At the Star City’s Void Dock, a small ship, after receiving a routine inspection, slowly sailed out before quickly disappearing into the void.
After the ship left, Mo Mei slowly walked out from her hiding place and glanced in the ship’s direction, asking, “Who does that ship belong to?”
The disciple, who was responsible for inspecting the ship, reported, “It’s the transport of Gathering Smoke Territory’s Blizzard Sect.”
Mo Mei immediately took out her Universe Chart and examined it for a moment before coldly snorting, “Gathering Smoke Territory and Heavenly Sword Territory are adjacent to each other. They didn’t leave sooner or later, but chose to leave at this time. What a loyal bunch!”
As she spoke, she turned her head in the direction of Void Land and saw that it was currently wrapped in a thick mist. She knew that Iron Blood Great Emperor from the Star Boundary was definitely preparing to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, otherwise, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array would not have been activated.
It was known that there were spies from Heavenly Sword Union in the Star City. She had discussed this matter with Yang Kai before. Just like how he had arranged for Luan Bai Feng to join Heavenly Sword Union, Heavenly Sword Union would have certainly done the same.
However, there were still many merchants and residents who remained in the Star City, so it was impossible to determine which ones were spies.
Iron Blood Great Emperor breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm had clearly alerted Void Land’s enemies.
When the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was activated, the entire Void Land was covered by it, giving the impression they were trying to hide some kind of big secret. When the spies in the Star City saw this, they would definitely report it to Heavenly Sword Union, giving Void Land an opportunity to track them.
What Mo Mei saw now was completely in line with Yang Kai’s speculations.
Not long after Void Land’s Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was activated, Blizzard Sect’s ship left the Star City. Why did they leave if it wasn’t to send a message? It should be noted that the Star City’s Void Dock had been completely deserted all this while, no one had come or gone. So Jin Yuan Lang and his group of disciples who were responsible for overseeing the Void Dock had grown quite idle and bored.
“Elder Fan!” Mo Mei called out.
Fan Wu Xin quickly stepped forward and cupped his fist, greeting, “Governor!”
“Keep a close eye on this place, there’s definitely more than one rat. If anyone wants to leave, you can detain them first. If they have any objection, tell them to come to the Governor’s mansion and talk to me.”
“Yes!” Fan Wu Xin replied solemnly.
Mo Mei glanced at the deep void again, wondering how much they could gain from tracking these people down.
At the same time, in Void Land, a group of people gathered around Iron Blood Great Emperor and listened to him describe the feeling of breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm.
Although Yang Kai had previously asked many veteran Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to teach them some things they needed to pay attention to in order to advance to the Open Heaven Realm, having someone who just broke through like Iron Blood Great Emperor teach them was naturally more effective.
Perhaps one of them might encounter a similar situation as Iron Blood Great Emperor when they made their attempt. At that time, if they were well prepared, it would be easier to deal with.
After a full day and night, everyone still hadn’t had enough, so Yang Kai had no choice but to interrupt them, “Senior Iron Blood just broke through and needs to consolidate his foundation. Let him rest for a while.”
Hearing this, everyone finally gave up.
There was a huge leap in strength from the Emperor Realm to the Open Heaven Realm. The sudden increase in strength required some time to gradually adapt to; otherwise, it would be impossible for Iron Blood to display his full might when facing an enemy.
Iron Blood Great Emperor’s ascension to the Open Heaven Realm was a good start, meaning that the cultivators from the Star Boundary had now finally stepped onto the stage of the 3,000 Worlds.
In three to six months, Yang Kai believed that Void Land would have at least three or four more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Bustling World Great Emperor, Martial Beast Great Emperor, and even Fang Yue and Xiang Ying’s advancement to Open Heaven Realm was only a hair’s breadth behind Iron Blood Great Emperor.
Perhaps it was because they had been stimulated by Iron Blood Great Emperor’s breakthrough, but everyone returned to their respective rooms and immediately entered retreat. As expected, the two Great Emperors, Bustling World and Martial Beast, as well as Fang Yue and Xiang Ying, both requested Bian Yu Qing to provide them with the last Sixth-Order Yang Element material they needed soon after.
Bian Yu Qing naturally agreed.
After everything was settled, Bian Yu Qing came to Yang Kai’s side and whispered a few words to him.
Yang Kai slightly narrowed his eyes and nodded, “Let’s go take a look.”
The two of them quickly arrived at a secret room.
Jin Yuan Lang immediately cupped his fist and greeted, “Sect Master, Second Manager!”
Yang Kai nodded slightly and swept his gaze across the crowd, only to see three people standing side by side in front of him, two men and one woman. They looked a little panicked, but they were trying very hard to appear calm.
Jin Yuan Lang took a few steps forward and gave a simple report.
Yang Kai raised his brow slightly, “Gathering Smoke Territory, Blizzard Sect?”
Jin Yuan Lang continued, “Governor Mo has already checked. Gathering Smoke Territory is adjacent to Heavenly Sword Territory. I’ve been following their flying ship for a long distance, their destination should have been Flying Smoke Territory.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly. He then pulled up a chair before sitting down and lifting his head to look at the three people in front of him.
The Blizzard Sect members were led by the elderly man in the middle. This man had good insight as when he saw a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Jin Yuan Lang acting so respectfully towards Yang Kai, he immediately guessed Yang Kai’s identity and cupped his fist, “This must be Void Land’s Lord, Sir Yang.”
Yang Kai agreed with a nod, “It is this Yang!”
The elderly man furrowed his brow and asked, “May I ask Sir Yang whether my Blizzard Sect has offended Void Land in any way that would cause you to detain us?”
Yang Kai asked lightly, “You really don’t know?”
The elderly man maintained a calm and composed manner, “Please enlighten me!”
Yang Kai stared at him for a moment before replying, “Since you don’t know, you don’t need to know.”
With a flick of his finger, World Force suddenly converged.
*Pa…*
The elderly man’s head exploded as red and white matter sprayed out in all directions while blood spurted out from the neck like a fountain.
Bian Yu Qing, who was standing behind Yang Kai, suddenly trembled, obviously frightened. It wasn’t that she had never seen a dead person before, but she hadn’t expected Yang Kai to act so decisively and take the old man’s life without any warning.
Jin Yuan Lang was also stunned for a moment, but soon a smile appeared on his lips, giving him a menacing look.
Since Blizzard Sect was willing to act as Heavenly Sword Union’s spy, they were enemies, so there was no need for them to show any mercy. Yang Kai’s actions were to his liking.
As the old man’s Small Universe collapsed, the power of the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm suddenly dissipated as the headless corpse staggered and fell to the ground.
Yang Kai looked up at the remaining two and asked, “What do you know?”
The remaining man and woman were only in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm. Seeing their leader being killed so ruthlessly, their faces immediately went pale and their courage shattered. The man’s legs started trembling as he begged for mercy, “Sir, please spare my life! If there’s anything you need, please ask. I will tell you everything I know!”
As if he was afraid he would die if he spoke too late, he quickly replied.
Yang Kai turned to look at the woman again.
The woman’s face turned pale as she quickly expressed her stance, “This Mistress is the same, if Sir has any questions, feel free to ask.”
Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, “That’s better.”
After pondering for a moment, he stated, “The one who tells me the most will live, the other will die. Elder Jin, take one of them away!”
“Yes!” Jin Yuan Lang accepted the order and reached out to grab the man, ignoring his pleas for mercy and resistance as he took him away.
Yang Kai turned to the woman and calmly continued, “You should understand what I want to know!”
The woman nervously gulped as her breathing became erratic. Her chest heaved up and down and she put on the best flattering smile she could as she gently nodded, “This Mistress knows.”
Without waiting for Yang Kai to ask any more questions, she began speaking.
She was frightened out of her wits, which caused her words to be extremely disorganized. Moreover, she was afraid that she would reveal less than her companion, so she said whatever came to her mind.
Yang Kai listened with an indifferent expression, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking. The more he acted like this, the more panicked the woman became.
After a long time, the woman finally stopped and looked at him with a timid expression.
As expected, these people from the Blizzard Sect were spies planted by Heavenly Sword Union in Void Star City. Blizzard Sect originally had a shop in the Star City, so before Heavenly Sword Union sealed the Territory Gate, they contacted them and asked them to monitor the movements of Void Land. They had ordered them to report every piece of news they found.
Previously, when they saw Void Land’s Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array activate, they too were unable to see what was happening inside, so they thought that something big had occurred. As such, they prepared to go to Flying Smoke Territory to report the situation, but they didn’t expect to fall into Yang Kai’s trap.
“Is that all?” Yang Kai looked up at her.
The woman quickly shook her head, “Yes Sir! This Mistress and the others also didn’t want to do this, we were forced to do so. Gathering Smoke Territory and Heavenly Sword Territory are neighbours, if we didn’t comply, Heavenly Sword Union would definitely not spare us. My Blizzard Sect really has no intention of becoming enemies with Void Land.”
Yang Kai ignored her pleas and continued, “The people that Heavenly Sword Union planted in the Star City are definitely not just your Blizzard Sect. Who else is there?”
The woman thought about it carefully before shaking her head, “This Mistress has no idea!”
“Think carefully before you answer; otherwise, if your Fellow Brother says more than you, you won’t have a chance to see tomorrow’s sun.”
The woman’s eyes immediately turned red, “Sir, this Mistress really doesn’t know. Please spare my life, this Mistress is willing to do anything to repay Sir’s kindness. Please take pity on me.”
Saying so, she actually knelt down, crawled up to Yang Kai, and craned her snow-white neck to look at him. This immediately caused her deep ravine to be visible through her collar.
Bian Yu Qing couldn’t stand her pathetic look and coldly snapped, “You may not know, but don’t you have any suspects?”
After hearing her reminder, the woman thought about it seriously for a moment before reporting the names of the two other forces, “This Mistress doesn’t know if they are or not, but I’ve heard that they have many connections with Heavenly Sword Union.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I see.”
Giving Bian Yu Qing a look, she immediately turned around and called out.
A short while later, Jin Yuan Lang walked in with the man in his arms before carrying the woman away, ignoring her pleas.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai walked out of the secret room with Bian Yu Qing following closely behind him. The two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Blizzard Sect had already told him everything they knew, and after cross-referencing the information they had revealed, Yang Kai did not find anything suspicious. So, questioning them anymore would be pointless.
“Sect Master, what should we deal with those forces?” Bian Yu Qing asked softly.
In order to survive, the two Blizzard Sect members had mentioned several forces, but they couldn’t be certain if these forces really had colluded with Heavenly Sword Union. Perhaps they were just speculating, or perhaps they were just spouting names in order to appear more useful.
As such, dealing with these forces was quite troublesome.
“Send a message to Governor Mo to keep an eye on them, and if there’s any sign of trouble,” Yang Kai paused for a moment before coldly continuing. “We’d rather kill and be wrong than let them off!”
Bian Yu Qing quickly responded, “Yes!”
She also knew that what Void Land lacked the most right now was time. As long as they had a little more time, the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters they had would grow. When the battle broke out with Heavenly Sword Union, every Sixth-Order Master would be an indispensable force. So, concealing information right now was the top priority.
Otherwise, if Zuo Quan Hui found out about the situation here, he would definitely launch an all-out attack.
Last time, Zuo Quan Hui’s lineage alone had forced Void Land to send out all its top experts; so now, with Heavenly Sword Union’s help, if Void Land didn’t have more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, it would be difficult to resist.
“What should we do with those two?” Bian Yu Qing asked again.
“Detain them for now,” Yang Kai replied casually. He didn’t take the two Blizzard Sect members seriously, but since they wanted to make an enemy out of Void Land, he would not show any mercy. After the war here was settled, he would just throw them into the Black Territory. Luan Bai Feng would be more than happy to acquire more ore slaves.
After the order was passed down, the Star City also began to make arrangements. Sure enough, three days later, they caught another spy who wanted to leave Void Territory. After interrogating them and confirming that there was no mistake, they also detained them.
Yang Kai didn’t know how much longer Zuo Quan Hui could endure. He had led Heavenly Sword Union to seal off the Territory Gate for over three years now, which wasn’t necessarily a long time, but it wasn’t short either. Theoretically, it was enough time for a newly established force to run out of supplies.
Void Land had only risen recently, so unlike the Cave Heavens and Paradises that possessed inheritances that spanned countless centuries, it did not have a rich stockpile of resources. Now, even the Star City income had been cut off, so the only reason it was able to persist until now was because of the benefits brought about by the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill.
From Zuo Quan Hui’s perspective, he was in an invincible position. As long as he waited patiently, Void Land would one day be unable to hold back and rush out to seek a way out. At that time, he would be able to deal a heavy blow to Void Land!
However, there was always a limit to his patience, and it was impossible to completely seal off news from Void Land. Although Yang Kai didn’t need to worry too much about the Star City, many people were still in Void Territory observing Void Land.
Once the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was activated frequently, it would definitely arouse Zuo Quan Hui’s vigilance, and at that time, he would definitely try to probe the situation.
As such, Yang Kai felt that Void Land would at most be safe for another year or so.
But a year was enough!
Three months later, Bustling World Great Emperor broke through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and quite smoothly at that.
Another month later, Martial Beast Great Emperor also did so, which came as no surprise!
In another two months, Fang Yue, and Xiang Ying both broke through, not facing too much danger.
Immediately after Fang Yue and Xiang Ying, Flower Shadow and Ice Feather Great Emperors broke through!
At this point, the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land had reached 16, not including Luan Bai Feng in Heavenly Sword Union or Lan You Ruo who was in secluded retreat.
Although 7 of these 16 had just advanced to the Open Heaven Realm and were unable to display their full strength for a short period of time due to the instability of their cultivation, they were still in the Sixth-Order Masters. As the saying went, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse.
In addition, there were more than 100 cultivators who had advanced below the Sixth-Order in Void Land during this time. It could be said that a wave of advancement to the Open Heaven Realm had been set off.
Just as Yang Kai had expected, the frequent activation of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array had alerted Zuo Quan Hui. After the enemy scouts hiding in Void Territory sent word back, the peace that had been maintained for several years was finally broken.
“Sect Master, a large number of ships suddenly appeared from Flying Smoke Territory’s Territory Gate leading to Void Territory. They were confirmed to be from Heavenly Sword Union, and Mountain Lord Mao, who was watching over things there, engaged in a brief clash with the enemy.”
On Dragon Son’s Peak, Yang Kai was examining Zhu Qing’s condition when Bian Yu Qing suddenly rushed over and anxiously reported.
Yang Kai turned his head and asked, “How is the situation?”
After returning from the Black Territory to Void Territory that day, Yang Kai had Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, and Zhou Ya lead a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters to guard the Territory Gate. On one hand, it was to block spies from leaving towards Flying Smoke Territory, while on the other hand, it was to monitor the situation of Heavenly Sword Union.
Over the past few years, Heavenly Sword Union had made quite a few attempts to check the situation in Void Territory, but all of them had been easily resolved by Mao Zhe and the others. Since Zuo Quan Hui had decided to starve Void Land to death, he naturally wouldn’t start a war so easily before the time was right.
This time, the situation was clearly different from the previous small-scale investigations.
Bian Yu Qing shook her head and replied, “The situation is serious but not critical. Heavenly Sword Union sent several Sixth-Order Masters, forcing Mountain Lord Mao and the others to retreat. The Territory Gate fell into Heavenly Sword Union’s hands.”
“Is everyone alright?” Yang Kai asked with concern. Although Void Land was now filled with powerful forces, every Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was a rare and needed talent.
“A few low-order Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives in the clash, but not many. The other party seemed to only be probing the region, so Mountain Lord Mao and the others were able to retreat safely.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before commenting in a mournful tone, “In a battle between two armies, injuries and deaths are inevitable.”
When the Star Boundary united to fight against the Demon Realm, millions of cultivators and billions of innocents lost their lives. The entire Star Boundary had been plunged into misery and suffering during that time. Now that they were fighting against Heavenly Sword Union, Yang Kai was naturally prepared for such losses.
“Did Zuo Quan Hui show up?” Yang Kai asked again.
Bian Yu Qing slowly shook her head and rejoiced, “If he showed up personally, Mountain Lord Mao and the others would definitely not have remained unharmed.”
Although Mao Zhe and the other two were veteran Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they were definitely not Zuo Quan Hui’s match even if they were to fight together. Last time, they had been able to defend against Zuo Quan Hui because Yang Kai had been the one to bear most of the pressure.
“Coward!” Yang Kai sneered.
Zuo Quan Hui was obviously afraid of the Divine Spirits of Void Land, so he didn’t dare show his face easily; however, this was also in line with Yang Kai’s intentions. From this point alone, even if Zhu Jiu Yin didn’t actively participate in the war, she would still be a great deterrent.
“Sect Master,” Bian Yu Qing’s voice was somewhat hoarse, “Is the war about to begin?”
Although she was mentally prepared, when this day really came, Bian Yu Qing couldn’t help but be nervous.
As someone from the Star Boundary, she had never forgotten how tragic the Two Worlds Great War had been.
“It is!” Yang Kai took a deep breath and turned his head, “Senior, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Void Land and the Star City.”
Nodding, Bi Xi replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of these two places for you. If you can’t defeat the enemy, just come back. With this Old Master here, they won’t dare act rashly.”
“Many thanks, Senior!” Yang Kai expressed his gratitude before turning to Zhu Qing.
But before he could say anything, Zhu Qing stepped forward and stated, “I’ll go with you.”
Yang Kai flatly refused, “No!”
Zhu Qing’s bloodline had improved dramatically as a result of her Dragon Vein being greatly purified and condensed, allowing her to transform into a 3,000 to 4,000 metres long Dragon. However, when Yang Kai checked her strength, she was only able to display the might of someone around the Third or Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
A true Grand Dragon was said to be at least 10,000 meters long, so although Zhu Qing’s transformation this time had greatly increased her strength, there was still a big gap between her and a true powerhouse. It was likely that she would need to undergo another great transformation before she could truly become a Grand Dragon!
On the other hand, in a battle between two armies, the situation was chaotic, and a Third or Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could die at any moment. How could Yang Kai allow her to enter the battlefield?
Zhu Qing looked at him quietly, “I am the Wife of Void Land’s Lord. If I didn’t have the ability to participate, it would have been fine, but now that I have the necessary strength, if I still have to hide in the rear, what will others think? If those disciples who are desperately bleeding and dying for Void Land came to know about it, what would they think? They will definitely think that I’m a turtle!”
To the side, Bi Xi couldn’t help but shrink his neck… he wanted to say something but decided to hold back.
Zhu Qing continued, “All these years, we Sisters have been cultivating hard, but have never been able to help you much when you were out roaming the world. Now that I have this opportunity, I want to do something! We can’t live under your wings forever, always allowing you to shield us from the wind and storms. Big Sister and the others must be thinking the same and working hard for this goal.”
Yang Kai had a belly full of words but couldn’t say them. Even though he was still reluctant, his heart was filled with warmth.
“In any case, if I want to go, even if you don’t allow me to, I’ll go myself unless you lock me up,” Zhu Qing proclaimed angrily.
Yang Kai stared at her for a moment before suddenly smiling and nodding, “If you want to go, you can go!”
Zhu Qing stared at Yang Kai in shock, “You’re not lying?” She hadn’t expected Yang Kai to agree to her request so easily.
“I’m not lying!” Yang Kai replied seriously before turning to look at the old man, “Senior, please take care!”
Saying so, he wrapped his arm around Zhu Qing’s waist and flew off.
A moment later, numerous large and small ships flew out from Void Land, transforming into streaks of light as they headed towards the Territory Gate.
Void Territory was vast, so it would take at least ten days to half a month to reach the Territory Gate. If Yang Kai was alone, it wouldn’t have taken him so long, but now that there were a lot of Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land accompanying him, their speed was naturally slower.
Inside a room aboard the Falling Lotus, Zhu Qing was lying on the bed, her clothes in disarray and her hair dishevelled as she was sweating profusely. Lifting her head, she rebuked with great difficulty, “Aren’t we going to war? If others find out… what will we do?”
Yang Kai grinned and replied, “It will take some time to get there, so we can’t waste time. Senior said that I can help you purify your bloodline, and with each transformation, your strength will grow, so I must work hard!”
Zhu Qing was already in a daze, unable to speak, her entire body glowing with a faint red light.
Yang Kai suddenly felt a little annoyed, “If I had known this would happen, I would have worked much harder and not wasted so much time before.”
The enormous Territory Gate was stretched across the void, slowly rotating in an endless cycle!
Outside the Territory Gate stood a grand palace. This palace was a combination of defensive, offensive, and flight-type artifacts.
Both inside and outside the palace, one could see cultivators walking back and forth.
Yang Kai led the many Void Land Open Heaven Realm Masters to a nearby place and immediately spotted the palace.
“Heavenly Sword Palace!” Old Bai whistled and exclaimed, “They even brought this thing out. They really want to settle down in our Void Territory!”
“Have you seen it before?” Yang Kai tilted his head and asked.
Although there were many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land, and there were even 16 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, in terms of experience and knowledge, none of them could compare to those from the First Inn.
For many years, they had followed the Proprietress around, collecting all kinds of information about the 3,000 Worlds. There were very few things they didn’t know about in the Outer Universe.
Old Bai replied with a shake of his head, “I haven’t seen it before, but I’ve heard of the famous Heavenly Sword Palace. Back then, in order to forge this artifact, Heavenly Sword Union nearly went bankrupt, yet it still took them nearly 100 years to complete it.”
Yang Kai was slightly surprised.
Heavenly Sword Union could be considered a top Second-Class force, yet they had almost gone bankrupt and spent so long to refine a single artifact. From this, it could be seen just how much Heavenly Sword Palace had cost them. The more they spent on it, the more it could not be underestimated.
Although he had not personally witnessed the power of Heavenly Sword Palace, Yang Kai could still feel that it had an impregnable defence and unstoppable offensive power!
This kind of artifact had already exceeded the scope of an ordinary artifact. It was a weapon of war!
With such a powerful weapon, Heavenly Sword Union’s morale would definitely soar!
In comparison, Void Land seemed somewhat shabby.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked around, noting that Void Land’s forces had taken up position about 1 million kilometres away from the Territory Gate. This distance wasn’t far, but it was definitely not close either. For Open Heaven Realm Masters, it would not take them long to cross such a distance. Moreover, there were no obstructions in the void, so if their eyesight was good enough, they could even see individual cultivators across this kind of gap.
Ships of all sizes were scattered across the void.
[If we get the opportunity, we should forge a palace artifact for ourselves. Otherwise, if we encountered such a situation again, our morale would be greatly reduced before the fighting even begins.]
Unfortunately, Void Land was currently short of resources, so now was not the time to consider such things.
“You didn’t see Zuo Quan Hui?” Yang Kai turned to look at Mao Zhe.
Mao Zhe slowly shook his head, “No.”
Yang Kai focused his attention on the Heavenly Sword Palace. Since Zuo Quan Hui hadn’t shown up, either he hadn’t come here and was still hiding in Flying Smoke Territory, or he was inside the Heavenly Sword Palace!
Yang Kai estimated that the former was more likely to be the case. If he really came, he would not let Mao Zhe and the others leave so easily.
Of course, he could have been hiding in Flying Smoke Territory and had now come along with the Heavenly Sword Palace.
Even though a great killing weapon like the Heavenly Sword Palace had been taken out, it was still standing guard near the Territory Gate. Obviously, they were only trying to probe the situation and weren’t preparing to launch a large-scale attack; otherwise, they would have mobilised the entire Heavenly Sword Palace and directly attacked Void Land!
Of course, directly attacking Void Land was something Zuo Quan Hui definitely didn’t have the courage to do. With Bi Xi and Zhu Jiu Yin standing guard, how could he dare to act presumptuously?
Setting up the Heavenly Sword Palace near the Territory Gate, he could attack or retreat at will. This was exactly what Yang Kai wanted, Zuo Quan Hui acting vigilant and cautious.
After thinking about it for a long time, Yang Kai stated in a low voice, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to contribute much to the battle against Heavenly Sword Union. You can only rely on yourselves. Be careful!”
The group of Open Heaven Realm Masters around him were stunned, most of them not understanding what Yang Kai meant, but a few of them quickly reacted.
Yang Kai’s strength had far exceeded an ordinary Sixth-Order Master’s, so if he were to take action, no one from Heavenly Sword Union would be his opponent. At that time, he would definitely provoke Zuo Quan Hui to take action, and once Zuo Quan Hui appeared, the situation would become difficult to control.
After all, no one on their side could restrain a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
Currently, Zuo Quan Hui was hiding, mainly because he was afraid of Zhu Jiu Yin, who hadn’t made an appearance yet. If Yang Kai didn’t show himself, Zuo Quan Hui also wouldn’t show up easily, which would benefit Void Land greatly.
Yue He was the first to understand this point, so when she heard this, she nodded and declared, “Young Master may rest assured. If Zuo Quan Hui doesn’t take action, Heavenly Sword Union is nothing but trash!”
For the current Void Land, they indeed had the qualifications to evaluate Heavenly Sword Union as trash.
“Let’s set up camp first. I don’t know how long Zuo Quan Hui’s probing will last,” Yang Kai ordered, and everyone readily agreed.
Several figures flew out and disappeared into the void.
Half a day later, a shattered Spirit Province from who knows where was brought over and set down before everyone landed on it.
This shattered Spirit Province was a barren rock one could find floating about in Great Territory. Although it couldn’t compare to the grandeur of the Heavenly Sword Palace, it was still a good place to temporarily establish a camp.
After settling the necessary details, Yang Kai immediately summoned all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters for a war council. Everyone expressed their own opinions, and soon determined the most important task at hand, which was to determine the strength of Heavenly Sword Union!
‘Know thyself, know thine enemy, and you will emerge victorious in 100 battles’. It was a saying true in any circumstance.
On the other side, Heavenly Sword Union’s disciples were all holed up in and around the Heavenly Sword Palace, so it wasn’t easy to identify or count them. Yang Kai had arranged for Luan Bai Feng to enter the enemy’s ranks in advance, but in this situation, unless Luan Bai Feng left the Heavenly Sword Palace, it was impossible for her to send out a message.
The Heavenly Sword Palace’s defensive array was active, isolating the outside world and making it impossible to send out any messages.
In other words, to contact her, the battle had to reach a point where Luan Bai Feng would be deployed!
This matter wasn’t actually difficult. As long as Yang Kai put enough pressure on Heavenly Sword Union, Luan Bai Feng would definitely have a chance to move out and make contact. Yang Kai gazed at everyone and asked, “Who wants to lead the attack?”
Iron Blood Great Emperor was the first to step forward and volunteer, “Let me!”
It had only been half a year since he had broken through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and he had spent most of his time in retreat, consolidating his cultivation. It was an extremely boring process, so he longed for a good fight. Furthermore, fighting with others was far more efficient than cultivating in retreat to consolidate one’s foundation. The dangers of wandering between life and death also often stimulated one’s potential.
Yang Kai denied with a smile, “Senior Iron Blood, please don’t make a move for now. After your breakthroughs, you are all hidden forces of Void Land. I’m preparing to give Heavenly Sword Union a pleasant surprise when the time is right, so unless it’s absolutely necessary, I want you to remain hidden.”
Iron Blood Great Emperor snorted unhappily but still sat back down.
Mao Zhe stood up and proposed, “Let us take the lead; after all, we should retrieve the face we lost ourselves.”
Previously, the Three Mountain Lords had been forced to retreat by Heavenly Sword Union, not because their strength was necessarily inferior, but because they were heavily outnumbered.
Now that all of Void Land’s forces were ready to be deployed, Mao Zhe naturally wanted to avenge his previous humiliation.
Yang Kai agreed with a nod, “Then I’ll leave the first team to the Three Mountain Lords. Take 10 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and 100 below the Fifth-Order!”
Mao Zhe and the other two stood up and cupped their fists, “Yes!”
Turning around, they walked out.
After they left, Yang Kai continued, “Hui Gu, Hua Yong, Shu Mu Dan!”
Hui Gu and the couple stood up and responded, “Sir!”
“The three of you will lead another 100 people and prepare to assist at any time!”
The three of them nodded and went out to prepare.
“Yue He, Mo Mei!” Yang Kai called out again.
The two women stepped forward.
“Ready 200 people as reserves, just in case!”
“Yes!”
After issuing these orders, Yang Kai raised his head and looked outside. All 8 known Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land had been mobilized, so Heavenly Sword Union would have to arrange for Luan Bai Feng to fight. As long as Luan Bai Feng had the opportunity to leave the Heavenly Sword Palace, she could find a chance to send a message.
A moment later, streaks of light flew out from the shattered Spirit Province and headed straight for the Heavenly Sword Palace. Although there weren’t many in this group, all of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters. This was a battlefield for the Open Heaven Realm, and those below it weren’t qualified to participate.
At the same time, in the Main Hall of the Heavenly Sword Palace, Zuo Quan Hui was sitting on his throne with a group of Sixth-Order cultivators standing in front of him. There were old, young, men, and women, but all of them served Zuo Quan Hui.
A disciple dressed in Heavenly Sword Union’s uniform rushed in and cupped his fist, “Reporting to Union Master, a 100-man team from Void Land is heading straight for Heavenly Sword Palace, led by Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, and Zhou Ya!”
Hearing this, Zuo Quan Hui coldly snorted, “They sure are courageous, daring to take the initiative to attack.”
On his left, an old man stroked his beard and smiled, “A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, a young man’s temper is too hot, but this is just what the Union Master wants.”
This old man was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Heavenly Sword Union, but because of his advanced age, he stopped caring about worldly affairs and dedicated most of his time to secluded cultivation. After Zuo Quan Hui had entered Heavenly Sword Union, Zuo Quan Hui didn’t care if he was willing or not and dragged the old man along to serve him.
Zuo Quan Hui swept his gaze over the crowd majestically, “Who will meet the enemy?”
The group of people below all looked at each other in dismay. Unlike Void Land’s forces, who all volunteered to be the first to attack, no one here answered. Zuo Quan Hui had not hesitated to drag Heavenly Sword Union into this war in order to avenge his fallen Disciples, so the higher-ups of the Heavenly Sword Union were naturally not very motivated.
Eventually, someone suggested, “Union Master, how about we let these weaklings come over and show them the power of the Heavenly Sword Palace.”
The Heavenly Sword Palace was a treasure that excelled at defence, offence, and mobility. If the people of Void Land dared to approach within 10,000 kilometres of it, those inside wouldn’t even need to take action personally. The Heavenly Sword Palace’s various Arrays were enough to deal with them. If the enemy was careless enough, they might even be killed.
However, how could Zuo Quan Hui do such a thing? If he wanted to destroy Void Land and kill Yang Kai, he would first have to cut off their wings. If he really used the power of the Heavenly Sword Palace, it would only cause Void Land to retreat helplessly, which was not in line with his goals.
Moreover, the people of Void Land weren’t fools, so why would they purposely put themselves in danger?
This was to be the first real confrontation between Heavenly Sword Union and Void Land, yet no one had taken the initiative to help him resolve his problems, causing Zuo Quan Hui to be quite annoyed.
Inside the Heavenly Sword Palace’s Main Hall, Zuo Quan Hui had a cold and gloomy look on his face. The oppressive pressure of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was filling the air, making it difficult for everyone to breathe. The one who spoke realized that he had said something wrong and couldn’t help but feel a bit terrified.
“Union Master, this Mistress requests permission to lead our counterattack, I hope Union Master can grant my request!” Just as Zuo Quan Hui was about to lose all face, Luan Bai Feng stepped up and elegantly bowed.
Zuo Quan Hui glanced at her warmly and nodded, “Warden Luan is quite considerate, but with three Sixth-Order Masters attacking together, you alone will be outnumbered.” Although his cultivation was an Order higher than Luan Bai Feng’s, she had chosen to join him on her own, and now that she had taken the initiative to offer herself to save him some face, Zuo Quan Hui was naturally quite polite to her.
Turning his head to the other side, he shouted, “Huang Quan, Jin Gang, Cang Yan!”
Being called out, no matter how unwilling Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch’s trio was, they could only brace themselves and step forward. They cupped their fists and responded, “This subordinate is here!”
“I’ll leave those three to you!” Zuo Quan Hui looked at them indifferently.
How could Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch and the others dare to refute? Since they had submitted to someone else, they had to act like lackeys. The trio respectfully agreed, “Rest assured, Sir, we will make sure they never return!”
Turning around, they gathered their forces and left the Heavenly Sword Palace.
A moment later, a great battle broke out in the void.
This was not the first time the three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Prison Star had fought with the Three Mountain Lords of Profound Yang Mountain. When Heavenly Sword Union had emerged from Flying Smoke Territory, these six had been the first to fight. The Three Mountain Lords, who were standing guard in Void Territory, were outnumbered and had no choice but to retreat until Yang Kai arrived with reinforcements, only then did they show their faces again.
It could be said that both sides knew each other and were evenly matched.
For a while, all kinds of large and small fights broke out in the void as the cultivators released various Divine Abilities and artifact attacks. It was an extremely spectacular sight.
However, whether it was Heavenly Sword Union or Void Land, everyone knew that this was not the time for a decisive battle, so both sides acted with a certain degree of restraint. The scene might look exceptionally spectacular, but its participants were all acting cautiously. After fighting for half an hour, with the exception of a few who were injured, not a single fatality had occurred. It had to be said that this was not a small miracle, but a tacit understanding between both parties.
