Refining the World Force of a Universe World was a despicable act that went against the Heavenly Way. After all, doing so would damage the foundation of a Universe World which in turn would bring calamity to the trillions of living beings.
What the Great Demon God had done back then was more or less the same.
Only the lawless and wicked would do something so disgraceful. No matter what else, Zuo Quan Hui was from Thousand Crane Paradise. Before he was labelled as a traitor by Thousand Crane Paradise, he was an Inner Sect Elder, so it really was unthinkable for him to do something like this.
However, when everyone remembered how he had not hesitated to have Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch wreak havoc in Void Territory’s Three Brilliance World in order to lure Yang Kai out, killing countless people in the process, it became apparent that there was nothing he would not do.
Zuo Quan Hui had resorted to unscrupulous means before in order to avenge his Disciple, so he would naturally do so again.
Supplementing your own energy by refining a Universe World’s foundation was not something that could be done so easily, however. It was only possible if the Universe World’s foundation was compatible with one’s own Small Universe; otherwise, if their energies conflicted with each other, the cons would outweigh the pros.
Since Zuo Quan Hui was doing something like this, it meant that the foundation of this Universe World was compatible with his Small Universe.
Nonetheless, even if he could refine it successfully, Zuo Quan Hui would still need to spend a great deal of time and effort to eliminate the sequelae caused by this. There was no doubt that the foundation of the Universe World here was beneficial to him, but if he failed to remove the harmful energy, it would damage his foundation instead.
It was not as safe as painstakingly refining Open Heaven Realm Pills and cultivation materials of different Orders, but it won in speed!
Apparently, Zuo Quan Hui’s condition wasn’t very good; otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken such a risk.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai shouted as he took the lead and rushed towards the Universe World. Since he knew what Zuo Quan Hui was scheming, how could he let him have his way?
On the Blue Clouds Continent, Lu Bai Yang was leaning against a large tree with his body drenched in blood, his hair dishevelled, and his face completely pale.
He was the strongest Master in the Blue Clouds Continent. He had gained some insights into the Heavenly Way and had gone into retreat for hundreds of years just to comprehend his own Dao. He didn’t know what kind of mysteries lay further ahead on the Martial Dao, but he could faintly feel that his path had not yet reached its end and that there was still a vast future ahead of him.
He could not prove this point, nor could anyone tell him about this; no one on the entire continent had this qualification.
After being invincible in this World for so many years, he longed for an even stronger Master to guide him. He had once fantasized about a wider world outside the continent, where cultivators stronger than him existed.
He even once thought that it would be great if a stronger Master really came to the Blue Clouds Continent. No matter if the other party was someone good or evil, he could at least ask for some advice from them. Even if he had to pay a steep price, it was still acceptable to him.
And such a day had really come.
When the world shook, it shook Lu Bai Yang wide awake. He immediately came out of retreat and looked around. The next moment, he spotted seven figures descending from the sky and landing on Tranquil Heavens Peak where he lived.
This was the Sacred Peak of the Blue Clouds Continent, the Holy Land of the Martial Dao that everyone on the continent yearned for, because this was where Lu Bai Yang lived!
Tranquil Heavens Peak was the source of all Earth Veins of this world, and Lu Bai Yang was its protector.
The auras of these seven people were as deep as the sea and Lu Bai Yang could tell each of them had a cultivation far greater than his own with a single glance. Even someone like Lu Bai Yang didn’t know how to face them.
He had longed for a stronger cultivator to guide him, but he hadn’t expected that when such a cultivator arrived, their cultivation would be so high that he couldn’t even see the opposite party’s back.
Just a casual attack from the other party had left him severely injured; his Foundation almost collapsed and his cultivation had nearly been crippled because of this.
He hadn’t even been able to clearly see how the other party had attacked. In the eyes of the other party, Lu Bai Yang’s title of strongest under the Heavens was no different than a scrap of paper.
What caused Lu Bai Yang to be bitterly disappointed even more was the fact that after attacking him, the other party no longer paid any attention to him. They did not even care if he was dead or alive. They let him lie on the ground, barely breathing, not even showing the slightest bit of vigilance.
Only if the disparity between them was too great would they ignore their opponent like this.
Lu Bai Yang coughed up a mouthful of blood, leaning against the tallest tree on Tranquil Heavens Peak. He didn’t know what these uninvited guests had done, but half a day ago, the Heavenly Way roared and the wind and clouds changed colour. Immediately, Lu Bai Yang noticed that the Blue Clouds Continent was losing something very important at a rapid rate.
He had been able to comprehend a trace of the Heavenly Way after painstakingly cultivating for so many years in the retreat, so he was able to faintly perceive the changes in the world.
It was not just World Energy that was being drained away, but something far more important.
This was the foundation of the entire world!
*Hong long long…*
Deafening rumbles came from the ground as it cracked and the sky shook to no end.
Lu Bai Yang felt as if he was hearing the wails of all living beings in the World, each and every one of the heart-wrenching cries were so real that they seemed to echo in his ears.
He shook his head vigorously, but he was unable to shake off the noise.
He heard countless prayers and pleas.
He saw the world collapsing, volcanoes erupting, and living beings fleeing in a desperate attempt to seek shelter.
The world was ending!
Lu Bai Yang’s eyes went wide. He didn’t know why he was hearing these strange noises and seeing these strange scenes, but he knew that they were real and were happening all over the Blue Clouds Continent.
This was the home where he was born and raised, yet these invaders wanted to destroy it!
Lu Bai Yang actually broke into a fit of coughing as he braced himself and slowly stood up.
Not far away, Zi Yan, who was recovering, opened her eyes and glanced at him. Her eyes flickered with a cold gleam as she indifferently stated, “If you don’t want to die, just lie there!”
[I actually failed to kill him. This guy is quite tenacious.]
Lu Bai Yang coughed violently again, spitting out pieces of his internal organs before lowering his head and mumbling in a low voice, “This is Blue Clouds Continent!”
“I, Lu Bai Yang… am the strongest Master of the Blue Clouds Continent!”
“Everyone in the world knows that even if the sky collapses, someone will always appear to hold it up. If I, Lu Bai Yang, don’t stand now that it is collapsing, who will?”
He stated his inner thoughts word by word, taking a step with each one he spoke, leaving behind clear bloody footprints. After a few steps, his dispirited face slowly brightened as his hunched back straightened.
The world hummed.
The next moment, a cracking sound rang out.
Lu Bai Yang stopped in his tracks. He felt as if something had appeared in his body. The Grand Dao that had always eluded him, like it was covered in a layer of fog even after having been in a retreat for so many years, suddenly became as bright as day at this moment as a seal appeared in his body!
A steady stream of energy was flowing out from the seal, causing Lu Bai Yang to feel as if he possessed the same power as the Heavens and the Earth, and that he was able to control this omnipresent might of the World.
“Oh? You obtained the acknowledgement of the World’s Will and became a Great Emperor, allowing you to form a Dao Seal?” Yin Xin Zhao looked towards Lu Bai Yang with interest.
Red Sun Heavenly Monarch indifferently stated, “This world is sentient, it doesn’t want to be destroyed. So naturally, it will strive to find a chance to survive, but unfortunately…”
So, what if Lu Bai Yang had become a Great Emperor? In front of several Sixth-Order, and a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, he was still nothing more than an ant. If he had found such a genius in the past, Dan Yang might have been interested in taking him under his wing and meticulously nurturing him.
However, after the battle with Void Land, Heavenly Sword Union had almost been wiped out, with only him and Huang Mao surviving until now. There would be no Heavenly Sword Union in the future.
Dan Yang even didn’t have the heart to take in Disciples and teach them at this point.
While Lu Bai Yang was still in a daze, Zi Yan had already lifted her hand. The next moment, she sent a burst of energy towards Lu Bai Yang’s heart with a flick of her wrist.
In the moment of crisis, Lu Bai Yang instinctively dodged to the side, borrowing the might of the world to instantly teleport to another location, but the energy followed after him like it was alive.
This time, Lu Bai Yang was unable to dodge and his chest was pierced through, causing a fountain of blood to spurt.
Lu Bai Yang was shocked and fell into despair!
Originally, he had thought that he would be able to fight against these invaders after his strength had greatly increased. He would be able to take a few of them down along with him even if he lost his life.
However, he now finally realized that the gap between him and these people was simply too great. The woman had heavily injured him with a flick of her wrist, so it would obviously be a simple matter for her to kill him.
Lu Bai Yang looked up in anger and roared, grounding his teeth, “You will surely suffer the Heavens’ judgment for committing such vile acts! The trillions of dead souls of my Blue Clouds Continent will haunt you day and night, we will not let you rest in peace!”
Hearing this, Yin Xin Zhao sneered, “Haunt us? The Heavens’ judgment? Ignorant foo…”
Mid-speech, Yin Xin Zhao looked up and a look of fear appeared on his face as he shouted, “How did they find us!?”
The others also felt that something was wrong and all of them looked up as if they were facing a great enemy.
Even Zuo Quan Hui, who was refining the foundation of the Blue Clouds Continent, suddenly opened his eyes as a dark and malicious gleam flashed across his eyes.
Lu Bai Yang finally realized what was happening and also looked up as well. He then saw an upheaval in the void as a giant crack appeared in the sky. From the crack, a group of more than twenty people appeared, descending upon the world like divine soldiers from the Heavens.
The person in the middle was a young man who looked even more youthful than himself. He wore a tight-fitting outfit and had a majestic and dignified expression.
In an instant, everyone became tense. The invaders who were ridiculing Lu Bai Yang just now wore ugly expressions, as if their parents had just been murdered.
Although Lu Bai Yang didn’t know where this second group of guests came from, it was clear that these two groups were enemies. More importantly, the first group was obviously afraid of the newcomers.
Lu Bai Yang’s heart was filled with joy as he burst into loud laughter, “Those who act unjustly will die, the Heavens’ judgment has arrived!”
No one was in the mood to pay attention to this fellow who had just become a Great Emperor. Yin Xin Zhao and the others became extremely focused as they began circulating their World Force.
Up in the sky, Yang Kai stated in a calm and composed manner, coldly staring down, “Zuo Quan Hui, you won’t escape this time!”
Zuo Quan Hui clenched his teeth and coldly snorted, “And how are you going to fight me exactly? You can’t borrow the World Strength after leaving that Great Territory, can you?”
Previously, Yang Kai had advanced to the Seventh Order by borrowing World Force from the Star Boundary, obtaining the qualifications to fight him. Now that he had left the Great Territory, his cultivation had reverted to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Although he only had six Sixth-Order Masters beside him, including one more who had just broken through, a Seventh-Order Master like him alone was enough to bridge the gap between them, so the current situation was not necessarily worse than before.
As long as he could take down Yang Kai, he would be victorious!
Looking down at the Blue Clouds Continent, Yang Kai sighed softly and sympathetically mumbled, “Many people are going to die today…”
If so many Open Heaven Realm Masters were to fight here, it would definitely have a huge impact on the entire Universe World. If the fight went on for too long, this Universe World might even be torn to pieces; however, they could not remain still either. Once Zuo Quan Hui had refined this Universe World’s foundation, he could do as he pleased and this continent would plunge into misery anyway!
All Yang Kai could do was quickly end this battle to reduce the losses!
Yang Kai’s gaze turned to the nearby Great Emperor, who was lying in a pool of blood. Lu Bai Yang also happened to have noticed him.
As their eyes met, Lu Bai Yang requested in a low voice, “Blue Clouds Continent’s Lu Bai Yang begs for Your Excellency’s assistance in slaying these evil people and returning peace to this world!”
“I won’t disappoint you!” Yang Kai nodded slightly before raising his spear and pointing it towards Zuo Quan Hui.
[Today, either he dies or I perish!]
Seeing this, Lu Bai Yang’s figure flickered and he instantly disappeared from his spot. After having obtained the acknowledgement of the World’s Will and becoming a Great Emperor, he was able to travel freely on the Blue Clouds Continent. Even if he had never cultivated the Dao of Space, he could still travel to any corner of this world with its assistance.
A great battle was about to break out! Although he had no way of speculating what kind of profound cultivation both sides had, he knew that the gap between him and them was too great. If he stayed here, not only would he not be of any help, but he might even be accidentally injured.
Since that was the case, the better choice was to quickly evacuate everyone in the vicinity. Regardless of how many he could actually save, he had to at least try!
Zuo Quan Hui and the others had no intention of stopping him. The life and death of an indigenous Great Emperor did not matter to them.
The next moment, the aura of 22 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters slowly spread out, causing the entire world to freeze.
Zi Yan and the others couldn’t help but let out muffled grunts as they felt as if a great mountain was pressing down on them, making it hard to even properly breathe. They had no choice but to use their full strength to resist the pressure. At the same time, they quickly moved towards Zuo Quan Hui. The gap in their numbers was simply too great, with Yang Kai’s group being almost three times bigger than theirs. They had no choice but to rely on Zuo Quan Hui, a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, to even the odds.
The atmosphere instantly became tense as both sides unleashed their auras, seemingly wanting to seize the initiative in this silent battle, but neither of them actually took the initiative to attack. Immediately after, Void Cracks began to appear right in the middle of the two groups, distorting the surrounding space.
They were evenly matched!
Surprisingly, they were able to block the invisible pressure emanated by Void Land’s Masters under Zuo Quan Hui’s leadership.
Zi Yan and the others were ecstatic, and they pushed their auras even harder.
Void Land was losing ground! Among the 22 people who stood in mid-air, a few of them suddenly stumbled and their faces went slightly pale. They looked like they were about to collapse.
Heavenly Sword Union’s Masters became even more excited at the sight of this. They immediately wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to push further and crush the arrogance of Void Land.
If they could achieve this, Void Land would be at a disadvantage in the actual battle.
With such a huge disparity in numbers, Heavenly Sword Union’s side should have been at a disadvantage even if they had a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but the fact was that Void Land were the ones losing momentum. They appeared to have the upper hand, but actually didn’t.
Zi Yan failed to understand why they were gaining the upper hand and could only guess that Void Land’s side had consumed too much energy in the last battle and had yet to recover.
This was great news for Heavenly Sword Union’s group.
Yin Xin Zhao, Pei Wen Xuan, Dan Yang, and Huang Mao also had similar thoughts. Perhaps this time, they would be able to turn defeat into victory.
But the next moment, something happened that took everyone by surprise!
Palm shadows filled the sky as they rained down on Zuo Quan Hui’s back like a violent storm. Then, the fearsome World Force of someone in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm suddenly erupted. Zuo Quon Hui fell victim to this sneak attack even though he was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. His eyes widened in anger as he slashed his sword behind him without a moment of hesitation.
This sword light seemed to be able to cut through space, leaving only the brilliance of the attack behind.
A figure quickly retreated, but it was still unable to avoid that sharp attack and was slashed from head to toe, almost splitting in two as a result.
Fortunately, the figure immediately retreated after launching their sneak attack. Its quick escape saved its life, but it was still seriously injured. This attack left a huge gaping wound spanning from the middle of its brow to its abdomen. Red hot blood immediately gushed out of the wound as the figure was sent flying, crashing into Tranquil Heavens Peak.
The 10,000 metres tall mountain split and collapsed into rubble.
This sneak attack came out of nowhere, and Zuo Quan Hui’s counterattack was not slow either, so everything was over in a flash.
It wasn’t until this moment that Zi Yan and the others came to their senses. When they turned their heads, they recognized the attacker to be the Myriad Demons Heaven disciple named Mo Sheng, who claimed to have broken through at the last moment and fought his way out.
Pei Wen Xuan’s mind went blank as he instinctively felt that something was wrong.
He could not believe his Junior Brother Mo Sheng launched a sneak attack on Zuo Quan Hui. Why would he do that? As impossible as it seemed, the truth was right in front of him. Mo Sheng had already been sent flying, and no one knew whether he was dead or alive, so Pei Wen Xuan had to accept the reality before his eyes.
Suddenly, he felt a cold gaze focused on him, filled with murderous intent.
Pei Wen Xuan was startled and quickly turned his head, explaining himself in horror, “Martial Uncle Zuo, I don’t know…”
Before he could finish his sentence, an incomparably terrifying pressure descended from the sky. It was none other than Void Land’s cultivators who had been forced to retreat previously and were now counterattacking.
The pressure emanating from the Void Land Masters was tremendous, completely opposite to the weakness they showed before. The pressure felt like it could topple the mountains and overturn the seas, sweeping away the world as it passed.
[They were feigning weakness?]
In an instant, Pei Wen Xuan understood everything. [No wonder they didn’t attack just after they arrived and deliberately used their pressure to suppress us instead. They wanted to distract us so that Zuo Quan Hui would have no choice but to exert his pressure to resist, allowing Mo Sheng to launch a sneak attack.]
Once Zuo Quan Hui fell into this trap and used his pressure to counterattack, he could not stop.
Their every step was meticulous and carefully planned. Those from Void Land were too cunning!
Pei Wen Xuan also finally understood how those from Void Land had found them so quickly.
This Great Territory was vast, and they had not left any trail behind on their way here. Furthermore, it was just a coincidence that they found this continent. However, those from Void Land had arrived here less than half a day later; it was simply too quick!
Since Mo Sheng was a traitor though, it was naturally not difficult for him to secretly leave behind some clues.
Mo Sheng was a Myriad Demons Heaven disciple like him, so after Zuo Quan Hui was ambushed, one did not need to be a genius to understand why he was showing such murderous intent towards him. However, Pei Wen Xuan couldn’t come up with anything to prove his innocence. He had no intention of betraying Zuo Quan Hui, but he had been implicated by Mo Sheng.
The only thing he couldn’t figure out was why Mo Sheng had betrayed Zuo Quan Hui and when he had teamed up with Yang Kai!
Now, after he gave it another thought though, he found Mo Sheng’s breakthrough to the Sixth Order extremely suspicious. However, when Mo Sheng had rushed over, no one had the time to look deeper into this matter. In addition, he was also a Myriad Demons Heaven disciple, so asking too much would inevitably cause the other party to feel some displeasure, which could lead to a conflict they couldn’t afford right now.
In their situation, even one more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master meant better chances of survival.
At this moment, none of them had the time to think about these things. Everyone, including Zuo Quan Hui, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, buckled under the fearsome wave of pressure. Their energy was sent into turmoil as they spat out mouthfuls of blood.
“Kill!” Yang Kai angrily roared as he raised his spear. Immediately after, the 22 people on his side, who had been suppressing their auras since they appeared, rushed down like a tiger hunting its prey as they each went looking for their opponent.
Iron Blood Great Emperor and Bustling World Great Emperor headed straight towards Pei Wen Xuan together.
Martial Beast and Serene Soul charged straight at Yin Xin Zhao.
Flower Shadow and Ice Feather attacked Dan Yang together.
Wondrous Pill and Heavens Revelation fought Huang Mao together.
Fang Yue and Xiang Ying were thus left with no choice but to go after Zi Yan.
As men, they really did not want to gang up on a lone woman, but since everyone had already decided on this strategy, they had no choice but to accept it.
The eight Great Emperors, as well as Fang Yue and Xiang Ying, were Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who had advanced in recent years. Their foundations were shallow, and could not compare with veteran Sixth-Order Heavenly Monarchs like Dan Yang and Huang Mao, or even Zi Yan, Pei Wen Xuan, and Yin Xin Zhao.
In a one-on-one fight, they were definitely not their opponent.
But two against one was naturally not a problem.
They were also in desperate need of a fierce battle to consolidate their cultivations and adapt to the battles between Open Heaven Realm Masters. In the Star Boundary’s Great Territory, the Great Emperors had not had a chance to act because they had all gone to the Star Boundary to support Yang Kai. Now, their wish had finally come true.
Although the Void Land cultivators weren’t at their peak because of the last battle, the same was true for Yin Xin Zhao, Pei Wen Xuan and the others. Everyone’s situation was similar and neither was better off than the other.
On top of that, Yin Xin Zhao and the others had just suffered under the joint pressure exerted by those from Void Land just now, which had put them at a disadvantage.
For the moment, Void Land had the absolute upper hand in their respective battlefields, leaving Yin Xin Zhao and the others bruised and battered.
The peaks in the vicinity collapsed one after another as the Heavens were torn asunder and the Earth was split apart. The fallout from a battle between Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were extremely terrifying. Lu Bai Yang would have lost his life had he not left, even if he was a Great Emperor.
On the other side, the Three Mountain Lords, Hua Yong and Shu Mu Dan, Qing Kui, Su Ying Xue, Yue He, Mo Mei, Hui Gu, Luan Bai Feng, and Yang Kai as the leader together fought the Seventh-Order Master, Zuo Quan Hui in a twelve vs one battle.
To be honest, even twelve ordinary Sixth-Order Masters might not be able to defeat a Seventh-Order Master. Even if they somehow won by putting their lives on the line, the price they had to pay would be quite steep, and they might even be dragged down with them. Fortunately, Yang Kai was no ordinary Sixth-Order Master.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were extremely precious to Void Land, so how could Yang Kai bear to let Zuo Quan Hui kill anyone?
Wu Kuang’s sneak attack played an important role here. Zuo Quan Hui had not expected that a Myriad Demons Heaven disciple would attack him from behind.
When he had lured Yang Kai into attacking and piercing through the Territory Barrier, he had suffered severe injuries from Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear. On his way here, he did not have the time to heal himself and had only thought of a way to disperse the Golden Crow’s True Fire lingering around his wound. And the sneak attack had only made his injuries worse.
At this moment, Zuo Quan Hui could only exert about 70% of his peak strength! Perhaps even worse.
If Zuo Quan Hui escaped even in these conditions, Yang Kai would simply stab himself to death with his own spear.
As soon as they began fighting, Zuo Quan Hui was forced to retreat again and again. Although he was recklessly waving his sword and spending his World Force, he was still unable to withstand the combined onslaught of twelve Sixth-Order Masters. Yang Kai’s spear struck his shoulder and sent him flying in just a few breaths of time as a dozen or so Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques followed closely behind. It immediately caused Zuo Quan Hui’s eyes to widen in anger as he drew a circle with his sword, barely managing to block the oncoming attacks.
Even so, his vitality was sent into turmoil from the impact.
Void Land’s group launched another salvo without giving Zuo Quan Hui even a moment to catch his breath. One after another, multi-coloured flashes of their Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques glimmered before bursting into dazzling halos, destroying everything in their path!
With a loud crash, dust and pieces of rocks flew into the air, as a figure draped in Demon Qi flew out from the cloud of dust and smoke. It just so happened that Zuo Quan Hui’s back was towards the figure. The Demon Qi in the figure’s hands transformed into two Demon Dragons as they flew straight towards Zuo Quan Hui, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws. Close behind the Demon Dragons was the figure, heading straight at Zuo Quan Hui.
Zuo Quan Hui let out a cold snort and slashed out with his sword, blasting the Demon Dragons into smithereens. Afterwards, the long sword that was wrapped in intense World Force continued moving straight towards the figure’s head.
With a deranged smile on its face, the figure wrapped in Demon Qi didn’t even try to dodge. Its body was covered in blood as if it didn’t seem to care about its life and was ready to die with Zuo Quan Hui.
Just when the sword wave was a hundred metres away from the figure, the Azure Dragon Spear broke through the barrier of space and shot straight towards Zuo Quan Hui’s back. There was a fist-sized black ball on the tip of the spear, releasing the aura of nihility and chaos.
Zuo Quan Hui furrowed his brow and he flicked his wrist, sending his sword flying towards the spear.
The black ball instantly exploded, transforming into a black hole that swallowed everything around it.
Yang Kai was also sent back flying by the violent blast of energy. From the left, Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, and Zhou Ya left three long streaks of light as they brushed past Yang Kai, while from the right, Luan Bai Feng, Hui Gu, and Hua Yong swooped in, filling the gap in their defences.
The seven of them used their Divine Abilities to bombard Zuo Quan Hui, not giving him a single moment to regain his balance.
At the same time, Yue He and Mo Mei flew over, supporting Yang Kai’s tumbling body and stabilizing him in mid-air. Yang Kai, taking a deep breath and rejoined the attack with the two women as their momentum soared!
In this chaotic confrontation, the twelve Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land were like a wheel, attacking Zuo Quan Hui in turn without rest. Even though Zuo Quan Hui was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, he was struggling to defend himself.
“Not dead yet?” Yang Kai glanced over at Wu Kuang, taking a moment away from the intense fight. The figure clad in Demon Qi was none other than Wu Kuang. He had been sent flying by the sword strike when he tried to sneak attack Zuo Quan Hui. The sword attack left a gaping cut on his face, as well as on his chest and abdomen; however, he didn’t seem to feel any pain. Rather, the more he fought, the more berserk he became.
Wu Kuang laughed loudly, “A good man does not live long, but a scourge lives a thousand years. This King is destined to exist for as long as the Universe does!”
Yang Kai curled his lips and stated, “At least you have some self-awareness!”
Wu Kuang’s expression suddenly became serious, “You owe me this time. I expect to be compensated fairly!”
Yang Kai replied, “Fine, if you have any requests, feel free to ask. Whether or not I’ll fulfil them will depend on my mood though.”
Wu Kuang moved to Zuo Quan Hui’s flank, waiting for an opportunity to unleash a series of Divine Abilities as he shouted, “I want this old dog!”
As he stated his request, his eyes lit up as he stretched out his tongue, licking his lips as an evil aura started emanating from him. Yue He and Mo Mei beside Yang Kai suddenly shivered at the sight of this.
They still didn’t know what kind of friendship Yang Kai had with this Myriad Demons Heaven disciple for him to be willing to cooperate with them and ambush Zuo Quan Hui, a Seventh-Order Master, but they instinctively felt that this guy wasn’t a good person.
