, judging from the strike that Yang Kai displayed earlier, she knew it would be impossible to stop him with just that. Her Array Plate would delay him for a couple dozen breaths at the most.
Still, that was enough time. She had barely left the Black Territory, so with a few dozen breaths, she could still return.
As long as she could cross the Territory Gate, with the help of the countless Natural Arrays present within, she could exert a strength that was far beyond her own. Forget Yang Kai being a Sixth-Order Master, even if he was in the Seventh Order, once he was inside her territory, he should not even dream of leaving unscathed.
Having suffered such a huge loss out of nowhere, the hatred gathered in Luan Bai Feng’s heart had already reached the Heavens, so even while she was escaping, she was already thinking of how she was going to take revenge on Yang Kai for this.
However, only 100 kilometres away from Black Territory’s Territory Gate, Luan Bai Feng suddenly stopped and stood in awe, staring at the figure that blocked her path.
Yang Kai stood with a spear in hand that was pointing forward as he grinned widely, “Since I already know about your attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, how could I not be prepared to deal with you?”
“How did you…” Luan Bai Feng was in disbelief.
“You think you were able to trap me in that Killing Array? The Dao of Space is too profound for a woman like you to comprehend!” Yang Kai snickered, “You want to return to the Black Territory? That’s not an option!”
Luan Bai Feng ground her teeth. At the same time as when her body drifted backwards, she summoned three more Array Plates into her hands. However, before she could even toss out the three Array Plates, Yang Kai had disappeared from in front of her.
A great sense of crisis loomed over her. Luan Bai Feng raised her hand and was about to ignore everything else to throw down the Array Plates when she felt a sting in her wrist. Her vision became a blur, and Yang Kai was already in front of her, his broad chest practically pressing against hers as his hot breath blew on her face, “I have a great use for you alive, so don’t force me to kill you!”
Luan Bai Feng looked down to see that her hand that was holding the Array Plates had been pierced through by a spear and was covered in blood!
A cold feeling flooded her from her head down to her toes as Luan Bai Feng froze in place. Her eyes quivered, and her mind was a chaotic mess.
How could someone who was merely in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm possibly be this strong? She could not even fight back in front of this man. It could almost be said that her life or death was in the palm of his hand.
Raising her head, Luan Bai Feng stared at Yang Kai who was right in front of her, gritting her teeth and asking, “What are you going to do?”
Yang Kai grinned, “I told you, I need you alive, so don’t be so nervous. If you obediently cooperate with me, then naturally, there will be no harm to your life.”
Luan Bai Feng blinked, “You want to cooperate with me?”
“A wise person will submit to the circumstances!” Yang Kai nodded. Then, he took out the Loyalty List and said with an amiable expression, “Come, come, come, leave your name in your Blood Essence here!”
Luan Bai Feng glanced at the Loyalty list, and her pretty face sank, “Loyalty List? This thing is in your possession?”
“It’s good that you know it, that saves me the effort of having to explain,” Yang Kai smiled.
Luan Bei Feng sneered, “If I leave my name on the Loyalty List, then won’t I be under your control forever, never to have freedom again?”
“Indeed!”
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I’d rather die!”
Yang Kai looked indifferently at her, “You only have one chance, so choose well. If you pick the right answer, then you get to live. Otherwise… you die!”
Luan Bai Feng turned her head away and snorted, taking up the stance of a woman who was prepared for death.
Yang Kai nodded, “For a woman to have such a backbone… Many men cannot compare to you. That is worth admiring. In that case, let me send you on your way!”
At the end of his sentence, Yang Kai brought his hand down on Luan Bai Feng’s head, and Golden Crow’s True Fire burst from his palm, instantly turning her into a ball of fire.
Miserable screams filled the air as Luan Bai Feng’s entire body was enveloped by the pitch-black Golden Crow’s True Fire. Of course, there was no way for her to die in a short time thanks to her strong vitality; however, her cultivation, which was only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, was not enough for her to extinguish the Golden Crow’s True Fire. In the face of doom, she was cursed to endure indescribable torment and suffering.
“You’re really going to kill me!?” Luan Bai Feng asked as she screamed in agony; after all, Yang Kai told her earlier that he had a use for her alive, yet now he was actually trying to kill her in the blink of an eye. His mood changed faster than one could flip pages in a book!
Yang Kai remained silent as he watched her indifferently with a cold look in his eyes, as if he were seeing her off from this plane of existence.
Luan Bai Feng panicked. Death was a terrifying thought, and though she knew that Yang Kai was merely trying to force her hand with this method, she was still frightened by his ruthlessness and determination. If this were to continue, then she might really die!
“Please spare me, I’ll do as you ask!” Luan Bai Feng shouted.
When Yang Kai raised his hand and grabbed at her again, the blaze of the Golden Crow’s True Fire that enveloped Luan Bai Feng’s body seemed to have a life of its own and quickly returned to his palm.
“You should have said so earlier, then you wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.”
A short while later, Yang Kai received the Loyalty List back from Luan Bai Feng’s hands with great satisfaction. There, on the final page, was Luan Bai Feng’s name written in three large, bright red characters.
From the time that Chen Tian Fei volunteered to put himself on the Loyalty List at the very beginning until now all nine pages had been used up.
On each page was Blood Essence used to write the name of each person.
Chen Tian Fei, Hei He, Yun Xing Hua, Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, Zhou Ya, Hui Gu, Xin Peng, Luan Bai Feng!
Unless one of them died, a new blank page would not appear in the Loyalty List. And out of the nine, as many as five pages were taken up by Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, which helped Yang Kai on many occasions.
Without the Loyalty List, Yang Kai would not have had the confidence to bring the three Mountain Lords of Profound Yang Mountain out from the Shadowless Cave Heaven. Without the Loyalty List, there was no way he could safely cooperate with Hui Gu, much less subdue Luan Bai Feng on this day!
The Loyalty List was a mysterious artifact with great binding force refined by a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master that had been nicknamed Loyalty Demon many years ago. The list was made using the flesh and bone of the Divine Spirit, Xie Zhi.
However, the power of the Loyalty List depended on who was using it.
Even though Chen Tian Fei also held the Loyalty List back then, he was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so the Loyalty List was of little use in his hands; however, things were different when it was passed on to Yang Kai’s possession.
“So, that’s how it is. No wonder Xin Peng had the guts to betray me.” Luan Bai Feng glanced at the Loyalty List with a grim look on her face. She saw Xin Peng’s name on the Loyalty List just now, dispelling all her doubts. It was only natural that Xin Peng would obey Yang Kai’s orders since he was under the Loyalty List’s suppression.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Don’t look so reluctant. It’ll be much better for you to join me than to stay holed up in the Black Prison. There’s a big world out there, so if you’re free, you should go out and have a look!”
Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted, “The winner is the King and the loser is the villain. Anything you say is right.”
Yang Kai then took a glance around and commented, “These subordinates of yours don’t look very loyal!”
Luan Bai Feng was livid.
She had not come out alone today; she had brought some other subordinates with her, but when she was fighting Yang Kai, none of them came forward to help her. Of course, part of it was because Yang Kai had moved so quickly that they did not even have the time to react, but if they were truly loyal to her, then they would naturally have come to save her by now.
In fact, they had only been watching from afar on the ship without any intention of coming closer. They had even taken a stance where they might leave at any moment.
“What are you all staring at? Scram!” Luan Bai Feng’s stomach was full of grievances.
A dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters of different Orders rushed into the ship in an instant, disappearing without a trace.
Luan Bai Feng turned to look at Yang Kai, “Are you satisfied now? My name is already on your Loyalty List. Now, whatever orders you have for me, just voice them.”
“There’s no hurry. What’s more important is to heal your injuries first. I can’t bear to see a beautiful woman like you burned like this either.” While saying this, Yang Kai used his Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation. Wondrous green branches dropped down, enveloping Luan Bai Feng with rich vitality.
Earlier, under the Golden Crow’s True Fire, Luan Bai Feng had tried her best to resist, but she was still burnt all over, with her exposed skin covered in appalling blisters.
They looked terribly painful, but Luan Bai Feng did not say a word about it, which showed how strong her endurance was.
Now, with the surge of vitality from the Towering Evergreen, Luan Bai Feng’s surface injuries healed at a rate visible to the naked eye. While resisting the tingling sensation caused by the technique, Luan Bai Feng turned her face away, “Do not expect this Queen to thank you for such a small favour.”
She had a calm expression on her face, but inwardly, she was quite shocked. Her burns came from the Golden Crow’s True Fire, yet the Wood Element Divine Manifestation that Yang Kai used was actually able to produce such visible restorative capabilities, [Just what Order Wood Element Power did he condense when he was advancing to the Open Heaven Realm?]
Yang Kai was calm, “Now that you have submitted to me, I will naturally treat you well, so I do not expect any thanks from you, either.”
Luan Bai Feng frowned and shut her eyes, enjoying the rich vitality that was healing her wounds. A moment later, she suddenly spoke, “Xin Peng was instructed by you to draw me out, so how much of what he said is true, and how much of it is false?”
“What he told you is basically the truth,” Yang Kai responded with indifference.
Luan Bai Feng’s eyes widened in surprise, “So, it’s true that Zuo Quan Hui was injured?”
“Indeed!”
Luan Bai Feng’s brows furrowed in thought for a moment before she nodded lightly, “You must have been the one to injure him. Your abilities are… a little better than what I expected!”
Even after fighting Yang Kai personally, Luan Bai Feng still could not understand how someone in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm could be so strong.
“Zuo Quan Hui was careless and underestimated his opponent, which allowed me to take advantage of the situation; otherwise, how difficult do you think it is to wound a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?”
“Your Void Land and Zuo Quan Hui have already tossed aside all semblance of civility, yet you choose to run all the way here instead of staying back and watching after your Sect? I may be in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, too, but not even ten of me can match up against Zuo Quan Hui. If you are expecting to use me as a countermeasure to deal with Zuo Quan Hui, then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. Unless… Did you come here just to take revenge? After all, I did give you trouble twice in the past.”
Yang Kai laughed, “Void Land is as strong as iron. Even without me there, there’s nothing Zuo Quan Hui can do to it. I didn’t come here for you this time. Rather than that, it’s the Black Prison that I’m interested in! There are plenty of supplies in the Black Prison, and I happen to be in need of cultivation materials!”
Luan Bai Feng clenched her teeth and snarled, “Shameless!”
Yang Kai chuckled and took back his Towering Evergreen, “Think what you’d like. Now, let’s go. Bring me into the Black Prison.”
Luan Bai Feng glared viciously at Yang Kai before turning around reluctantly, “Follow me!”
After the pair returned to the ship, Xin Peng ran back as well. He seemed very embarrassed to see Luan Bai Feng again, but she did not even spare him a glance.
This woman knew, too, that the reason why her ship would have capsized on calm seas this time was partly to do with Xin Peng, but Yang Kai was the main culprit. Even if she wanted to kill Xin Peng for revenge, Yang Kai would not allow it, so there was no point in doing something useless.
On board the ship, the other dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters were all looking at Yang Kai in awe. They saw with their own eyes how powerless Luan Bai Feng had been when she was forced to submit to Yang Kai, so they had an inkling about just how powerful this man was.
The boat was not too far away from the Black Prison, so it only took a few moments to return.
After passing through the Territory Gate, they soon arrived in the Black Territory.
A dim light enveloped the entire sky. Standing on the deck, Yang Kai looked up and saw there, far away, was a great sun that was giving off light. However, unlike an ordinary Sun Star, this one gave off the impression of a dying old man. There were even black spots forming on its surface from time to time.
Yang Kai had refined the Golden Crow’s True Fire and had the Divine Manifestation, Golden Crow Casts the Sun, which was why he was constantly haunted by an indescribable feeling ever since stepping into the Black Territory.
He could clearly feel that the Black Territory’s sun was about to die!
It was not that he had not experienced the death of a Sun Star before. Back then, when he was escaping Seven Wonders Land, he witnessed with his own eyes as a Sun Star went out, and it was there that he obtained the Golden Crow’s carcass, which in turn allowed him to refine the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
However, he never expected to see such a similar scene again after so many years.
Perhaps, hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years later, the Black Territory’s Sun Star would also burn out.
There was only this one Sun Star in the entire Black Territory as far as the eye could see, so once this Sun Star was extinguished, the entire Black Territory would be plunged into cold darkness.
The dying Great Sun enveloped the entirety of the Black Territory in an air of solemnity.
“This Black Territory does not seem very large,” Yang Kai noted his observations after looking around.
Luan Bai Feng subconsciously twirled her hair with her finger as she commented casually, “The Black Territory wasn’t large to begin with. Compared to the other Great Territories, you can even say that it’s pitifully small. There’s even only one Sun Star. What other Great Territory have you seen that’s like this?”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “You’re right, I’ve never seen one like this before.”
Luan Bai Feng continued, “Legends say that the Black Territory used to be similar to other Great Territories. It was vast, but for some reason, it slowly shrank to the size it is now. Perhaps, once the final Sun Star goes out, the entire Black Territory will cease to exist. However, it’s thanks to this that the Black Territory was left untouched. Otherwise, how do you think that I, a woman, would be able to occupy such a piece of land? The environment here is harsh, so those under the Open Heaven Realm are simply unable to survive. Only those above the Open Heaven Realm can live here. If it were really any kind of prosperous place, then it would long have been taken over by other great forces.”
“En,” Yang Kai deeply agreed with her sentiments. Looking up, he saw the large and small celestial bodies floating silently in the void. The smaller ones were maybe a few dozen kilometres in diameter, while the larger ones may even be compared to the Star Boundary. However, the ones that could be seen were all filled with pits and cracks. Some were even split into pieces.
Those pits and cracks were clearly traces left behind by cultivators.
“These are…” Yang Kai frowned.
Luan Bai Feng explained, “All the objects in the Black Territory are technically Ore Stars that give birth to Black Stones. What you see are the mined-out Ore Stars, and these are only from the outermost region.”
Yang Kai understood and was just about to ask her more questions when Luan Bai Feng waved her hand, “Do not disturb me right now. We have already arrived at the area covered by the Natural Arrays. If you want to die together, then speak freely; otherwise, keep your mouth shut and don’t poke around with your Divine Sense! There are many peculiarities in this place.”
Yang Kai rubbed his nose embarrassedly and kept silent. When he looked around, he saw that all of the Open Heaven Realm Masters on the ship all had stiff looks on their faces, as if something very bad was about to happen.
All eyes were fixed on Luan Bai Feng, and at this moment, the woman had a grave look on her face as she kept forming new hand seals while guiding the ship through the void.
A few moments later, Yang Kai clearly sensed a terrifying power lurking around them. This power felt like it was sleeping, yet could be woken up with the slightest disturbance, bringing about a Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering disaster.
Since he had received Luan Bai Feng’s reminder earlier, Yang Kai did not dare to probe his surroundings either. He was stunned that the Black Territory actually turned out to be this ferocious, and he had no idea how Luan Bai Feng was able to survive in a place like this.
The Black Prison was a dangerous place where countless Natural Arrays were hidden, but this was only what things were like in the outermost region. If one went deeper, then the dangers would only increase.
However, under Luan Bai Feng’s guidance, the ship navigated through the void unharmed, passing one Array after another, but not in a straight line. Sometimes, Yang Kai felt as if they had gone in one large circle, and sometimes, felt they were even spinning in place for a long time. There did not seem to be any standard pattern to it.
In the end, they were met with no dangers on their journey. This must have been a well-travelled route for Luan Bai Feng, which was why she knew where all the risks were and was able to avoid them perfectly.
About a day later, a ruined Spirit Province suddenly came into view. Obviously, this Spirit Province was also a fragment of an Ore Star. It was not very large, much smaller than Void Land, but from a distance, traces of man-made structures could be seen. On the Spirit Province stood a series of connected palaces.
The ship landed in front of the palaces, where a maidservant in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm came out to greet them. The woman was surprised and asked, “Why has Madame returned so quickly?”
Luan Bai Feng’s face was dark, but she did not even say a word since she herself was too embarrassed to tell her that she had been ambushed on the trip and even subordinated by someone else using the Loyalty List.
The maidservant could obviously sense that something was not right with the situation. She glanced curiously at the unfamiliar Yang Kai, but she was smart enough not to ask anything else.
“Get out of here, all of you. Go do your work! If anyone dares let a single word slip about what happened today, I’ll make sure they’ll suffer a fate worse than death!” Luan Bai Feng bellowed at her subordinates.
Everyone scattered like birds and beasts, quickly disappearing without a trace.
“You are also excused,” Luan Bai Feng waved off the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman, who simply bowed to her and retreated back into the Main Hall.
Soon, Luan Bai Feng and Yang Kai were the only ones left. She glanced at him before turning around and leaving in a certain direction.
While looking around curiously, Yang Kai followed behind her. After walking for a while, he could no longer hold his curiosity back, “The environment in the Black Territory is indeed harsh, but there are also rumours that if one stays here long enough, their World Force will continuously leak out, eventually leading to their Small Universe’s collapse and a complete loss of cultivation. How come I’m not feeling anything?”
Luan Bai Feng responded without even turning back, “Of course you can’t feel it here. This is only the outermost region. If that damned effect were to happen even here, how would I be able to live here? Once you go deeper into the Black Territory, you’ll naturally be able to experience it.”
Stopping her feet, she turned around and said in an inciting manner, “Do you want to go and try it right now? The deeper you go, the more obvious the feeling becomes!”
Yang Kai grinned, “Even if I decide to go, I’ll definitely drag you along with me.”
Luan Bai Feng’s face darkened. After a cold snort, she turned back around and continued leading the way.
A short while later, the two of them arrived before an exceptionally well-built palace that was enveloped in clear traces of layers upon layers of barriers.
Luan Bai Feng took out a jade token and poured her power into it before swaying in front of the entrance of the palace. A light shot out from the token and, following that, the doors of the palace opened with a click.
After leading Yang Kai into the palace, Luan Bai Feng did the same thing and opened three more doors in succession, each one heavier than the last, with traces of Arrays activating each time.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in awe, “Your skills in the Dao of Spirit Arrays are truly spectacular.”
To this day, the most accomplished Master in the Dao of Spirit Arrays that he had encountered was undoubtedly Grandmaster Wu Liang who had arranged the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, but when comparing the two, Luan Bai Feng was superior. During the siege of the Hundred Sects Alliance on Void Land back then, Luan Bai Feng had attempted to crack the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array after unravelling its mysteries.
Even though the Hundred Sects Alliance suffered heavy losses in the end, resulting in the death of Kong Feng, it was not as a result of Luan Bai Feng’s inability to break the Grand Array, but rather their unpreparedness against their enemy. Void Land’s heritage was simply too strong.
The fact that Luan Bai Feng was able to work out some of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array’s mysteries in such a short amount of time was a testament to her mastery of the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
As the two of them were talking, they arrived at another Grand Hall, inside of which was white jade shelf after white jade shelf with no end in sight. On the shelves were an assortment of oddly-shaped containers of different materials, many of which were made of rare jades and ores themselves.
“What is this place?” Yang Kai asked, raising a brow.
Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted, “Why ask when you already know? Don’t you need a lot of cultivation resources? They’re all here!”
Even though he already had his guesses, Yang Kai still smiled happily when he heard what Luan Bai Feng said, “So, this is your treasury? Very good!”
Divine Sense surging, it enveloped the entire Grand Hall in an instant, taking in everything.
Despite his mental preparations, Yang Kai was still shocked by Luan Bai Feng’s wealth. The cultivation materials placed here numbered at least 10,000.
This was a terrifying number. Even though Void Land could still pull out such a humongous amount of cultivation materials, that was only natural because they had a whole Star City which saw merchants from all corners of the 3,000 Worlds patronizing them every day, bringing huge amounts of resources with them.
For a lone woman like Luan Bai Feng to have amassed such a fortune was simply terrifying.
However, since she occupied a treasure trove like the Black Prison, it was only natural for her to have accumulated such wealth after all the years she spent here.
“What is the Order of the supplies here? And what about the quantity?” Yang Kai asked with glowing eyes.
Luan Bai Feng did not like the look on his face; after all, it was hard to feel good about seeing one’s treasures being snatched away by someone else all of a sudden. Still, she turned away and muttered, “Those below the Fourth Order are unqualified to be stored here. The materials placed here are all either in the Fourth Order or above. On the left are the Fourth-Order materials, roughly 8,000 pieces in total. The centre shelves are for Fifth-Order materials, about 2,000 of them. On the right are the Sixth-Order materials. There are almost 200 pieces, but I haven’t counted them recently.”
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in awe, “You’re probably the richest woman in all the 3,000 Worlds!”
Firstly, without even mentioning materials in the Fourth and Fifth-Order, she actually had around 200 pieces of Sixth-Order materials. It had to be known that each piece would cost at least 15 million Open Heaven Pills each. Two hundred pieces would be worth at least 3 billion!
That much money, belonging to a single person!
How could anyone in the 3,000 Worlds compare with that?
While speaking, Yang Kai’s body had instantly moved towards the area where the Sixth-Order materials were placed and he began looking through them with interest. Suddenly, he turned his head towards the last White Jade shelf and asked, “Is this a Sixth-Order material, too?”
Only a single container was placed on the final White Jade shelf, which made it seem conspicuous.
Luan Bai Feng’s face twitched. She was practically gnashing her teeth as she forced each word out, “That’s a Seventh-Order treasure!”
Yang Kai raised a brow and said with glowing eyes, “Before coming here, I heard that the Black Prison’s Black Stones could even produce materials in the Seventh and Eighth Order. So it is true?”
Luan Bai Feng affirmed, “Of course it’s true; however, the number is extremely low! After all these years of occupying the Black Prison, I’ve only ever encountered a single piece!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Since there is one, that means there will be more. Sure enough, the Black Prison is really a treasure trove!”
With that said, he picked up the container that was holding the Seventh-Order material and opened it up to take a look, discovering that it was a Seventh-Order Metal Element material. Nodding lightly, he casually tossed it into his Small Universe.
Even though Seventh-Order materials were extremely precious and rare, it was not as if he had never seen them before. In fact, most of the materials that he condensed belonged to the Seventh Order or even above that, to begin with.
His biggest goal on this trip was to find the Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials, which was what Void Land needed the most right now.
Turning his gaze to the more than 200 pieces of Sixth-Order materials, Yang Kai rolled up his sleeves and began examining them one by one. There were so many here, so surely some of them would be what he was looking for.
When she saw what Yang Kai was doing, Luan Bai Feng turned her face away in anger and scorn.
Once he began going through the Sixth-Order materials though, the expectation and joy on Yang Kai’s face began to die away. By the time he searched through all of the Sixth-Order materials, Yang Kai’s brow was deeply furrowed.
There were no problems with the Sixth-Order materials themselves as each piece was so pure that it was completely befitting the cultivating needs of any Open Heaven Realm Master. Only, there were hardly any which were of the Yin and Yang Element, the ones he truly needed.
He was able to find one Sixth-Order Yin Element material, but that was it. Besides that, there were also only two Yang Element materials!
Out of the 200 pieces of Sixth-Order materials, only three of them fit his needs. Even though he knew that the Yin and Yang Element materials were scarcer than those of the Five Elements, this ratio was still extremely unsatisfactory.
Turning his head to look at Luan Bai Feng, Yang Kai saw that she was currently gnashing her teeth at him. If not for the restrictions placed on her by the Loyalty List, then she would likely have pounced on him to drink his blood and eat his flesh.
Nobody would be in a good mood after seeing the wealth that they had been accumulating for so many years taken away by someone else in the blink of an eye.
“What are you looking at?” Luan Bai Feng grumbled.
Yang Kai blinked his eyes before he suddenly grinned, “That’s not right…!”
“What’s not right?” Luan Bai Feng frowned.
“You’ve been occupying the Black Prison for so many years, so surely this can’t be everything you’ve gathered so far?”
Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted, “Is this still not enough? How much do you think I have?”
“No, it doesn’t add up!” Yang Kai shook his head, “Yes, Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials have always been difficult to find, but there’s no way that there are only three meagre pieces. You must have hidden the rest elsewhere.”
With his eyes fixed on Luan Bai Feng’s Space Ring, he reached his hand out, “Show me your Space Ring.”
Luan Bai Feng was furious, “Yang Kai, don’t go too far!”
“Hand it over!” Yang Kai looked sternly at her.
Luan Bai Feng gritted her teeth and her chest heaved for a while before she removed her Space Ring and threw it at Yang Kai, as if to take her anger out on him this way.
Yang Kai grabbed it and searched it using his Divine Sense. After a while, he tossed the Space Ring back to her.
There were quite a lot of good things stored in Luan Bai Feng’s ring, and their value could even be described as shocking, but he did not find what he needed.
“Satisfied now?” Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted.
Yang Kai looked at her in disbelief, wondering whether he had made a mistake. After a moment of silence, he began, “The Loyalty List can ensure one’s loyalty. Those who have written their names down on the list cannot resist the holder’s demands, but I have never used this ability on anyone. That is because I believe that since they have come under me, they should at least have a basic level of trustworthiness. Luan Bai Feng, let me ask you one last time. Other than in your treasury here, are you hiding any materials elsewhere? Think about your answer before you speak. Don’t force me to use the Loyalty List.”