Yang Kai, sitting in the shattered Spirit Province, gazed at the distant battlefield.
Inside the Heavenly Sword Palace, Zuo Quan Hui’s face turned livid. If he couldn’t gain an advantage in this battle, how could he force Yang Kai to take action? If Yang Kai didn’t take action, how could he have the chance to kill him?
Just as Yang Kai had planned to give Luan Bai Feng a chance to participate in the battle so she could send him a message, Zuo Quan Hui’s planned something similar. As long as he could force Yang Kai to show his face, his plan would be halfway there. Even if the Divine Spirit Heavenly Moon Demon Spider was protecting Yang Kai, it was not impossible for Zuo Quan Hui to kill him!
The last time he had been injured by Yang Kai was because he had been careless. This time, he would not lower his guard.
As long as he could kill Yang Kai, his revenge would be complete! As for the other residents of Void Land, he didn’t care whether they lived or died.
Seeing the state of the battle, Zuo Quan Hui was unhappy and called out once more, “Huang Mao, Liang Ce, Qi Xuan, Dan Yang!”
The four people below all stood up and accepted their orders.
These four were all Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Heavenly Sword Union. Yang Kai had once asked Luan Bai Feng about the strength of Heavenly Sword Union, and she responded that there were four Sixth-Order Masters that she and the public were aware of. Two of them had been killed by Yang Kai, leaving only two behind. However, she had no idea about those who were hiding in the dark.
Huang Mao and Liang Ce were the two who were known to the public while Qi Xuan and Dan Yang were the hidden Masters of Heavenly Sword Union. Both of them were older-generation Masters, and basically spent all their time in secluded retreat. If Zuo Quan Hui hadn’t taken over Heavenly Sword Union, how could they have appeared here?
Then again, Heavenly Sword Union and Yang Kai did have a kind of irreconcilable enmity between them. They wanted to use Zuo Quan Hui’s power to avenge the death of two of their Union Masters, so they didn’t have any objections to his orders.
“The four of you will lead more people to support Huang Quan and the other two. You must gain the upper hand.”
“Yes!” The four quickly responded.
Zuo Quan Hui then turned to the remaining Sixth-Order Disciple from his lineage and ordered, “Zi Yan, you go too and act according to the situation!”
“Master, don’t worry, this Disciple understands what she must do!” Zi Yan clenched her teeth and turned around; the hatred in her eyes threatened to burn the world!
Zuo Quan Hui currently had many Sixth-Order subordinates, but he only had one true confidant, and that was Zi Yan; after all, she was his Direct Disciple, so her loyalty was unquestionable. Furthermore, only Zi Yan knew what Zuo Quan Hui was planning.
“Does Martial Uncle Zuo want to end this battle quickly?” A voice suddenly rang out in the hall. As soon as the battle began, Zuo Quan Hui had sent out almost all of his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm subordinates, so his intentions were obvious. A smart person would naturally be able to guess what he wanted.
Zuo Quan Hui replied in a low voice, “Martial Nephew is right, this Monarch does have such intentions.” Zuo Quan Hui didn’t show any trace of politeness towards others. He ordered them around as he liked, but towards this person, Zuo Quan Hui was extremely amiable. He had no choice in the matter, as this person’s background could not be underestimated, and just like Luan Bai Feng, he had taken the initiative to join him. So, naturally, Zuo Quan Hui had to treat him with respect.
The person took a short pause before continuing, “According to the information we’ve gathered, there are a total of eight Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land besides Yang Kai. On our side, there are three from the Prison Star, which are Huang Quan and his men, four from Heavenly Sword Union, making it a total of eight if we include your Disciple. This time, we’ve met a worthy opponent. It’s going to be a good show.”
The man smiled slightly as he spoke, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Zuo Quan Hui added in an earnest manner, “That’s why we may need Martial Nephew and Warden Luan to put pressure on them later. Only then will Yang Kai show himself.”
The man assured with a nod, “Of course, that’s not a problem.” Turning his head to look at Luan Bai Feng, his eyes brazenly lingered on her towering chest for a moment before he smiled and added, “Warden Luan, I hope we can cooperate well!”
Luan Bai Feng covered her mouth and giggled, “This Mistress is a woman with a weak physique. I’ve never seen such a big scene before, so I’m quite anxious. I’ll have to trouble Junior Brother to take care of me later.”
The man chuckled and stated, “Of course, of course!”
Luan Bai Feng also smiled, but a trace of anxiety flashed across her beautiful eyes. She hadn’t expected that she would be used by Zuo Quan Hui as a last resort. In this situation, she wouldn’t be able to inform Yang Kai in advance about the situation, and once Zuo Quan Hui’s plan succeeded, Yang Kai would really fall into great danger.
Now that she and Yang Kai were riding the same boat, if anything happened to him, she would not be able to survive either.
She turned her head to look outside, and when Luan Bai Feng saw that the battlefield was becoming more and more chaotic, the anxiety in her eyes became even more intense!
Heavenly Sword Union had sent out eight Sixth-Order Open Heaven Masters, so Void Land could only respond accordingly. Fortunately, Yang Kai had made arrangements long ago. After the three Mountain Lords of the Profound Yang Mountain, Hui Gu, Hua Yong, Yue He and Mo Mei also took action in an orderly manner.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm battlefield was evenly matched; after all, everyone had the same number of people, so neither side could gain any advantage. Although they fought fiercely, whether it was the enemy or their allies, none of them were in any danger of dying.
On the other hand, the battlefields below the Sixth Order soon had distinct differences in strength.
Although Heavenly Sword Union was also a peak Second Class Force with many Open Heaven Realm Masters, it was still slightly inferior to the current Void Land.
The countless years of accumulation of the Abundance City cultivators from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had finally borne fruit in Void Land. Furthermore, Yang Kai had brought a large number of Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Shadowless Cave Heaven as well. Now, the total number of Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth-Order in Void Land had reached about a shocking 1,500!
This was an extremely large number, and under the Cave Heavens and Paradises, there were very few forces who possessed so many Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Naturally, Heavenly Sword Union was inferior.
Void Land didn’t even need to mobilize all its forces, sending just half was enough to crush the enemy. In a situation where the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t interfere, the cultivators below that Order became the key to victory. What’s more, Void Land had many Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yang Kai’s eyes swept over the battlefield and clearly saw Heavenly Sword Union’s Open Heaven Realm Masters being suppressed to the point where they couldn’t even breathe. From time to time, a Small Universe would collapse and the World Force would erupt, the phenomenon following the death of an Open Heaven Realm Master.
As he was looking around, Yang Kai was suddenly shocked and his eyes fixed on a fiery red figure as his brow twitched violently.
The fiery red figure was none other than Zhu Qing, who had just undergone a bloodline transformation!
Although the power of her Dragon Vein had greatly increased, overall, she only possessed the strength of a Third or Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. In such a battlefield, she was at great risk of being hurt or even dying.
[Who brought her out?] The veins on Yang Kai’s forehead bulged.
However, on second thought, he realized that no one would do such a thing and the most likely scenario was that she had run off on her own.
Lu Xue, who had been standing next to Yang Kai, also saw this scene and leaned over to ask in a low voice, “Sir, do we need to bring the Madam back? On the battlefield, swords have no eyes.”
Lu Xue had consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit in the past, allowing her to advance from the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm directly. Moreover, she was one of the earliest Open Heaven Realm Masters to follow Yang Kai, so she could be considered a trusted aide. Now, she was staying by Yang Kai’s side as a messenger.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking his head, “No need!”
Since Zhu Qing was willing to fight, Yang Kai let her do as she pleased. Of course, what really reassured Yang Kai was that he could clearly see Old Bai, Chef, and Accountant sticking close to Zhu Qing’s position, neither interfering with her battle with her enemies nor allowing powerful opponents to approach.
With the three of them taking care of her, Zhu Qing’s life shouldn’t be in danger, and such a battle would be good for her growth.
Moving his eyes away, Yang Kai continued to observe the battlefield with a frown.
He didn’t see Luan Bai Feng on the battlefield, which meant that there were still more Sixth-Order Masters on the Heavenly Sword Union’s side!
It was just that he didn’t know how much strength Zuo Quan Hui was concealing. No matter what, he had to take extra precautions.
Turning his head, Yang Kai stated, “Everyone, prepare yourselves, we may need your help later!”
Originally, he had wanted to hide Iron Blood and the others so that he could give Zuo Quan Hui a big surprise, but now it seemed that he wouldn’t be able to hide them for long. Once Luan Bai Feng was sent out, he would need someone to deal with her.
After Iron Blood Great Emperor had advanced, six more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had appeared in Void Land. Although all of them had just broken through and were unable to display the full strength of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, two of them would easily be able to suppress one opponent.
As long as Zuo Quan Hui’s side didn’t send out more than four Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai could deal with them without making an appearance, but it was impossible for him to keep hiding Void Land’s strength.
It was not easy to reach the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so Yang Kai estimated that Zuo Quan Hui wouldn’t have too many more at his disposal. In other words, with Void Land’s current strength, they should be able to handle the situation.
A moment later, another batch of streaks of light rushed out from the Heavenly Sword Palace and rushed towards the battlefield. The two leading people were obviously Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yang Kai looked over, and when he saw the face of one of them, he was stunned as this person’s entire body was surrounded by Demon Qi. It was none other than Myriad Demons Heaven’s Pei Wen Xuan!
[Why is he here? Is it on Myriad Demons Heaven’s orders or of his own volition? If it’s the former, then Void Land will really be in big trouble. Myriad Demons Heaven is one of the 36 Cave Heavens, how can Void Land resist such a massive force?]
If Myriad Demons Heaven really decided to interfere, Yang Kai decided that he would immediately gather everyone and return to Void Land to hide under Bi Xi’s tortoise shell.
However, Yang Kai didn’t find too many Myriad Demons Heaven disciples in the new batch of Open Heaven Realm Masters, only three or four at most. This discovery made Yang Kai feel relieved. Apparently, Pei Wen Xuan’s interference in Void Land’s battle with Heavenly Sword Union wasn’t ordered by Myriad Demons Heaven; otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent so few people here. He should be acting alone.
Naturally, Luan Bai Feng was leading the group together with Pei Wen Xuan.
At the same time Yang Kai saw her, his Communication Bead vibrated. Yang Kai took it out and immediately understood the message Luan Bai Feng had sent him.
All the elites had been deployed to lure the snake out of its hole, so they had to be careful!
Yang Kai quietly put away the Communication Bead and turned his head to look at Iron Blood Great Emperor. Just as he was about to speak though, he suddenly felt two powerful auras appear seemingly out of thin air. Looking up, Yang Kai saw two streaks of light approaching from the distance at an astonishing speed.
Feeling the aura of these two newcomers, Yang Kai’s expression became strange and he swallowed his words.
The two people who had suddenly appeared flew across the vast void like two sharp blades, directly charging towards the team led by Pei Wen Xuan and Luan Bai Feng with astonishing momentum!
Pei Wen Xuan and Luan Bai Feng had received Zuo Quan Hui’s orders. They were preparing to bring their people into the battlefield to pressure Void Land further and force Yang Kai to take action, thus creating an opportunity for Zuo Quan Hui to act. But who would have thought that two more Sixth-Order Masters would suddenly appear and attack them.
Feeling the strength of the approaching enemies, Pei Wen Xuan didn’t even have time to think about where these two people had come from or what their identities were. He immediately used a Divine Ability together with Luan Bai Feng to counter-attack.
The two attackers didn’t try to dodge and instead seemed to perform a joint attack technique. The two figures quickly intertwined and their World Forces fused together to form a Taiyi Yin-Yang Chart which suddenly expanded and enveloped Pei Wen Xuan and Luan Bai Feng.
The next moment, the Taiyi Yin-Yang Chart began rotating rapidly, like a giant millstone crushing the void.
World Force fluctuated wildly as miserable screams rang out.
The people on the shattered Spirit Province were dumbfounded at this sight. Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others, who had been itching to fight, broke into a cold sweat as they stared at the sudden change in the battlefield, secretly wondering what would happen if they were enveloped by this kind of Divine Ability.
They might not end up dead, but serious injuries would be inevitable.
“Who is that?” Iron Blood Great Emperor turned to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai hesitated before replying, “It should be Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
“You invited them?” Bustling World Great Emperor asked. These two had suddenly appeared without any warning, and Yang Kai had never told them about this either.
Yang Kai denied, shaking his head, “I don’t know about this either.”
He really had no idea what was happening. If it weren’t for those two taking the initiative to attack, he wouldn’t have even known they were here. By the looks of it, Xu Ling Gong didn’t ignore him. His status as a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-law still seemed a little useful.
“Then do we still attack?” Iron Blood Great Emperor stared at Yang Kai.
“No need for now.” Yang Kai waved his hand, “Just continue hiding.”
Some of the Great Emperors wore looks of disappointment on their faces. It had only been a short time since they had broken through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so they hadn’t had a chance to carefully test their strength yet. They had thought that this was an opportunity, but who would have thought that people from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would suddenly appear and intercept the enemy?
For a moment, they didn’t know if they should thank or curse them.
With a massive burst of energy, the Taiyi Yin-Yang Chart that had been suppressing the entire region suddenly shattered as several figures flew out.
Originally, Pei Wen Xuan and Luan Bai Feng had brought some 40 or 50 Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth Order from Heavenly Sword Palace, but now only half of them remained. The rest were all dead. Furthermore, almost everyone who was still alive was injured, with the exception of those at or above the Fifth Order.
Although Pei Wen Xuan wasn’t hurt, he was still in a sorry state. After breaking free, he roared, “Qing Kui, Su Ying Xue, you court death!”
In the void, Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue stood side by side. The former sneered when he heard this and snapped back, “Such impudence! It seems you need a good beating!”
Luan Bai Feng stood to the side, not saying a word as she adjusted her messy clothes slightly, feeling a heavy weight lifting from her chest.
She had been worried that Yang Kai would be forced to act and give Zuo Quan Hui a chance to kill him, but by the looks of it, the sudden appearance of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven had resolved this crisis.
From her standpoint, she should be thanking Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue, so she naturally wouldn’t say anything, but neither would she let her expressions betray her thoughts.
“You dare attack me?” Pei Wen Xuan stared coldly at Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue, “I’m afraid you’ve forgotten what happened to Qu Hua Shang. I will definitely report this matter to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and have you condemned as accomplices!”
Back then, Qu Hua Shang had only interfered with Yang Kai’s affairs, nothing too serious, yet she was forced to become a prize for the Dao Theory Assembly and was sentenced to 100 years of confinement. Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue’s actions just now were much more serious than Qu Hua Shang’s as they had directly killed others. If they really followed the rules set by the Cave Heavens and Paradises, they would definitely be charged with the crime of creating internal strife.
Qing Kui, however, wasn’t intimidated and sneered, “If you can’t beat others, you whine and complain to your Elders? Is this Myriad Demons Heaven’s way of doing things? How eye-opening!”
Qing Kui also didn’t have a good impression of Myriad Demons Heaven. The reason why his Little Junior Sister had encountered such a terrible situation was because of Myriad Demons Heaven’s Ti Zheng, so how could he have any goodwill towards Pei Wen Xuan?
Pei Wen Xuan coldly snorted, “Whatever you say, this matter will be decided by your Yin-Yang Cave Heaven!”
Qing Kui wore an aloof expression while Su Ying Xue stated indifferently, “There’s no need to worry about that. Senior Brother and I are no longer Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples.”
“Huh?” Pei Wen Xuan gawked, wondering if he had misheard her.
“Because the two of us defied our Honoured Master’s commands a few days ago, we were expelled from the Sect, so we are no longer Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples!” Su Ying Xue’s expression remained flat, as if she was discussing the weather rather than their expulsion from their Master Sect.
Pei Wen Xuan’s face was filled with shock, “The two of you were expelled from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?” His first thought was that it was impossible.
Xu Ling Gong had taken in a total of three Disciples in his life, and each of them was extremely precious to him. Even if they had committed a grave mistake, he would not be willing to expel them from the Sect. Moreover, all Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were considered part of the elite forces of any Cave Heavens and Paradises and were more than capable of holding the position of an Outer Sect Elder. How could they be casually expelled from the Sect? Even if Xu Ling Gong was willing, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would not let them go so easily. At the very least, their cultivations would be crippled.
However, on second thought, this explanation sounded somewhat familiar…
Zuo Quan Hui’s lineage could rebel against Thousand Crane Paradise, so why couldn’t Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue be expelled from Yin-Yang Heaven?
Xu Ling Gong was obviously trying to cheat! But thinking about the other party’s character, it wasn’t strange for him to act so shamelessly.
“Good, enough idle chatter. Boy, are you ready?” Qing Kui palmed his fist tightly as he looked towards Pei Wen Xuan with a grin.
“Ready for what?” Pei Wen Xuan’s brow twitched.
“Ready for a beating of course! I hope your skin is thick enough so you don’t get beaten to death by Father here!” As he finished speaking, Qing Kui raised his fists and pushed his World Force towards Pei Wen Xuan.
Pei Wen Xuan cried out in alarm as the Demon Qi around his body surged, transforming into a black cloud that engulfed his body.
Although it had been a few years since he had broken through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and his foundation had somewhat stabilized, how could Pei Wen Xuan be a match for a veteran Sixth-Order Master like Qing Kui? Although he knew that Qing Kui couldn’t really kill him, being beaten half to death was still quite embarrassing, not to mention painful. So, when he saw Qing Kui charging straight at him, Pei Wen Xuan immediately used his Divine Ability to conceal himself while falling back and waiting for an opportunity to act.
However, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had interacted with each other for countless millennia, so even if they didn’t know each other’s techniques and Divine Abilities like the back of their hands, they had a certain understanding of them at the very least. Qing Kui didn’t even bat an eye as he rushed into the Demonic Cloud, and a moment later, Pei Wen Xuan’s muffled grunts clearly rang out.
On the other side, Su Ying Xue went straight to Luan Bai Feng before the two women engaged in a fierce battle.
Unlike how Qing Kui had proclaimed that he would beat Pei Wen Xuan, he had to hold back a bit in order to avoid killing him. In the end, Pei Wen Xuan was still a Core Disciple of Myriad Demons Heaven, so if he were to die, it would definitely cause a huge stir.
The current battle between Void Land and Heavenly Sword Union was all because of the death of a Core Disciple, and this was only possible because of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven applying political pressure from the background. If it weren’t for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Void Land wouldn’t be facing Heavenly Sword Union, but Thousand Crane Paradise.
Su Ying Xue, on the other hand, didn’t need to worry too much about this. When she attacked, her killing intent surged and every move she made was deadly.
However, Luan Bai Feng didn’t dare to say anything to her and could only try to resolve the situation on her own. Fortunately, Luan Bai Feng was no pushover. Although her background wasn’t as high as Su Ying Xue’s, her Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator was extremely profound. For a time, the fight between the two as they exchanged moves one after another was quite a spectacular sight.
Zuo Quan Hui had sent Pei Wen Xuan and Luan Bai Feng as a last resort, but they were unable to finish their mission. Furthermore, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters he had sent out were also preoccupied with different opponents and were unable to extricate themselves.
As for those below the Sixth Order, they were suffering heavy casualties because they were outnumbered.
Inside the Heavenly Sword Palace, Zuo Quan Hui’s face was so dark and gloomy that it looked as if it could blot out light from the entire world.
This was the first official confrontation between Heavenly Sword Union and Void Land, and it was also a battle that was destined to be fruitless.
For Heavenly Sword Union’s side, as long as Yang Kai does not show up, Zuo Quan Hui’s scheme would be impossible to achieve. As for Void Land, they could not reveal the hidden strength in their hand before they had a certain degree of confidence in killing Zuo Quan Hui.
There were now 20 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters participating in the battle and over 1,000 Masters were below the Sixth-Order. Across the million kilometres wide battlefield, everyone was locked in a heated melee and bathed in blood.
Yang Kai, who was sitting on the shattered Spirit Province, gazed over the battlefield and issued a series of orders. More and more Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth Order rushed to the front to solidify Void Land’s advantage.
Since Heavenly Sword Union had decided to follow Zuo Quan Hui’s lead, they couldn’t blame Void Land for not showing any mercy. If they could take advantage of this opportunity to kill all of Heavenly Sword Union Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth Order, it would be a great victory. At that time, Zuo Quan Hui’s group of Sixth-Order Masters wouldn’t be able to accomplish much.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s eyes focused on a certain spot on the battlefield. After he observed carefully for a moment, he raised his hand and called out, “Lu Xue!”
“Reporting.” Lu Xue, who had been standing beside him as the messenger, came forward.
“Go deal with that Myriad Demons Heaven disciple!” Yang Kai directed her in a certain direction.
Lu Xue followed the direction of his finger and soon caught sight of her target. Although she didn’t know what was so special about this Myriad Demons Heaven disciple, since Yang Kai had personally ordered her to do so, she could only faithfully obey.
“Yes, Sir!” She quickly replied, but just as she was about to head out, she suddenly received Yang Kai’s voice transmission and nodded in response, “Rest assured, Sir.”
Her figure flickered as she transformed into a streak of light and sped across the battlefield.
A moment later, Lu Xue arrived in front of her target and slashed her sword towards the Myriad Demons Heaven disciple.
The Myriad Demons Heaven Disciple was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with extraordinary strength. He was currently locked in a fierce battle with Jin Yuan Lang. Seeing Lu Xue join the battle, not only did he not become afraid, he even licked his lips as if he had seen some delicious food.
Lu Xue couldn’t help but shudder as an inexplicable sense of dread filled her heart. Still, she followed Yang Kai’s instructions and sent him a message without a moment of hesitation!
The Myriad Demons Heaven Disciple’s face, which was beaming with fighting spirit, suddenly went stiff. He pushed his Demon Qi madly as he retreated 100 kilometres before raising his eyes and looking towards the distant shattered Spirit Province.
Lu Xue and Jin Yuan Lang could care less about what he was thinking, and attacked from the left and right. But the Myriad Demons Heaven Disciple only parried the attacks, seemingly no longer having any intention of fighting back.
In a two-against-one, with both of them being Fifth-Order Masters, the Myriad Demons Heaven disciple quickly fell into a disadvantageous situation. However, no matter how dangerous the situation was, he was always able to find a way to survive. After fighting for a long time, Lu Xue, and Jin Yuan Lang both sighed in amazement. The two of them had almost killed this man several times, but he still managed to stay alive and kicking.
If it weren’t for the fact that he was clearly a Fifth-Order Master, the two of them would have suspected that he was concealing his cultivation; otherwise, how could he be so lucky every time?
Lu Xue and Jin Yuan Lang didn’t fight with the Myriad Demons Heaven disciple for too long. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a streak of light suddenly shot out from the Heavenly Sword Palace, shooting towards the void.
Seeing this, the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union all used their Divine Abilities to push back the enemies and then used this opportunity to quickly retreat.
Many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters fought while retreating, bringing up the rear for the retreating lower Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Void Land Masters chased after them, but they didn’t pursue them too far. The deterrent force of the Heavenly Sword Palace was too strong, so no one dared to get too close.
“A cornered enemy should not be pressured!” Yue He was the first to stop, and only then did the people behind her come to a half, calmly watching Heavenly Sword Union disciples flee back to the Heavenly Sword Palace.
After a brief period of silence, the Void Land Open Heaven Realm Masters broke into cheers. No matter what, Void Land had won this battle. Although they hadn’t been able to kill any of the enemy’s Sixth-Order Masters, they had killed many below the Sixth-Order, greatly weakening Heavenly Sword Union’s strength.
Under Yue He’s orders, the cultivators below the Sixth Order began to clean up the battlefield. Void Land was currently lacking in supplies, and many people died in this battle. Naturally, the spoils of war had to be collected to replenish their consumption.
Under the leadership of Yue He, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters flew towards Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue. The sudden appearance of these two fearsome Sixth-Order Masters had provided them with timely help. If they had not stopped Pei Wen Xuan and Luan Bai Feng, a portion of Void Land’s hidden power would have been exposed.
“Greetings, Senior Sister Su,” Yue He respectfully bowed. Su Ying Xue had spent some time in charge of Yin-Yang Heaven’s Dao Temple in Void Star City and was also the one who had told Yang Kai about the Dao Theory Assembly, so Yue He naturally recognized her.
“Junior Sister Yue He!” Su Ying Xue returned the greeting.
“May I ask who this is…” Yue He looked towards Qing Kui curiously. Although she had some guesses in her heart, she couldn’t be certain.
After Su Ying Xue introduced the man, Yue He finally smiled and thanked, “So it is Senior Brother Qing Kui. Many thanks for taking care of Young Master when he was in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
“It’s nothing.” Qing Kui grinned, “Junior Brother Yang is now a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so naturally we have to take care of our family. Hmm, is Junior Brother Yang on that Spirit Province?”
Yue He nodded her affirmation, “Yes, it’s just that it’s not convenient for him to show his face for the time being. I’m sure Young Master is very happy to see the two of you. Please follow me!”
While everyone was talking, the battlefield had been cleaned up and the Open Heaven Realm Masters returned victoriously.
Inside an impromptu hall hurriedly built on the shattered Spirit Province, Yang Kai stood up and greeted everyone. Yang Kai introduced Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue to everyone, which immediately caused an uproar, but after exchanging greetings, both sides sat down calmly.
“Senior Brother Qing, Senior Sister Su, why are you here?” Yang Kai asked in confusion. Worry was clearly written on his brow, “Furthermore, wouldn’t stopping Pei Wen Xuan cause trouble for you? Will it implicate Martial Uncle Xu?”
If everything went smoothly, Pei Wen Xuan would be able to advance to the Eighth Order! In any Cave Heaven or Paradise, he would be a future pillar of the Sect.
Qing Kui, on the other hand, was lost in shock as he wondered, [Where did these people come from?]
He was so shocked that he didn’t even hear Yang Kai’s question clearly.
“Senior Brother!” Su Ying Xue gently elbowed him.
“Hmm?” Qing Kui was momentarily stunned, but he quickly came to his senses and calmly replied, “Oh, Junior Sister and I have already been expelled from the Sect by Honoured Master, so there’s nothing to worry about!”
After he finished speaking, his eyes swept over Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others, as if he was trying to figure out what was going on.
“What?” Now it was Yang Kai’s turn to be shocked, “Expelled?”
Being expelled from the Sect was not a trivial matter. Generally speaking, only those who had committed grave mistakes would receive such a harsh punishment. The disciples who were expelled from the Sect would be scorned, and they might even be hunted down.
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue were both in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and could be considered Xu Ling Gong’s left and right arms. Even if they had made a terrible mistake, how could they be expelled from the Sect?
But soon, Yang Kai understood and smiled bitterly, “Martial Uncle Xu has put in a lot of effort!”
The so-called expulsion from the Sect was definitely just an excuse to the outside world, just like Zuo Quan Hui’s rebellion from Thousand Crane Paradise. What’s more, since Xu Ling Gog could expel them from the Sect, he could naturally find an excuse to have them return.
Any ordinary High-Rank Open Heaven Master would care a great deal about their face and reputation and might not be able to do this, but Xu Ling Gong didn’t care about such things.
Su Ying Xue indifferently stated, “Honoured Master said that Junior Brother Yang was in trouble and we couldn’t personally help, so he felt uneasy. Moreover, he also had a certain responsibility for this matter, so he sent Senior Brother and me here to help!”
Yang Kai cupped his fist and bowed his head, “Many thanks to Martial Uncle Xu, many thanks, Senior Brother Qing and Senior Sister Su.”
Qing Kui waved off and stated, “There’s no need to be so polite with us. Originally, Honoured Master wanted to come here personally, but… the Sect didn’t agree.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh, “I wouldn’t dare trouble Martial Uncle Xu!”
Originally, he had some complaints about Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Although he was the one who killed Zhao Xing from Thousand Crane Paradise, since the rules of the Dao Theory Assembly had been set long ago, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven should have helped him resolve this problem.
Under the pressure of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Thousand Crane Paradise was unable to publicly and justifiably target Void Land, but Zuo Quan Hui, who had ‘rebelled’, had still caused Void Land to suffer greatly.
Now though, Xu Ling Gong had sent Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue to assist him. And if it weren’t for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s disapproval, Xu Ling Gong would have personally come to assist him. The resentment in Yang Kai’s heart immediately disappeared.
In the end, it was all because his strength was insufficient, and because Void Land’s reputation was insufficient!
If he was strong enough and had enough prestige, Thousand Cranes Paradise would not have dared to say anything for the death of a mere Zhao Xing.
“We can achieve great things with your assistance!” Yang Kai said excitedly.
Qing Kui smiled bitterly, “I thought the two of us were delivering charcoal in a frigid winter, but who would have thought that we were just adding flowers to a brocade? Even if we didn’t appear today, with your Void Land’s foundation, it should be enough to deal with Heavenly Sword Union.”
As far as they knew, Void Land had nine Sixth-Order Masters, including Yang Kai, so when they saw Pei Wen Xuan and Luan Bai Feng appear, they immediately appeared to intercept them. But apparently, Void Land still had seven newly advanced Sixth-Order Masters in reserve, so they could have handled it with or without them.
When Qing Kui saw the entire hall filled with Sixth-Order Open Heaven Masters, especially the seven who had just broken through to the Sixth-Order directly, he could almost picture another Cave Heaven or Paradise rising within the next few ten thousand years!
“Senior Brother Qing, Senior Sister Su, you have provided my Void Land with great help by coming here. If not for you appearing, when we fought Zuo Quan Hui, we wouldn’t have been able to catch him off guard.”
Qing Kui’s eyes flashed as realization dawned upon him, “So that’s your plan.”
Even Su Ying Xue and he didn’t know that Void Land had so many Sixth-Order Masters, so it was likely that Zuo Quan Hui didn’t know about this either. This point was also clear from the way Zuo Quan Hui had arranged his forces today.
According to the original intelligence, Void Land had eight available Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters apart from Yang Kai, whereas Heavenly Sword Union had a total of ten. Heavenly Sword Union had first sent out eight Sixth-Order Masters to deal with Void Land’s eight Sixth-Order Masters, then sent out the last two to exert pressure. If Yang Kai wanted to stabilize the situation, he would have no choice but to show himself.
Once Yang Kai appeared, Zuo Quan Hui would have a chance to act. This was probably Zuo Quan Hui’s original plan.
The battle between the two sides was not only a life and death struggle between their Open Heaven Realm subordinates, but also a psychological contest.
Unfortunately, Zuo Quan Hui’s luck seemed to be bad. Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue, who had appeared out of nowhere, had foiled his plans. Who knows how he might be venting his anger in Heavenly Sword Palace right now?
“Senior Brother Qing, I only have one question right now,” Yang Kai leaned forward slightly.
Qing Kui stretched out his hand and stated, “Junior Brother, if there’s anything you want to ask, just ask. If I know it, I won’t conceal anything from you.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a low voice, “Can Zuo Quan Hui be killed or not?”
Hearing this, Qing Kui’s pupils immediately shrank. He was taken aback by Yang Kai’s courage and appetite and was suddenly at a loss for words.
Although he and Su Ying Xue had received orders from their Master to assist Yang Kai, they had never harboured any hope of killing a High-Rank Open Heaven Master. From the start, their plan was to protect Yang Kai and retreat to Void Land.
After all, they were from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so Zuo Quan Hui would have some scruples more or less, so he couldn’t just kill them. As long as they could retreat to Void Land, Zuo Quan Hui wouldn’t be able to do anything to Yang Kai with Bi Xi’s protection.
Pondering for a moment, Qing Kui asked, “Is Junior Brother Yang worried about Thousand Cranes Paradise?”
Yang Kai indifferently replied, “I killed Zhao Xing and Zuo Quan Hui jumped out. If I kill Zuo Quan Hui, who knows if Thousand Cranes Paradise will jump out?”
Qing Kui’s scalp went numb. He could not figure out why he had started discussing the topic of killing a High-Rank Open Heaven Master with Yang Kai, but he felt like he was dreaming. After all, how could a High-Rank Open Heaven Master be so easy to kill? Although the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Masters on Void Land’s side was massive, if they were to fight against a veteran Seventh-Order Master, things would not end well for Void Land.
Still, Qing Kui lightly nodded in response, “That’s true, but Zuo Quan Hui’s situation is different from Zhao Xing’s.”
Yang Kai humbly requested, “Senior Brother Qing, please enlighten me.”
Qing Kui waved off and continued with a wry smile, “It’s nothing so profound. Zhao Xing was a Core Disciple of Thousand Cranes Paradise and had a chance to break through to the Eighth Order in the future. After being killed on the Prison Star, Thousand Cranes Paradise needed to regain its face; otherwise, they would become the laughingstock across the 3,000 Worlds. However, with my Yin-Yang Cave Heaven pressuring them, they can’t make a big fuss about it. As Zhao Xing’s Honoured Master, Zuo Quan Hui had no choice but to take a different approach.
“The public news from Thousand Cranes Paradise is that Zuo Quan Hui’s faction betrayed the Sect. Since they have betrayed the Sect, they are rebels and now have nothing to do with Thousand Cranes Paradise, similar to us as we were expelled from the Sect by our Honoured Master, but also quite different.” Qing Kui smiled, “Let’s put it this way, after this matter is settled, Honoured Master can take us back into the Sect, but no matter what, Zuo Quan Hui will never be able to return to Thousand Cranes Paradise; otherwise, Thousand Cranes Paradise will lose all face. This is the price he must pay for his ‘rebellion’.”