Wu Kuang’s request further caused Yue He and Mo Mei’s brows to inexplicably furrow.
Yang Kai’s face twitched as he resolutely declared, “Ask for something else!”
Others might not know what Wu Kuang meant, but Yang Kai did. Wu Kuang cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so it was obvious he was interested in Zuo Quan Hui’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation.
“No!” Wu Kuang firmly refused. The last time he had devoured a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with his Heaven Devouring Battle Law, his cultivation had soared tremendously. After having tasted such sweetness, Wu Kuang simply found anyone in the Third, Fourth, or even Fifth-Order bland now.
How could he be willing to give up such a big pie like the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Master before them? As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he was willing to risk his life.
“Arrogant brat!” Zuo Quan Hui roared in anger. Yang Kai and Wu Kuang were talking like he was already a fish on the chopping board, completely at their mercy. As a Seventh-Order Master, how could he not be angry?
He had never suffered such humiliation in his life.
However, no matter how angry he was, he could not reverse this situation.
The last time he was in Void Territory, Yang Kai and the three Mountain Lords of the Profound Yang Mountain had been able to barely match him. Although they had been at a disadvantage in every aspect, they were already qualified to fight him.
Now, there were twelve Sixth-Order Masters of Void Land fighting him, three times more than previously. He had also suffered multiple injuries and was no longer at his peak, so how could he be their opponent?
With a dazzling strike, Zuo Quan Hui split the ground and the sky before putting a distance from his attackers. The next moment, his figure flickered and actually transformed into three clones.
Everyone promptly spread their Divine Sense, but the next moment, all of them looked surprised.
The three figures were exactly the same. They were unable to differentiate which one was real and which one was a decoy. They had never heard or seen such Divine Ability before.
The three Zuo Quan Huis wore the same expression and even their movements were fluid and lifelike. As soon as they appeared, they rushed forward in three different directions. As everyone worked together to block the three Zuo Quan Huis, they were shocked to discover that these three Zuo Quan Huis possessed the full strength of his true body!
For a moment, everyone was thrown into confusion.
The power of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was really frightening!
Suddenly, two of three Zuo Quan Huis distorted and collapsed, leaving behind only one of them who had broken through everyone’s encirclement and was now less than 1,000 metres away from Yang Kai. He wore a grim and serious look on his face. The sword in his hand thrummed as he poured his World Force into it and swung it towards Yang Kai. Immediately after, a shocking sword wave shot out, shattering space wherever it passed.
An indescribable sense of crisis engulfed Yang Kai, causing his heart to clench tight. He realized that Zuo Quan Hui knew that it would be difficult for him to fight everyone at once, so he had decided to attack him.
Everyone understood the principle of killing a General to subdue his men!
Yue He and Mo Mei, who had been standing together with Yang Kai, transformed into two streaks of light as they fearlessly rushed forward. They released their Divine Abilities, but were still unable to slow the sword wave even a bit.
Muffled grunts escaped from their mouths as the Sword Intent struck them. Under the unbearable pressure of the World Force, both of them spat out a mouthful of blood and were thrown back.
Yang Kai promptly put his Azure Dragon Spear aside and quickly formed a series of hand seals.
The next moment, the Golden Crow cried out and a Great Sun rose, brightly illuminating the world.
After the Sun, a cold, round Moon also rose up as frigid moonlight slowly spread out.
The sight of the Sun and Moon shining together was a wondrous sight!
Yang Kai pushed both his Space Principles and Time Principles to their limit.
The golden Sun and the silver Moon began rotating, transforming into a golden and silver wheel that seemed to cut through thousands of years of time. Everything else in this world seemed to have come to a standstill at that moment, with only the lone High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master remaining unaffected.
The Sun and Moon Divine Wheel had appeared again!
Zuo Quan Hui’s pupils instantly shrank.
Last time, he had been injured by Yang Kai’s Sun and Moon Divine Wheel in a moment of carelessness, which forced him to retreat from Void Territory and head to Heavenly Sword Territory to recuperate.
He still remembered the strange power that gnawed at him like maggots on rotting bones. He had never seen such a strange power in his entire life. It was a mixture of Time and Space Principles, a might that transcended anything he had comprehended or experienced before.
He had spent a great deal of effort to disperse the Space-Time Strength which had invaded his body and had lost hundreds of years of his lifespan as a result.
He knew better than anyone how difficult and terrifying this strange power was.
Originally, Zuo Quan Hui thought that Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to grow much in just a few years, but now that Yang Kai’s Sun and Moon Divine Wheel appeared before him again, he realized he was wrong.
In just a few short years, Yang Kai’s comprehension of this Divine Ability had clearly risen to a whole new level. Compared to when he had used it that day, the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel today was far more powerful!
The Sun and Moon Divine Wheel’s foundation was its composite Space-Time Strength. It contained both Time and Space Principles. The Dao of Space was Yang Kai’s Grand Dao, and Yang Kai had already reached the seventh level, Summiting the Peak, in his comprehension of it, bordering on Transcending the Mundane.
However, his comprehension of the Dao of Time was vastly inferior to that of his Dao of Space.
Fortunately, Void Land had the Legacy Inheritance of Flowing Time Great Emperor! Flowing Time Great Emperor was the true Master of the Dao of Time.
Entering retreat in the Flowing Time Temple while engaging in discussion with Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had allowed Yang Kai to make a breakthrough in his Mastery over the Dao of Time. Although it still wasn’t as good as his own Dao of Space, it was more than enough for him to improve the might of his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel.
The current Sun and Moon Divine Wheel was more than 20% stronger than the past!
Yang Kai had specially kept this as a surprise for Zuo Quan Hui. Originally, he had wanted to use this move to end everything, but the situation on the battlefield had completely changed. Since Zuo Quan Hui wanted to consign him to death, regardless of the cost, Yang Kai had no choice but to reveal this card.
At this moment, each passing breath felt like a million years had passed.
A loud bang reverberated through the sky as a terrifying shockwave spread out in all directions. The shocking sword wave shattered and transformed into countless thin strands of Sword Qi, causing the surrounding space to be riddled with cracks. Even the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land were unable to withstand this fallout and were all covered in blood.
Yang Kai was also struck in the chest by the remnants of the Sword Qi and was sent flying with wounds so deep that even his bones were visible.
Zuo Quan Hui didn’t fare any better. Although the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel’s power had been reduced by more than half by his sword wave, the remaining Space-Time Strength still continued to head towards him.
Even with his cultivation, he was unable to avoid this blow. Just like last time, when the golden and silver Divine Wheel crashed into his body, a terrifying power burst out and strangely seeped into his body, directly attacking his Small Universe.
In an instant, Zuo Quan Hui’s footing became unstable and everything went white before his eyes. His Small Universe became even more unstable and, at the same time, his exposed skin began to wrinkle and crack.
A Dragon swimming in the shallows could be toyed with by a shrimp, a Tiger could be bullied by a dog if it left its mountain! Zuo Quan Hui was livid.
In order to lure Yang Kai into breaking the Territory Barrier, he had taken a great risk. Although he had successfully forced Yang Kai to open a Territory Gate, he had not been able to completely avoid the blow at that time and was seriously injured.
If not for this, he wouldn’t have come to this Blue Clouds Continent to refine its foundation to supplement his energy.
On top of that, he had been caught off guard by the sneak attack of the Myriad Demons Heaven disciple, making a bad situation worse.
If that wasn’t the case, how could he be at such a disadvantage?
After a while, the shockwaves from the collision gradually subsided.
Yang Kai’s figure left a trail in the air as he struggled to stabilize his retreating figure. When he finally stood firm and looked up, he saw a streak of light flying towards the horizon.
“You want to run?” Yang Kai fiercely shouted as he raised his Azure Dragon Spear, and chased after him.
The Sun and Moon Divine Wheel had exhausted him greatly and he had not fully recovered to begin with, so now he was even more exhausted. However, Yang Kai could not miss this opportunity. If he did not eliminate Zuo Quan Hui this time, he might not have such a good opportunity next time.
Pushing his Space Principles, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and disappeared from his original position. When he reappeared, he turned around and thrust his spear out.
He happened to be standing right before Zuo Quan Hui, who was fleeing straight towards him!
Zuo Quan Hui was obviously prepared for this, as escaping in front of someone who was proficient in Dao of Space was simply too unrealistic. As a result, this spear strike didn’t do anything to him and instead, he managed to hit Yang Kai several times until the latter was coughing up blood.
In a one-on-one fight, Yang Kai was no match for Zuo Quan Hui.
Fortunately, Void Land’s Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had caught up in this brief delay, unleashing their respective Divine Abilities as their World Force surged violently, pushing Zuo Quan Hui back down to the ground.
A strong wind blew and his clothes fluttered.
Next to Tranquil Heavens Peak, Zuo Quan Hui stood with dishevelled hair, his long robe stained with blood. It was unclear whether this blood belonged to him or his enemies, but he no longer possessed the aloof air of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
With Yang Kai in the lead, a total of thirteen Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters surrounded Zuo Quan Hui from every direction, firmly locking him in place.
He could not escape, not to the sky, nor towards the ground! He had never imagined that he would one day fall into such a predicament.
Be that as it may, Zuo Quan Hui didn’t show any sign of anger or frustration. His expression remained the same as he swept his eyes over everyone present, seemingly trying to imprint their faces into the depths of his soul.
His indifferent gaze was like a sharp blade, and when it swept across them, even these Masters felt their skin being pricked.
Yang Kai took out a handful of Open Heaven Pills and tossed them into his mouth and started chewing them, taking this opportunity to restore some of his energy. He then pointed his Azure Dragon Spear at Zuo Quan Hui and stated, “The sooner you die, the sooner you can be reborn. You’re already so old, why bother making things difficult for yourself?”
Zuo Quan Hui turned his eyes towards Yang Kai as he indifferently replied, “This Monarch has underestimated you. This Monarch has only himself to blame for falling into such a state today.”
Yang Kai praised, “It’s good to know one’s own limits. Since you have realized this, just obediently stand still. Don’t worry, I’ll end this in one thrust so you won’t feel any pain!”
Zuo Quan Hui slowly shook his head, “It won’t be that easy to kill this Monarch. Yang Kai, how about this Monarch makes a deal with you?”
“A deal?” Yang Kai looked at him with an arrogant look on his face, “Do you think you have the qualifications to negotiate a deal with me in this situation? If I give the order, do you believe you’ll immediately be reduced into a pile of mud?”
As he spoke, he kept tossing the Open Heaven Pills into his mouth, and at the same time, signalled the others with his eyes, making sure they were ready to respond.
Although Zuo Quan Hui seemed to be at his wit’s end, if a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master were to lash out without regard for his own life, Yang Kai couldn’t predict what kind of methods he could use. It was impossible for Zuo Quan Hui to escape, but Yang Kai had to be on guard against him dragging some of them down with him before he died.
Thus, even though he had the upper hand, Yang Kai didn’t dare to lower his guard in the slightest. On the contrary, he became even more vigilant than before, madly urging his Divine Sense. The moment he noticed Zuo Quan Hui doing anything suspicious, he would instantly go for the kill.
“You can give it a try!” Zuo Quan Hui calmly stated, showing a fearless expression.
Yang Kai instinctively felt that this guy was purposefully trying to mystify things, but he didn’t dare to take the risk, so he could only follow up, “Then tell me, what kind of deal do you want to make with me?”
Yang Kai threw bunches of Open Heaven Pills into his mouth like he was eating candy. He was more than happy to delay things so he could restore more of his strength. In this short time, he had already consumed more than 100 Open Heaven Pills.
*Munch Munch Munch*
Those from Void Land followed suit and began chewing on Open Heaven Pills loudly, annoying Zuo Quan Hui.
They could take this opportunity to recover, but he could not. He could guarantee that once he tried, he would be swarmed with attacks from every direction.
“Put today’s matter to rest right here and now and let me leave with Zi Yan. Everything that happened in the past will be written off.” Zuo Quan Hui earnestly looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai quietly looked at him for a while, and when he realized that there was nothing else Zuo Quan Hui had to add, he mumbled incoherently, “Just like that?”
Zuo Quan Hui nodded his agreement, “Yes!”
“Hmm…” Yang Kai mumbled to himself. His throat bobbed as he swallowed before he took out a Spirit Fruit from somewhere. He then lowered his head and carefully wiped it after finding a clean spot on his clothes, “I need to think about it. Your request is a bit excessive, it’s not something I can easily agree to.”
Zuo Quan Hui sneered in his heart. Yang Kai was clearly stalling and using this opportunity to recover; how could he not see through this little trick? But even though this kind of recovery could have some effect, it wasn’t very useful.
However, when Yang Kai took out the Spirit Fruit, Zuo Quan Hui furrowed his brow.
Because even with his knowledge and experience, he couldn’t tell what kind of Spirit Fruit it was.
Under his watchful gaze, Yang Kai opened his mouth wide and stuffed the entire fruit into his mouth, chewing it a few times before swallowing it whole.
His throat bobbed up and down once more, clearly showing him swallowing something.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s expression changed as he reached out and covered his mouth before sealing his seven orifices. Immediately after, loud rumbles came from inside Yang Kai’s body as if thunder was rolling inside him. His clothes even started fluttering on their own as rich World Force escaped from his pores.
“What did you just eat?” Zuo Quan Hui suddenly felt that something was not right as he could clearly see Yang Kai’s aura rising rapidly!
Yang Kai still had his mouth covered as he madly refined the Spirit Fruit’s pulp. He narrowed his eyes and smiled at Zuo Quan Hui as if he was looking at prey trapped in a cage.
Zuo Quan Hui’s eyes narrowed as he finally reacted, “A World Fruit?”
“Burp…” Yang Kai loudly belched, burping up a gush of World Force visible to the naked eye. At the same time, he waved his other hand like a rattle drum, “No, no, you are mistaken.”
How could Zuo Quan Hui listen to his explanation? He angrily shouted, “You cunning brat, you forced me to do this! Let’s see who dies today, whether it will be you or me!”
Yang Kai also shouted at the same time, “Attack!”
From beginning to end, Yang Kai had no intention of letting Zuo Quan Hui off. Without even mentioning his ridiculous request to ‘negotiate’, even if he had proposed a feasible offer, Yang Kai wouldn’t have listened to it.
After having paid such a huge price to force this old bastard into a desperate situation, how could he let him escape so easily?
Allowing a tiger to return to the mountain would only lead to disaster as it would surely return to bite him in the future.
The only reason Yang Kai even bothered talking just now was to allow his side to recover slightly, hopefully allowing them to use just one more Divine Ability at the critical moment to save themselves.
Be that as it may, using Open Heaven Pills to recover was simply too slow.
It was while Yang Kai was grumbling to himself about this that he suddenly remembered he had a number of World Fruits on him.
In the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary’s Primordial Land, Yang Kai had obtained a total of sixteen World Fruits from the World Tree, three Mid-Rank, and thirteen Low-Rank!
The three Mid-Rank fruits had already been used up. He had used one to advance from Fifth-Order to Sixth-Order, one had been used by Yue He, and one was used to help Lu Xue advance from the Fourth-Order to the Fifth-Order.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had only used one of the thirteen Low-Rank World Fruits, giving it to Guo Zi Yan, which helped him advance from the Second-Order to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai still had twelve Low-Rank World Fruits left.
Although World Fruits were rare and valuable treasures, a Low-Rank World Fruit was quite useless to him now, strictly speaking. This fruit could at most allow a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to advance to the Third-Order directly, but it was not enough to allow someone in the Third-Order to advance to the Fourth-Order, only a Mid-Rank World Fruit could do that.
Therefore, Yang Kai had simply held onto the remaining twelve World Fruits.
It wasn’t until this moment that he had a flash of inspiration.
He had personally consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit before and knew that it was filled with extremely rich World Force. And to top it off, it had no impurities; it could easily be refined, it just would not help an Open Heaven Realm Master advance by an Order.
A Low-Rank World Fruit naturally couldn’t allow him to break through to the Seventh Order, but it shouldn’t be a problem to supplement his consumption.
Figuring it was worth a try, he ate one.
The effect was immediate!
The World Force in his Small Universe was rapidly growing and he swiftly regained his strength. Although he had not recovered completely, Yang Kai still recovered about half of his energy. Furthermore, he was slowly recovering the rest of his energy as he refined the rest of the World Fruit.
Zuo Quan Hui had obviously noticed this as well, so he could not hesitate anymore. The trapped beast immediately began fighting back.
At Yang Kai’s command, the Sixth-Order Masters had already prepared their Divine Abilities in advance and fired them straight towards Zuo Quan Hui like a storm at this moment.
This time, Zuo Quan Hui did not dodge though and instead, a Universe World illusory phantom suddenly expanded with him at its centre!
The next moment, Zuo Quan Hui’s resolute voice rang out in Yang Kai’s ear, “Manifest my Universe and eliminate my foes!”
Heaven and Earth started spinning, and by the time Yang Kai thrust his spear out, the sight before him had completely changed. Zuo Quan Hui was nowhere to be seen, and even the twelve Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had disappeared.
Even the environment around him had changed dramatically.
Originally, they were above Tranquil Heavens Peak. The picturesque scenery of the Blue Clouds Continent’s Sacred Peak had been shattered by their battle, the sky had cracked and the ground was split apart, flipping the mountains and rivers. The entire sight looked quite apocalyptic. But at this moment, Yang Kai found himself standing in a green field.
The sky was blue and there was vast wilderness around him. There was nothing else in sight.
Yang Kai’s face turned pale. He instinctively thought that he had fallen into some kind of illusion and promptly used the Demon Eye of Annihilation, but he found nothing strange.
Zuo Quan Hui was nowhere to be seen, but his aura was all around Yang Kai, making Yang Kai feel as if Zuo Quan Hui was everywhere.
Realization suddenly dawned upon Yang Kai as he shouted, “His Small Universe!”
Yang Kai was not taken aback after realizing this, rather he burst into laughter, “Oh, Zuo Quan Hui, are you out of tricks? You even manifested your Small Universe!”
Had he not been at the end of his rope, why would Zuo Quan Hui have taken such a risk?
A High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s Small Universe had already transformed from ethereal to corporeal and was capable of accommodating living beings. It could even be said that if one were to raise some living beings in their own Small Universe, its foundation would be constantly enhanced as they multiplied, which was equivalent to constantly cultivating!
Inside Blood Monster Cave Heaven, the ancestors of Abundance City’s cultivators were the ones who had been raised by Blood Monster Divine Monarch in his Small Universe in the past.
Blood Monster Divine Monarch had fallen, but his Small Universe had not collapsed; instead, it transformed into a Universe Cave Heaven and survived. This allowed Yang Kai to bring Mo Mei and the others out of Abundance City.
Blood Monster Divine Monarch was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but even though Zuo Quan Hui was just a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he too was able to accomplish this.
Basically no Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would do this, however, because it was extremely taxing to raise living beings in one’s Small Universe. The environment of their Small Universe was not necessarily suitable for living beings to live and reproduce, and if they did not take care of this population well enough, all their efforts would wind up being fruitless.
What’s more, when fighting others, once their Small Universe became unstable, it could quite possibly lead to natural disasters, causing the many living beings inside it to die.
Therefore, Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were extremely cautious when it came to raising living beings in their Small Universes. Being qualified to do so was one thing, but whether or not one would was another.
Zuo Quan Hui wasn’t rearing any kind of living beings in his Small Universe, so he knew his limits. A Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wasn’t invincible, so instead of wasting his time and energy on such a risky pursuit, he might as well refine Open Heaven Pills.
Nonetheless, as a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe had indeed become tangible.
At this moment, Yang Kai was inside Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe!
Yang Kai had brought over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Territory all the way to the Star Boundary’s Great Territory by putting them into his Small Universe.
However, sending people into one’s Small Universe required their cooperation. The people he had placed inside could not have any thought of resisting; otherwise, Yang Kai would have had to spend a great deal of effort even if he could put them inside.
Zuo Quan Hui was obviously using a different approach because Yang Kai didn’t feel any force pulling him in.
Zuo Quan Hui had actually done the reverse, summoning his Small Universe and manifesting it into the outside world, essentially engulfing everyone and everything that was in his Small Universe’s range.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but recall some of the things the Proprietress had told him before she went into seclusion, including how Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters used their Small Universes!
The Proprietress said that once a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master used his or her Small Universe like this against an enemy, it would mean that he or she had really decided to fight with their life on the line. This was also the most powerful method a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master could use, a trump card every High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master possessed.
Because in their own Small Universe, they ruled over everything, just like how Yang Kai once ruled over the Small Sealed World.
So, when he noticed that Zuo Quan Hui had actually summoned his Small Universe, Yang Kai was both surprised and happy.
What surprised Yang Kai was that Zuo Quan Hui had decided to go all out. He might have really decided that he would not rest until either Yang Kai was dead or he was. Yang Kai was happy because if he could resolve this situation, Zuo Quan Hui would definitely die today!
This was a crisis, but also an opportunity!
Yang Kai took a long, deep breath as he immersed himself in his thoughts, carefully recalling what the Proprietress had said before she went into seclusion.
The injured Zuo Quan Hui was besieged by over a dozen Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Zuo Quan Hui realized that he was no match for them, so he summoned his Small Universe without a moment of hesitation. It wasn’t that he didn’t know the risks of doing so, but rather that he had no other choice.
By pulling everyone in his Small Universe, he would be able to control the battle more easily. At the very least, he had dispersed Void Land’s Masters. Now, he could fight them individually rather than as a group.
It was just like how Yang Kai was all alone at this moment. Everyone had clearly been with him, but they had all disappeared now.
However, doing so was extremely risky as well.
Firstly, by manifesting his Small Universe, Zuo Quan Hui could only use his full strength to control the various elements inside the Small Universe and could no longer interfere with the outside world. In other words, the Small Universe he summoned became a fixed target. If someone tried to attack him from the outside, he would be unable to resist and could only passively endure.
Secondly, taking more than a dozen Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters into his Small Universe posed a huge risk. All the damage Yang Kai and his friends caused to the Small Universe would damage Zuo Quan Hui’s foundation directly. This kind of damage to one’s Small Universe was extremely dangerous.
Only if there was no other choice would a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master be willing to use such a method.
As such, Zuo Quan Hui was obviously desperate!
Yang Kai was also certain that not only had Zuo Quan Hui taken him into this place, but he had also not let any of the dozen or so Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land escape. After all, everyone had been standing not too far away from him, so he would otherwise have to be on guard against any attacks from the outside!
Thinking this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but break into laughter. “Zuo Quan Hui, you really outthought yourself! No one can save you from dying today!”
Without any more delay, Yang Kai’s body rapidly expanded as he let out a Dragon Roar. His small body transformed into a several thousand metres tall Half-Dragon and the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand grew proportionally bigger.
He then mobilized his World Force as he thrust his spear forward, releasing a violent burst of energy that caused the world around him to collapse.
Since this place was Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe, Yang Kai did not have any scruples when he acted. All he needed to do was use his most powerful methods and wreck the surrounding world as much as possible.
There was also no need to seek out Zuo Quan Hui as he could come and go as he pleased in this place. Even Yang Kai, who was proficient in the Dao of Space, might not be able to catch him.
Zuo Quan Hui was nowhere, but he was also everywhere. All the damage Yang Kai caused to this world would cause some degree of damage to Zuo Quan Hui.
What Yang Kai could do now was try his best to attract Zuo Quan Hui’s attention. Yang Kai wanted to make Zuo Quan Hui divert at least 60% of his focus onto him; this way, Zuo Quan Hui wouldn’t be able to focus much of his strength on dealing with the other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land.
After all, not everyone was as strong as him. If Zuo Quan Hui were to use his full strength to deal with any one of them, the others would find it very hard to resist.
The ground split apart as huge ravines spread out like a spider web. Even the sky was riddled with tiny cracks.
Yang Kai was unleashing his strength to his heart’s content, not caring about anything else. Space Principles pulsated violently and every time he thrust his spear out, a giant black ball would explode from its tip, transforming into a black hole that swallowed everything around it.
His Rupture Secret Technique was the best method Yang Kai had to destroy the foundations of Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe.
Coupled with his enormous Half-Dragon Form, the entire space around Yang Kai had been shattered after a dozen or so strikes. But much to his surprise, Zuo Quan Hui did not even try to counterattack.
Yang Kai clenched his teeth and coldly snorted. “You dare ignore me? Zuo Quan Hui, you’re quite courageous!”
Yang Kai hadn’t encountered any obstructions up until now. Obviously, Zuo Quan Hui hadn’t paid any attention to him. Zuo Quan Hui also knew that Yang Kai was the strongest among the Sixth-Order Masters from Void Land, far surpassing what should be possible for an ordinary Sixth-Order Master. He could not possibly kill him in just a few moves.
As such, his intentions were clear. He was planning to deal with the others first, then he would slowly handle Yang Kai.
How could Yang Kai allow Zuo Quan Hui to do as he wished? He used his entire strength to cause as much damage as possible here in order to draw Zuo Quan Hui’s attention as the more he could cause Zuo Quan Hui to divert his focus, the safer the others would be.
Seeing that ordinary methods weren’t effective, Yang Kai decided to go all out. A Golden Crow let out a cry as a Great Sun rose into the sky, followed by a round silver Moon. The Sun and Moon began cycling as a gold and silver wheel expanded and Space and Time Principles spread into the surroundings.
The Sun and Moon Divine Wheel had appeared again!
This time, he did not have to worry about Zuo Quan Hui blocking or dodging. This was the latter’s Small Universe, so Zuo Quan Hui was everywhere and had nowhere to hide!
Originally, Yang Kai had expended a great deal of his energy, so he was unable to display the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel again, but after consuming a Low-Rank World Fruit, he was simply brimming with energy, allowing him to use it once more.