Four eyes met, and Luan Bai Feng was furious as she snarled, “The greedy will not meet a good end!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “As expected, you’re hiding more!” He nodded lightly, “Even cunning rabbits have three nests. It’s normal for you to have hidden some elsewhere!”
This woman left most of the resources here to act as a treasury on the surface, but she had secretly hidden the truly valuable things elsewhere so that even if someone did catch sight of this treasury, they may not think more of it.
However, now that Yang Kai was even bringing out the Loyalty List, Luan Bai Feng would not be able to hide it even if she tried.
World Force surging, the illusory phantom of a Small Universe expanded, instantly enveloping the treasury. By the time the illusory phantom disappeared, everything in the treasury had been absorbed into Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
Luan Bai Feng looked at this scene with astonishment before furrowing her brows. For an instant, she could feel a profound aura coming from inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe just now.
What was more… The Small Universe of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master should still be ethereal and intangible, so how could it contain so many items?
But before she even had the time to think about it, she saw Yang Kai grinning at her, “What are you being so upset about? Our fates are tied now. If anything happens to me, then you won’t be safe either. Would it not be good for you too if you handed these things over to me so that I can grow stronger as fast as possible?”
Luan Bai Feng was livid, but she kept silent.
“Come on, lead the way,” Yang Kai patted her shoulder excitedly.
Whether Luan Bai Feng was willing or not, she was unable to refuse Yang Kai’s request now that things had already come to this. So, she had no choice but to lead him to the place where she hid her treasures.
To Yang Kai’s surprise, her private treasury was not located in this shattered Spirit Province, but somewhere else.
Two figures flew out together, heading deeper into the Black Prison.
After flying for four whole hours and passing dozens of Natural Arrays, the two of them finally appeared at a certain place. Luan Bai Feng stood still, and Yang Kai followed suit. Looking up, there seemed to be nothing before them. He could not even find anything suspicious nearby.
“This is the place?” Yang Kai asked.
Luan Bai Feng was still angry and did not feel like responding to him, but she raised her hand and tossed out Array Flags one by one in all directions. Following her actions, Yang Kai could clearly feel some energy ebbing and flowing around them, echoing Luan Bai Feng’s movements.
A few moments later, Yang Kai looked in amazement at a tiny Spirit Province fragment just a dozen kilometres ahead gradually materializing and revealing itself.
This Spirit Province fragment was only a couple of kilometres across, which was pitifully small. It also seemed completely empty without the slightest hint of any vitality.
However, this was the best place for one to hide one’s treasures. If not for Luan Bai Feng’s actions, then Yang Kai would never have been able to sense that a shattered Spirit Province was actually hidden here.
“The Dao of Spirit Arrays is truly a profound thing. Did you hide this place using an Illusion Array?” Yang Kai asked in awe.
Luan Bai Feng continued her movements and grumbled, “This Illusion Array existed here all along. I have merely deciphered it and used it for myself.”
“Even that is amazing.”
After a short while, the Spirit Province fragment was fully revealed. Without even calling out to him, Luan Bai Feng directly closed in on it in a flash. Seeing this, Yang Kai followed her.
Looking around, there seemed to be nothing special in this Spirit Province, but Luan Bai Feng walked in front of a stone wall and began working on opening another array. Soon, the stone wall slid open, revealing a dark cave.
“Everything is inside. Go and get it yourself if you want it,” Luan Bai Feng cut through Yang Kai with a sharp gaze.
Yang Kai laughed, “Many thanks!”
He had no worry that Luan Bai Feng would trick him here. It was simply impossible for her to do anything that may harm him under the influence of the Loyalty List, so he walked into the cave with ease.
An incense stick’s time later, Yang Kai reappeared with a satisfied look on his face, “Let’s return!”
After a pause, he looked at Luan Bai Feng, “You don’t have any other private treasuries left, do you?”
Luan Bai Feng had to take a deep breath to suppress the blood welling up in her chest. Shutting her eyes, she responded in exasperation, “None!”
“I was just asking,” Yang Kai chuckled.
Then, they went back to where they came from. Another four hours went by, and they were back at the original shattered Spirit Province.
After asking Luan Bai Feng for a room and telling her not to disturb him without good cause, Yang Kai went inside and checked his harvest for this trip.
He had not inspected what Luan Bai Feng had stowed away in her private treasury yet, but since she had hidden it elsewhere, it must be things of great value. Obviously, Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials had to be part of it.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged in the room with the goods hauled back from the cave placed around him.
There were only several dozen items, which was not many compared to the main treasury, and just like the ones he saw before, all the materials had been stored in separate containers.
Yang Kai casually picked up a jade box that was the size of a palm and opened it. A pure searing power came rushing out. As he felt the rich power fluctuating, he rejoiced.
This was clearly a Seventh-Order Fire Element material which looked like a Fire Spirit Crystal. Obviously, however, it was much more valuable than an ordinary Fire Spirit Crystal.
The very first material had given Yang Kai a small surprise, which made him even more eager to check out the others.
After picking up another item, he was a little disappointed. It was merely a Sixth-Order Water Element material, so he just casually tossed it into his Small Universe.
He picked up another one, and this time, it was exactly what Yang Kai was looking for, a Sixth-Order Yin Element material.
There were only several dozen items, so it did not take much time to go through all of them. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yang Kai had already gone through everything.
Everything here was clearly what Luan Bai Feng had prepared for her own personal use. There were a total of nine complete sets of Sixth-Order materials, which were valuable enough to buy a small city!
Any Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to refine these directly after picking them up to enhance the heritage of their Small Universe.
Besides that, there were also as many as five Seventh-Order materials. Even though there were no Yin and Yang Element materials among them, they were worth an astronomical amount by themselves.
As he expected, it was right of him to have chosen to come to the Black Prison.
After offering a high bounty for the materials at the Star City for such a long time, he was only able to gather enough materials for three people to advance into the Sixth Order directly. However, just Luan Bai Feng’s two treasuries contained enough to supply ten cultivators.
With this, the resources they needed to advance thirteen people from Void Land into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm had been settled, which was enough to solve their most urgent problem.
However, since he came to the Black Prison, Yang Kai naturally would not be satisfied to just go back. There was little he had to worry about in Void Land right now. Zuo Quan Hui’s injury would take a long time to recover, so there was no way that he would come back to cause more trouble for a while. As such, Yang Kai still had some time to spend doing other things.
If he could get more Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials, then that would naturally be for the best. Even if he were not able to get them, he had to find a way to get them. For that reason, he was very interested in the Black Stones.
After putting all his loot away, Yang Kai walked out of the room to find the physically and mentally exhausted Luan Bai Feng.
“Black Stone?” Luan Bai Feng was lying lazily on a chair while the Fifth-Order maid was crouching in front of her, gently massaging her calves.
Yang Kai sat uninhibitedly by the side and nodded, “Yes. I heard that all of these materials have been mined from those Black Stones. I want to see what those Black Stones are like.”
Luan Bai Feng knew that there was no use arguing with him, so she could only ask the girl in front of him, “Has the latest batch of Black Stones arrived?”
The woman responded softly, “They were brought back three days ago, and they are breaking the stones now. If Madam needs them, I can have some of them brought over now.”
Luan Bai Feng was about to nod when Yang Kai raised his hand, “No need, I’ll go and take a look by myself.”
Luan Bai Feng frowned when she heard this, but she still stood up and nodded, “Come, I’ll take you there.”
After following her for a short while, the two of them arrived at an open square where a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters were busy, World Force fluctuating from their bodies.
Yang Kai looked over and saw that each of them had dark stones of different sizes in front of them. The small ones were only about the size of a palm, but the large ones were as large as a water vat.
Not far away from them was a pile of similar-looking stones.
“So, these are the Black Stones?” Yang Kai asked.
Luan Bai Feng nodded, “En.”
While the two of them were speaking, the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were hard at work had clearly noticed Luan Bai Feng’s arrival, so they all stopped what they were doing and greeted respectfully, “Madam Warden!”
Luan Bai Feng waved her hand, signalling for them to continue, and they did.
Yang Kai watched for a while and said in astonishment, “The Black Stones are dissolving?”
The Open Heaven Realm Masters were all controlling the World Force inside of their bodies to wrap around the Black Stones in front of them. As time passed, the Black Stones gradually became smaller, but nothing seemed to break off or flow away from them. It was as if the dissolved parts of the Black Stone had just disappeared into thin air.
“Black Stones are bizarre things. Only the World Force of those in the Open Heaven Realm is able to dissolve them. As for why that is, I have never been able to figure out,” Luan Bai Feng explained, “What’s more, these Black Stones may contain cultivational resources inside of them, or they may contain nothing at all.”
While speaking, she pointed to one of the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were working at the side, and Yang Kai looked over at him. He saw that despite the fact that the Black Stone disappeared without a trace in his hands, nothing seemed to be left behind. The man shook his head in disappointment before picking up another piece of Black Stone and continuing the process.
“These ore slaves will mine Black Stones from the Ore Stars before bringing them back here to extract resources contained inside of them. That is what the process is, basically. Every last piece of material found in the Black Prison has not been easy to come by…” While saying this, she glared at Yang Kai, “And now it’s been given to you for nothing!”
Acting as if he did not hear her, Yang Kai frowned, “Is there no way to determine which pieces of Black Stone contain materials, and which don’t?”
He watched them for a moment and found that it took a lot of effort for the Open Heaven Realm Masters to dissolve the Black Stones. If it could be ascertained beforehand which pieces of Black Stone contained resources, then it would save a lot of time and effort.
Hearing him say this, Luan Bai Feng grabbed a washbasin-sized Black Stone and tossed it to Yang Kai, “You can try it yourself, but I have no way of verifying it.”
Yang Kai accepted the Black Stone from her and weighed it in his hand, discovering that it was not as light as he expected it to be. After squeezing it with some force, no marks or traces seemed to have been left on the piece of Black Stone.
He was considered to be very strong now, so even if it was not crushed, any piece of raw ore would still crack open if squeezed in his hands. However, this Black Stone was obviously very different in make-up and was also extremely resilient.
Divine Sense surging, Yang Kai tried to investigate the insides of the Black Stone, but it actually repelled his Divine Sense completely, so it was impossible to find out whether something was hidden inside or not.
Yang Kai was surprised. Currently, he was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so his Divine Sense was extremely strong, yet it was still rejected by the Black Stone, [Just what… is this thing?]
After contemplating for a moment, Yang Kai activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation, and his left eye immediately turned into a gold vertical slit.
Looking at it now, he could see something different. Inside of the Black Stone he was holding was the fluctuation of a vague and indistinct pale yellow energy.
Seeing this made Yang Kai’s heart stir. The Demon Eye of Annihilation worked!
Even though he had no way of seeing clearly into the Black Stone, he could be sure that something was inside of this piece, and it was likely an Earth Element material. As for what Order it was, he had no way of ascertaining that. He would have to dissolve the Black Stone to find out.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation had the ability to see through all illusions, and alongside the Black Purgatory Eye, they made up Myriad Demons Heaven’s Core Divine Abilities. These were extremely profound Eye Techniques, and even in Myriad Demons Heaven, only the most elite disciples were qualified to cultivate them.
Yang Kai had obtained his Demon Eye of Annihilation when he was still very weak, and he never knew these secrets either before meeting Ti Zheng.
However, since it was one of Myriad Demons Heaven’s two Core Divine Abilities, the Demon Eye of Annihilation naturally had its own profound traits. Even though his Divine Sense was unable to penetrate the Black Stone and assess the situation within, the Demon Eye of Annihilation could break through some of its barriers and penetrate straight into its essence.
However, Yang Kai’s cultivation of the Demon Eye of Annihilation was not very high, so he could only vaguely see what was inside. If it were truly someone from Myriad Demons Heaven who cultivated these Secret Techniques, then they would obviously be able to have a clearer look inside.
His movements did not escape Luan Bai Feng’s eyes, who was looking at him with some surprise, “You cultivate an Eye Secret Technique, too?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Yang Kai withdrew his Demon Eye of Annihilation and turned to look at her.
Luan Bai Feng shook her head, “It’s nothing. Were you able to see anything?”
“No,” Yang Kai responded casually. Even though Luan Bai Feng could tell that he possessed an Eye Secret Technique, she naturally might not be able to recognize it as a Myriad Demons Heaven’s Secret Technique, so Yang Kai would not try and explain it to her.
However, in order to prove whether or not his ability was right, Yang Kai urged his World Force to his palm, enveloping the Black Stone in it.
Rapidly, it shrank in size.
With his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, especially his World Force, which was much richer than an ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai was able to dissolve the Black Stone at a ridiculously fast rate.
The washbasin-sized Black Stone in his palm completely disappeared before a stick of incense could even fully burn out, and a piece of yellow crystal gradually emerged from it.
Luan Bai Feng looked on in surprise at it and muttered, “Fourth-Order Earth Element. You are quite lucky indeed!”
Yang Kai casually played with the earth-coloured crystal in his hand and said, “What is the probability that a piece of Black Stone would contain cultivation materials?”
“Very small,” Luan Bai Feng responded, “If you’re lucky, then it’s about 30% percent; otherwise, it may not even be 1%.”
“30% is too low.” Yang Kai shook his head. Out of 10 pieces of Black Stone, at least 7 would be empty. How much time and energy would that waste?
“That’s why I told you that none of the resources here came easy. Did you think this place was really so full of treasures that you could just bend over and find a piece?” Luan Bai Feng snorted, but then she frowned, “What are you even looking for? You have already taken away the stash that I have been gathering for so many years. Is that still not enough for you?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s not enough. I still need more Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials.”
Luan Bai Feng frowned, “If you are using it for your own cultivation, then you could just refine using Fifth-Order materials. Even though it will be a little slower, Fifth-Order materials are not as hard to find. Why restrict yourself to only the Sixth Order?”
She obviously thought that Yang Kai was seeking out so many Sixth-Order cultivational materials for his own use.
Yang Kai laughed, “Naturally, I can use Fifth-Order materials for my own cultivation, but what if someone needs to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm?”
Luan Bai Feng was taken aback for a moment, and then her eyes widened, “How is that possible? How could your Void Land have so many people advancing directly into the Sixth Order?”
It had to be known that any cultivator that could break through directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm had hopes of reaching the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm one day, so their numbers are extremely limited. Even in the Cave Heavens and Paradises, such disciples only appeared once every 1,000 years or so. Yang Kai had already plundered plenty of Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials from her, which was enough to meet the advancement needs of 10 whole people, so how could he still be needing more?
Yang Kai did not bother to explain it since it was useless to say anything. Now that Luan Bai Feng had come under his banner, she would naturally understand that he was not just boasting once she saw Void Land’s heritage for herself.
“Don’t just stand there, help them out. Get these Black Stones dissolved and see whether you can find what I’m looking for,” Yang Kai called out to her. Even though there were a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters currently working to dissolve the Black Stones, they were not very efficient. Dissolving these Black Stones was something that happened faster the higher one’s cultivation was, and it was likely related to the potency of one’s World Force.
Luan Bai Feng looked at him in disbelief, obviously still shocked by what he just said, “There probably won’t be any Sixth-Order materials in these Black Stones. No need to bother.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai turned his head to look at her, “Why do you say that?”
Brushing her hair back behind her ear, Luan Bai Feng answered, “I’ve been in the Black Territory for so many years, so I still have some amount of experience. There are countless Ore Stars in the Black Territory, and the deeper the Ore Star, the greater the chance of it producing higher Order materials. The ones we collected here are mainly mined from the Ore Stars near the outer region, so one would be lucky to even find a Fifth-Order material. If you don’t believe me, you can check them yourself.”
Yang Kai had noticed it as well. Out of the resources that Luan Bai Feng’s subordinates found from the Black Stones here, it was true that the highest one only reached the Fifth Order, and the amount was very small. He could not help but frown, “Then, where did you find the ones in the Sixth-Order, and even in the Seventh Order?”
Luan Bai Feng explained, “Naturally, they came from the deeper Ore Stars. Previously I had several Sixth-Order ore slaves among my subordinates, and those things were mined by them. Unfortunately, no one is able to go into the deeper Ore Stars since they’ve passed away, so we are naturally unable to get to them.”
Yang Kai understood, “Is that why you were so eager to intervene when Heavenly Sword Union was stirring trouble in my Void Land?”
Luan Bai Feng remained silent.
Yang Kai stroked his chin, “So to say, in order to obtain Sixth-Order materials, there is no other choice but to go deeper into the Black Territory to mine them.”
“You could say that!”
Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, let’s go.”
“What?” Luan Bai Feng looked at him in shock, seemingly doubting her ears, “What are you thinking of doing?”
“We are going to go to the Ore Stars where the Sixth-Order materials are produced to mine out the Black Stones!” While speaking, Yang Kai reached for Luan Bai Feng, grabbing her by the shoulders, then turning around and flying off.
Luan Bai Feng was agitated and anxious as she shouted, “Let me go, I’m not going there!”
Yang Kai broke out into a fit of laughter, “Since you are under my command now, that’s not up to you to decide!”
“You bastard!”
The dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters who were hard at work watched dumbfounded as their usually terrifying and overbearing Warden was carried away by Yang Kai like a little chick, cursing all the way and disappearing in the blink of an eye. As if they had seen a ghost, cold sweat ran down their foreheads.
In the void, Yang Kai enveloped his World Force around Luan Bai Feng, who was clearly uncooperative, her expression as cold as ice.
“Do you really need to make a face as if you just lost your parents? We’re just going on a mining trip, not to have you killed!” Yang Kai laughed.
Luan Bai Feng answered coldly, “Naturally, it is because you do not understand the dangers deep inside of the Black Territory. Even after managing this place for so many years, I still dare not say that I know the Black Territory like the back of my hand. There are countless Natural Arrays in this place. Once triggered, neither you nor I would be able to escape easily!”
Yang Kai nodded, “That is why I will have to depend on you on this journey. I’m not very proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, but if I die here, you will not get away either.”
Luan Bai Feng gritted her teeth, “I have never met a man as shameless as you before!” Inwardly she was drowning in regret. If she had known this would happen, then she would not have told Yang Kai that Sixth-Order materials could only be found in the deeper Ore Stars. She had moved a rock only to smash her own foot.
However, although Luan Bai Feng’s words were harsh and unpleasant, she was still quite sensible and flexible; otherwise, she would not have surrendered so easily. She knew that she could not resist, so after throwing a small tantrum, she cooperated obediently.
She knew that if she were to slack off here, then with Yang Kai running all around the Black Territory triggering the Arrays, something bad would happen sooner or later, and then she herself would have to suffer for it.
After a half day’s journey, Luan Bai Feng suddenly spoke, “The area we have arrived at will start to get more dangerous. Do not leave my side no matter the cost; otherwise, if you were caught up in a powerful Array, even I would not be able to save you!”
“Got it!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Then, Luan Bai Feng suddenly rubbed her eyelids with her fingers. Looking over, Yang Kai saw that her eyes were suddenly glowing with a purple light, exuding a demonic charm.
Yang Kai raised his brow. It was not until now that he finally learned that this woman actually cultivated an Eye Secret Technique, too. That was the reason why she said what she did when she saw him use the Demon Eye of Annihilation.
She must have noticed Yang Kai’s gaze because Luan Bai Feng explained, “I was born with this Eye Secret Technique, I did not cultivate it. It doesn’t have any offensive or defensive abilities, but it seems to have a natural advantage in deciphering arrays.”
Yang Kai was enlightened, “So that is how you became so proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays?”
Luan Bai Feng’s Eye Secret Technique had a natural advantage when it came to cracking Arrays, and having lived in this Black Prison for so many years, observing and emulating the many Natural Arrays in this place, even someone unlearned in the Dao of Spirit Arrays would be able to grow into a Master in time.
Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted, “How else do you think a poor little girl can survive in the 3,000 Worlds alone?”
“A little girl?” Yang Kai could not stop himself from laughing.
Luan Bai Feng glared menacingly at him.
Luan Bai Feng had been active in the Black Territory for many years, and though she could not say that she knew this place like her own backyard, she was still much more familiar with it than Yang Kai.
Under her guidance, their journey progressed without incident.
While following the woman, Yang Kai also brought out his Demon Eye of Annihilation, so he could keep an eye on the situation around them. Sure enough, the Demon Eye of Annihilation was amazing. Yang Kai could obviously see traces of some Arrays around them, but since he was not proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, he could only see them, unlike Luan Bai Feng who could not only see them but could also see the appropriate method in cracking them.
Several times, Luan Bai Feng clearly led him into a Natural Array, but mysteriously, they did not trigger.
After moving forward a while longer, a mysterious aura appeared in the void. Under the guidance of that aura, Yang Kai could feel the World Force inside of his Small Universe leaking out.
Yang Kai made an exclamation of surprise and quickly shut his Small Universe, but it was to no avail as World Force continued spilling out from his body.
“It’s useless.” Clearly, Luan Bai Feng noticed his actions, “The first danger of the Black Prison is the Arrays you can find everywhere, but the second is this strange aura. Once enveloped by this aura, no matter what Order the Open Heaven Realm Master is in, they can’t stop their World Force from flowing out of their bodies. Right now, we are only at the edge of where we come in contact with this aura. The deeper we go, the stronger the aura becomes, and the faster our World Force leaks out. I would advise you to start replenishing yourself now; otherwise, the further we go, the more difficult it will be!”
Saying so, she grabbed a handful of Open Heaven Pills and stuffed them into her mouth, swallowing them down and silently refining them.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, but he did not take her words too seriously. Right now, even though the World Force inside of his body was leaking, it was at a very low rate, so he could ignore it for now. What was more, he also wanted to know what was going on with this aura, and why such changes would happen in his body because of it.
He calmed his mind and tried to search for an answer, but came up empty.
However, he was reminded of his experience in the Shadowless Cave Heaven. There was a formless Astral Wind that he encountered there, the essence of which was a powerful Divine Ability that swept across the entire Shadowless Cave Heaven. Occasionally, it blew through the Shadowless Cave Heaven and entered the Small Universes of Open Heaven Realm Masters inside, wreaking havoc with their World Force and shaving it away.
Unlike the strange aura found in the Black Prison, the formless Astral Wind could be regarded as a gush of a foreign power that entered one’s Small Universe and ground down some of the Small Universe’s heritage. The situation here in the Black Prison was that the heritage of one’s Small Universe would constantly leak away.
In the Shadowless Cave Heaven, Yang Kai relied on his Towering Evergreen to resist the formless Astral Wind, but he had no idea whether this Wood Element Divine Manifestation would have any effect on the situation in the Black Prison.
With this in mind, Yang Kai immediately released his Towering Evergreen, and a vibrant green light emerged, brimming with rich vitality. The ancient tree appeared and its branches hung low, wrapping around both Luan Bai Feng and himself.
As soon as this Secret Technique was used, the strange aura that had been surrounding them in the void was kept at bay, and the leakage of World Force from their Small Universes also stopped.
[It worked!] Yang Kai was overjoyed. As he expected, the Wood Element Power that he condensed from the essence of the Immortal Tree was truly extraordinary. Not only could it stop the encroachment of the formless Astral Wind, but it was also able to keep out the strange aura that filled the void!
However, when he thought about it, the Immortal Tree was a Supreme Treasure of an exceptionally high Order, so it was not strange for it to have such amazing effects. Now, a big problem of theirs was solved.
“What did you do?” Luan Bai Feng looked at Yang Kai, eyes wide in shock. She could clearly feel the change in herself during that instant. The World Force which had been slowly pouring out of her body suddenly stopped escaping. She could not even feel the strange aura anymore, “Isn’t this Divine Manifestation supposed to only heal?”
Previously, Yang Kai had also used the Towering Evergreen to heal her injuries after she had been burned by his Golden Crow’s True Fire. Now, it seemed like this Divine Manifestation may not be as simple as just a mere healing method.
For years, she had been trying to find a solution to the strange aura that was omnipresent in the Black Prison, yet she never found a single clue. She did not expect that she would be able to find such a miracle in Yang Kai on this day.
“Not only can it heal injuries, but it can also be used defensively!” Yang Kai gave a simple explanation.
Luan Bai Feng looked at him with bright eyes, “How long can you hold this Divine Manifestation for? Does it consume a lot of energy?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “If it’s only to cover the two of us, then it does not consume much energy. I should be able to keep it going for a long time!” Right now, as he was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, his heritage was also mighty. Being limited to just a small area, the Towering Evergreen did not consume too much of his strength to maintain, to the point it could even be called negligible. What was more, he had countless Open Heaven Pills inside of his Space Ring, so it was not like he was unable to replenish what he was consuming.
Luan Bai Feng looked at him with complicated eyes. The problem that had been bothering her for hundreds of years was finally resolved today, so naturally, it would not be right to say that she was not ecstatic. Only, once she remembered the current situation she was in, as well as her status, that joy dimmed considerably. After all, even if she could mine the Ore Stars deeper within the Black Territory now, whatever she could find would still belong to someone else and have nothing to do with her.
Her mood suddenly plummeted, and she stayed quiet during their journey, simply using her Eye Secret Technique to check for the Spirit Arrays that surrounded them, continuously leading Yang Kai forward.
Half a day later, Luan Bai Feng said, “Another hour more and we will be reaching the no man’s land. My subordinated ore slaves were unable to stay there for long, so it has been many years since anyone has gone to mine the Ore Stars there.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Is that where all the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order materials were mined?”