Yang Kai raised his brow and added, “If that’s the case, if I can kill Zuo Quan Hui, it would be the same as helping Thousand Cranes Paradise clean up its Sect. They should thank me instead.”
Qing Kui opened his mouth and wryly smiled, “That would be so if all parties were acting in earnest!”
In fact, everyone was aware of the true story behind Zuo Quan Hui’s ‘betrayal’. If Void Land really killed him, Thousand Cranes Paradise naturally wouldn’t show any gratitude, but they also had no right to seek revenge.
Yang Kai nodded, “I understand!”
All of a sudden, Yang Kai felt refreshed. All the troubles that had been haunting him regarding this war were now swept away. Ever since Zuo Quan Hui began targeting Void Land, Yang Kai had been somewhat worried about Thousand Cranes Paradise interfering. If he was alone, he wouldn’t have to think too much about it. After so many years of painstaking cultivation, if he was all on his own, all he would have to worry about is killing Zuo Quan Hui and clearing away their grudge. Alternatively, he could be killed by Zuo Quan Hui and be freed of all troubles.
However, as the Lord of Void Land, Yang Kai had no choice but to worry about the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Void Land disciples.
Now, he had no more concerns after hearing everything from Qing Kui.
Zuo Quan Hui could be killed!
After letting Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue withdraw to rest, Yang Kai finally had time to check the casualties.
In this battle, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t suffer much of an effect, but those below the Sixth-Order had killed nearly a hundred enemies. Although this didn’t sound like a lot, everyone who participated in this battle was an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai didn’t know how many Open Heaven Realm Masters there were in Heavenly Sword Union, but today’s battle was enough to make the hearts of the higher-ups of Heavenly Sword Union bleed.
There were also casualties on Void Land’s side, but they weren’t nearly as high. Less than 20 had been killed, so it was a significant victory!
After the great battle, everyone diligently cultivated and recuperated.
Yang Kai also began strategizing. Heavenly Sword Union had ten Sixth-Order Masters. Void Land originally had sixteen, and with the arrival of Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue, the number had increased to eighteen.
They had eight more Masters than the enemy, and if Luan Bai Feng was included, the gap would grow even larger.
However, because Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others had just broken through to the Sixth Order, they wouldn’t be able to gain any advantage against the veteran Sixth-Order Masters on the enemy’s side, so once they showed themselves and participated in the battle, they would have to fight two against one to be of any use.
In other words, the seven who had just advanced could at most restrain three or four opponents in the same realm.
If Yang Kai wanted to kill Zuo Quan Hui, he estimated that he would need six or seven veteran Sixth-Order Masters to cooperate with him to have a chance.
Void Land’s strength was still somewhat lacking!
After all, once the power of Void Land was completely exposed, if they couldn’t kill the snake, it would become impossible to threaten Zuo Quan Hui again. They only had one chance! As such, Yang Kai needed to be fully prepared and possess decisive strength.
Moreover, the most important problem was that the Heavenly Sword Palace was too close to the Territory Gate. Once Zuo Quan Hui noticed that something was wrong, there was a high chance he would retreat to Flying Smoke Territory. At that time, the question would be whether to give chase or not.
If they pursued, Zuo Quan Hui would definitely ambush them at the Territory Gate, and who among them could resist the sneak attack of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Master? If they didn’t pursue, all their previous efforts would be wasted.
Yang Kai was now having a headache. Zuo Quan Hui’s cautiousness had given Void Land some breathing room, but it also made killing him extremely difficult.
Now that things had reached this point, Yang Kai could only take things one step at a time. The situation on the battlefield was ever-changing, so perhaps he could find a suitable opportunity to act.
Perhaps he could send a message to Luan Bai Feng to find an opportunity to launch a sneak attack on Zuo Quan Hui.
After the first confrontation, Heavenly Sword Palace’s side remained calm for a full two months. Two months later, great waves rose again as a large number of lights flew out, heading straight for Void Land’s encampment.
Void Land had long since taken precautions, so when they saw this scene, they naturally charged forward to meet the enemy.
The two sides once again engaged in a fierce battle in the void, leaving behind dismembered corpses and broken limbs as they retreated.
In the main hall, after taking inventory of the casualties, Yang Kai looked out at the crowd and stated, “Zuo Quan Hui used his connections to gather a number of Second and Third-Class forces. Although it didn’t affect the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, there were quite a few more Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth-Order. Not only did they supplement the losses they suffered during the last battle, their numbers even grew quite a bit.”
Most of the people in the hall were shocked when they heard this. Right now, Void Land’s greatest advantage was the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters they had below the Sixth Order. If they didn’t even have this advantage, the situation would definitely deteriorate.
Qing Kui hesitated for a moment before asking, “Has this been confirmed?”
During this time, he had been staying in this small shattered Spirit Province, preparing for battle at any time, but he had not seen Yang Kai send anyone out to inquire about the situation, so he was naturally curious.
Yang Kai nodded, “En, it has been confirmed.”
The news had come from Luan Bai Feng, and she naturally understood the complete situation inside the Heavenly Sword Palace.
Qing Kui’s eyes flashed as he quickly realized something and began suspecting Yang Kai must have some kind of spy in Heavenly Sword Palace, so he didn’t ask any further.
“Then what is Zuo Quan Hui trying to do?” Hui Gu frowned, “Many of them died today.”
Yang Kai explained, “No matter how many casualties there are, it means nothing to Zuo Quan Hui. All the forces under his command are outsiders with the exception of his last personal Disciple, a Sixth-Order woman named Zi Yan. As long as Zi Yan doesn’t die, why would he care about the lives of others? The battles in the future will only become more frequent, so everyone should be prepared.”
“If he remains hiding and has his subordinates fight to the death, what does he want?” Mo Mei was puzzled.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, “He’s following the same plan as before, trying to wear us down!”
Zuo Quan Hui had sealed the Territory Gate and spread the news that he had an irreconcilable feud with Void Land. As a result, the Star City’s popularity had plummeted and Void Land’s revenue stream had basically disappeared. With so many people cultivating and needing resources, it was natural to begin running short of supplies.
Once Void Land’s resources ran out, Yang Kai would inevitably come out, giving Zuo Quan Hui a chance to act.
If it weren’t for the frequent activation of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, which made Zuo Quan Hui realize something was wrong, he wouldn’t have led Heavenly Sword Union into Void Territory so quickly.
More importantly, Zuo Quan Hui’s plan to lure the snake out of its hole had become hopeless after the arrival of Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue. Since he couldn’t bring out any more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, he could only use his connections, force, or enticement to bolster his numbers.
And when a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master gave an order, how could mere Second or Third-Class forces resist? Whether they wanted to or not, they had to submit and obey his commands.
Currently, all of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the nearby Great Territories, with the exception of a few with powerful backgrounds, had been recruited by Zuo Quan Hui, greatly increasing the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters he had under his command. For the time being, they were still inferior to Void Land, but it was difficult to say if this would remain the case as time passed.
Although every battle ended in Void Land’s victory, there were inevitably some casualties, and the surviving Open Heaven Realm Masters were quite exhausted, requiring them to expend plenty of resources to restore their strength.
It had become a battle of attrition and resources. Without enough resources to restore themselves, Open Heaven Realm Masters would not be able to maintain their full strength at all times, and if they were to fight again, it would be harder for them to hold on. If this continued for a long time, Void Land would eventually be unable to hold on, and at that time, it would become a decisive battle.
When Luan Bai Feng sent this message over, even though Yang Kai was already mentally prepared, he couldn’t help cursing the old dog’s cunning.
Before this, Void Land had been sealed off for three or four years and had already used up countless supplies. Now that the war had broken out, the consumption of resources had become even more severe. If it weren’t for the rich accumulation of the Star City’s resources in the early years, they would not have been able to hold on for this long.
Even so, they wouldn’t be able to last much longer.
In order to coordinate with this strategy, from the second battle onwards, the Open Heaven Realm Masters dispatched by Heavenly Sword Union did not even wear Space Rings. Obviously, it was to prevent Void Land from having the chance to collect spoils of war from the corpses.
After more than a dozen large and small battles, Void Land still held the decisive advantage thanks to their numbers, but they had not been able to collect any supplies from the enemy corpses all this time.
Zuo Quan Hui’s intentions were obvious, and he was not even trying to hide them anymore. He kept sending out his Open Heaven Realm subordinates one after another, leaving Void Land no choice but to fight back.
Usually, every battle was followed by a few days of peace, which was ultimately followed by another battle.
While voices of discontent rose on Heavenly Sword Union’s side, the Open Heaven Realm Masters on Void Land’s side were exhausted.
Both sides had fought countless times in a short span of a year. The number of Open Heaven Realm Masters Void Land had lost had almost broken through the 200 mark. Although the numbers were replenished steadily by the Headquarters, it was still not enough to make up for their losses.
Heavenly Sword Union’s losses were even greater. Their losses were at least three times their enemy’s. The void was filled with the blood of Open Heaven Realm Masters within a million kilometres of the Territory Gate.
Such heavy losses had angered Yang Kai. Several times, he wished he could lead all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to fight Zuo Quan Hui to the death, but after having personally experienced the might of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had no choice but to give up on this idea. Any rash action on his part without absolute confidence could lead to even worse consequences.
Meanwhile, Zuo Quan Hui on Heavenly Sword Union’s side was also extremely annoyed.
Such a long battle had almost exhausted his patience, and Yang Kai hadn’t even shown up once, denying him the slightest opportunity to exact his revenge.
Inside the Heavenly Sword Palace’s main hall, many Sixth-Order Masters were gathered, while Zuo Quan Hui sat above with a gloomy expression.
An Open Heaven Realm Master dressed in Heavenly Sword Union’s uniform rushed in and cupped his fist, “Reporting to Union Master, Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch’s forces have been surrounded by Void Land and are outnumbered. Heavenly Monarch requests to withdraw and reorganize!”
This kind of battle report would appear almost every time a fight broke out. Although Heavenly Sword Union had gathered a large number of Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth Order because of Zuo Quan Hui’s prestige, their numbers were still inferior to Void Land. And since the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to determine the victor, the side with the greatest number of Open Heaven Realm Master below Sixth-Order naturally held the absolute advantage.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters present couldn’t understand one thing, Void Land was clearly a newly rising force, so where did so many Open Heaven Realm Masters come from?
Zuo Quan Hui picked up a nearby teacup and threw it at the messenger. The cultivator who had sent the message did not dare to move and was hit in the head, which caused him to bleed.
“Wastes! Retreating at the slightest setback? Tell Huang Quan that anyone who dares to retreat without my command will suffer a fate worse than death!”
The messenger trembled with fear and quickly replied, “Yes, Sir!”
He quickly left the hall to relay the message to Huang Quan.
Not to mention how Huang Quan angrily cursed when he heard this order, the group of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hall were also angry, they just didn’t dare to even breathe loudly.
After a long silence, Luan Bai Feng stood up, picked up the teacup, and placed it next to Zuo Quan Hui’s hand, gently consoling him, “Sir, please calm your anger. Void Land’s forces are strong, and Senior Brother Huang Quan is not a timid person. I’m afraid that the situation must be truly difficult to handle, so he requested to withdraw.”
How could Zuo Quan Hui not know this? Only, he had not been able to avenge his two Disciples for such a long time and was now trapped in a fierce battle with Void Land. He had nowhere to vent his anger, which was very frustrating for him. He let out a cold snort and shouted, “A bunch of trash, you can’t take down a mere Void Land even after such a long time?!”
Luan Bai Feng took the initiative to volunteer, “This Mistress is willing to lead a group of people to assist Senior Brother Huang Quan, I hope Sir will agree.”
As Yang Kai’s spy in Heavenly Sword Union, Luan Bai Feng had done a good job of secretly sending messages to the former about Heavenly Sword Union’s situation. With her inside intelligence, Yang Kai knew Heavenly Sword Union’s forces like the back of his hand.
She had even led the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union to fight against Void Land many times, allowing for many of them to be killed.
Zuo Quan Hui’s expression relaxed slightly, “Warden Luan is too thoughtful, then…”
Before he could finish speaking, Pei Wen Xuan stood up and added, “Martial Uncle Zuo, the momentum of Void Land’s forces is overwhelming. Even if Warden Luan goes to support them, I’m afraid she won’t be able to gain any advantage, rather it will cause more casualties. Why don’t we call back Huang Quan and preserve our strength and deliberate over what to do next?”
Zuo Quan Hui looked up at him and knew he was right. In his anger just now, he had not thought things through properly, so he immediately nodded and agreed, “Do as you suggested.”
Once Zuo Quan Hui’s order was relayed, Huang Quan’s troops who were fighting at the front retreated, one by one.
Inside the main hall, Pei Wen Xuan smiled warmly at Luan Bai Feng, who smiled back while cursing in her heart that this brat had ruined her good deed. Otherwise, if she brought her people out, Heavenly Sword Union would definitely suffer even more casualties.
Huang Quan returned not long after, though he was completely unharmed. The one who had fought with him just now was Profound Yang Mountain’s Head Mountain Lord, Mao Zhe. The two of them had fought countless battles and were completely familiar with each other’s tactics by now. Neither of them could do anything to the other unless someone interfered.
However, after having fought for over a year, both sides had formed a tacit understanding. Each of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had their own opponent, so no matter how many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters one side sent out, the other side would send out their corresponding foe.
After returning, Huang Quan begged for forgiveness and received a scolding from Zuo Quan Hui.
After cursing for a while, Zuo Quan Hui calmed down and swept his gaze around, “The situation is quite tense right now, do any of you have any good ideas on how to defeat them?”
The ten Sixth-Order Masters in the hall glanced at each other blankly.
Although everyone knew that as long as Zuo Quan Hui personally took action, he would definitely be able to break this stalemate and even salvage the situation, yet he never did. He had only been sitting in the Heavenly Sword Palace with the Territory Gate at his back. Everyone knew that he was afraid of the Divine Spirit of Void Land.
By remaining here, he could retreat to Flying Smoke Territory to hide the moment anything went wrong. If he really went out and was targeted by the Divine Spirit, Zuo Quan Hui couldn’t guarantee he could escape unscathed.
Everyone understood this, but none of them said anything, lest Zuo Quan Hui lose face.
“Are you all mute?” Seeing everyone fall silent, Zuo Quan Hui coldly snorted, clearly displeased.
Pei Wen Xuan coughed lightly, “Martial Uncle Zuo, it’s actually quite simple to break the current situation.”
Hearing this, Zuo Quan Hui raised his brow, “What does Nephew Pei have in mind?”
Pei Wen Xuan smiled lightly, “At the end of the day, Void Territory is still the enemy’s home ground. As foreigners, it is natural we suffer losses when we fight. If we can move the battlefield out of Void Territory, it will naturally be easier to deal with Void Land.”
Zuo Quan Hui stroked his beard and nodded slightly in agreement, “You’re right.”
The reason why he hadn’t made a move yet was because he was afraid of Zhu Jiu Yin, who could be hiding in the shadows. If he could move the battlefield out of Void Territory, although he couldn’t guarantee that Zhu Jiu Yin wouldn’t follow him, at the very least, when they passed through the Territory Gate, Zhu Jiu Yin wouldn’t be able to hide and would be exposed. He could be prepared then.
However, if they wanted to move the battlefield out of Void Land, it was easier said than done. Although they could retreat to Flying Smoke Territory, if Void Land’s people didn’t follow them, there was nothing they could do.
“What is Nephew’s plan?” Zuo Quan Hui asked.
Pei Wen Xuan shook his head, “I just had this idea, but no way to implement it.”
Zuo Quan Hui couldn’t help but have a look of disappointment appear on his face.
Pei Wen Xuan added, “But other than that, there is another way.”
“Oh?” Zuo Quan Hui raised his brow.
Pei Wen Xuan continued with a smile, “Right now, both sides are on par when it comes to Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters while Void Land holds the absolute advantage when it comes to Masters below Sixth-Order. If we want to break this stalemate, we must start with the Sixth-Order Masters.”
Zuo Quan Hui’s expression changed slightly, “Nephew Pei means…”
“If we could obtain more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, even if it’s just one, it would be enough to make Void Land suffer!”
They would be able to fight two against one with one more Sixth-Order Master. If they cooperated well, they might even be able to kill a Sixth-Order Void Land Master, increasing their advantage further.
How could Zuo Quan Hui not know this? His heart ached even more for his dead Disciple Zhou Ti just thinking about it. If Zhou Ti were still alive, how could he have so many troubles now? He would have killed Yang Kai and retreated ages ago.
“It’s easier said than done, it’s not so simple to find a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.” Zuo Quan Hui sighed. Although he had used his prestige and connections to recruit many helpers, none of them were Sixth-Order Masters. There were many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Thousand Cranes Paradise, but it was impossible for them to support him openly.
Pei Wen Xuan smiled calmly, “If Martial Uncle Zuo trusts me, you can leave this matter to me.”
Zuo Quan Hui was stunned for a moment before asking, “Martial Nephew, are you thinking of getting support from your Sect?”
If Myriad Demons Heaven was willing to intervene, that would naturally be for the best, but Myriad Demons Heaven was one of the 36 Cave Heavens, so how could it interfere in the struggle between ‘lower’ Sects? Pei Wen Xuan had come here because he had a personal grudge with Yang Kai, giving him a reasonable excuse, but if Myriad Demons Heaven really interfered, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s side would definitely not sit back and do nothing. At that time, it might lead to the two Cave Heavens engaging in battle, blowing the situation up multiple times over.
Pei Wen Xuan replied with a smile, “It’s just a mere Void Land, why bother the Sect? Does Martial Uncle Zuo still remember Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s Yin Xin Zhao?”
Zuo Quan Hui pondered for a moment as a young man’s appearance flashed in his mind before he nodded and agreed, “Of course I remember.” Every youth who was able to directly advance to the Sixth Order became famous overnight, so Zuo Quan Hui was naturally not unfamiliar with them. Moreover, Yin Xin Zhao had also been to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven last time, so he had indeed seen him.
“Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s Brother Yin has a close relationship with me, and has some grievances with Yang Kai. If you send a message to him, I’m sure Brother Yin will be happy to join in the fun.”
Zuo Quan Hui’s eyes lit up, “Is that true?”
Pei Wen Xuan didn’t comment on it, “I’ll have someone send a message over to try. Whether Brother Yin comes or not will be up to him.”
“Good!” Zuo Quan Hui slapped the armrest of his chair, “Then I’ll leave this matter to you, Martial Nephew Pei. If Martial Nephew Yin can really come, he will be of great help to me.”
A strange sense of bitterness rose in Zuo Quan Hui’s heart once he said this; after all, he had to place all his hopes on a newly promoted Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but now that the situation was in a deadlock, the help of any Sixth-Order Master was extremely difficult to obtain.
“Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven isn’t too far from here, just a three to six months long journey. Brother Yin will have replied by then,” Pei Wen Xuan added before getting up to send a message to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
Zuo Quan Hui reprimanded the crowd a few more times before finally dispersing everyone.
In Void Territory, although there were no big battles, there was no shortage of small skirmishes. Almost every three or five days, the Heavenly Sword Palace would launch an attack and Void Land would have no choice but to respond in kind.
In the entire 3,000 Worlds, a battle of this scale was quite rare. Both sides had over a thousand Open Heaven Realm Masters involved, including twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and even a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. This was enough to attract a lot of attention.
Time passed quickly, and soon several months had gone by…
In White Light Territory’s Universe Temple, a group of people walked out of the hall in a file, looking a bit tired and travel-worn.
The Universe Temples were jointly operated by the various Cave Heavens and Paradises. Basically, every Great Territory had one. Many cultivators used the Universe Temples as mediums to travel, saving them a lot of time.
At this moment, several people walked out from White Light Territory’s Universe Temple wearing the same blue and white robes. Their leader was a handsome young man. His aura was not obvious, but his clothes were slightly different from those of his peers, having a few conspicuous golden lines on the sleeves.
After walking out of the Universe Temple, the young man looked around before walking straight ahead as the others followed behind him.
When the surrounding crowd saw this, looks of awe and respect showed on their faces as they quickly gave way, some even started whispering amongst themselves.
“They are Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples.”
“How do you know?”
“They’re wearing Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s robes, I’ve seen them before.”
“What are Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s people doing here, in this poor and backwater place?”
“The actions of the Cave Heaven’s people are not something you or I can fathom. Shh, don’t speak anymore, the one leading them is Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s Outer Sect Elder.”
“Outer Sect Elder!? Doesn’t that mean he’s a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?”
“Naturally, in all the Cave Heavens and Paradises only the Sixth-Order Masters are qualified to be Outer Sect Elders. If one is a Seventh-Order, then he or she would be an Inner Sect Elder. Look at the golden thread on his sleeve, that is the symbol of an Outer Sect Elder.”
“I see.”
The surrounding discussions made the young man in the lead look extremely pleased, and as he walked, his eyes became more focused. The few of them simply traversed through the Universe Temple without any intention of stopping. After walking a few streets, they headed straight for the exit.
Suddenly, the young leader’s eyes shone brightly as he turned his head towards a side of the street.
Inside a teahouse, a man and a woman were sitting facing each other. The man was small and thin, and had a cold expression on his face, making him appear taciturn. On the other hand, the woman seemed to be quite curious about everything, constantly glancing around.
When their eyes met, the woman was stunned for a moment before quickly looking away.
“Interesting!” The corner of the young man’s lips leading the group rose and withdrew his gaze before continuing forward. A moment later, he left the Universe Temple and disappeared into the void with his followers.
Half an hour later, in the teahouse, the thin man stated, “It’s time to set out.”
“En,” The woman quickly got up and followed behind the thin man.
A moment later, the two of them left the Universe Temple. The thin man took out a small boat and the two of them entered it. Next, the thin man injected his World Force as the boat transformed into a streak of light and sped off.
Inside the ship, the woman asked, “Senior, you haven’t told me how far we are from Void Land.”
The thin man indifferently replied, “There are still a few Great Territories between us. It’s about a month away.”
“Is Void Land very powerful now?” The woman asked again.
The thin man shook his head, “I don’t know either, you’ll naturally know when we get there…” Before he could finish speaking, the man’s expression suddenly changed as he formed a set of hand seals and the flying ship rapidly moved to the side.
The woman was caught off guard and almost fell to the ground, quickly prompting her to circulate her strength to stabilize herself.
“What happened?” The woman asked in surprise.
However, the man’s expression was cold as he stared at a certain spot in the sky and asked in a grim voice, “Which friend is pulling such a foul prank on me? Please show yourself!”
The woman looked in the direction he was looking, but she didn’t see anything. However, she also had a faint feeling that something wasn’t right; someone had clearly attacked their ship just now.
In the next moment, a few figures suddenly appeared in front of the flying ship, all wearing the same blue and white robes. The leader was a young man with a shadow of a smile on his face.
The man on the ship stared fixedly at their clothes as if trying to determine something. After a long time, his face sank, “People from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven?”
The woman beside him immediately revealed a look of shock as she covered her mouth and whispered, “Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven? One of the 36 Cave Heavens?”
Although she had just broken free of her Universe World’s shackles and entered the 3,000 Worlds, she was no stranger to the information about the Outer Universe. It was not surprising either as she had often sought out this Senior beside her to ask him about things over the years, so she had some basic knowledge.
However, she couldn’t understand why Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, one of the 36 Cave Heavens, would attack them.
“You don’t need to say anything, I’ll handle this!” The man hurriedly sent a voice transmission, instinctively feeling that something wasn’t right. The 36 Cave Heaven were such huge forces that there was no reason for them to target them. Furthermore, from the looks of it, these people were clearly waiting here to ambush them.
The woman nodded heavily.
The man then appeared on the deck and cupped his fist, greeting, “Hei He greets Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Senior Brothers, may I ask what advice you have?”
The leading man smiled at him and asked, “You’re called Hei He!?”
Hei He responded with a nod, “Yes!”
“You’re a Void Land disciple?”
Hei He shook his head.
The man who asked and furrowed his brow, “If you’re not a Void Land disciple, why are you going to Void Land?”
Hearing this, Hei He’s heart trembled. Just as he was wondering why this man knew he was going to Void Land, he suddenly remembered a question his companion had asked him in the tea house at the Universe Temple.
[They must have overheard it at that time.]
“Senior Brother misunderstands, we are not going to Void Land,” Hei He replied calmly; after all, he had not reached the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm for nothing. His many years of experience told him that these Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples in front of him probably had some kind of grudge with Void Land, otherwise they would not have acted like this.
The leading Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder slightly smiled, “You’re not going to Void Land? Do you know Yang Kai then?”
When the young man spoke this name, Hei He was able to remain calm, but the heartbeat of the woman skipped slightly. Although her reaction was very weak, how could she hide it from a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?
The Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder immediately looked towards the direction of the cabin, smiling, “It seems you know each other.”
While the young man was still speaking, Hei He quickly stamped his foot as his World Force erupted, causing the flying ship to turn into a streak of light that flew towards the Universe Temple.
His reaction couldn’t be said to be slow. He had already been vigilant to begin with, so now that he noticed something was wrong, he immediately wanted to flee back to the Universe Temple. As long as he returned to the Universe Temple, no matter what these people wanted to do, they would be safe.
Fighting was absolutely prohibited in the Universe Temple, even for the disciples of the various Cave Heavens and Paradises.
His movements were fast, but the Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder’s movements were even faster as he stretched out his hand and grabbed towards the ship. Under the World Force of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the ship suddenly froze in place.
He then let out a cold snort and clenched his fist as the ship’s defensive Array began to glow.
“Capture them!” The Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder shouted as his subordinates immediately rushed out, each of them using their own Secret Techniques and artifacts to attack the ship.
Hei He turned pale at the sight of the might of these people’s attacks. He was just an ordinary Fifth-Order Master, but these people who had jumped out were all Fifth-Order Masters, and there was even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master leading them, so how could he resist?
He used all his strength to activate the Spirit Arrays on his ship, but they were destroyed in less than a dozen breaths of time. The next moment, a few Divine Abilities shot towards him. Hei He struggled to resist them before flying backward, coughing up blood.
Only then did the Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder stretch out his hand and grab the woman who had been hiding in the ship. The woman’s face was pale from the series of events that had transpired, but she was still someone who had weathered all kinds of great storms, so she didn’t show too much fear. She grit her teeth, staring at the young man in front of her angrily.
“You really know Yang Kai, right?” The young man asked coldly.
The woman refused to answer.
The young man scanned her from head to toe and clearly saw her cultivation. A frown appeared on his face as he muttered, “Strange, you just formed your Dao Seal, yet you have a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to escort you. It seems your identity is extraordinary. Tell me, what is your relationship with Yang Kai?”
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm pressure was extremely powerful, and the woman had just formed her Dao Seal, so she was unable to resist at all. She could feel that her Dao Seal was showing signs of collapsing under this terrifying pressure. Her blood and energy kept surging but it was still impossible to suppress.
“Pui!” She spat out a mouthful of blood towards the young man.
The young man didn’t move at all, but the arrow of blood disappeared under the pressure emanating from him. He immediately slapped the woman with the back of his hand, instantly knocking her unconscious.
“Let her go, if you want to ask something, ask me, leave her out of this. She’s just in the Emperor Realm, she doesn’t know anything,” Hei He quickly rushed over and fiercely shouted, coughing blood and gritting his teeth.
Xuan Yuan Heaven’s Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters promptly surrounded him. Hei He was outnumbered and was easily taken down in a few exchanges. His cultivation was sealed and he was left in a sorry state.
“I gave you an easy way out, but you just had to take the hard way!” Xuan Yuan Heaven’s Sixth-Order Elder coldly snorted. He looked at Hei He, and then at the unconscious woman in his hand before indifferently stating, “There’s no need to trouble yourself, this Elder will investigate it himself.”
Saying so, his Spiritual Energy madly surged towards the woman’s Knowledge Sea.
Hei He’s eyes shrank at the sight of this as he cried out in horror, “How could you use such despicable methods as an Elder of Xuan Yuan Heaven!?” The young man in front of him was actually using Soul Search!
Soul Searching Techniques were extremely vicious. One needed to have absolutely superiority in terms of Soul strength to use this kind of method. However, once a Soul Searching Technique was used, the subject of the technique would either have his or her Soul destroyed, or suffer serious damage to their Soul, so no one would do so casually.
Hei He had never imagined that this young man in front of him, who was a prestigious Xuan Yuan Heaven Elder, would so brazenly use a Soul Search on an Emperor Realm Junior.
The difference between a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and Emperor Realm cultivator who had just formed their Dao Seal was like the difference between the Heavens and Earth. When this Outer Elder used his Soul Searching Technique, the woman was unable to resist.
Her frail and delicate body suddenly started uncontrollably trembling as her beautiful eyes widened in pain. Blood immediately started gushing out of her mouth, staining her clothes red. At the same time, Xuan Yuan Heaven Elder’s expression changed from curiosity to surprise and then to excitement.
A moment later, Xuan Yuan Heaven’s Elder’s Spiritual Energy calmed down and his eyes shone brightly as a sinister grin appeared on his face, “So you came from such a place. Hahahaha, what a surprise! We were really wearing out our iron shoes while seeking our own feet.”
He casually threw the woman in his hand aside. The woman’s eyes were dull and lifeless. Although she had not died, it was clear that her Soul had been severely damaged. Even if she was not dead, she was crippled.
“You’ll die a horrible death for this!” Hei He roared in anger, thinking how his Master had handed over the Star Boundary’s people to him to take care of. He had never thought that the first time he had brought someone out, such an accident would occur. If his Master were to find out about this, he didn’t know what kind of fate he would suffer.
How could a Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder and so many Fifth-Order Masters tolerate Hei He’s outburst? They immediately launched their punches and kicks, causing the latter to vomit blood.
“Bring them along, they’ll make a good present for Brother Pei and Martial Uncle Zuo!”
…
Void Territory, a month later…
The constant struggle between the two sides had left both exhausted, but since a blood feud had already been formed, no one would back down.
Another fierce confrontation came to a close as both sides withdrew their forces.
A short time later, inside the main hall, Yang Kai was checking the number of casualties when a terrifying pressure suddenly spread from afar. Yang Kai’s expression promptly changed as he stood up and looked towards the source of this pressure, shouting, “Zuo Quan Hui!”
[Could it be that he couldn’t bear anymore and has decided to take action personally?]
Many of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Masters in the hall also wore solemn looks on their faces. Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others, who had remained hidden until now were all palming their fists in anticipation. If Zuo Quan Hui were to act, they would no longer have to remain hiding.
However, before Yang Kai could figure out what was happening, Chen Tian Fei rolled in like a ball and reported in a panic, “Sir, there’s something wrong on Heavenly Sword Palace’s side. Zuo Quan Hui is personally pursuing someone.”
“Who is it?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Chen Tian Fei shook his head, the fat on his face rippling as he replied, “This subordinate doesn’t know, it’s too far to see.”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as his figure flickered and he appeared outside the hall the next moment. He focused his gaze towards the distance before exclaiming, “Luan Bai Feng has been exposed.”
Luan Bai Feng had been hiding well ever since she had joined Zuo Quan Hui’s side, but this time she had been exposed somehow. At this moment, she was fleeing in their direction, leaving a long trail of light behind her. Whereas Zuo Quan Hui and a large group of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was hot on her tail.
[Did she attack Zuo Quan Hui?]
He had previously given Luan Bai Feng an order to find an opportunity to launch a sneak attack on Zuo Quan Hui. Although there was a gap of an entire Order between them, if Luan Bai Feng was careful and meticulous, it was not impossible for her to succeed.
[But why did she choose to make a move now?]
Yang Kai was unable to understand this, but he didn’t have time to think about it and shouted right away, “Senior Iron Blood, please remain here for the time being with the other newly promoted Sixth-Orders, the rest will follow me!”
Since Zuo Quan Hui had made his move, it was only natural that he would not be able to sit still. In his camp, Yang Kai was the only one who could fight Zuo Quan Hui and not immediately die.
Since Luan Bai Feng had been exposed, if he didn’t go to her aid, she would most likely die.
Space Principles surged as he brought ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with him and rushed forward.
As the distance between them shortened, Yang Kai could clearly see the shadow of a huge hand behind Luan Bai Feng grabbing towards her. Luan Bai Feng was fleeing with great difficulty. She seemed to be injured as her snow-white dress was dyed red.
What surprised Yang Kai was that Luan Bai Feng didn’t seem to be alone. She was holding a figure in each hand, but it was difficult to tell whether they were alive or dead.
[Who is it?] Yang Kai slightly frowned.
However, as they got closer, Yang Kai felt a faint connection. This connection was something only those who had left their names on the Loyalty List could have.
His Loyalty List was now filled with the names of nine people, among which was Luan Bai Feng’s who was before; Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, Zhou Ya, Hui Gu were beside him; and Chen Tian Fei, and Yun Xinghua were stationed at Void Land headquarters.
Only Hei He and Xin Peng remained.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai’s heart clenched as an uneasy feeling gripped him.
Space Principles fluctuated even more violently as his figure flickered, rapidly approaching Luan Bai Feng.
The giant hand behind Luan Bai Feng was getting closer, and seeing that she could no longer dodge, Yang Kai could only grit his teeth and take out his Azure Dragon Spear, thrusting it forward.