The strange Space-Time Strength filled the air. Wherever the Divine Wheel passed by, everything cracked, crumbled, and withered away. Not only did the solid ground become like this, but it was even true for the empty sky. Moreover, the Space-Time Strength was crazily spreading in all directions, forming a crystallized world wherever it passed by. It looked beautiful, but it was also filled with endless murderous intent.
Right then, the surrounding World Force started surging before transforming into a series of Divine Abilities that flew straight towards the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, intercepting it.
Since Zuo Quan Hui had pulled the Void Land Masters into his Small Universe, he naturally wouldn’t sit back and wait for death. Once Yang Kai displayed the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, he had no choice but to stop him no matter how unwilling he was.
He had been affected by this Space-Time Strength before, so he was well aware of how terrifying this strange energy was. If he allowed Yang Kai to do as he pleased, his foundation would be greatly damaged even if he managed to escape this time.
Boundless Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques blotted out the sky and earth. Furthermore, Zuo Quan Hui did it with just one thought. As the ruler of his Small Universe, he naturally had many advantages in this place.
After spending a great deal of energy, Zuo Quan Hui was finally able to completely block the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, but the battlefield was already a mess and the strange Space-Time Strength had begun corroding his Small Universe’s foundation.
Zuo Quan Hui had no choice but to use even more of his strength to seal this Space-Time Strength, hoping to slowly eliminate it after this battle was over.
Elsewhere, Hui Gu stood there with cold sweat dripping down his forehead and blood dripping down his nose.
Just now, he thought he was going to die, but for some reason, the might of the sword wave attacking him had greatly reduced at the critical moment, allowing him to survive.
He vaguely guessed that someone else must have pulled Zuo Quan Hui’s attention, saving his life.
Without delaying for even a single moment, he promptly pushed his strength to the limit and destroyed everything around him.
Since Yang Kai could figure out that this was Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe, naturally everyone else understood this as well, especially the veteran Sixth-Order Masters like Hui Gu. Even if they had never fought with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master before, they had at least heard of their unique methods and could match them with their current situation.
Similar to the Hui Gu, Luan Bai Feng’s figure kept moving like a nimble snake. She never stopped at one place to avoid being targeted by Zuo Quan Hui.
She was holding a bunch of Array Plates in her hand and was continuously throwing them out. These Array Plates would form Killing Arrays one after another after they were activated, wantonly destroying everything around them.
She had used up all of the Array Plates she had amassed over nearly 1,000 years in no time, causing her a great deal of heartache.
Ever since her name had been put on Yang Kai’s Loyalty List, the Array Plates she had amassed were being rapidly consumed one after another. Previously, she had used up many Array Plates to set up a number of Illusion Arrays and Bewildering Arrays in the Star Boundary’s Great Territory. Now, she had expended most of her Killing Array Plates.
The wealth she had gathered over these years was all gone.
She secretly made up her mind that after this was all over, she would make Yang Kai compensate her ten times or even a hundred times over.
Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, Zhou Ya, Hua Yong, Shu Mu Dan, Qing Kui, Su Ying Xue, Mo Mei, and Yue He were all separated, but each of them was simultaneously launching their strongest attacks.
Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe instantly became unstable as his World Force churned. Even with his Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, he still ran himself haggard, dealing with everyone.
One figure in particular, clad in Demon Qi, stood atop a tall mountain. After entering this Small Universe, Wu Kuang’s eyes lit up as he sensed everything around him.
The surroundings were filled with extremely rich World Force. It was like a mouth-watering feast was spread before him, exuding a delicious scent!
“Since Martial Uncle Zuo is being so hospitable, then your Martial Nephew won’t stand on ceremony with you!” Wu Kuang grinned maliciously as he sat down cross-legged and activated his Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Immediately after, his body seemingly transformed into a bottomless pit as the World Force in the surroundings swirled towards him.
In an extremely short period of time, Wu Kuang had pushed his Heaven Devouring Battle Law to its limit and devoured all of the nearby World Force! Wu Kuang couldn’t help the look of glee that appeared on his face, feeling the endless stream of pure energy.
His expression gave the impression of a perverted hungry ghost holding a warm and fragrant body, as if he could devour its body and soul!
When others were pulled into this Small Universe by Zuo Quan Hui, they could only use everything they had to wreak as much destruction as possible. This was even true for someone as strong as Yang Kai, but Wu Kuang was different. He could devour the Small Universe’s foundation directly and strengthen himself in the process.
Zuo Quan Hui had not expected this, and this was his biggest mistake.
He thought that Wu Kuang had advanced to the Sixth Order from the Fifth Order during the last battle, but he had no idea that Wu Kuang had reached the Sixth Order long ago. It was just that he had been carefully hiding his Sixth-Order cultivation to the end in order to track down Zuo Quan Hui and inform Yang Kai.
They might not have discussed any plans beforehand, but Wu Kuang was sure that Yang Kai understood his thoughts, and Yang Kai was sure that Wu Kuang understood his. To a certain extent, their hearts were connected.
Destruction and devouring were two completely different things. The reckless destruction Yang Kai and his friends had caused to the Small Universe would undoubtedly bring great damage to Zuo Quan Hui’s foundation, but their efficiency was far lower than Wu Kuang’s.
The Small Universe’s foundation began to rapidly deplete as the devouring took place! On the other hand, Wu Kuang’s aura gradually grew stronger.
Yang Kai could clearly feel that Zuo Quan Hui’s interference with him had taken a huge dive and laughed loudly as he continued to bombard his surroundings, “You finally noticed? But what to do? It’s too late!”
A figure suddenly appeared not far from Yang Kai. It was none other than Zuo Quan Hui, who had been hiding all this time. At this moment, this High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s face was slightly pale and he was fuming in rage. He raised his long sword and asked, pointing it at Yang Kai and glaring at him, “You knew this was going to happen!?”
Yang Kai thrust his spear towards him, blotting the sky with spear shadows, his face beaming with joy as he taunted, “Guess!”
Zuo Quan Hui’s figure did not move, but an enormous sword wave shot forward, shattering the spear shadows and heading straight towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai quickly retreated, blocking that enormous sword wave that spanned across the sky, but the next moment, his heart suddenly clenched as he threw himself to the ground.
A bolt of lightning came rumbling from behind, brushing past his scalp, burning a few strands of his hair.
Yang Kai stood back up again, but he had broken into a cold sweat. It was indeed difficult to fight with someone inside their Small Universe, not to mention that this opponent was a High-Rank Master. Although Zuo Quan Hui had not fully recovered from his injuries, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse.
But he had no choice but to fight on!
“Who are you? You are definitely not a Myriad Demons Heaven disciple!”
On another side, Wu Kuang was no longer able to calmly continue devouring in peace. In fact, when he activated his Heaven Devouring Battle Law, Zuo Quan Hui appeared before him out of thin air, slashing at him.
Wu Kuang was so flustered that he quickly counterattacked and fled. However, after exchanging blows with Zuo Quan Hui, Wu Kuang discovered that there was something wrong with this Zuo Quan Hui. He didn’t appear to be real, but more like a projection; he also didn’t have the strength of a Seventh-Order Master.
Wu Kuang might be fleeing in panic at the sight of Zuo Quan Hui chasing after him, but he was not completely helpless.
He realized that Zuo Quan Hui could not divert too much attention to his side, which was why he was so weak. Having realized this, Wu Kuang greatly calmed down. While running around in circles, he circulated his Heaven Devouring Battle Law, greedily devouring the surrounding World Force. There was a malicious grin hanging on his face as he responded, “Of course I’m a Myriad Demons Heaven disciple, why is Martial Uncle Zuo asking such a question?”
Zuo Quan Hui didn’t appear to have taken any action, but he appeared in front of Wu Kuang like a ghost and gently thrust out his sword. Had Wu Kuang not been constantly changing his position, it would have been next to impossible to avoid this sword strike for him.
“Myriad Demons Heaven definitely does not have such an evil technique, what kind of Secret Art are you cultivating!?” Zuo Quan Hui shouted, gnashing his teeth as a sliver of fear could be seen in his eyes. He had never seen such an evil technique before, and much to his surprise, it could actually swallow his Small Universe’s foundation and make use of it. This kind of Secret Art went against the Heavens. If everyone could cultivate it, it would not be this difficult to break through to the Open Heaven Realm.
Among the dozen or so Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters he had pulled into his Small Universe, Yang Kai’s was undoubtedly the strongest, but if there was anyone who posed the greatest threat to him, it would be this Myriad Demons Heaven disciple before him!
Even now, Zuo Quan Hui still couldn’t understand why Myriad Demons Heaven’s own men would ambush him!
Meanwhile, Zuo Quan Hui’s projection also appeared in front of the other Sixth-Order Masters of Void Land. Be that as it may, these projections weren’t very strong at all; they were at most on par with their respective opponents, some of them even slightly weaker. Occasionally, they would launch a fierce attack, but it was clearly not working. Obviously, Zuo Quan Hui was too distracted to control them all.
At first, everyone was shocked by Zuo Quan Hui’s sudden appearance. Even a sickly tiger was quite fierce, so no one was confident facing a Seventh-Order Master.
But after exchanging a few blows, they discovered the truth and no longer panicked.
The dozen or so battlefields were like a raging wildfire. Each time they clashed, they would cause damage to Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe to a certain extent, whereas Wu Kuang was constantly using his Heaven Devouring Battle Law to devour Zuo Quan Hui’s foundation.
Yang Kai’s several thousand metres tall Half-Dragon Form was riddled with wounds and had many places where his Dragon Scales were blown off, a shocking sight to behold. Zuo Quan Hui had placed most of his attention on him, giving Yang Kai a really hard time. Although his life was in no danger, being constantly suppressed was not very enjoyable.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai was more than happy to see this status quo maintained. The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for Zuo Quan Hui, and once he reached his limit, he would lose for sure!
Zuo Quan Hui was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so how could he fail to realize this? He was thinking of taking down Yang Kai first and then dealing with the others one by one. As long as Yang Kai died, it did not matter how many Sixth-Order Masters Void Land had.
But after a while, he realized that it was easier said than done. Even if he could push Yang Kai into a corner, he wouldn’t be defeated so easily.
Since things had come to this, he could only change his strategy.
As the two figures clashed, Yang Kai’s spear struck Zuo Quan Hui’s figure, but no blood flowed out. Yang Kai wasn’t surprised either; he had already noticed that Zuo Quan Hui wasn’t a real entity, but a lifelike projection.
Suddenly, Yang Kai raised his spear and looked around, but he could not spot Zuo Quan Hui. Even his barrage of attacks which had never ceased had stopped.
Yang Kai’s heart clenched.
This undoubtedly meant that Zuo Quan Hui had no intention of hounding him and had instead focused his attention elsewhere. And on Void Land’s side, Wu Kuang was the biggest threat to Zuo Quan Hui.
Wu Kuang was in danger!
Although Yang Kai could take this opportunity to vandalize Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe, Wu Kuang would probably be killed by Zuo Quan Hui in less than ten breaths.
Yang Kai instantly spread out his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t sense anyone’s aura, let alone find Wu Kuang’s location. Zuo Quan Hui’s aura was all around him and disrupting him.
[What should I do to get out of this?] Yang Kai asked himself. He couldn’t save Wu Kuang if he couldn’t find him.
Furthermore, once Zuo Quan Hui killed Wu Kuang and the others, he could not be stopped.
And Yang Kai would definitely not be able to completely destroy Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe before then.
After a moment of consideration, Yang Kai slammed the Azure Dragon Spear into the ground and pressed his palms together before fiercely pulling them away from each other, as if he was trying to separate the whole world, shouting word by word, “Heaven and Earth, open!”
His Small Universe rapidly rotated before it suddenly manifested!
The reason why Zuo Quan Hui was able to manifest his Small Universe was because his Small Universe had already turned tangible. This was a trump card that could only be displayed by a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. Ordinary Sixth-Order Masters would not be able to do such a thing.
However, Yang Kai was able to do so, because his Small Universe had materialized from the very beginning!
Yang Kai had no idea what the consequences of doing so would be; after all, he had never tried something like this ever before, but he knew that if he didn’t do so, Wu Kuang would die without a doubt, and then the others would follow suit.
Yang Kai’s Small Universe instantly spread out and he suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a whole new world.
He could clearly feel that his Small Universe was now nested inside Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe, and the two Small Universes were overlapping each other, one within in the other.
The bigger one belonged to Zuo Quan Hui, while the smaller one belonged to him!
An extremely uncomfortable feeling coursed through Yang Kai’s body. He felt as if he was trapped in a cage and was being squeezed from every possible direction, causing him to let out a muffled groan.
But the next moment, Yang Kai sensed the auras and locations of the others.
He knew everything within his Small Universe like the back of his hand!
Wu Kuang was indeed hanging by a thread; one of his arms limply hanging, connected only by skin and muscles. His body was covered in blood as he desperately tried to escape from Zuo Quan Hui’s assault!
In the moment of life and death, he no longer had the time to use the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to devour energy. All he could focus on was preserving his life!
Zuo Quan Hui was everywhere, his sword following him like a shadow. Just when it looked that Wu Kuang was about to die, Zuo Quan Hui’s movements suddenly became sluggish.
As Yang Kai’s Small Universe spread out, he felt extremely uncomfortable, as if he was trapped in a cage, but Zuo Quan Hui did not feel good either. In contrast, he felt like his Small Universe had become bloated, like he had eaten far too much. He even found circulating his World Force a little difficult.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been such a slight pause just now.
With such a good opportunity before him, Wu Kuang was finally able to escape from the jaws of death. Fear was clearly visible on his face.
Zuo Quan Hui didn’t give chase and instead gazed around with a look of shock hanging on his face.
Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared out of thin air, alongside the dozen or so other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Everyone had gathered! The others obviously hadn’t realized what was happening, but since they were together again, it was better than fighting on their own.
They looked at each other, and seeing that they had not lost anyone, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re only a Sixth-Order, how could you possibly manifest your Small Universe?” Zuo Quan Hui stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
“None of your damn business!” Yang Kai raised his spear and pointed it at him with an arrogant and unyielding look on his face, suppressing the surging blood in his heart.
“Your Small Universe has become tangible when you are only in the Sixth Order, you really are a rare genius!” Zuo Quan Hui sighed.
Yang Kai sneered, “Don’t think that you can save your life just by some ass-kissing. Today, you are going to die, no matter how unwilling you are!”
Zuo Quan Hui suddenly smiled and stated, “Now that our Small Universes are overlapping, if one of us suffers, we both suffer. This Monarch wants to see how you will kill me now!”
“Then you’d better open your dog eyes wide and watch!” Yang Kai pointed his spear at Zuo Quan Hui and coldly shouted, “Kill!”
But the people around him remained motionless.
Yue He nervously looked at him nervously, “Young Master!”
If everyone failed to understand what just happened before, why were they suddenly together when they were clearly separated, how could they not understand after hearing what Zuo Quan Hui said?
Much to their dismay, Yang Kai had actually manifested his Small Universe inside Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe World, endangering himself. It was really reckless of him, and just as Zuo Quan Hui said, both of their Small Universes now shared the same fate, whatever happened to one, would happen to the other as well. If they were to really attack, it would not only destroy Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe, but also Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
Unless they could find a place where their Small Universes weren’t overlapping, only then could they have a chance to only affect Zuo Quan Hui. But as things stood, how could Zuo Quan Hui allow them to do so? He was more than happy to see Yang Kai’s fate tied to his.
No one dared to act rashly in this current situation.
“What are you all waiting for? Attack!” Yang Kai shouted, “This is a Heaven-sent opportunity! If we don’t act now, we won’t get another chance in the future!”
Yue He’s eyes turned red as she grit her teeth and shouted, “Young Master, you must hold on!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she took the lead and charged straight towards Zuo Quan Hui, closely followed by the other Sixth-Order Master!
Zuo Quan Hui was extremely stunned, “Boy, you’re insane!”
Before Zuo Quan Hui could finish cursing, he was forced to flee as a series of destructive Divine Abilities came shooting at him, his heart filled with shock at Yang Kai’s ruthless determination.
A series of explosions reverberated as the ground and the sky cracked at a spot where the Small Universes overlapped.
Yang Kai spurted a large mouthful of blood as he felt his Soul violently trembling. What he was doing was akin to sacrificing 800 of his soldiers to kill 1,000 of the enemy’s. Now, it all came down to who fell first, Zuo Quan Hui or him.
Suddenly, Yang Kai turned his head and cursed, “Wu Kuang, you bastard!”
Wu Kuang didn’t attack Zuo Quan Hui, but instead sat down sitting cross-legged, madly using the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to devour the surrounding World Force!
Yang Kai was so angry that he almost coughed up blood. Wu Kuang’s act of devouring World Force like this might be harming Zuo Quan Hui, but Yang Kai couldn’t escape from it either. Furthermore, he was so brazen that he actually sat down next to Yang Kai, as if he wanted the latter to protect him.
Yang Kai could not wait to take out his Azure Dragon Spear and plunge it right into his heart!
However, Wu Kuang shamelessly raised his head and added with a serious look on his face, “You should not divert your attention during this life-and-death battle!”
Yang Kai suppressed the boiling blood in his heart and quickly took out a Low-Rank World Fruit and swallowed it, forcefully calming his nerves.
He then turned his head, avoiding looking at him. What the eyes did not see, the heart did not grieve.
Before refining the World Fruit’s medicinal efficacy, Yang Kai stuffed another one into his mouth.
After eating two World Fruits, Yang Kai finally had the confidence to drag Zuo Quan Hui down to his death. He raised his head, looking at the battle that was raging on the other side; Zuo Quan Hui was at the end of his rope, though he was still desperately struggling.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai didn’t want to step forward to help, but since the two Small Universes were stacked together now, he needed to exert all of his strength to interfere with Zuo Quan Hui’s control over the surrounding World.
Had he not been suppressing Zuo Quan Hui here, how could the latter be so weak? Zuo Quan Hui had to divert some of his attention to deal with the attacks of a dozen or so Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters while enduring the backlash caused by the destruction to his Small Universe, while at the same time resisting Yang Kai’s interference, so how could he not be at a disadvantage?
With time, Yang Kai could clearly feel his Small Universe’s foundation rapidly depleting! Fortunately, he had eaten two Low-Rank World Fruits, allowing him to slowly replenish what he was losing, but he was still unable to make ends meet.
Zuo Quan Hui’s situation was even worse. His body was covered in blood and his hair was dishevelled. It looked as if he had reached the end of his road, and as he unleashed his Divine Abilities one after another, he no longer bore the awe-inspiring might of a Seventh-Order Master.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s brow twitched as a look of joy appeared on his face. He could feel Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe rapidly shrinking. Zuo Quan Hui was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so his Small Universe was much bigger than Yang Kai, but now, it was actually getting smaller.
This way, it would be easier for him to suppress Zuo Quan Hui.
Sure enough, when their Small Universes broke that critical point, Zuo Quan Hui’s performance became much worse.
As if this old man realized that he was doomed, his attacks became fiercer. It looked like he wanted to take a few people down with him before dying!
How could Yang Kai allow him to do as he pleased? With a single thought, Yang Kai used his own Divine Abilities and coordinated with everyone else’s attacks.
In an instant, Zuo Quan Hui’s figure came to a halt as his imposing momentum suddenly plummeted and he staggered, spurting out a mouthful of blood.
At the same time, over a dozen Divine Abilities bombarded Zuo Quan Hui, sending him flying like a paper kite before heavily crashing to the ground.
It had not been that long, but he was now gasping for breath.
However, no one dared to lower their guard as all of them gathered around him and waited.
Yang Kai kicked Wu Kuang, who was sitting next to him motionlessly and was only focused on swallowing energy, to the ground, “Stop! Your table manners are beyond unsightly!”
After cursing and venting his anger, Yang Kai covered his mouth and lightly coughed, covering his palm in golden blood.
Wu Kuang had obtained a great bargain, so he couldn’t be bothered to argue with Yang Kai over his rude actions. He simply stood up and patted his butt, a look of dissatisfaction appearing on his face.
Shouldering the Azure Dragon Spear, Yang Kai stepped forward and asked in a low voice, “Zuo Quan Hui, do you have any last words?”
Zuo Quan Hui, who was loudly wheezing, stared blankly into the void.
Yang Kai stood not far from him, looking at him indifferently, “Don’t have any unrealistic fantasies? Your cultivation has already fallen to the Sixth Order, and your Small Universe has become unstable. There is no hope for you to advance again in this life even if you survive, so why not just die?”
When the surrounding crowd heard this, they discovered that Zuo Quan Hui’s omnipresent aura was rapidly fading. Furthermore, the surrounding scenery was also distorting. It was obvious that Zuo Quan Hui’s cultivation had fallen to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and his Small Universe was no longer able to maintain its solid form.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief!
They were extremely wary of this Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; after all, Zuo Quan Hui was a veteran powerhouse, so who knew what kind of trump cards he was still hiding? If Zuo Quan Hui really managed to drag some of them down with him, their losses would outweigh the gains.
But since he had fallen to the Sixth Order, the threat he posed was greatly reduced, making him look like a tiger without its fangs.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Zuo Quan Hui moved and slowly sat up straight, crossing his legs as he stared at Yang Kai indifferently, “I’m afraid the future will be quite exciting with a monster like you appearing in the 3,000 Worlds.”
“You flatter me!” Yang Kai maintained a stoic face.
“Unfortunately, this Old Master won’t be able to see it.” Zuo Quan Hui sighed, “After I die, that disciple of mine won’t be able to escape death either, right?”
Yang Kai raised his chin, “Don’t worry, I’ll let her reunite with you as soon as possible. Well, maybe she’s already waiting for you on the road to the Yellow Springs.”
Zuo Quan Hui nodded, “It’s up to you, the winner is the King and the loser is the villain. If you had lost, your fate wouldn’t be any better than this Monarch’s.”
Yang Kai clapped his hands and scoffed, “You’ve got quite a vivid imagination!”
Zuo Quan Hui smiled at him, “There will come a day when you will understand.”
Saying so, he suddenly made a hand seal and asked, looking at Yang Kai, “Do you know why a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master won’t easily open their Small Universe to kill their enemy, even if it is a trump card that every High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master can use?”
Yang Kai slightly furrowed his brow, “Please enlighten me!”
Zuo Quan Hui replied, “Because if we do this, even if we successfully kill the enemy, there will be no end to the trouble, just like this!”
The next moment, Zuo Quan Hui’s figure shook. Yang Kai could clearly feel the aura of a Small Universe collapsing as World Force spread out!
Everyone watching was shocked, Zuo Quan Hui’s action would undoubtedly disintegrate and collapse his Small Universe. The Small Universe World was the foundation of an Open Heaven Realm Master. Once the Small Universe collapsed, the Open Heaven Realm Master would not be far from death.
Zuo Quan Hui had fallen to the Sixth Order, so even if he still had the strength to mount up a fight, he would only be humiliating himself. Rather than losing his life to the enemy, he preferred to end his own life!
Not everyone possessed such courage.
Zuo Quan Hui, who had shattered his own Small Universe, started loudly laughing, “Boy, this Monarch will teach you a lesson with his life! You should cherish it!”
While he was laughing, Zuo Quan Hui’s head drooped down as he died!
An Inner Sect Elder of Thousand Crane Paradise had fallen!
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he stomped his feet and cursed, “Why can’t this old dog just die peacefully!?”
Yang Kai’s figure shook and his World Force was mobilized, sealing the surrounding region! With them as the centre, everything within a 10,000-kilometres radius was completely sealed.
Yang Kai finally understood what Zuo Quan Hui meant when he said there would be no end to the trouble.
The old man had broken his own Small Universe and poured his World Force into Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Not only was this energy not beneficial to Yang Kai though, it was akin to a kind of impurity as it was wholly incompatible with his own body. In short, this foreign energy was corroding his Small Universe.
Had Yang Kai not quickly reacted and sealed off the surrounding 10,000-kilometres, and allowed this energy to fill his Small Universe, it would have been difficult for him to remove it. He would have had to spend a great deal of time and energy in retreat.
In other words, although High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could use this trump card to kill enemies, and it was their most powerful trump card at that, it could not be used lightly.
Regardless of whether the enemy committed suicide or was killed, once their World Force leaked out, it would be akin to swallowing a mouthful of poison.
The price Zuo Quan Hui had to pay to teach this lesson was not small, and the price to receive this lesson for Yang Kai was not small either!
Yang Kai promptly turned his head to Wu Kuang, whereupon the latter snapped at him, “What!?”
He still had not forgotten that Yang Kai kicked him before. The Heaven-Devouring Great Emperor had never been a magnanimous person; otherwise, he wouldn’t have caused so many deaths!
Yang Kai snorted, “If you’re willing to take action, then do it. If you’re not, then I won’t force you. At worst, I’ll just cut off this region. In any case, it’ll only damage some of my foundation.”
Wu Kuang pretended to be slow-witted before he agreed, “Since you are asking for help, I’ll help!”
As Wu Kuang activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, the World Force within the 10,000-kilometre radius madly flowed into his body.
The group of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master watching from the side instantly felt an instinctive sense of dread.
Although they had seen Wu Kuang use the Heaven Devouring Battle Law before, everyone had been fighting with Zuo Quan Hui so they hadn’t paid much attention to it. Now, when they got to see it so closely, they were all shocked.
The universe was huge and boundless. There were 3,000 Worlds and countless mystical arts, but they had never seen or heard of one which could refine the World Force of others for their own use until now.
This was definitely a Heaven-defying Evil Technique that went completely against the Heavenly Way!
So when everyone saw Wu Kuang activate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and devour the World Force, they were completely shaken up.