“Most of them are. Of course, a few pieces were found in the outer region. Even though the Ore Stars on the outside are a little lacking in terms of their output, finding Sixth-Order materials is not impossible, just very rare.”
Yang Kai turned to look at her, “I heard that the ore slaves under your subordination are either captives or prisoners of war. In that case, they must not be loyal to you, so how can you ensure that they will not pocket any of the resources they find?”
Luan Bai Feng was frank, “World Force must be consumed in order to mine the Ore Stars. Subsequently, just going deep inside the Black Prison would mean that their World Force is constantly being depleted, so where would they have the spare World Force to dissolve Black Stones once they got there. What’s more, even if they did secretly dissolve some Black Stone, they are still not guaranteed to find anything. Since that’s the case, it’s better for them to exchange for Open Heaven Pills from me using the Black Stone that they’ve mined. If they’re lucky enough and mine enough Black Stone, it’s completely possible for them to exchange enough Open Heaven Pills for their own use.”
It did make sense. The Black Stones may not necessarily contain anything, and the ore slaves would have to spend a lot of effort dissolving even one piece while there was a high chance of getting nothing in return.
For the ore slaves that live here in the Black Prison, every last thread of World Force was extremely precious to them. As for running away… there was little hope of that happening. The Black Territory was surrounded by Natural Arrays. If they were to accidentally trigger one of them, then the chances of surviving were slim to none!
Even compared to the Shattered Heaven, this Black Prison was no less dangerous!
While they spoke, Luan Bai Feng looked up ahead and declared, “We’re here. That Ore Star ahead is the deepest one that my ore slaves have been able to mine so far. No one has ever reached deeper before.”
Looking over, Yang Kai saw a dark Ore Star floating in the void.
This Ore Star was truly not small, even bigger than the Star Boundary itself. Like all the Ore Stars in the Black Territory, it was filled with cracks and pits without any vitality.
Luan Bai Feng led Yang Kai to a certain spot on the Ore Star, and at first glance, he was able to see the traces left behind from a previous mining expedition. Obviously the work of the Sixth-Order ore slaves that were here long ago.
However, even Sixth-Order Open Heaven Masters could not survive long in this environment. In the months and years they spent mining, their World Force never ceased escaping their bodies, weakening the heritage of their Small Universes. In the end, their Small Universe Collapsed, leading to their deaths.
“What are you planning to do now? You’re not planning to mine Black Stone here, are you?” Luan Bai Feng looked askance at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai laughed, “Do you have any other good ideas? If not, then get to work. Don’t tell me that you don’t know how to mine after living here in the Black Prison all these years!”
Luan Bai Feng was furious, “You ran all the way here just so you can mine Black Stone yourself? Are you stupid? Even if you did manage to gain anything out of this, it’s hard to guarantee you’ll be able to get your Sixth-Order Yin-Yang Element materials.”
Yang Kai stroked his chin in thought, “What you say makes sense, but there’s one part where you’re wrong.”
“Where?” Luan Bai Feng frowned.
“You’ll be the one mining Black Stone, not me!” Yang Kai wagged his finger in front of her eyes.
Luan Bai Feng blinked and gawked, “Then what are you going to do?”
Yang Kai said matter-of-factly, “Supervise!”
Luan Bai Feng’s lungs were about to explode from anger, “Keep dreaming! You may kill me, but I won’t allow you to humiliate me!”
“Hurry up and get to it. You know you can’t go against my orders, so why make a fool of yourself?”
Luan Bai Feng glared viciously at him with eyes that seemed like she wanted to eat him alive. It was clear that she was not willing to compromise on this issue.
However, when Yang Kai took out the Loyalty List and gave the order, she had to mine regardless of how reluctant she was. While exerting her Divine Abilities without restraint, sending debris flying everywhere, she cursed through her teeth, feeling extremely aggrieved.
There were a number of ways to mine Black Stone on an Ore Star, and Yang Kai quickly understood after watching for a while.
Since the Black Stone itself can block the probing of one’s Divine Sense, it was easy to see where they were just by spreading out one’s Divine Sense. Wherever the Divine Sense was being blocked, that was where the Black Stone was located. Then, using Secret Techniques, as long as one controlled their strength, they could simply blast apart the surrounding rock to obtain Black Stone.
Luan Bai Feng was a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she was naturally efficient at mining Black Stone.
Even though Yang Kai said he was going to supervise, he wasn’t being serious. After observing and studying what Luan Bai Feng was doing for a while, he also began mining.
Only then did Luan Bai Feng’s anger subside slightly.
Now, with their united strength, it took only a short three days for them to mine 100 pieces of Black Stone. According to Luan Bai Feng, her ore slaves would be lucky to get five or six pieces of Black Stone in a single day in a place like this. Usually, they would only come away with a couple of pieces per trip, or even less.
Out of 100 pieces, at most 30% would contain anything, while most of the Black Stone was empty, so Yang Kai just tossed them aside.
In the end, Yang Kai harvested 27 materials from different Orders.
“You can see inside the Black Stone?” Luan Bai Feng looked in shock at Yang Kai.
The two of them had mined over 100 pieces of Black Stone after working for three days, most of which Yang Kai tossed after just a glance. In the end, only 27 pieces were left behind, and all of them contained cultivational materials without exception.
That only proved one thing.
“This is impossible!” Still refusing to believe her eyes, Luan Bai Feng grabbed a piece of Black Stone that Yang Kai had thrown aside. This piece of Black Stone was only the size of a palm, not very large. Circulating her World Force around it, it took only a few moments to dissolve the Black Stone, but there was nothing inside.
“Are you truly able to see into the Black Stones?” With the facts now placed before her eyes, Luan Bai Feng had no other choice but to believe it, “What exactly is that Eye Technique that you’re using?”
Yang Kai did not answer. He only frowned.
Even though he had obtained 27 pieces of cultivation materials, Luan Bai Feng was right. The Order of the materials produced on the deeper Ore Stars were slightly higher than on the outside as three pieces were in the Fifth-Order.
It was unfortunate that they were unable to find any Sixth-Order materials, much less any Sixth-Order Yin or Yang Element materials!
Luan Bai Feng, on the other hand, cheered up unexpectedly, “If you truly can see into the Black Stones, then it will save a lot of time, and the rate of our output will be increased.”
However, Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s too slow!”
Luan Bai Feng was surprised, “You still think it’s too slow? How fast do you want it to be?”
Yang Kai told her, “You and I have been working here for three days, and this is all we got. It is simply not worth the effort.”
Luan Bai Feng frowned, “If you want to get materials of the Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Elements, then it will naturally depend on your luck. You don’t expect this Ore Star to be full of the materials you need, do you?”
“Naturally I never thought so,” Yang Kai shook his head with a frown, “This is just different from what I expected.”
Luan Bai Feng pondered for a moment. Then, she pointed into a certain distance, “Perhaps you can bring your search to an even deeper Ore Star. The one we are standing on now is the farthest my subordinated ore slaves have ever reached. We never went deeper, but there is no saying that the materials found in the Black Stones that are found in the Ore Stars even deeper won’t be of higher Order.”
Yang Kai looked in the direction where she pointed, only to see the void littered with countless Ore Stars of all different sizes. After some thought, he shook his head, “No need. The mining speed with only the two of us is too slow. Who knows when we will be able to find the things I need.”
“This won’t do, that won’t do…” Luan Bai Feng was inexplicably angry, “Then why don’t you go back and bring my ore slaves here to mine? With your Divine Manifestation protecting them, they won’t die in a short amount of time no matter how low their cultivation is. It should be enough to do something, at the very least.”
Yang Kai shook his head. Luan Bai Feng’s suggestion was even less feasible.
He could probably shelter a couple dozen more without any trouble; however, it would be impossible for him to shelter all of her ore slaves. It would consume too much energy if he had to maintain his Divine Manifestation for a long time. What was more, it was impossible for him to stay here forever, sheltering the ore slaves using Towering Evergreen.
He had no idea what the situation in Void Land was right now, so he had to return as soon as possible.
Right now, he had already obtained enough materials for ten people. Including the three sets he had back at Void Land, they had enough resources to meet the needs for thirteen people to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Perhaps he could return for now before waiting slowly for the Black Prison to mine more resources. If he was lucky, then he might be able to find more of the materials that he needed.
However, that thought only entered his mind for a moment before he dismissed it.
Luan Bai Feng had already told him that her personal collection of resources were basically mined from this Ore Star that they were standing on long ago. The rate of any Sixth-Order materials appearing in the outer Ore Stars was simply too low.
Yang Kai sighed, feeling that his way of thinking was too naive.
As he was about to leave, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and turned to look into the void.
Luan Bai Feng looked over in confusion and saw Yang Kai frowning at first. Then, his expression changed. Seemingly having thought of something, his spirit was lifted.
“You…” Luan Bai Feng eyed him warily.
Yang Kai grinned, “Of course! Bringing the ore slaves over is too troublesome, and there’s no way I can shelter them forever; however… we can bring an Ore Star back instead!”
Luan Bai Feng was dumbfounded by his whimsical idea and she narrowed her eyes at him and asked for confirmation, “Bring an Ore Star back?”
Yang Kai was inspired though and explained excitedly, “This strange aura does not exist in the outer region of the Black Prison. At least, not the place where you usually live. If we can bring out an Ore Star from the depths, then it can be mined without fear, and we would not have to worry about our World Force leaking out.”
“You must be crazy…” Luan Bai Feng stared at Yang Kai as if she were looking at a fool, “Why don’t you take one back and show me, then?”
“How would we know that it’s impossible if we don’t try?” Yang Kai rolled up his sleeves and observed the situation ahead, “I noticed it when we arrived here, but there are both big and small Ore Stars in the Black Territory. Naturally, there’s no need for us to even consider bringing back the larger ones, especially since we might not even be able to move them; however, if we could find one at just the right size, we could bring it back.”
“Wait, you’re not joking?” Luan Bai Feng was convinced that Yang Kai was serious now, and she was dumbfounded by that.
“Who’s joking with you?” While saying that, Yang Kai circulated his World Force and wrapped it around Luan Bai Feng, heading deeper into the void.
Since he was determined to bring back an Ore Star, then naturally, the deeper it came from, the better. That was because the boon was richer and the Order of the materials was higher the deeper the Ore Star was.
All along their journey, Luan Bai Feng maintained a dumbfounded expression.
She could hardly keep up with Yang Kai’s whimsical way of thought. After countless years of living in the Black Prison, she had never once considered bringing an Ore Star from the depths of the Black Prison back to the outer periphery, not because she had never thought of this idea, but because it was impossible.
Even with her strength in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, it was difficult to stay in these depths for long, not to mention the fact that the Ore Stars were generally humongous. Who could carry them away?
But not only did Yang Kai have that idea, he was even prepared to give it a try!
On the way, Yang Kai was constantly muttering, “This one’s too big, we probably won’t be able to take it back, but this one’s too small. It will not last long even if we bring it back. It’s simply not worth it. Why isn’t there one that’s neither too big nor too small?”
Annoyed by his constant babbling, Luan Bai Feng rolled her eyes.
It was not known how long they flew through the Black Territory’s depths, but Yang Kai was unable to find a suitable target. Then, at a certain point, a strange aura suddenly penetrated Towering Evergreen’s defensive barrier, instantly enveloping the two of them. Both Yang Kai and Luan Bai Feng grunted in unison. They could feel the World Force inside of their Small Universe flow out of them like a broken floodgate!
Luan Bai Feng’s face changed dramatically!
Yang Kai was also shocked at the sudden change and quickly stopped in his tracks before retreating backwards for 1,000 kilometres!
Still horrified at their encounter, both of them exchanged glances. Luan Bai Feng was first to break the silence as she asked hesitantly, “What just happened?”
Yang Kai shook his head, indicating that he did not know. However, when he checked, 10% of the heritage of his Small Universe had been drained away in that brief moment.
Even though he had no idea how Luan Bai Feng was faring, she must have suffered much more than he did, because even her face had gone slightly pale at this moment. Her aura was unstable, and it was obvious that she had just lost a lot of strength.
“Is it that your Divine Manifestation is unable to stop the encroachment of that aura anymore?” Luan Bai Feng asked tentatively.
Yang Kai quickly shook his head, “If that were the case, then the World Force in our Small Universes would still be flowing out right now.”
“But just now…” Just recalling what happened made Luan Bai Feng shudder. The experience was simply too frightening. Under the envelopment of that aura, she could not help but get the illusion that she was powerless to resist and would be drained of all her strength within a few breaths.
Yang Kai looked into the distance, “There must be a critical point that if we pass, even my Divine Manifestation won’t be able to defend against the Black Territory’s power!” He shook his head, “We can’t go any deeper than this. This is my limit. If we go any deeper, then both of us will die!”
He felt shocked inside. What exactly was the strange aura that was present in the Black Territory that even the Divine Manifestation he cultivated from the Immortal Tree’s essence was unable to resist against it? It had to be known that his Towering Evergreen could even pass through the formless Astral Wind without issue, but could this aura actually be even more dangerous than the innate Divine Ability of the formless Astral Wind?
“You’ve been in charge of this place for so many years, how could you not know what is inside the Black Territory’s depths?” Yang Kai frowned.
Luan Bai Feng shook her head, “Without you, it would be impossible even for me to reach this deep.”
“It seems like there’s a big secret hidden inside of this Black Territory!” Yang Kai sighed.
However, no matter what might be hidden up ahead, Yang Kai would naturally not step over the line again now that he knew where it was. It would not be too long to wait until his cultivation was higher to explore the secrets hidden deep inside of the Black Territory.
“You should recover your energy for now. I’ll see if I can find a suitable Ore Star. I might need your help when that time comes,” Yang Kai ordered.
Luan Bai Feng did not stand on ceremony and took out handfuls of Open Heaven Pills, swallowing them as she began refining them in order to make up for what she lost just now.
Even though Yang Kai also lost some energy, his heritage was much greater than Luan Bai Feng’s, so losing that much energy did not impede him from continuing his search.
He travelled in all directions, constantly searching.
However, he searched and searched, but still could not find a suitable Ore Star. All of them were either too large, making it too troublesome to take them away, or too small, making it not worth the effort to begin with.
Two days later, when Luan Bai Feng opened her eyes again, her complexion was rosier. Obviously, she was able to recover some of her strength.
“Did you find anything?” She looked at Yang Kai and asked.
Even though she had been meditating in order to restore her energy this whole time, she was not completely oblivious to what was happening around her. She could sense all of Yang Kai’s movements the past two days, and she could vaguely feel that Yang Kai had come to some sort of decision.
“Here, come and take a look with your Eye Secret Technique. What sort of Spirit Array is that?” Yang Kai pointed to a certain direction in the void. He could see that there were traces of an Array using his Demon Eye of Annihilation, but his proficiency in the Dao of Spirit Arrays was not high enough to determine what type of Array it was.
Luan Bai Feng immediately activated her Eye Technique, and after studying it for a short moment, she said, “It should be an Illusion Array!”
“An Illusion Array!” Yang Kai frowned. Then, he brought her to another place and pointed to the void in the front, “What about this one?”
Luan Bai Feng observed it for a moment before responding “This is a Trapping Array!”
Yang Kai shook his head and brought her to another place.
“This is a Killing Array, and… I can’t decipher it, we’d better stay away from it. If we get caught up in it, then it would be disastrous for both of us.” A purple light flowed in Luan Bai Feng’s eyes as she observed the area in the distance.
However, Yang Kai seemed cheerful to hear her answer, “This is it!”
Saying so, he dragged Luan Bai Feng along and flew off into the distance.
“What are you trying to do?” Luan Bai Feng could not resist the urge to ask. Previously, Yang Kai had the whimsical idea of bringing back an Ore Star with him, and now, he was looking for a specific Spirit Array for some reason. The way his thoughts jumped around was truly unpredictable.
Yang Kai replied casually, “Most of the Ore Stars here are too large for the two of us to bring back alone, so we have to think of another way.”
As they were talking, the two of them arrived before an Ore Star. Luan Bai Feng looked at the Ore Star and sneered, “So your idea is to bring such a small one back? Fine. This one is small, but it will take about a month to mine. Maybe we can get something good out of it.”
Yang Kai did not speak and just took a deep breath. Even though air did not exist in this void, Yang Kai’s chest still swelled up from his actions.
A Dragon Roar suddenly reverberated in Luan Bai Feng’s mind, and Dragon Pressure spread out, which shocked her greatly. After that, a crackle could be heard and Luan Bai Feng could not help but feel her vision lifting constantly.
There, in plain view, she saw Yang Kai covered in a golden light, and in a very short amount of time, he transformed into a literal giant. He had Dragon Scales from head to toe, sharp Dragon Claws, and a swaying Dragon Tail. A Dragon Beard fluttered under his jaw, and there were even two Dragon Horns growing atop his forehead. A terrifying pressure pressed down on her chest like a giant mountain, making her tremble with unease.
Luan Bai Feng’s vision could not help but freeze. Before this giant that stood several thousand metres tall, Luan Bai Feng simply felt as little as an ant.
Yang Kai looked down at her and leaned down slightly, extending a giant Dragon Claw to her and shouted majestically, “Climb up!”
Looking at the claw, which was countless times larger than her own body caused Luan Bai Feng to gulp regardless of her tough mental fortitude. Stiffly, she raised her feet and stepped onto Yang Kai’s palm.
Yang Kai straightened up again and gently placed Luan Bai Feng on her shoulder before urging, “Stay close to me. Don’t stray too far!”
Luan Bai Feng immediately grabbed onto one of the raised Dragon Scales on Yang Kai’s shoulder and nodded repeatedly, just like a naive but docile little girl.
Without the shelter of Yang Kai’s Wood Element Divine Manifestation in these depths, it would not take long for the World Force to be drained from her body entirely, so there was no need for Yang Kai to command her as she would stick close to him regardless.
However, Yang Kai’s actions gave her a vague awareness that he was going to be doing something big soon.
And that was exactly what happened. Hot Dragon Breath blowing in and out of Yang Kai’s nostrils, he shook his head faintly and stretched out his hand, summoning a spear into it.
The Azure Dragon Spear had also become incomparably large at this moment.
With a light shake of the Azure Dragon Spear, Yang Kai circulated his energy and thrust the spear out towards the small Ore Star.
The void shook as dazzling spear light erupted out.
Luan Bai Feng even wondered whether the Ore Star would immediately shatter into pieces under this thrust.
However, Yang Kai clearly did not mean to blow up the Ore Star before him. So, he thrust his spear with just enough force that when it was applied to the Ore Star, the latter shook violently and began moving forward!
All the Ore Stars in the Black Territory were stationary relative to each other, yet Yang Kai’s power had been so violent in that moment that it was enough to push forward an Ore Star of such a scale.
However, the speed was not very fast!
Yang Kai followed the Ore Star and thrust his spear forward again.
Again and again he prodded the Ore Star with his spear, and the repeated blows made the small Ore Star go faster and faster! Luan Bai Feng could clearly see that Yang Kai was not only pushing the Ore Star forward with his own strength, but also adjusting the direction of its advancement.
Surprised, she looked up to see a massive Ore Star up ahead! It was obstructing Yang Kai’s path, so if this went on, then the two Ore Stars would collide sooner or later.
Luan Bai Feng suddenly came to her senses, “Are you trying to break apart that big Ore Star using this smaller one?”
After gaining an understanding of what he was trying to do, Luan Bai Feng could not help but feel shocked by Yang Kai’s crazy ideas. This was a method she had never thought of before; of course, she did not have the means to even execute it either.
It was not worthwhile to bring a small Ore Star back with them, and they could not move the large Ore Stars. However, if the big Ore Star can be broken into smaller pieces, then it might be just right for him.
Under Yang Kai’s successive pushes, the small Ore Star was able to reach a certain speed. Suddenly, he collected his spear and stopped in place, looking ahead and shaking his head, “The size difference between them is too great. The larger Ore Star won’t be broken by it.”
Luan Bai Feng frowned, “If you knew that, then why are you still wasting your effort?”
Yang Kai grinned, but he did not explain.
As if to verify Yang Kai’s words, the small Ore Star soon collided with the surface of the large Ore Star. There was no sound, but they could see a huge circle of dust rise up from where they collided as the small Ore Star was shattered by the impact. A huge crater had also appeared on the surface of the large Ore Star that was surrounded by cracks.
Under the transmission of such a terrifying force, the large Ore Star, which had been sitting still in the void, began moving forward at a considerable speed.
“It worked!” Yang Kai’s brows were raised in joy.
[What worked?] Luan Bai Feng did not understand; however, when she looked up again, her pupils suddenly shrank.
The direction that it was going was exactly the large Killing Array that she identified before!
“So that’s what you’re trying to do!” Luan Bai Feng finally understood. Yang Kai’s series of actions confused her, and it wasn’t until now that she finally realized what he was trying to accomplish. She could not help but frown, “Are you so sure that the Killing Array will work?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “There’s no way to be sure, but we have to try regardless. Naturally, it would be for the best if it worked, but otherwise… We can just bring back a small Ore Star. It’s better than nothing!”
Since he had already said so, Luan Bai Feng had no choice but to listen.
The large Ore Star did not move nearly as fast as the small one. Despite the force transferred onto it from the collision earlier, it was still a very large Ore Star, so it was naturally impossible for it to gain much speed from that. In the vastness of the void, it did not seem that far away from the Killing Array, but it still flew for several hours before slowly arriving at its destination.
Luan Bai Feng activated her Eye Secret Technique with interest and began observing the situation.
Regardless of Yang Kai’s ultimate goal, she was very interested in the Spirit Arrays located deep within the Black Territory, and she wanted to know what sort of magnificent sight would erupt from it when something triggered it. Perhaps, she could take this as an opportunity to explore the profound mysteries of the Spirit Arrays located in these depths.
Yang Kai was also paying close attention. His goal was to bring back one of the Ore Stars here, but since he could not take back one that was too large, he had to find a way to make it smaller. In the end, whether his goal could be achieved or not, he was not very sure.
He only hoped that the might of the Killing Array was not too much, but also not too weak either.
Under the careful observation of the two, the large Ore Star finally rushed straight into the Killing Array’s range.
Lights of all colours suddenly emerged in the clearly empty void. At the same time, both Yang Kai and Luan Bai Feng could clearly feel a destructive aura releasing from inside the Killing Array. It was as if a sleeping Dragon was disturbed by an unexpected guest and awakened from its slumber in a rage.
Silently, the large Ore Star seemed to suffer an indescribable blast. Dust rose up from the surface as large swaths of the surface were shredded off. One after another, long cracks spanning millions of kilometres appeared out of thin air.
The entire Ore Star shrank at a rate visible to the naked eye as every inch of its surface was attacked indiscriminately.
As the Ore Star travelled deeper, the power of the Killing Array was stimulated further. The energy fluctuations coming from that place grew stronger and more terrifying by the moment. The Ore Star was becoming smaller and smaller, and in just a dozen breaths of time, it had shrunk by a large amount. Inside of the Killing Array, the barren mountains and land separated from the Ore Star drifted about and were ground into dust under the destructive force.
Luan Bai Feng’s face was slightly pale, and the purple light flowing in her eyes had also reached its brightest point. She muttered to herself, “Incredible. This power… It’s simply unfathomable!”
Yang Kai also had a very solemn expression at this moment. Even though Luan Bai Feng always stressed that the Arrays present deep within the Black Territory were very strong, it wasn’t until now that he understood just how much he underestimated them after seeing it with his own eyes.
Such a terrifying Killing Array would kill even him in less than ten breaths.
Suddenly, a bright light blossomed. Just like a stunning sword wave, it cut through the Ore Star and disappeared in a flash, but what shocked Yang Kai and Luan Bai Feng was the fact that the entire Ore Star had been split into two after the light passed through it!
The Ore Star… was actually split apart!
One side was clearly bigger than the other, but the cut was still almost clean!
The larger part was about 70% of the Ore Star, while the smaller part made up the rest. The cut was so neat and smooth that it seemed as if it had been sliced with a knife!
The Killing Array was still in full bloom, so the two halves of the Ore Star continued to shrink in size.
It took a while before the explosive force of the Grand Array slowly subsided.
“The Killing Array has been exhausted!” Luan Bai Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang Kai could sense it, too. Even though his Demon Eye of Annihilation had no way of discerning what type a Spirit Array was, he could still detect some of its traces.
The traces of the Killing Array that previously existed there had been extinguished, which undoubtedly meant that it had been destroyed. However, the price it paid was that the huge Ore Star was worn down and cut into two pieces.
However, this was exactly what Yang Kai hoped to see, so everything was still going according to plan.
Maintaining his Half-Dragon Form, Yang Kai rushed to the larger half of the Ore Star and pressed the tip of his Azure Dragon Spear to one of its sides, shouting, “Help me!”
Luan Bai Feng understood what he wanted to do and shifted over, raising her hand to press the end of the Azure Dragon Spear to give Yang Kai a boost!
The Ore Star had been split into two after it fell into the Killing Array’s range. Yang Kai did not bother with the smaller half and allowed it to float about freely. Perhaps its fate was to end up in one of the other Arrays, eventually being reduced to nothingness.