A huge black ball suddenly appeared on the tip of the spear as World Force burst forth, sending out a terrifying shockwave.
A giant black hole suddenly appeared on the huge illusory phantom of a hand that was grabbing towards Luan Bai Feng, sending out a powerful suction force.
The giant hand collapsed. Although it was still able to grab towards Luan Bai Feng, she barely managed to dodge.
At long last, Yang Kai met up with her. His figure flickered as he directly arrived beside Luan Bai Feng, asking in concern, “Are you alright?”
Luan Bai Feng nodded, her face was slightly pale, “Many thanks, Sir!”
If it weren’t for Yang Kai’s timely assistance just now, it would have been impossible for her to escape the pursuit of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai gently nodded and looked towards the two people in her hand, meeting the gaze of one of them.
The man’s face was covered in blood and his aura was extremely weak. He looked up at Yang Kai with great difficulty and weakly called out, “Sir!”
“Hei He!” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he looked to the other side, only to meet a pair of blank eyes.
“Lan Xun!”
Of the two people Luan Bai Feng was carrying, one was Hei He, the other was the daughter of Bright Moon Great Emperor, the Sect Master of Star Soul Palace, Lan Xun!
[How did Lan Xun and Hei He appear in the Heavenly Sword Palace? What did they encounter?] In an instant, Yang Kai’s mind was filled with thousands of thoughts. His heart was burning with rage at the sight of their miserable state.
“Sir, this humble subordinate has failed you, please punish me!” Hei He clearly only had half his life left, yet he was still thinking about the task Yang Kai had given him.
“Now is not the time to talk about these things, take Lan Xun to our Void Land’s encampment first,” Yang Kai suppressed the fire in his heart and quietly ordered.
Hei He nodded hard as he struggled to stand up. He covered Lan Xun with his energy before quickly retreating.
“Are you still able to fight?” Yang Kai looked towards Luan Bai Feng.
Luan Bai Feng brushed her hair behind her ear, “I won’t die!”
Yang Kai nodded and coldly looked ahead. The Sixth-Order Masters with him stood in a straight line, their auras surging.
10,000 kilometres away, the group of Heavenly Sword Union’s Sixth-Order Masters who were pursuing them suddenly stopped. There were a total of ten of them. Yang Kai’s eyes swept over them one by one before suddenly fixing on one of them.
“Yin Xin Zhao!” Yang Kai’s face sank slightly.
The nearby Luan Bai Feng reported, “He just arrived. I didn’t have time to send you a message. He was the one who brought Hei He and Lan Xun here. I escaped with them, using the excuse of imprisoning them.”
However, escaping from the Heavenly Sword Palace was not an easy task. Even though Luan Bai Feng was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was still severely injured by Zuo Quan Hui’s palm. If it weren’t for Zuo Quan Hui’s trust in her and his lack of vigilance, she probably wouldn’t have had a chance to leave the Heavenly Sword Palace at all.
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai took a deep breath. Although there was no air in the void, Yang Kai still felt a gust of chill blowing over him.
Fortunately, he had arranged for Luan Bai Feng to join Zuo Quan Hui’s side; otherwise, Hei He and Lan Xun would have died today. It was also thanks to Luan Bai Feng’s decisiveness that she had been able to save Hei He and Lan Xun, albeit at the expense of her identity being exposed.
Yang Kai didn’t know why Hei He and Lan Xun had fallen into Yin Xin Zhao’s hands; he could only ask Hei He about this matter later. Moreover, Lan Xun’s condition made him a bit worried. It was obvious from her appearance that she was unconscious and listless. He had no idea what kind of horrid things she had gone through.
Back then, Bright Moon Great Emperor had sacrificed his life for the Star Boundary. Without the Bright Moon Great Emperor, the current Star Boundary would have ceased to exist. Lan Xun was his only blood-related descendant left, so Yang Kai couldn’t allow anything to happen to her.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful. When he brought those 600,000 people from the Star Boundary to Void Land, many from Star Soul Palace had also come with him, but Lan Xun refused. To her, the Star Boundary was the home of Bright Moon Great Emperor who had used his life to protect it, so she was extremely attached to it.
That was why she had chosen to remain in the Star Boundary and Star Soul Palace.
Yang Kai didn’t force her; after all, there were many people who had stayed behind to guard the Star Boundary, including Yang Ying Feng, Dong Su Zhu, and High Heaven Sect’s Head Manager, Hua Qing Si. Yang Kai had also ordered Hei He to guard the Star Boundary, so he thought nothing would happen.
However, something unexpected had happened.
If he had known such a situation would occur, he would have brought Lan Xun along.
But thinking about it carefully, if it wasn’t Lan Xun this time, it could have been Hua Qing Si, or someone else.
Suppressing the roiling emotions in his heart, Yang Kai looked ahead again, but he failed to see Zuo Quan Hui’s figure. Zuo Quan Hui was clearly chasing them, but he was nowhere to be seen.
[That old dog is still as timid as a mouse!]
In the void, over twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stood over 10,000 meters apart, confronting each other
A distance of 10,000 kilometres was akin to a few steps away to a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Any Divine Ability could easily cross this 10,000 kilometres gap instantly.
However, neither side had any intention of being the first to attack.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged as he scanned his surroundings, searching for Zuo Quan Hui’s aura. Being observed in the dark by a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai felt like a mountain was pressing down on him. If he couldn’t find any trace of Zuo Quan Hui, he wouldn’t be able to easily act.
A faintly discernible murderous intent lingered all around, and it did not originate from any of the Sixth-Order Masters in front of him, so it had to be from Zuo Quan Hui, who had concealed himself.
Yang Kai’s body tensed up as his muscles went taut. His eyes were filled with determination. If Zuo Quan Hui dared to make an entrance, he would have no choice but to call out Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others to fight to the death.
After a long and torturous wait, the murderous intent that had been lingering around him suddenly disappeared into thin air. The ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters confronting the Void Land cultivators 10,000 kilometres away, suddenly had a change in their expressions at the same time, as if they had received some kind of instruction. The next moment, all of them turned into streaks of light and withdrew.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing that it was Zuo Quan Hui who had ordered them to retreat, and couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
After watching everyone from Heavenly Sword Union retreat more than 100,000 kilometres away, Yang Kai ordered, raising his hand, “Let’s return.”
He still had many questions that remained unanswered and now was not the right time for a decisive battle. It would be better to ask Hei He what happened first before deciding their next move.
Everyone turned around and flew towards the shattered Spirit Province where Void Land’s encampment was located, returning a short while later.
“Go and recuperate first!” Yang Kai ordered Luan Bai Feng before striding towards the main hall.
Hei He, who was the first to return, had already brought Lan Xun into the main hall. She happened to be surrounded by a group of people, while Serene Soul Great Emperor was investigating her situation.
When everyone heard some commotion behind them, they promptly turned. And when they saw that it was none other than Yang Kai, they promptly stepped aside, giving him way.
“How is she?” Yang Kai asked as he grabbed Lan Xun’s wrist and looked down at her.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai’s heart sank. Lan Xun’s eyes were open, but while they should have been lively and bright, they were now dull and lifeless.
Serene Soul Great Emperor replied in a grim and serious voice, “It’s not good, her Soul has suffered a great injury. I can’t repair it.”
“Even you can’t do anything about it?” Iron Blood Great Emperor asked.
Among all the Great Emperors, the one with the highest attainments in the Soul was undoubtedly Serene Soul. His Grand Dao was that of the Soul, so his authority when it came to such matters was unparalleled.
From the first battle with Heavenly Sword Union until now, all the Great Emperors had broken through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm apart from Wondrous Pill and Heavens Revelation.
Hearing this, the other Great Emperors’ expressions became extremely ugly. Naturally, they didn’t feel good seeing their old friend’s daughter in such a state. Their hatred for the person who had caused Lan Xun to suffer was even greater.
Serene Soul pondered for a moment before replying, “Perhaps we can try, but first we need to figure out why her Soul suffered such serious injuries.”
Everyone turned their heads, looking at Hei He. When Hei He had brought Lan Xun here, all the Great Emperors had gathered around to investigate her condition, but none of them had had time to ask.
Hei He replied honestly, “Someone used a Soul Searching Technique on her.”
“Soul Searching Technique!” Everyone was shocked when they heard this.
No matter where, Soul Searching Techniques were considered extremely vicious. Lan Xun was fortunate to make it out alive with only damage done to her Soul after being subjected to a Soul Search. If she had been unlucky, she would have lost her life right then and there.
Serene Soul’s expression became solemn, “If the damage was the result of a Soul Searching Technique, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”
“I’ll give it a try!” Yang Kai suddenly picked up Lan Xun and rushed to the room at the back of the hall. He then activated the restrictions before placing her on the bed and sitting down cross-legged next to her head.
Lan Xun’s Soul was severely damaged from the Soul Searching Technique, and even Serene Soul Great Emperor had raised his hands in resignation, but it was not that Yang Kai was also powerless.
The Soul Warming Lotus was a Supreme Treasure and had the effect of constantly nourishing and repairing one’s Soul. Yang Kai had fought many powerful enemies and suffered heavy damage to his Soul numerous times over the course of his life. If it was anyone else, his or her Soul would have been torn apart, rendering them either crippled or dead, but every time Yang Kai suffered injuries to his Soul, the Soul Warming Lotus quickly mended it.
His powerful Soul was all thanks to the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus over the years.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and bent down, putting his forehead against Lan Xun’s. His Divine Sense congealed into a Soul Avatar before he enveloped the Soul Warming Lotus with it and rushed into Lan Xun’s Knowledge Sea.
Under normal circumstances, if Yang Kai wanted to enter another person’s Knowledge Sea, he would definitely encounter some obstruction or resistance, but Lan Xun’s Soul had been damaged and she was currently unconscious, so Yang Kai didn’t encounter any difficulty entering her Knowledge Sea with the Soul Warming Lotus.
Looking around, Yang Kai saw that the world inside her Knowledge Sea was in tatters, like the scene of the apocalypse. The ground was scorched and torn apart, causing Yang Kai’s heart to ache at the sight. He could almost feel the pain Lan Xun had suffered that day.
Having one’s Soul searched forcibly by someone was definitely not a pleasant experience. It was as if someone was picking apart every part of your life; every scene and every incident. One had to endure the pain of their Soul being torn asunder.
Yang Kai noticed a faint glow in a certain part of her Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai immediately flew over and saw a hazy human figure curled up inside like a baby, sleeping. He could vaguely make out Lan Xun’s outline, but it was indistinct. The dim light was also flickering constantly, as if it would disappear at any moment, but was stubbornly maintaining itself.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to delay and quickly released the Soul Warming Lotus, which lifted up the hazy figure.
A seven-coloured light blossomed in Lan Xun’s Knowledge Sea as the petals slowly closed, wrapping the hazy human figure in the center of the flower while an invisible force nourished her damaged Soul, causing her shattered Knowledge Sea to suddenly calm down.
Yang Kai heaved a light sigh of relief.
With the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus, it was only a matter of time before Lan Xun’s Soul was restored.
Just as he was about to withdraw from Lan Xun’s Knowledge Sea, an image suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s mind. It was a picture of Yin Xin Zhao’s hideous appearance, followed by an indescribable sense of panic and helplessness, causing Yang Kai to feel like he was drowning.
But soon, this scene shattered and the inexplicable emotions that had filled Yang Kai also disappeared.
Yang Kai’s face immediately turned dark and menacing, his eyes burning with fury.
Obviously, the scene he saw just now was one of Lan Xun’s memory fragments. Furthermore, he was able to see this nightmare-like memory and experience everything Lan Xun had experienced because his Soul Avatar had entered her Knowledge Sea.
This panic and helplessness were a kind of trauma to Lan Xun.
Because she was so traumatized by the incident, it had turned into a nightmare that was tormenting her even though she was in a deep coma.
Luan Bai Feng had said that Hei He and Lan Xun were brought here by Yin Xin Zhao, so the one who had used the Soul Searching Technique on Lan Xun was undoubtedly Yin Xin Zhao!
[That bastard deserves to die!]
[However, these nightmare-like memories should no longer be haunting her after the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus.]
Yang Kai took one last look at the Soul Warming Lotus wrapping Lan Xun’s Soul Avatar before slowly withdrawing.
He then returned to the main hall, where everyone anxiously waited.
“She’s fine, but it may take some time for her to wake up,” Yang Kai waved his hand and stopped everyone from asking.
When everyone heard this, they all accepted it as a matter of course. Even Serene Soul Great Emperor didn’t ask any questions. Yang Kai had created too many miracles in his life for them to start questioning him now. Yao Jun may not have been able to do anything for Lan Xun’s severely damaged Soul, but that didn’t mean that Yang Kai couldn’t.
“What happened? How did you get caught by Yin Xin Zhao?” Yang Kai turned to look at Hei He.
Hei He quickly replied, “Reporting to Sir, ever since Sir left back then, this subordinate has been staying at the border of the Star Boundary, safeguarding the tranquility of both it and the Demon Territory without slacking off. Over the years, the cultivation of the cultivators living in the Star Boundary has been improving at an astonishing pace. Young Lady Lan Xun long ago broke through to the peak of the Third-Order Emperor Realm and successfully condensed her Dao Seal. The same is true for Head Manager Hua, as well as Sir’s Honoured Father and Mother. Thinking that there would be no future for them with the current cultivation limit in the Star Boundary, Head Manager Hua came to me and asked me to escort Young Lady Lan Xun to Void Land and report the situation to you while asking you to return to take a look.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai asked in surprise, “My Father and Mother have also formed their Dao Seals?”
The Great Emperors were also stunned.
It wasn’t surprising that Lan Xun was able to form her Dao Seal; after all, she was the daughter of Bright Moon Great Emperor and had inherited the Bright Moon Physique of the Great Emperor. She was also Star Soul Palace’s Palace Master and had an outstanding aptitude. Even before Yang Kai first left the Star Boundary, Lan Xun had reached the Third-Order Emperor Realm. Although she had congealed her Dao Seal a bit quickly, it wasn’t impossible.
Head Manager Hua Qing Si congealing her Dao Seal was also somewhat acceptable.
However, Yang Kai was well aware of his Father and Mother’s aptitudes. The reason why his parents hadn’t followed him to Void Land back then was because they considered their own aptitudes to be lacking. Even if they had come to the Outer Universe, it wouldn’t have benefited them much, so they decided it was better for them to remain in the Star Boundary and guard Yang Kai’s homeland. Although the First-Order Emperor Realm wasn’t high, it was still quite good in the current Star Boundary.
Yang Kai had spent countless resources and effort to achieve even this; so, it was quite hard to believe that his Father and Mother had grown so tremendously in such a short time.
It was not like it was impossible for Yang Yi Feng and Dong Su Zhu to condense their Dao Seals eventually, but it was absolutely impossible for them to have done so in such a short time.
The Great Emperors naturally understood this, which was why they and Yang Kai were so surprised.
This speed… was too fast.
Hei He continued, “It’s not just Young Lady Lan Xun and Sir’s Honoured Parents. Over the years, many Emperor Realm Masters had appeared in the Star Boundary. I’ve never seen anyone’s cultivation rise so quickly, and it’s not just one person, but essentially everyone in the Star Boundary.”
“Why is that?” Yang Kai asked with a puzzled expression. [Could it be that there was something special about the Star Boundary that I hadn’t noticed?]
What’s more, the Star Boundary was ruined by Mo Sheng, and the great battle had nearly caused the entire Star Boundary to collapse, leaving it in an essentially desolate state.
Hei He looked around and hesitated.
Yang Kai stated, “If you have something to say, just say it. No one here is an outsider.”
Hei He replied with a nod, “This subordinate once went to the Star Boundary to investigate, and I believe the reason why it has undergone such a dramatic change is related to the tree Sir planted there all those years ago.”
[The World Tree!]
Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly. If the changes in the Star Boundary were related to the World Tree he had planted, then it was not impossible.
The World Tree was simply too mysterious. At the very least, Yang Kai had never seen anything like the World Fruits that could allow the Open Heaven Realm Masters to advance an entire Order simply by consuming them.
Small Source Worlds were already quite impressive. Yang Kai had gone to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Divine Armament World for life experience; there, his foundation in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm was greatly strengthened. However, if he could obtain a High-Rank World Fruit, he could directly advance from the Sixth-Order to the Seventh-Order. The effects of the two were incomparable.
If the World Fruit had such a heaven-defying effect, the World Tree that gave birth to those World Fruits could surely create mind-blowing miracles.
The World Tree planted in the Star Boundary was a root Yang Kai had brought from the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary’s Primordial Land. Because of the war between the Human and Demon Race, the Star Boundary had nearly been destroyed.
Even if they obtained the final victory and killed Mo Sheng, the Star Boundary was so severely damaged that it could not last for too long. The reason why Yang Kai went to the Outer Universe was firstly to pursue a higher Martial Dao, and secondly to find the World Tree to save the Star Boundary.
Fortunately, he found the World Tree and brought back one of its roots from the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary.
On the day he returned to the Star Boundary and planted the root, Yang Kai faintly felt that there would be some changes to his homeland, and that the cultivators who remained in the Star Boundary would grow together with the Star Boundary as it recovered, perhaps gaining some unexpected benefits.
This kind of opportunity to grow and recover together with the entire Universe World was extremely rare. In the entire 3,000 Worlds, only the Star Boundary which had a World Tree Root planted could have such a chance.
It was just that Yang Kai had not expected this change to occur so quickly! Moreover, the effects were so obvious that even his parents had condensed their Dao Seals.
No wonder Head Manager Hua Qing Si who stayed in the Star Boundary had asked Hei He to come to Void Land to find him. Such a huge change in the Star Boundary was indeed not something that could be ignored.
The hall sunk into silence for a moment before Hei He pondered and added, “Sir, Head Manager Hua did an extensive investigation of all the cultivators in the Star Boundary. Basically, everyone’s cultivation speed is faster than before. What’s more, many newborns have outstanding aptitudes. All the great Sects have now taken in many good seedlings, and with time, they will surely become powerful Masters.”
Yang Kai nodded his understanding, “I understand. Tell me how you were captured.”
Hei He let out a bitter laugh, “When we were passing through White Light Territory’s Universe Temple, Young Lady Lan Xun accidentally mentioned Void Land. Yin Xin Zhao must have overheard her and waited in ambush for us outside the Universe Temple, and then…” Hei He’s face became gloomy; he was unable to continue anymore. He was only a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although Yin Xin Zhao had broken through recently, he was still a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It was a simple matter for Yin Xin Zhao to overpower a Fifth-Order Master like Hei He.
After using a Soul Searching Technique on Lan Xun, Yin Xin Zhao came to the Heavenly Sword Palace with Hei He and Lan Xun through Flying Smoke Territory.
Naturally, Zuo Quan Hui welcomed Yin Xin Zhao’s arrival, not to mention the fact that he brought two gifts along with him. After learning that Hei He and Lan Xun were actually from Yang Kai’s homeland, Luan Bai Feng took the opportunity to escape with them by pretending to take them to be imprisoned.
Fortunately, Luan Bai Feng was proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and had many Array Plates on hand; otherwise, she would not have been able to escape from Zuo Quan Hui’s pursuit.
Be that as it may, she had still suffered injuries, and what happened next was clearly witnessed by Yang Kai.
After learning the whole story, Yang Kai was filled with fear. Thankfully, Luan Bai Feng had acted decisively; otherwise, he would have been pushed into an absolutely passive position.
With Hei He and Lan Xun in Zuo Quan Hui’s hands, it would be quite difficult for Void Land to handle the situation.
If it weren’t for the current predicament, Yang Kai would have immediately rushed to the Star Boundary to investigate whether the changes there were caused by the World Tree he had planted or not.
However, now that Heavenly Sword Union was occupying the entrance to Void Territory and was eyeing him like a tiger eyeing its prey, how could he possibly escape?
“Why don’t I go back and take a look?” Flower Shadow Great Emperor suggested. The Star Boundary was also her homeland, and every resident of the Star Boundary felt a unique connection to it. Although judging by Hei He’s report, the change in the Star Boundary was truly good news, how could they be assured without checking it out completely?
Flower Shadow Great Emperor was also a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now, so it wasn’t a problem for her to investigate the changes in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai was just about to nod in agreement when Jin Yuan Lang rushed in and reported, cupping his fist, “Sect Master, there are some movements on the Heavenly Sword Palace’s side!”
Hearing this, Yang Kai immediately ran outside the hall and looked up. The next moment, he saw the Heavenly Sword Palace, which had been occupying the Territory Gate for over a year, slowly retreating and disappearing into it.
[Zhuo Quan Hui is retreating?]
Seeing this, Yang Kai instinctively had a bad premonition. After a slight pause, he snapped, “Damn it, Zuo Quan Hui is going to the Star Boundary!”
Yin Xin Zhao had used a Soul Searching Technique on Lan Xun. Regardless of how much information he obtained from Lan Xun’s memories, the location of the Star Boundary and the World Tree could not remain hidden at the very least.
The Star Boundary was Yang Kai’s and other Great Emperors’ homeland; furthermore, High Heaven Palace and his parents were also there. If Zuo Quan Hui were to attack the Star Boundary, it would be impossible for the latter to resist.
After all, it was not protected by a Divine Spirit like Void Land was!
More importantly, the World Tree alone was enough to incite Zuo Quan Hui’s greed! Yang Kai didn’t know if the roots he brought back could grow into another World Tree, or if they could bear World Fruits, but something that could change an entire Universe World was definitely far from ordinary!
The act of Heavenly Sword Palace’s sudden retreat to Flying Smoke Territory undoubtedly indicated that Zuo Quan Hui had some kind of plan for the Star Boundary, otherwise he would not have acted in such a manner.
No wonder Zuo Quan Hui had not taken any action just now. A year ago, this old dog had been trying all kinds of means to force Yang Kai to show himself so that he could launch a sneak attack and kill him. But when Yang Kai finally appeared, Zuo Quan Hui had not made a move.
It wasn’t that Zuo Quan Hui was being kind, but rather that he had a better choice before him!
The Great Emperors who had followed Yang Kai out of the hall turned to him.
Yang Kai hurriedly shouted, “All forces, assemble immediately!”
*Xiu xiu xiu… *
All the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the temporary base began to gather around.
Yang Kai swept his gaze over them and ordered, “Don’t try to resist, I want to take you all into my Small Universe.”
Old Bai was shocked after hearing this, “Take us into your Small Universe? Yang Kai, only a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s Small Universe can materialize and contain living beings. You’re just in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm right now, how can you do that?”
Yang Kai replied, glancing at him, “My Small Universe has already become corporeal!”
When he had broken through to the Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai had integrated the Sealed World Bead into his Small Universe, resulting in a rather unique phenomenon. If not for this, it was impossible for his foundation to be so robust, and neither would he have been able to suppress his opponent in the same Order so easily. It was just that this fact was not worth discussing with others.
If it weren’t for the pressing situation and the lack of a large-scale flight-type artifact like the Heavenly Sword Palace in Void Land, Yang Kai wouldn’t have made such a desperate move.
He was bearing risks by taking other Open Heaven Realm Masters into his Small Universe, even if they were his disciples, friends, and family.
Old Bai was stunned!
Yang Kai had already begun taking everyone in. As the Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth Order gave up resisting, they felt a pull enveloping their bodies. By the time they regained their senses, they had already arrived in another world.
Batches of Open Heaven Realm Masters disappeared into thin air one after another, pulled into Yang Kai’s Small Universe. But very soon, Yang Kai noticed a feeling of fullness coming from his Small Universe, a feeling he had never felt before. It was strange and new.
As if she noticed the change in Yang Kai’s expression, Yue He nervously stated, “Young Master, if you sense something is wrong, you should stop immediately! High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters can indeed store living creatures into their Small Universe, but there is also a limit to their capacity, especially since everyone you are taking in is an Open Heaven Realm Master with their own Small Universe. Although it is not a real Universe World, it is still quite a burden for you. If you fight with anyone at this moment, you will be in a really tough spot and will be at great disadvantage.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I understand!”
Having said that, the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters that Yang Kai’s Small Universe could take in continued to decrease, and the feeling of fullness became more obvious.
Over the past year, many Open Heaven Realm Masters had died in the war, but even so, there were still over 1,300 remaining.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yang Kai finally managed to collect all 1,300 cultivators into his Small Universe. At this moment, Yang Kai could clearly feel that his Small Universe was completely stuffed. He felt as if he had accidentally eaten too much and couldn’t even circulate his World Force smoothly.
He understood that it was just as Yue He had said, if he were to fight in this condition, he would definitely be at a grave disadvantage.
What’s more, if anything were to happen to him and his Small Universe collapsed, all 1,300 people residing inside would be buried along with him!
For this reason, a High-Rank Open Heaven Master would almost never be willing to accept another Open Heaven Realm Master into their Small Universe, and lower Rank Open Heaven Masters would not want to enter a High-Rank Open Heaven Master’s Small Universe under normal circumstances. Both sides were at a risk.
Yang Kai turned his head and stated, turning his head towards the Sixth-Order Masters, “I can’t take you in.”
Yang Kai had secretly experimented with Yue He before, and although they were both Sixth-Order Masters and he was able to take Yue He into his Small Universe, the feeling of fullness and discomfort her presence created was far greater than those below the Sixth-Order. Perhaps only when Yang Kai had advanced to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm would he be able to take Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters into his Small Universe without immediately becoming discomforted.
“Hei He!” Yang Kai shouted again.
“Reporting!” Hei He quickly cupped his fist, respectfully greeting.
“I leave Lan Xun to you. Take her to Void Land and hand her over to Senior Bi Xi where she can focus on recuperating!”
“Sir, please rest assured, this subordinate will protect Young Lady Lan Xun to the death!” Hei He nodded repeatedly. He was secretly shocked that his Master had actually advanced to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Some time ago, he had been forced to leave his name on the Loyalty List. Yang Kai was just a mere Emperor Realm Master at that time.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles as he wrapped everyone with his energy before disappearing.
He didn’t pursue the Heavenly Sword Palace because he couldn’t guarantee that Zuo Quan Hui wouldn’t have set up an ambush in Flying Smoke Territory. Although this possibility wasn’t high, he still had to be prepared for even that remote possibility.
If he were to rush into Flying Smoke Territory and be blocked by Zuo Quan Hui, he would definitely be thrown into panic and have his hands tied, especially since his current state was not suitable for fighting.
Fortunately, if he wanted to go to the Star Boundary, Flying Smoke Territory was not the only route.
Furthermore, Yang Kai might not be able to circulate his World Force smoothly, making intense combat impossible, but simply bringing people along with him as he traveled wasn’t an issue. Unfortunately, the people around him were all Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so even if they weren’t resisting, his consumption was quite high.
Yang Kai took out his Universe Chart, checked it, and quickly found a route.
Although this route to the Star Boundary was two Great Territories farther than the one that passed through Flying Smoke Territory, Yang Kai’s Space Secret Techniques allowed him to travel much faster than the Heavenly Sword Palace. If everything went smoothly, they would be able to return to the Star Boundary’s Great Territory before Zuo Quan Hui arrived.
At that time, he would lead the Open Heaven Realm Masters to block the Territory Gate and wait for Zuo Quan Hui to fall into their trap.
Yang Kai kept travelling without stopping, passing through one Territory Gate after another.
After crossing three Great Territories, Yang Kai’s face had already become pale and his body was on the verge of collapsing; he was almost like a lamp that had run out of oil. Continuously using Space Principles while bringing nearly twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with him was extremely taxing on him.
Left with no choice, all he could do was let everyone lead him forward while he slowly and silently recovered. Fortunately, the speed of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters wasn’t slow and wouldn’t cause them to fall too far behind.
When Yang had recovered, he used Space Principles once more to lead everyone along.
This cycle thus continued.
It was rare to see so many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters travelling together. So, when they occasionally ran into passing cultivators, others all became terrified and immediately made way for them.
Yang Kai couldn’t remember how long it had taken him to return to the Star Boundary from Void Land last time, but it took him only three months this time.
In the distance, a Territory Gate that stretched across the void appeared before everyone’s eyes. It was the Territory Gate that led to the Great Territory where the Star Boundary was located.
The closer he got, the more nervous Yang Kai became.
Although he hadn’t wasted any time along the way, he couldn’t guarantee that he would be faster than the Heavenly Sword Palace; after all, his group had taken a long detour, so it was possible that the Heavenly Sword Palace had arrived before them.
He was afraid that what he would see after passing through the Territory Gate would be a scene of misery and suffering.
In a flash, the Territory Gate was right in front of him. Yang Kai took a long and deep breath before shouting, “Everyone, be on guard!”
Everyone nodded in unison as they circulated their World Force, ready to attack or defend themselves at any moment.
Yang Kai enveloped the cultivators around him with his energy and plunged into the Territory Gate. After a moment of disorientation, Yang Kai’s group passed through and arrived at their Great Territory destination.
The twenty cultivators promptly spread out, vigilant of their surroundings.
But soon, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.
The ambush and attack they were expecting did not arrive, so it was highly likely that the Heavenly Sword Palace had not arrived yet.
“Is this the Great Territory where Sir’s homeland is located?” Hui Gu asked, whispering to Bustling World Great Emperor.
Bustling World Great Emperor looked in a certain direction but he saw nothing. Nonetheless, he could faintly sense something was calling out to him. Naturally, this was the connection between a Great Emperor and their Universe World, a result of being recognized by the Star Boundary’s Will.
Being in the same Great Territory, Duan Hong Chen immediately sensed the location of the Star Boundary.
“Yes, this is our home,” Bustling World Great Emperor smiled.
“It’s a bit desolate,” Hui Gu honestly voiced his opinion. Along the way here, the closer he got to this Great Territory, the more desolate it became. This Great Territory was lacking all the usual signs of prosperity. As he spoke, Hui Gu took out his Universe Chart and examined it. He found that even the Universe Chart didn’t have a clear description of this Great Territory, only a generic identification.
There were actually a large number of Great Territories in the Universe Chart that were simply marked with designations like A1 or B6, and each of them was a forgotten backwater that Open Heaven Realm Masters never visited because there was nothing of value to be found.
Every Great Territory was vast and boundless, so if one had the time to explore a barren nameless territory in hopes of getting lucky, he or she might as well refine Open Heaven Pills instead to strengthen their foundation.
Bustling World smiled, “If it weren’t for this, we would have long since broken free from our Universe’s shackles. Why would we have been suppressed for so many years?”
Fortunately, this Great Territory was a forgotten corner of the Outer Universe, allowing many Great Emperors to slowly consolidate their foundations over the years, which gave them the capital to directly break through to the Sixth Order.
There were Great Emperors in other Universe Worlds who had been recognized by their World’s Will. In fact, each mature Universe World had their own Great Emperors, but how many of them could directly break through to the Sixth Order? Most Great Emperors quickly broke free from their Universe World’s shackles and didn’t spend a great deal of time consolidating their cultivation, so their Dao Seal’s stability was naturally inferior to that of the Star Boundary’s people and their achievements were slightly worse.
However, even if they knew this, how many Great Emperors would be willing to spend tens of thousands of years to slowly reinforce their Dao Seal? Even if they were Great Emperors, they would not be able to resist the temptation to achieve the Open Heaven Realm as soon as possible, reaching a far greater height of power and status.
The current achievements of the Star Boundary’s Great Emperors were due to chance and coincidences, and had been achieved without much difficulty!
While the two of them were speaking, Yang Kai looked in the direction of the Star Boundary as his eyes glimmered brightly.
He still remembered the last time he had returned to this Great Territory to search for the Star Boundary.
Although he had come to this Great Territory back then, he had to spend a lot of time and effort searching for the location of the Star Boundary because he had been unable to determine if it was even in this Great Territory or not. In fact, he had already searched several Great Territories before arriving here.
But now, he could actually feel the connection between the Star Boundary and himself the moment he crossed the Territory Gate!
He was also a Great Emperor recognized by the Star Boundary’s Will and had the title ‘Void’. So, it wasn’t strange for him to have such a connection.
[But why? If I had this kind of connection the last time, why would I waste so much time searching for the Star Boundary? I could feel it the moment I entered this Great Territory.]
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai faintly felt that this matter was related to the changes in the Star Boundary.
The last time he had returned, the Star Boundary was unstable and on the verge of collapsing. Its Will was about to disappear and the connection between them was extremely faint. So naturally, he was unable to sense it from afar.
However, after he had planted the World Tree’s root in the Star Boundary, the Star Boundary had undergone a tremendous change. Even the living beings in the Star Boundary had benefited greatly from this change. The average rate of cultivation had increased, and the World’s Will had been restored, which immediately strengthened this connection.
Yang Kai even had a feeling that though he was trillions of kilometres away from the Star Boundary, as long as he was in this Great Territory, he could instantly return to it!
When he turned his head to look at the other Great Emperors, Zhan Wu Hen also looked over and asked in surprise, “You felt it?”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Ice Feather Great Emperor sighed, “It seems that the Star Boundary has indeed undergone a tremendous change.”
“I don’t care about the changes in the Star Boundary, what I need to confirm now is whether Zuo Quan Hui has arrived here or not!” Yang Kai’s expression became serious.