It was just that cultivating this kind of Secret Art would damage the peace and harmony of the world, and he would be fraught with endless danger. He would ultimately meet an untimely death
So, although they were shocked, they didn’t feel much envy.
Wu Kuang finished in less than an hour.
Yang Kai felt so much pain and anger that he almost vomited blood. Although he had killed Zuo Quan Hui in this battle, he had paid a huge price for that. Over ten Sixth-Order Masters fought inside his Small Universe, causing great damage to its foundation, and coupled with Wu Kuang’s repeated acts of devouring his World Force, the losses he had suffered were so great that it was difficult for outsiders to understand.
Previously, when he borrowed the World Force from the Star Boundary, Yang Kai had obtained quite an advantage; his foundation had been greatly strengthened, saving him at least 500 years of bitter cultivation.
However, after what had happened today, the benefits he had obtained before had basically been negated. If he hadn’t eaten two World Fruits at the last moment, his situation would have been even worse.
After having suffered this kind of loss, all he could do was slowly cultivate to make up for it!
However, this way, he was certain of one thing. Although he was unable to put a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master into his Small Universe, if he were to spread his Small Universe, he would not be restricted in this aspect.
After all, even Zuo Quan Hui, a Seventh-Order Master, was technically inside his Small Universe.
The fierce battle inside the Small Universe had finally come to an end. The battle concluded with Zuo Quan Hui’s death, and the battle raging outside should be coming to an end as well; after all, Void Land’s side was facing the enemy in two-against-one battles, so how could Yin Xin Zhao, Zi Yan, and the others be their opponents?
When Yang Kai withdrew his Small Universe and everyone returned to the Blue Clouds Continent, they looked up and saw that the people from Heavenly Sword Union were indeed in danger.
Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan were barely holding on. They had just advanced to the Sixth Order not long ago, and although they had broken through a few years earlier than the Great Emperors, their foundations weren’t that strong.
While everyone was fighting, they were also paying attention to the situation here.
At this moment, when they saw Yang Kai appear with other Sixth-Order Masters, the Great Emperors felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders, whereas the faces of the Heavenly Sword Union members were ashen!
Zuo Quan Hui was nowhere to be seen, so it was obvious that he was dead.
Seeing this, Yin Xin Zhao, Pei Wen Xuan, and the others quickly used their Divine Abilities to shake off their opponents before fleeing without a moment’s hesitation! But how could Yang Kai give them this chance? With a wave of his hand, over a dozen people rushed straight towards the various battlefields.
A short while later, the remaining five members of Heavenly Sword Union were all captured and a series of restrictions were placed upon them to seal their cultivation.
Yang Kai took a seat on a rock, holding the Azure Dragon Spear in one hand. He would lightly cough from time to time, and his aura was a little dispirited. Yue He and Mo Mei stood behind him like guards.
Amidst the pushing and shoving, Zi Yan, Yin Xin Zhao, Pei Wen Xuan, Huang Mao, and Dan Yang were all brought before Yang Kai. Among the five, Zi Yan was glaring at Yang Kai while Huang Mao and Dan Yang’s eyes flickered with regret and fear. On the other hand, Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan both stood up straight and wore calm expressions, like they were not captives at all.
Especially Pei Wen Xuan, who was even in the mood to size up Wu Kuang. He still didn’t understand why his Junior Brother had suddenly changed sides.
Coincidentally, Wu Kuang also looked towards him with interest. His eyes were shining brightly, like when a lecher saw a beautiful woman, causing Pei Wen Xuan’s face to turn pale and his heart to quickly pound.
“Where is my Honoured Master? What did you do to him?” Zi Yan gnashed her teeth and glared at Yang Kai. Although she had some inkling of an idea, she still refused to believe it.
Yang Kai raised his head and sneered, “Since I’m here, can’t you guess what happened to your Master?”
“Impossible!” Zi Yan’s eyes almost started shooting flames, but the next moment, her pupils constricted when they landed on the corpse casually tossed before her by Yang Kai.
Before Zuo Quan Hui died, he was struck by a dozen or so Divine Abilities. He might have died in the end, but his body was completely mutilated and beyond recognition.
“Honoured Master…” Zi Yan’s eyes filled with tears as she muttered to herself. Looking at her Honoured Master’s body, she couldn’t help but recall all the things she had experienced in Thousand Crane Paradise, her Honoured Master’s sincere guidance, her Senior Brother’s love, and her Junior Brother’s respect.
She had no worries back then!
But now, her Junior Brother was dead, her Senior Brother was dead, and even her Honoured Master was dead! All of them had died at the hands of this bastard!
“I’ll kill you!” Zi Yan leapt forward. Her cultivation might have been sealed and she might not have been able to bring out her strength, but her sharp teeth still bit towards Yang Kai’s flesh.
Yang Kai turned the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand and thrust its butt into her soft belly.
Zi Yan immediately fell to her knees and hunched over, unable to catch her breath for a long time.
Yang Kai lifted her chin with the tip of his spear and stated in a cold voice, “Zhao Xing died because he provoked me first; furthermore, he wanted to kill me too, so he got what he deserved. As fellow Disciples, if you want to take revenge for him, I have nothing to say, but since you want to take revenge, you should be mentally prepared to be killed by me. At the end of the day, the winner is the King, and the loser is the villain!”
Zi Yan’s eyes welled as she looked at him. Her eyes became lifeless and filled with despair. The next moment, she suddenly threw herself forward.
Yang Kai withdrew his spear just in time, the sharp Azure Dragon Spear only left a red mark on her throat.
“Kill me! Kill me!” Zi Yan madly screamed, wanting to rush forward and beg for death, but Luan Bai Feng pressed her down to the ground, causing her to endlessly whimper.
Yang Kai added lightly, “Don’t worry, I’ll let you die a quick death, but not now. You have more use to me alive than dead!”
Saying so, he turned to Huang Mao and Dan Yang.
The two immediately got down on one knee without a moment of hesitation and cupped their fists together, “We are willing to submit to you, willing to lay down our lives for you, come hell or high water!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Look at her, how unyielding she is. She prefers to die honourably than to live on in shame. On the other hand, the two of you, two grown men, are acting so subserviently, it’s really… disappointing! If you don’t blush, I’ll blush.”
As expected, the faces of the two remaining Ancestors of Heavenly Sword Union turned red; however, their pride and honour were nothing when their lives were on the line. Not to mention bowing, they could even endure greater humiliation if it let them survive.
Huang Mao lowered his head and stated, “Heavenly Sword Union had overestimated itself and made an enemy out of you, Heavenly Monarch Yang, so we have only ourselves to blame for falling into such a situation. However, we were forced to do so. Zuo Quan Hui was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Heavenly Sword Union was unable to refuse him. Heavenly Monarch, please understand!”
Dan Yang also added, “Although this Old Master is old, I’m still able to kill enemies for the Heavenly Monarch. Right now, only Huang Mao and I are left of Heavenly Sword Union. If Heavenly Monarch can let bygones be bygones, Heavenly Sword Union will become a branch of Void Land in the future, only following the orders of Void Land from now on!”
Heavenly Sword Union might be bruised and battered, and they might have lost all of their Open Heaven Realm cultivators except for these Sixth-Order Masters, but they still had their inheritances which had been passed down through the years, and their foundation was still intact. Anyone would be tempted with such a huge price before them.
However, Yang Kai remained indifferent and simply stared into the sky, “Hundreds of my Void Land’s Open Heaven Realm Masters have lost their lives in this war. All of them had families, husbands, wives, or children, but none of them had made any mistakes. If I let you two old bastards live, how can my Void Land’s dead rest in peace?”
Yang Kai had clearly made up his mind to cut the weeds and pull out roots. With Void Land’s current foundation, they did not need Heavenly Sword Union at all, so it could just disappear from the face of the 3,000 Worlds!
Although his voice was calm and gentle, it sounded like a thunderclap to Huang Mao and Dan Yang’s ears. The two of them immediately fell to the ground, and their faces turned ashen.
Yang Kai then turned to Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan, smiling, “What about the two of you? Do you want to die or beg for mercy?”
Yin Xin Zhao sighed in helplessness, “As you said, the winner is the King and the loser is the villain. You can do whatever you want, it’s your choice.”
Pei Wen Xuan coldly snorted, “Do you have the guts to kill us? Didn’t you mention Zhao Xing just now? Have you forgotten what happened already?”
Yang Kai indifferently looked at him, while Pei Wen Xuan stared back at him fearlessly in response.
With a flash of light, Yang Kai flicked his spear, all while maintaining that same indifferent look on his face.
The next moment, something fell to the ground with a thud. Pei Wen Xuan looked towards the source of the sound and saw a severed arm lying there! The cut was completely clean, like butter cut with a hot knife.
A blood-curdling scream rang out as Pei Wen Xuan stretched out his other hand and covered the wound left by his severed arm, but he couldn’t stop the blood from gushing out. He immediately shouted in horror, “You dare?! I’m a Core Disciple of Myriad Demons Heaven!”
Yang Kai tilted his head, calm and relaxed, “So, Core Disciples of Myriad Demons Heaven also bark like stray dogs.”
The nearby Yin Xin Zhao gulped hard. Although he looked at Pei Wen Xuan with a look of sympathy, he didn’t dare to say anything; rather, he was secretly rejoicing in his heart that he hadn’t fought back just now.
Yang Kai might not dare to kill them, but torturing them was not a problem. Pei Wen Xuan had lost an arm, so unless he could find a Heaven-defying medicine that could regenerate his limb, his strength would forever be greatly reduced.
Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Yang Kai suddenly stated in a deep voice, “Of course, I haven’t forgotten about Zhao Xing. Zuo Quan Hui took revenge for his Disciple, even going so far as to ‘rebel’ against Thousand Crane Paradise. Unfortunately, he still died a miserable death!”
Saying so, Yang Kai kicked the corpse he had just thrown out and added, smiling, “After you die, who in Myriad Demons Heaven will avenge you? That old dog Zhuo Bu Qun? Let him try. Today, I can kill Zuo Quan Hui, tomorrow I can kill Zhuo Bu Qun!”
Yin Xin Zhao’s face suddenly paled, “You’re really planning on killing us?”
Yang Kai glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, “What do you think?”
Yin Xin Zhao didn’t say anything, fearing that he might just make things worse; after all, Yang Kai was still young and hot-blooded, so he could easily act on impulse.
“Originally, you and I didn’t have any deep enmity with each other, it was just that we didn’t like one another. Then, Yin Xin Zhao, you hunted me down in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, and if it weren’t for Qu Hua Shang carrying me and escaping, how could I have survived? Pei Wen Xuan, there was only a small grudge between us. It’s normal for young people to fight and compete, but why did you have to act as if you and I had a life-or-death grudge? Why did you get involved in the mess between Heavenly Sword Union and my Void Land? Since you want to kill me, I naturally can’t let you live!”
The blood drained from Yin Xin Zhao’s face!
Wu Kuang licked his lips, “Boy, I’ll ask you for a favour.”
The moment Wu Kuang stuck out his nose, Yang Kai knew what he was pulling, so he couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “Pei Wen Xuan?”
Wu Kuang nodded, “It would be even better if you leave the other one too!”
“Are you still not full?”
Wu Kuang patted his stomach, “My appetite is big, there’s nothing I can do about it!”
The group of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t help but shudder.
Yang Kai remained seated for a while before waving his hand, “Whatever. Just take them away.”
Wu Kuang guffawed and gave the other man a thumbs up, “You’re indeed generous, kid.”
Upon finishing his words, Wu Kuang pushed his World Force and engulfed Yin Xin Zhao and the others with it. Following that, he turned into a demonic cloud and shot into the sky.
Yang Kai looked up and shouted, “Clean up everything. Don’t leave any traces behind!”
Wu Kuang’s voice was heard coming from the distance, “Don’t worry.”
“That Old Ghost is now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!” With a conflicted gaze, Bustling World Great Emperor watched as Wu Kuang left.
When he was in the Shattered Star Sea in the past, he failed in his attempt to kill Wu Kuang. Instead, his body was almost taken over by the latter. Their Souls ended up living in the same body for many years, and their enmity slowly subsided as they had gone through some hardships together.
After killing Great Demon God Mo Sheng, Wu Kuang left and there had not been any news about him since.
Bustling World Great Emperor had never expected to come across him on this day.
He was able to recognise Wu Kuang even though the latter’s appearance was completely different now. Over the past few years, the Great Emperors had been cultivating in seclusion in Void Land. With Void Land as their support, there had never been a lack of resources; however, it wasn’t until recently that they made it to the Sixth Order. On the other hand, it appeared that Wu Kuang had achieved an ascension much earlier than them.
It had to be noted that Wu Kuang had been making a living on his own, but he was still able to attain such achievements. This fact alone made Duan Hong Chen realise that he was no match for him.
Wu Kuang lived up to his name as the strongest Great Emperor in the history of the Star Boundary.
“That was Wu Kuang?” Iron Blood Great Emperor Zhan Wu Hen suddenly exclaimed as he had just realised it.
Duan Hong Chen nodded gently.
The corners of Zhan Wu Hen’s brow twitched, “No wonder I found that guy annoying the first time he entered my eyes.”
“Junior Brother Yang!” Qing Kui dashed towards Yang Kai, “Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan cannot die!”
Earlier, he saw Wu Kuang using the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and now he brought Yin Xin Zhao and the others away. It was obvious to him what fate awaited them.
He was also shocked by Yang Kai’s audacity.
After a cough, Yang Kai turned to look at him and replied with a smile, “I know what you’re worried about, Senior Brother Qing.”
“You know nothing!” Qing Kui turned solemn, “After you killed Zhao Xing, only Zuo Quan Hui and the others came over to retaliate against you. That was because Yin-Yang Cave Heaven interfered and resisted most of the pressure for you. Now that traitors on paper like Zuo Quan Hui are dead, those from Thousand Cranes Paradise won’t do anything to you even though they’re resentful. Otherwise, they’ll have to openly offend Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. However, Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan are different. If you let someone kill them, Myriad Demons Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven will never let you off. By then, more than one Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master will come to destroy you.”
Yang Kai batted his eyes with an innocent expression, “No one from Void Land killed them. Did anyone see it?”
Wu Kuang wasn’t a member of Void Land. Strictly speaking, he was just a traitor from Myriad Demons Heaven.
Yang Kai initially intended to bring those people back to the Great Territory where the Star Boundary was located and kill them to further nourish the World Tree. However, if Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan were really killed there, some faint traces might be left behind.
Moreover, after the previous epic battle, the World Tree had obtained quite a lot of nourishment, so there wasn’t a need to provide more for it now. That was the reason Yang Kai gave up on that idea.
A frustrated Qing Kui stared at him, “It is a well-known fact that Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao assisted Heavenly Sword Union to make things difficult for Void Land in the past. Both Heavenly Sword Union and Zuo Quan Hui were destroyed, so if Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao are also killed, even a fool will figure out that it has something to do with Void Land. In fact, there’s no need for any witnesses at all. Do you think the two Cave Heavens will go easy on you? They’ll settle the issue with brute force.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I absolutely agree with you, Senior Brother Qing. However, Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao repeatedly made things difficult for me in the past. Previously on the Prison Star, I intended to make use of the Prison League’s power to kill them, but Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch and the others proved unreliable. That was the reason they managed to flee. Now that there’s such a great chance, I naturally wouldn’t let them leave. I’ll feel nauseated if I ever see them again.”
Qing Kui was so exasperated that he stomped his foot on the ground, “Don’t you get it, Junior Brother Yang? They can’t be killed! Although Void Land is fairly powerful now…”
Yang Kai raised his hand to cut him off, “Senior Brother Qing, even if I’m willing to let them off, someone else won’t let them live. Why don’t you try to persuade that person instead of me?”
“That person…” Qing Kui became startled for a moment before realising that Yang Kai was talking about Wu Kuang.
[That’s right…] Wu Kuang was technically a disciple of Myriad Demons Heaven, but he launched a sneak attack on Zuo Quan Hui and cultivated an extremely evil Secret Art. If such secrets were exposed, he would never be able to settle down in any place even though the 3,000 Worlds was so expansive.
Certainly, Wu Kuang would want to silence all witnesses to his crimes; therefore, it was pointless for Qing Kui to keep persuading Yang Kai.
A moment later, Qing Kui snapped out of his dazed state and sighed, “You’ve really made a huge mistake this time.”
Yang Kai got up with difficulty and patted the other man’s shoulder with a smile, “I believe that person will not leave any traces behind. Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven and Myriad Demons Heaven might speculate that their disciples were killed by me, but they can’t do anything to me since they don’t have any evidence.”
Qing Kui put on a helpless smile as he thought that Yang Kai was oversimplifying things. If the two Cave Heavens wanted to avenge the death of their disciples, they didn’t need any evidence. A simple doubt was a good enough reason for them to make a move.
“Junior Brother Yang, there’s one more thing you need to know. If Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan are really killed, those from Myriad Demons Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven will immediately find out about it. After all, they are Core Disciples of their Sects, so they must have left behind Soul Lamps in their headquarters. Once they die, their Soul Lamps will go out as well. The two Cave Heavens will definitely send some people over once that happens.”
Yang Kai frowned, “Will they be able to find out that those people were killed here?”
Qing Kui nodded with a solemn expression, “Given the powers of the senior experts of those Cave Heavens, they can definitely do that even though it might take a while.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “In that case, we’re running short on time.”
Following a pause, he continued, “There’s one thing I need you to help me with, Senior Brother Qing.”
Qing Kui replied, “Just tell me straight away. Since Honoured Master has sent Junior Sister and me to help you, we’ll follow your commands.”
Yang Kai cut to the chase and said, “I need you to go back to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and invite Martial Uncle Xu to come to the Star Boundary.”
Qing Kui raised his brow in confusion upon hearing that, but soon understanding something, he said in shock, “Junior Brother Yang, you…”
Suddenly, Yang Kai put on a smile, “I’m a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and I’ve gained some benefits from the Sect. Martial Uncle Xu has been treating me well as he had even let me enter the Divine Armament World once. Now that I have gained some benefits of my own, I naturally can’t gobble everything up by myself. When you return to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Senior Brother Qing, please help me inform Martial Uncle Xu that I have a gift for him.”
Su Ying Xue, who had chosen to take a passive role up until now, appeared surprised as well.
Upon realising the other man’s intention, Qing Kui became excited, “In that case, I’ll not hide anything about what went on in the Star Boundary.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “It can’t be hidden. The secret of the Star Boundary will be exposed sooner or later. If possible, tell Martial Uncle Xu to invite some of the representatives of the other Cave Heavens and Paradises he’s on good terms with to come to the Star Boundary as well.”
Qing Kui examined him and remarked, “You’re pretty audacious, Junior Brother.”
There was a bitter smile on Yang Kai’s face, “It’s not possible for us to monopolise such a big piece of fat. Rather than waiting for other people to come snatch it, I’d rather expose the truth myself and negotiate to remain on top.”
Following the transformation of the Star Boundary, the World Tree started growing madly and amplified its heritage, which allowed the cultivators living there to more easily comprehend the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao. Even Yang Kai’s Father and Mother, whose aptitudes were average at best, could still easily make it to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, with the hope of ascending to the Fifth-Order. If cultivators with exceptional aptitudes started cultivating in the Star Boundary from a young age, they might be able to directly ascend to the Sixth Order or even the Seventh Order.
It could be said that Star Boundary was now the best cradle for nurturing future Open Heaven Realm Masters. Nowhere else in the entire 3,000 Worlds was comparable to it.
Certainly. Yang Kai would have monopolised such a precious place if he could; however, life was not a bed of roses.
In the past, no one bothered to come to the Star Boundary as it was located in a very remote area. Now that the World Tree had matured though, it would send a shockwave across the entire 3,000 Worlds. No one could stop this secret from spreading.
Moreover, following the death of Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan, those from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven and Myriad Demons Heaven would definitely come over to investigate. Yang Kai naturally had to be prepared.
It was true that Void Land was fairly strong now as two Divine Spirits were residing in its headquarters. Even the Cave Heavens and Paradises wouldn’t dare to underestimate them.
But in the end, that was just Void Land’s headquarters. There were not many powerful cultivators in the Star Boundary. It could be said that over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters, more than twenty of them were in the Sixth Order, were a force to be reckoned with, but any Cave Heaven or Paradise could easily deploy such a powerful force with ease.
Yang Kai didn’t think they could win if they were faced with any of those great forces, not to mention that Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven and Myriad Demons Heaven would probably join forces to deal with them.
In order to survive, those from Void Land had to make use of the power of others.
Only other Cave Heavens and Paradises could deal with the Cave Heavens and Paradises. However, without enough benefits, there was no reason for those forces to make a move.
Although Xu Ling Gong was close to Yang Kai, he was unable to represent the entire Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Since they were running out of time, Qing Kui decided to leave immediately as Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was far away. Fortunately, since he was on his own, he could make use of Universe Temples to move around faster. It would probably take him three to four months to go there and come back.
Those from Myriad Demons Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven probably wouldn’t be able to find the Star Boundary in just three to four months.
Su Ying Xue didn’t leave. Since she was a disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, she might prove to be useful if anything unexpected happened.
Yang Kai stopped letting his thoughts run wild as he turned his head and raised his hand, “Tell him to come over.”
Earlier, when Lu Bai Yang noticed that the battle had ended, he decided to come over and have a look, but he waited at a distance so as not to appear rude. Upon stepping into this place though, he felt his chest tightening when he saw the pale young man who was covered in blood and the people around him.
He was already the strongest cultivator in the Blue Clouds Continent, but he was still unable to sense the true cultivation of these people. As he swept a glance over them, he realised that the aura of every one of them was extremely imposing. Then, when he recalled the Heaven destroying and Earth shattering noises just now, he realised that the powers of these people far exceeded his own.
In a respectful manner, he cupped his fist, “Blue Clouds Continent Lu Bai Yang, greets Seniors!”
Yang Kai examined him and nodded gently, “A promising man indeed.”
Faced with formidable enemies, Lu Bai Yang was still determined to defend his homeland. At the most critical moment, he even obtained the acknowledgement of the World’s Will, thus allowing him to become a Great Emperor and condense his Dao Seal. Therefore, it was obvious that even though Lu Bai Yang was still weak right now, he was a resolute person.
Yang Kai recalled that when the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary had to face the Great Demon God; their situation was similar to that of Lu Bai Yang. The only difference was that no powerful cultivators showed up and helped them at that time. However, on this day, those from Void Land appeared and killed the enemies, thus solving the crisis for this place.
Lu Bai Yang appeared somewhat bashful, “Many thanks for your compliment, Senior.”
“What’s this place called?” Yang Kai asked.
Lu Bai Yang replied respectfully, “Senior, this is Blue Clouds Continent.” He felt his heart pounding against his chest, thinking that these were indeed the senior experts that came from somewhere else. That was the reason they were not even aware of this World’s name.
He had previously speculated that there was a wider world and greater Martial Dao outside the Blue Clouds Continent, but that remained a speculation that couldn’t be proven. Nevertheless, what he had gone through on this day proved his theory right.
Upon seeing the other man’s fervent gaze, Yang Kai put on a smile, “You’ve obtained the acknowledgement of the Will of this World and condensed your Dao Seal, thus allowing you to become a Great Emperor. After that, you’ll need to refine various resources to condense the Powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Once you accomplish this, you must split Heaven and Earth apart within your body, allowing you to step into the Open Heaven Realm.”
There was a longing expression on Lu Bai Yang’s face as he muttered in a dazed state, “Split Heaven and Earth apart?”
Yang Kai went on to say, “We will remain here for some time, so I will have someone explain the abstrusity of the Open Heaven Realm to you at a later point.”
An elated Lu Bai Yang saluted him, “Many thanks for your kindness, Senior.”
It was like passing through a forest as a blind man when he cultivated on his own. If he could get the advice of some senior expert, it could save him time and allow him to take the correct path. It was expected that he was pleasantly surprised.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “The calamity that befell your Blue Clouds Continent is partly my responsibility, and your homeland has suffered immense losses as a result. Just see it as my compensation to you.”
Naturally, Lu Bai Yang wouldn’t dare to seriously take it as compensation.
Then, Yang Kai changed the topic by asking, “How old is the Blue Clouds Continent?”
Since Lu Bai Yang had obtained the acknowledgement of the Blue Clouds Continent and become a Great Emperor, he was definitely the one who knew this Universe World the best.
When Yang Kai became a Great Emperor in the past, the entire process of the Star Boundary’s birth and growth played out in his mind. He supposed that Lu Bai Yang had gone through a similar experience.
After giving it a thought, Lu Bai Yang replied, “It’s about 1 million years old.”
Yang Kai nodded, “It’s quite young.”
A Universe World that was born roughly a million years ago could be considered very young, and it was now confirmed that this place was a Newborn Great Territory.
“Mo Mei,” Yang Kai called out.
Mo Mei took a few steps forward, “Yes, Sect Master.”
“Go back to the Star Boundary and bring some people over. Tell them to form into groups to explore this Great Territory. If they discover anything of importance, report it to me immediately.”
“Yes!” Upon receiving the order, Mo Mei turned around and left.
This Newborn Great Territory was a lucrative ownerless land. Since Yang Kai had discovered this place, he definitely wanted to take control of it. If there were any hidden treasures in this Great Territory, over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters would certainly be able to find some traces.
Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t want to miss such a great chance.
Void Land was tight on money right now. With a Territory Gate blockaded by those from Heavenly Sword Union, which was led by Zuo Quan Hui, for a few years and influencing trade, all of Void Land’s resources had been used up, so they seriously needed to replenish their reserves; otherwise, it would be hard for their disciples to cultivate.