The remaining piece was the larger one. After being cut and shaven down, it was less than half of the original size of the Ore Star, but it was just perfect for them to bring back.
In his Half-Dragon Form, Yang Kai possessed immense physical strength, but even with Luan Bai Feng’s added help, it still took them a lot of effort in order to change the Ore Star’s direction of movement.
After a few moments of continuous pushing, Yang Kai said, “It’s almost there.”
While saying that, he landed on the Ore Star in a flash while bringing Luan Bai Feng along, allowing the Ore Star to fly forward. He did not dare to speed up the pace that the Ore Star was moving at further; after all, there would be many Arrays on their way back. He still had to adjust the direction at certain points, and if the Ore Star was moving too quick, then it would be too late to stop it if a dangerous Array were to appear in front of them.
Yang Kai took out some Open Heaven Pills, swallowed them down, and refined them in order to restore his strength, all the while looking thoughtfully behind him.
Luan Bai Feng was also focused on recovering her strength. Even though she only exerted a little bit of energy from beginning to end, it still took a lot of effort in order to change the trajectory of the broken Ore Star.
“What are you looking at?” Luan Bai Feng followed Yang Kai’s gaze and asked curiously.
Though he bordered on what she would define as crazy, she held much admiration for Yang Kai after seeing what he was able to achieve. If everything went well, then it would take less than a month for them to bring this broken piece of Ore Star back to the outer periphery. Then, she could bring her ore slaves over to mine the Black Stones in peace.
However, Yang Kai was perhaps the only person who could achieve such a feat. As for others, they may not be able to do it even if they were in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Before meeting Yang Kai, she had never seen anyone that was able to stop the encroachment of the strange aura present in the Black Territory before.
“Your attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays are not low. Were you able to discover anything from that Killing Array just now?” Yang Kai released his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique and returned to his original form.
Luan Bai Feng pondered for a moment before responding solemnly, “Did you see something?”
“If I could see something, then why would I still have to ask you?” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “However, I have the nagging feeling that the Killing Array was not as simple as it seemed… That light at the end looked very much like a sword wave!”
“A sword wave?” Luan Bai Feng was stunned. She had an expression of uncertainty, “You’re not trying to say that Killing Array was man-made, are you?”
Yang Kai muttered thoughtfully, “If that truly was a sword wave, then I’m afraid it might be man-made.”
“Impossible!” Luan Bai Feng shook her head, “The might of that Killing Array is too terrifying. Who would be able to set such a terrifying Spirit Array? And, even if it were man-made, who would have the time to do something so meaningless? Don’t forget, there are Natural Arrays present all throughout the Black Territory.”
“That’s right!” Yang Kai nodded, “There are so many Arrays that, if someone truly did arrange one here, it would be shocking indeed.” After a pause, he added, “And also, you have been staying here for so many years, yet you have never understood what this strange aura that fills the Black Territory is, correct?”
Luan Bai Feng did not deny it, “I tried to study it at first, but I couldn’t figure out any clues.”
Yang Kai frowned, “I heard before coming here that this Black Prison was a natural prison. Is that a rumour that spread after you took over this territory, or has that been around since the beginning?”
“It has been called that since long ago. It has nothing to do with me being here.” Luan Bai Feng also frowned, “What are you trying to say?”
Yang Kai looked pensive, “I’m not sure either, but since the saying that this Black Prison was a natural prison had been circulated since a long time ago, if this place truly was a prison, were any prisoners held here in the past? Then, could it be possible that those Natural Arrays that we saw are actually…”
Luan Bai Feng shuddered, “Don’t say any more. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “What’re you worried about? We’re just having a casual chat. Of course, these are all just speculation and do not mean anything.”
Luan Bai Feng’s face looked grim, “If it truly was as you said, then what kind of prisoners are being held in the depths of the Black Prison that require so many layers of Arrays to restrict them? How terrifying must their cultivation be?”
Yang Kai stroked his chin in thought, “That is true. If there truly existed someone so terrifying, then there was no way that they would be captured. Maybe I was just overthinking it.”
Luan Bai Feng looked deeply at him and suddenly burst into a fit of anger, “Are you trying to scare me?”
Yang Kai snickered, “You yourself have small guts and you’re trying to blame others?”
Without waiting for Luan Bai Feng to snap back at him, he ordered, “Enough chit-chat. Hurry up and watch the front. If we accidentally crash into an Array, it would be too late to cry then.”
“You’re the one who’s going to cry!” Luan Bai Feng was pissed; however, despite how she reacted, she still activated her Eye Secret Technique and looked towards the void in front.
Along the way, they encountered all sorts of Arrays of all different types, but whether it be Yang Kai or Luan Bai Feng, they both had Eye Secret Techniques that could detect their presence early on, so they were able to change the direction of the Ore Star in advance.
Though the journey ahead was fraught with trouble, they did not encounter any actual risk.
A full month later, the two finally returned to the outer periphery of the Black Territory. The main reason it took so long was because they did not dare to speed up the Ore Star too much in case there were any incidents that they were unable to deal with in time.
It took a lot of effort for the two of them to stop the Ore Star just 10,000 kilometres away from the main shattered Spirit Province, despite it already having lost half of its initial speed during their trip. As soon as the Ore Star was in place, Luan Bai Feng sent out a command.
An incense stick of time later, Xin Peng led a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters over.
After landing on the broken Ore Star fragment, all of them were shocked beyond words. They had been living here for countless years, so they knew well what the situation was like in the outer periphery; however, it had been many years since any unmined Ore Star had existed in this outer region. All of them have been mined beyond recognition, and some had even shattered into dust.
So, the sudden emergence of a craggy Ore Star was naturally surprising.
“Warden, this is…” Xin Peng looked around curiously and confirmed that this Ore Star that he was standing on was one that he had never seen before.
“This is the Ore Star that Bai Feng and I brought from the Black Territory’s depths,” Yang Kai gave a casual explanation.
Luan Bai Feng immediately turned over to glare at him. Being called ‘Bai Feng’ did not sit right with her.
Many of the Open Heaven Realm Masters’ mouths hung open, all of them stunned as if they could not believe their ears.
Yang Kai did not explain much either, he just turned to Luan Bai Feng and said, “Call over all your ore slaves and tell them to begin mining.”
Luan Bai Feng snorted in response, but she still passed down the order. A few moments later, many Open Heaven Realm Masters took off, clearly in preparation to bring the ore slaves over.
Looking over at her, Yang Kai asked, “How long do you think this Ore Star will last?”
Luan Bai Feng thought about the answer for a moment before answering, “It should last for at least two or three years. The environment here is comfortable, and there is no need for the ore slaves to worry about their World Force leaking, so they will be able to dedicate more time and energy to mining.”
“Two to three years… That sounds about right,” Yang Kai nodded.
Even though what he brought back was less than half of the original size of the Ore Star, there should be a good amount of cultivation materials present within it. After all, this Ore Star came from very deep within the Black Territory. It should not lack Sixth-Order materials, and there was the possibility of finding materials of the Seventh-Order or even Eighth-Order…
As long as they could fully mine this Ore Star, it should be enough for Void Land’s use for the time being.
Once the day came when this Ore Star was exhausted, there was no harm in running into the depths once more to bring back another in the same way. Now that he had Luan Bai Feng serving him, the entirety of the Black Prison was his personal treasury. Other than him, no one had the right to put their hands on the resources found deep inside of the Black Prison.
“Since everything is settled, I will return to Void Land. I’ll leave the rest to you to handle. Head to Void Land once every half year and hand me the mined materials,” Yang Kai ordered.
Luan Bai Feng was surprised, “Leaving already?”
Yang Kai smirked, “Have you grown attached to me already?”
“As if!” Luan Bai Feng spat, but then she simmered down a little, “But isn’t your Void Land in conflict with Zuo Quan Hui right now? It can’t be easy dealing with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, right?”
Yang Kai nodded gravely, “Yes. The strength of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master is truly powerful.” Recalling his fight with Zuo Quan Hui previously, he had to admit that there was a huge gap between himself and a Master in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Last time, he was only able to injure Zuo Quan Hui with his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel because the latter was careless. If they were to fight again, and if Zuo Quan Hui was any more prepared than he was before, it would make it very difficult for Yang Kai to injure him again.
Luan Bai Feng quickly said, “I’ll go with you. I’m still a Sixth-Order Master, at the very least. I should be able to provide you with some help.”
Yang Kai looked at her in surprise, not expecting such an offer from her.
However, he had no intention of bringing Luan Bai Feng away from here. Void Land had 9 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so having one extra wouldn’t make much difference. Right now, the matter of gathering resources in the Black Prison was his top priority, so he wanted Luan Bai Feng to keep watch here.
“You’re not that loyal, are you?” Yang Kai grinned at her.
Luan Bai Feng snorted, “What good would it do me if you were to die? That’s why I have to keep an eye on you.”
It was easy to garner that she had been insincere just from this sentence alone. From her words and expression, Yang Kai instantly understood why she would take the initiative to offer her help.
Perhaps the bold speculation that he made on their way back from the Black Prison’s depths had scared her a bit, and now this woman didn’t feel safe here, which was why she was in such a hurry to leave with him.
To be honest, that speculation was just a casual thought Yang Kai had. Even he felt that the idea was ridiculous, but he did not expect Luan Bai Feng to take it so seriously.
“If you leave, then what about…” Yang Kai frowned.
Luan Bai Feng reminded, “Xin Peng has already signed your Loyalty List, so there is no need for you to worry if you keep him here to oversee the mining process. Later, I will teach him all the techniques required to enter and leave the Black Prison, and in case anything happens, he will report to you.”
She had already arranged everything, so Yang Kai could not refuse her. What’s more, Luan Bai Feng was a veteran Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with excellent combat capabilities he could make use of if he brought her back. So, he eventually nodded, “In that case, we shall act according to your suggestion.”
Immediately, Luan Bai Feng called Xin Peng over and said a few words to him. She also handed him several jade tokens.
Flying Smoke Territory was the Great Territory adjacent to Void Territory, so the two could be considered neighbours.
There was a Second Class great force located in Flying Smoke Territory that was not considered too strong, Flying Smoke Temple, and it was from them that Flying Smoke Territory’s name came about. The Temple Master of Flying Smoke Temple was called Yu Xiu Shan, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
When Seven Wonder Land occupied Void Territory, they had many conflicts with this Flying Smoke Territory. Such feuds between neighbouring Great Territories were common in the 3,000 Worlds.
Back then, Seven Wonders Land’s foundation was severely damaged when Xu Huang wrestled control of their Grand Array away from them. Even several of their Protector Venerables were killed. Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch was also severely injured in that event. Naturally, Flying Smoke Temple was unwilling to miss this opportunity to attack. Yu Xiu Shan gathered all his troops to march against Seven Wonders Land before they could recover and slaughtered them.
Yang Kai had just returned from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary at that time and was being hunted down by Scarlet Star’s Head Manager Zhao Bai Chuan and his men. Nearing the end of his rope, Yang Kai remembered Seven Wonders Land, so he used the Array Jade given to him by Xu Huang before the latter’s death to sneak into the shopping district of Seven Wonders Land.
Somehow, Zhao Bai Chuan and his men, who were in pursuit of Yang Kai, ended up conspiring with Yu Xiu Shan to attack Seven Wonders Land, killing all their Open Heaven Realm Masters and seizing control of their land.
Yu Xiu Shan had his foundation in Flying Smoke Territory, so he naturally would not stay in Seven Wonders Territory for long, so he ended up returning with a large amount of loot. Zhao Bai Chuan and the others stayed in Seven Wonders Land, planning to use it as a base to revive Scarlet Star.
Unfortunately for Zhao Bai Chuan, his beautiful dream was cut short when Yang Kai led his men out of the shadows to attack them, catching Scarlet Star’s survivors off guard and unprepared.
After that battle, most of Scarlet Star’s members either died or escaped, leaving only Chen Tian Fei behind who had even offered up the Loyalty List to keep his life.
It was then that Yang Kai took over Seven Wonders Land and became its new ruler, later renaming it Void Land.
Looking back on it now, Flying Smoke Temple and Yu Xiu Shan actually had a lot of merit in Yang Kai’s successful takeover of Void Land. Only, Yu Xiu Shan had no idea what he had done at that time.
Subsequently, Void Land emerged and rapidly grew in prestige. Yu Xiu Shan had also come to Void Land himself in order to meet Yang Kai and try to form connections with him; after all, they were neighbours so it would make everything more convenient to have a good relationship. However, Yang Kai was mostly cultivating in retreat or outside, so Yu Xiu Shan failed to meet him even after visiting twice.
When Heavenly Sword Union led the Hundred Sects Alliance to attack Void Land, Flying Smoke Temple also participated, but during that fight, Yu Xiu Shan was beaten back until he was thoroughly traumatized.
The result was needless to say. Kong Feng died during the battle, and the Hundred Sects Alliance collapsed. Flying Smoke Temple also suffered heavy losses, with Yu Xiu Shan fleeing with heavy injuries.
Flying Smoke Temple was one of the great forces that took the initiative to come to Yang Kai’s door to apologize. They scraped together everything they could afford as an offering, and fortunately for them, Void Land had no intention of settling accounts. Everyone in Flying Smoke Temple lived nervously for several years before they finally began to breathe a bit easier.
Yang Kai led Luan Bai Feng all the way from the Black Territory back to his territory through the Flying Smoke Territory route.
Currently, Yang Kai and Luan Bai Feng were both concealing their auras and figures as they stood several thousands of kilometres away from the Territory Gate, watching over the situation there.
This Territory Gate was the one connecting Flying Smoke Territory and Void Territory. In other words, they need only pass through this Territory Gate to arrive at Void Territory.
However, there were several great ships just outside of the Territory Gate at this moment, but not passing through it.
Yang Kai could clearly see that these great ships were trying to block off the Territory Gate. He saw a ship head over to pass the Territory Gate but was stopped by the great ships forming the blockade.
Both sides seemed to have gone through a simple discussion, then the ship had no choice but to turn back.
Yang Kai frowned at this sight. He had the vague sense that this had to have something to do with Zuo Quan Hui. He had only left Void Territory for half a year and the situation had seemingly changed again.
As for what exactly that change was, he could not say for now.
A little less than half a year should be enough time for Zuo Quan Hui to recover. He had eaten a big loss last time, and even lost his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Disciple, Zhou Ti, at Yang Kai’s hands. Now, he would definitely try to take revenge.
“Follow the ship and find out what exactly happened.” Yang Kai could not go himself, so he had no choice but to order Luan Bai Feng to head over.
Luan Bai Feng spat disdainfully, but she still flew out obediently.
Yang Kai waited in place for more than two hours before seeing Luan Bai Feng return.
“What’s the situation?” Yang Kai asked.
Luan Bai Feng said with a strange expression, “Those ships blocking off the Territory Gate are Heavenly Sword Union’s ships. They say that nobody who wishes to enter Void Land is allowed to pass.”
“Heavenly Sword Union?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “Why have those trash jumped out again? What are they blocking off the Territory Gate for?”
He was now burning with rage. When Heavenly Sword Union led the Hundred Sects Alliance to attack Void Land, basically all of the great forces involved had come to apologize with gifts after he razed Boundless Altar and Golden Rainbow Province to the ground. Only Heavenly Sword Union did not make any noise about the matter.
Yang Kai was busy with Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly previously, so he had wanted to wait until it ended before dealing with Heavenly Sword Union, only to be delayed by Zuo Quan Hui who came over to give him trouble, ending up in him being caught in his current mess. Naturally, he had no time to care about a trivial Heavenly Sword Union.
However, Yang Kai never expected that the latter would come to his doorstep to flaunt their presence before he could even do anything.
Luan Bai Feng looked at him with a deep gaze, “Do you know who the current Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union is?”
Yang Kai could not help but frown when faced with her strange tone, “Who?”
“Zuo Quan Hui!” Luan Bai Feng muttered.
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly understood, “The enemy of an enemy is a friend, is it? Zuo Quan Hui ‘rebelled’ from Thousand Cranes Paradise, and with his Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, he is more than qualified to become the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union. Obviously, Heavenly Sword Union could want for nothing than to be under a Master like him. That means those bastards are colluding!”
Luan Bai Feng nodded, “Now that Zuo Quan Hui is the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union, the people of Heavenly Sword Union will naturally obey his orders. The reason they are blocking off this Territory Gate is so that they can stop any outsiders from entering Void Territory in order to cut off the foundation of your Star City.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “That man has wicked ideas, but what use is this? It’s not like this Territory Gate is the only one to my Void Territory! It’s not as if his Heavenly Sword Union has blocked off all the Territory Gates, right?”
Luan Bai Feng shook his head, “There’s no need to block off all of them. They only need to show their stance and spread the news.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai frowned. Even though he was stronger than Luan Bai Feng and had forced her to submit using the Loyalty List, Yang Kai could not compare with her in terms of experience and vision in the 3,000 Worlds.
After all, she was a veteran Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with many centuries of experience. Compared to Yang Kai, a fresh face in the Outer Universe, she would often have the ability to see farther.
Luan Bai Feng explained, “Zuo Quan Hui is one of Thousand Cranes Paradise’s Inner Elders. With his Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, his name echoes loudly across the 3,000 Worlds. On the other hand, your Void Land is nothing more than a rising star. Even though you do have some reputation, most of it is only based on your Star City’s specialty products. Tell me, if the two of you clash, who will the outsiders lean towards?”
Yang Kai frowned, “Naturally it would be Zuo Quan Hui, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.”
Luan Bai Feng nodded, “En. A High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master can exert more power than just their own personal strength. There is also the terrifying connections and imposingness that they have built up over the years. If it were anyone else, how could Heavenly Sword Union give up the position of Union Master so easily? However, Zuo Quan Hui was able to obtain it at will, which shows the trust that Heavenly Sword Union has in him. Now that he has become the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union and has come to block the Territory Gate of Void Territory, he’s trying to tell the world at large that he intends to go to war with Void Land. How do you think people will react if they find out? How do you think the merchants in your Star City will react?”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened.
Luan Bai Feng continued, “Zuo Quan Hui is smart. This way, he can isolate your Void Land without sacrificing a single soldier, and your Void Land’s resource supply will be cut off. Perhaps, even your Star City will find it hard to maintain itself over time. You have so many people in Void Land and all of them need to cultivate, do they not? Without resources, how are they going to do that? No matter how many resources Void Land has accumulated, it will eventually run dry.
“Cunning old bastard!” Yang Kai ground his teeth, “He truly has a wicked mind!”
“It’s an open conspiracy!” Luan Bai Feng said bluntly, “Even if you know his intentions, there is nothing you can do to stop it, unless your reputation can overshadow his! That is why he does not need to block off all of Void Territory’s entrances. He just needs to make a show here, and the news will soon spread all throughout the 3,000 Worlds.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “My Void Land is no soft persimmon either. If he wants to gnaw on my Void Land, then first let’s see whether he has strong enough teeth for it.”
Luan Bai Feng nodded repeatedly, “I know your Void Land has two great Divine Spirits to watch over it, but that old man Bi Xi is not mobile, so he won’t be able to do much in such a situation. The only one you can count on now is that Heavenly Moon Demon Spider. If she makes a move against Zuo Quan Hui, then your situation will naturally be solved.”
The corners of Yang Kai’s brow twitched. Just thinking about Zhu Jiu Yin filled his stomach with grievances.
With her identity as his Protector now voided, Zhu Jiu Yin had become even more fickle than before. She would rather see him suffer than to care about him at all. If she had been willing to join the fight last time, then how could Zuo Quan Hui have escaped from Void Land?
However, Yang Kai also knew what Zhu Jiu Yin was worried about. It was not a matter as simple as whether she joined the fight or not; after all, Zuo Quan Hui was from Thousand Cranes Paradise. If she were to kill Zuo Quan Hui, then she would definitely have to worry that Thousand Cranes Paradise would come to settle accounts with her in the future.
No matter how strong a Divine Spirit was, they were not invincible. Take the Eighth-Order Masters of the major Cave Heavens and Paradises, which one of them was any weaker compared to a mature Divine Spirit? Zhu Jiu Yin had come from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and had no foundation to speak of at all in the outside world. If she were truly to catch the eye of Thousand Cranes Paradise, then her days would not be easy.
After a deep thought, Yang Kai asked, “How long has it been since Zuo Quan Hui became Heavenly Sword Union’s Union Master?”
“It should be several months now,” Luan Bai Feng answered.
[Several months…]
That was to say that Zuo Quan Hui left for Heavenly Sword Union to recuperate after being injured by him. It seemed that he had long intended to bring Heavenly Sword Union under him.
It did make sense. Void Land did not possess any Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they did have plenty in the Sixth-Order. After Zhou Ti died, there was that Sixth-Order female disciple and the three from the Prison Star among Zuo Quan Hui’s subordinates on that level. Even though they were all strong, they were lacking in numbers, and it was necessary for him to rely on external forces. In this case, Heavenly Sword Union was undoubtedly the best choice…
“You worked with Kong Feng before. Do you have any idea how many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters there are in Heavenly Sword Union?” Yang Kai asked. The biggest advantage that Void Land had right now was their superior numbers of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If even that advantage was nullified, the situation would become tricky.
“On the surface, only four appear to show themselves. Right now, two have died, so only two are supposedly left. However, Heavenly Sword Union has a long history, so it is hard to say exactly how many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters they are hiding in the shadows. Those Sixth-Order Masters in hiding are old veterans who spend all their time cultivating in retreat, their goal to spy into the path of the Seventh-Order.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. Heavenly Sword Union was one of the top Second Class great forces, so the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm members they have will definitely not be too small; after all, even Golden Rainbow Province had a hidden Old Ancestor. When Yang Kai attacked Golden Rainbow Province, Li Luo Shui had just broken through to the Seventh Order and almost made him eat a big loss.
Compared to Golden Rainbow Province, Heavenly Sword Union had an even deeper and broader heritage, so it was not strange for them to be hiding some old monsters.
It seemed Zuo Quan Hui’s strength had greatly increased after receiving Heavenly Sword Union’s full support. Even with more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, it was likely that Void Land would not have that much of an advantage anymore.
Yang Kai pursed his lips, feeling a headache setting in. Sure enough, beating the snake to death to avoid future calamity comes along with endless consequences.
“Also, you must not forget. Zuo Quan Hui has his own connections, too. The people that Void Land has to fight in the future will not only be Heavenly Sword Union. There is most likely going to be more.”
Yang Kai nodded grimly.
“What are you planning to do?” Luan Bai Feng turned to look at him.
“Let me think about it!” Yang Kai fell into deep thought. From the looks of this situation, Void Land and Heavenly Sword Union had yet to break out into an open conflict. When Zuo Quan Hui infiltrated Void Territory to set up an ambush, firstly, he did not expect Void Land to be so strong, and secondly, it was because he had absolute confidence in his own strength.
There was no way a Seventh-Order Master would slip up trying to plot against one in the Sixth-Order.
However, Void Land’s heritage gave him a huge surprise, and Yang Kai’s abilities were also far beyond what he imagined possible. In the end, not only did he fail in his plot, he even lost a Sixth-Order Disciple and was wounded in the process.
Now that he controlled Heavenly Sword Union, the power Zuo Quan Huai could mobilize was far greater than just the subordinates he brought before, yet he did not send any troops to Void Land. That was obviously because he was also concerned about the two Divine Spirits keeping watch over Void Land, but mainly, he was worried about Zhu Jiu Yin!
It seemed that Zhu Jiu Yin still had some use even without having to lift a finger. At the very least, her presence was a deterrent that was enough to keep Zuo Quan Hui from acting rashly.
Otherwise, there was no need for him to block off the Territory Gate. Zuo Quan Hui could have just led his men into Void Territory like last time and started a war.
Combined with what Luan Bai Feng told him before, Yang Kai now vaguely understood what Zuo Quan Hui’s plans were. He was truly prepared to swallow up Void Land. There are so many people in Void Land that even if all they did was sit idly and ate on their mountains, they would one day run out of resources. When that time came, they would be forced to go out by themselves, and that would be the best time for him to make a move.
Considering all this, Yang Kai was actually quite relieved. This was also what he wanted to see. The longer the fight dragged on, the greater the advantage would be for Void Land!
Licking his lips, Yang Kai looked up at Luan Bai Feng, “You were planning to help Zuo Quan Hui, weren’t you?”
Luan Bai Feng fidgeted, “That’s right. If I follow a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, then even if I can’t taste the meat, I will at least get a share of the soup.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Then go. I believe that Zuo Quan Hui would also be happy to see you join him.”
Luan Bai Feng blinked her eyes and answered in a daze, “Are you asking me to be a spy?”
“You don’t dare?” Yang Kai raised a brow.
Luan Bai Feng scoffed, “What’s there for me to worry about? Everyone knows that there are grievances between me and your Void Land. It is only normal for me to hear the news and come to join him. Obviously, Zuo Quan Hui will not be suspicious of anything.”
“Exactly!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Luan Bai Feng asked, “If I do find out any important information, how am I supposed to report to you?”
“There is no need to contact me in the near future. Zuo Quan Hui will most likely not be starting anything yet either. Once the real fight starts… there will be opportunities for us to communicate.”
Luan Bai Feng nodded, “Good. What about you?”
Yang Kai turned towards the Territory Gate, “Naturally, I’m returning to Void Territory!”