Serene Soul slowly voiced his opinion, “Probably not, no matter how fast they are, they couldn’t have been faster than us.”
He had deeply experienced the advantages of the Dao of Space on their journey here.
“It’s always better to be safe than sorry.” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before continuing, “How about this, everyone will stand guard here for now while I’ll return to the Star Boundary to take a look. It would be best if Zuo Quan Hui hasn’t arrived as we can take this opportunity to ambush him at the Territory Gate, but if he has, I’ll send you a message.”
Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen nodded and agreed, “Good, it’s always best to take precautions.”
Yang Kai immediately took out a Space Beacon and handed it over to Yue He for safekeeping before spending some time to release the 1,000 plus Open Heaven Realm Masters he had stored in his Small Universe.
Carrying so many people in his Small Universe along the way, Yang Kai felt like he was carrying a huge mountain on his back, so he was quite refreshed after he had gotten rid of this burden.
“Zuo Quan Hui is a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, everyone must not be careless!” Yang Kai warned again. Although there were twice as many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on their side compared to their enemy, and the number of people below the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm far exceeded their opponent’s, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was enough to fill that gap.
“Don’t worry!” Zhan Wu Hen nodded, “You also need to be careful.”
“I know,” Yang Kai nodded before mobilising his Space Principles, following the connection between his body and the Star Boundary.
The next moment, his figure disappeared all of a sudden.
Everyone was used to this already. After Yang Kai left, the 1,300 Open Heaven Realm Masters spread out in all directions under the leadership of the many Sixth-Order Masters.
Meanwhile, a look of surprise appeared on Yang Kai’s face. This time, when he used his Space Principles, he had a completely different feeling from before.
Generally, when he mobilised his Space Principles, he was able to ignore the barriers of space and instantly teleport from one place to another within a certain range. Although it seemed mysterious to outsiders, everything was under his control.
But this time, he felt that things were somewhat out of his control.
When he followed the connection between himself and the Star Boundary and mobilised his Space Principles, he clearly felt a powerful pull from the Star Boundary, causing his body to involuntarily break through the Void.
This was a completely bizarre sensation for him. Furthermore, he was unable to recover for a long time. He felt as if he was crossing through the Void and falling into an endless abyss, even his Soul and Small Universe began to shake.
After an unknown period of time, the strange sight before him disappeared into thin air and a half-moon-shaped Universe World appeared in his vision.
A familiar aura blew towards him!
[The Star Boundary!]
As expected, Yang Kai was able to return to the Star Boundary directly. Although he had already guessed it would be possible, he still couldn’t help but feel excited.
This time, the distance he teleported was far too great, far exceeding his own limits. This was definitely not his doing alone. The Star Boundary also had a great part in it; otherwise, he would not have been able to accomplish this.
After calming himself, Yang Kai noticed that nearby the half-moon-shaped Universe World, there was another Universe World with a thick Demonic Qi.
[The Demon Realm!]
Yang Kai could clearly feel the familiar aura of the Star Boundary’s Will, as well as the aura of Gun-Gun and his Embodiment from the Demon Realm.
The Demon Realm had originally shattered, but Yang Kai had used his Embodiment to activate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, guiding the Sealed World Bead to swallow and merge the broken pieces before separating the new whole.
Gun-Gun was the Demon Realm, and the Demon Realm was Gun-Gun, but because the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was mobilized by the Embodiment, he became inseparable from the Demon Realm.
The last time he returned to the Star Boundary, Yang Kai had taken 600,000 people with him and left Embodiment in the Demon Realm. Embodiment possessed the body of a Stone Spirit Clansman and had the ability to refine all kinds of impurities, making him the perfect candidate to cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
It could be said that Wu Kuang’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law was made just for the Stone Spirit Clan, so Yang Kai had long since imparted this heaven-defying Evil Art to him.
Yang Kai had no idea how Wu Kuang had managed to resolve the various drawbacks brought about by cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. He had tried cultivating it in the Divine Armament World, and although his cultivation had improved at a rapid pace, the higher his cultivation, the harder it became for him to control his temperament. Fortunately, his powerful Dragon Vein was able to somewhat suppress the side effects, otherwise, Yang Kai would have long since suffered from cultivation dissonance.
After leaving the Divine Armament World, Yang Kai no longer dared to touch the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, lest his mind and temperament become warped.
The two Universe Worlds, the Star Boundary and Demon Realm, were neighbours and quite harmonious.
Looking around, the Demon Realm didn’t seem to have changed much, but Yang Kai could feel a vigorous vitality from the Star Boundary. He even saw a huge tree canopy that covered a vast swath of sky on the top of a tall mountain.
Naturally, this was the location where he had planted the World Tree Root. Over the years, the World Tree’s root had grown to an astonishing height.
Yang Kai was completely speechless. The World Tree he had seen in the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary’s Primordial Land wasn’t nearly this big, so he didn’t know how it grew this large.
Just as he was lost in thought, a familiar aura rapidly approached him. Yang Kai turned to look and saw a black light shooting through the void and appearing in front of him the next instant. When the light dissipated, the figure revealed was that of Embodiment.
When their eyes met. Yang Kai grinned and greeted, “Long time no see!”
“You’re back?” Embodiment also smiled and greeted in an echoing voice.
“I’m back!” Yang Kai took a deep breath. The feeling of chatting with his Soul Clone was quite strange.
Embodiment checked him out from top to bottom before raising his brow slightly, “The things you’ve experienced over the years are truly fascinating.”
Embodiment was formed from a wisp of Yang Kai’s Soul that had entered the body of the dead Stone Spirit, so he could be considered his Soul Clone. As long as the distance between them wasn’t too far, they could naturally communicate with each other. Thus, as long as Yang Kai opened his mind, Embodiment could see everything he had experienced over the years.
“There are many dangers in the Outer Universe. Without any foundation, I could only put my life on the line and compete,” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
“Is someone pursuing you?” Embodiment looked deep into the void.
Yang Kai nodded, “I don’t know if they have already entered this Great Territory, but you must be careful.” His expression became solemn as he asked, “When did the Star Boundary begin to change?”
Embodiment replied, “See for yourself.”
Yang Kai nodded and probed his Soul Clone’s memories without a trace of politeness, quickly understanding everything. As the main body, Yang Kai was naturally able to spy on the experiences Embodiment had gone through.
Although Embodiment had always been stationed in the Demon Realm, the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary were neighbours now, so the changes in the Star Boundary naturally came under his attention.
The changes in the Star Boundary could be described as silent and invisible. After Yang Kai planted the World Tree’s root, confirmed that the World Principles had stabilised and that the Star Boundary was no longer in danger of being destroyed, he left with several hundreds of thousands of people.
The survival and growth of the World Tree had consumed a great deal of the Star Boundary’s World Energy, so in the years after Yang Kai’s departure, the ambient World Energy in the Star Boundary was extremely thin and the rate at which cultivators cultivated was extremely slow. In fact, in those years, no cultivator had been able to break through and advance to a higher realm.
However, after several years, the World Tree began nurturing the Star Boundary which had fed it, causing the World Energy to gradually become denser. The damaged Universe World became firmer and more stable. As a result, not only did the cultivation become faster, even making breakthroughs became easier.
As time passed, this situation became more obvious, and when people discovered this change, the entire Star Boundary celebrated.
The World Tree had already become the Divine Tree of the Star Boundary. Countless people travelled across the mountains and rivers just to pay their respects to the World Tree, even giving it offerings as thanks.
Recently in particular, many cultivators who had poor aptitude had broken through to the Emperor Realm, and those who had formerly been in the First-Order Emperor Realm had all broken through to the Third-Order, many even comprehending their own Grand Dao and condensing their Dao Seals.
The situation of the newly born babies was especially noteworthy. In the past, when the various great Sects took in disciples, it was normal for one in every hundred, or even thousand to be considered. After all, there weren’t many children suitable for cultivation. Even if those with poor aptitudes were taken in, it would not yield any results after spending a great deal of resources on them.
But now, half of the newly born babies were suitable for cultivation, one in a hundred was a talent, and one in a thousand was a prodigy!
When Hei He had previously said that the various great Sects had taken in many good seedlings, this was what he was referring to.
All of this was thanks to the nurturing of the World Tree!
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly as he directed his eyes towards the World Tree.
The World Tree’s nurturing couldn’t possibly be water without roots. It had consumed a large amount of World Energy when it was growing, so where did the energy it produced come from?
He hadn’t looked carefully just now, but now that he was scrutinizing the World Tree pointedly, he did see some traces, though they weren’t very clear.
With a thought, his left eye flashed and a golden vertical pupil appeared.
Demon Eye of Annihilation!
Under this Demon Eye of Annihilation, Yang Kai’s vision suddenly became clear. He saw countless inexplicable energies being absorbed by the World Tree, becoming nutrients for its growth. Furthermore, there were specks of light above the huge World Tree’s canopy, transforming into pure World Energy and spreading into the Star Boundary below.
[So that’s how it is!]
Yang Kai suddenly understood.
The energy fed back by the World Tree was actually coming from the Outer Universe itself. The void of the Outer Universe wasn’t completely empty and desolate; however, even a powerful Open Heaven Realm Master would find it difficult to refine and use this ambient energy. This wasn’t a problem for the World Tree though.
Another example of this was the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array in Void Land which was constantly absorbing the power of the Stars and transforming it into the energy for its regular operation and later use.
However, the efficiency of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, when it came to absorbing the energy of the Universe, was pitiful compared to the World Tree.
Yang Kai could clearly see that under the World Tree’s influence, the Power of the Stars was actively being drawn towards its canopy from all directions, regardless of distance.
In other words, the energy of this entire Great Territory was being influenced by the World Tree.
Embodiment, who was nearby, also gasped in shock. Yang Kai had not blocked his senses, so Embodiment could see what his Demon Eye of Annihilation was seeing. He couldn’t help but mutter, “So that’s how it is. If this continues, I wonder what would become of the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai dismissed the Demon Eye of Annihilation and shook his head, “I don’t know, but it shouldn’t be anything bad.”
Not only would it not be bad, in the future, every corner of the Star Boundary would be a true cultivation paradise. Cultivating here would be countless times faster than in any other Universe World or Spirit Province.
Calming himself down, Yang Kai added, “We’ll discuss the matter of the World Tree later. Right now, we don’t have much time, so I’ll go back to High Heaven Palace first to see my parents. I’m afraid there will be a great battle soon. Although the Territory Gate is quite far from here, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Go find Hua Qing Si and explain the situation to her so that she can make preparations.”
“En!” Embodiment nodded.
Yang Kai utilised Space Principles again as his figure flickered as he disappeared from the spot.
The next moment, the pair had already arrived at the depths of High Heaven Palace.
Without any further communication, Embodiment immediately flew out and sent a message to Hua Qing Si to discuss important matters.
Yang Kai went straight to the Spirit Peak where his parents lived.
There was a forest of bamboo at the peak of a Spirit Peak, and a dense spiritual mist filled the air. Some intermittent sounds were coming from the forest.
When Yang Kai arrived here, he happened to see a group of young children sitting cross-legged in a clearing in the middle of the sea of bamboo, all of them wearing High Heaven Palace uniforms. These little children had their eyes open wide as they stared at a middle-aged man in front of them, listening attentively. From time to time, one of the little kids seemed to hear something incredible and shook his or her head, as if they had received some kind of inspiration.
Yang Ying Feng was currently preaching the Dao.
Seeing this scene, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter. Since when did his Father become so interested in such things? In the past, Yang Kai had never seen him preach the Dao to High Heaven Palace’s disciples. But then again, his Father used to only be a First-Order Emperor Realm Master while many in High Heaven Palace had higher attainments in cultivation than him, so there was no need for him to spend his time on such endeavours.
Now that he had formed his Dao Seal and his cultivation had reached the limit of the Universe World’s capacity, Yang Yin Feng was more than qualified to pass on his Dao to these young disciples.
Yang Kai didn’t disturb him and chose to watch quietly. The anxiety he had felt from facing a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master for so long was now completely swept away and his mind became calm.
With a sudden bang, the loft behind Yang Ying Feng had its door shoved open as a figure rushed out, looking around with wide open eyes, “Is our Son back?”
After being interrupted, Yang Ying Feng frowned unhappily, but understanding the power dynamics in his relationship with his wife, he wisely decided to swallow his anger and grumpily rebuked, “That smelly brat is roaming around the Outer Universe doing who knows what with who knows who! How could he be back?”
Dong Su Zhu frowned and looked around, “Strange, I clearly felt…”
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly stared in a certain direction.
Yang Kai was utterly speechless. He was currently a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and he had come here while concealing his presence. Not to mention Dong Su Zhu, a mere Emperor Realm cultivator, even a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master might not be able to discover him here.
However, Dong Su Zhu had sensed him!
Was this the bond between a Mother and Son? The kind of connection that had nothing to do with one’s cultivation, nor with their strength, but one that was innately formed after spending 10 months in the most intimate contact possible between one life and another?
With a thought, Yang Kai appeared and stared at Dong Su Zhu, smiling even more brilliantly than a flower in morning glory.
Dong Su Zhu was stunned and her beautiful eyes quickly became wet. She let out a cry of joy and rushed towards Yang Kai as swiftly as a gale wind, hugging him tightly.
She was a petite woman, shorter than Yang Kai by a full head, but at this moment, Yang Kai felt an unprecedented sense of care and safety, as if he had returned to the time when he was still in his Mother’s womb. Whether it was the wind or the rain, she would always be there to shelter and protect him from the storm.
Yang Ying Feng also slowly stood up and looked over, rubbing his eyes as if he was afraid he was seeing things.
The group of little kids below had no idea what was happening, so all of them followed Yang Ying Feng’s gaze and turned their heads back to look curiously.
“He’s back, you’re back~! My Son is really back!” After a long time, Dong Su Zhu finally let go of Yang Kai and grabbed him by his arm, jumping up and down like a little girl, crying and laughing at the same time. After carefully observing him for a while, she suddenly pulled him into her embrace.
“Mother!” Yang Kai called out softly as he felt his clothes quickly become wet. He slightly raised his hand and gently patted Dong Su Zhu’s trembling shoulder.
Dong Su Zhu finally recovered from her great surprise after a while and raised her head to dry her eyes. She looked lovingly at Yang Kai as she patted his arms and legs to make sure he was unharmed before heaving a long sigh.
Yang Ying Feng also walked over and sized up Yang Kai before coughing lightly, “You’re back?”
Yang Kai quickly greeted, “Father!”
Yang Ying Feng nodded lightly and glanced behind him, “Alone?”
Yang Kai stated with a smile, “Su Yan and the others are all cultivating in Void Land.”
Yang Ying Feng waved off, “I’m not asking about your wives.”
Yang Kai was a little puzzled. If he wasn’t asking Su Yan and the others, then who was he asking? After a moment of realisation, he replied, “Xue’er is also in secluded meditation in Void Land right now, her cultivation is improving at a rapid pace. Father doesn’t need to worry.”
Yang Ying Feng glared at him resentfully before asking in a dignified tone, “Do I have grandchildren after so many years or not?
[So that’s what he was asking about!] As soon as her husband said this, even Dong Su Zhu, who had been crying just now, perked up her ears and stared at Yang Kai with a burning gaze.
Yang Kai’s face was guilt-ridden as he awkwardly replied, “Your Son has been trying his best!”
Yang Ying Feng was furious, “You impotent little bastard, you’ve so many wives yet you can’t even sire an heir for us? What can I count on you for? Do you want me and your Mother to give birth to a Younger Brother or Sister to strengthen our Yang Family?”
Dong Su Zhu slapped Yang Ying Feng’s back, causing a loud sound as she rebuked with a blush, “What nonsense are you spouting? There are children here.”
When Yang Ying Feng turned around, he saw a group of little children staring at him, so he couldn’t continue. He waved off to the group of little chicks, stating, “That’s the end of today’s lesson. When you return to your room, you should review what you learned. Don’t slack off.”
The children all stood up and under the direction of one of the bigger ones who seemed to be their leader, and gave a proper bow, “Many thanks, Master Ancestor!”
Although the group of kids was young, their manners were excellent. They lined up in two rows and walked down the mountain. When they passed by Yang Kai, they all bowed to Yang Kai too.
Yang Kai, watching them leave, raised his brow and praised, “They really are good seedlings!”
Just now, he had secretly investigated the aptitudes of these children. Although he didn’t perform a complete examination, when he swept his Divine Sense over them, he found that each of them had a clear mind and outstanding aptitude. If nothing went wrong, all of them would be able to easily reach the Emperor Realm!
Yang Ying Feng glanced at him, “If you can sire one, I’m sure it will be better than any of them.”
Yang Kai didn’t dare to say anything.
Fortunately, his Mother’s heart felt bad for him and she slapped Yang Ying Feng again, “Our Son hardly has the chance to return, why are you spouting so much nonsense!”
Saying so, she turned to Yang Kai and comforted, “Ignore him and come with Mother. You must have suffered outside. Why have you lost so much weight?”
Having been left outside, alone, Yang Ying Feng’s face was filled with regret. He beat his chest and stamped his feet, “A doting Mother makes a wastrel!”
A moment later, the family of three started chatting happily for a while inside the bamboo house before Yang Kai finally stated, “I came back this time mainly to check on your situation. Hei He said that both of you managed to condense your Dao Seals.”
Dong Su Zhu replied, nodding, “That’s true. Speaking of which, I must thank Senior Hei He. If it weren’t for his careful guidance all these years, we wouldn’t know how to form our Dao Seals.”
In the Inner Universe, the Emperor Realm was the limit. Only by breaking free from the Universe World’s shackles would one be able to reach a higher Martial Dao. Yang Kai had undoubtedly made the right choice when he chose to leave Hei He to guard the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm. At the very least, under his guidance, his parents had successfully condensed their Dao Seals.
“Let me take a look!” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and grabbed Dong Su Zhu’s wrist, immersing his consciousness and carefully examining it.
A moment later, a look of surprise flashed across Yang Kai’s face.
Dong Su Zhu asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Yang Kai honestly replied, “There is something wrong, but it’s not bad, but rather a good thing. I’ll talk after taking a look at Father’s as well.”
Using the same method, Yang Kai examined Yang Ying Feng’s Dao Seal and the surprise on his face became even more apparent.
“Since this is a good thing, speak up then!” Yang Ying Feng flicked his sleeves.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before replying, “Hei He must have told you about some things, so you must know about the different Orders of the Open Heaven Realm!”
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu both nodded, “Naturally.”
Yang Kai continued, “The Order of an Open Heaven Realm Master determines their strength, while their initial Order is determined by the Orders of Element Powers they condense. The Element Powers are condensed through the refinement of a complete set of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. The higher the Order of the Elements condensed, the higher the Order one will be in when they break through to the Open Heaven Realm. Of course, the higher Order of the material you wish to refine, the firmer your Dao Seal must be!”
Yang Ying Feng summarized, “The Dao Seal is the foundation to reach the Open Heaven Realm!”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “In simpler terms, after an Emperor Realm cultivator condenses their Dao Seal, their future path is basically set. From that point on, what Order in the Open Heaven Realm they can reach depends entirely on how high the Order of the Elements their Dao Seal can withstand.”
“Hei He said that your Father and I can reach the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm with certainty, while the Fifth-Order is possible but carries some risks, so he asked us to ask for your opinion.” Dong Su Zhu looked at Yang Kai somewhat uneasily. The Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm was not a high Order.
Yang Kai nodded, “This is what surprises me.”
He was well aware of his Father and Mother’s aptitude. When they first became Emperor Realm cultivators, he had spent a great deal of effort and resources to help them. In his opinion, even if his Father and Mother’s cultivation had progressed at a rapid pace because of the World Tree, and they had even successfully condensed their own Dao Seals, it would be good if they could reach the Third Order.
Although the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was in the Low-Rank, it was still in the Open Heaven Realm, nonetheless!
Unexpectedly though, his parents were completely capable of reaching the Fourth or Fifth Order!
This was a huge pleasant surprise.
[Is the World Tree’s nourishment really so miraculous?]
After informing his parents of his thoughts, they finally understood what this so-called good thing was.
“What Order are you now?” Yang Ying Feng asked curiously. Although he could feel that Yang Kai had advanced to the Open Heaven Realm, he couldn’t tell his Order. After all, the difference in their cultivation was too great.
“Sixth-Order!”
Dong Su Zhu was immediately overjoyed, “I told you that your Son’s Order will definitely not be low. With the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he could even become an Eight-Order Master in the future. Furthermore, if he can obtain Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace, it’s not impossible to reach the very peak and become a Ninth-Order Master.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Mother, you even know about the Universe Furnace?”
Dong Su Zhu stated proudly, “We haven’t wasted our time all these years. Senior Hei He has told us a lot about the outside world.”
Yang Ying Feng waved his hand causally and interjected, “Enough of that, first take a look at me and your Mother. Do you think we should break through to the Fourth Order, or should we try for the Fifth Order?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “The limit of the Fourth Order is the Sixth Order while the limit of the Fifth Order is the Seventh Order. One ends in the Mid-Rank, while the other reaches the High-Rank, and there is a massive gap between the two. Since there is hope, you should naturally try to break through to the Fifth Order! Father, Mother, don’t worry, there may be some risks if others try to break through like this, but my Void Land has the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilising Pill, so there’s no need to be afraid!”
Unfortunately, he no longer had any Divine Dao Water in his possession, otherwise if he gave it to his parents, there would be no risk for them to break through to the Fifth Order at all.
His Father and Mother’s Dao Seals were quite stable, and what Hei He said was basically correct. They were indeed a bit lacking in trying for the Fifth Order, but it wasn’t too far off. Of course, if they wanted to break through to the Sixth Order, it would be impossible even if they had the Dao Divine Water.
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu may not have any idea what the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilising Pill was, but since Yang Kai had said so, they naturally wouldn’t doubt it.
Yang Ying Feng immediately decided, “Good, just as you said, your Mother and I will try to break through to the Fifth Order. In the future, if anyone dares to bully us, we’ll beat them up!”
“I’ll prepare the materials for you two, please wait a moment.”
Dong Su Zhu seemed to have sensed something and furrowed her brow, “You just returned, but you want to leave right away?”
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before deciding to explain truthfully, “When Hei He brought Lan Xun to find me this time, he encountered an accident. A powerful enemy has learned the location of the Star Boundary and he covets the World Tree, so he is rushing over as we speak, wanting to harm the Star Boundary. I have to stop him!”
Even if this matter could be concealed for a while, it couldn’t be concealed forever. If they could stop the Heavenly Sword Palace at the Territory Gate, it would be fine, but if they couldn’t, Zuo Quan Hui would kill his way to the Star Boundary. If a great battle broke out without any forewarning, it would only make Dong Su Zhu more worried.
Dong Su Zhu immediately asked nervously, “How is this enemy’s cultivation compared to yours?”
“He’s stronger than me, but we have more people than him, so Mother doesn’t need to worry,” Yang Kai comforted.
Dong Su Zhu’s expression became even more worried, “You’re already in the Sixth Order, if he’s stronger than you, doesn’t that mean he’s a Seventh-Order Master?”
Yang Ying Feng stated, “Since a powerful enemy has come, there is no use worrying about it. That Great Demon God was so powerful back then, but he was still killed! I and your Mother only hate that our strength is too low right now so we can’t help you much. You can go and face the enemy without worry. Your Mother and I will take care of the Star Boundary!”
“Thank you, Father!” Yang Kai stood up, “Time is of the essence, so your Son cannot serve you anymore, please take care!”
Saying so, he knelt down and kowtowed.
Dong Su Zhu quickly helped him up and reminded him with tearful eyes, “Be careful!”
Yang Ying Feng coldly snorted, “If he hasn’t left an heir for my Yang Family, how could he dare to die?”
“Nothing good comes out of a dog’s mouth!” Dong Su Zhu glared at him fiercely.
Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fist, “Your Son will take his leave now!”
With a surge of Space Principles, he disappeared from the spot.
Dong Su Zhu stretched out her hand and grabbed nothing but air. She felt as if a piece of her heart was missing, and it filled with melancholy.
The next moment, Yang Kai suddenly appeared inside High Heaven Palace’s Main Hall.
Hua Qing Si was startled for a moment before she quickly stood up happily.
“Palace Master!” Hua Qing Si elegantly bowed.
Yang Kai nodded, “Do you know about the situation?”
Hua Qing Si nodded in acknowledgement, “Sir Embodiment has already informed me. If Palace Master needs High Heaven Palace’s cooperation, please ask!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “In this war, everyone participating is an Open Heaven Realm Master, so the Star Boundary won’t be able to help. You just have to take care of yourself.”
Hua Qing Si stated solemnly, “I understand, then please be careful.”
“En, let me check your Dao Seal!” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and placed it on her forehead. Hua Qing Si quickly relaxed her mind and body, allowing Yang Kai to examine her.
A moment later, Yang Kai withdrew his hand and smiled at Hua Qing Si, “Wonderful, you can advance directly to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future!”
Although he had a speculation in his mind after investigating the situation of his parents’ Dao Seals, it was finally confirmed after examining Hua Qing Si’s Dao Seal.
Hua Qing Si’s aptitude was undoubtedly better than his parents’. His parents’ Dao Seals were stable enough to condense Fourth-Order Elements, or even Fifth-Order Elements, so there was no reason for Hua Qing Si to not be able to.
As expected, Hua Qing Si’s Dao Seal was stabler than his parents’. In other words, the risk of breaking through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm was basically non-existent for her.
“Is there anyone else in the Star Boundary who has condensed their Dao Seals?” Yang Kai asked.
Hua Qing Si shook her head, “Right now, there is only your parents, myself, and Palace Master Lan Xun; just us four.”
When Yang Kai had last left the Star Boundary, he basically took all the Emperor Realm Masters with him in one fell swoop, and the ones who remained weren’t very strong. Although the cultivation of the Star Boundary’s cultivators had quickly risen all these years with the World Tree’s nourishment and the recovery of the Star Boundary, cultivation still required some time. The Star Boundary cultivators could only condense their Dao Seals by raising their cultivation to the peak of the Emperor Realm.
As for Lan Xun’s condition, Yang Kai didn’t have time to carefully investigate it at the time, but after thinking about it, compared to Hua Qing Si, her aptitude was already top-notch.
“This matter…” Yang Kai wanted to say that this matter should be kept under wraps for now, but then he remembered that Heavenly Sword Union was nearly upon them, and if he couldn’t stop this formidable enemy, he would be doomed. At that time, even the Star Boundary would find it difficult to survive, so he quickly changed his mind and stated, “Wait for my return.”
Hua Qing Si nodded her understanding.
Yang Kai gave Embodiment a few more instructions before taking out a Space Beacon and testing it out.
As expected, he was unable to directly return to the Territory Gate. Although the Space Beacon allowed people to instantly teleport from one beacon to another it was paired with, there was still a limit to their range.
The Territory Gate was trillions of kilometres away from the Star Boundary, a distance far beyond its limit.
The reason he was able to instantly return to the Star Boundary from the Territory Gate was undoubtedly because of his connection with the Star Boundary itself. It was equivalent to the power of the Star Boundary pulling him back, but it was impossible to use this process in reverse. There was no place for him to borrow strength on the Territory Gate’s side after all.
However, this was exactly what he wanted. Although Heavenly Sword Union shouldn’t have been able to arrive at the Star Boundary’s Great Territory before him, Yang Kai had to take precautions to be on the safe side.
While returning to the Territory Gate, he could also investigate the route.
In a flash, Yang Kai left High Heaven Palace and arrived in the depths of the void, rushing towards the Territory Gate. Every once in a while, Yang Kai would place a Space Beacon for emergencies.
Along the way, everything was calm and peaceful, and there was no sign of any Heavenly Sword Union cultivators, causing Yang Kai to slowly relax.
After leaving behind a dozen or so Space Beacons, Yang Kai finally returned to the Territory Gate.
Void Land’s Open Heaven Realm Masters waiting by the Territory Gate immediately noticed Yang Kai’s return, so Zhan Wu Hen and the others surrounded him and asked with concern, “Is everything alright on the Star Boundary’s side?”
Yang Kai sorted out his thoughts and told them everything he was able to learn.
Many of the Great Emperors were shocked.
“That’s great.” Mo Huang smiled with relief, “The World Tree is actually so amazing. Not only can it swallow the Power of the Stars and void to nourish the World Energy of the Star Boundary, it can even allow one to cultivate more easily and condense a stronger Dao Seal.”
Duan Hong Chen also wore a look of fascination, “If that’s the case, wouldn’t the Star Boundary give birth to many Open Heaven Realm seedlings in the future?”
Zhan Wu Hen, on the other hand, was a bit worried, “Both fortune and misfortune lie together, if we don’t handle it well, great wealth can sometimes turn into disaster. Don’t forget why Zuo Quan Hui is coming to the Star Boundary.”
All of the Great Emperors were quick-witted, so when they heard Zhan Wu Hen’s words, how could they not know what he was worried about? It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured all over the excitement in their hearts, calming everyone down.
“We have to keep the changes of the Star Boundary under wraps.” Zhan Wu Hen looked at Yang Kai solemnly, “Otherwise, I’m afraid even the Cave Heavens and Paradises will become greedy.”
Even with Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu’s rather poor aptitudes, they now had the qualifications to break through to the Fourth-Order or even Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. If a true top talent were to grow up in the Star Boundary, it would be extremely easy for him or her to advance to the Sixth-Order, and it might even be possible for a Heaven defying genius to reach the Seventh-Order.
The current Star Boundary could simply be called a cradle for Open Heaven Realm Masters! It could easily produce a large number of Open Heaven Realm seedlings, and this was only the beginning. Who knew what could become of the Star Boundary given more time?
What Zhan Wu Hen said was definitely not an exaggeration. If the Cave Heavens and Paradises came to know about the situation of the Star Boundary, everyone would probably want to take a share of it. At that time, would the Star Boundary still be the Star Boundary?
Not to mention, there was still the World Tree in the Star Boundary. Although the World Tree did not show any signs of fruiting, who could guarantee that it would not produce World Fruits after countless years? This was the only Heaven-defying treasure in the world that could allow an Open Heaven Realm Master to advance an Order directly without any side-effects, as well as increase their natural limit. Who would not covet such a treasure?
As Zhan Wu Hen spoke, he unconsciously glanced towards Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue.
Void Land’s forces were comprised entirely of their own people, so they would keep all the secrets to themselves if there were any. The only two outsiders were Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
“Senior Brother Qing and Senior Sister Su are both trustworthy people, I’ll remind them later,” Yang Kai stated.
Zhan Wu Hen shook his head, “I’m afraid this matter won’t be as simple as you think; after all, they are disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Although they have some friendship with you and are willing to keep some secrets for you, there are always exceptions.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help laughing, “Then what should we do? Senior Brother Qing and Senior Sister Su came to help Void Land in its time of need, we can’t just kill them to silence them.”
Zhan Wu Hen shook his head and stated, “Naturally, I’m not asking you to do such an ungrateful thing. What I want to say is that instead of letting them hide the situation of the Star Boundary from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, it would be better to let them know the truth and use the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s power to protect the Star Boundary.”
Mo Huang quickly interrupted, “No!”
Zhan Wu Hen turned to look at him, whereupon Mo Huang explained, “Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is one of the 36 Cave Heavens. Such a huge entity must have its own factions. Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue are part of Xu Ling Gong’s lineage, and with the status of a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-law, Xu Ling Gong naturally views Yang Kai in a favourable light. For small matters, everything is easy to discuss, but I’m afraid that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s other High-Rank Open Heaven Masters will have some other intentions. What if the person sent by Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to investigate is not Xu Ling Gong?”
This was also a problem, causing everyone to fall into contemplation.
Yang Kai clapped his hands and diverted the topic, “Let’s talk about this later. Right now, the ones we need to deal with are Heavenly Sword Union and Zuo Quan Hui. If my guess is right, they should be arriving soon.”
All the Great Emperors nodded slightly, “Good!”
20 Sixth-Order Masters and 1,300 cultivators below the Sixth-Order, almost all the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land, were quietly waiting in ambush outside the Territory Gate for Heavenly Sword Union.
Now that things had reached this point, there was no need to conceal their strength anymore. Yang Kai had hidden Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others for this long to catch Zuo Quan Hui off guard; however, while man plans, the Heavens laugh. Hei He and Lan Xun had met with an accident, and Zuo Quan Hui had learned of the location of the Star Boundary and the World Tree. The battlefield inevitably shifted from Void Territory to the Star Boundary’s Territory.
In this battle, they would definitely give it their all. In this battle, one side would die!
The newly advanced Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master naturally couldn’t be hidden any longer.
Waiting was the greatest torture.
For half a month, the Territory Gate remained still and calm.
Yang Kai almost suspected that his judgement was wrong and that Zuo Quan Hui had no intention of coming to the Star Boundary, or else why would he have not seen his shadow even after such a long time?
However, there was a violent surge of energy a few days later. When Yang Kai opened his eyes, he saw the Territory Gate glowing and a colossal illusory phantom slowly emerging from it.
“They’re here!” Yang Kai’s eyes went wide as he raised his hand and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear. At the same time, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land also noticed the changes of the Territory Gate and began circulating their World Force. In a flash, the void began to tremble and distort.
What everyone saw was Heavenly Sword Union’s Heavenly Sword Palace emerging from the Territory Gate.