Business in Void Star City had to be restored, and the problem regarding the lack of resources in Void Land had to be settled. Yang Kai also needed to make some future plans for the Star Boundary. Even though they had defeated Zuo Quan Hui, they had to deal with a lot of issues. All these were giving him a headache as it wasn’t until he began trying to solve these problems that he realised how difficult it would be to do so. He missed his days when he basically acted as an arm-flinging shopkeeper despite being a Sect Master.
Everyone had consumed a lot of energy in the epic battle, so Yang Kai told them to get some rest and asked Yue He to teach Lu Bai Yang some basic knowledge about the Open Heaven Realm before he started cultivating.
Zuo Quan Hui collapsed his Small Universe before his death, allowing his World Force to contaminate Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Although Yang Kai had cordoned off his Small Universe in time, and Wu Kuang had activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to gobble up the mixed heritage, some of Zuo Quan Hui’s World Force still managed to leak into Yang Kai’s wider Small Universe.
The power that belonged to Zuo Quan Hui was no different from impurities for Yang Kai. He had to get rid of it sooner rather than later, or else it would affect his foundation.
Lu Bai Yang personally led Yang Kai to a secluded place where he could cultivate, a Restricted Area of the top four Sects in the Blue Clouds Continent.
Tranquil Heavens Peak was definitely a good place; otherwise, it wouldn’t have become the Holy Land of the cultivators in the Blue Clouds Continent. However, after the great battle, the area around Tranquil Heavens Peak was destroyed, and the peak itself was gone for good.
Lu Bai Yang was the most powerful cultivator in the Blue Clouds Continent who was respected by all. Since he had spoken, no one dared to disobey him.
Therefore, Yang Kai successfully entered the Restricted Area of this Sect called the Primordial Sect.
It wasn’t that he insisted on cultivating in a Restricted Area as to him, he could just cultivate anywhere. However, since Lu Bai Yang had mentioned it, he didn’t think it was appropriate to turn him down.
The Elders of Primordial Sect were beside Lu Bai Yang the whole time, and the fact that Lu Bai Yang treated this young man respectfully, as though he was the latter’s Disciple, terrified them.
They were fully aware of Lu Bai Yang’s capabilities. He was the most powerful Master in the Blue Clouds Continent, so why would he still treat someone else in such a solemn manner?
These elderly people were doubtful as they couldn’t figure out the reason behind it.
Eventually, the Sect Master of Primordial Sect summoned his courage and asked, “Saint Lu, who is that Sir?”
‘Saint’ was an honorific given to Lu Bai Yang by the cultivators in the Blue Clouds Continent. Other than his cultivation, he also received this title because of his temperament.
However, at this moment, Lu Bai Yang appeared bashful as he took a glance at the beautiful woman beside him. He reckoned that he didn’t deserve the honorific since he was so weak. Upon seeing that there wasn’t a change in her expression though, he wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead and replied, “He’s a senior expert from the outside world. The noises we heard before were the fallout of Senior clashing with his enemies.”
The people from Primordial Sect widened their eyes in disbelief.
Earlier, the world-shattering noises reverberated across the entire Blue Clouds Continent. Many of them thought that the end had arrived. It wasn’t until this moment that they realised those were the repercussions of a battle.
Even the fallout was so horrifying, so how powerful was the person who made the move in the first place? Furthermore, Lu Bai Yang had mentioned the words ‘senior expert’. The people from Primordial Sect still couldn’t believe what they had heard.
Lu Bai Yang waved his hand, “All of you should treat him with respect. No one should approach Senior without his permission.”
All of them obediently saluted, “Yes, Saint Lu.”
It was then Lu Bai Yang bent his back at Yue He, “Many thanks, Senior.”
Yue He replied with a smile, “Since it is the Young Master’s order, I will definitely do my best. By the way, stop calling me Senior. I’m not that old.”
Lu Bai Yang hurriedly nodded in agreement. While he was excited, he took a glance at the Elders of Primordial Sect, but appeared hesitant.
Knowing what was on his mind, Yue He said with a smile, “You’re quite generous. The average person who has obtained such an opportunity would never expose it, but you’re willing to share it with the others. It is no wonder that you were able to gain the acknowledgement of the World’s Will and became a Great Emperor at the most critical moment.”
A humble Lu Bai Yang replied, “Many thanks for your compliment, Sen… Madame.”
Yue He put on a bright smile as she seemed pleased with the title, and then she said amicably, “Others are welcome to join. It’s not a secret anyway, just some common knowledge from where we come from. It’s just that the Blue Clouds Continent is fairly isolated, so you know nothing about the outside world.”
Lu Bai Yang let out a long breath, “Many thanks, Madame.”
He then sent a signal to the others from Primordial Sect.
These elderly people felt their hearts racing as they said in unison, “Many thanks, Madame!”
They previously thought that this beautiful woman was just a maidservant, but it wasn’t until Lu Bai Yang called her ‘Senior’ that they realised they had greatly underestimated her. She was also one of these senior experts. They had no idea what this woman wanted them to listen to, but it must be some valuable information since Lu Bai Yang regarded it as important.
The Sect Master of Primordial Sect then led all of them to a Grand Hall and invited Yue He to take the head seat.
These people in the hall were the cultivators at the peak of Martial Dao in the eyes of the commoners in the Blue Clouds Continent, but at this moment, they were seated with straight backs and looked attentively at Yue He, as though they were disciples awaiting a lecture.
Yue He then talked about the classification of the Martial Dao. After she was done explaining the Emperor Realm and the World’s Will, she went on to talk about Great Emperors and Dao Seals.
Lu Bai Yang and the Elders of Primordial Sect felt as though they had been struck by a huge wave. The classification of the Martial Dao was unified across the entire 3,000 Worlds; after all, the 3,000 Worlds were well connected and communication was frequent.
However, in this new Great Territory, the Martial Dao was classified in a slightly different way. It was vaguer than from the outside world.
In comparison, they realised that the classification system mentioned by this beautiful woman was more comprehensive and logical. They fell into their thoughts and realised that they were in the Emperor Realm, just like what she had said.
At the mention of the World’s Will and the Great Emperors, those from Primordial Sect started breathing rapidly.
Yue He said with a smile, “Every Universe World can be thought of as a bottle with certain limits, oftentimes referred to as the World’s Bottle. The number of Great Emperors any Universe World can support depends on the limit of the World’s Bottle. Even though there’s only one Great Emperor in the Blue Clouds Continent now, there will be more in the future.”
The Sect Master of Primordial Sect took a deep breath and looked fervently at Yue He, “So, all of us have a chance to become Great Emperors?”
Yue He smiled and nodded, “You’ll have the chance as long as you manage to gain acknowledgement from the World.”
These people traded glances with excitement. This was truly a piece of shocking news. They previously thought that Lu Bai Yang was already at the peak of the Martial Dao, but they hadn’t expected to find out there were more powerful beings in the outside world. With a clear goal in sight, they naturally wanted to work hard to tread further upon the Martial Dao.
The Sect Master of Primordial Sect asked humbly, “How does one go about gaining such acknowledgement?”
Yue He only shook her head with a smile.
They thought that she wasn’t willing to expose such a secret, but no one dared to complain.
Lu Bai Yang on the other hand asked with a frown, “Madame, what happens to the others of the Blue Clouds Continent once the World’s Bottle’s limit is reached? Does that mean it becomes impossible for them to advance further on the Martial Dao?”
“Naturally not. The Great Emperors can make use of the World’s Will to condense their Dao Seals, but it doesn’t mean those who are unable to become Great Emperors can’t do so as well. I’ve never been a Great Emperor myself. As long as one can find their own Grand Dao, they can continue rising. Alternatively, they can make use of Heavenly Dao Pills or other similar Spirit Pills. Many people in the Outer Universe rely on such pills to condense their Dao Seals.”
In comparison, Yue He was evidently more amiable to Lu Bai Yang, but that wasn’t because he was the strongest amongst these people. She was now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master, so Emperors and Great Emperors were no different to her, ants she could squash with a snort
The main reason was that Lu Bai Yang was truly concerned about his world and people, which was proven to be true in their conversation.
The Emperor Realm Masters of Primordial Sect only cared about whether they would be able to secure a place in the World’s Bottle.
On the other hand, Lu Bai Yang was concerned about how others could move forward once the limit in the World’s Bottle was reached. That was why Yue He regarded him highly.
Half a day later, all of them left the place with excitement.
Yue He’s narration seemed to have opened the door to a new world for them, allowing them to know that besides the Blue Clouds Continent, there were more Universe Worlds that they were not aware of out there. Outside of their own Great Territory that consisted of many Universe Worlds, there were even more Great Territories.
The Emperor Realm was followed by the Open Heaven Realm, which was divided into High-Rank, Mid-Rank, and Low-Rank.
They had never heard about such things before.
Ignoring the sentiment of those from Primordial Sect, Lu Bai Yang asked for Yue He’s opinion about sharing what they had learned with others. Upon receiving her permission, he gathered all the Emperor Realm Masters in the continent together two months later and told them everything he knew. He also explained to them what happened in the Blue Clouds Continent on that day.
Certainly, Lu Bai Yang wouldn’t lie to them, so upon hearing his words, all of them broke into a commotion.
Five days after the epic battle against Zuo Quan Hui, more than 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land streamed into this new Great Territory. Groups of two were formed and each pair picked a direction and flew off to begin scouring this Great Territory.
Half a month later, many of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who had recovered, could no longer contain their urge to explore the new Great Territory.
The new Great Territory was full of mysteries. They naturally had to personally find out about the opportunities and risks in this place.
Only Yue He and Su Ying Xue were left in Primordial Sect to handle the more administrative affairs.
One month later, Yang Kai finally left the Restricted Area. He had managed to get rid of the impurities from Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe, but the loss of heritage he had suffered in that battle couldn’t be replenished in a short time. His decision to merge his own Small Universe with that of Zuo Quan Hui in a final attempt to kill him turned out to be harmful to him, which was inevitable.
Fortunately, he managed to kill Zuo Quan Hui in the end.
Seeing that Yang Kai had come out of the Restricted Area, Yue He hurriedly approached him and called out, “Young Master.”
Yang Kai nodded at both Yue He and Su Ying Xue, then asked, “How’s the situation in this Great Territory?”
An excited Yue He replied, “This Great Territory is very vast. It’s been a short time since the exploration started, so we haven’t found out where the boundaries are; however, we’ve discovered many Universe Worlds with ample resources, even though their Orders are fairly low.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “That’s good news.”
There was a lack of resources in Void Land now. The issue could be alleviated if they could get some resources from this Great Territory.
“Have you discovered any Open Heaven Realm Masters?” Yang Kai asked.
Yue He shook her head, “No. Many of the Universe Worlds only have the most basic forms of life; there are not even living creatures with sentience. We’ve discovered two Universe Worlds where there are living beings, but the Martial Dao there is even lower than that of Blue Clouds Continent.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “Now we can be certain that it’s a Newborn Great Territory.”
Only in a Newborn Great Territory would the Martial Dao be so low in so many places. There wasn’t even a single Open Heaven Realm Master to be found.
“There’s one interesting place, though. Do you want to have a look, Young Master?” Yue He asked.
Yang Kai shot her a glance and burst into laughter, “Since you’ve said so, it must be very interesting. Let’s go.”
Yue He pressed her lips together and smiled, “Please come with me, Young Master.”
Upon finishing her words, she leaped into the sky, followed by Yang Kai and Su Ying Xue.
Yue He then shot off in a certain direction.
Over 1,000 disciples from Void Land had scattered everywhere in this Great Territory. Once they discovered a place that was worth their attention, they would immediately head to the Blue Clouds Continent to report it to Yue He, who would then let Yang Kai make a decision after the latter exited his retreat.
Although one month had passed, they were still unable to have a clear picture of the entire Great Territory. With that said, they had made a lot of discoveries.
As they moved forward, Yang Kai suddenly recalled something and asked, “What Order do you think Lu Bai Yang can achieve?”
Yue He replied, “I’ve checked his Dao Seal and I believe he’ll definitely be able to reach the Fifth Order. It will be difficult for him to directly ascend to the Sixth Order.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “He’s the first Great Emperor in that Universe World who has the blessing of the World’s Will. The Fifth Order will be pretty good for him.”
The cultivators who could directly ascend to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were Core Disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. For every Sect, they would probably only get one such disciple every 1,000 years or so.
Having said that, with the transformation in the Star Boundary, turning it into an Open Heaven Realm Cradle, Yang Kai wasn’t able to foretell what would happen from now on. Perhaps directly ascending to the Sixth Order would be the norm in the future.
“Do you want to ask him to join Void Land, Young Master?” Yue He asked.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “This Great Territory is like the back garden of Void Land now, so whether or not he joins Void Land makes no difference. Tell someone to send over a set of materials condensed from the Gourd Vine to help him ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. Given his temperament, I believe he won’t be ungrateful.”
Upon hearing that, Su Ying Xue rolled her eyes, “You’ve asked Senior Brother Qing to invite our Honoured Master to come over alongside his friends from the other Cave Heavens and Paradises, and now you also want to keep this entire Great Territory as Void Land’s back garden? I don’t think that’s feasible.” After all, Yang Kai himself had said that Void Land was unable to gobble up so many treasures on its own. This new Great Territory was also such a treasure.
A nonchalant Yang Kai replied, “Feasible or not, that will depend on how I’m going to make it happen.”
As he spoke, he suddenly turned to look in a particular direction as there was a World with a golden glow hovering in the void there. Even though it was far away, Yang Kai could still clearly feel a stunning aura coming right at him from over there.
He narrowed his eyes when he saw that.
Yue He fished out a jade slip and took a look before stating, “There are no living creatures in this Universe World, but it contains ample Metal Element materials. Two disciples looked into it and found out that the materials were only in the Second and Third Order. However, if we dig deeper into the ground, we might be able to get Metal Element materials of higher Orders.”
Yang Kai sighed, “I recall reading from an ancient book that all Newborn Great Territories are extremely rich in resources. I couldn’t imagine it in the past, but now it seems that it’s true.”
The currently known Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds were all born at some point in time. During that period of time, they were also stuffed full of resources. However, as time passed, the resources gradually became depleted and disappeared from the people’s sight.
The Universe World before their eyes was a treasure vault that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the 3,000 Worlds.
If all the resources were extracted out of this treasure vault, that would translate into immense wealth.
Yue He said, “Besides this Universe World that contains Metal Element materials, we’ve also discovered similar Worlds that have Wood Element and Fire Element materials. There’s also a Sealing Yang Domain.”
A surprised Yang Kai asked, “A Sealing Yang Domain?”
Yue He smiled and nodded, “En.”
In the past, the place where Bai Qi ascended to the Open Heaven Realm was also a Sealing Yang Domain. It was originally a Restricted Zone belonging to Golden Rainbow Province. Those from Golden Rainbow Province discovered it a long time ago, but they used it as bait to lure the Proprietress and Bai Qi out. In the end, the Sealing Yang Domain was destroyed following an intense battle.
The Proprietress was thorough at that time as Bao Qi almost lost his life. So, those from Golden Rainbow Province had also suffered immense losses since the Sealing Yang Domain was now gone for good.
It was during that time when the Proprietress made a heart demon oath. Unless she could destroy Golden Rainbow Province and Boundless Altar, she would never ascend to the Seventh Order in her lifetime.
Yang Qi was abundant in a Sealing Yang Domain as it could infinitely produce Yang Element materials of different Orders.
Out of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, Yin and Yang Element materials were the rarest. A Sealing Yang Domain was definitely more valuable than the Metal Element Universe World.
Yang Kai repeatedly said ‘good’ in order to express his joy. It strengthened his notion of making this Great Territory the back garden of Void Land.
Even though this move would cause some disputes, he certainly wouldn’t allow anyone to harm his interests.
At that moment, Yang Kai supposed he should thank the old dog Zuo Quan Hui. If Zuo Quan Hui hadn’t made use of his power and opened up a Territory Gate, Yang Kai wouldn’t have discovered this new Great Territory that would bring tremendous benefits to Void Land.
However, this issue was also giving him a headache.
There were many places in this new Great Territory that needed exploration. The small number of Universe Worlds that contained a huge amount of resources already required a lot of manpower to mine. It had only been a hundred years since the Star Boundary last experienced its biggest war, and since the population had shrunk significantly, they were unable to bear such a burden.
Yang Kai believed that he could use the help of Void Territory. After all, Void Land now directly managed over ten Universe Worlds, so they could bring some people over to help out.
As they kept flying forward, they soon arrived at the Sealing Yang Domain.
It was a small Star that accompanied a Dead Star, but it contained an abundance of Yang Qi. The Yang Qi permeating the entire Star was in the Third-Order.
In other words, if any cultivators intended to ascend to the Third Order, they could just come here and refine the ambient Yang Qi. There wasn’t a need for them to look for Yang Element materials elsewhere.
It was true that world creation was absolutely abstruse.
Then, the trio kept flying forward for ten more days before they arrived at their destination.
As Yang Kai looked dazedly at the place where swirling clouds of dust and light were weltering. He could clearly feel a chaotic aura coming from it. Lightning would strike from time to time, as though it was ready to claw through the clouds and break free from the chaos.
The aura of a new world permeated a large area of the void.
“Chaos stirs and a world is born!” Yang Kai exclaimed while Su Ying Xue widened her eyes.
Although Yue He had already learned about it from the exploring disciples, she still fell into a dazed state when she actually saw it.
A while later, she nodded her head and continued, “This is our biggest discovery yet, Young Master. However, we’re not sure when the chaos will be broken. Only when that time comes will a new world really be born.”
Yang Kai carefully sensed it but still couldn’t figure anything out. He said helplessly, “I have no idea as well.”
Then, he suddenly said through clenched teeth, “If anyone dares to lay his paws on this Great Territory in the future, I’ll definitely cut off his hand!”
Seeing that he suddenly became so emotional, Yue He broke into a fit of giggles while Su Ying Xue just glowered at him.
The reason Void Land’s Star City could gain popularity and become a First Class Star City in a few years was because they had Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills.
The pill recipe of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills wasn’t really a secret; after all, it was bought by Yang Kai from the Red Clouds Auction House, so those from Red Clouds Paradise definitely still had a copy of it.
It wasn’t that the Alchemists of Red Clouds Paradise were not skillful enough. It was just that they lacked the main ingredient, which was World Source Liquid. That was the reason they were unable to refine such pills.
Yang Kai could do that because he had World Source Liquid with him.
World Source Liquid would only appear when a new world was born, so it had basically become extinct across the 3,000 Worlds. No world in the 3,000 Worlds was newly born, which was why they were unable to find more World Source Liquid.
However, in the depths of this Newborn Great Territory, there was a place where chaos stirred. It was the sign of a new world about to be born.
When the new world finally took shape, World Source Liquid would probably appear.
If someone else obtained it, the advantage of Void Star City would be gone for good. The Star City was a place that those from Void Land relied on to get their cultivation resources, so Yang Kai would never allow anyone to harm their interests.
He intended to make this new Great Territory the back garden of Void Land. Initially, he thought that he could share some of the profits with others if there was too much pressure; however, he had now thoroughly discarded that idea.
No one else could have a hand in this Newborn Great Territory other than Void Land. If they gave someone else a chance, it was akin to killing their own future.
Nevertheless, the Territory Gate was there. When the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises arrived at the Star Boundary, they would also see the Territory Gate. The problem was how Yang Kai could bar them from entry. Should he try to persuade them to go away? No one would listen to him when there were benefits to be gained. It was also impossible to fight against them. Dealing with Zuo Quan Hui alone caused Void Land to suffer immense losses. If there were more High-Rank cultivators they had to deal with, it was impossible for those from Void Land to defeat them.
Therefore, Yang Kai reckoned that he had to come up with a different solution. As he looked at the place where chaos stirred, he fell into his thoughts.
A while later, he spoke up, “Yue He, look for Luan Bai Feng and tell her to meet me at the Territory Gate.”
Upon hearing that, Yue He replied, “Understood. But you might have to wait, Young Master. Everyone has scattered to explore this Great Territory. I don’t even know where she is right now.”
“It’s fine. I’m not in a rush.” Yang Kai waved his hand.
It was then Yue He left.
After looking around, Su Ying Xue reckoned that it was inappropriate for her to stay with Yang Kai alone, so she told him that she would also explore the new Great Territory, and then dashed off into the void.
When Luan Bai Feng received the news and rushed over to the Territory Gate one month later, she saw Yang Kai squatting on a random shattered Spirit Province with a frown. There was a stone in his hand as he drew something on the ground.
The Spirit Province was small as it was only a few square kilometres. It was obviously brought here by Yang Kai as it was only a hundred kilometres away from the Territory Gate.
“Sir!” Luan Bai Feng landed on the ground and stood in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai waved his hand to motion for her to wait as he continued drawing on the ground.
Luan Bai Feng had no idea what he was doing, and when she looked down, she saw many unrecognisable patterns and runes on the ground. She initially pressed her lips together in annoyance, but upon closer look, she arched her brow as her interest had been piqued.
When she realised that it was actually a Spirit Array, she broke into laughter. Given her mastery of the Dao of Spirit Arrays, she naturally could see that there were many illogical and impossible parts in this Spirit Array, though it wasn’t completely useless.
She had no idea why Yang Kai suddenly became interested in Spirit Arrays. She even thought that he had asked her to come over here to teach him the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
“What did you get?” Yang Kai asked without raising his head.
“Well…” Luan Bai Feng’s eyelashes fluttered, “Nothing much.”
Yang Kai stopped what he was doing and looked up at her with a meaningful smile.
Luan Bai Feng pressed her lips into a line, “Really nothing.”
Yang Kai extended his hand towards her.
Luan Bai Feng was initially enraged, then she said in a pitiful manner, “Why are you making things difficult for a small woman like me, Sir? It’s so hard for me to earn a few measly resources.”
Yang Kai took a glance at her chest, “Small?”
Luan Bai Feng pressed her chest forward, her plump bosom almost bursting out of her clothes. However, she took a few steps back. With a flushing face, she said bashfully, “Sir, I won’t sleep with you.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter and snapped, “Stop spouting nonsense. Give me your Space Ring!”
At that instant, Luan Bai Feng appeared aggrieved.
However, Yang Kai was unfazed.
A while later, the woman clenched her teeth and took off her ring before tossing it at Yang Kai. While sniffling, she said, “You’re a man, so how do you have the nerve to oppress a woman like me?”
Ignoring her, Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense across the Space Ring’s contents and arched his brow. He then fished out a wisp of Purple Qi from the ring.
The Purple Qi was like a snake that was somewhere between real and illusory. It was truly mysterious. What was more important was that the Purple Qi contained a pure but profound power.
“What’s this?” Yang Kai asked.
A furious Luan Bai Feng replied, “How would I know? I took it because I thought it was special. I haven’t figured out what it is.”
Yang Kai poked her, “Of the nine people on the Loyalty List, only you dare to speak to me like this.”
Luan Bai Feng kept a faint smile on her face as she saluted him in an elegant manner, “This Mistress would like to express her eternal gratitude for her loyalty to Sir.” As she spoke, she shot a charming glance at the man, her eyes flashing a truly alluring light.
Yang Kai examined the Purple Qi for a while but still couldn’t figure out what it was. He had a feeling that it was a kind of material, not a cultivation resource. That was because he had tried to refine it but it yielded no results.
He then asked her where she obtained the Purple Qi from, but that didn’t really help.
After that, he put the Purple Qi inside his Small Universe, causing Luan Bai Feng to become even more aggrieved.
He went through her ring one more time, and upon making sure that there was nothing else that was worth his attention, he tossed it back to her.
A vexed Luan Bai Feng took it with a discontented and aggrieved expression, like a maiden who had been thoughtlessly abandoned by a man after a night of passion.
“I asked you to come over because I want you to assist me in arranging a Space Array.” Yang Kai adjusted his clothes, “You’re an expert in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so only you can help me.”
Luan Bai Feng frowned, “A Space Array?”
Yang Kai pointed at the Territory Gate that wasn’t far away, “For that.”
Luan Bai Feng looked up, and as she recalled what had happened some time ago, she finally understood Yang Kai’s intention. With a smile, she asked, “You want to hog everything for yourself, Sir? Aren’t you worried that it will invite trouble to you?”
Yang Kai replied dispassionately, “Regardless of the trouble, I just have to gobble up everything first. If I don’t even have the appetite for that, how am I supposed to achieve anything great? Zuo Quan Hui and I opened up the Territory Gate together, and although it’s still not stable, I suppose it will soon become so as more than 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land have already passed through it safely. I need to arrange a Grand Array here and refine some Jade Tokens so that only those with the tokens can move past it freely. Anyone who does not carry the access token will be exiled to the Void. Can you do it?”
Luan Bai Feng fell into her thoughts with a frown. It wasn’t until a moment later that she replied, “I can do it as long as you’re willing to cooperate.”
Yang Kai let out a breath, “Good. We need to finish this quickly. Just tell me whatever materials you need.”
She looked up at him, “That Purple Qi…”
“It’s mine,” Yang Kai said solemnly.
“Robber! Thief! Bandit!” Luan Bai Feng said through clenched teeth as she stomped her foot.
She knew that since Yang Kai had snatched it from her, there was no way she could get it back. Even though she was unresigned, there was nothing she could do. She was practically his servant since her name was on the Loyalty List, so whatever Yang Kai wanted to take from her, she was unable to disobey him.
The man was probably the most thick-skinned person she had ever met. He had no qualms about snatching things from others, even a woman like her.
After venting out her anger though, she immediately started working on the Grand Array.
For the next two months, Yang Kai and Luan Bai Feng remained beside the Territory Gate, working while discussing the Grand Array from time to time.
Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space while Luan Bai Feng was adept at the Dao of Spirit Arrays. They worked together to make up for the weaknesses they respectively had, allowing them to rapidly develop this new Grand Array.