Luan Bai Feng followed his gaze and asked with some concern, “Are you planning to fight your way through? What if Zuo Quan Hui happens to be here. You are not his opponent. Why don’t you take the long way around and return through another Territory Gate?”
Yang Kai laughed, “Zuo Quan Hui is a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Where would he have time to idle around here? Even if his injuries are healed, he must still be recuperating somewhere. Not to mention, even if he is here… Do you think I can’t run if I can’t beat him?”
Luan Bai Feng stared blankly at him. If any other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were to say that, she would definitely scoff at them. Despite there only being a difference of a single Order, the Sixth-Order and the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realms were worlds apart in terms of true strength. It would only require the raise of one’s hand for a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to deal with someone in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but if it was Yang Kai…
“Then be careful lest you let the ship capsize on calm seas!”
Yang Kai nodded, “You should find a place to hide for now. Wait until the dust settles before you go to Zuo Quan Hui so you don’t rouse his suspicions.”
If Luan Bai Feng tried to join up just after Yang Kai got into a fight in Flying Smoke Territory, Zuo Quan Hui would definitely investigate it.
“I know!” Luan Bai Feng nodded.
“You should watch out, too. If things take a turn for the worse, leave immediately.” Yang Kai left her with a few more instructions before disappearing in a flash.
Luan Bai Feng tried to follow his traces, and at first, was able to detect which direction Yang Kai had gone, but it did not take long for her to lose track of him. She quietly withdrew 10,000 kilometres before all of a sudden, she felt a strong energy fluctuation burst out from behind her. When she turned around to look, a great battle had broken out near the Territory Gate. The ships floating in the void had all gone up in flames, illuminating the area as if it were daytime. Obviously, Yang Kai’s fight with those people had begun.
Several figures were engaged in battle near the Territory Gate. One by one, Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques were unleashed, shaking the Void and flipping the world.
There were five people surrounding Yang Kai, four of whom were old acquaintances. One of them was the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm female Disciple under Zuo Quan Hui, as well as Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch, Firm Gold Heavenly Monarch, and Blue Flame Heavenly Monarch. However, the last one was an elderly man Yang Kai was unfamiliar with.
Yang Kai guessed that he must be one of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union!
To fight one against five was a little strenuous, even for Yang Kai. Other than the woman, whose heritage was a little shallower, the rest of his enemies were all veteran Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and the World Force that they were exuding from their bodies was extremely rich and imposing. Each one of their Divine Abilities also contained great power.
If it were not for mastery of the Dao of Space and his Azure Dragon Spear’s might, Yang Kai would have long been defeated.
There was still a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters under the Sixth Order surrounding him in all directions, forming an impenetrable wall. Everyone was moving quickly, tightly surrounding the chaotic battlefield.
It was hard for these weaker cultivators to keep their positions under the fallout from the battle, so it wasn’t long before their vitality began roiling, shocking them greatly. If this was the aftershock of the battle, then how could they still survive if they were caught up in the real battle?
Huang Quan and the others were similarly shocked.
Last time, when they followed Zuo Quan Hui to ambush Yang Kai, they had not fought the latter head-on. Even though they knew that he was highly skilled, they did not know the true extent of Yang Kai’s strength.
However, they were finally able to fully realize how powerful he was at this moment.
His Azure Dragon Spear stabbed forward and retreated as quickly and unpredictably as a ghost, and it was simply impossible for them to catch its traces. Even while uniting their strength, they were unable to gain a decisive advantage. What’s more, they dripped with cold sweat each time they were faced with one of Yang Kai’s counterattacks.
Though on the surface, Yang Kai seemed like he was being suppressed and could do little to fight back, his every counterattack was wrapped in the aura of death, leaving the five people on their toes the whole fight.
Huang Quan and the other two from the Prison Star, as well as the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Heavenly Sword Union, struggled to keep Yang Kai in check as they tried to extend their advantage and simply hold him in place.
However, the Sixth-Order woman seemed to have gone crazy as she bombarded Yang Kai with attacks indiscriminately. Even her eyes were dyed crimson.
The scene of her Senior Brother Zhou Ti’s death had been haunting her for the past few months. With the killer in front of her, it was only natural that she would fly into a murderous rage, wanting nothing more than to rip Yang Kai’s corpse into 10,000 pieces and avenge her Senior Brother’s death.
Her reckless behaviour forced Huang Quan and the others to have to divert a large part of their energy in order to make up for the openings she left. They tried to give a few words of advice during the battle, but she simply was not listening to any of it.
Huang Quan and the others were almost going mad at this situation! They all felt miserable, as if someone was dragging them down despite all their best efforts in working together.
However, Huang Quan and the others did not dare allow her to get into any trouble; otherwise, they would have no way of explaining themselves to Zuo Quan Hui.
“Yang Kai, you killed my Senior Brother, and now I must take your life to avenge him!” The woman gnashed her teeth and screamed at him after a failed strike, but her hands did not stop moving as she continued, releasing her World Force recklessly.
Yang Kai raised his spear to block her assault before replying with a barrage of thrusts, pushing against his five opponents all at once. Gaining some breathing room, he snickered and taunted, “Is your Senior Brother the one called Zhou Ti? Hm, let me think about how he died… That’s right, I burned him to death with Golden Crow’s True Fire, and your Honoured Master, Zuo Quan Hui did nothing but watch! He should have been able to save him, but he didn’t, do you know why?”
The woman’s eyes became even redder, and there seemed to be tears welling up in them. She could not help but recall the scene of Zhou Ti’s demise, and his pitiful screams and pleas for help were still echoing in her ears. Tears quickly blurred her vision, but her moves continued to grow in ferocity.
“Don’t listen to his nonsense, he’s just trying to distract you!” Huang Quan yelled.
“It’s because your pathetic Honoured Master was trying to protect himself from further injury!” Yang Kai was fighting one moment and retreating the next, laughing wantonly, “If he saved Zhou Ti, then his injuries would become more serious; however, he could have done it if he wanted to. I’m not a match for him after all!”
“I’ll kill you!” The woman’s World Force was fluctuating violently, clearly showing her disturbed mood. She also separated from the rhythm of the other four and lunged straight at Yang Kai.
A cold light flashed past Yang Kai’s eyes, and the Azure Dragon Spear was thrust out at an unpredictable angle. A black dot the size of a bean suddenly appeared at the tip of the spear. Space Principles flared as he thrust out towards the woman.
Rupture!
“Watch out!” Huang Quan had been vigilantly guarding the woman the whole time, so he immediately unleashed a Divine Ability towards Yang Kai as soon as the woman made her move.
Jin Gang and Cang Yan both hastened to remedy the situation as well while the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Heavenly Sword Union blasted out a Divine Ability towards Yang Kai, attempting to save the woman by forcing the enemy back!
In a chaotic exchange of blows, the mighty powers of Divine Abilities exploded all around. Yang Kai’s face had turned slightly pale and he retreated 100 kilometres back, suppressing the blood that was roiling up inside of his chest.
Huang Quan and the others were guarding the Sixth-Order woman and confronting Yang Kai from a distance, but all of them were covered in a cold sweat.
If they had not rescued her at that moment, then Zuo Quan Hui’s female Disciple would have been severely injured if not dead. Cursing inside their hearts that sure enough, women were the source of all trouble, they still did not dare to loosen their guard.
It was at that moment that a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from deep inside Flying Smoke Territory. The aura was clearly very far away, yet it could clearly be felt by everyone here.
“The Divine Monarch has come!” Huang Quan and the others were all overjoyed. They knew that Zuo Quan Hui, who was recuperating in retreat all this while, must have sensed the energy fluctuations from their battle and rushed over to support them.
Yang Kai’s face darkened. Looking up towards the source of that aura, he could vaguely see a huge illusory phantom closing in rapidly, and that phantom was a terrifying face that was large enough to cover half the void.
He sighed. He had originally planned to take down another one of Zuo Quan Hui’s generals even if he were to suffer an injury while doing so, but now it seemed like that was impossible. Zuo Quan Hui was coming, and he had to make his escape now.
After glaring at Huang Quan and the others, Yang Kai turned around and left.
“Stop him!” Huang Quan shouted as he already began rushing in Yang Kai’s direction. As long as they could keep Yang Kai here, then when Zuo Quan Hui arrived, he would definitely be killed without a doubt.
“Those who stand in my way must die!” Yang Kai raised his spear and thrust it out. A spear aura blossomed, and screams of agony broke out among the many Open Heaven Realm Masters surrounding him.
Those Open Heaven Realm Masters who were surrounding the fight were all under the Sixth Order, so how could they hope to block Yang Kai’s path?
A hole was opened up before him, leaving a dozen corpses drifting across the void while the rest of the group fled in all directions with frightened faces.
By the time Huang Quan and the others rushed over, Yang Kai had already plunged straight into the Territory Gate and disappeared, leaving Huang Quan and the others with helpless looks on their faces.
They did not have the guts to follow him into Void Territory. Who knew whether Yang Kai would suddenly turn his spear back against them if they travelled to the other side? If they went in under such circumstances, it would be no different than stepping through the gates of Hell.
After standing quietly in place for an incense stick, Zuo Quan Hui finally arrived. Sweeping a glance around the wreckage, he coldly snorted.
Huang Quan and the others all hung their heads, not daring to speak.
“Where did Yang Kai come from?” Zuo Quan Hui asked.
They all looked at each other, but all of them shook their heads, not knowing the answer. They never thought that Yang Kai would show up in Flying Smoke Territory, either. If they had thought of this possibility, then they would have been more vigilant.
“Wastes!” Zuo Quan Hui cursed angrily.
Many of the Open Heaven Realm Masters did not dare to raise their heads after being scolded by Zuo Quan Hui. They had their complaints, but considering that Zuo Quan Hui’s mood had been terrible recently, none of them dared to make a sound.
Zuo Quan Hui had an angry fit by himself before he flicked his sleeve and left.
Seeing that he did not insist on chasing Yang Kai into Void Territory, Huang Quan and the others breathed sighs of relief. Inside, they regretted that they ever joined Zuo Quan Hui in the first place, and now they had to suffer his temper just after being freed from the Prison Star. The gains simply did not make up for the losses.
Inside Void Territory, Yang Kai stopped to observe the Star City from afar.
The dock was as bustling as ever; however, while there were people lining up to enter the Star City in the past, this time, it was people in the Star City who were lining up to leave.
Of course, there were still those who were entering the Star City, but the number was very small, which was extremely inconsistent with the previous situation at the Star City.
Yang Kai had expected this, but he did not expect the situation to develop so quickly. It seemed that no ordinary great force dared to provoke Thousand Cranes Paradise or Zuo Quo Quan Hui.
When Yang Kai appeared at the Void Dock, Jin Yuan Lang, who was responsible for overseeing this area, immediately came over to greet him. With a worried expression, he cupped his fist, “Sect Master!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly in response, “Let’s talk somewhere quiet.”
“Follow me, Sect Master.” Jin Yuan Lang gestured with his hand and led Yang Kai into a quiet room.
Before Yang Kai could speak, Jin Yuan Lang sputtered, “Sect Master, that Zuo Quan Hui has released news that he is now absolutely irreconcilable with our Void Land, and vows to raze our Sect to the ground. When the merchants in the Star City heard the news, many of them began scrambling to leave.”
“I saw.” Yang Kai nodded, “How long has it been since the message was released? How many have left?”
Jin Yuan Lang thought for a moment, “The news came out more than a month ago, and now, 10% of the merchants have left Void Star City. I’m afraid that number will only grow. The Governor has sent word that many businesses in the Star City are packing up to leave.”
“We’re not making it difficult for these merchants who are trying to leave, are we?” Yang Kai asked.
Jin Yuan Land shook his head, “Second Manager said that we cannot force them to stay if they have the intention to leave. So, all of them have been allowed to pass freely. That is why they are only checked routinely at the dock and released without any trouble.”
“Second Manager did well,” Yang Kai praised.
The people in the Star City were all from different great forces, both big and small, so it was only natural that they would fear a High-Rank Open Heaven Master like Zuo Quan Hui. If Void Land tried to force them to stay, then it would only draw criticism and ire, so they might as well just let everyone leave on good terms.
“But Sect Master, if this goes on, then the foundation of the Star City will be shaken. The popularity that we have built up with so much effort will all go up into smoke.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “It’s not that serious! There will be businesses that won’t leave.” After a pause, he added, “How many merchants do you think will stay?”
Jin Yuan Lang shook his head, “That is hard for me to say. I am only in charge of watching over the Void Dock. Sect Master should seek Governor Mo for such questions!”
Void Star City had a Governor’s Office, where Mo Mei was assuming command.
As they were talking, they heard Mo Mei’s voice emerge, “We should be able to keep about 30% of them, possibly less.”
Yang Kai looked over and saw Mo Mei walking in, then bowing elegantly, “Welcome back, Sect Master.”
Yang Kai nodded and gestured towards a seat, “Sit.”
Mo Mei took her seat and explained, “My subordinates informed me that Sect Master appeared at the dock, so I came over to take a look. Has Sect Master’s trip been fruitful?”
Yang Kai left half a year ago without raising any noise, but the higher-ups of Void Land were still made aware of his movements, so they all knew that he had gone to the Black Prison to seek out Luan Bai Feng.
“It was a decent harvest.” Yang Kai nodded and smiled, “I brought back many good things from this trip.”
Mo Mei’s eyes lit up and she giggled, “Sure enough, nothing is impossible for Sect Master.”
“It was just luck,” Yang Kai waved his hand casually, “Let’s talk about the Star City. How can you tell that 30% will stay?”
Speaking of business, Mo Mei’s expression also turned serious, “Of course, there are merchants in the Star City who are afraid of Zuo Quan Hui and Thousand Cranes Paradise’s resounding presence, and do not think highly of our Void Land; however, as merchants, there are still those with the instinct to pursue profit. That is why there will still be brave ones who will remain. We will have to see what happens. Besides, not all are afraid of Zuo Quan Hui. There are a few who do not put him in their eyes, such as Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Temple and Asura Cave Heaven’s Asura Arena.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. The ones behind these two businesses were both Cave Heavens, so there was indeed no need for them to fear a measly Zuo Quan Hui.
“The rise of our Void Star City is due to the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, a Spirit Pill that only we can sell. There will always be people who will stay, so 30% is my estimate, though I can’t be sure.” Mo Mei smiled, “Still, the Star City’s popularity will take a plunge with so many merchants leaving, and before the conflict with Zuo Quan Hui is resolved, it will be impossible for us to restore our previous prosperity.”
“No matter. Even though this Star City is my Void Land’s foundation, we have still accumulated a lot of supplies over the years. It should be enough for us to use for a short period of time. As long as we win this war, the Star City’s popularity will be restored sooner or later.”
“Sect Master is right!” Mo Mei nodded, “Second Manager had also gathered us to discuss this matter. With the resources that Void Land has accumulated up until now, there is no need for us to worry for the next few years.”
“The next few years?” Yang Kai nodded lightly. He had brought enough materials for 10 people to break through to the Sixth Order during this trip. If the Great Emperors continued to do their best, then there was no reason for them not to be able to advance in the next few years. When that time came, Void Land would naturally gain the qualification to compete with Zuo Quan Hui.
“Sect Master, I have an idea,” Mo Mei looked at him.
“Speak.”
“The merchants in the Star City have signed contracts valid for differing numbers of years to rent the shops in the Star City. Now that they have left of their own accord, the contracts are naturally null and void. This will suddenly create an influx of unoccupied shops and stalls.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That is inevitable. What is your suggestion?”
Mo Mei smiled, “Naturally, I cannot solve the problem with the unoccupied shops, but for those who are willing to stay, can’t we provide them with some concessions and benefits, such as reducing their rent and taxes? At least, we should let them know that our Void Land is not ungrateful.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and agreed, “That’s a good idea. Also, if those who left ever want to return to the Star City, they will have to pay a higher rent and tax compared to the others.”
Mo Mei was surprised, “Would… Would that not backfire?”
Yang Kai laughed, “The Star City belongs to our Void Land. They can come if they want to, but if they don’t then no one will force them. There’s nothing wrong with this arrangement.”
Every step in a First Class Star City was paved with gold, and it was very difficult for a great force to rent shops in good locations. Void Star City had the qualifications to be called First Class and it had taken them several expansions to get to their current size. In the past, those merchants would fight desperately for the best locations. Now that Void Land was suffering external problems, those merchants were free to leave, but if they wished to return, then they would have to accommodate Void Land’s mood.
Mo Mei smiled, “You are the Sect Master, so your word is law. I will arrange for someone to take care of it.”
Yang Kai nodded, “En, go.”
Once Mo Mei left, Yang Kai turned back to Jin Yuan Lang, “For those who wish to leave, there is no need to denounce them. Just let them all go. Sooner or later, they will come crawling back.”
Jin Yuan Lang cupped his fist, “This subordinate will obey!”
The situation in the Star City was not stable right now, but there was also no need for Yang Kai to pay too much attention to it. When an external threat makes its presence known, everyone has the innate instinct to protect themselves.
Getting up and walking out, Yang Kai looked up into the void. This fight had just begun!
Void Land was surrounded in a grim atmosphere. Everyone was desperately cultivating so that they could play their part in the approaching great war.
For the disciples with lower cultivation, this was a battle that would determine Void Land’s fate, and the fighting could break out at any moment. Their cultivation was not high, but they were willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of Void Land.
Yang Kai worked hard to bring them out of the Star Boundary and gave them the chance to see the vast and colourful world of the Outer Universe, giving them a place to reside and a peaceful environment to cultivate.
Now, someone wanted to destroy that; nobody was willing to let it happen. Anyone who wished to do so would have to do it over their dead bodies!
Surprisingly, a month went past, but everything remained peaceful. Two months, then three months passed, but it was still the same!
However, that was just what Void Land’s disciples wanted, more time to cultivate, though the supplies that were being handed to them each time grew smaller and smaller.
The Star City’s population had taken a serious hit, and each day, large droves of merchants left. Now, Void Star City was no longer the bustling city it once was. Walking through the Star City, the traffic was sparse, and most businesses were shut down.
In a matter of months, Void Star City had lost more than 70% of its initial tenants, which was higher than Mo Mei’s initial estimate.
Its popularity plummeted and the merchants left, which meant that the Star City’s income was significantly reduced, and the rate at which it could gather cultivation resources also slowed greatly.
Even though the Star City had accumulated a good amount of wealth for Void Land, it would not last them for more than a few years at this rate. In order to plan for the future, Bian Yu Qing, the Second Manager of Void Land, had no choice but to ration cultivational resources.
A large amount of supplies were given to those who were expected to advance into the Open Heaven Realm within a short time, such as the Great Emperors and Pseudo-Great Emperors, so it was only natural that disciples with lower cultivation were being allocated less now.
The more than 10,000 materials that Yang Kai brought back from the Black Prison entered Void Land’s treasury, relieving their resource woes for the near future. Bian Yu Qing was especially pleased and surprised at the Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials he brought that were enough for ten peoples’ use.
Including the three sets that Void Land had originally, they now had enough resources to help 13 cultivators advance directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and it was foreseeable that more than a dozen Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would appear in Void Land soon.
Not to mention the fact that the mining operation was still going on back at the Black Prison. The Ore Star that Yang Kai spent a lot of effort bringing back from the Black Territory’s depths would grant them plenty of resources in the coming two to three years. Void Land’s material situation would be greatly improved once the ore slaves in the Black Prison had finished mining that half of the Ore Star.
The fact that Zuo Quan Hui has remained quiet for months without any intention of attacking Void Land all but confirmed Yang Kai’s theory that the former intended to wage a protracted war against Void Land.
This was exactly what Yang Kai hoped to see. Void Land had only been around for a short time, and what it needed most was time. The disciples needed time to grow, and the Great Emperors also needed time to break through.
For any other great force, they would definitely be forced into a very passive situation under such circumstances. Once their Star City’s population fell into a slump and without enough resources to support them, any great force would sooner or later run out of supplies even if they did nothing but wait idly. Then, they would have to find ways to go out and find resources to continue cultivating.
This time could be as long as 5, 10, 20, or even 50 years…
Zuo Quan Hui could afford to wait! Open Heaven Realm Masters had extremely long lifespans, so even 100 years was just a snap of one’s fingers, let alone to plot against a rising great force like Void Land. In Zuo Quan Hui’s estimation, it would take at most 5 years to cripple Void Land financially. Then, without resources to cultivate, Void Land’s members would fall into disarray and be at his mercy.
So, he need not block all the Territory Gates into Void Territory. He only needed to put in an appearance and release the news to be able to cut off Void Land’s resources and put them on pins and needles!
Such a plan would work on any ordinary Second Class great force. If Zuo Quan Hui were to use this method against Heavenly Sword Union, it would not be able to hold up for long. Such was the influence wielded by a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. One man alone could stand against 10,000.
However, Void Land was no ordinary Second Class great force, and this was something that Zuo Quan Hui did not anticipate.
Inside his bed chamber, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, refining Open Heaven Pills while studying the mysteries of Space-Time Strength. Behind him, a Great Sun and round Moon rising and setting could be vaguely seen.
Sun and Moon Divine Wheel was a Divine Ability that he had discovered only after advancing into the Open Heaven Realm. In terms of raw power, it wasn’t much stronger than his Golden Crow Casts the Sun, but the new Space-Time Strength it exuded was extremely profound, and even he himself had barely scratched the surface of its mysteries.
If the Divine Ability was compared to the Divine Armaments of the Divine Armament World, that Golden Crow Casts the Sun was undoubtedly a top-class Divine Armament, easily able to pierce a hole through one’s body when stabbed.
Sun and Moon Divine Wheel could similarly be compared to a Divine Armament, but unlike Golden Crow Casts the Sun, Sun and Moon Divine Wheel was laced with poison! Not only could it pierce a hole through someone, it would also corrode their vitality on contact, which made it that much more powerful.
It had not been long since Yang Kai advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and he had done so by using a World Fruit. So, even though he gained great benefits from the Wind Spirits in the Astral Wind Divine Ability and from Yin-Yang Heaven’s Small Source World, increasing his heritage and making him much more powerful than ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was still a long way from advancing into the Seventh-Order.
Without advancing into the Seventh Order, there was no way for him to compete head-on with Zuo Quan Hui. The only weapon that Yang Kai had against Zuo Quan Hui right now was his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel. This was something that Golden Crow Casts the Sun had no way of comparing to.
When the war broke out in full with Zuo Quan Hui, Yang Kai would be the only one capable of dealing with him, which showed how crucial the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel’s existence was.
While stuffing Open Heaven Pills into his mouth, Yang Kai immersed himself in that Space-Time Strength, unable to extricate himself.
Right now, Void Land’s resources and supplies were under strict rationing with the full allocation rights handed over to Bian Yu Qing, who heavily skewed the flow of resources towards the cultivators who were nearing their advancement into the Open Heaven Realm so that they could ensure that they would have more Open Heaven Realm Masters on their side when the great war came.
In the coming battle, only Open Heaven Realm Masters would be qualified to participate. If the Emperor Realm cultivators went out, none of them would survive!
That meant that the Open Heaven Realm Masters could only use Open Heaven Realm Pills to cultivate. Even Void Land’s Lord, Yang Kai, was no exception.
Refining Open Heaven Pills was the least efficient method for an Open Heaven Realm Master to cultivate, but it was also the simplest and most common. Basically, no Open Heaven Realm Master could avoid refining large amounts of Open Heaven Pills during their lives.
Inside the Second Manager’s office, Bian Yu Qing, who had already been working hard for more than half a month, was rushing back and forth. As the steward of the entire Void Land, Bian Yu Qing was usually busy enough, but the situation now had become even more serious due to the addition of both external and internal problems.
Previously, in High Heaven Sect, there was Hua Qing Si to take charge of the overall situation, and all she had to do was pick up the slack here and there. Now that they had come to Void Land and with Hua Qing Si still back in the Star Boundary, the burden was on her shoulders alone.
She had given a lot for the sake of Void Land, more than any other person. She could not even get any time for her own cultivation, which resulted in her seeing little growth despite all the time that had passed. She had not even been able to condense her Dao Seal yet.
However, she was happy to take on this responsibility.
If it was not for the support that Yang Kai gave her back then, she may have died long ago before even reaching the Emperor Realm. How could she even have the opportunity to see the sights of the Emperor Realm, much less gain such great power in her current status as Second Manager?
After consulting with Yang Kai, she selected a few apprentices from among the lower disciples and nurtured them to the greatest extent of her abilities so that they could share the managerial pressure with her.
Only, time was still short, and those few apprentices were not ready to take on real responsibilities yet.
Whenever this happened, she would inevitably think of Kou Wu. She could barely remember his face after all these years, but she would never forget the way that disciple who had sacrificed himself to protect her when she was in mortal danger.
If only Kou Wu were still alive, he would have become her greatest assistant!
She had barely sat down to rest for a half cup of tea’s time when a disciple rushed in, one of those that she had been training to become her right hand recently.
“What is it?” Despite her exhaustion, Bian Yu Qing still availed herself mentally. The situation in Void Land was very tense right now, and she could not afford to loosen up for even a moment.
The disciple blurted in a panic, “Something unusual has happened within Sect Master’s chambers!”
Bian Yu Qing’s exhaustion was tossed to the back of her mind and she rose with a start, “What happened?”