A moment later, the Heavenly Sword Palace rushed out, entering the Great Territory where the Star Boundary was located.
Yang Kai raised his spear and pushed his World Force madly while shouting, “Kill!”
A Golden Crow let out a cry as a Great Sun rose into the sky from behind Yang Kai’s back. In this sun, a three-legged exotic bird could vaguely be seen flying about.
Facing such a large artifact like the Heavenly Sword Palace, Yang Kai did not hesitate to use his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation in the opening salvo.
The Great Sun took its spot on the Azure Dragon Spear as Yang Kai thrust it forward, ignoring the barriers of space as it crashed towards the enemy fortress.
At the same time, rays of light from various Divine Abilities and artifacts shot towards the Heavenly Sword Palace like meteors.
In that instant, the entire void lit up as if it was daytime as waves of World Forces surged and crashed out!
When the Heavenly Sword Palace was shuttling through the Territory Gate, they had naturally activated a protective barrier, but under the might of the countless Divine Abilities and artifacts, this barrier didn’t even last for a breath before it shattered like a bubble.
The people from Heavenly Sword Palace seemed to panic for a moment. Although they had guessed that they would be ambushed after crossing through the Territory Gate, no one had expected this ambush to be so ruthless.
As far as the eye could see, there were nothing but enemies around them and all of them asked the same question, how did so many people arrive here ahead of them?
Zuo Quan Hui, who was sitting in the Heavenly Sword Palace’s main hall, wore a gloomy expression as he quickly formed a series of hand seals to control the Heavenly Sword Palace’s Grand Array.
He knew that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space and could travel extremely fast. If Yang Kai insisted on pursuing him, the Heavenly Sword Palace would definitely be unable to escape.
However, he didn’t see any signs of Yang Kai chasing after him along the way, so he guessed that the latter had chosen another route to return to the Star Boundary to set up defences.
And facts proved that it was indeed the case. The Heavenly Sword Palace had just arrived in this Great Territory when it was ambushed.
He had already expected that Yang Kai would bring some helpers, but he hadn’t expected there to be so many! Over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters. Even if they were ants in his eyes, they were Open Heaven Realm Masters, nonetheless.
[How did these people get here? Even if Yang Kai is a master of the Dao of Space, he couldn’t bring so many people with him.]
With a series of hand seals, the Heavenly Sword Palace’s defensive Arrays began to activate layer by layer, but they shattered and collapsed one by one. The entire Heavenly Sword Palace surroundings were crazily flashing, and it was violently shaking, causing everyone to lose their footing.
“Meet the enemy!” Zuo Quan Hui shouted, issuing a command.
Although the Heavenly Sword Palace was extraordinary, in the end, it was still just a large-scale palace artifact. While it could defend, attack, and fly, there were limits to everything. Right now, Zuo Quan Hui was still a bit wary and didn’t dare to appear, so he could only rely on his subordinates to defend.
Suddenly, a golden light flashed across his eyes. Zuo Quan Hui looked up, and saw a Great Sun at the tip of a spear smashing towards the Heavenly Sword Palace. It even left scorched marks in the void everywhere it passed through, which remained for a very long time.
[Divine Manifestation!]
Zuo Quan Hui coldly snorted before raising his hand and pointing towards the approaching sun.
The pressure of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master spread out as a streak of light shot from his fingertip. In the next instant, the sun collapsed as a wave of violent energy spread outward.
Zuo Quan Hui, who was sitting in the main hall, swayed slightly and his brow twitched. Although they were enemies, Zuo Quan Hui had to admit that Yang Kai was a once in 10,000 years genius, actually able to use a Divine Manifestation when he was just in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Zuo Quan Hui himself had yet to comprehend his own Divine Manifestation; to a certain extent, he was actually inferior to a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Furthermore, rumour had it that Yang Kai had comprehended this Divine Manifestation when he was still in the Emperor Realm, which was simply unbelievable.
With Yang Kai being in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and having his Divine Manifestation, he was able to unleash an attack comparable to a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although Zuo Quan Hui managed to block this attack fairly easily, he couldn’t help but feel his blood and energy roil slightly.
[He is already so powerful when he is just in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. If that brat were to break through to the Seventh Order, I would not be his opponent.] Thinking so, Zuo Quan Hui’s killing intent became even stronger. [I have to kill him before he breaks through to the Seventh Order no matter what; otherwise, I will really die without a burial.]
Multicoloured lights flashed as an overwhelming barrage of attacks flew towards the Heavenly Sword Palace.
Heavenly Sword Union naturally wouldn’t sit back and wait for death, so after Zuo Quan Hui gave the order, they immediately began to counterattack.
In a flash, both sides started exchanging attacks as World Force flowed out in all directions, churning up the void and warping space as a result.
However, not a single person was injured or killed despite it being such an intense battlefield.
Needless to say, whether it was Sixth-Order Masters or those below that realm, Void Land had more people than the other party. The Divine Abilities and Secret Arts from Heavenly Sword Palace were intercepted before they could even approach.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union also had their own advantages, which was that they could hide inside the Heavenly Sword Palace. As long as the Heavenly Sword Palace was not destroyed, they would have a layer of impregnable protection and would not need to worry about being killed.
However, how could the Heavenly Sword Palace, which had a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master assuming command, be so easily destroyed? This massive artifact was the fruit of unimaginable resources and manpower of Heavenly Sword Union.
Most of the Divine Abilities and Secret Arts aimed at the Heavenly Sword Palace were intercepted, and only a few of them actually managed to hit the palace itself. However, due to the Spirit Array barriers, it was difficult for Void Land to cause much damage in a short time.
On the battlefield, Void Land had the absolute advantage, but the Heavenly Sword Palace was like a hedgehog, making it difficult for anyone to swallow. If this continued for a long time, Void Land would be pushed into a great disadvantage.
The Azure Dragon Spear in Yang Kai’s hand danced as he used his Limitless Spear Techniques freely. Each spear strike was powerful enough to shatter a Star and break through a layer of the Heavenly Sword Palace’s defences, but the Heavenly Sword Palace’s Arrays kept regenerating, annoying him greatly.
At the same time, inside Heavenly Sword Palace, Zi Yan and the others also noticed that something was wrong. After fighting each other for more than a year, they had long known that Void Land had both strength and numbers on their side, but the previous Void Land forces were not strong to this extent.
After observing for a while, they finally discovered that there were some Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on Void Land side they had never seen before! And there were not just one or two, but there were as many as eight!
These eight were Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, not eight cabbages one could find in a local market! Where did they come from?
After a quick count, there were actually 20 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land’s side!
All of Heavenly Sword Union members were shocked. They only had ten such Masters on their side, so the other party had twice their number. If it weren’t for Zuo Quan Hui presiding over this place, everyone would have fled long ago.
“Master!” Zi Yan called out to Zuo Quan Hui, while defending and attacking.
“I know!” Zuo Quan Hui sat still, but his eyes were scanning the surroundings as they shone brightly, “Astonishing, simply astonishing! All of them have just advanced to the Sixth Order, that Star Boundary really does carry great fortune with it!”
As the situation was quite tense, the others failed to pay much attention to the details, but Zuo Quan Hui, on the other hand, could tell with a single glance that the eight new Sixth-Order auras were unstable, meaning all of them had just advanced to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm recently.
However, Zuo Quan Hui didn’t think that these people had advanced straight to the Sixth Order; after all, that would make them Core Disciples if they were placed in any of the Cave Heavens and Paradises with such aptitude. How could there be so many genius-level talents in Void Land?
The only explanation he could think of was the World Fruit!
Perhaps these people had advanced to the Fifth Order and consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit before reaching the Sixth-Order.
Suddenly, he remembered something; rumour had it that Yang Kai had achieved the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm outside the Shadowless Cave Heaven. It was impossible for him to fake this in front of so many Masters, but he had actually reached the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm when he participated in the Dao Theory Assembly.
Previously, Zuo Quan Hui had been unable to understand what was going on, but now everything was clear to him, or so he thought.
[So it turns out that Yang Kai consumed a World Fruit a long time ago to raise his cultivation to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.]
“Martial Nephew Yin, according to your investigation, has the World Tree in the Star Boundary borne fruits?” Zuo Quan Hui asked.
Yin Xin Zhao pondered for a moment before replying, “I don’t know. Although I used a Soul Searching Technique on that woman, the information I obtained was incomplete. I only know that there is a World Tree in the Star Boundary.”
Zuo Quan Hui gently nodded his understanding, “If that’s the case, then it must be true. The World Tree has indeed borne fruits. I really didn’t expect for such a miracle to occur in this remote backwater!”
In his opinion, since the World Tree had already bloomed and borne fruits, the people of Void Land must have benefited from it. Since that was the case, it was not impossible for him to obtain a High-Rank World Fruit here. If he could obtain a High-Rank World Fruit, he would be able to instantly advance to the Eighth Order. At that time, he would be able to destroy Void Land with a flick of his finger. Even if he were to face off against the Divine Spirit Zhu Jiu Yin and Bi Xi, he would still have the strength to fight back!
The temptation of a High-Rank World Fruit was incomparably great. Originally, he had been somewhat afraid that Zhu Jiu Yin would follow Yang Kai here and ambush him, but now he couldn’t care about that. No matter what, he was an Elder of Thousand Cranes Paradise. He might be branded as a traitor by Thousand Crane Paradise now, but everyone knew what was going on behind the scenes. Zhu Jiu Yin might not even have the courage to kill him.
Thinking along the lines, Zuo Quan Hui made up his mind and changed his hand seal. The next moment, the Heavenly Sword Palace let out a thrumming sound as it flew straight towards the Star Boundary, forcefully resisting the bombardment of the many Open Heaven Realm Masters in the void.
“Stop him!” Yang Kai shouted at the sight of this. The shockwaves from the battle between Open Heaven Realm Masters were too great, so if the Heavenly Sword Palace really rushed to the vicinity of the Star Boundary, Void Land would be forced to be in a passive situation. At that time, Void Land’s hands would be tied while Heavenly Sword Union would be able to fight without fear.
Stronger and more fearsome attacks rained down on the Heavenly Sword Palace from everywhere. Even though Heavenly Sword Union’s numerous Open Heaven Realm Masters tried their best to stop them, they were still unable to do so completely.
Divine Abilities and Secret Arts landed on the Heavenly Sword Palace one after another, causing its barriers to flicker and shatter. However, new barriers were erected in the next moment, spreading out layer by layer and protecting everyone inside the Heavenly Sword Palace from the oncoming attacks.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s eyes cracked wide open. He instantly teleported to the front of the Heavenly Sword Palace before shouting, “Dragon Transformation!”
The next moment, a deafening dragon roar resounded as a huge Golden Dragon head appeared behind Yang Kai before it plunged into his body.
Suddenly, a series of explosions rang out as Yang Kai’s figure swelled under the stunned gazes of Heaven Sword Union’s Open Heaven Realm Masters, soon becoming a several thousand metres long colossal Half-Dragon in the blink of an eye.
His entire body was covered in Dragon Scales, and his hands had transformed into Dragon Claws. The Dragon Tail on his back swung back and forth, and Dragon Horns grew on his forehead. And when he shook his head, his Dragon Beard fluttered about.
The next moment, a rich Dragon Pressure spread into the surroundings!
What was even more shocking was that the Azure Dragon Spear in Yang Kai’s hand had also grown bigger!
The massive Heavenly Sword Palace was actually shorter than Yang Kai who had assumed his Half-Dragon Form.
Seemingly affected by Yang Kai’s Dragon Pressure, another loud and sonorous Dragon Roar reverberated as Zhu Qing suddenly transformed into a Dragon that was several thousand metres long as well.
This Dragon was crimson red, giving the impression as if it was covered in raging flames.
Compared to Yang Kai’s Half-Dragon form, Zhu Qing’s Dragon Form was clearly that of a Pureblood.
Zhu Qing soared straight up before unleashing a flaming Dragon Breath straight at the Heavenly Sword Palace.
At the same time, Yang Kai thrust his spear out.
The huge Azure Dragon Spear crashed into the Heavenly Sword Palace’s defensive Arrays without any fancy moves. The Azure Dragon Spear was already a peerless weapon, and coupled with Yang Kai’s fearsome strength that could shake the Sun and Moon, the defensive Arrays were pierced through like paper.
The people in the Heavenly Sword Palace were thrown into panic as the enormous spear shadows rapidly filled their vision and an imminent threat of death gripped their minds.
At the critical moment, a cold snort rang out from within the Heavenly Sword Palace as the Dragon Pressure collapsed.
Zuo Quan Hui, who was in the main hall, promptly lifted his sword before swinging it down. His movements were graceful and elegant.
A one-metre-long sword wave cut through the air, directly slicing into Yang Kai’s Half-Dragon Form.
The next moment, a fountain of blood gushed out!
A gaping wound so deep that even his bones could be seen appeared on Yang Kai’s shoulder as a rain of Golden Dragon Blood spluttered across the void. Zuo Quan Hui’s attack was clearly extraordinary despite its simplicity. It would have been disastrous for Yang Kai had he not tilted his head at the last moment.
Nonetheless, he did not retreat!
He thrust the Azure Dragon Spear forward as if he was unable to feel any pain.
*Hong hong hong…*
One after another, the Heavenly Sword Palace’s defences were broken through, even its walls were pierced through. Over a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters who couldn’t dodge in time were swept up by the spear’s power and exploded into a blood mist before they could even make a sound. When their Small Universes collapsed, World Force dissipated and flowed out into the void.
Before Yang Kai could even pull out his spear, he saw the Heavenly Sword Palace suddenly light up, shooting a beam straight at his face.
This beam of light came out of nowhere, but its power was extremely terrifying, comparable to an attack from a High-Rank Open Heaven Master.
Yang Kai couldn’t even figure out whether this beam of light had been shot by Zuo Quan Hui or if it had been launched using the Heavenly Sword Palace’s Arrays.
Yang Kai instinctively raised his spear to block and the next moment, he let out a suppressed grunt as he was sent flying out.
At the same time, countless beams of light shot out from the interior of the Heavenly Sword Palace. Although they were not as terrifying as the one that attacked Yang Kai, each one was still comparable to an attack from a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
There were more than 1,000 such beams of light!
Such an attack was obviously not something mere Heavenly Sword Union disciples could release, so it was definitely the power of the palace’s Grand Array.
At the sight of this, Void Land’s disciples, who had been attacking from the periphery of the Heavenly Sword Palace, didn’t dare hesitate and quickly used their defensive Divine Abilities and artifacts to protect themselves.
However, there would always be some flaws.
Blood splashed as dozens of Void Land disciples were pierced through. Most of them instantly lost their lives while a few with tenacious will managed to hang on. Their fellow disciples quickly responded and hurriedly retreated from the battlefield with them to find a place for them to recover.
Even Zhu Qing, who had revealed her Dragon Form, had suffered a blow. Fortunately, Flower Shadow Great Emperor had protected her at the last moment, so she was only slightly injured.
For a moment, Void Land’s Open Heaven Realm Masters no longer dared to approach the Heavenly Sword Palace and retreated one after another.
This was the terrifying aspect of a large-scale palace artifact. This kind of artifact was like a moving fortress, with both offensive and defensive capabilities, making it extremely difficult to deal with.
This was the first time the people from Void Land had come into contact with such a weapon, so they were not experienced enough to deal with it, resulting in some unnecessary damage.
The next moment, a Dragon Roar reverberated across the void as Yang Kai, who had been sent flying, returned in a flash. When he saw the casualties among his forces, he immediately shouted, “Everyone below the Fifth Order, retreat and coordinate from afar; the rest of you, follow me!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead and raised his massive Azure Dragon Spear before smashing it down.
Immediately, a transparent barrier appeared above the Heavenly Sword Palace, but it was unable to block the fearsome might of the blow. The barrier shattered as the fearsome force slammed into the Heavenly Sword Palace like a meteor, causing it to sink slightly.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered as he appeared directly below the Heavenly Sword Palace and swept out with his spear again.
A blinding flash of light surged as the Heavenly Sword Palace was knocked back again.
After a few rounds, several Small Universes collapsed and the aura of World Force dissipating came from inside the Heavenly Sword Palace. Obviously, some people had been killed.
Meanwhile, Void Land’s Open Heaven Realm Masters never stopped attacking.
However, those below the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm could only support them from a distance, and their usefulness was limited. The only ones who could pose a real threat to the Heavenly Sword Palace were the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters other than Yang Kai, and the dozens of Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Even after the original advantage in numbers had been levelled, Heavenly Sword Union’s cultivators were able to resist the oncoming attacks and defended themselves. With the exception of a few unlucky fools who had died due to carelessness, the number of casualties for the time being remained mostly unchanged.
Previously, Void Land was able to pose a certain degree of threat to the Heavenly Sword Palace’s occupants by relying on their numerical advantage, but now that most had to attack from a distance, very few of them were able to achieve anything. Basically, all of them were intercepted halfway.
Furthermore, Zuo Quan Hui attacked from time to time as well, forcing Yang Kai to be cautious in making moves lest innocents get hurt. Although Yang Kai could pose some level of threat to the Heavenly Sword Palace, it was still difficult for him to stop it from advancing towards the Star Boundary.
If this situation continued, if they were unable to destroy the Heavenly Sword Palace, the Star Boundary would certainly face a great catastrophe.
Yang Kai flew into a rage and shouted, “Old dog, if you have the guts, come out and fight! What kind of coward hides away inside his palace when the enemy is before him?”
Zuo Quan Hui’s response was an even fiercer attack, forcing Yang Kai to dodge.
As they clashed and cursed, both sides fought in the void for half a month, but neither side was able to do anything to the other. On the contrary, they were getting closer to the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai’s heart was gripped with anxiety, but there was nothing he could do. He was now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but he still felt powerless.
All of the Great Emperors were feeling the same! They communicated with each other via their Divine Senses, discussing how to deal with the enemy, but in this situation, none of their plans could be used.
The Star Boundary was in danger!
After a few more days, Yang Kai could already see the Star Boundary and Demon Realm, the two Universe Worlds in the distance. In the periphery of the Heavenly Sword Palace, Yang Kai was no longer able to maintain his Dragon Form and had reverted back to his Human Form.
Maintaining his Dragon Transformation for a long time was quite taxing on him.
After more than half a month of fierce fighting, Yang Kai’s entire body was covered in blood and his murderous intent was seemingly tangible as it lingered around his body, turning his surroundings as cold as ice.
“Is that the Star Boundary?”
Inside the Heavenly Sword Palace’s main hall, Zuo Quan Hui raised his brow slightly as he gazed ahead. When the Star Boundary entered his eyes, he couldn’t spot anything special about it and couldn’t understand why a World Tree would appear here.
Although Yin Xin Zhao had managed to obtain some information from Lan Xun, Soul-Searching Techniques had drawbacks. Even if his strength greatly surpassed hers, Lin Xin Zhao had no way of knowing what kind of information he could obtain from Lan Xun as the process was quite violent and destructive. In other words, what he could obtain from Lan Xun with a Soul-Searching Technique was entirely up to luck.
Just like how he did not know if the World Tree had blossomed and borne fruit or not, he also did not know that this World Tree was planted by Yang Kai, causing Zuo Quan Hui to think that it was naturally bred.
The World Tree was undoubtedly extremely eye-catching, so when Zuo Quan Hui laid eyes on the giant tree standing in the middle of the Star Boundary, his eyes gleamed with joy, “It really is a World Tree!”
He had never seen a real World Tree before and had only read about it in a few ancient books, but when he laid eyes on it, he saw that the entire Star Boundary was filled with thick vitality. Looking at the Star Boundary from the distance, it actually looked completely green.
If this Divine Tree was not a World Tree, then what could it be?
After taking a closer look, Zuo Quan Hui furrowed his brow a little. He actually didn’t see any World Fruits. [Perhaps it’s because I’m too far away that I can’t spot them, or maybe they have been harvested by someone. In any case, as long as I can get my hands on this Star Boundary, the World Tree and its World Fruits will all be mine.]
At the same time, Pei Wen Xuan, who was fending off an enemy at some place in the Heavenly Sword Palace, stared at a different spot.
Unlike Zuo Quan Hui who was looking at the Star Boundary, he was looking at the Demon Realm!
For some reason, he felt an extremely familiar aura from the Demon Realm, as if there was something there that was connected to him.
On top of that, the Demonic Qi of this Universe World was obviously extremely compatible with his Small Universe. In other words, he could directly devour the Demon Realm’s World Force to strengthen his foundation.
If he could do so, it would definitely advance his cultivation, saving him a great amount of time!
He had come to help Zuo Quan Hui this time mainly because he had some personal grievances with Yang Kai and wanted to use Zuo Quan Hui’s strength to deal with Yang Kai to vent his anger.
But much to his surprise, he actually encountered this kind of opportunity.
The energy of an entire Universe World was enough to save him several hundred, or even 1,000 years of hard cultivation. He believed that after Zuo Quan Hui had destroyed Void Land and captured the Star Boundary, he would not be stingy about giving this Demon Realm to him.
[I managed to get a hold of a treasure this time!] While Pei Wen Xuan was secretly excited, a streak of light suddenly shot over from the side. It was the Diving Ability cast by a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Void Land called Hua Yong. He waved his hand as his Demon Qi surged, cancelling the oncoming attack.
“How did the Star Boundary become like this? And what’s going on with the World Tree!”
While he was trying his best to block the Heavenly Sword Palace’s advance, when Yang Kai glanced towards the Star Boundary, his heart was filled with shock.
He had returned to the Star Boundary a month ago, but it had undergone a massive change since then!
While things were different the previous time he returned, it was certainly not to this extent!
The Star Boundary was currently covered in extremely rich vitality, causing the entire Universe World to appear warm and inviting. Everyone gasped in amazement at the sight of this.
Even from hundreds of millions of kilometres away, Yang Kai could still feel the vitality of the Star Boundary.
And the World Tree!
Although it was already tens of thousands of metres tall back then, it was obviously taller than before, almost twice the size it was compared to just a month ago. It was now nearly 100,000 meters tall, truly making it an existence that held up the Heavens themselves.
[The changes in the Star Boundary are definitely related to the World Tree’s growth and nourishment. But why has the World Tree’s feedback become so much stronger in this one month, even allowing it to grow to such a height?]
Yang Kai couldn’t understand!
At that moment, fluctuations of a Small Universe collapsing came from the Heavenly Sword Palace, indicating the death of another Open Heaven Realm Master.
Although the Heavenly Sword Palace’s defences were strong, the joint attack of 20 Sixth-Order and dozens of Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was no joke. Along the way, at least 100 Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union had lost their lives. On the other hand, because the Void Land Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Fifth Order were all helping from a distance, their side hadn’t suffered many losses, with the exception of the couple dozen people who had died in the initial clash.
However, the Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were all injured and exhausted at this point.
The next moment, Yang Kai suddenly looked towards the Heavenly Sword Palace in shock before his gaze shifted back to the Star Boundary.
When the unknown Open Heaven Realm Master from Heavenly Sword Union died, his Small Universe collapsed and his World Force dispersed. Almost immediately after, Yang Kai could clearly feel this free World Force being drawn straight towards the Star Boundary, pouring into the World Tree where it was cleanly absorbed.
In a flash, realization dawned upon Yang Kai.
When Heavenly Sword Union’s Open Heaven Realm Masters died previously, Yang Kai had vaguely sensed the dispersion of their World Force, but he hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time. Now, when he observed more closely, he realized that this free World Force was clearly flowing towards the Star Boundary.
He was able to feel it so easily this time because they were now much closer to the Star Boundary.
In the past, the growth of the World Tree was mainly fueled by the energy absorbed from the Stars and void in the Great Territory where the Star Boundary was located.
Its growth had been slow because such energy wasn’t very rich.
However, during this month-long battle, over 100 Open Heaven Realm Masters from Heavenly Sword Union and several dozen from Void Land had died. After their deaths, their Small Universes had collapsed and their World Force had dispersed into the void before being drawn in and absorbed by the World Tree.
Naturally, the World Tree would be able to rapidly grow with nourishment like this. And owing to the corresponding feedback, the Star Boundary had also reaped great advantages!
This was why the World Tree and the Star Boundary had undergone such massive changes.
This was what Yang Kai believed; otherwise, there was no way he could explain what he was seeing.
This kind of change would undoubtedly bring unimaginable benefits to the World Tree and the Star Boundary, but with such a powerful enemy in front of him, Yang Kai did not have the time to consider such things.
In a flash, Yang Kai instantly moved right before the Heavenly Sword Palace and pointed his spear forward. A determined and serious look could be seen on his face.
They were only ten million kilometres away from the Star Boundary now, so if he allowed the Heavenly Sword Palace to continue advancing, the Star Boundary would definitely fall into enemy hands. They had to stop the Heavenly Sword Palace from advancing any further no matter what.
The only option they had left was to fight to the death!
*Shua shua shua…*
One figure after another flew over and stood beside Yang Kai, as if they sensed his determination. Iron Blood, Bustling World, Martial Beast, Serene Soul, Flower Shadow, and Ice Feather Great Emperors all arrived together without a word.
Immediately after, Yue He, Mo Mei, Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, Zhou Ya, Hua Yong, Shu Mu Dan, Hui Gu, Qing Kui, Su Ying Xue, Fang Yue, and Xiang Ying also appeared in a flash.
Twenty Sixth-Order Masters stood in a line in the void, blocking the path between Heavenly Sword Palace and the Star Boundary like an impregnable wall.
Behind these Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stood dozens of Fifth-Order Masters!
The next moment, streaks of light shot over as more than 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters who were below the Fifth Order flew over to help.
As the army assembled, their momentum soared!
“This scene seems familiar!” Iron Blood Great Emperor smiled.
Martial Beast Great Emperor Mo Huang clenched his fists as a series of popping sounds rang out, “Reminds me of the Great War.”
When they had fought against Great Demon God in the past, the Great Emperors had joined forces to fight the enemy. This was the first time that the strongest Masters of the Star Boundary had all gathered together, and fortunately, they achieved their goal. Although the ones attacking today were Heavenly Sword Union and Zuo Quan Hui, the situation was quite similar.
In the past, they had joined forces to kill Great Demon God, and today, they had joined forces to destroy the Heavenly Sword Palace and kill Zua Quan Hui!
The situation of facing a strong enemy with weaker forces had stirred up the pride and sentiments in their hearts!
“Yang Boy, don’t die this time!” Bustling World Great Emperor turned his head and warned Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had ‘died’ during the battle against Great Demon God. Fortunately, by refining the Immortal Tree, he was able to reconstruct his body and return to life, allowing him to continue battling Great Demon God.
Yang Kai grinned, “Don’t worry, I won’t die!”
Then, he shouted, “Kill!”
Using his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, Yang Kai’s figure reached the height of several thousand metres once more. A Great Sun appeared on the tip of the enormous Azure Dragon Spear as he thrust it towards the Heavenly Sword Palace.
At the same time, all the Void Land Open Heaven Realm Masters used their respective Divine Abilities and artifacts to launch attacks against the Heavenly Sword Palace.
After nearly a month of fierce fighting, although a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Zuo Quan Hui had personally defended it, the Heavenly Sword Palace had still suffered some damage. Be that as it may, this artifact’s defensive capabilities were quite impressive and it was still holding up relatively well.
With a dazzling flash, the Heavenly Sword Palace launched another wave of attacks to intercept the incoming barrage.
Countless Divine Abilities collided in the void and canceled each other out as Void Cracks appeared before quickly closing one after another.
Most of the attacks were blocked, but a small number of them still made it through and struck the Heavenly Sword Palace, causing layers of protective barriers to shatter and disappear.
But before Void Land could launch a second wave of attacks, the Heavenly Sword Palace burst with another blinding flash as thousands of sword lights shone. The next moment, another barrage of attacks headed straight towards Void Land’s cultivators like a storm, drowning everyone in its path.
Yang Kai immediately stood at the forefront. With a flash of thought, a giant towering tree appeared behind him, covering the void as its branches drooped down to form a protective shield, blocking the countless sword beams.
Ripples appeared on the protective shield one after another as the Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation became much dimmer.
The Towering Evergreen was powered by his Wood Element Power, condensed from the Immortal Tree, so not only could this Divine Ability heal injuries, it also had an extremely sturdy defensive ability.
However, the Towering Evergreen was not all-powerful and was unable to shield all the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land. Although it was able to block most of the attacks, there were still some that managed to slip through.
Even though the many Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land had been prepared for this counterattack, every single sword light from the Heavenly Sword Palace was comparable to an attack launched by a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Blood splashed as dozens died on the spot the next moment.
With a deafening crash, Yang Kai’s spear smashed into the Heavenly Sword Palace, causing its advance to slow as it shook violently.
*Hong hong hong…*
Yang Kai kept smashing his spear out again and again, releasing a massive amount of violent energy. The enormous Heavenly Sword Palace was actually stopped in place. Furthermore, under the continuous barrage of attacks, the aura of several Small Universes collapsing could be felt coming from inside the palace.
But before Yang Kai could rejoice, a dazzling sword light slashed towards him. Zuo Quan Hui had personally made a move.
The might of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was like a mountain pressing down on them, making it difficult for everyone to breathe and sending their vitality tumbling.
When this sword light struck the protective barrier of the Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation, it became even dimmer.
After another sword attack from Zuo Quan Hui, the Towering Evergreen was instantly destroyed, turning into specks of light that dissipated into the void. Yang Kai’s heart shook and his Small Universe became agitated, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.
Just like Yang Kai’s continuous attacks, Zuo Quan Hui didn’t stop at all, swinging his sword again and again.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s ears were ringing and his head was spinning. He shook his head to regain his bearing but still staggered back, unable to defend himself. However, after his Small Universe was shaken, he felt a strange connection with the Star Boundary for some reason.
At this critical moment of life and death, the Great Emperors joined forces and stood in front of Yang Kai. Each of them used their own Divine Abilities to resist the oncoming sword lights.
With a dazzling flash, the Great Emperors were forced back. All of them were vomiting blood and bleeding from their seven orifices.
Even with the combined strength of all the Great Emperors present, they were unable to resist Zuo Quan Hui’s assault and were instantly injured. But the silver lining was that the sword light shooting at Yang Kai was intercepted.
“Overconfident brat!” Inside Heavenly Sword Palace, Zuo Quan Hui sneered as another sword light slashed out.
Yang Kai vigorously shook his head before he finally stabilized himself. He then promptly raised his spear to meet the oncoming attack. At the same time, the injured Great Emperors also gathered their strength and joined forces to resist.
Yue He and Mo Mei also rushed over at that moment.
With everyone’s strength combined, they were finally able to barely resist Zuo Quan Hui’s sword strike.
However, the situation had grown worse.
The Heavenly Sword Palace, which had finally been stopped by Yang Kai, had once again started moving forward. Even if the Void Land Masters refused to back down as they made their last stand, they were still unable to stop the enemy from closing in.
10 million kilometres, 9 million, 8 million…
A long road paved with blood was floating in the void. Mangled and mutilated corpses of Open Heaven Realm Masters were scattered all over. Every time the Heavenly Sword Palace’s Arrays erupted, a few cultivators from Void Land would lose their lives.
Although the Heavenly Sword Palace was also on the verge of collapsing under the relentless bombardment of Void Land’s Open Heaven Realm Masters, it was still a hair’s breadth away from being completely destroyed.
Had there not been so many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on Void Land’s side, the outcome of this battle would have already been decided.
Be that as it may, everyone from Void Land was on their last leg.
Yang Kai was already fighting like he had lost his mind. He had simply stopped caring about saving his strength as he continued to pour his World Force into every attack. He had already used Golden Crow Casts the Sun several times, and each time he did he chipped away at the Heavenly Sword Palace, but he was still unable to break it.
His Small Universe had long been shaken to the point that it was already unstable. Yang Kai didn’t have time to investigate right now, but he knew that his Small Universe would definitely crash if he did not stop.
But the more turbulent his Small Universe became, the clearer Yang Kai could feel the strange connection between himself and the Star Boundary become.
He was Void Great Emperor, recognized by the Star Boundary’s Will, so it was not surprising for him to have such a connection. Yang Kai had used this very connection to instantly return to the Star Boundary a month ago.
At first, Yang Kai had not paid much attention to it, but as the battle proceeded and he displayed his stalwart determination to protect the Star Boundary, the connection grew stronger and stronger.
The connection became so strong that it was difficult for Yang Kai to ignore now. He didn’t know why, but for some reason, he even felt a faint calling, or expression of intent was about to surface from the mist.
“So… Zhu Jiu Yin isn’t here!” Zuo Quan Hui’s calm voice suddenly came from Heavenly Sword Palace.
Zuo Quan Hui was always holed up inside the Heavenly Sword Palace when he was in Void Territory, and did not dare to show his face. Even though the Heavenly Sword Palace was situated right outside the Territory Gate, he was afraid that Zhu Jiu Yin would suddenly appear and catch him off guard if he went outside.
Even when he had come to this backwater Great Territory, he had always been on guard against hidden murderous intent even though he was tempted by the World Tree to take a risk.
But even when the battle had reached this point, he hadn’t sensed Zhu Jiu Yin’s aura at all. Seeing that the people from Void Land could no longer resist his advance, he finally understood that his fears were needless. The one person he was afraid of was not even here in the first place.
If that wasn’t the case, why would Zhu Jiu Yin have been hiding all the while? Why hadn’t she taken action yet? She was not going to take action after everyone from Void Land died, right?