The pair used up countless resources and in just two months, the Space Array outside the Territory Gate finally took shape.
A group of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stood in the void as they looked dazedly at the Territory Gate.
The Territory Gate, which was opened up by Yang Kai and Zuo Quan Hui, was initially warped and sent out a dangerous aura. However, at this moment, with the support of the Grand Array, it had become stabilised. They could also see that the Territory Gate was surrounded by an oval-shaped structure that looked like a kind of gateway.
In the middle of the structure was the Territory Gate that connected both Great Territories.
Luan Bai Feng was slightly pale. She had spent a lot of energy trying to arrange this Grand Array over the past two months. However, when she saw that her work had paid off, she still felt gratified.
Yang Kai turned his head and sent a signal to Yue He, who dashed into the Territory Gate with a Jade Token in her hand.
A moment later, she returned and nodded at Yang Kai.
“It works!” Yang Kai let out a long breath. Although he had repeatedly tested it himself and reckoned that there wouldn’t be a problem, he was a Master of the Dao of Space after all. If there was really a problem, he might not be able to detect it.
Since Yue He managed to shuttle back and forth safely though, it meant that his hard work over the past two months had paid off.
Yue He approached Yang Kai and said in a small voice, “Senior Brother Qing is waiting across from here, Young Master. He said that our guests have arrived.”
Yang Kai nodded, “En.”
It had been four months since Qing Kui left. Yang Kai calculated the time and realised that Qing Kui was indeed supposed to return around now.
It had been a long time since they started exploring the Newborn Great Territory, but they still hadn’t gotten a full picture of it. Yang Kai had summoned most of them back. It wasn’t that they would stop exploring, it was just that they still wouldn’t be able to explore everything even if they kept doing it for decades.
This Great Territory wasn’t really that expansive, but there were many hidden corners. If they didn’t investigate carefully, they would definitely miss some wonderful discoveries.
In the 3,000 Worlds, many amazing things would still surface in those known Great Territories from time to time. Even though some places were crammed with people, they might still find something new that they hadn’t paid attention to previously. It was the same case for this new Great Territory.
They still had many years ahead of them anyway, and no one else could come here besides those from Void Land. They could still excavate the resources while exploring the Great Territory in the future. Whatever treasures there were in this place, they now belonged to Void Land, and no one else could lay their hands on them.
After a long time of exploration, they still hadn’t found any Open Heaven Realm Masters in this Great Territory. The Martial Dao of the discovered Universe Worlds was also generally low, most of which were worse than that of the Blue Clouds Continent. A few of them were an equal match for the Blue Clouds Continent and only one had a higher Martial Dao where a few Great Emperors had appeared, but that was it.
This was a characteristic of a Newborn Great Territory as the Martial Dao was still in the development stage.
With such a Great Territory that was full of treasures and resources in its possession, Void Land would have a bright future. However, their heritage was insufficient presently to fully exploit it.
In the past, Yang Kai thought that 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters was a staggering figure. In the entire 3,000 Worlds, only a small number of Second Class great forces were a match for Void Land in this regard.
Nevertheless, these 1,000-plus Open Heaven Realm Masters had to protect Void Land, guard Void Star City, and explore this new Great Territory. Each place required a lot of manpower, especially the last one. In fact, they would probably need 10,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters to be stationed in this new Great Territory, so 1,000 suddenly seemed like a small number.
Yang Kai could only console himself that he had to take things slow. Void Land was still in its development stage, and they had already amassed a lot of Open Heaven Realm Masters in a short time. If he was too greedy for quick success, he might mess things up instead by rushing.
Since a Jade Token was required for anyone to move past the Territory Gate, they had to ask some people to stand guard on both sides of the gate. First of all, they could watch over the place so that no one would barge in. Secondly, they could open the doors for trustworthy visitors.
Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t have to deal with this as Yue He would make the arrangements.
After passing through the Territory Gate, he returned to the Great Territory where the Star Boundary was located.
A few months ago, he led many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to intercept those from Heavenly Sword Palace several million kilometres away from the Star Boundary. In the end, he borrowed the World Strength from the Star Boundary and temporarily ascended to the Seventh Order, which was how he managed to destroy the Heavenly Sword Palace and expose Heavenly Sword Union’s remaining forces.
The Territory Gate he had opened up was only a few million kilometres away from the Star Boundary itself; therefore, after he left the new Great Territory, he immediately saw the Star Boundary.
Upon seeing what was in front of him, Yang Kai became startled and muttered, “Why has it grown taller yet again?”
Compared to four months ago, the World Tree was now even taller. When he most recently returned to the Star Boundary from Void Land, the World Tree was only about 100,000 metres tall. After the great battle, many Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed, and the World Force which leaked out from their corpses were all absorbed by the World Tree. The nutrients allowed the tree to double in height to a 200,000 metres tall giant.
Even though Yang Kai was somewhere in the void that was several million kilometres away from the Star Boundary, he could still clearly see the magnificent and humongous World Tree now.
What was even more surprising was that the Star Boundary and Demon Realm, which were originally far apart from each other had basically merged together.
Presently, the Star Boundary was filled with greenery as an ample vitality permeated it while the Demon Realm was seen with weltering dark Demon Qi. Both places stood in stark contrast to one another as one was green while the other one was black.
The intertwined roots of the World Tree penetrated both worlds, which connected the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai had never expected such a thing to happen and at that instant, he wasn’t sure whether this was a good thing or not.
“Junior Brother Yang!” Qing Kui was waiting somewhere nearby, and upon seeing Yang Kai, he quickly flew over.
Yang Kai nodded and saluted him, “Many thanks for your efforts, Senior Brother Qing.”
Qing Kui replied with a smile, “It was just some travelling back and forth, nothing too strenuous.”
“Has Martial Uncle Xu arrived?” Yang Kai asked.
Qing Kui nodded his head and said in a small voice, “Honoured Master immediately came over after hearing about the situation in this place. Since he was in a rush, he could only invite a few friends of his who happened to be in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven at the time. More people will arrive later as Honoured Master dispatched messengers to some of the other Cave Heavens and Paradises.”
After a moment of hesitation, he went on to say, “Honoured Master has asked me to tell you something, Junior Brother Yang. In the next few years, the Star Boundary will be the centre of attention for the entire 3,000 Worlds. All 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises will have their eyes on this place. So, he hopes that you’ll be careful in everything you do.”
Yang Kai put on a smile, “I know.”
Then, he patted Qing Kui’s shoulder, “Let’s go. We shall meet Martial Uncle Xu and the other Seniors.”
Taking advantage of his status as a Great Emperor, he instantly moved across several million kilometres and returned to High Heaven Palace alongside Qing Kui, Su Ying Xue, and Yue He.
In the Grand Hall, Hua Qing Si was seated on a chair with nothing to do when something flashed across her eyes. Upon seeing Yang Kai and the others, she stood straight up and saluted, “Palace Master!”
Yang Kai nodded while Qing Kui looked around and asked in shock, “Where are my Honoured Master and the other Seniors?”
Hua Qing Si replied with a helpless smile, “They said they wanted to take a stroll. I couldn’t stop them.”
Yang Kai activated his Divine Sense and instantly found them, then he broke into laughter, “Let’s wait for them.”
With just a casual sweep, he had detected several powerful auras that were scattered across the Star Boundary.
All of them were powerful Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so they could certainly move around the Star Boundary as they pleased. Yang Kai was unable to stop them and did not have the intention to do so.
After they were seated, Hua Qing Si told someone to prepare tea. Yang Kai took the opportunity to ask about the transformation in the Star Boundary. When he returned to this place some time ago, he instantly clashed with those from Heavenly Sword Union at the Territory Gate, after which he was locked in battle all the way to the Star Boundary’s borders, then crashed into the Newborn Great Territory to pursue the enemy. Following that, he spent the next few months arranging the Grand Space Array at the Territory Gate.
It wasn’t until today that he returned to this place.
An excited Hua Qing Si replied, “The Star Boundary has gone through a tremendous transformation, Palace Master. Not long after you left previously, the World Tree started growing rapidly, and the World Energy became increasingly ample, which allowed all cultivators to comprehend the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao more easily. Over the past few months, we’ve recorded many people breaking through to the Emperor Realm. The ones who are already in the Emperor Realm have also shown great improvement in their cultivation. Furthermore, the overall strength of High Heaven Palace has increased by 30% compared to a few months ago.”
It was inconceivable that such a tremendous transformation had taken place in just a few months. This phenomenon could not be found in any other Universe World in the entire 3,000 Worlds, but it was happening right here in the Star Boundary.
The rapid development of the World Tree had greatly benefited the cultivators in the Star Boundary since they were living in this place. They could now easily achieve a breakthrough, and everyone had renewed hopes of achieving greater heights in their cultivation.
“What about the Demon Realm?” Yang Kai asked.
Hua Qing Si replied, “Sir Embodiment said that it’s the same case in Demon Realm. For some reason, the World Tree suddenly connected the Star Boundary and Demon Realm together some time ago. Now that the two worlds have merged, the transformation in Demon Realm is tremendous as well.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “The limit of the World’s Bottle also seems to have expanded. In the future, there will be more Great Emperors and Demon Saints in the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm.”
Hua Qing Si was surprised as she hadn’t realised this; however, since Yang Kai was the Star Boundary’s Void Great Emperor, he naturally couldn’t be mistaken about such a thing. The World’s Bottle of the Star Boundary could only accommodate ten Great Emperors in the past, but since it had expanded, it would allow more to be born.
“Unfortunately, you’ve already condensed a Dao Seal; otherwise, you would have stood a chance to become a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary.” Yang Kai looked regretfully at her.
Hua Qing Si replied with a smile, “This Mistress is already satisfied with the achievements I’ve made so far. I wouldn’t dare to be greedy.”
“It’s great that you don’t mind,” Yang Kai put on a smile.
In fact, there was nothing special about becoming a Great Emperor; after all, every cultivator would eventually want to become an Open Heaven Realm Master. The value of being a Great Emperor was that one obtained the acknowledgement of the Universe World they were from. Therefore, despite being only an Emperor Realm cultivator, he or she could activate World Force and temporarily use the might of the Open Heaven Realm.
Nevertheless, the power one could use was only on par with the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm, so it wasn’t that valuable.
But the Star Boundary was different as its heritage was incredibly rich now. If one could become a Great Emperor in the Star Boundary, they could make use of the might of the world and use strength on par with a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master despite only being in the Emperor Realm. In comparison, the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary and the Great Emperors of the other Universe Worlds were not even of the same calibre.
Furthermore, experiencing such great power in advance would help one’s future growth, just like how Yang Kai had experienced the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm power in advance.
That was the reason he felt sorry for Hua Qing Si.
However, since she had condensed her Dao Seal, she would have the potential to become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the future. There was nothing worth regretting in reality.
Everyone had their own opportunities. Compared to the other Emperor Realm Masters, the ones from the Star Boundary were already at a significant advantage.
And this was just the current generation. The future generations would gain an even greater advantage, which was the reason Xu Ling Gong and the other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t contain the urge to explore the Star Boundary.
After talking to Hua Qing Si for a while longer, Yang Kai looked up as a figure flashed and appeared before his eyes. Xu Ling Gong’s brawny figure appeared in the Grand Hall.
“Honoured Master!” Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue rose from the chairs and saluted him.
“Martial Uncle Xu!” Yang Kai immediately stood up as well.
Xu Ling Gong seemed to be burdened with worries. He waved his hand and took a seat on a chair, after which Hua Qing Si set down a cup of tea on the table for him.
After giving it a thought with a frown, Xu Ling Gong picked up the cup and gulped the tea down. Then, he stared at Yang Kai and snapped, “Brat, you’ve put me in a tight spot!”
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “What do you mean, Martial Uncle Xu?”
Xu Ling Gong replied, “I saw many talented youths when I was out taking a stroll just now and wanted to take them all on as Disciples. What do you think I should do?”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened as the corners of his eyes twitched, “It seems that you’re here to rob me instead of complaining about anything, Martial Uncle Xu.”
Xu Ling Gong grinned, “I only thought about it, but didn’t make any moves. It’s someone else who has actually done so!” As he spoke, he pointed at the entrance of the hall.
Following that, another figure flashed as an old man clad in a simple grey robe appeared. What was surprising was that the old man was carrying a toddler that was barely a few months old in his arms. Beside him was a flustered woman whose eyes were drenched in tears.
The woman was wearing clothes made from simple linen, and although she was a bit chubby, it was obvious that she wasn’t from a wealthy family. She was as ordinary as could be.
No traces of cultivation could be found on this woman, and the dirt under her nails and in her hair made it apparent that she was from a family of mortal farmers. Her child was taken away by a seemingly powerful old man, and she was brought to this strange hall at the speed of lightning. At that moment, she was anxious and didn’t know what to do.
However, her worried gaze remained fixed on her child as he seemed to be the only thing on her mind.
The toddler in the arms of the old man clad in a grey robe was only a few months old. He was chubby and adorable. Everyone at the scene instantly took a liking to him.
At this moment, the toddler could barely contain his excitement as he looked up and pulled the old man’s low-hanging beard with his petite hands.
The old man didn’t mind it as he let the child do what it pleased.
Just then, a strand of beard was snapped. The child started giggling as though he found it interesting. He then exerted more force with his hands and pulled off more strands of the long beard.
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue were drenched in cold sweat at the mere sight of this. Others might not know who this old man was, but they were fully aware of his identity. He was an Inner Elder of one of the 72 Paradises, a powerful Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The average person could hardly meet him, but here he was getting his beard plucked by a baby. If the disciples from his Paradise saw it, they would surely break into a commotion.
The two of them wouldn’t dare to be negligent as they saluted and called out, “Martial Uncle Yu.”
The old man surnamed Yu nodded, then turned to look at Yang Kai before speaking to the woman who was brought to this place by him, “Don’t fret. you’re now in High Heaven Palace, and the person in front of you is its Palace Master.”
He didn’t activate any kind of power, but his words were soothing enough to make the woman calm down instantly. She then turned to look at Yang Kai, and upon making sure that he looked exactly like the person in the picture that she had always paid respects to in her home, she instantly fell on her knees and lowered her head, “Greetings, Sir!”
The old man in grey robes frowned to the side, but he didn’t stop her.
Yang Kai raised his hand and lifted up the woman, then gazed at the old man in puzzlement, “Senior, she…”
He hadn’t even figured out which of the Cave Heavens or Paradises this old man came from or the reason the latter brought a child and a woman to this place.
The old man said frankly, “This Old Master must accept a Disciple.”
A surprised Yang Kai took a glance at the woman he was holding up, but he couldn’t find anything special about her, making him wonder why this Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had his eyes on her.
As though realising what was on Yang Kai’s mind, the old man patted the child in his arms and said, “I’m talking about this child.”
While he was speaking, one more strand of his beard was plucked. His white beard was initially well trimmed and organized, but it now looked dishevelled, which stripped him of his demeanour as a senior expert.
Yang Kai appeared even more surprised. If the old man wanted to take the woman on as a Disciple, he could accept it even though he didn’t understand it. The old man probably had a way to sense some peculiarity or unique characteristic in this woman; after all, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was powerful, so it was expected that he possessed abilities that Yang Kai didn’t. However, he couldn’t understand why the old man wanted to take a mere baby to be his Disciple.
The child was barely a few months old, so how was this old man able to see through his aptitude? Nevertheless, the old man carried the child like the latter was a treasure, and he didn’t even mind that his beard was being pulled.
Yang Kai then looked inquisitively at Xu Ling Gong.
Xu Ling Gong, however, was just watching the good show while chuckling. Upon noticing Yang Kai’s stare, he explained, “Kid, this is Yu Chang Dao from Free and Unfettered Paradise. You can call him Martial Uncle Yu.”
“So it is Martial Uncle Yu, forgive me for my lack of politeness,” Upon learning that the old man was from Free and Unfettered Paradise, Yang Kai instantly became friendlier.
Ning Dao Ran was from Free and Unfettered Paradise, and he was on close terms with Yang Kai; moreover, Yu Chang Dao came to this place alongside Xu Ling Gong, so it was obvious that he was a friend of the latter. Regardless, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to be impolite to him.
“Martial Uncle Yu, may I know the nature of your relationship with Senior Brother Ning Dao Ran?” Yang Kai asked humbly.
Yu Chang Dao replied dispassionately, “He’s my Second Senior Brother’s Disciple.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai realised that Ning Dao Ran was Yu Chang Dao’s Martial Nephew.
Yang Kai then gazed at the woman and the child before asking, “And what is this situation about, Martial Uncle Yu?”
There was a helpless expression on Yu Chang Dao’s face as he replied, “The Innate Dao Body of this child matches my Grand Dao perfectly, so I’d like to take him on as a Closed Legacy Disciple.”
Upon hearing that, Xu Ling Gong was startled as he gazed at Yu Chang Dao in shock and asked, “Old Yu, are you serious?”
Accepting a Closed Legacy Disciple was no laughing matter. Once Yu Chang Dao did so, he would never take on another Disciple again, which meant that the child in his arms would be the last Disciple of his life.
Xia Ning Chang was born with the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, so she had the right to become a Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor and learn the Alchemic Dao from him. However, Wondrous Pill Great Emperor had already accepted Ji Ying, who was the Fifth Disciple, to be his Closed Legacy Disciple. Therefore, regardless of how outstanding Xia Ning Chang’s aptitude was, she was unable to become a direct Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
With that said, Wondrous Pill Great Emperor had always been generous in teaching her the Alchemic Dao. Although there wasn’t a formal relationship between them, they were no different from Master and Disciple.
Yang Kai naturally knew what taking a Closed Legacy Disciple would mean. He couldn’t help but take another look at the child, but he still couldn’t figure out anything, let alone see through the child’s Innate Dao Body.
However, as a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yu Chang Dao wouldn’t make a casual joke about such an important matter. The Innate Dao Body of this several-month-old child was undoubtedly real.
A determined Yu Chang Dao continued, “With such a Legacy Disciple, I’ll be able to die with no regret.”
Xu Ling Gong appeared solemn as he nodded, “Congratulations, then.” He turned to look at Yang Kai, “Old Yu would like to take on a Disciple from the Star Boundary. Are you fine with it?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “This child must be extremely lucky to gain the favour of Martial Uncle Yu. Naturally, there is no problem.”
Xu Ling Gong appeared gratified as he gave Yang Kai an approving look.
However, Yu Chang Dao sighed as he shot a helpless glance at the woman to his side, “Although this Old Master would like to take this child on as a Disciple, his Mother doesn’t agree to it. She said that when the child grows up, he has to enter High Heaven Palace to cultivate. Regardless of how I tried to persuade her, she refuses to listen to me. Why don’t you have a talk with her, Martial Nephew Yang?”
Yang Kai burst into laughter. It was then he realised the reason Yu Chang Dao brought the Mother and baby together to this place was to make him interfere in this matter.
He then turned to look at the woman. When he was speaking to Yu Chang Dao just now, he realised that the woman kept stealing glances at him, and then she would hang her head low with self-abasement. When she saw Yang Kai gazing at her now, she became flustered and was ready to fall on her knees again.
A helpless Yang Kai shot Hua Qing Si a glance to motion for her to talk to the woman.
It was easier for a woman to approach another woman after all.
Upon realising his intention, Hua Qing Si stepped forward and helped the woman up. As she hospitably took the woman’s rough hands, she invited her to have a seat. The woman was clearly anxious. She was just an ordinary farmer, so it was expected that she was flustered when she suddenly arrived at a magnificent palace. Moreover, the person she paid respects to every day and night without fail was now standing right before her eyes.
She initially wasn’t even able to speak clearly, so Hua Qing Si poured her a cup of tea and placated her before they could start communicating.
Yu Chang Dao was seated beside Xu Ling Gong with the child in his arms. Xu Ling Gong extended his head in an attempt to tease the child, but Yu Chang Dao moved his figure a little to block the child out of the other man’s sight.
Xu Ling Gong pressed his lips together, “How petty!”
He then stuck out his head and took a proper look before breaking into laughter, “So, he’s a boy. Don’t worry, Old Yu. I’ll look for a suitable partner for him from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. When he grows up, he’ll marry into my Sect.”
Yu Chang Dao glared at him and snarled, “If you dare to do that, I’ll kill you!”
His loud voice must have scared the laughing child as he started crying. Following that, a stream of liquid perfectly landed on Xu Ling Gong’s face.
Seeing that, Yu Chang Dao started laughing as he patted the child in his arms, “My Good Disciple! You already know you should help vent out your Honoured Master’s anger. You’re indeed clever!”
While being patted, the child stopped crying and started chuckling.
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue just stood behind their Honoured Master, looking up at the ceiling as if admiring the beautiful artwork.
Xu Ling Gong wiped his face and flung his hand, but he didn’t seem to be vexed at all. With a smile, he said, “It’s said that being sprinkled with a toddler’s water can bring good luck. It seems that good things will soon happen to me.”
He then casually dried his hand on Yu Chang Dao’s grey robe.
Yang Kai couldn’t bear to keep looking at these two, thinking that the demeanour of these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t meet his expectations of how senior experts should behave.
On the other hand, Hua Qing Si was still having a chat with the woman, who would gaze at her child from time to time with concern. However, by now she had somewhat calmed down.
Despite the woman’s small voice, the powerful cultivators in the Grand Hall could clearly hear her.
The woman began telling her story, “My family’s elders said that the Star Boundary fell into great turmoil about 100 years ago, and the people were almost wiped out. In the end, it was Senior Void and his High Heaven Palace that defended the last piece of pure land. With the leadership of Senior Void and the other Great Seniors, they fought an intense battle and eventually drove back the enemies. That was how we all survived. After that, every family would worship the idols or pictures of Senior Void and the other Seniors. This simple woman has never been educated, nor did I have the aptitude to cultivate. Since I was married, I’ve been taking care of my Husband and child and doing some manual work to feed the family. Half a year ago, the child’s Father passed away. Before his death, he took my hand and stroked my belly. The child wasn’t born at that time, but he told me that when the child grew up, I should let him join High Heaven Palace. He didn’t expect the child to be as famous as Senior Void, he just hoped that should there be any calamity again, the child could assist Senior Void and the other Seniors.”
As she tucked her hair behind her ears, she took a look at the alluring Hua Qing Si, then bashfully hung her head low, “It’s been a few months since the child was born. I don’t even know if he can cultivate in the future or has the right to enter High Heaven Palace; however, this was his Father’s dying wish, and I wouldn’t dare to disregard it; otherwise, the child’s Father might not be able to rest in peace.”
Hua Qing Si was moved as she clenched the other woman’s hands, “Don’t worry. Since your child has gained the favour of that Senior, his aptitude must be extraordinary. He’ll certainly achieve great things in life.”
The woman’s eyes brightened when she heard that, “Are you telling me the truth?”
Hua Qing Si smiled and nodded, “I wouldn’t lie to you.”
The woman let out a breath, “If he can cultivate, he won’t be as useless as his parents. However, I wouldn’t dare to hope that he’ll be as great as Senior Void. This simple woman just prays that he will grow up to be healthy and happy.”
The wish of an ordinary person was always simple and guileless.
The woman stole one more glance at Yang Kai and asked in a hushed voice, “Is that really Senior Void?”
Hua Qing Si said with a smile, “Since you worship his picture at home, why would you not recognise him when you finally see him?”
The woman flushed, “I… I just can’t believe it.”
She had always been a lowly farmer, so she found it unbelievable when such an important person suddenly appeared before her eyes.
“Then, are you Head Manager Hua of High Heaven Palace?” The woman suddenly recalled something and gazed at Hua Qing Si in shock.
A curious Hua Qing Si asked, “You know me?”
“It really is you!” The surprised woman covered her mouth as admiration was written all over her face, then she explained, “It is said that Senior Void has a strong right hand in High Heaven Palace. Despite being a woman, she was able to help Senior Void manage all the affairs in this World. Even a simple woman like me has heard about Head Manager Hua. The fact that the Star Boundary has been safe over the years is largely thanks to Head Manager Hua.”
Hua Qing Si replied with a smile, “It seems that I’m pretty famous too.”
The woman smiled humbly, but she soon started squirming as though she was sitting on pins and needles. Not only had she met the famous Senior Void, but she had also come across Head Manager Hua. She felt like she was dreaming.
After a moment of hesitation with her lips pressed together, she asked in a small voice, “Can my son enter High Heaven Palace, Head Manager?”
Hua Qing Si straightened her face and patted the other woman’s hands, “Given the child’s aptitude, he is qualified to be the Disciple of anyone he wishes.”
Since the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wanted to take the child on as a Closed Legacy Disciple, it proved that he had an exceptional aptitude, so no great force would turn him down, though Hua Qing Si was unable to see anything special about the child.
The woman gritted her teeth and rose from the chair. Facing Yang Kai, she fell on her knees and pressed her head against the ground as she said loudly, “Senior Void, please accept my child into High Heaven Palace so that the last wish of his Father can be fulfilled. I’m willing to offer a lifetime of service to repay your favour.”
Yu Chang Dao, who was playing with the child, immediately glowered at Yang Kai as his aura churned. It seemed that he would teach Yang Kai a lesson if the latter dared to agree to this request.
Pretending to not see this, Yang Kai sent a signal to Hua Qing Si while uttering, “Get up first.” He felt helpless at the woman’s tendency to keep kneeling.
Hua Qing Si helped the woman up and adjusted her clothes for her.
Before Yang Kai could speak, Yu Chang Dao suddenly said, “Martial Nephew Yang, allow me to have a word with her.”
Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t turn him down over such a trivial matter, so he extended his hand to motion for him to go ahead, after which he picked up a cup of tea and sipped it.