This was a matter concerning Yang Kai, so her heart jumped to her throat in an instant. If anything were to happen to Yang Kai, the pillar that held Void Land up, then Void Land’s foundation would truly be lost.
The disciple shook his head, “I’m not sure. I just saw it from afar when I was passing by. Second Manager should head over as soon as possible.”
Bian Yu Qing moved out without dallying for a moment, transforming into a bolt of light that shot towards Yang Kai’s chambers as quickly as possible.
Before she could even get close though, Bian Yu Qing saw the unusual situation witnessed by that disciple.
With Yang Kai’s room at the centre, the space in the surrounding area spanning a couple of dozen kilometres was in chaos. As if a mirror had been shattered and put back together by a child, light folded and interlaced, and everything inside of this warped region became distorted beyond recognition.
She could vaguely feel a profound aura coming from inside this altered space.
[What is going on!?] Bian Yu Qing was shocked. She could feel that the power fluctuations were extremely chaotic, but also extremely profound and mysterious.
When she extended her Divine Sense to investigate, she simply could not probe into what was going on inside. Instead, she only felt dazed and confused.
A number of disciples had already noticed the unusual scene and stopped to watch from afar, all of them with worried looks on their faces.
Bian Yu Qing did not dare to intrude, so she landed just outside the strange phenomenon. The chaotic Void entered her vision clearly as pieces of space folded in on themselves, twisting and reassembling themselves. Her vision was so blurred that she could not even see what was happening inside this anomaly.
*Shua…*
A figure suddenly landed beside her.
Bian Yu Qing turned her head to see Yue He and quickly called out, “Left Protector!”
Yue He’s face was grave. Obviously, she had heard what was going on and had rushed over to investigate.
Yue He nodded lightly and asked urgently, “Second Manager, what is going on?”
Bian Yu Qing shook her head, “I’ve only just arrived and I don’t know what’s going on either. Didn’t Sect Master say anything to you before going into retreat?”
“Nothing.” Yue He frowned anxiously, “It must just be an unusual cultivation session.”
“Left Protector can’t see anything either?” Bian Yu Qing was slightly shocked. Right now, she was only in the Emperor Realm, so it was normal for her to not be able to see what was going on inside; after all, she was lacking in insight and strength. However, if even the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Yue He could not see through the chaos, then the situation must be quite unusual.
[Could it be a cultivation dissonance?]
When that thought came up, Bian Yu Qing’s face went pale.
Yue He seemed to have realized her concern and comforted, “Don’t worry too much, it’s not what you think. Young Master is probably just comprehending something. En, hurry off to Dragon Son’ Peak and invite Senior Bi Xi to come. With his eyes, he should be able to see something.”
Bian Yu Qing nodded, “I’ll go at once.”
Two mature Divine Spirits resided in Void Land, Zhu Jiu Yin and Bi Xi. The former always secluded herself, having little to no interactions even with Yang Kai. Second Manager Bian Yu Qing could only meet Zhu Jiu Yin if the latter was in the mood. However, Bi Xi was different. Despite being a venerable Divine Spirit, he was very amiable. Bian Yu Qing would also visit Bi Xi occasionally. Knowing his temperament, it should not be difficult to invite him over.
After rushing to Dragon Sons’ Peak, she found Bi Xi, who was currently occupied with teaching Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong. After informing him about the situation, Bi Xi did not dare to dally either and rushed over to the site with her.
In just a few moments, Bi Xi arrived, dragged over by Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong.
“Senior!” Yue He bowed elegantly. Everyone in Void Land was very reverent and appreciative of this kind-hearted Divine Spirit.
“En,” Bi Xi answered and looked up ahead.
“Please take a look, Senior. What is going on over there with our Young Master?”
“No need to worry,” Bi Xi waved his hand and looked on solemnly. After a while, he made an exclamation of surprise. Staring straight at a certain spot in the void, he revealed a look of astonishment and surprise.
Yue He and Bian Yu Qing stood by, not knowing what he had seen, but not daring to speak up and interrupt him either.
Another while passed and Bi Xi suddenly raised his hand, probing the area in front.
In front of everyone’s eyes, when Bi Xi reached out into the chaotic space, his hand actually disappeared from everyone’s view out of nowhere.
A moment later, Bi Xi pulled his hand back. Neither Yue He nor Bian Yu Qing could hold themselves back from gasping in amazement because when Bi Xi’s hand reappeared, the old man’s wrinkly hand was wrapped in a crystal clear material similar to a layer of porcelain with a strange power surrounding it.
Bi Xi observed his hand for a moment and suddenly laughed, “Interesting.”
With a shake of his hand, the porcelain-like shine quickly faded, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
“Senior, is Young Master in any danger?” Yue He asked nervously.
Bi Xi mused, “It’s nothing you need to worry about. He is quite clearly comprehending some sort of Divine Ability or Secret Technique. En, it is most likely related to the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time, which is why such a bizarre spectacle has appeared.”
Yue He and Bian Yu Qing exchanged glances, then breathed sighs of relief.
“Keep an eye out on the situation and let me know if anything else unusual happens.” After saying that, Bi Xi led the two children back.
“Let me see you off, Senior!” Bian Yu Qing quickly offered.
After sending Bi Xi back, Bian Yu Qing hurriedly returned, dispersing the disciples who had gathered to watch the sights and ordering them to clear the area within several dozen kilometres of Yang Kai’s palace while she and Yue He kept a close eye on the situation here.
In the coming month or so, the space around Yang Kai’s home remained in a chaotic state of flux, but subtle changes did appear over time.
Yue He and Bian Yu Qing caught sight of very peculiar things in the chaotic space more than once. From time to time, visions of human figures would appear, and occasionally, it seemed like someone was fighting inside.
However, since time and space were in such chaos, nobody could see anything clearly. The two were not even sure whether what they saw was real or an illusion.
This situation continued for several more months.
One day, the strange occurrences suddenly disappeared, as if they had never even existed, restoring the local space to its original state.
Bian Yu Qing and Yue He, who had been keeping watch nearby all this time, exchanged glances before both of them made their way towards Yang Kai’s chambers.
Inside his room, Yang Kai opened his eyes, still deep in thought.
He had managed to gain a lot during this retreat. Since creating the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, he had not had the time to properly look into the mysteries contained within it; however, now that he had some free time, it was just right for him to perfect this Divine Ability.
However, Yang Kai discovered a problem when he reached this point. His understanding of the Dao of Time lagged behind his understanding of the Dao of Space.
After all, the Dao of Space was his foundation, and though he dared not say that his grasp of it was perfect, it was as good as it could be for his current realm.
His Dao Seal had been condensed with the Dao of Space as its foundation, which later became the foundation for his Small Universe.
However, it was different for the Dao of Time. Yang Kai had cultivated the Time Flies Seal Divine Ability many years ago, but only superficially understood the Dao of Time. Later, when he arrived at the ruins of the ancient battlefield between Flowing Time Great Emperor and Great Demon God, he witnessed the reverberations left behind from their great battle, gaining much inspiration from it.
After a successful advancement into the Open Heaven Realm, the Sun rose and the Moon set in an endless cycle within his Small Universe. The passing of time became far more vivid and enabled him to take a great leap forward in his comprehension of the Dao of Time.
However, when all was said and done, his proficiency in it still could not compare with his mastery of the Dao of Space.
If he were to divide comprehension of the Daos he held into different categories, then from lowest to highest, it would be arranged something like Superficial Contact, Peering Through the Doors, Taking Initial Steps, Traversing a Familiar Path, Attaining Mastery Through Comprehensive Understanding, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary, Standing Above All Others Within Sight, Summiting the Peak, Transcending the Mundane, and eventually Shocking History and Amazing the Present!
In comparison, Yang Kai had barely reached the seventh level of mastery in his Dao of Space, possibly touching upon the eighth.
However, he was only barely at the fourth level of mastery when it came to the Dao of Time, and that was only thanks to the special good fortune of his Small Universe; otherwise, he would likely be stuck in the second level.
Space-Time Strength was a mix of two different Principal Strengths, so the difference in Yang Kai’s grasp on the Dao of Space and Dao of Time limited the power he could display. He could only exert Space-Time Strength equal to his level of mastery over the Dao of Time when he executed the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel.
This was similar to advancing into the Open Heaven Realm. A barrel could only hold as much water as the shortest plank of wood it was made from.
If Yang Kai was able to raise his grasp of the Dao of Time, then the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel would definitely become even stronger.
After months of study, Yang Kai finally saw the path extending towards the Grand Dao, and his eyes glowed!
He had not been prepared to spend so much time on the Dao of Time as comprehending a Grand Dao relied on both quality and quantity. The Dao of Space alone was enough for him to study for a lifetime, so if he wasted his time on studying and cultivating the Dao of Time, it may not necessarily give him any benefits. However, now it seemed that he truly had to spend some effort studying it.
This was the only way he could increase his strength within a short amount of time.
And, it was not too difficult to cultivate the Dao of Time. Flowing Time Great Emperor also made his name as a Great Emperor through his mastery over the Dao of Time and currently, his two Legacy Disciples lived in Void Land, as did the Flowing Time Temple which contained his inheritance!
What was more, Yang Kai could loosely be described as an in-name Disciple of Flowing Time Great Emperor.
In fact, Flowing Time Great Emperor had split his mastery over the Dao of Time that he passed on in his inheritance. Doing this would result in less immediate benefits to his Disciples, but it would also allow them to better understand their own abilities and shortcomings, which would allow them to set their own course.
Yang Kai had never encountered another Master who had split their mastery over a Grand Dao with such detail before.
Now enlightened, Yang Kai got up and slowly walked out.
As soon as the door was open, he was greeted by the worried gazes of Yue He and Bian Yu Qing.
Yang Kai had long felt their presence, so he was not surprised to see them waiting outside and gently nodded, “I managed to discover some things, but it seems I’ve made you worry.”
“Young Master seems to have made good progress,” Yue He smiled. She could feel subtle changes in Yang Kai’s aura after not seeing him for the past few months, but she could not say what those changes were.
“It was decent!” Yang Kai nodded lightly and asked, “How has Void Land been doing?”
Bian Yu Qing hurried forward to report to him. When he heard that everything was fine and that Zuo Quan Hui had not made any unusual moves, Yang Kai put his heart at ease.
More than 10 months had passed since Zuo Quan Hui blocked off the Territory Gate, but he never mobilized his troops during this time, only making his presence known in Flying Smoke Territory and putting pressure on Void Land.
Yang Kai knew that this guy was wary of Zhu Jiu Yin’s presence, but Yang Kai was also happy that the other side remained idle.
“There are two things that I must tell Sect Master.”
“En, go ahead.” Yang Kai nodded as he walked outside.
Bian Yu Qing hurried over to follow him and reported, “Firstly, someone called Xin Peng has come from the Black Territory, saying that it was under Sect Master’s instructions to deliver supplies here every six months.”
Yang Kai raised his brow, “How did he get here? Where is he now?”
When he was returning from the Black Territory, Yang Kai himself had been stopped on his way back through Flying Smoke Territory. If Xin Peng managed to reach Void Territory, then it was likely he came from a different route.
Bian Yu Qing said, “He has already returned. It seems like he came over from a different Great Territory, but he brought a lot of good things with him.”
Yang Kai glanced at her and smiled, “If even Second Manager says they are good, then it must really be good.”
“There were two Sixth-Order Yin Element materials and one Yang Element material. Besides that, there were 34 Sixth-Order materials of other Elements, 262 Fifth-Order materials, and over a thousand below the Fifth-Order.”
“So much!” Yang Kai was visibly moved.
Despite knowing that the Ore Star that he brought back from the Black Territory’s depths was sure to hold great riches, he never thought that it would be so bountiful. It had only been half a year, so how much would they be able to obtain if the entire half of the Ore Star was mined out?
And that was merely half of an Ore Star. What would happen if he could mine all of the Ore Stars in the Black Territory?
“There were even two Seventh-Order materials!” Bian Yu Qing added.
Yang Kai’s brow jumped upon hearing that, but then he felt a twang of regret.
The half-an Ore Star he had brought back from the Black Territory’s depths had been ground down by a great amount when it was pushed into the Killing Array, and he had no idea how many of its resources were lost during that ordeal, especially the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order ones.
However, this was the only way things could be done if Yang Kai wanted to mine those Black Stones. Those ore slaves were simply unable to hold up for long in the depths of the Black Territory.
With no way to deal with the strange aura permeating the depths of Black Prison, they would inevitably incur losses when mining the Ore Stars located there.
The amount of resources that Xin Peng brought over on this trip could not be described as large, but the quality was excellent.
Without even mentioning the two Seventh-Order materials, there were a total of 34 Sixth-Order materials alone, with two Sixth-Order Yin and one Yang Element materials!
The latter were exactly the materials that Void Land was most in need of right now!
For the current Void Land, this was not exactly big news, but it was not small news either; however, knowledge about Xin Peng’s visit was limited to only a few people.
“What else?” Yang Kai gathered himself and asked.
“Gathering Yuan Union’s Young Union Master, Lu Jing came to visit a month ago, and has been waiting for Sect Master to exit retreat since his arrival.”
Yang Kai raised his brow, showing a look of surprise. At this juncture, almost over 70% of the Star City’s merchants had left. Even for those who chose to remain, a good many of them were still on the fence. The great forces with cooperative relationships with Void Land were all wishing they could cut off contact lest they draw unwanted fire to themselves.
[Why would Lu Jing rush over here to see me during this time? Is he acting in the Gathering Yuan Union’s name or is he here by himself?]
“Is he alone or with someone else?” Yang Kai asked.
Bian Yu Qing responded, “Apart from a few guards, he is alone.”
Yang Kai nodded, now having an understanding of the situation.
An hour later, inside the reception hall, Yang Kai met Lu Jing. After exchanging pleasantries, they took their seats.
“Brother Lu, what can I help you with on this visit?” Yang Kai looked at him curiously after taking a sip of tea.
Lu Jing responded with some awkwardness, “I have failed to make good on Senior Brother Yang’s favour, and I originally did not have the face to return because of that, but I had to come regardless because I owe Senior Brother a life-saving grace.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, “Why are you talking about that?”
Lu Jing said, “I have spoken to my Father about Senior Brother’s proposal. Originally, he seemed quite interested, but… things changed!”
He sighed deeply with a helpless expression on his face.
Yang Kai smiled, “That’s how business is. There is no need for it to sour our relationship just because the deal did not go through, so pay it no mind, Brother Lu.”
Last time, when Lu Jing came by, Yang Kai tried using distribution rights for the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill as a bargaining chip in order to negotiate a deal with Gathering Yuan Union. Originally, he figured that since Gathering Yuan Union’s merchant ships were spread across the 3,000 Worlds, it would surely not be difficult for them to gather up some rarer resources. If Gathering Yuan Union could truly help him acquire the Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials that he needed, then Void Land would not be at a disadvantage even if they exchanged some Heavenly Yuan Stabilizing Pills for them.
At that time, Void Land and Zuo Quan Hui had not broken out into a full confrontation yet.
Though less than a year had passed since then, things had changed greatly. Void Land fought a great battle against Zuo Quan Hui and his Disciples, in which Zhou Ti was killed. Zuo Quan Hui subsequently became Heavenly Sword Union’s Union Master then spread word of his feud with Void Land far and wide. Anyone who was slightly well-informed would naturally have found out about what happened.
Gathering Yuan Union was a mercantile-based Sect, so it was only natural for them to be very well-informed, which explained why Lu Jing said that things had changed. Even though his Father was interested in the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, he also had to watch out for the stance of Zuo Quan Hui and Thousand Cranes Paradise behind him. So, how could he dare to work with Void Land at such a time?
However, Yang Kai did not care about that anymore. After heading to the Black Prison and bringing so many resources back, Void Land’s immediate needs had already been satisfied, so they did not have to worry about cooperating with Gathering Yuan Union anymore.
Lu Jing looked even more embarrassed now and hung his head low, “Senior Brother Yang’s generosity is admirable.”
Yang Kai waved his hand and laughed, “Brother Lu is exaggerating,” Without the harvest from the Black Territory, he may have been slightly disappointed by how things turned out. However, with the Black Territory as a backup for resource production, the problem he had, had already been solved.
Lu Jing raised his head and cupped his fist, “Additionally, I have also come with a request.”
Yang Kai sat up straight and gestured for him to continue, “Pray tell, Brother Lu.”
Lu Jing said, “I would like to rent some shops in Void Star City and open a Trade Company.”
Yang Kai’s face became serious, “Is this Brother Lu’s idea, your Father’s, or Gathering Yuan Union’s?”
Moving into Void Star City was not a good choice in these times. There was no need to mention the merchants who stayed since they were originally established in Void Star City to begin with. Whether they left or stayed, Zuo Quan Hui was in no position to question or rebuke them for their choice.
However, to move in at this juncture would likely be interpreted by outsiders as a gesture of goodwill towards Void Land, which was no different than drawing fire upon oneself! There was no way that a business alliance as large as Gathering Yuan Union would not be able to see that.
Lu Jing responded, “This has nothing to do with my Father or Gathering Yuan Union. I am solely responsible for this decision.”
Yang Kai looked deeply at him, clearly not believing him. Despite being the Young Union Master, Lu Jing’s cultivation was still only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. If his Father had any objections to this idea, he had thousands of ways to keep Lu Jing from acting. How could he possibly have allowed his son to wade into these muddy waters?
Since Lu Jing was here, then someone must be supporting him from behind. As a whole, Gathering Yuan Union likely would not support him in such a move. In which case, that must mean that as the Union Master of Gathering Yuan Union, his Father had at least given his tacit agreement for Lu Jing to proceed.
Doing things this way, however, meant that even if Void Land were to ultimately lose the war, Zuo Quan Hui would have no reason or be in any position to give Gathering Yuan Union any trouble.
It was not appropriate to speak about such matters openly, but it was fine as long as all involved understood the subtleties of the situation. As a result, Lu Jing was not deliberately trying to deceive Yang Kai.
After a short pause, Yang Kai said, “Brother Lu, you should know what the current situation is like in my Void Land. Coming to our Star City at a time like this is not the best choice.”
Lu Jing smiled, “I understand what Senior Brother Yang is trying to say, but for a merchant, danger also signifies opportunity, does it not?” He winked playfully at Yang Kai as he said so.
“Well, as long as you’ve made up your mind,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Lu Jing was no child. As a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and the Young Union Master of Gathering Yuan Union, he could make his own judgements and decisions. There was no need to coddle him with advice.
Receiving Yang Kai’s agreement, Lu Jing perked up and asked, “Senior Brother Yang, how many shops can you offer me here in Void Star City?”
Yang Kai laughed, “How many does Brother Lu want?”
Lu Jing said generously, “The more the better, naturally. The best would be if you could offer me a whole street or two.”
Now, Yang Kai was even more sure that Gathering Yuan Union’s Union Master was behind this move; otherwise, Lu Jing would not have the guts to make such a big request.
“You really don’t hold back!” Yang Kai laughed. After some thought, he continued, “I will contact the Governor’s Mansion about this matter later, then you can go there and discuss it with Governor Mo yourself. Right now, the Star City has many empty shops to offer, so we will definitely be able to satisfy your requests.”
“In that case, Many thanks, Senior Brother Yang.” Overjoyed, Lu Jing stood up at once to bow, “There’s no time to lose, I will head to the Governor’s Mansion at once!”
Clearly, he was also eager and impatient to start his own business. And, Void Star City was a place with the opportunity for him to do so.
“I will send someone to go with you,” Yang Kai contacted Bian Yu Qing and had her arrange for someone to take Lu Jing over to the Star City.
Naturally, Lu Jing thanked him again. While waiting for his escort to arrive, Lu Jing added, “By the way, Senior Brother Yang. About the things you were looking for last time… Gathering Yuan Union is unable to provide you with them for now, but I do know of two places that are rich with Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials.”
Yang Kai asked with great interest, “Oh? Where?”
Lu Jing casually blurted, “The first place is the Black Prison. Yang Kai should have met a woman named Luan Bai Feng before, yes?”
Yang Kai burst out in laughter inwardly, but on the surface, he kept calm and nodded repeatedly, “Yes, more than once.”
“Then that makes things easy. The Black Prison produces something called Black Stone, and these Black Stones can contain cultivation materials of all different Orders and Elements. If Senior Brother Yang could take over the Black Prison, then you will naturally have no need to worry about cultivation materials anymore.” Lu Jing looked at him, “Only… There are many Natural Arrays all over the Black Prison. Even though Luan Bai Feng is only in the Sixth Order, not even a Seventh-Order Master can best her inside the Black Prison because of her mastery over the Dao of Spirit Arrays. If Senior Brother Yang is truly interested, then you must be careful of Luan Bai Feng.”
“I know a thing or two about the Black Prison’s situation,” Yang Kai nodded. Inside, he thought to himself, [Not only do I know about it, I just came back from the Black Prison recently after carrying out an Ore Star from its depths!]
After a pause, Yang Kai asked, “What about the other place?”
Lu Jing’s expression became a bit serious when he mentioned the Black Prison and Luan Bai Feng. Clearly, he knew the oddities present within the Black Prison as well as Luan Bai Feng’s strength. However, his face turned even more serious when he continued, “Has Senior Brother Yang heard of the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer?”
Yang Kai’s face also turned solemn, “Chaos gives rise to Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang give rise to the Four Symbols, Ancestors of all Divine Spirits, Burning Light and Serene Glimmer?”
According to ancient legends, at the beginning of existence, there was only Chaos, which later gave rise to Yin and Yang, which became the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer, the oldest Divine Spirits in the world.
It was only after the two beasts transformed into the Four Symbols that Divine Spirits like the Dragons and the Phoenixes appeared.
It could be said that the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer were the progenitors of all Divine Spirits. That was to say, they were the shared ancestors of all Divine Spirits!
These two were terrifying existences that were highly likely to be even stronger than the Giant Spirit Gods.
Back then, Yang Kai obtained a Divine Spirit Record which listed the ranking of all the Divine Spirits in the 3,000 Worlds. The book listed the Dragons and the Phoenixes at the top, but the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s introductions appeared at the very beginning of the manuscript. Only, the author of the book did not believe that these two beasts still existed in this world, and that was why the Dragon and Phoenix Clans were ranked first.
Yang Kai was surprised when he read this, but he did not think much of it.
The one who really brought up the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer to him later was the Proprietress!
At that time, Yang Kai was looking to advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm directly and was in search of a source of High-Rank Yin and Yang Element materials. That was when the Proprietress brought out her Universe Chart for him to see. Inside the Universe Chart, there were several Great Territories that were blank, without the markings of any great force. Not even Universe Worlds existed there.
According to the Proprietress, those Great Territories used to be thriving places, but the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer were naturally opposing forces. Since fire and water did not mix, the continuous clash between the two eventually tore those Great Territories apart.
The Great Territories then became areas forbidden for all life, Dead Territories so to speak. Whether it be a Seventh-Order or even Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, none could survive after they entered that place, so nobody had any idea what the situation was inside of these Dead Territories. Even the Proprietress herself had only heard others mention rumours about them, and there was simply no way of confirming whether the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer truly existed.
Naturally, Yang Kai would not dare to provoke existences as terrifying as them. Even Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters went silent after entering the Chaotic Dead Territory. He was only a trivial Emperor Realm Master back then, so how could he dare to have any extravagant thoughts about them?
However, he never thought that he would once again hear the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer’s names, this time from Lu Jing!
It was clear that though Lu Jing’s cultivation was low, he was still well-informed.
As Yang Kai’s thoughts began to drift, he heard Lu Jing say, “The Burning Light and Serene Glimmer were born of opposing attributes and fought incessantly, filling the void with the Elements, Yin and Yang. It was said that Yin and Yang Element materials condense in places where they have passed, and are of a very high quality at that!”
“Is this news reliable?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed. It was not that he did not trust Lu Jing, but how could Lu Jing know something that even the Proprietress could not find out?
Sure enough, Lu Jing laughed embarrassedly, “I have only heard someone else mention it. Maybe it was just a rumour. After all, nobody has seen it for themselves.”
Yang Kai thought to himself, [if you’re not sure, then why say it?]
However, Lu Jing was clearly only trying to give Yang Kai a hint. It was up to Yang Kai to decide what he wanted to do with that information.
Within a few moments, Bian Yu Qing brought someone over, and Yang Kai sent Lu Jing out. There was no need for him to worry about anything happening at the Star City since Mo Mei was there to take care of it.
For now, allowing Lu Jing to build up a new Trade Company in the Star City may not be of much use to Void Land, but in the long run, it could help with leveraging the power of those supporting Lu Jing from behind, Gathering Yuan Union. After the fight here was over, the Star City would begin to develop again, and this would be of great benefit to both sides.
After Lu Jing’s side was settled, Yang Kai headed to Water Spirit Land without delay.
A large number of people that were brought over from the Star Boundary were housed in Water Spirit Land, including members of the Dragon Clan. There was a huge lake in Water Spirit Land, and at the very centre of that lake hovered a palace that was just like an island.
Yang Kai moved to the front of the palace and looked up, where he saw the characters ‘Flowing Time Temple’ shining brightly.
A white shadow rushed out of the main entrance and ran circles around Yang Kai like a puppy, saying excitedly, “Adoptive Father, what are you doing here?”