Realizing this, Zuo Quan Hui couldn’t help but become angry out of shame. He felt that his cautious actions had made him look like a coward.
However, he was most pleasantly surprised and couldn’t help but burst into laughter, “Without Zhu Jiu Yin, how can you ants resist this Monarch? This Monarch will occupy the Star Boundary and then destroy all you weaklings!”
Although he had confirmed that Zhu Jiu Yin was not here, he still had no intention of showing his face. He simply continued to activate the power of the Heavenly Sword Palace’s Grand Array, throwing Void Land’s Masters into panic.
Just as Yang Kai feared, once Zuo Quan Hui reached the Star Boundary, he would have everything under his control. Void Land’s Open Heaven Realm Masters would definitely not dare to start a war in the Star Boundary, so at that time, everyone would be at his mercy. The only option was to end things in the void.
Suddenly, the Heavenly Sword Palace shot straight towards the Star Boundary, as Zuo Quan Hui no longer had any scruples.
Over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land desperately tried to resist, but were still forced back!
Suddenly, a glimmer of light cut through the fog as the feeling that Yang Kai had been unable to understand for so long finally became clear like the rising sun. Yang Kai quickly dispelled any doubts he had and cleared his mind before understanding the epiphany.
[So that was how it is!]
[So that was how it is! I have actually neglected my greatest reliance, my greatest foundation!]
“The World lives!” Yang Kai lowered his head and mumbled to himself in a low voice. The next moment, he shouted as his long hair fell over his forehead, “You want the Star Boundary, but have you asked the Star Boundary’s Will?”
Sitting in the main hall of the Heavenly Sword Palace, Zuo Quan Hui scoffed, “When this Monarch occupies that place, this Monarch will become its Will!”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you!”
Zuo Quan Hui’s face sank as he suddenly had a bad feeling. It was inexplicable, as if something terrible was about to happen.
Yang Kai grabbed his spear with one hand and suddenly formed a series of hand seals with the other, muttering in a low voice, “Heavens and Earth, lend me your strength!”
*Weng…*
The void trembled at that moment as everything came to a halt.
In the next moment, the World Tree, which had reached the height of 100,000 metres, began to sway violently. Its giant canopy rustled as a beam of green light shot out from the Star Boundary and struck Yang Kai.
Yang Kai remained still, but his aura, which had become incredibly weak due to over-exhaustion, started rapidly rising, soaring upwards seemingly without limit! His turbulent Small Universe calmed, reaching a state of tranquility that he had never felt before. Furthermore, his Small Universe’s foundation was also rapidly strengthening.
A terrifying pressure erupted from Yang Kai, spreading out in all directions, causing space itself to tremble.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union inside the Heavenly Sword Palace were dumbstruck at the sight of this. In the void, 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land also wore looks of amazement.
Yang Kai’s aura rapidly reached a peak, one far higher than his original. Although he had yet to reach the Seventh Order, he was just a hair’s breadth away from it now.
The corner of Zuo Quan Hui’s eyes twitched as he stared at this scene in disbelief.
“Borrowing the World’s Strength, so that’s how it is!” Zhan Wu Hen’s eyes flickered with realization. The Great Emperors also quickly understood what just happened.
Yang Kai was borrowing the power of the Star Boundary! Any Great Emperor who was recognized by the Will of his Universe World could borrow its strength, but this time, Yang Kai was borrowing power far beyond their imagination!
In general, there was a vast difference between the Emperor Realm and the Open Heaven Realm. Any Open Heaven Realm Master, even of the lowest Order, could easily kill an Emperor Realm cultivator.
But at certain times, in certain special circumstances, an Emperor Realm cultivator could display the strength comparable to a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master!
Just like how the Great Emperors had fought against Great Demon God in the past!
Great Demon God definitely had the strength of the Open Heaven Realm at that time, but in the end, he was killed by the combined forces of the Star Boundary’s Great Emperors. The fundamental reason for this was that the Great Emperors had borrowed the World Strength of the Star Boundary to display enough power to kill Great Demon God.
Back then, when the Star Boundary had been nearly destroyed and the people had fallen into misery, the Great Emperors still had the strength to fight against Great Demon God by taking advantage of the Star Boundary’s remaining strength. Now that the Star Boundary had received the World Tree’s nourishment, and its foundation had become many times stronger, the World Strength Yang Kai could borrow from it was naturally far greater than before.
At this moment, it was as if he had the support of the entire Star Boundary’s World Force.
Zuo Quan Hui was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with rich experience, so it wasn’t that he didn’t know about the secrets of Universe Worlds and Great Emperors, but under normal circumstances, how much strength could a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yang Kai borrow from a mere Universe World?
It was a little better than nothing, that’s all!
However, the situation in the Star Boundary was completely different from that of ordinary Universe Worlds. Its foundation was extremely rich due to the World Tree’s feedback. Furthermore, the World Tree had also absorbed the World Force of all the Open Heaven Realm Masters from both sides who had lost their lives in this battle, allowing its heritage to become even stronger.
The World was alive. When Yang Kai was giving his all to defend the Star Boundary, even willing to put his life on the line to protect it from danger, the Star Boundary itself had sensed it. The feeling lingering in Yang Kai’s heart was a sign of acknowledgement from the Star Boundary Will.
Yang Kai understood a bit too late, but he still managed to deduce it in time.
“Zuo Quan Hui, you made your biggest mistake by making things difficult for my Star Boundary in this Great Territory!” Yang Kai’s World Force surged as he felt an indescribable power coursing through his body. Borrowing the power of the Star Boundary, not only had he recovered, but his strength was also only a step away from the Seventh Order.
“You’re still only a Sixth-Order ant, how dare you boast so shamelessly!? When you have broken through to the Seventh Order, then you can act presumptuously before this Monarch!” Zuo Quan Hui was extremely angry. As he finished speaking, sword waves once again shot out from the Heavenly Sword Palace. Furthermore, he had also launched a Divine Ability personally at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai promptly raised his spear to block the incoming assault. Although he was forced back tens of thousands of kilometres again, he was no longer incapable of resisting.
The gap between him and Zuo Quan Hui had been greatly reduced.
This scene was witnessed by everyone present. Void Land’s morale immediately soared as they all took action to block the Heavenly Sword Palace’s attack.
The Great Emperors glanced at each other but didn’t say anything. Nonetheless, all of them could tell what the other was thinking.
“Yang Boy, I’ll leave this place to you!” Iron Blood Great Emperor suddenly shouted.
Yang Kai turned his head in surprise and saw Iron Blood Great Emperor’s figure instantly disappear from his spot. When he looked back at the others, he saw that Bustling World, Martial Beast, Serene Soul, Flower Shadow, Ice Feather, and the other Great Emperors were also nodding at him expectantly.
Yang Kai instantly understood and shouted, “Everyone, don’t worry, I’ll definitely kill this old dog at our doorstep!”
The next moment, several figures suddenly appeared atop the World Tree’s crown in the Star Boundary. They were none other than the Great Emperors who had disappeared from the battlefield.
They had never cultivated the Dao of Space, so under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for them to travel millions of kilometres in an instant, but the Star Boundary was their homeland, and since Yang Kai was able to return from the Territory Gate with the help of the Star Boundary, it was naturally possible for them to do something similar. Traversing a few million kilometres was as easy as stepping through their front door for them.
They were old friends who had known each other for over 10,000 years, so with just a glance at each other, all of them smiled and sat down cross-legged, opened their Small Universes, and poured their World Force into the Star Boundary.
The six Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters’ assistance caused the entire Star Boundary to tremble slightly, as if it was welcoming their return.
In the void, Yang Kai’s aura, which was slowly stabilizing, suddenly shot up again. Naturally, this was due to the support of the Great Emperors, carrying with it the hope of countless living beings in the Star Boundary.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai was still unable to break through the shackles of the Sixth Order. Although he was now just half a step away from the Seventh Order, there was still a thin barrier blocking his path. If he could not break through this barrier, he would not be able to glimpse the broad horizons of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The Sixth-Order was in the Mid-Rank, while the Seventh-Order was the beginning of the High-Rank. The gap between them was simply too great.
[Just a little more…]
Just as Yang Kai thought he had reached his limit, another wave of energy suddenly surged through his body. This wave of energy came at just the right moment, shattering the already cracking shackles.
*Hong…*
An invisible shockwave burst out from Yang Kai as the prestige of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master filled the void!
Atop the World Tree, two figures slowly descended. One of them wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he muttered, “Luckily, we were not too late!”
The other person stated, “What a pity, I thought that after advancing to the Sixth Order, I would be able to enjoy a good fight with old friends, but I didn’t expect I wouldn’t have such an opportunity!”
Iron Blood Great Emperor opened his eyes and gently smiled, “The two of you aren’t good at fighting anyway, so it’s best if you don’t cause trouble.”
Wondrous Pill and Heavens Revelations looked at each other and had no choice but to agree, “Fair enough!”
The two of them had been cultivating in Void Land all this time, attempting to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Just when they somehow broke through and were preparing to head to the Territory Gate to assist, Hei He happened to bring Lan Xun to Void Land.
When the two of them learned of the situation, they anxiously rushed to the Star Boundary, but they were still a step behind Heavenly Sword Union.
By the time the two of them finally returned to the Star Boundary’s Great Territory, Heavenly Sword Union and Void Land had already fought for a long time. When they finally caught up with the Heavenly Sword Palace and arrived at the edge of the battlefield, they happened to see Yang Kai borrowing the Star Boundary’s World Force and their old friends returning to the Star Boundary to support him.
Seeing that Yang Kai was still only at the peak of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, just half a step away from breaking through to the Seventh-Order, the two of them didn’t hesitate to return to the Star Boundary.
“I wonder if Yang Boy has reached the Seventh Order yet,” Wondrous Pill Great Emperor looked up into the void and muttered.
“Old Dog, next year today will be the anniversary of your death!” In the void, Yang Kai was in high spirits. The World Force around him surged as he thrust out his spear, transforming it into a barrage of spear shadows that filled the sky and rained down towards Heavenly Sword Palace.
How could he lose this battle, carrying the hopes and expectations of all the Great Emperors and countless living beings in the Star Boundary on his shoulders?
Dazzling lights flashed across the Heavenly Sword Palace as its defensive Arrays shattered and collapsed. Multiple Small Universes collapsed one after another at the same time.
Although Zuo Quan Hui was desperately repairing the Arrays, he could not catch up with the storm of attacks.
His greatest reliance was that he was an Order higher than Yang Kai’s cultivation, but now he had even lost that advantage, which had immediately pushed him into a corner.
Attacks rained down at the Heavenly Sword Palace from every direction.
Heavenly Sword Union disciples tried their best to resist, but it was impossible for them to keep up.
In less than a dozen breaths of time, the Heavenly Sword Palace suddenly cracked with a blinding flash as an inexplicable and fearsome aura surged from it.
“Everyone, dodge!” Yang Kai promptly realized that something was not right and shouted aloud, immediately using his Space Principles to wrap up those around him and quickly retreating.
Not only were Void Land’s cultivators retreating, but countless figures fled from the Heavenly Sword Palace as well.
In the blink of an eye, a terrifying shockwave suddenly swept out, as if the sun in the sky had exploded. Some of the slower Heavenly Sword Union cultivators didn’t even have time to make a sound before they were enveloped by this blinding flash and instantly lost their lives.
The fallout from this explosion crashed into everyone, causing them to feel as if they were standing in the middle of a vast ocean, unable to even stand firm. Everyone promptly used their defensive Divine Abilities and artifacts to protect themselves as stray bolts of energy and rubble flew out randomly.
Yang Kai stabilized his footing and stared straight ahead.
The Heavenly Sword Palace had exploded! After defending for over a month, crossing trillions of kilometres, they had finally managed to crack this hard nut.
Void Land’s cultivators had evacuated in time, so apart from some minor injuries suffered by a few Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, no one had lost their life.
On the other hand, Heavenly Sword Union’s Open Heaven Realm Masters had suffered heavy casualties.
Heavenly Sword Union had spent unimaginable resources and effort to build the Heavenly Sword Palace, so the instant it was destroyed, the resulting explosion was not inferior to a full-powered attack launched by a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
When the dust settled, only about 400 Open Heaven Realm Masters remained on Heavenly Sword Union’s side, and all of them were in a sorry state.
A giant black hole had appeared where the Heavenly Sword Palace had exploded. It was surrounded by thousands of cracks that extended to the depths of the void.
Space had shattered, making it look like the end of the world!
Zuo Quan Hui stood somewhere in the void, surrounded by a group of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. His face was twitching, as if he had yet to recover from the series of events just now.
The Heavenly Sword Palace occupied an absolute advantage. Just a few million more kilometers and it would have reached the Star Boundary. At that time, Void Land would have been at his mercy.
But much to his dismay, Yang Kai had borrowed the power of Heaven and Earth to instantly break through from the Sixth Order to the Seventh Order, destroying the Heavenly Sword Palace, shattering his greatest reliance, and dragging him down into the dirt.
Yang Kai raised his spear and sneered, “Old dog, you’re finally willing to come out?”
Zuo Quan Hui narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yang Kai. When their gazes met, it seemed as if sparks were flickering.
“Kill!” Yang Kai shouted as his enormous Dragon Form wrapped in a supreme Dragon Pressure appeared before the Heavenly Sword Union Masters in a single move. The next moment, Yang Kai swept his massive Azure Dragon Spear that seemed to hold up the sky as a rich World Force burst out, wantonly releasing the power of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Even Zuo Quan Hui did not dare to casually take such an attack.
Although Yang Kai had acquired the strength of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, he did not obtain it by cultivating himself, but because he had borrowed the World Force from the Star Boundary, an external aid.
Even so, when Yang Kai attacked with the Azure Dragon Spear using his several thousand metres tall Half Dragon Form, Zuo Quan Hui had no choice but to cherish his own life. Facing this attack, he used a Divine Ability to block as a feint before pulling back.
Seeing this, the ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around him quickly dispersed.
Heavenly Sword Union’s formation collapsed in the wake of this attack.
Behind Yang Kai, a tide of Open Heaven Realm Masters swarmed towards him. Having been under extreme pressure for so long, it was now their turn to vent, which they did without holding back in the slightest. Everyone used their respective Divine Abilities and artifacts to their heart’s content to attack the enemy.
The few hundred Open Heaven Realm Masters on Heavenly Sword Union’s side were nearly frightened to death!
Heavenly Sword Union’s cultivators had suffered heavy casualties thanks to the Heavenly Sword Palace’s explosion. Now, there were less than 400 of them left. On the other hand, Void Land still had over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters on their side.
With almost three times the difference in number, there was no need for any kind of battle formation, just charging forward was enough to crush the enemy.
Not to mention, Void Land had a huge advantage when it came to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Including Yang Kai, Void Land had a total of 22 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. With the eight Great Emperors having returned to the Star Boundary, 14 still remained! Even if Yang Kai wasn’t included, there were still 13 on their side.
On the other hand, Heavenly Sword Union only had 10. So, Void Land had a three-person advantage!
Back then, during a meeting with Zuo Quan Hui in the Heavenly Sword Palace, Pei Wen Xuan had proposed to send a message to Yin Xin Zhao, inviting him to come and help. He had said that as long as they had one more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master on their side, they could completely turn around the situation. With one more, they would be able to gain an advantage of two against one in a battle, which would become the key to victory.
If just one more Sixth-Order Master could be the difference between victory and stalemate, what more need be said if one side had three more?
Twenty Sixth-Order Masters from both sides were engaged in a fierce battle, and for the moment, they were evenly matched. Meanwhile, the three Mountain Lords of Profound Yang Mountain, Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, and Zhou Ya quietly blended into the 1,000-plus Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land’s side and rushed into Heavenly Sword Union’s army, leaving bloody carnage in their wake.
With three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters joining forces, how could Heavenly Sword Union’s army, who were at most Fifth-Order Masters, be a match for them?
In less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the number of Heavenly Sword Union cultivators had been reduced by half, and the remaining people were now surrounded by Void Land’s forces. There was no way for them to escape and it was only a matter of time before they were defeated and killed.
After settling the overall situation, Mao Zhe and the others rushed back to the battlefield of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Huang Quan suddenly had his hair stand on end, as if he had fallen into an icehouse. A chill ran up from the tip of his toes to the crown of his head.
At that moment, Huang Quan was fighting none other than his old nemesis, Hui Gu! Both were from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Prison Star and had developed a loose friendship during their hundreds of years of imprisonment.
However, Hui Gu had infiltrated the Prison League under Yang Kai’s orders after being subdued by the latter, only to be exposed in the end. As a result, Huang Quan killed Hui Gu’s only loyal servant, Bai Mo right in front of him.
That day, Hui Gu swore that one day he would kill Huang Quan and avenge Bai Mo.
By some coincidence, when Hui Gu returned to Void Land with Yang Kai, Huang Quan had fallen in with Zuo Quan Hui. Both sides had fought several times in Void Territory, but neither of them had been able to gain the upper hand. In fact, Hui Gu’s strength was actually slightly inferior.
After all, Huang Quan was the League Master while Hui Gu was just one of its Protectors in the Prison League. There was a difference between their status and strength as well.
After exchanging several blows several times over the past year, both of them knew each other’s techniques like the back of their hands. Huang Quan naturally wouldn’t be afraid if he was only facing Hui Gu; however, the three Mountain Lords of the Profound Yang Mountain were now rushing over!
Huang Quan was extremely unlucky. Mao Zhe and the others didn’t intentionally target him, rather they were just providing support to the closest battlefield.
Huang Quan and Hui Gu just happened to be on that battlefield!
Seeing these three rushing towards him, Huang Quan didn’t hesitate to escape as he knew that he couldn’t remain. Not to mention a Sixth-Order Master like him, even someone in the Seventh-Order like Zuo Quan Hui might not be able to escape this debacle. After Yang Kai had borrowed the Star Boundary’s World Force, strengthening himself to the point where he reached the Seventh Order, he had destroyed the Heavenly Sword Palace and stopped Heavenly Sword Union’s momentum. If Huang Quan did not flee now, when would he?
As for whether Zuo Quan Hui would settle the score with him later or not… he could worry about it after he had escaped.
However, Hui Gu kept desperately hounding him, which was very annoying.
A fierce gleam flashed across Huang Quan’s eyes as he ignored Hui Gu’s incoming palm strike and ruthlessly launched a Divine Ability towards him, seemingly wanting to trade a life for a life.
In truth, Huang Quan had no intention to fight to the death with Hui Gu. It wasn’t easy for him to escape from the Prison Star and regain his freedom, so he valued his life more than anything. With his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation and a long life ahead of him, he still had many good days to look forward to.
He was simply doing this to force Hui Gu to stop and back off so he could escape.
But much to his dismay, when faced with this Divine Ability, Hui Gu didn’t even try to dodge or block. His eyes burned with unquenchable hatred as he appeared completely ready to sacrifice his life if it meant killing his enemy.
Huang Quan turned pale in shock as he cursed, “Madman!”
In a panic, he hastily withdrew some of his strength to defend himself.
The next instant, both of them shook and threw up a mouthful of blood each, their auras weakening as their World Force unstably fluctuated.
Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, and Zhou Ya arrived just in the nick of time!
The three of them formed a triangle and rushed towards Huang Quan. Their World Force surged as they fired their Divine Abilities before even reaching him.
[My destined time has come!] Huang Quan’s face turned ashen.
Even if he was at his peak, he would most likely die if he was facing these three, not to mention the fact that he had been forced into a dead end by Hui Gu.
A blinding flash of light appeared before Huang Quan’s body flew out like a rag sack as it was struck by three Divine Abilities. In the blink of an eye, he was left in a sorry state; his hair was a mess and he was covered in blood.
Suddenly, an angry and gnashing face appeared right in front of him like a ghost, almost touching his nose. Its eyes were burning with flames of hatred and blood was flowing from its seven orifices, making it look like a real devil.
Huang Quan’s heart almost burst in fright as he felt a sharp pain in his neck!
Hui Gu transformed into a streak of light as he brushed past Huang Quan.
About 1,000 metres behind Huang Quan, Hui Gu looked up into the void and smiled, “Rest in peace, Bai Mo, I’ve avenged you!”
He raised his hand, holding a bloody head in it as 1,000 metres behind him stood the headless corpse of Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch.
Huang Quan hadn’t died yet, as the vitality of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was extremely tenacious. He would not immediately die even if his head was twisted off, but he obviously knew what kind of situation he was in right now. Blinking his eyes, he also looked up into the sky and heaved a sigh, “Haa, why…”
Back when he left the Prison Star, if he hadn’t sought refuge with Zuo Quan Hui, he would have been living a happy life right now!
He didn’t hold a grudge against Hui Gu for killing him. From the day he started cultivating, he knew that when one walked the Martial Dao, even if he did not kill others, he would be killed by them one day! The Martial Dao was long, and there was no one whose hands weren’t dyed in blood. How many people were there who did not take life and death lightly?
Such a day was bound to come, sooner or later! Be that as it may, he named himself Huang Quan, meaning Yellow Spring, he might receive some kind of preferential treatment in the underworld but King Yama was not someone to be trifled with.
He slowly closed his eyes as his vitality rapidly dissipated.
1,000 metres away, the Small Universe of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master collapsed, releasing a massive amount of World Force that transformed into a violent wave of energy which was visible to the naked eye. The violent energy was immediately pulled in by the World Tree that was still a few million kilometres away.
Hui Gu’s hand trembled and he shattered the head in his hand before keeling over and coughing, spitting out pieces of his internal organs.
Zhou Ya flashed over, “Are you alright?”
Hui Gu shook his head, “I’ll survive!”
Although he had taken Huang Quan’s Divine Ability head-on and was seriously injured, he would live. Furthermore, a weight had been lifted off his heart after he had killed Huang Quan, allowing his mind to become much clearer.
“Retreat and heal yourself first!” Zhou Ya urged before following Mao Zhe and Geng Qing to the next battlefield.
Although many of the Sixth-Order Masters were fighting their own life-or-death battles, Huang Quan’s fall could not escape their senses. The commotion caused by the collapse of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s Small Universe and subsequent dissipation of his World Force was not small; even the dullest of people could sense it.
A Sixth-Order Master on their side had died in such a short period of time, naturally causing great fear among the remaining Heavenly Sword Union Masters.
Some of the smart ones immediately began to flee, but how could Void Land allow them to escape? Naturally, they tried their best to stop and suppress them, so the enemy’s efforts yielded little result.
Under normal circumstances, when two Masters with the same cultivation fought, if one of them insisted on escaping, the other would have no way to stop him. Let alone one, even if two of the same cultivation tried to stop someone together, they still might not be able to.
This was why the higher one’s cultivation was, the easier it was to determine victory or defeat, but the harder it was to determine life or death.
If they couldn’t beat the enemy, they still could run, unless one cultivated the Dao of Space like Yang Kai and had unmatched speed, or they had arranged a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array in advance, making escape impossible!
Yang Kai was currently locked in a fierce battle with Zuo Quan Hui. Even though he had obtained the strength of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master by borrowing World Force from the Star Boundary, he was unable to divert his attention.
Fortunately, there happened to be an Array Master on Void Land’s side!
Somewhere in the void, when Luan Bai Feng saw Heavenly Sword Union’s Sixth-Order Masters wanting to flee, she immediately sent a transmission to Mao Zhe.
The three Mountain Lords of the Profound Yang Mountain had originally planned to assist Yue He to capture that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm female cultivator named Zi Yan, but after receiving Luan Bai Feng’s transmission, they immediately changed directions and flew towards her.
A moment later, Luan Bai Feng withdrew from the battlefield and the three Mountain Lords joined forces to fight her original opponent, Heavenly Sword Union’s Seven Mysteries Heavenly Monarch, Qi Xuan!
Qi Xuan was originally an older generation Sixth-Order Master of Heavenly Sword Union. He spent most of his time in secluded cultivation in order to break through to the Seventh-Order. Even most of Heavenly Sword Union’s disciples didn’t know that they had an Old Ancestor like him. Only a few of the higher-ups knew of his existence.
Besides Seven Mysteries Heavenly Monarch, Heavenly Sword Union also had another Sixth-Order Red Sun Heavenly Monarch, Dan Yang.
Zuo Quan Hui had forcefully taken over Heavenly Sword Union with his Seventh-Order cultivation, so he naturally wouldn’t allow these two to freely do as they wished. Qi Xuan and Dan Yang had no choice but to come out of seclusion.
Originally, although Qi Xuan was shocked by Luan Bai Feng’s unpredictable methods when he fought her, he was still able to gain a slight advantage.
He even had the room to ask Luan Bai Feng why she had betrayed Zuo Quan Hui and joined Void Land instead.
When Luan Bai Feng left and Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, and Zhou Ya took her place though, Qi Xuan couldn’t help complaining bitterly. One against three, and with all of them being Sixth-Order Masters, forget about fighting, it would be difficult to even escape. From the start, Mao Zhe’s cultivation was about the same as his at the peak of the Sixth-Order. As for Geng Qing and Zhou Ya, although they were slightly weaker, they weren’t too far off.
[I guess things are not looking good for us today, unless Zuo Quan Hui manages to take down Yang Kai!] Qi Xuan was barely able to deal with the three Mountain Lords of the Profound Yang Mountain and was forced to only defend under their combined attacks while secretly praying for a miracle.
On the other side, after Luan Bai Feng broke away from her opponent, her figure shuttled through the void, wandering the various battlefields as she sent out her Array Plates one after another, instantly activating the Arrays engraved on them.
She had quite a number of Array Plates in her possession and of various types, but because Masters on both sides were fighting, Luan Bai Feng had chosen to only use Trapping Arrays or Illusion Arrays; basically, all the Array Plates she had thrown out were non-lethal.
Although the Arrays activated from these Array Plates could not kill or injure the enemy, and might even disturb the judgment of her own allies, they could temporarily trap these Sixth-Order Masters in place and prevent them from escaping.
A moment later, eight Arrays took shape in the void. Although no figure could be seen inside these Arrays, the cultivators outside were able to clearly sense the shockwaves and fallout coming from inside. Obviously, the Masters of both sides trapped inside were fighting fiercely.
After having done all this, Luan Bai Feng took a break and turned her head to look at Yang Kai and Zuo Quan Hui, and saw the two of them exchanging blows, constantly releasing their Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques. Although Yang Kai was at a disadvantage, he was still able to hold on.
After seeing this, Luan Bai Feng could finally feel relieved. She then rushed into the Array in front of her to help her companion kill his opponent.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were locked in a heated battle with their respective opponents, but the Heavenly Sword Union cultivators below the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were getting slaughtered one-sidedly. The original 300 or so Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union had suffered great casualties under the hands of the three Mountain Lords of the Profound Yang Mountain. Now, less than half the original number remained.
On Void Land’s side, over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters formed a huge encirclement, surrounding all of Heavenly Sword Union’s cultivators and steadily pushing inward. As the encirclement continued to shrink, the Heavenly Sword Union’s cultivators suffered more and more casualties.
Under the constant barrage of the Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques, the Heavenly Sword Union cultivators would explode into blood mists at a steady pace.
The huge gap in numbers made it impossible for Heavenly Sword Union to turn the tide!
No matter what the outcome of this battle ultimately was, Heavenly Sword Union, a peak second-class force that had enjoyed countless years of glory, would cease to exist.
On another side of the void, Yang Kai and Zuo Quan Hui were locked in a heated confrontation. It was a battle between High-Rank Open Heaven Masters. The void would shatter every time they clashed and their battlefield spanned millions of kilometres. Their World Force kept constantly clashing, causing the space to crack like a broken mirror.
This was especially true for the place where the Heavenly Sword Palace had exploded. A black hole had appeared there after the explosion. This black hole should have slowly closed under the self-repairing properties of the World Principles if it was not subjected to any external forces; however, under the influence of the intense battle between the two, not only did this black hole not show any signs of closing, it even grew larger instead.
A chaotic aura of nihility was coming from inside the black hole.
This wasn’t the first time Yang Kai had fought Zuo Quan Hui. The last time they had fought was in Void Territory, but that time, he had still been beaten miserably by Zuo Quan Hui even with the support of the Three Mountain Lords. Yang Kai would have been killed on the spot if it weren’t for the fact that his strength far exceeded an ordinary Sixth-Order Master’s. Although he had managed to force Zuo Quan Hui back in the end, he had suffered significant damage and had even exposed his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel.
When they fought again after several years, the disparity between the first and this time was obvious.
A High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was indeed on a completely different level from a Mid-Rank one! Even if he had reached the High-Rank by borrowing World Force, Yang Kai was still able to exert the might of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master nonetheless.
On the surface, Yang Kai was still at a disadvantage; after all, Zuo Quan Hui was a veteran Seventh-Order Master, so he had better command of his strength and skills. However, Yang Kai was confident that it was next to impossible for Zuo Quan Hui to kill him with his current strength!
Moreover… he could feel his strength growing with every passing breath!
His current strength came from the Star Boundary’s World Force; thus, his strength was directly related to the foundation of the Star Boundary.
Previously, Yang Kai gained the might of the Seventh-Order and instantly destroyed the Heavenly Sword Palace with the help of the various Great Emperors who had entered the Star Boundary, causing countless Heavenly Sword Union cultivators to die.
It had to be known that the World Force released by every Open Heaven Realm Master who died would fuel the World Tree’s growth, which in turn would strengthen the Star Boundary’s foundation.
The more Heavenly Sword Union Open Heaven Realm Masters that died, the more energy the World Tree could feed back to the Star Boundary, thereby further strengthening its foundation.
This was the main reason why Yang Kai became more confident as he fought. With the Star Boundary as his backer, he had an endless supply of energy, unless the Star Boundary exploded and collapsed.
Obviously, this had not gone unnoticed by Zuo Quan Hui. In the beginning, Yang Kai was obviously much weaker than him, but as time passed, Yang Kai became stronger, soon almost equaling him in strength.
The World Force colliding with each other’s Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques was the best indication of this change.
Zuo Quan Hui’s confidence slowly sank to the bottom!
He thought that since Zhu Jiu Yin wasn’t here, victory was in his grasp, but it never crossed his mind that something like this would happen.
Zuo Quan Hui could feel his Small Universe shake every time they clashed. Although it wasn’t a big deal, it meant that Yang Kai had the strength to threaten him.
The only thing Zuo Quan Hui could rejoice about right now was that Yang Kai had not reached this Realm through painstakingly cultivating himself, so his control wasn’t perfect.
It was akin to a child holding a huge blade that weighed several dozen kilograms. Although the blade was sharp and deadly, the child could not wield it properly.
However, he was having a really hard time dealing with Yang Kai’s Space Principles!
Zuo Quan Hui did not find them that troublesome when Yang Kai was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but now that Yang Kai’s had reached the might equivalent to that of a Seventh-Order Master, he truly found the Dao of Space difficult to handle.
Yang Kai would appear and disappear without a trace, often appearing right at his most defenseless corner and then thrusting his spear out without a shred of mercy. These attacks were simply impossible to guard against!
Occasionally, he would be able to determine Yang Kai’s position in advance and launch a Divine Ability to attack him, but Yang Kai would simply disappear like a ghost. Yang Kai’s usage of Space Principles had almost reached perfection.
Zuo Quan Hui’s expression became solemn as Yang Kai’s World Force became stronger and stronger. And with the continuous increase in his strength, he couldn’t help but feel an urge to retreat pop up in his mind.
[I have no choice but to admit that I have grossly underestimated the Lord of Void Land. It’s just as he had said, it was a wrong choice to make enemies of him in this Great Territory.]
But if he wasn’t here, where could he fight with Yang Kai? He couldn’t fight in Void Territory, as that was even more disadvantageous for him with two Divine Spirits lurking in the shadows.
What’s more, Yang Kai had still not used his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel. It was a Divine Ability that had injured him before, so its power was immense.
[The battle is already as good as lost! It would be unwise to stay here any longer. It would be better to retreat for now and plan what to do next.]
Although Zuo Quan Hui had decided so, it was extremely difficult to escape from someone who was proficient in the Dao of Space. While the two of them fought, Yang Kai also exerted his Space Principles to turn the surrounding space viscous, making it feel as if they were trapped in a swamp.
Had it been any other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, even if the opposite party’s cultivation was much higher than his, Zuo Quan Hui was confident he could escape, but facing Yang Kai, he really didn’t have that kind of confidence.
Suddenly, fluctuations of another Small Universe collapsing spread out. It was Seven Mysteries Heavenly Monarch from Heavenly Sword Union, who had perished under the siege of the Three Mountain Lords.
Zuo Quan Hui’s face became dark and gloomy.
The situation would only become more dire as his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm subordinates fell one after another. And once the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land were to join forces with Yang Kai, he would be doomed.
Not daring to hesitate any longer, Zuo Quan Hui turned his head towards the direction of the black hole. [Since things have come to this, I can only take the risk.]
Knowingly or unknowingly, his body began to move towards the black hole. Yang Kai followed him like a shadow as his Azure Dragon Spear thrust out, releasing World Force in bursts all over the void.
The shockwaves from the battle between the two caused the black hole to expand further as the chaotic energy became even denser.
“Zuo Quan Hui, you will die today!” As Yang Kai shouted, he felt his strength sharply rise. This increment was far bigger than before, allowing him to feel as if he was now on par with Zuo Quan Hui. Without a moment of hesitation, a Golden Crow’s cry reverberated as a Great Sun leapt out, lighting up the void.