Yu Chang Dao walked up to the woman and explained to her things like Universe Worlds, the 3,000 Worlds, the 36 Cave Heavens and 72 Paradises in a small voice.
The woman was puzzled as she listened to him. She didn’t speak or ask any questions, almost like they were not speaking the same language.
For all her life, she had only stayed in a small place that was several dozen square kilometres. She had never even stepped outside of her farming village prior to today. Therefore, she was unable to understand the old man as he talked about the 3,000 Worlds, Cave Heavens, and Paradises.
She just thought that the things the old man with a grey beard said were abstruse and unfathomable.
From time to time, she would steal a glance at his beard. The originally neat and tidy beard had become dishevelled because of her child, so she was worried that the old man would be angered.
Certainly, Yu Chang Dao realised this as well. He was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who could easily destroy a Star or flip a Universe World when he was infuriated. However, he was completely powerless to deal with this ordinary woman. He felt frustration burning in his chest without any means to vent it out, which was why he was so vexed.
“Do you understand now?” As a cultivator of the Heavenly Way, Yu Chang Dao was truly patient though and asked the woman with a smile.
The woman shook her head and nodded, then shook her head again.
On the side, Xu Ling Gong was all but rolling on the floor with laughter.
Regardless of how patient Yu Chang Dao was, he was enraged by this stubborn woman. If it weren’t because she was the Mother of his future Closed Legacy Disciple, he would have given her a piece of his mind.
He then turned to look at Yang Kai. Suddenly thinking of something, he said, “How do you find High Heaven Palace?”
The woman replied without hesitation, “It’s definitely the best. That was what my Husband kept telling me before his death. In the past, he had tried to enter High Heaven Palace, but he was unable to make his dream come true. That was because his aptitude was not good enough, so he didn’t pass the various tests.”
Yu Chang Dao put on a smile and extended a finger, “High Heaven Palace might be the best in your eyes, but I can easily destroy it with one finger.”
The woman appeared horrified at those words. She looked at the old man as though he was the Demon Lord who caused calamity and upheaval in the Star Boundary 100 years ago.
Not knowing what was on her mind, Yu Chang Dao went on to ask, “How do you find him?” As he spoke, he pointed at Yang Kai.
Respect was written all over the woman’s face, “Without Senior Void and the other Senior who refused to yield in battle, the Star Boundary would’ve been destroyed, and all of us would’ve been killed.”
Yu Chang Dao stroked his fingers across his beard and put on a faint smile, “Perhaps, but he still must call me Martial Uncle, and even if there are ten of him, I can still easily defeat them.”
Yu Chang Dao knew that it was impossible to reason with this using the logic of the Martial Dao woman, so he decided to explain to her in a simple way by comparing High Heaven Palace and Yang Kai with himself so that the woman would realise that he and the force behind him, which was Free and Unfettered Paradise, were powerful.
This couldn’t be helped, as Yu Chang Dao had no other choice. If he could reason with her, he wouldn’t have bragged about his power in such a way. That wasn’t what a senior expert was supposed to do.
The woman appeared flustered as she snatched the child back from Yu Chang Dao and gazed at him with vigilance, “Are you trying to harm the Star Boundary and make things difficult for Senior Void and the other Seniors?”
She reckoned that he was a terrible person since he wanted to destroy High Heaven Palace and Yang Kai.
With the child gone, Yu Chang Dao was dumbfounded for a moment before he snapped, “Just what are you talking about!?” The Martial Dao he had cultivated for years almost fell apart because of a woman who could barely read.
He then turned to stare at Yang Kai and said, “Martial Nephew Yang, it’s not easy for this Old Master to come across a suitable Disciple. I was cultivating the other day when I suddenly had the urge to visit Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, then I was suddenly brought to your Star Boundary by old friend Xu. After that, I found this child here. This is surely fate! This child and I are destined to be Master and Disciple.”
He was being verbose because he wanted Yang Kai to help him out, and certainly Yang Kai was aware of this.
Yang Kai then nodded, “Don’t worry, Martial Uncle. I’ll sit down and have a chat with her.”
Yu Chang Dao looked at him with gratitude, “Many thanks, Martial Nephew. If I can take this child on as a Disciple, I will owe you a favour.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened as he guffawed, “Good.”
The favour of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was extraordinarily valuable. If he had such a favour in the past, those from Void Land wouldn’t have fallen into a difficult battle against Zuo Quan Hui. They would just have to invite Yu Chang Dao over to show his face, and everything would have been solved.
After Yu Chang Dao was seated, Xu Ling Gong kept grinning at him, which irritated him to no end. On the other side, Yang Kai walked up to the woman and told her to have a seat. After taking the child from her arms, he sat down on her right side.
Yang Kai had never carried a toddler before. As he looked at the child’s carefree smile, clear eyes, and petite hands, he couldn’t help but take a liking to him. At that moment, he suddenly had the urge to have a child of his own.
Even though the child was in his arms, Yang Kai was still unable to sense the Innate Dao Body he supposedly had. Perhaps even Xu Ling Gong couldn’t see that. Only someone like Yu Chang Dao could discover it.
Yang Kai then asked about the woman’s name and found that she was Liu Cai Xia. Such an ordinary name was typically used by farmers.
Then, he asked about the child’s name and found out that it was given to him by his Father before his death. The name was Shi Da Zhuang as the child got his Father’s surname.
Following that, he inquired about her family, what she did for a living, and whether she had enough money to get by.
Liu Cai Xia answered his questions honestly. Certainly, she wouldn’t dare to lie to Void Great Emperor. Moreover, her life as a farmer was simple, so there was nothing for her to hide.
After some small talk, she no longer appeared as flustered. She was also surprised to learn that such an important figure was so down-to-earth.
As Yu Chang Dao watched them, he let out a sigh. When faced with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him, the woman wasn’t as respectful to him as she was to Yang Kai. He was unable to make the woman realise that he was the more powerful one.
“What my Martial Uncle Yu has said is not an exaggeration. The great force he belongs to is one of the best in existence, and he is truly powerful. Your child is fortunate to have gained his appreciation, and his future will be limitless if he cultivates under him,” Yang Kai played with the child while explaining to Liu Cai Xia.
Liu Cai Xia clenched the hem of her shirt and replied in a hushed voice, “I understand.”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “Since you understand, why don’t you agree to it? It’s obvious that Martial Uncle Yu sincerely cares for your child and wants to take him as his Closed Legacy Disciple. Otherwise, given his power, he could have directly snatched the child, and there would have been nothing you or even I could do to stop him.”
Liu Cai Xia remained silent.
Yang Kai went on to say, “Your child definitely qualifies to enter High Heaven Palace, but his future will be much brighter by becoming Martial Uncle Yu’s Disciple.”
Across from them, Yu Chang Dao ran his fingers across his beard and nodded softly. With a gentle expression, he looked gratefully at Yang Kai, who obviously didn’t have any selfish motives. As the Void Great Emperor that this simple woman admired, his words were definitely more persuasive than an old man like him who came out of nowhere.
However, the next moment, a few strands of his beard snapped again, but it was his own doing.
A determined Liu Cai Xia looked up and said, “Senior Void, I still hope that you will allow this child to join High Heaven Palace.”
Yu Chang Dao was so exasperated that he stomped his foot on the floor. He almost wanted to reprimand the woman for being so obstinate.
Yang Kai placated him with his eyes, then asked the woman gently, “Is it because that is the last wish of the child’s Father?”
Liu Cai Xia nodded her head, “I know nothing about the outside world, and I have no idea who is stronger or weaker, but my late Husband was my world, and he only had one wish before his death. It would be fine if the child did not have the qualifications to cultivate as he could simply walk down his Father’s path and grow up safely. When he grew old enough, I would look for a Wife for him, and he would have children of his own. He would work hard every morning and come home in the evening. He would be able to live his life peacefully. However, since he can cultivate, he can only join High Heaven Palace; otherwise, his Father will never be able to rest in peace, and I won’t have the face to see him when I pass away one day.”
The woman was simple-minded and guileless, but she was obstinate.
The last wish of the child’s Father was of utmost importance to her in her heart, so she would never dare to disobey him; therefore, despite knowing that the old man was right, and that Senior Void sincerely wanted the child to have a bright future, the Liu Cai Xia still wouldn’t change her mind.
If the child’s Father was still alive, they could’ve reasoned with him; however, he was now dead, so it wasn’t like they could dig up his grave and ask him. Furthermore, the corpse wouldn’t respond to them even if they did.
There was a helpless smile on Yang Kai’s face as he gazed at Yu Chang Dao, “Martial Uncle, I don’t think it’s appropriate to force her to do something against her will. Why don’t you look for a different Disciple? Even though there are not a lot of people in the Star Boundary, there are definitely many talented youths. Perhaps you’ll find a more suitable candidate.”
Yu Chang Dao shook his head, “It’s extremely difficult to find anyone with the Innate Dao Body. This Old Master has travelled to countless Universe Worlds before, but never met another child like him. I don’t think I can find another in this lifetime.”
“What should we do, then?” Yang Kai appeared to be having a headache as he patted the child in his arms, “I can’t go against the will of the child’s Father. It’s his last wish after all.”
Yu Chang Dao pressed his lips together, then let out a long sigh. If he knew this would be the outcome, he would’ve directly brought the child back to Free and Unfettered Paradise, skipping over all this nonsense. He initially thought that by bringing them here and making Yang Kai negotiate, he could easily take on the child as a Disciple. It never crossed his mind that things would come to such a point. The impasse made him vexed.
Yang Kai suggested by saying, “Martial Uncle, why don’t you stay in the Star Boundary for a while longer and spend more time with the child? When the child grows up, you can ask him whether he’ll be interested in becoming your disciple.”
Yu Chang Dao’s eyes brightened.
Liu Cai Xia immediately objected in her small voice though, “When the child grows up, he’ll still have to join High Heaven Palace.”
“You!” Yu Chang Dao was so exasperated that he almost spat blood.
Liu Cai Xia hung her head low and clenched the hem of her shirt, “If he can’t join High Heaven Palace, he’ll not cultivate.” Then, she stood up and was clearly ready to take the child back from Yang Kai. It seemed that she was determined to return home.
Yang Kai hurriedly stopped her by saying, “Good, I’ll let him join High Heaven Palace right now. From now on, he’s a Disciple of High Heaven Palace.”
Liu Cai Xia’s hands froze in mid-air, then her eyes widened as she was in a dazed state before she became ecstatic. With her eyes reddening, she replied gratefully, “Many thanks, Senior Void. This child’s Father can finally rest in peace now.”
“Martial Nephew!” Yu Chang Dao stared angrily at Yang Kai, “H-How can you do such a thing?”
Yang Kai was basically stealing his Disciple from him, right in front of his face no less. He initially had a good impression of Yang Kai because of Xu Ling Gong, but he no longer felt that way. By snatching his Disciple from him, Yang Kai was practically breaking off his legacy. This was a feud that was second only to if someone killed his Father or snatched his Wife.
Yang Kai pretended to not hear him though as he said to Hua Qing Si, “Look for a quiet place in the palace and help them settle down.”
He then turned to look at Liu Cai Xia, “The child is still young, so you’ll still have to take care of him. You can stay here with peace of mind. Your child will start cultivating when he’s a little older.”
Liu Cai Xia was naturally grateful. She knew that she no longer had to live a life of poverty thanks to her child.
Yang Kai then asked her if there was anyone else in her family that had to be informed about this matter. Upon learning that her child was her only remaining family, he was relieved that there would be no further trouble.
After Hua Qing Si left the hall alongside Liu Cai Xia and her child, Yang Kai turned to look at Yu Chang Dao and bowed, “Martial Uncle Yu!”
Yu Chang Dao sported a long face as he rose from the chair and swung his sleeve, “Old friend Xu, this Old Master still has other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.”
He then prepared to depart. It took him a painfully long time before he found a suitable Disciple, only to have him snatched away by Yang Kai. That was why he was vexed. He decided that when Yang Kai wasn’t paying attention, he would abduct the woman and the child back to Free and Unfettered Paradise. He reckoned that Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to barge into his Sect and get them back.
He would never let go of this Disciple.
While Xu Ling Gong remained silent, Yang Kai stood in Yu Chang Dao path and put on a fawning smile, “Please forgive me, Martial Uncle. I had no choice but to do things this way.”
Yu Chang Dao glowered at him, “Just because you didn’t have a choice, it didn’t mean you could snatch my Disciple. Stand aside, or else don’t blame this Old Master for being impolite!”
A nonchalant Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Doesn’t Martial Uncle Yu understand that I was simply retreating in order to advance?”
Yu Chang Dao frowned and looked at him doubtfully.
Xu Ling Gong gently comforted from the side, “Although this brat acts recklessly sometimes, he isn’t a mannerless brute. He must have his own reason for doing what he did. Why don’t you have a seat and listen to his explanation? It’d be best if he could explain himself. If he can’t, you can beat him up to vent out your anger. He won’t dare to resist.”
Yu Chang Dao snorted, “He’s a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so I wouldn’t dare to teach him a lesson without your permission!” If he really made a move, Xu Ling Gong would certainly interfere.
Xu Ling Gong chuckled, “Then I’ll beat him up on your behalf. I’ve never been fond of him anyway.”
There was a bitter expression on Yang Kai’s face, “You wound me deeply, Martial Uncle Xu.”
In response, Xu Ling Gong just chuckled.
It was only after some more placating that Yu Chang Dao took a seat and examined Yang Kai.
After measuring his words, Yang Kai said, “As you are well aware, Martial Uncle, the child’s Mother is incredibly obstinate. The child’s Father left behind only one final wish before he passed away, so as long as she lives, she will not disregard it. Regardless of how great the outside world is, the child has to enter High Heaven Palace, unless you have a way to retrieve the soul of the child’s Father back from the Yellow Springs and get him to change his mind.”
With a dark expression, Yu Chang Dao fell silent.
Yang Kai chuckled, “En, even though the child has joined High Heaven Palace though, it doesn’t mean you can’t be his Master.”
Yu Chang Dao arched his brow, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai deliberately swung his sleeves as though he had come up with a perfect solution, “I have a suggestion. If Martial Uncle Yu agrees to it, you can take the child on as a Disciple immediately. This way, the last wish of the child’s Father will be fulfilled, and Martial Uncle Yu will be able to accept your favoured Disciple. It’s the best of both worlds.”
“Oh?” Yu Chang Dao’s interest had been piqued as his expression turned milder, “And how would you suggest we go about implementing this best-of-both-worlds solution?”
Yang Kai swung his sleeves again and bent his back, “As Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, I would like to formally invite Martial Uncle Yu to serve as a Supreme High-Rank Guest Elder.”
Xu Ling Gong, who was fiddling with his teacup, immediately froze in place. He looked up at Yang Kai with an expression which suggested he already knew that the latter was up to no good.
Behind him, Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue widened their mouths and stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
[H-How did he have the nerve to come up with such a suggestion?] A Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was extremely powerful, so how did a Sect of a Universe World have the right to invite him to be a Supreme High-Rank Guest Elder, which was just a useless title?
It had to be noted that people like Yu Chang Dao were mostly Inner Elders of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. They usually wouldn’t be interested in becoming the Supreme High-Rank Guest Elders of great forces like Void Land, much less a mere High Heaven Palace.
Yu Chang Dao was startled for a moment before he broke into laughter, as though he had just heard the funniest joke. Soon after though, he fell silent with a solemn expression. Then, he knocked on the table and nodded, “En, it’s actually a feasible solution.”
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue turned to look at him in disbelief.
An elated Yang Kai asked, “So you agree to it, Martial Uncle?”
Yu Chang Dao didn’t immediately respond to him, and after a moment of silence, he replied, “I’ll have to think about it.”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “There’s no rush. You’ll have plenty of time to ponder it. Why don’t you stay in High Heaven Palace for a while to think about it?”
Yu Chang Dao nodded, “Good, I’ll take a look at the child now.”
“I’ll lead the way for you,” Yang Kai offered.
However, Yu Chang Dao waved his hand and said, “There’s no need. I can find my own way.”
The next moment, he disappeared from the spot. His anxiety showed that he truly cared about the child.
Yang Kai let out a breath of relief, but when he turned his head, he saw Xu Ling Gong smiling faintly at him.
“Please have some tea, Martial Uncle Xu,” Yang Kai said.
Xu Ling Gong chuckled, “You’ve dug a nice pit there, kid. Old Yu will be willing to jump right into it.”
An aggrieved Yang Kai said, “You’ve got me all wrong, Martial Uncle Xu. I just want to fulfil the last wish of the child’s Father.”
“Stop spouting nonsense!” Xu Ling Gong snorted, “Maybe you initially didn’t have such intentions, but would you dare to say you didn’t have an ulterior motive after seeing the attitudes of that woman and Old Yu?”
Yang Kai directly sat down on a chair beside him and tilted his figure before saying in a hushed voice, “Even though you’ve seen through me, it’d be terrible if you point it out. Don’t you agree, Martial Uncle Xu?”
Xu Ling Gong grinned in a devious manner.
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue looked at them in a way as though they were two foxes, grinning slyly.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai appeared worried, “Do you think it will work?”
Xu Ling Gong stroked his chin and said, “You’ll most likely succeed. Old Yu has been looking for a suitable Legacy Disciple for many years, but to no avail. However, he’s found one here, so there’s no way he’ll let the child go. If he wants to take the child on as a Disciple, he’ll have to become a Supreme High-Rank Guest Elder of High Heaven Palace; otherwise, he won’t have the right to accept the child as his Disciple. You’re such a cunning brat. By using that baby, you’ve managed to bind a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to your Sect. It’s such a steal. Moreover, when the child grows up, he’ll still be a Disciple of High Heaven Palace. Old Yu is practically going to train a disciple for you for free. It’s no wonder that even though it’s been a short time since you started cultivating, you’ve managed to build such an influential Sect. I suppose you’ve managed to deceive many people over the years.”
There was a solemn expression on Yang Kai’s face, “You’ve got me wrong, Martial Uncle Xu. I’ve managed to build such a Sect because of my natural charm and charisma, not because of anything else.”
Xu Ling Gong didn’t play along as he snorted, “However, Old Yu has lived for a long time, he may be temporarily fooled by you, but it doesn’t mean he will be blind to it forever. In fact, it’s quite likely he’s already seen through you, but he just didn’t bother to expose it.”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “Senior experts like you two are undoubtedly insightful and intelligent; Juniors like me are no match for you. I’ve taken some slight advantage because I’m young and weak.”
“Stop your useless flattery!” Xu Ling Gong landed a slap on Yang Kai’s shoulder, which forced the latter to lower his figure slightly, “Old Yu has gotten some benefits, but what about me, boy? You’re a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so you can’t just give all the benefits to the outsiders. You have to be fair to us.”
Yang Kai hurriedly replied, “Of course. That’s the reason I asked Senior Brother Qing to invite you over.”
Xu Ling Gong put on a faint smile, “You’re indeed a promising young man.”
“Martial Uncle Yu wants to take that child on as a Legacy Disciple, so would you want to get a Disciple too, Martial Uncle Xu?” Yang Kai asked.
“Nonsense!” Xu Ling Gong snapped as he appeared somewhat determined, “I’ve had enough with only three Disciples. I’m basically their Father who raised them from diapers to today. I’ll never accept a Disciple again.”
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue rolled their eyes, thinking that they were already teenagers when they joined the Sect. Xu Ling Gong was completely exaggerating. Qu Hua Shang was indeed a toddler when she was taken into the Sect, but it was Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue who raised her while Xu Ling Gong acted as an arm-flinging shopkeeper.
Despite their thoughts, they would never dare to say this out loud of course.
Xu Ling Gong said with a grin, “Even though I’m not taking on a Disciple, it doesn’t mean I can’t get some disciples for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Your Star Boundary is full of talented young people now, and the World Tree located here is truly abstruse as it has transformed this place greatly. Its aura is able to cleanse a person’s Soul and physique. Before a child is even born, they have already been cleansed thoroughly. You can’t find nearly as many talents in other Universe Worlds as in this place. In my eyes, the Star Boundary is paved with gold. Kid, since you want to share the benefits, are you ready to let others take the lion’s share?”
A nonchalant Yang Kai replied, “It’s said that one has to lose something in order to gain more. Keeping all the benefits to myself will only invite trouble.”
Xu Ling Gong gave him an approving look, “When Qing Boy came back to the Sect, he told me what you had said, and I commend you for that. The Star Boundary is like a treasure trove now. If you intend to hog everything for yourself, you’ll be destroyed one day. All the Cave Heavens and Paradises are very sensitive to events in the 3,000 Worlds. Once news about the Star Boundary spreads, they’ll all flock to this place. The fact that you’re able to see through this and open it up in advance in order to maintain the initiative is praiseworthy.”
There was a solemn expression on Yang Kai’s face, “Please advise me, Martial Uncle Xu.”
Xu Ling Gong waved his hand, “Just like what I’ve said, your place is filled with talents. Even though I’m not going to accept any Disciples, no Cave Heaven or Paradises would refuse more disciples with exceptional aptitudes. In all the Cave Heavens and Paradises, a Core Disciple that can directly ascend to the Sixth Order will only appear once every 1,000 years or so. Disciples like Qu’er cost each Cave Heaven and Paradise a lot of resources and time to nurture. Of course, there are also freaks like you. If those great forces hadn’t stopped you, you could’ve directly ascended to the Seventh Order.”
As he spoke, he gave Yang Kai a regretful look.
Yang Kai put on a nonchalant smile, “A tree that rises too far above the forest will be destroyed by the wind. I’m fine with the situation I’m in. At least I don’t have others breathing down my neck all the time and I can have some good rest at night.”
Xu Ling Gong turned to look at Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue as he pointed at Yang Kai, “Look at how sanguine your Junior Brother is. You should learn from him. It’s not easy for a young man to have such a temperament.”
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue nodded at the same time, “You’re right, Honoured Master.”
Following a sigh, Xu Ling Gong said, “Don’t blame the Cave Heavens and Paradises for meddling in your business, kid. There are some reasons that cannot be exposed to outsiders which make them feel wary of anyone who attempts to directly ascend to the Seventh Order.”
With a frown, Yang Kai said, “I heard that someone directly ascended to the Seventh Order in the past and eventually made it to the Ninth Order. However, due to an accident, many people were slaughtered in the 3,000 Worlds.”
After measuring his words, Xu Ling Gong said, “Something like that, but I can’t tell you the details. You’ll have a clearer picture about it in the future.”
Yang Kai fell into his thoughts as he realised that there were other unknown reasons; however, since Xu Ling Gong wasn’t willing to go further, he couldn’t keep asking.
“Let’s get back to the main topic.” Xu Ling Gong waved his hand, “Let’s talk about the Star Boundary. Now that you’ve opened up this place, I’ve granted your request to bring some people over; however, they’re just the first batch, and more will come soon. Once word gets out, all 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises will send representatives to the Star Boundary, trying to get their hands on the benefits here. Since Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and your Sect are on close terms, I’ll not hesitate to state my demands first.”
“Please go ahead, Martial Uncle Xu,” Yang Kai sported a solemn expression.
Xu Ling Gong gently knocked on the table and enunciated, “Yin-Yang Cave Heaven will take ten disciples from the Star Boundary every 100 years. Will you agree to it?”
Since he had come up with his demand, it was no longer a chat between a Senior and a Junior, it was a negotiation between Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and Yang Kai, who represented Void Land and the Star Boundary.
“Ten people every 100 years!” Despite being ready for it, Yang Kai still gasped upon hearing that, then he put on a bitter smile, “Yin-Yang Cave Heaven alone will get ten people, so that means a total of 1,080 for all 108 forces with a 100-year cycle. It’s not like the Star Boundary can produce so many talented people. All of them will be snatched up by you and other great forces. How is Void Land going to get any benefits?”
Xu Ling Gong shot him a glance, “What’s wrong, kid? Are you going to give everyone a fair deal? Are you also their son-in-law?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Of course not.”
Xu Ling Gong directly pointed the way for him, “They’ll be more than happy if you could respectively give them one person every 100 years. The Martial Dao is all about quality, not quantity. It’s the same case for disciples. What’s the point of getting so many disciples if all of them are weak? If they’re lucky enough to find one that can directly ascend to the Seventh Order, it’ll be more valuable than getting 100 weaker disciples.”
Yang Kai played along and said, “Since you’ve said so, Martial Uncle Xu, a disciple every 100 years is all Yin-Yang Cave Heaven will need. What’s the point of getting ten people?”
Xu Ling Gong stared at him without saying a word.
Yang Kai tried to haggle, “Three people.”
Hearing that, Xu Ling Gong rose from the chair and barked, “Qing Boy, Little Xue’er, let’s go home! It seems that this son-in-law doesn’t welcome us. I’m annoyed! Go back and tell Qu’er that there won’t be any wedding either. We’ll call it all off.”
“Ten people it is!” Yang Kai hurriedly pulled Xu Ling Gong back to his seat and placated him, “I was just pulling your leg, Martial Uncle Xu. Why take it so seriously?”
Xu Ling Gong picked up his cup and realised that there was no more tea in it. Seeing that, Yang Kai quickly filled it.
After taking a sip of the tea, Xu Ling Gong spoke in a heartfelt manner, “Do not think that you’re suffering a loss, kid. You have to know that the Star Boundary is on the rise, and this is just the first generation. Under the influence of the World Tree, more and more talented people will appear over the successive generations. Many people will most likely be able to directly ascend to the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order. Heaven-defying talents who can directly make it to the Seventh Order might also appear.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I understand.”
“With so many people with outstanding aptitudes around, can Void Land alone provide for them?”
Yang Kai replied honestly, “Of course, we can’t.”