Another beautiful figure appeared subsequently from the Flowing Time Temple, standing gracefully and smiling at Yang Kai, bowing, “Big Brother.”
Two more rushed out of the Flowing Time Temple, one a beautiful girl, and the other, a fierce elderly man with an unkind frown. It was Liu Yan and Qiong Qi.
“Master!” Liu Yan called out to him softly.
“En!” Yang Kai responded. Then, slapping his palm down, he stopped Yang Xiao who was turning circles around him, instantly freezing him in place.
After rubbing Yang Xiao’s head, his white hair became a mess. Yang Kai beckoned, “Let’s talk inside.” Then, grabbing Yang Xiao by the scruff, he carried him inside.
Yang Xiao’s calves trembled, and he looked to Yang Xue for help, but the latter stuck out her tongue at him. As the brightest star of the Dragon Clan’s younger generation, Yang Xiao was afraid of next to nothing beneath the Heavens. Even Great Elder Zhu Yan and Second Elder Fu Zhun, his true parents, could do nothing about him. The Dragon Clan’s two Great Elders had once thought their son could never be born, and had subsequently spent many, many years mourning their loss, so when he finally was born, they doted on him greatly. How could they even think of restraining him?
The only one the boy feared was Yang Kai.
Since arriving in the Outer Universe, Yang Kai had been busy all year-round and had little time to spare, so the two did not see each other often.
Yang Xiao had no idea what his Adoptive Father had come to do this time, but he could not think about what he had done wrong during this recent period either. At most, he pulled a single hair from Old Man Bi Xi’s beard when he was receiving a lesson from him…
[That old man didn’t tell on me, did he?] Yang Xiao’s heart was beating in fear.
“Adoptive Father, have some tea!” Yang Xiao was very attentive after entering the Flowing Time Temple and offered up tea on his own initiative.
Yang Kai glanced at him and took a seat without standing on ceremony while the other three stood in front of him. After accepting the tea and taking a sip, he put on the dignified air as an Adoptive Father and asked straightforwardly, “How has your cultivation been going?”
Yang Xiao hurriedly answered, “I have been to Senior Bi Xi’s home frequently, listening to his lectures about refining one’s bloodline. It feels like I learned a lot.”
Yang Kai nodded and put down his teacup, “Then tell me more about this lesson!”
Yang Xiao was stunned for a moment, but then his mouth became like a tumbling river, blurting everything that he learned.
Yang Kai listened for a while and nodded, “Good. Senior Bi Xi is an extremely old and wise Divine Spirit who carries a potent Dragon Vein. His experiences are extremely beneficial to the cultivation of the Dragon Clan. If you are free, then you should go to his place more often and pay your respects! Until the Dragon Altar is found, Senior Bi Xi will be the only guiding light for the Dragon Clan’s rise.”
“Yes, Adoptive Father is right. Senior Bi Xi is highly respectable. Father and Mother also tell me to see him often.”
“En. Next time I hear you disrespected Senior Bi Xi, I will send you back to the Star Boundary!”
Yang Xiao’s eye twitched, but he still acted like a good boy, “Your Son won’t dare to do it again!”
“Xue’er, how have you doing recently? What stage are you in right now?” Yang Kai looked up at his biological Younger Sister. If possible, Yang Kai would have preferred to guide Yang Xue in her cultivation personally, but he had constantly been on the move recently. With so many matters requiring his attention, he simply had no time to spare.
Yang Xue smiled, “I was just able to condense my Wood Element.”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “Where did you start from?”
“The Water Element Power!”
“Water gives life to Wood… Since coming over from the Star Boundary, you have condensed your own Dao Seal and two Powers, the Water Element and the Wood Element. That is quick progress. Let me see.” Yang Xue had only been cultivating for a short time, after all. Even though her aptitude was outstanding, the progress of her cultivation was still not comparable to many of the Great Emperors and Pseudo-Great Emperors. She could not even match Yang Kai’s Wives in certain aspects.
After all, when Su Yan was still in the Emperor Realm, Yang Xue had not even been born for long.
Saying so, Yang Kai reached a hand out to Yang Xue, who put her own hand onto his palm in a docile manner.
After circulating his energy and doing a quick check, Yang Kai nodded, “A stable Dao Seal is the greatest safeguard one can have when advancing into the Open Heaven Realm. Your foundation is solid, but still lacking when compared to others, so you must not advance recklessly.”
Strictly speaking, for those who came from the Star Boundary, apart from the Great Emperors who had remained at the peak of the Emperor Realm for a long time and whose Dao Seals were stable enough for them to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm directly, were still a little lacking, even the Pseudo-Great Emperors.
There was no need to mention Su Yan and the others, unless they were willing to spend a lot of time solidifying their own Dao Seals.
However, this was no trouble with the Divine Dao Water and the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill in Yang Kai’s possession! Of these two items, the first could strengthen one’s Dao Seal, allowing cultivators an even broader future. The second could then protect them during their advancement into the Open Heaven Realm, greatly reducing the risks that could come with breaking through.
Without these two items, there was no way that Void Land’s heritage could be as strong as it was today.
“I will do as Big Brother says,” Yang Xue nodded obediently.
“Also, the Wood and Water Elements that you have condensed are the gentlest of the Five Elements. That is why it took little effort and little risk to condense them. However, Wood stokes Fire, and the Fire Element Power that you will have to condense next will not be this simple. When that time comes, your Dao Seal will have to withstand a much greater impact than ever before, and if it can’t hold up, the consequences will be dire.”
Yang Xue nodded and said, “I will definitely prepare myself well before proceeding.”
Yang Kai then turned to Liu Yan and Qiong Qi, “The cultivation of a Divine Spirit is mainly to develop one’s bloodline, which is different from Human cultivators, so you will have only yourselves to depend on.”
Qiong Qi nodded before commenting, “Even though Senior Bi Xi is a Dragonkin, he said that the cultivation of a Divine Spirit’s bloodline is similar in almost all circumstances, so we also often go to his home to listen to his lectures.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s for the best.”
Liu Yan asked, “Has Master come for something this time?”
“Yes, just a small matter.” Yang Kai looked at Qiong Qi, “I need to study the Dao of Time, so I may need to use Senior Flowing Time’s Legacy Inheritance. There’s no problem with that, is there?”
Qiong Qi followed Flowing Time Great Emperor as his mount, and with the latter’s passing, he was tasked with passing down Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Inheritance, and was fortunate enough to find Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
However, the Legacy Inheritance was not something that could be borrowed lightly, so Qiong Qi had to be informed beforehand.
Qiong Qi pondered for a moment before responding, “Naturally, others may not ask for it, but it is no problem for Sir. You can ask the two Young Masters about the inheritance.”
Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, I will not hold back.”
Yang Kai spent the next few months in the Flowing Time Temple, discussing the Dao of Time with Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. The two of them had accepted the full Legacy Inheritance of Flowing Time Great Emperor, so their proficiency in the Dao of Time was not low, almost at the Traversing a Familiar Path level, which was exactly where Yang Kai was as well.
However, they had not been cultivating for as long as Yang Kai had, and Yang Kai had also taken a giant leap forward in his understanding thanks to the evolution of his Small Universe.
The fact that they were now on equal footing with him was a testament to the two young ones’ efforts.
The Dao of Time was as esoteric as the Dao of Space, perhaps even more so, so it took a while for Yang Xiao and Yang Xue to explain all of the mysteries they inherited from Flowing Time Great Emperor. Combined with the insight that he had gained from his own cultivation over the years, Yang Kai was naturally able to gain a lot of benefit.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue also benefited a lot from this discussion. Much of Yang Kai’s insights and ideas were things he had discovered on his own through his personal experiences. He was now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so his insight was generally more profound compared to Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. Standing at a higher realm allowed him to see a broader picture.
Often, his thought-provoking words would cause Yang Xiao and Yang Xue to fall deep into thought.
Time passed quickly as they cultivated and discussed with each other, and all three of them were able to make significant improvements in the Dao of Time.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. If Yang Kai was said to merely be at the fourth level of Master regarding the Dao of Time when he arrived, then after his discussions with Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, he had now reached the fifth level, Mastery Through Comprehensive Study!
The same went for the two younger ones!
Yang Kai had no idea what level of mastery Flowing Time Great Emperor had reached; after all, he made the Dao of Time the foundation of his cultivation. However, at the very most, he did not surpass the sixth level.
Flowing Time Great Emperor was certainly a great genius, but he was only a Great Emperor back then who did not even reach the Open Heaven Realm; thus, his cultivation could not be compared to Yang Kai’s.
Yang Kai was pleased with this harvest while both Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were also pleasantly surprised by their gains.
Gaining a deeper mastery over the Dao of Time also solidified Yang Xue’s Dao Seal considerably, and naturally, the Divine Abilities that she performed through the use of Time Principles also became more powerful. Just the Time Flies Seal had become twice as strong as it had ever been.
Half a year later, Yang Kai returned to his chambers in order to improve his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel and Space-Time Strength. He had already thoroughly absorbed the Legacy Inheritance left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor, and the rest was now up to him to study. It would be difficult to gain anything more now through external means.
Even though he did not have the chance to use the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel again to see the results of his labour, Yang Kai felt that there would definitely be a significant improvement compared to the past.
Three years had passed since the Territory Gate between Void Land and Flying Smoke Territory had been blockaded.
Void Land had spent most of those three years in closed-door cultivation and consuming countless materials. Now, the results were clear for all to see.
The most obvious result was that there were more than 500 new Open Heaven Realm Masters!
On average, several, or even up to a dozen people, advanced into the Open Heaven Realm every month.
The cultivators from the Star Boundary were naturally not as fast. Most of them were still building up their foundations to prepare for advancing into the Open Heaven Realm while most had not even managed to break through to the Emperor Realm yet.
The newly advanced Open Heaven Realm Masters all came from Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s Abundance City.
Back then, when Yang Kai brought a few thousand people back from Abundance City, their cultivations had been perpetually limited to the peak of the Emperor Realm due to the special environment and Blood Principle Restriction of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, making it impossible for them to explore the mysteries of the Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai brought them out and lifted the Blood Principle Restriction, giving them the freedom to surpass that limit and providing them with a favourable cultivation environment so that they no longer had to worry about anything.
For those cultivators who had long gained the qualifications to advance into the Open Heaven Realm yet were unable to break through due to their circumstances, it was only natural that group after group of them suddenly shot through to the Open Heaven Realm.
Mo Mei and the others were able to advance into the Open Heaven Realm very quickly, which added more than 300 new Open Heaven Realm Masters to Void Land in one go.
However, the potential of Abundance City’s cultivators had not been exhausted yet. Over the years, the cultivators who came from Abundance City advanced into the Open Heaven Realm one after another, constantly strengthening Void Land’s heritage.
The majority of those who broke through later did not reach high Orders. Even those in the Fifth Order were few and far between. Most of them were either in the Third Order or the Fourth Order, but there were many of them, and there was still the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to guarantee their safety.
For other great forces, even the Cave Heavens and Paradises, it was impossible for them to guarantee that any of their disciples would succeed in breaking through into the Open Heaven Realm.
But Void Land could!
Even those who advanced into the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm were able to obtain a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill. Advancing into the Third or Fourth Order was not difficult to begin with, so where would there be any chance of failure with the help of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill?
So far, the total number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land had already broken through to the four-digit mark! It was foreseeable that more cultivators from Abundance City would be joining the ranks of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the coming days.
Yang Kai had long expected this result, but when Bian Yu Qing reported the figures to him, he was still unable to stop himself from beaming with joy.
He remembered that when he first stepped into the 3,000 Worlds and landed in Seven Wonders Land as a Worker, he had to do so much meticulous planning and careful accounting for just a few to several dozen Open Heaven Pills. How could he have imagined that he would one day have over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters under his command?
To bring a force of this calibre out in the world, which great force in the 3,000, save for the major Cave Heavens and Paradises, would be able to compete with them?
Void Land was filled with great talents, and now had a mighty army equipped with the finest arms!
No matter how much Void Land tried to hide this, with so many people advancing into the Open Heaven Realm, traces would surely leak out.
Heavenly Sword Union, under Zuo Quan Hui’s command, had obviously planted some spies outside of Void Land, and they even had some henchmen planted in the Star City right now.
Yang Kai and Bian Yu Qing knew this, but they had no way to pluck them all out and naturally had no way of getting rid of them.
Perhaps stimulated by the constant appearance of newly advanced Open Heaven Realm Masters, though Heavenly Sword Union had been idle in the first year, they had begun making tentative moves starting from the second year.
Every so often, ships bearing Heavenly Sword Union’s banner would wander within Void Territory. Even though they did not dare come too close to Void Land nor attack the Universe Worlds, they still scared the smaller forces under Void Land so much that they were all constantly trembling in fear.
In addition to Void Land, Void Territory housed 7 other Third Class great forces, all of which could be described as subordinates of Void Land that survived by relying on their protection. Third Class great forces did not even have Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in their ranks, so when they saw Heavenly Sword Union’s ships loitering around their doorstep, they were naturally all distraught and rushed to Void Land for help!
Void Land dispatched troops many times to support their subordinate forces, but by the time they arrived, Heavenly Sword Union’s ships had already disappeared from sight.
After several repetitions of this behaviour, Bian Yu Qing was determined to set up a patrol of Open Heaven Realm Masters to monitor the situation in Void Territory.
With this, small skirmishes would break out eventually as both sides were bound to meet.
Void Land had the home advantage in these fights, and the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters under them was also massive, so they naturally had the advantage that basically allowed them to win every fight.
The tentacles that Heavenly Sword Union plunged into Void Territory to probe the situation inside had all been cut off without bringing back any gains, but they still continued blocking the Territory Gate leading from Flying Smoke Territory to Void Territory, showing no intention of starting an all-out war. It was clear that they were still hoping to snuff Void Land out by dragging things out.
In actuality, Heavenly Sword Union’s decision couldn’t be called a mistake. Three years had passed and the resources accumulated by Void Land had been greatly reduced due to this chokehold. Now, there was also little income flowing in from the Star City, and with so many more Open Heaven Realm Masters to support, the rate at which their supplies depleted also increased.
Void Land’s resources wouldn’t be able to last much longer. Even though a large shipment of supplies was sent over from the Black Prison every six months, it was still hard to make ends meet.
Moreover, after three years had passed, the half of the Ore Star that Yang Kai brought out from the Black Prison’s depths back then would be depleted, and it would be impossible for them to obtain such a large quantity of supplies from the Black Territory again unless Yang Kai made another trip to drag out another Ore Star.
However, how could Yang Kai leave without worry now that the situation was so unpredictable?
Bian Yu Qing had no choice but to try her best to make adjustments to try and make Void Land’s supplies last for as long as possible.
Inside his chambers, Yang Kai looked at Bian Yu Qing with astonishment while holding his teacup, “Is what you say true?”
Bian Yu Qing nodded solemnly, “Sect Master, how could I joke about such a thing? Iron Blood Great Emperor has already sent someone over to contact us and says that he will need a Sixth-Order Yang Element material in two months.”
Yang Kai could not stop his brows from rising in excitement, “That means that Senior Iron Blood is about to advance into the Open Heaven Realm!”
Bian Yu Qing nodded her head like a chicken pecking rice, “I’ve checked the records of the taken supplies. Since coming to Void Land, Senior Iron Blood has taken one piece each of the materials of the Five Elements, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, all in the Sixth Order. Less than half a year ago, another Sixth-Order Yin Element material was taken, so this Sixth-Order Yang Element material is the last one.”
“Good!” Yang Kai put down his tea and stood up, looking even more excited than if he himself were advancing. He then began pacing about the room, “This is the first person from the Star Boundary to advance into the Open Heaven Realm, and to advance straight into the Sixth Order at that! We must help Senior Iron Blood forge a clean path. En, did he say what we needed to prepare?”
Bian Yu Qing shook her head, “Senior Iron Blood has only sent someone to tell us that he needs a Sixth-Order Yang Element material in two months. He did not say anything besides that.”
Yang Kai pondered, “We definitely have to prepare a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill. Go and look for one, and find one of the best quality. Make sure nothing goes wrong in Senior Iron Blood’s advancement into the Open Heaven Realm. And also…”
After blurting out a bunch of instructions, he looked up to see Bian Yu Qing staring at him with an astonished expression.
Yang Kai blinked his eyes, “Did you get all that? And what are you staring at me for?”
Bian Yu Qing smiled, “I have noted everything down, but if anyone unaware were to see Sect Master’s reaction, then they would think that one of the Madams was about to have a child.”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that, “Advancing into the Open Heaven Realm is much tougher than giving birth to a baby, and for the first one at that!”
After some thought, he could not help but lament, “How fast!”
It had not been very many years since he brought everyone from the Star Boundary to the Outer Universe, so he never expected Iron Blood Great Emperor to actually be able to advance into the Open Heaven Realm so soon.
That was even quicker than he himself!
However, it did not seem strange after Yang Kai thought about it. He had to seek out every material by himself when he was trying to advance into the Open Heaven Realm, which consumed a lot of time and effort. However, it was different for Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others. They only needed to worry about cultivating since Void Land had everything in store for them already. All they had to do was keep refining, refining, and refining again. As long as their bodies were able to bear it, and as long as they could ensure that their foundation was firmly laid, there were simply no worries to be had for them.
This was what it meant when one said, ‘beneath a big tree, there is cool shade’.
In fact, Yang Kai’s situation was far more commonly seen in the Outer Universe, and that was true even for the disciples of those Cave Heavens and Paradises. They may not have to find materials for themselves, but if they wished to use the Sect’s resources, then they had to exchange for them with the appropriate contributions, which would still inevitably take time.
And, of all the Great Emperors, Iron Blood was the first to advance into the Open Heaven Realm, which was both unexpected and expected.
Back then, Iron Blood Great Emperor was the strongest in terms of abilities, so it was not strange for him to have progressed so quickly.
“Besides Senior Iron Blood, what about the others? How are they doing?” Yang Kai asked.
Bian Yu Qing answered, “Other than Senior Iron Blood, the ones improving the quickest right now is Senior Hong Chen and Senior Martial Beast. Both of them have already begun refining their sixth material. Senior Serene Soul is also almost there. I believe he is about to complete the refinement of his fifth material. Then, there is Senior Flower Shadow and Senior Ice Feather. Lastly, there is Senior Wondrous Pill and Senior Heavens Revelations!”
Yang Kai nodded, “That makes sense. Wondrous Pill and Heavens Revelations are both not proficient in combat, so it is inevitable that they are slower than the rest.”
Though they were all Great Emperors, there were still differences between them. Despite all of them coming from the Star Boundary to Void Land, the speed at which they could advance into the Open Heaven Realm was indicative of the differences between them.
Yang Kai then asked about the Pseudo-Great Emperors, to which Bian Yu Qing responded one by one. These results were satisfactory to Yang Kai.
There was no need to ask about Su Yan and the others as he would personally visit his Wives from time to time to investigate and give them pointers himself, so he naturally knew more about them than Bian Yu Qing did.
“If I had to point out anything, it would be that Fang Yue and Xiang Ying are also about to advance into the Open Heaven Realm. The same goes for a few of those who were recruited from the Grand Ancient Ruins Shop. They are not lacking when compared to the Great Emperors.”
“That is normal.” Yang Kai nodded, “They had already condensed various Elements while they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and they also received the personal guidance of Divine Spirits, so it is only natural that their rate of refinement would not be slow. En, other than Fang Yue and Xiang Ying, who else has requested Sixth-Order materials?”
Fang Xue and Xiang Yin were both Divine Medicine owners with excellent potential and were keen on advancing into the Sixth Order. Yang Kai had also allowed them to do as they wished, and they had the full support of Void Land.
The other Bearers that were recruited from the Grand Ancient Ruins Shop had all been forced to refine Sixth-Order or even higher materials by the Divine Spirits supporting them, but most of their aptitudes were not good enough to directly advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. For the long term, it was best for them to take one step down and advance into the Fifth Order instead.
The Divine Spirits of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary would not think about the long-term development and future of their Bearers. They were merely helping their bearers to refine higher Order Elements just to strengthen them up and give them an advantage in the Spirit Seizing War. As for whether or not there would be hidden dangers to these actions, why would the Divine Spirits care?
However, in general, Fang Yue and Xiang Ying would both face more risk than the Great Emperors in their ascension to the Sixth Order.
They did not possess the deep heritages of the Great Emperors, nor the Divine Dao Water to reinforce their Dao Seals. Even if they were able to refine Sixth-Order materials now, the dangers they would have to face in the future would only become greater.
Otherwise, why would they join Void Land? There were so many great forces in the 3,000 Worlds, and with their aptitude, it would not be difficult for any of them to enter any of those great forces, but they were attracted here by the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills.
It was foreseeable that the barrier that they must break through in order to ascend into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm would be a barrier of life or death. Success would mean life, and failure would result in death. They had no other choice.
“Apart from these two, the rest understood their limits and did not apply for any Sixth-Order materials, but rather opted for materials of the Fifth-Order!” Bian Yu Qing replied.
“En. We might not have much else in Void Land, but we do have plenty of Fifth-Order materials.” Yang Kai nodded. With the Divine Medicine, Gourd Vine, it would only take them a month to collect a complete set of Fifth-Order materials. As long as they were given enough time, Void Land would definitely see no shortage of Fifth-Order materials.
However, in the short term, Void Land’s resources would be scarce until the crisis forced upon them by Heavenly Sword Union was lifted.
As the two were talking, Yang Kai suddenly saw two tiny figures rushing in from the outside. It was Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei.
Just like in their original forms, Xiao Hong had a fine appearance in human form like molded porcelain or well-cut jade, but Xiao Hei looked as crooked and appalling as ever, drooling from time to time.
Yang Kai smiled, “What brings the two of you here? Has Senior sent you?”
Xiao Hong said urgently, “Young Master, quickly go and take a look, something is not right with the Young Madam. Grandpa sent me to call you over.”
Yang Kai’s face turned serious and he got up, “Which Young Madam?”
Bian Yu Qing’s face also became serious.
“That is… The one with the red hair!” Xiao Hei added from the side while sucking up the drool that was dripping down his face.
[Red hair… it’s Zhu Qing!]
Yang Kai had no idea what happened, but since Bi Xi called for him, then it must be serious. Not daring to delay, he manipulated Space Principles and disappeared from where he stood.
By the time he reappeared, he had already arrived at a platform on Dragon Son’s Peak.
There were a large group of people gathered here, all of whom were from the Dragon Clan, forming a circle. It was not known what they were looking at, but when they heard the noise, Great Elder Zhu Yan, Second Elder Fu Zhun, Third Elder Fu Xuan, and Fourth Elder Zhu Kong all turned their heads to look at him.
“Adoptive Father!” Yang Xiao quickly shouted.
“Yang Kai, you’re here.” Zhu Yan nodded lightly at him.
“What happened?” Heart hanging from his throat, Yang Kai moved through the crowd.
Bi Xi, who was standing inside, did not turn around. He stood there, hunched over, reassuring him, “No need to be nervous. It’s nothing bad. In fact, it’s good news.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was confused.
“See for yourself,” Bi Xi pointed.
Yang Kai looked over and saw Zhu Qing sitting down cross-legged, surrounded by a blood mist. The blood mist was just like a living being that lingered around her. Inside, Zhu Qing had a peaceful expression on her face as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.
[En?] Yang Kai carefully observed the blood mist surrounding Zhu Qing’s body and could feel the might of her Dragon Vein coming from it.
“You sense it, don’t you?” Bi Xi asked.
Yang Kai answered tentatively, “Qing’er’s Dragon Vein is growing stronger?
“Exactly.” Bi Xi nodded.
“Why is this happening?” Yang Kai did not understand.
Zhu Yan explained, “Just now, we were listening to Senior’s lesson on refining our bloodline. Fifth Elder must have had an epiphany.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Yang Kai asked tentatively.
“Of course it is!” Bi Xi nodded, “The growth of a Divine Spirit is a constant metamorphosis, and each transformation brings about great improvements. The same is true for the Dragon Clan. Qing Girl is now in the process of that metamorphosis.”
Yang Kai finally put his worries aside and grinned, “Many thanks for your tireless guidance, Senior.”
Bi Xi waved his hand, “I merely offered them directions. The reason this little girl was able to see a result so quickly is because of her pure bloodline. En, out of all of you Young Dragons, this girl has the purest bloodline.”
[Young Dragons…]
The Dragon Clan Elders all had awkward looks on their faces, but since it was Bi Xi who said it, none of them dared to refute him and accepted it in silence.
“So, what makes one a Mature Dragon?” Yang Kai asked.
Bi Xi shook his head and laughed, “There is no such thing as a Mature Dragon, only a Grand Dragon!” After a pause, he added, “To be able to evoke their original forms and take on a body over 10,000 metres long, that is the limit one must exceed to be called a Grand Dragon, and only a Grand Dragon can be as powerful as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master!”
“10,000 metres long!” Zhu Yan was astonished. He was the Great Elder of the Dragon Clan, so it was reasonable to say that he was the strongest one. Not even Zhu Qing could compare; however, his body was currently only 1,000 metres or so in length. He was still far away from reaching 10,000 metres.