Golden Crow Casts the Sun!
In that instant, Zuo Quan Hui’s figure seemed to freeze for a moment. Yang Kai’s eyes immediately lit up at the sight of this. He promptly thrust the spear with the Great Sun on its tip straight towards Zuo Quan Hui without a moment of pause.
Space shattered under this attack, and so did Zuo Quan Hui’s figure.
As the Great Sun exploded, Yang Kai vaguely felt as if he had broken something, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. And before he could think about it, a mighty sword wave shot towards him.
He promptly raised his spear to block the incoming attack. The next moment, a violent energy drowned Yang Kai, sending him flying 10,000 kilometers back.
Yang Kai’s vitality was in turmoil as his Small Universe trembled. Zuo Quan Hui’s all-out counterattack was truly terrifying. Yang Kai didn’t even see how Zuo Quan Hui had managed to avoid his first spear strike. It could only be said that a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was truly beyond common sense.
After quickly stabilizing himself, Yang Kai looked up again before his pupils shrank.
Zuo Quan Hui’s figure stood straight as a sword in front of the giant black hole, and beside him were several other figures. They were Zi Yan, Yin Xin Zhao, and several other Sixth-Order Masters.
After repelling him, old dog Zuo Quan Hui still had the strength to spare to save his trusted subordinates.
At this moment, Zi Yan and the others were still in a state of shock. They had expended a great deal of their strength during their respective battles. Furthermore, they had been trapped by Luan Bai Feng’s Array Plates. If Zuo Quan Hui hadn’t broken the Arrays and rescued them, they would have died here, their remains scattered across the void.
Now that they were standing beside Zuo Quan Hui, they finally felt a sense of security.
When they looked around, their eyes filled with sorrow.
The Heavenly Sword Palace had long since been destroyed, and the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union had suffered countless casualties. Although there were still over 100 people left who were tenaciously holding on, it was only a matter of time before they would be defeated and killed.
Red Sun Heavenly Monarch’s lips trembled violently as his face turned ashen.
Heavenly Sword Union was done for!
Heavenly Sword Union, which had been gloriously standing for countless generations, was completely destroyed after this battle. Dan Yang felt as if a knife was being twisted in his heart. Although he was resentful over the fact that Zuo Quan Hui had dragged Heavenly Sword Union into this mess, he didn’t dare say anything. For better or worse, he and Huang Mao had been saved by Zuo Quan Hui, so as long as they could escape with their lives this time, with their Sixth-Order cultivation, they might still have a chance to make a comeback in the future.
“Honoured Master!” Zi Yan suddenly looked towards Zuo Quan Hui’s waist with a look of horror on his face. Much to her shock and dismay, there was a bloody hole in Zuo Quan Hui’s body which was surrounded by raging Golden Crow’s True Fire.
[Master was actually injured!?] Zi Yan couldn’t believe her eyes.
Yang Kai had injured her Honoured Master the last time they fought in Void Territory, but that was because Zuo Quan Hui had been too careless, and Yang Kai had joined forces with two other Sixth-Order Masters. The situation was much different compared to now when he was injured in a one-on-one fight! It was shocking to think Yang Kai was actually this strong!
Zuo Quan Hui didn’t seem to have heard Zi Yan’s concern as he simply stared indifferently at Yang Kai from a few thousands of kilometres away.
Yang Kai was also looking at him, his gaze slowly shifting down to the bloody wound as a big grin appeared on his face.
It turned out Zuo Quan Hui did not come out completely unscathed from their last clash!
Just now, Zuo Quan Hui had used some kind of unknown technique to avoid his fearsome strike, while simultaneously repelling him and rescuing Zi Yan and the others. Yang Kai thought that there was still a big gap between him and Zuo Quan Hui, but by the looks of it, Zuo Quan Hui had paid a great price to achieve this.
Yang Kai was overjoyed! Although he hadn’t been able to kill Zuo Quan Hui with that blow, if he could seriously injure him, he was not that far from killing him.
Raising his Azure Dragon Spear, Yang Kai looked at Zuo Quan Hui with a defiant expression on his face.
Zuo Quan Hui took a deep breath and indifferently stated, “This Monarch will pay you back a hundredfold for the ‘gift’ you have given me today!”
Yang Kai sneered, “You don’t need to wait, let’s settle this grudge now. Let us see if you die or I perish!”
Zuo Quan Hui slowly shook his head in response, “The time has yet to come!”
Having said so, he turned around and slashed his sword towards the black hole behind him!
Yang Kai was dumbfounded at the sight of this. He was completely unable to understand what Zuo Quan Hui was doing, but he instinctively felt that something was not right.
The next moment, the black hole suddenly expanded under the influence of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm World Force pouring out from this sword strike.
Zuo Quan Hui summoned his strength without a moment of hesitation, wrapping it around the few Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters beside him before diving in.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened in shock. [Is he courting death? That black hole is filled with nihility and chaos! Even if he’s a Seventh-Order Master, it’s impossible for him to find his way out once he’s inside. Sooner or later, he would be lost in the Void Crack and suffer a fate worse than death!]
But right then, Yang Kai felt a strange aura from the black hole. It wasn’t an aura of nihility and chaos, but rather a trace of the Power of the Stars.
[He’s trying to escape!]
Yang Kai shouted in anger, “Where do you think you’re going?!”
Pushing his Space Principles madly, he thrust his spear forward, straight into the black hole.
Yang Kai heard a muffled groan as he withdrew his spear and could see blood dripping from the tip of his spear. Be that as it may, Zuo Quan Hui and the others were nowhere to be found, and it was unknown who had been injured by that spear.
Standing in front of the black hole, Yang Kai’s gaze turned serious as he carefully examined it for a moment. The next moment, he ground his teeth in anger and shouted, “A Territory Gate!”
This black hole had formed due to the explosion of the Heavenly Sword Palace, and along with constant barrage of attacks, the Void in this region was completely shattered, which actually resulted in the formation of a Territory Gate that was connected to another Great Territory!
Yang Kai’s face turned extremely dark and gloomy. He actually let Zuo Quan Hui escape, even when he had such a good opportunity before him.
Earlier, Zuo Quan Hui deliberately stood in front of this black hole to lure him into attacking with his spear even at the expense of being seriously injured. At that time, Yang Kai clearly felt that his spear had broken something.
However, Zuo Quan Hui’s quick counterattack sent him flying thousands of kilometres away, so Yang Kai didn’t have time to carefully investigate it.
[I guess I broke the Territory Barrier at that time! He lured me into attacking him at the risk of his own life so that he could borrow my Space Principles!]
Although Zuo Quan Hui was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was not proficient in the Dao of Space, so even if he personally took action, he might not be able to achieve this. On the other hand, Yang Kai could. He knew that he could not escape from Yang Kai, who was proficient in the Dao of Space, so the only way out was to borrow Yang Kai’s strength to shatter the Territory Barrier and create a new Territory Gate to another Great Territory.
If it was the past Yang Kai, he might not have been able to do this; after all, his cultivation wasn’t high enough. However, the explosion of the Heavenly Sword Palace resulted in the formation of a weak spot in the Territory Barrier, which should have closed up soon after but due to the fierce battle between the two, not only did it not seal itself, it expanded, which made it possible for this to happen.
The right conditions and the right person with the right timing made this possible. If even a single factor was missing, this would not have been possible.
The fact that Zuo Quan Hui was able to come up with such a plan and find a lifeline even in such a desperate situation was a testament to his rich knowledge and experience. He really was an old fox!
Yang Kai’s teeth were about to break from all the gnashing. He gripped the Azure Dragon Spear so tightly that the veins on his hand were bulging.
Although he was filled with unwillingness, he was unable to launch a pursuit.
His current cultivation was thanks to the World Force borrowed from the Star Boundary, so once he chased after them and left this Great Territory, he would lose that boost. At that time, not to mention the sudden loss of his Seventh-Order might, his original Sixth-Order cultivation would be too exhausted to be utilised.
Yang Kai had consumed a great deal of his energy before borrowing the World Strength and had yet to recover.
“Mercy, please! I’m willing to surrender, I’m willing to submit! I’m willing to follow Void Land’s orders from now on!” Amidst the chaos, Firm Gold Heavenly Monarch’s begging could be heard from nearby.
After Zuo Quan Hui repelled Yang Kai, although he had managed to rescue a few of his subordinates, he did not get them all.
Apart from Zi Yan, Pei Wen Xuan, and Yin Xin Zhao, he only took Heavenly Sword Union’s Red Sun Heavenly Monarch and Huang Mao with him.
Zi Yan was his only remaining Disciple, so no matter what, he couldn’t ignore her. Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao were both Cave Heaven disciples, so he couldn’t leave them behind either; otherwise, even if he managed to escape today, Myriad Demons Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven wouldn’t let him go. He only helped Heavenly Sword Union’s Dan Yang and Huang Mao because it was convenient.
As for the remaining Jin Gang, Cang Yan, and Heavenly Sword Union’s Liang Ce, Zuo Quan Hu, he couldn’t do anything about them and had no choice but to abandon them!
Now that Zuo Quan Hui had escaped and Heavenly Sword Union had almost been completely wiped out, how could Jin Gang and the others still have the courage to fight?
Hearing his request, Mao Zhe and the others who were surrounding them couldn’t help but slow down their attacks. Mao Zhe even retreated and turned his head towards Yang Kai with a look of inquiry.
A Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was considered a powerful force in the 3,000 Worlds. Although there were currently over twenty such Masters in Void Land, no one was going to complain about having a few more. The more Masters a force had, the stronger their foundation would be.
Mao Zhe could not tell what Yang Kai was thinking, but he faintly felt that Yang Kai should not refuse such a good opportunity.
To his surprise, Yang Kai just coldly glanced over and shouted, without a moment of hesitation or mercy, “Kill them!”
Mao Zhe’s heart clenched, but he joined the battle once more without any delay, unleashing his Divine Abilities and attacking Jin Gang with everyone else, causing the latter to curse and complain incessantly.
Luan Bai Feng rushed over and stood next to Yang Kai, asking in a low voice, “No matter what, those three are Sixth-Order Masters… Isn’t it a pity to just kill them?”
Yang Kai let out a cold snort, “Anyone who only knows how to bully the weak while currying favour with the strong can only have the courage of a mouse, what’s the point of keeping such trash alive? What’s more, if a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master tries to rebel, who can suppress them? If I still had pages in my Loyalty List, I wouldn’t mind keeping them alive, but now that all nine pages have been completely filled, there is no place to write their names, unless I remove someone else’s of course.”
Luan Bai Feng’s face twitched, “I was just making a suggestion. If you want to kill them, it’s your choice.”
Luan Bai Feng could tell that Yang Kai was in a particularly foul mood, so she didn’t say anything else, lest she offended him somehow. However, she still found it a bit regretful. [Those three are Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, it would be better to throw them into the Black Territory as ore slaves than to just kill them here.]
She had been in charge of the Black Territory for many years and was always interested in acquiring all kinds of Open Heaven Realm Masters who had been pushed to the end of their ropes. She was not trying to plead for leniency for Jin Gang and the others, it was just her instinct to acquire manpower. Any Open Heaven Realm Master she could use was just an ore slave in her eyes.
However, if Yang Kai wanted her to give up her position in the Loyalty List, it would be impossible. Once someone had entered the Loyalty List, he or she would forever be a slave, unless her name was erased. And having her name crossed out meant her death!
However, after she gave it another thought, she realized that the current situation of the Black Territory was very different from before. Yang Kai could go deep into the Black Territory and bring back Ore Stars to mine, so it didn’t matter if she had Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters or not.
“What about those guys over there? We don’t need to kill all of them, do we?” Luan Bai Feng turned to look at the remaining Heavenly Sword Union forces, “They’re all below the Sixth-Order, if we train them a little, they’ll be good at mining and will be easy to control.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “I’ll leave them to you!”
In any case, there weren’t many Open Heaven Realm Masters left from Heavenly Sword Union, so whether they killed them or not didn’t matter. If Luan Bai Feng wanted them, he could just give them to her. She had made many great contributions in this war, and if she hadn’t risked her life to save Hei He and Lan Xun, Zuo Quan Hui would have definitely gained an absolute advantage over Void Land.
A bright smile immediately bloomed on Luan Bai Feng’s face, “Many thanks, Sir!”
Luan Bai Feng was just about to take over the remaining Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union when suddenly, the aura of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm burst out from inside the huge encirclement formed by the 1,000 Void Land Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Immediately after, a figure shrouded in Demon Qi broke through the layers of the blockade and rushed out, sending many Open Heaven Realm Masters tumbling in the process.
Luan Bai Feng’s beautiful eyes widened in astonishment at the sight of this, “Breakthrough during a battle?”
Luan Bai Feng knew exactly how many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters there were in Heavenly Sword Union; after all, she had been there for several years and knew all of them like the back of her hand.
But at this moment, someone had broken through to the Sixth Order during this fierce battle.
Luan Bai Feng was shaken, and a storm blew through her heart!
On the Martial Dao, aptitude, opportunities, and destiny were all indispensable. Below the Open Heaven Realm, cultivators would often be able to break through to a higher realm under great pressure, allowing them to turn around desperate situations by killing enemies originally stronger than themselves. This was known as breaking through in battle.
Forget about others, Luan Bai Feng herself had experienced this once before.
She couldn’t remember how many years ago it was, but at that time, she was only in the Saint King Realm. A man who lusted after her beauty and wanted to do something heinous to her had chased after her relentlessly. Luan Bai Feng was still unable to escape from that man even after fleeing for a month.
However, during a cruel battle, she suddenly broke through to the Origin Returning Realm in a moment of life and death and defeated that sadistic bastard.
She clearly remembered that she cut off all that bastard’s limbs, severed his manhood, peeled his skin from his muscles and tortured him for three days and three nights before he finally died.
From the beginning to the end, she didn’t know the name of that bastard, she only remembered his cries and pleads before he died.
His pitiful begging was music to her ears and truly unforgettable.
However, she had broken through like this only once on her own path of growth, and she was a proud daughter of the Heavens; otherwise, she wouldn’t have reached the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Yet, someone with aptitude like her had only broken through like this once in a much, much lower Realm, so one could only imagine how rare such an experience was.
This was also just for the Realms below the Open Heaven Realm.
Once someone’s cultivation had broken through to the Open Heaven Realm, he or she would need time and accumulation above all else to advance further. It was practically impossible for any Open Heaven Realm Master to break through due to a life-or-death battle, because even if they did gain some insights during that moment of crisis, it would only advance their state of mind or comprehension, not their Order.
But now, she had personally witnessed a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master advance to the Sixth-Order in such a crisis! This came as a huge surprise to her.
“It’s that Myriad Demons Heaven’s disciple!” Luan Bai Feng’s beautiful eyes lit up as she developed a strong interest in this person. If such a man was captured and carefully examined, she might be able to gain some benefits.
“I’ll go capture him!” Luan Bai Feng stated before rushing forward. Impatience was clearly written on her face, as if she would miss out on something good if she was a moment late.
But right then, a spear suddenly appeared in front of her!
Luan Bai Feng turned her head in shock and saw Yang Kai staring at the Myriad Demons Heaven disciple who had just broken through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, silently.
Even when the man rushed into the newly formed Territory Gate and disappeared, Yang Kai showed no sign of stopping him. Although he could easily stop this man with his current strength of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm and his proficiency in the Dao of Space, he still didn’t make any moves.
Luan Bai Feng blinked her beautiful eyes in confusion, unable to understand what Yang Kai was up to.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai’s intention to let this man live was extremely obvious, so how could she not see it?
An extremely audacious idea suddenly popped up in Luan Bai Feng’s mind as she narrowed her eyes.
“If you don’t go now, none of Heavenly Sword Union’s disciples will be left,” Yang Kai indifferently stated, withdrawing his Azure Dragon Spear.
Luan Bai Feng promptly turned her head and saw that the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union were all on their last legs. She could not delay any longer so she immediately rushed over and shouted to stop Void Land’s people.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked towards the three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters before his figure left a long streak of light as he shot towards them, thrusting his spear out.
The eyes of Jin Gang, who was still struggling at death’s door, suddenly bulged as he stood there in a daze. He looked down and noticed that a giant hole had appeared in his chest at some point. His heart had been eviscerated and his vitality was now leaking out.
Before he could recover from his shock, a series of Divine Abilities came crashing down on him from all sides, instantly reducing him to mist.
The other two battlefields did not fare any better. Cang Yan and the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master named Liang Ce were already exhausted, so how could they possibly withstand the might of Yang Kai’s spear?
Not to mention, they were besieged by four or five Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters each by now!
The three enemy Sixth-Order Masters died one after another, and their massive World Force instantly dispersed into the void. With their deaths, the shockwaves of the fierce battle slowly subsided.
On the other side, Luan Bai Feng had also taken over the battlefield of the cultivators below the Sixth Order. There weren’t many Heavenly Sword Union cultivators left, just seventy or eighty.
In this battle, Heavenly Sword Union’s Open Heaven Realm Masters had suffered overwhelming casualties. Five Sixth-Order Masters had lost their lives, while the casualties below the Sixth-Order were in the hundreds.
The death of so many Open Heaven Realm Masters had caused the World Tree’s growth to reach unimaginable levels!
In the Star Boundary, the massive canopy over 100,000 metres tall now blocked out the sun over a vast swath of land. One could even see the towering giant tree clearly from millions and millions of kilometres away in the void.
“Recover as much as you can. Two hours later, follow me to pursue the enemy!” Yang Kai ordered before immediately sitting down cross-legged and cutting off his connection with the Star Boundary.
He knew to hit a dead snake to avoid any future trouble. He had managed to injure Zuo Quan Hui with great difficulty, so if he let him escape again, it would only be more difficult for him to kill him next time.
The last time he escaped, Zuo Quan Hui returned with Heavenly Sword Union under his command. Who knows if he would return with some ‘Earthly Sword Union’ or something next time!
It didn’t matter which Great Territory this Territory Gate led to, or what kind of dangers they might encounter on their way there, Yang Kai was determined to kill Zuo Quan Hui!
Yang Kai’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation rapidly started receding like a deflated balloon. Even though he was mentally prepared and knew that his cultivation would fall back once he cut off his connection with the Star Boundary, he still could not bear the backlash entirely.
Only after coughing a mouthful of blood did he feel any better.
His cultivation returned to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and even his Small Universe was completely barren as his World Force had hit rock bottom. He secretly rejoiced that he had not chased after Zuo Quan Hui immediately as he would not have been able to defeat any Open Heaven Realm Master in his current state.
How could someone in the Open Heaven Realm without World Force be called an Open Heaven Realm Master?
After consuming a large number of Open Heaven Realm Pills, Yang Kai’s dry Small Universe finally received some nourishment and slowly recovered its World Force.
A short two hours was not nearly enough for Yang Kai to restore his strength to its peak, but time was not on his side. Zuo Quan Hui already had a head start, so if he didn’t chase after him now, he would not even be able to catch sight of his shadow.
Yang Kai slowly stood up and took a long, deep breath as he looked up.
22 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land had gathered around him, including Heavens Revelation and Wondrous Pill.
Yang Kai had already sensed their auras when he was borrowing the World Force from the Star Boundary, so he wasn’t surprised by their appearance here.
However, since the eight Great Emperors had previously poured their World Force into the Star Boundary to allow Yang Kai to borrow more power, their current condition was quite similar to his. Their auras were weak and they were probably at less than 40% of their peak.
Yang Kai nodded slightly to the two.
Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen, on the other hand, sized up Yang Kai from top to bottom. When he spotted Yang Kai’s gleaming eyes, he could not help but ask in surprise, “Did you gain something?”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “It saved me at least 500 years of cultivation!”
Yang Kai was able to reach the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm for a short period of time by borrowing the strength of the Star Boundary. Although his connection with the Star Boundary was cut off and his cultivation had receded back to the Sixth Order now, it wasn’t like he had gained nothing.
His Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm foundation had been greatly strengthened because of this, but because his Small Universe still had not recovered its World Force, he was unable to display too much strength right now.
Once he did recover his World Force, Yang Kai believed he would be much stronger than before.
This kind of gain was not inferior to when he entered the Divine Armament World.
Furthermore, he had experienced the strength of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm first-hand, which would be of great help to him when he advanced to the Seventh Order in the future.
“That’s wonderful!” Zhan Wu Hen nodded his acknowledgement, though he felt a little envious.
Bustling World Great Emperor asked in surprise, “If you can borrow some strength a few more times, wouldn’t you be able to step into the Seventh Order directly?”
Yang Kai waved his hand and explained, “Don’t speak about it so lightly. I had to consume a great deal of the Star Boundary’s foundation when I borrowed its strength. The Star Boundary has not shown any signs of degradation because many Open Heaven Realm Masters died in this battle, and the World Tree has received a great deal of nourishment from their collapsing Small Universes, which is why its foundation has strengthened instead of weakening. If I were to do this a few more times though, the Star Boundary’s foundation would be damaged, and the consequences will be unpredictable.”
Bustling World Great Emperor nodded lightly, “That’s true.”
Since Yang Kai was able to borrow the World Strength of the Star Boundary, the other Great Emperors of the Star Boundary could naturally do the same. Originally, Bustling World Great Emperor was considering whether he should use the same method to rapidly increase their strength, but by the looks of it, although this method was feasible, it would damage the Star Boundary.
No one was willing to do this.
Yang Kai turned to Qing Kui and asked in a low voice, “Is there something wrong?”
Qing Kui had been observing the newly appeared Territory Gate all this while. Unlike a normal Territory Gates, this new Territory Gate was constantly twisting and distorting for some reason, giving off an extremely uneasy feeling.
“It’s not very stable!” Qing Kui frowned, “I don’t know what we’ll encounter if we enter it rashly. We might end up torn apart by the Void if we aren’t careful… Ah, right, never mind, if you lead the way, we don’t need to worry about that.”
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so he naturally had a method to deal with this situation.
“How did he create a Territory Gate?” Yang Kai couldn’t understand this, but Zuo Quan Hui seemed to have anticipated this development; otherwise, he wouldn’t have lured him to attack the black hole in the first place.
Qing Kui pondered for a moment before explaining, “Rumour has it that the Great Territories were not connected with each other in ancient times. Each Great Territory existed independent of the others. Everyone thought that the Great Territory they were in was the entire Universe. However, the Great Experts of ancient times saw through the mysteries of the world and were somehow able to open passageways to other Great Territories, which was how the original Territory Gates came to be, similar to the one in front of us. As more and more Territory Gates appeared, the number of Great Territories they could explore increased, eventually forming the current 3,000 Worlds.”
Su Ying Xue added, “If one is strong enough, they can break through the Territory Barrier between the two Great Territories and open a new Territory Gate.”
Yang Kai’s expression became ugly, “I knew it. I fell into that old dog’s trap!”
Under normal circumstances, even a fight between High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters might not be able to break through a Territory Barrier, but Yang Kai happened to be proficient in the Dao of Space. Along with the previous explosion of the Heavenly Sword Palace and various chances and coincidences, Zuo Quan Hui was able to borrow his strength to open a passageway between the two Great Territories, which ultimately gave him a chance to escape.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for Zuo Quan Hui to escape from Yang Kai’s grasp even if he was an experienced Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If Yang Kai could pin him down until Void Land’s Sixth-Order Masters had taken care of all their opponents, Zuo Quan Hui would not be able to resist once they had also joined and besieged him.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai had missed such a great opportunity. Who knows whether the old dog’s time had not arrived or the Heavens just did not want to side with Yang Kai.
“I have no idea which Great Territory is on the other side!” Qing Kui frowned.
“I’ll go in and take a look!” Yang Kai stated as he took a step forward.
“Allow me!” Hui Gu arrived in front of Yang Kai in a flash and rushed towards the Territory Gate without giving the latter a chance to say anything. After having personally killed Huang Quan and obtaining his revenge, Hui Gu had no regrets in this life. No one knew if there would be an ambush waiting for them on the other side of the Territory Gate or not, so the first one to rush in would be at a disadvantage. Yang Kai hadn’t fully recovered yet, so it wasn’t appropriate for him to lead the way.
From this point alone, one could see the difference between Hui Gu and Mao Zhe’s group. Both of them had left their names on the Loyalty List, but Hui Gu was far more loyal.
Yang Kai could not let him enter the Territory Gate alone though. Although this Territory Gate had been formed by his piercing through the Territory Barrier, it had just been formed and wasn’t stable yet. With his proficiency in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai didn’t need to fear the Void Turbulence. Hui Gu, on the other hand, was different; he might even lose his way in the Void if he was unlucky.
Yang Kai followed behind Hui Gu like a shadow while the others quickly chased after them.
The Territory Gate really was very unstable; it gave everyone a feeling of distortion as everyone passed through it. The Void Turbulence around them churned wildly with the air of chaos and nihility, causing everyone’s heart to clench.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and in the blink of an eye, all of them passed through the Territory Gate and arrived at the Great Territory on the other side.
Everyone immediately circulated their World Force as they secretly raised their guards.
But much to their surprise, there was no ambush waiting for them. Zuo Quan Hui probably didn’t have the courage to remain here and wait for Void Land to pursue him. He had lost more than half of his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm subordinates in the previous battle, and all those below the Sixth Order had been killed or captured. If he remained here, he would just be waiting for his death. He might as well escape as soon as possible and find a place to recuperate, then look for an opportunity to make a comeback.
When everyone came to their senses, all they saw were dazzling nebulas and stars all around them. It was quite a beautiful sight.
Everyone was stunned by this gorgeous and stunning scene; even Yang Kai raised his brow slightly. Although he had seen many Great Territories, a beautiful Great Territory like this was still extremely rare.
No Great Territory could compare to this place.
There were many stars in the sky, indicating that there were many Universe Worlds in this Great Territory. There was also a Sun Star just a few million kilometres away, shining brightly while the occasional golden flare would arc up around it.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked around, silently investigating.
To his side, Qing Kui took out his Universe Chart and checked his location, trying to determine their position. A moment later, his eyes went wide in shock.
Su Ying Xue, who was standing next to him, curiously turned around and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qing Kui raised his eyes and stared at her in a daze, muttering, “This Great Territory is not marked on the Universe Chart!”
Su Ying Xue was stunned for a moment before asking in astonishment, “Really?”
Yue He, Hui Gu, and the others also turned to look at him, their eyes filled with shock.
“What do you mean?” Duan Hong Chen didn’t understand, and the other Great Emperors also wore similar expressions; they could not understand why the others were so shocked.
Although the various Great Emperors of the Star Boundary had been brought to Void Land by Yang Kai many years ago, they had been cultivating in seclusion almost the entire time and had only recently advanced to the Sixth Order. They didn’t know much about the Outer Universe, so naturally, they didn’t know what a Great Territory that was not marked on the map represented.
Even Yang Kai didn’t dare to be certain and could only make some speculations.
Yue He and the others also took out their Universe Charts and checked to confirm it themselves. They discovered that Qing Kui was not lying to them, this Great Territory was not marked on the Universe Chart. Which also meant that they were unable to determine their current location on the Universe Chart.
It had to be known that even the Great Territory where the Star Boundary was located was marked on the Universe Chart. However, it was given a generic identification code as it was too remote and desolate, showing just how comprehensive the Universe Chart was.
The Universe Chart contained all of the Great Territories that had been discovered and explored, not a single one was left out.
But now, the Great Territory they were in was not marked on the Universe Chart, which left only one possibility.
“This is a Great Territory that has not yet been discovered!” Qing Kui excitedly stated.
Bustling World Great Emperor and the others were stunned for a moment before understanding the meaning behind Qing Kui’s words, “A new Great Territory?”
Qing Kui repeatedly nodded, “En, a new Great Territory!”
A new Great Territory meant unimaginable resources and wealth that could be obtained. Presumably, if news of this new Great Territory were to spread, it would definitely cause a huge uproar!
“How could there be a new Great Territory?” Martial Beast Great Emperor furrowed his brow. He had just heard from Qing Kui that in ancient times, every Great Territory existed on its own, and everyone thought that the Great Territory they were in was the entire world. It was only after the Great Experts of ancient times created many Territory Gates, connecting many Great Territories, that the current 3,000 Worlds was formed.
But after so many years of exploration, all of the Great Territories had been discovered. There should not be any new Great Territories.
Qing Kui replied, shaking his head, “I don’t know, perhaps some ancient Great Expert did not mark it when they were developing the Territory Gates, or perhaps it’s a Newborn Great Territory.”
Suddenly, Yang Kai, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke, “This Great Territory is very young!”
Using the word ‘young’ to describe a Great Territory was undoubtedly strange, but everyone immediately understood what Yang Kai meant.
The mysteries of a Universe World’s life and death were difficult to comprehend even for those with extraordinary cultivation at the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The annihilation and rebirth of a Great Territory was even more out of their reach and definitely not something they could comprehend with their current cultivation.
No one knew when this Great Territory was born, but Yang Kai could sense the young and tender age of the nearby Sun Star.
Just like how he felt that the Sun in the Black Territory was getting old thanks to his Golden Crow’s True Fire having a special connection with Sun Stars.
In contrast to the sun of the Black Territory which was like an old man with one foot in the grave, the Sun Star in front of him was a newborn baby.
[I must lay full claim to this place!]
If it were any other time, such a great discovery would have made all of them ecstatic; however, everyone was chasing after Zuo Quan Hui now and their futures would be fraught with worries and dangers if they couldn’t find him.
Yang Kai was originally a bit worried that Zuo Quan Hui would escape completely; after all, he was already two hours behind him. Two hours for a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was plenty of time to do many things and travel a great deal of distance.
However, since they had confirmed that this was a new Great Territory, there was no need to worry about that.
Zuo Quan Hui had borrowed Yang Kai’s strength to break through the Territory Barrier and escape to this place. Before, it seemed like he had managed to find a slim chance of survival by some stroke of luck, but by the looks of it, it was a stroke of bad luck and he had fallen into a hopeless situation.
There was only one Territory Gate, so Zuo Quan Hui had nowhere to run. He was like a turtle hiding in his own shell!
“Let’s leave the matter of this new Great Territory for later, pursuing Zuo Quan Hui comes first!” Yang Kai shouted as he headed in a certain direction without giving anyone an explanation, following some traces which were left behind. Everyone quickly restrained their excitement and followed closely behind him.
Along the way, they all did their best to recover their strength and energy.
Yang Kai was not using Space Principles. First of all, doing so would consume a lot of his strength and he was trying to conserve every bit of his energy now to increase his chances of winning against Zuo Quan Hui. Second of all, it would be inconvenient for him to track the traces left behind while using Instantaneous Movement.
Luan Bai Feng was right behind Yang Kai, so she was both shocked and impressed.
If she had just made a guess when she saw Yang Kai let that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Myriad Demons Heaven disciple go, she was dead certain now.
[The man who had broken through to the Sixth Order from the Fifth Order must be Yang Kai’s spy!]
[But how is that possible? That guy was obviously a Myriad Demons Heaven’s disciple, so when did Yang Kai get involved with him?]
She vaguely remembered that when she was in Heavenly Sword Palace, Pei Wen Xuan had addressed that guy as Junior Brother Mo Sheng!
There were almost undetectable traces of Demon Qi left in the void, so it was obvious that this guy named Mo Sheng had deliberately left a trail for Yang Kai to follow. If not for this, Yang Kai might not have been able to find Zuo Quan Hui in this vast void no matter how much he wanted to find the latter.
Luan Bai Feng couldn’t help but admire him! The more she looked at Yang Kai, the more she felt that this guy was even more scheming than Zuo Quan Hui. [What kind of sly and scheming mind is hidden behind this young man’s face? It’s one thing to send me into Heavenly Sword Union, but to think he can even put his nose into Myriad Demons Heaven is another thing altogether. It’s Myriad Demons Heaven! One of the famous 36 Cave Heavens!]
“What is it?” Yang Kai turned his head to look, sensing Luan Bai Feng’s strange gaze.
Luan Bai Feng shook her head and failed to hold her laughter, “This Mistress is thinking that her losing to you back then was not undeserved, Sir!”
Yang Kai snorted lightly, “If you have something to say, just say it!”
Luan Bai Feng slowly shook her head, not saying anything.
Yang Kai looked at her with a perplexed look on his face. After seeing that she really had nothing to say, he couldn’t be bothered with her and focused on chasing after the enemy.
Although Zuo Quan Hui only had a head start of two hours, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not slow. It was not easy to catch up to him. Fortunately, Yang Kai and the others also needed to recover, so they were not in a rush.
After five days, a rich Universe World aura blew on their faces as a Star appeared in front of them.
It was an azure world and should have been peaceful and tranquil, but looking at it from the void, they could clearly see that the weather on the surface of the Universe World was rapidly degrading, thunderstorms could be seen everywhere!
“Over there!” Yang Kai stopped in his tracks as he looked towards that Universe World, narrowing his eyes.
Wu Kuang’s trail pointed directly towards the Universe World in front of him.
Qing Kui frowned for a moment before his expression suddenly changed, “Damn it, Zuo Quan Hui is trying to refine the World Force of that Universe World to recover!”
Su Ying Xue’s pretty face sank, “To think that someone from Thousand Crane Paradise would use such despicable methods!”