Yang Kai was also secretly speechless. When he executed his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, he could reach a few thousand metres in length, which he thought was amazing enough. However, he never thought that he would still be thousands of metres away from becoming a Grand Dragon. But of course, his situation was not the same as a True Dragon, so his size alone was not enough to tell how strong he was.
“Reaching 10,000 metres is just a basic requirement for one to become a Grand Dragon. As one’s bloodline continues to evolve, even 100,000 metres is not impossible,” Bi Xi’s words were astounding.
The Young Dragons were all stunned by what they heard… In terms of age, which Dragon Clan member here had not lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years? But for the growth of a Dragon, the depth of their bloodline had always been the greatest standard. This was true for not only the Dragon Clan, but for all Divine Spirits.
While they were talking, the blood mist around the surface of Zhu Qing’s body became denser and denser. Previously, they could still see Zhu Qing through the blood mist, but now, the red mist was so thick that they could no longer see the inside.
“…This is quicker than expected!” Bi Xi exclaimed.
“Is there something wrong with that?” Yang Kai became nervous again.
“Not for now.” Bi Xi shook his head, “However, this Old Master has noticed a problem even before this. Among you Young Dragons, this girl has the densest bloodline. Reasonably speaking, since you all came from the same place, there should not be such a great difference. Has she taken some sort of precious treasure that can purify one’s bloodline?”
The Dragon Clan Elders all turned their heads to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was puzzled by their stares, “What’s wrong?”
Bi Xi was also confused.
Zhu Yan lightly coughed. When he raised his hand, his Dragon Aura surged, isolating the inside from the outside and keeping the rest of the Dragon Clan members out, leaving only a few Elders behind.
There were not many members of the Dragon Clan to begin with, only around 20 or so in total. Apart from the Elders, all the rest of the Dragon Clan members were looking over curiously, but they could not hear any sound, so they had no idea what the Elders were talking about.
“Do you really have no idea, or are you just feigning ignorance?” Zhu Yan glanced at Yang Kai.
“What am I supposed to know?” Yang Kai was baffled.
Fu Xuan stood aside with a slight blush on her cheek, staring down at her toes. Zhu Kong, on the other hand, had raised his eyes to the sky as if there were a pretty little female Dragon flirting with him.
Fu Zhun, on the other hand, was as blunt as usual. Amused, she looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Think about it, how did Zhu Qing become the Fifth Elder of the Dragon Clan?”
Yang Kai stroked his chin, “Is it because of me?”
Fu Zhun sighed, “Of course, it’s because of you!”
Zhu Yan interrupted them, “Of course, it’s not all because of you. To become an Elder of our Dragon Clan, an exceptional bloodline is necessary. Strictly speaking, Zhu Qing was not the most outstanding Dragon on my Dragon Island at the time, and the purity of her bloodline was nothing exceptional. However, since meeting you, the purity of her bloodline has been increasing at a rapid rate. That is the biggest reason why she had become the Fifth Elder of our Dragon Clan, even surpassing the old ones like us. I’m more than certain she told you why we sent so many of our female clan members to you at that time.”
“After meeting me…” Yang Kai pursed his lips, reminiscing about their past encounters and those female clan member attempts at him, he said a little embarrassedly, “Great Elder means to say…”
Zhu Yan coughed lightly, “You have the ability to purify the bloodline of the Dragon Clan. Otherwise, how would the Fifth Elder able to achieve so much so quickly?”
Yang Kai glanced at the other Dragon Clan Elders and blushed a little.
Zhu Yan said, “We have discussed this issue before.”
Bi Xi was looking left and right. After listening for a while, he finally reacted and made a sound of realization.
Yang Kai hurriedly said, “Don’t listen to them, Senior Brother. It’s just baseless nonsense. Qing’er was surely able to reach an epiphany because of your great guidance.”
Bi Xi waved his hand and laughed, “That would only be possible if she had exceptional potential to begin with. Regardless, this is not something that is taboo for us to talk about. As far as I know, such practices are common in the Dragon Clan. The union between a Dragon of a stronger bloodline and a Dragon of a weaker bloodline will indeed be able to help the one with the weaker bloodline to purify theirs.”
Zhu Yan’s eyes lit up, “Senior, that also occurs in the Outer Universe?”
Bi Xi nodded, “Of course! Not only is this true for the Dragon Clan, but also for the rest of the Divine Spirits. So, the purer one’s bloodline, the higher their status. Only, no matter what Divine Spirit Clan it may be, their numbers are extremely low, and there were even fewer of them to be found in one same group. The Dragon Clan’s numbers are still quite numerous in comparison, and that is why it is more obvious.”
Zhu Yan’s eyes were already glowing as he was staring at Yang Kai with a burning gaze.
Yang Kai could not help but feel goosebumps rising all over his skin as he asked nervously, “What advice does Great Elder have for me?”
Just wanted to state this in case some wonder why this is a little different from the raws.
“Void Land’s current situation isn’t good,” Zhu Yan suddenly sighed.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, “It still has not reached the point when life and death are at stake.”
Zhu Yan nodded, “Although that is true, being targeted by a High-Rank Open Heaven Master is still a terrible predicament.”
Yang Kai thought he was worried about Void Land’s future, so he quickly consoled, “Great Elder doesn’t need to worry, I have a way to deal with this.”
“I believe you.” Zhu Yan nodded, “The Star Boundary’s situation was horrendous back then, but you led us out of it, we fought our way out. No matter how bad the current situation is, it’s still less dangerous than the Star Boundary’s situation back then.”
Though, Zhu Yan suddenly changed the subject, “However, having more Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land is not a bad thing, right?”
“Great Elder is right, we’ve already begun to move to increase our numbers, and things are progressing quite smoothly.” In another two months, Iron Blood Great Emperor should be attempting to advance to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. This was exciting news.
“The more Masters there are, the better! Especially my Dragon Clan, if we can grow, each of us will be comparable to a High-Rank Open Heaven Master. At that time, what can a mere Zuo Quan Hui amount to?” Zhu Yan said proudly before turning to look at Yang Kai sincerely, “However, you also know that the growth of a Divine Spirit is extremely slow, the same goes for those from the Dragon Clan. After following you from the Star Boundary to Void Land for so many years, only the Fifth Elder has made some significant progress, while the others have basically been stagnant, so you’ll have to spend more effort to assist them!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit uncomfortable as he asked hesitantly, “What does Great Elder want me to do?”
Zhu Yan made a fist and coughed lightly, “You’re also a member of the Dragon Clan after all, so you can’t favour one over the other. You have to treat everyone equally, am I right? Us men and married women won’t count on you, but look over there, there are still a few young women who haven’t married yet.”
The corners of Yang Kai’s eyes couldn’t help twitching slightly, while Fu Xuan, who was standing to the side, blushed to the tips of her ears. Turning her head, she quickly stated, “Xiao Qi is waiting for me, I’ll go take a look at her.”
Saying so, she stomped her foot and soared into the sky.
Zhu Yan’s words were extremely clear, so how could those present not understand what he was saying? Fu Xuan was simply too embarrassed to stay.
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Great Elder, you’re pushing me into a fire pit! The number of pure-blooded female Dragon Clan members is far fewer than the number of men, each of them is akin to a treasure. If the men hear what you said, they will chop me into eighteen pieces!”
Zhu Yan added in a serious and righteous manner, “When compared to the future of my Dragon Clan, what do personal sacrifices count for? If any of them dares to say anything, I’ll rip their heads off. We have talked about this before. Furthermore, I’m sure these little girls will be happy to do this. Have they not already made their stances clear?”
“No no, this is not appropriate!” Yang Kai quickly waved him off. Zhu Yan wanted him to become a Dragon stud, how could he do such a thing? There were only a few unmarried women left in the Dragon Clan, four or five, that’s it.
“There’s nothing inappropriate at all!” Zhu Yan assumed the posture that he was the law and his word would be final, “Everything else can be discussed, but this matter concerns the future of our Dragon Clan, so you’ll have to listen to me. In any case, your Wives are all cultivating in retreat right now, and you rarely get to meet them. You’re also a young man with a strong physique, so don’t you feel lonely?”
Yang Kai broke out in a cold sweat, “You’re the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder, is it alright for you to speak like this? If your clansmen were to hear this, where would your prestige go?”
Fu Zhun, who was standing to the side, interjected with a smile, “If we can really allow the Dragon Clan to have a few Grand Dragons, even if its prestige goes down the drain, so what?”
Yang Kai stared at her in shock, “Second Elder, why are you saying such things?”
He turned to Zhu Kong, and asked, “Fourth Elder, don’t you have anything to say?”
Zhu Kong muttered to himself for a moment before reaching out to pat Yang Kai’s shoulder and sighing, “Many thanks in advance for your hard work!”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded!
He looked towards Bi Xi for help; however, the old man, who had been observing everything for a long time, just stroked his beard and encouraged, “If you plant the crops and till the fields well, you’ll definitely gain something.”
Yang Kai’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot, feeling like someone had just stabbed him in the back.
Seeing Zhu Yan about to speak again, Yang Kai quickly raised his hand and stopped him, “Great Elder, the Dragon Clan’s future cannot depend on me alone, but I can promise you that I will find the Dragon Altar as soon as possible. If I can find it, the Dragon Clan will no longer be trapped here, and its future will be bright.”
Zhu Yan was stunned for a moment before stating, “The Dragon Altar is the Dragon Altar while you are you. We are not certain when we’ll find it, or if we ever will. So let’s talk about you first.”
How could Yang Kai be willing to continue this discussion? Putting on an act, he took out his Communication Bead and looked at it before raising his brow and saying, “Something happened in Star City, I’ll go take a look.”
He turned to Bi Xi and requested, “Senior, please look after Qing’er.”
Nodding, Bi Xi assured, “Rest assured, if there is any change, I will inform you right away.”
Yang Kai thanked him before escaping towards the Star City.
Seeing him flee, Zhu Yan was also helpless, while Fu Zhun heaved a sigh, “We were too impatient. We’ve frightened him off.”
Zhu Yan grinned meaningfully, “A man’s heart always longs for spring sceneries, how could such a good thing scare him? This isn’t the first time this has happened. Perhaps he’s still just too happy to say it out loud.”
Fu Zhun glanced at him casually, “Oh, is that so?”
Zhu Yan quickly coughed and replied, “I’m an old man, so naturally I won’t act like those young ones!”
Fu Zhun coldly snorted, “So, what do we do now?”
Zhu Yan thought about it for a moment, then waved his hand to remove the barrier and swept his eyes over the clan members in front of him, “Boys, leave, girls, stay. We have some things to tell you.”
The male members of the Dragon Clan looked at each other in dismay. Although they were all somewhat curious, since the Great Elder had spoken, they didn’t dare to remain any longer and quickly left, leaving five female Dragon Clan members behind.
Zhu Yan gave Fu Zhun a look, and the latter immediately stepped forward and whispered to the five female Dragons, occasionally pointing towards Zhu Qing. Some of the female Dragons had their eyes shine brightly, seemingly eager to give it a try, while some had their faces flushed shyly…
Meanwhile, the nearby Zhu Kong let out a long sigh!
The Star City’s popularity was low as nearly 80% of the merchants had left long ago, causing the situation to deteriorate. Even the Void Dock, which used to be extremely lively, was now deserted.
Yang Kai drank a few pots of tea in the Governor’s Mansion until his stomach was full.
Mo Mei had no idea why Yang Kai had suddenly come to her place, but she just quietly accompanied him and didn’t ask any questions, diligently reporting to him about the Star City’s recent situation, whereas Yang Kai perfunctorily listened.
Half a day later, Yang Kai thought that it was about time, so he finally stood up and stated, “Please take care of the Star City, I’ll go back first.”
“Sect Master, rest assured, I will definitely take good care of the Star City, goodbye!”
After returning from the Star City, Yang Kai went to find Bian Yu Qing to discuss the matter of Iron Blood Great Emperor breaking through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in two months. Although they couldn’t help much, this was not a small event, so they had to make some preparations.
At the very least, he had to isolate the energy fluctuations during the breakthrough so that others would not be able to spy on him; otherwise, if Zuo Quan Hui found out about this, he might not be able to hold himself back and attack.
Void Land’s top priority now was time, and second was supplies.
After settling some details with Bian Yu Qing, Yang Kai returned to his palace.
Just as he pushed open the door to his room though, Yang Kai frowned and looked towards the bed, only to see that there was something hidden inside it. He could clearly feel someone’s aura and breathing.
Frowning, Yang Kai walked over to the bed and looked down. Before he could see who was hiding here, two snow-white arms reached out from under the blanket and wrapped around his neck, pulling him down.
Yang Kai quickly held onto the edge of the bed to steady himself.
A pair of bright eyes stared straight at him, as if wanting to eat him alive.
“Fu Ling? What are you doing here?” Yang Kai asked, staring at her. Yang Kai had a deep impression of this loose Purple Dragon. When he first entered Dragon Island in the Star Boundary, he had seen many things she was involved in that nearly blinded his eyes. Before then, he had only heard that those of the Dragon Race lived in an impure and obscene manner, but he thought that only applied to the males. It could be said that Fu Ling had opened a new window for him.
“Brother-in-law!” Fu Ling called out sweetly with eyes filled with affection, “The Great Elder sent me here to serve you.”
After she had raised her hands, Yang Kai found that the thin blanket couldn’t cover her naked body at all. She wasn’t wearing anything!
“Great Elder asked you to come?” Yang Kai was both amused and annoyed. Zhu Yan really wanted to treat him like a Dragon stud and had sent Fu Ling over without any warning.
“Of course.” Fu Ling blew her orchid breath at Yang Kai’s face as she gently pursed her red lips, assuming a seductive look, “Brother-in-law, I also want to be like Big Sister Qing and grow into a Grand Dragon as soon as possible. Brother-in-law, can you help me?”
Yang Kai quickly nodded, “Let go of me first, I’ll help you.”
Fu Ling’s beautiful eyes lit up as she cheered in joy, “Brother-in-law is the best!”
A moment later, with an exasperated shout, Fu Ling, who was wrapped up in sheets like a dumpling, was tossed out of the palace.
Before she could land on the ground, the enraged Fu Ling transformed into her true form, a giant Purple Dragon. Shaking her head and flicking her tail, she breathed out a Purple Dragon Breath which caused the defensive Array around the palace to flicker.
After venting her anger, Fu Ling left in a huff.
From that day on, whenever Yang Kai showed up in Void Land, there would always be a female Dragon who would appear and follow him. Not every one of them was as unrestrained as Fu Ling. Some of them were bold and hot while others were shy and tender. Nonetheless, being entangled by so many female Dragons made Yang Kai feel helpless.
However, Yang Kai could never agree to be a Dragon Stud. Not in the past and not now. Zhu Qing’s achievements today were not done in a day or two, but rather because he had been nourishing her for a long time. If he really went along with Zhu Yan’s plans, Yang Kai would probably have no time for anything else and would be stuck pleasing those female Dragon Clans members with his heart and body indefinitely.
If Yu Ru Meng and the others found out about this later, Yang Kai was certain that he would never have any good days ahead of him. So, although his heart wavered, he refused to give in. Thus, regarding this matter, even Zhu Yan and the others were rendered helpless. After all, one could not force an ox to bend its head to drink.
Likewise, change a bit of the context to not make this the first time this has occurred.
In Void Land’s Wood Spirit Province, where there were endless mountain ranges with jagged rocks covered in lush forests. On a certain Spirit Peak, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged and staring at another Spirit Peak 100 kilometres away.
He had been sitting here for more than two months now.
With these two Spirit Peaks as the centre, a radius of several hundred kilometres had been marked as a Restricted Area and no unauthorized personnel were allowed to approach.
A streak of light flew over and landed beside Yang Kai as a sweet fragrance spread in the air. It was none other than Yue He.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai nodded slightly. Yue He, standing quietly beside him, asked in a low voice, gazing into the distance, “Young Master, how is the situation?”
“For the time being, there shouldn’t be any big issues. We just need to see when Senior Iron Blood will be able to completely refine the Yang Element material. As long as he completely refines it, he will be able to split Heaven and Earth apart and form his Small Universe.”
After a short pause, he asked again, “Has everything been arranged?”
Yue He replied, “Everything has been arranged. Second Manager is bringing them over right now.”
Yang Kai nodded.
Two months ago, Iron Blood Great Emperor had received his Sixth-Order Yang Element material and was preparing to break through to the Open Heaven Realm. Yang Kai had also made many preparations for this and had especially found many Open Heaven Realm Masters to teach him about the things he needed to pay attention to in order to break through smoothly. This kind of experience was exactly what Iron Blood Great Emperor needed. With this guidance, he would be able to avoid many risks.
It had been almost two months since Iron Blood Great Emperor began refining his final Element material, so it should be about time for the results to be revealed.
He was the first cultivator from the Star Boundary to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. This was extremely significant to the current Void Land and the people from the Star Boundary as a whole.
Therefore, Yang Kai arranged for some people to attend the ceremony! These people were all preparing to break through to the Sixth Order, so being able to personally observe and emulate Iron Blood Great Emperor’s breakthrough would be of great benefit to them in the future.
When Old Bai was breaking through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, the Proprietress had specially brought Yang Kai to watch for precisely this reason.
As the two were speaking, they saw a large group of people flying towards them. When they got close, all of them landed on the ground. There were more than twenty of them.
The ones in front were naturally the Great Emperors from the Star Boundary, Hong Chen, Martial Beast, Serene Soul, Flower Shadow, Ice Feather, Heavens Revelations, and Wondrous Pill.
Next were Yang Yan, Li Wu Yi, Bing Yun, Sheng Yu Zhu, and the other Pseudo-Great Emperors.
After them were Yang Kai’s wives, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, Xue Yue, Yu Ru Meng, and Ji Yao.
Yang Xue, Mo Xiao Qi, Lin Yun’er, Xiang Ying, and Fang Yue also came.
Everyone greeted him one by one, but there was no time for small talk as everyone’s eyes turned towards Iron Blood Great Emperor.
After observing for a while, Duan Hong Chen furrowed his brow and asked, “What’s the situation over there?”
Yang Kai replied honestly, “He’s probably still refining the last material, but it should be about time. We’ll know in half a month at most.”
Duan Hong Chen nodded slightly and suddenly smiled, “I didn’t expect that we would also be able to break through to the Open Heaven Realm.”
They were trapped in the Star Boundary and unable to see the vastness of the Outer Universe. Only by leaping out from there did they realize how small the world they lived in truly was. However, everyone understood that the greatest contributor to everyone’s success today was undoubtedly Yang Kai. If he hadn’t provided them with an unlimited amount of cultivation materials, even if they had jumped out to the Outer Universe, they might not have had a good result.
Since their arrival from the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors rarely gathered together as they were usually busy with their own cultivation. If Yang Kai hadn’t asked them to attend this event, they would still be in retreat.
Now that they had gathered together, there was naturally a lot to talk about, so it didn’t take long for them to start chatting.
Yang Kai didn’t pay any attention to them and instead shot a glance at his Wives before walking to the side. Seeing this, the several women quickly followed.
Although Yang Kai would often find time to guide Su Yan and the others in their cultivation, most of the time, they would be in retreat so they rarely saw each other. As such, it was only natural for them to feel a little lovesick.
There were many people gathered here, and since it was inappropriate to show too much affection in public, Yang Kai simply checked the cultivation progress of each of the women one by one, answering all of their questions in detail and allowing them to benefit greatly.
Three days later, Yang Kai, who was talking to his women, suddenly turned his head in the direction of Iron Blood Great Emperor and shouted, “It’s starting!”
The muttering on the Spirit Peak suddenly quieted down as everyone turned their attention to the platform where Iron Blood Great Emperor was sitting cross-legged. Bit by bit, an extremely profound aura suddenly started rising.
“Is the arrangement over at the Star City done?” Yang Kai turned his head and asked.
Yue He quickly replied, “Everything has been arranged. Mo Mei will personally keep an eye on it, so there won’t be any mistakes.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Start the Array!”
Yue He accepted the order and summoned the Array Jade. Immediately, her hands danced around as the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was activated.
The Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array that enveloped Void Land was extremely powerful, but the more powerful the Spirit Array, the more energy it consumed to operate.
Normally, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was not fully activated, especially now that Void Land was lacking in resources.
At this moment, under the control of Yue He, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array’s Bewildering Array, Illusion Array, and barrier were all activated.
When Iron Blood Great Emperor broke through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there would inevitably be a great disturbance. If there was no Grand Array to isolate him, it was highly likely his breakthrough would be spied upon by outsiders.
Heavenly Sword Union was like a tiger eyeing its prey right now. It was unknown how many spies they had planted in Void Territory and the Star City, but once news of someone breaking through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm spread, they would naturally hear about it.
Yang Kai didn’t know what Zuo Quan Hui’s reaction would be, but just in case, he had to be careful; Void Land still needed more time.
In the blink of an eye, the entire Void Land was covered in a thick layer of mist. Looking from afar, it was impossible to see anything within.
Inside Void Land, the movements of Iron Blood Great Emperor became more obvious, and a series of muffled thuds slowly and rhythmically rang out from the void, as if a giant invisible hand was beating a war drum.
Everyone focused all of their attention on him, not missing a single detail.
Watching others advance to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm was extremely helpful to their future cultivation, so no one dared to relax.
Advancing to the Open Heaven Realm was a process of a cultivator splitting Heaven and Earth apart within their body to form a Small Universe. This process was extremely dangerous because, in order to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, one needed to first shatter their Dao Seal and melt it into their Small Universe. If the Dao Seal was shattered and the Small Universe was unable to form, then their entire life of cultivation would be wasted.
If one succeeded, they would be reborn and soar into the sky. If they failed, they would lose everything and would die without a corpse. There were only two endings when breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm. One was to live, the other to die. There was no middle ground.
As such, there were many Emperor Realm cultivators in these 3,000 Worlds who already had the qualifications to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, but did not dare to take that final step.
The Great Emperors all wore solemn expressions.
Compared to Iron Blood, their foundation was almost the same. Perhaps Iron Blood was slightly better, but not by much. Whether or not Iron Blood could successfully advance to the Sixth Order was the key. If he failed, it would be a great blow to the Great Emperors from the Star Boundary.
If even the Great Emperors were like this, there was no need to mention the others.
As such, everyone present was nervous.
Seeing this, Yang Kai consoled, “Senior Iron Blood has a deep foundation and his Dao Seal is firm. Now that he has the protection of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, it shouldn’t be a problem for him to break through to the Open Heaven Realm. There’s no need to be so nervous.”
Mo Huang shook his head and commented, “Who dares to say that nothing unexpected will happen on our path of cultivation? Even if someone had travelled 99% along the path, before he or she had reached his or her destination the slightest carelessness may lead to unpredictable consequences.”
Yang Kai had wanted them to not be so nervous, but after hearing Mo Huang’s words, he could only nod and say, “Senior Martial Beast is right.”
As time passed, the Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers gradually rose and fell, mutually reinforcing and suppressing one another. On the Spirit Peak, the atmosphere was heavy as everyone knew that Iron Blood had reached a critical juncture, so how could they be in the mood to speak?
Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements continued cycling without end, occasionally showing signs of disorder, causing everyone to be on edge. Fortunately, Iron Blood Great Emperor’s foundation was quite deep, so although there were some twists and turns during his advancement, it wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t control it himself.
Yang Kai paid close attention and was prepared to step in at any time. He didn’t know if he could help others when they encountered difficulties during their breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm, or if he could assist them in any way, but he could only prepare in advance.
At a certain moment, the flaring aura suddenly disappeared, shocking everyone. They thought that something terrible had happened to Iron Blood Great Emperor; however, soon after, a strange feeling slowly spread out. When they probed, they sensed that the place where Iron Blood Great Emperor was standing was a chaotic mess, as if everything in this world had been turned into nothingness.
Yang Kai’s brow rose as he recalled the scene of him breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm. How could he not know that Iron Blood Great Emperor had reached the final step? He couldn’t help feeling excited.
A fierce shout suddenly rang out from Iron Blood Great Emperor’s side, “Open!”
A violent rumbling sound rang out as Chaos erupted and Heaven and Earth split apart.
The aura of the newly born Universe World spread out in all directions like a thunderstorm, spreading fierce gales and causing everyone’s clothes to flutter.
“Success!” Duan Hong Chen exclaimed softly, his eyes glowing with envy.
“Hahahaha!” Iron Blood Great Emperor laughed heartily, “Amazing!”
Martial Beast Great Emperor curled his lips, “Show off!”
Although he said so, there was still pride in his eyes; after all, they were all Great Emperors, and with Iron Blood reaching the Open Heaven Realm, he would soon be able to catch up.
Yang Kai’s tense heart finally relaxed as he let out a long sigh and smiled, “Everyone, please come with me to congratulate him.”
Saying so, he took the lead and flew forward while the others followed closely behind.
A distance of 100 kilometres was covered in the blink of an eye. Iron Blood Great Emperor stood there, gently clenching his fists. His face filled with confidence as if he could grasp the entire world in his palm.
Yang Kai could understand what he was feeling. On the Martial Dao, the gap between the Emperor Realm and the Open Heaven Realm was a big leap, a qualitative change that was difficult to describe, especially with Iron Blood Great Emperor breaking through directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. At this moment, the strength he possessed was thousands of times greater than before!