“In that case, I’d suggest you not waste their talents and send them to other great forces instead. What’s more, all of them will be born in the Star Boundary, so regardless of what Cave Heaven or Paradise they join in the future, their roots will remain here in the Star Boundary, so if the time ever comes, they will defend their ‘home’ no matter what. When they become powerful one day, they’ll not betray the Star Boundary. They’re like the World Tree you’ve planted; there’ll come a day when they’ll give back to this land.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That is the reason I’ve decided to open up this place. First of all, just like what you’ve said, I have no choice but to do so in order to avoid trouble. Secondly, I have to find some suitable paths for the future young talents of the Star Boundary.”
“The fact that you have this consideration is commendable,” Xu Ling Gong gave him an approving look.
Meanwhile, Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue gazed at Yang Kai in disbelief. When he previously told Qing Kui to go back to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and inform Xu Ling Gong about it, they just thought that he wanted to use their Honoured Master to help fend off the approaching wolves. However, it never crossed their minds that he was so far-sighted.
In a poor family, the parents couldn’t afford to provide for their children if there were too many of them. Regardless of how reluctant they were, they had to give some children away. During times of war or famine, the people who sold their children were not necessarily after the money, many just wanted their children to have a better future. It was true that parents would always worry about their children.
“Since you’re so far-sighted, have you thought about what will happen when all these disciples, who will be scattered everywhere in the 3,000 Worlds, become powerful figures in the Cave Heavens and Paradises one day?”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before his eyes lit up.
With a smile, Xu Ling Gong patted the other man’s shoulder, “Give it a thought. There will come a day when the Star Boundary becomes the centre of the 3,000 Worlds. All the Cave Heavens and Paradises will have some connections with the Star Boundary, so if the Star Boundary falls into trouble, they’ll not hesitate to help.”
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “If it’s just like what you’ve said, should I proactively offer more benefits to them instead of haggling with them?”
Xu Ling Gong scoffed, “Don’t go overboard. Just like what you’ve said, if all the benefits are given out, what will be left for your Void Land? You have to be moderate in everything you do. It’s all good if you’re able to pull off this feat, but if you can’t, some people will suffer losses.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I understand. Many thanks for your advice, Martial Uncle Xu.”
After a pause, he chuckled, “I initially thought that Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven and Myriad Demons Heaven should never dream about getting any benefits from the Star Boundary. If they dared to come, I’d tell them to scram.”
“What about now?” Xu Ling Gong gazed at him.
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “I’ll treat them politely. It’ll be all good if they behave themselves. If they don’t, I’ll have to ask you to lend me a hand.”
Xu Ling Gong grinned, “Since I’ve gotten so many benefits from you, I don’t mind giving you a hand. I even made some preparations before coming to this place.”
Yang Kai batted his eyes, “Should I also share more benefits with the others so that they’ll help out?”
“Of course you’ll have to do that, but there’s no rush. Let them walk around and see more of the Star Boundary. When they realise the importance of this place, it’ll be easier for you to haggle with them.”
“You’re such a cunning man, Martial Uncle Xu!” Yang Kai chuckled.
His laugh then abruptly stopped following a slap from Xu Ling Gong.
“The ten disciples every 100 years that I’ve mentioned is just one of the demands. There’s one more,” Xu Ling Gong patted his sleeves.
Yang Kai rubbed his head and said, “Please explain. I’m all ears.”
“Yin-Yang Cave Heaven will build a Dao Temple in the Star Boundary as a branch of the Master Sect. I’ll select the place myself. Don’t worry, we’ll not snatch your foundation or oppress you. As for the landmass… I’ll need 500,000 square kilometres. We’ll bear the cost of building the Dao Temple and maintaining it, so you’ll just have to agree to give the land to us.”
Xu Ling Gong represented Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to haggle with Yang Kai, but it wasn’t just a matter of one great force. He had practically laid down a foundation on which the other Cave Heavens and Paradises would base their own demands around when discussing cooperation with the Star Boundary.
Although Xu Ling Gong never pointed it out, Yang Kai knew that the other man was secretly giving him a hint.
Therefore, after Xu Ling Gong finished his words, Yang Kai immediately made some calculations. If one great force demanded 500,000 square kilometres, the total would be over 50 million square kilometres for all 108 great forces.
In other words, a landmass of over 50 million square kilometres would become branches of the Cave Heavens and Paradises in the Star Boundary. The landmass was neither big nor small, and there was certainly more than enough land in the Star Boundary for that, so Yang Kai was able to bear it.
Hence, he directly agreed to this condition, “Good. However, no one can choose any place within a 10 million kilometre radius around the World Tree.”
Xu Ling Gong replied with a smile, “Naturally. You’re worried about the World Tree, but others will be equally anxious as well. No one will have their eyes on the World Tree or its surrounding area.”
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded, then fell into his thoughts for a moment, “Are you going to bring some people over from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to the Star Boundary to cultivate, Martial Uncle Xu?”
Xu Ling Gong cut to the chase and nodded, “That’s my plan. Getting disciples from the Star Boundary is one way to benefit, but they are natives of this place after all. Moreover, there aren’t many people in the Star Boundary to begin with. Since there’s such a chance, I’ll not waste it. After a Dao Temple is built, we can select some young disciples with exceptional aptitudes and send them to the Star Boundary to nurture. They will grow up to be just as fine as the locals.”
Yang Kai pondered and agreed. Since Xu Ling Gong had this plan, it must be the same case for other Cave Heavens and Paradises as well. Allowing those great forces to build Dao Temples here was inevitable.
“As long as you can fulfil these two demands, you’ll realise that those haughty guys from the Cave Heavens and Paradises are actually pretty reasonable.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Well, they’ll be unreasonable if their demands are not met, right?”
Xu Ling Gong didn’t comment on that. After giving it a thought, he said, “There’s one thing that’s difficult to deal with, though.”
“What is it?” Yang Kai stared at him in puzzlement.
Xu Ling Gong turned to look at the World Tree with a worried expression, “If the World Tree starts bearing fruits one day, there will be chaos.”
World Fruits were Heaven-defying treasures that could allow an Open Heaven Realm Master to directly ascend to the next Order. Mid-Rank and Low-Rank World Fruits wouldn’t really matter too much, but if there were High-Rank World Fruits, those Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would certainly drool over them. If an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were to consume a High-Rank World Fruit, he could directly rise to the Ninth-Order.
Even though the Cave Heavens and Paradises were said to be united, they might not remain friendly with each other if such an opportunity appeared before them; after all, regardless of how many fruits the World Tree would bear, there wouldn’t be 108 High-Rank World Fruits for all of them.
If the World Tree really bore fruits but there were not enough High-Rank World Fruits for everyone, a conflict was bound to happen.
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “To be honest with you, Martial Uncle Xu, this World Tree isn’t the Mother Tree. The real one is still in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The World Tree in the Star Boundary was grown after I snatched a root from the Mother Tree in the past. It’s considered a subtree. Only the real World Tree can bear World Fruits that are Heaven-defying. As long as the Mother Tree does not die, the subtree will never bear fruits.”
It was then that Xu Ling Gong set his mind at ease, “That’s for the best.”
Despite his words, he found it to be a shame as well. However, compared to the conflict that might arise between the Cave Heavens and Paradises, this kind of regret was nothing.
“Do you have any other advice for me, Martial Uncle Xu?” Yang Kai asked humbly.
Xu Ling Gong shook his head, “No. Aside from getting disciples every 100 years and building Dao Temples here, everything else will be up to you to negotiate.”
Yang Kai straightened up and sported a solemn expression, “In that case, it’s my turn to come up with my demands.”
Xu Ling Gong gave him a look as he had a bad feeling. With vigilance, he asked, “What are you up to, brat?”
With a serious expression, Yang Kai replied, “You’ve got me wrong, Martial Uncle Xu. Since it’s a deal, both parties will have to put something on the table. It wouldn’t be fair if one party comes up with all sorts of demands while the other can only obey. Why do parents who sell their kids demand money in return? They could just give their children to wealthy people for free. The reason they ask for something in return is that they’re worried these wealthy people won’t treasure their children. Things that have to be paid for are more valuable than those that are free.”
“Pure sophistry!” Xu Ling Gong snorted, but after giving it a thought, he had to admit that Yang Kai was right, “Well, you do have a point. So, you, the Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, are selling your children. Is that what you mean?”
A ‘heartbroken’ Yang Kai replied, “If possible, I would never want to do such a thing; however, just like what you’ve said, the Star Boundary will have countless talented people in the future. Neither the Star Boundary and Void Land can’t afford to provide for all of them. It’s great that the Cave Heavens and Paradises are willing to share the burden, but they can’t get all the benefits for free.”
Xu Ling Gong shot him a dismissive look, “You can come up with your own demands, but it’s entirely up to me whether I’ll agree to them.”
There was a conflicted expression on Yang Kai’s face as he pondered on it for a moment, “For every disciple you take, you’ll have to pay one complete set of Sixth-Order Materials or something of the equivalent value. What do you think?”
Xu Ling Gong couldn’t help but see him in a different light, “Good, it seems that you really don’t have any selfish motives.”
A set of Sixth-Order material was worth around 100 to 120 million Open Heaven Pills, but that wasn’t a big deal for the Cave Heavens and Paradises. It would be a bargain to use such a small amount to obtain a disciple with a bright future. If the disciple could directly ascend to the Sixth Order, it would totally be worth it.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises didn’t have many Core Disciples like Lin Feng and Qu Hua Shang after all.
If they wanted to take on disciples from the Star Boundary, they would never have their eyes on the ordinary people. They would certainly go for those who could possibly break straight to the Sixth Order one day, so there was no way they would be taking a loss with such a deal. As for whether they would make a wrong judgement, that had nothing to do with Yang Kai.
And since they had to offer a set of Sixth-Order materials to obtain such a disciple, they would certainly nurture them with care.
Even if Yang Kai had tried to come up with an unreasonable demand, Xu Ling Gong wouldn’t have been surprised, so since he had put forth such a reasonable request, it showed that he was truly concerned about the cultivators born in the Star Boundary.
“Secondly, all the great forces cannot forcefully take the disciples they want in the Star Boundary. Everything must be agreed upon willingly. If two or more great forces have their eyes on the same disciple, the decision has to be made by the person themselves. Martial Uncle Xu, you’ll have to discuss the rules with the other Cave Heavens and Paradises regarding this. If anyone dares to break the rules, the others will have to step in to settle the matter.”
Xu Ling Gong shot him a glare, “Do you want to have more Supreme High-Rank Guest Elders in High Heaven Palace, you damned brat? Stop dreaming! It’s a rare coincidence that resulted from that woman’s obstinance and Yu Chang Dao’s difficulty in finding a Legacy Disciple that you even got one. If others come across such an incident, they’d rather give up on the Disciple than become a Supreme High-Rank Guest Elders. There are no benefits to being tied to High Heaven Palace after all.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’d be great if High Heaven Palace could have more Supreme High-Rank Guest Elders, but that’s not my priority. It’s just that things run smoothly when there are established rules.”
Xu Ling Gong agreed with him, “You have a point. Fine. When the others arrive, I’ll discuss this with them. I’ll have to spend some time persuading them, but I believe they’ll understand that it’s the only way to move forward.”
Yang Kai rose from the chair and bowed, “Many thanks, Martial Uncle Xu.”
Even though he was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was the Lord of Void Land as well as a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, Yang Kai would never have the right to discuss terms with a group of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as long as he wasn’t in the High-Rank himself. Xu Ling Gong would have to deal with it and persuade the others.
Xu Ling Gong then coughed and said, “I passed by a Territory Gate when I arrived at this place; however, since I was in a rush to come to the Star Boundary, I didn’t enter it. Qing Boy told me that it’s a Newborn Great Territory that had never been discovered.”
Yang Kai sported a long face, “Martial Uncle Xu, you can’t be too greedy. It’d be terrible if you want to get even more when you’ve already obtained so many benefits.”
Xu Ling Gong snapped, “I was just asking. Why are you so anxious?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m willing to share the benefits of the Star Boundary with the Cave Heavens and Paradises because there’s no other choice; however, I’ll never share the Newborn Great Territory with anyone.”
Xu Ling Gong narrowed his eyes, “The Star Boundary is a treasure trove, and it’s the same case for the Newborn Great Territory. The Territory Gate is right there. How are they supposed to not be tempted?”
Yang Kai said, “I’ve worked together with Luan Bai Feng to build a Grand Array around the Territory Gate. Whoever dares to barge into it will be exiled to the Void. If someone wants to test their luck, they’re welcome to try.”
Xu Ling Gong pointed at him, “You! You! In that case, I’m worried there’ll be an argument over this.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Don’t worry. We’ll deal with it accordingly. It’s all fine as long as they’re not going to have a hand in the Newborn Great Territory.”
In the next half a month, Yang Kai went on to wait for those from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven and Myriad Demons Heaven to arrive.
There was no way Wu Kuang would let Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao survive after he took them away. Be it to absorb the heritages of their Small Universes or to hide the secrets of his Heaven Devouring Battle Law, he would no doubt kill them ruthlessly.
As soon as those two were dead, those from Myriad Demons Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven would be made aware and would begin searching for them.
In the past, Yang Kai wouldn’t have any solution to such a problem. Even though he had a lot of strong cultivators with him, he didn’t think he could defeat two Cave Heavens.
All he could have done was make use of the World Force borrowed from the Star Boundary and temporarily become a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to fight back.
However, since Yu Chang Dao had become the Supreme High-Rank Guest Elder of High Heaven Palace, and Xu Ling Gong and his friends were in the Star Boundary, they could help him settle this bit of trouble.
Nevertheless, those from Myriad Demons Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven never arrived. Instead, the second batch of visitors had come knocking on the door.
When Qing Kui returned to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven previously, there happened to be some High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters visiting from other Sects. Upon realising the severity of the matter, Xu Ling Gong didn’t delay and headed straight to the Star Boundary alongside his friends. At the same time, he sent messages to the other Cave Heavens and Paradises he was on good terms with and briefly talked about what was going on. The route was also provided to allow them to send representatives over to hold a discussion.
The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who were informed naturally understood the gravity of this situation. Upon learning that there was a World Tree in the Star Boundary, they would not dare to underestimate the matter. Therefore, many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters hurriedly set off on their journeys.
Those were the second batch of visitors, and there were more still to come. There was a Seventh-Order old man who visited the Star Boundary on this day, and the next day, three people arrived at this place together. Two days later, two people came here together. The Star Boundary was now bustling with activity.
There was a table at the bottom of the World Tree. Yang Kai and Xu Ling Gong were seated across from each other as they chatted over wine and waited patiently.
Regardless of who the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was, he or she would immediately see the gigantic tree that was almost 300 kilometres in height now when they arrived at the Star Boundary. When they landed on the ground, they would then easily spot Yang Kai and Xu Ling Gong.
The visitors were all Xu Ling Gong’s close friends that had been informed of what was going on. Xu Ling Gong introduced Yang Kai to these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from the various Cave Heavens and Paradises in order to familiarise the young man with them.
Whoever the visitor was, they wouldn’t hesitate to leave upon inquiring Xu Ling Gong about the situation in this place. They were eager to look into what was going on in the Star Boundary. During this recent period of time, there were many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Star Boundary, which was quite unprecedented.
In just one month, Yang Kai got to know 30 such people.
At the same time, there was an extensive public campaign going on in the Star Boundary. With High Heaven Palace taking the lead, assisted by the other major Sects, all the information about the Outer Universe, the 3,000 Worlds, and the 108 top great forces was written into booklets and engraved into jades that were distributed to the general populace. Wherever there were people who gathered together, such information would be given to them.
The Star Boundary was bound to become the Open Heaven Realm Cradle of the 3,000 Worlds, and the Cave Heavens and Paradises would start accepting disciples from this place in the near future. Since they had to move with the times, they had to let everyone in the Star Boundary become familiar with the information about the outside world. Only by doing so would they be able to make informed choices.
It was imaginable that the hundreds of billions of lives in the Star Boundary would be shocked by the extensive campaign that was no different from a windstorm to them.
After all, prior to this, they were like the frogs in the well. But now, there was a chance for them to leap out of the well and have a peek at the wider sky.
In just one month, everyone in the Star Boundary knew that the top 108 great forces from the Outer Universe would come over to take on disciples. If they were lucky enough, their lives would drastically change.
Countless rogue cultivators became eager as they hoped that those powerful cultivators from the Outer Universe would have their eyes on them. However, it was destined to be a pipe dream for these people. Although the current generation in the Star Boundary had undergone some transformation following the growth of the World Tree, the people who would experience the greatest change were the newborns and those who were still unborn.
One month later, the last batch of people arrived, so Xu Ling Gong finished his tea and rose from the chair before speaking, “Since everyone’s here, it’s time to discuss the rules.”
Yang Kai hurriedly sent a message to Hua Qing Si and told her to get prepared.
Xu Ling Gong faced north as his lips squirmed, but he was not heard speaking. A moment later, he said to Yang Kai, “Let’s go.”
As a thought flashed through Yang Kai’s mind, the two of them appeared outside of High Heaven Palace in the next moment.
After they waited for a bit, they saw many rays of lights approaching from all directions and landing in front of them.
Xu Ling Gong stood beside Yang Kai with his hands behind his back. He would either tease the visitors or nod gently. On the other hand, Yang Kai was busy greeting them.
This couldn’t be helped, as these Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were all his Seniors, and they were also Xu Ling Gong’s friends. As a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven as well as a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, he had to show proper hospitality.
The female disciples of High Heaven Palace were already there to lead the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters into the palace.
All of them were efficient, and barely an hour after Xu Ling Gong sent the messages, everyone had returned to this place from different parts of the Star Boundary. By the time Yang Kai and Xu Ling Gong entered the Grand Hall, they saw a huge round table in the centre filled with people.
The over 30 High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were seated around the table in silence as they secretly communicated with one another using their Divine Senses. The female disciples behind them, who were ready to serve them at any moment, were anxious and dripping in sweat.
The round table was custom-made. After seeking some advice from Xu Ling Gong, Yang Kai quickly told some Artifact Refiners in High Heaven Palace to make it. This couldn’t be helped, as the visitors were all powerful High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Yang Kai wasn’t in any place to determine whether one was more noble than the other, so the usual arrangement of seats might give off a feeling that some people were less important. A round table solved that problem as all of them were equal.
As soon as Xu Ling Gong stepped into the hall, the Divine Senses abruptly stopped. Most of them turned their heads to examine Yang Kai, who was behind Xu Ling Gong.
At that moment, Yang Kai felt immensely pressured. Although these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters hadn’t tried to oppress him, he still became sluggish for a moment. But soon, he managed to pull himself together.
Some of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters arched their brows with surprise when they saw this.
The round table was quite big as there were still vacant seats, even though there were already more than 30 people sitting around it. Xu Ling Gong found a slightly more spacious place and took a seat alongside Yang Kai.
No one found it off that Yang Kai, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, was seated at the table; after all, they were in the Star Boundary, and he was a Great Emperor of this place. Furthermore, these people were Xu Ling Gong’s close friends who rushed over to this place upon receiving his messages, so no one would look down on Yang Kai.
“Many thanks for coming, my friends. It’s hard for so many of us to come together usually, so we should appreciate this rare chance. I’m sure all of you have surveyed this place and realised what is going on. This Xu has asked all of you to come over because we need to have a discussion and set some rules about what will take place now so that everyone can be satisfied,” Xu Ling Gong gently said.
An old man, who had lost one arm, waited for him to finish his words before he said, “Old friend Xu, there’s no rush to have a discussion. This Old Master has a question for the young man beside you first.”
Yang Kai looked at the person and instantly recognised him. The man was an Inner Elder of Purple Jade Cave Heaven, Xun Ping. There was rarely anyone who was a match for a powerful High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, so it wasn’t certain why he had lost an arm. Despite that, he was still a formidable cultivator with an ample heritage.
Yang Kai cupped his fist with a smile, “Please ask, Senior Xun.”
The person beside Xun Ping seemed to know what the latter was going to ask, so he put on a gleeful expression as he was ready to watch a good show.
Just then, Xun Ping’s clear voice reverberated around the Grand Hall, “Is Zuo Quan Hui dead?”
Yang Kai frowned as he had no idea why this person suddenly mentioned such an issue. He turned to look at Xu Ling Gong, who nodded while still staring at the front.
It was then Yang Kai nodded, “He’s dead.”
“Who killed him? How did he die?” Xun Ping asked.
Yang Kai replied, “He manifested his Small Universe, then he was killed by me and some of my companions from Void Land.”
Xun Peng narrowed his eyes.
Other than Xu Ling Gong, who was already aware of the truth, the other High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters at the table were stunned.
Manifesting one’s Small Universe was the last resort for a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master to defeat their enemies. The people at the scene couldn’t figure out what kind of danger Zuo Quan Hui was in that forced him to make such a decision.
Despite that, he was still killed in the end.
All of them were Inner Elders of their respective Cave Heavens and Paradises, so even though they were not on close terms with Zuo Quan Hui, they did come into contact with him before. Now that Zuo Quan Hui was dead, they felt somewhat awkward.
“Zuo Quan Hui is dead, but what about Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan?” An elegant-looking woman asked. She was an Inner Elder of Luo Sheng Cave Heaven, Luo Xiu.
Yang Kai replied impassively, “They’re also dead.”
Most of them seemed to have expected it, so their expressions didn’t change; after all, it wasn’t a secret that Zuo Quan Hui previously led Heavenly Sword Union to attack Void Land, and he was assisted by Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao. Since Zuo Quan Hui was dead, there was no way Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao could have survived. However, they were still astounded by Yang Kai’s audacity while some of them fell into their thoughts.
Luo Xiu shot Yang Kai a glare, “You’re just as cunning as that Old Xu.”
While Yang Kai didn’t understand her, Xu Ling Gong started guffawing, “He’s the son-in-law of my Sect, so it’s expected that he resembles me. What’s wrong with that?”
Luo Xiu snorted, “It doesn’t matter that a traitor is dead. Those from Thousand Cranes Paradise wouldn’t make a fuss over it. The problem now is that Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao were killed. This Queen already knows what you two are up to.”
A curious Xu Ling Gong asked, “What could we be up to? I don’t get you, Junior Sister Luo. Why don’t we delve into this topic in my room tonight?”
“Sure.” A charming Luo Xiu kept a faint smile on her face, “We should do that sooner rather than later. I’ll look for you tonight.”
Xu Ling Gong nodded repeatedly, “Sure thing.”
A dumbfounded Yang Kai stared at him.
On the other hand, Xun Ping let out a sigh as he appeared dejected, “I can’t believe Zuo Quan Hui was killed just like that. His reputation was already destroyed; nevertheless, he still owed me something.”
Yang Kai had no idea what this person’s relationship with Zuo Quan Hui was; however, since Xu Ling Gong had invited him over, there shouldn’t be a problem.
“Let’s stop the small talk.” Xu Ling Gong knocked on the table, “There’s an important issue to discuss here.”
As expected, all of them fell silent and gazed at Xu Ling Gong.
Yang Kai had previously asked Xu Ling Gong to head this discussion since more than 30 people, who represented different Cave Heavens and Paradises, had been invited; they were supposed to be able to come up with an arrangement that everyone would be pleased with. However, would the other great forces who were not present acknowledge it? After all, they didn’t take part in it.
Xu Ling Gong replied with a smile that the Cave Heavens and Paradises had always been united since time immemorial; therefore, 30 or so was enough to represent everyone. None of them was a fool. These people not only represented their own great forces, but also all the Cave Heavens and Paradises. When discussing the matter, they would be taking all the Cave Heavens and Paradises into consideration instead of speaking up only for their own great force.
Those who didn’t join the discussion would acknowledge the result of the discussion. That was because if they wanted to be part of it, they had to first acknowledge the rules that had been set; otherwise, they wouldn’t have the right.
Yang Kai was initially doubtful, but when he saw that none of them objected to it, as though they would be able to come to a conclusion on this day, he set his mind at ease.
This was destined to be a discussion that would change the entire 3,000 Worlds, an event that would be greatly discussed in the history books.
However, such a discussion took place in an unknown Small Universe that was located at the edge of the 3,000 Worlds. Before Xu Ling Gong informed them about it, the people at the scene probably hadn’t even heard of the Star Boundary before.
All of them had surveyed the Star Boundary, so they understood what was going on.
Xu Ling Gong stated, “The World Tree has transformed the entire Star Boundary, and all the living beings here have greatly benefited from it. In the future, there will be a lot of talented youths who are born for cultivation. This treasure trove can’t be monopolised by Yang Boy’s Void Land and Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, nor could any one of you do so. Since we’ve gathered together, let’s not hide anything or pretend to be righteous. Show how greedy you are and divide everything up. It’ll be good for everyone.”
Across from him sat a grim-looking old man with a hooked nose who said with a grin, “Old Xu, since you’ve taken the initiative, you must have come up with some proposals. Why don’t you tell us about them? We’ll acknowledge it if it’s reasonable. If it’s not, we’ll discuss.”
All of them nodded as they knew that Xu Ling Gong and Yang Kai must have agreed on some secret deals, but they wouldn’t point it out.
Upon hearing that, Xu Ling Gong replied with a smile, “The Cave Heavens and Paradises are extraordinary, the most powerful great forces in the Outer Universe. The reason our inheritances could be passed on for generations is that there’s a continuation of our heritages. In order to carry our glories forward indefinitely, we need many talented people. In the past, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had to spend a lot of money and manpower to look for such talents, but the results left much to be desired. Every great force only has a small number of Core Disciples who can directly ascend to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Take a look at all of us here. How many of us directly broke through to the Sixth-Order in the past? Almost all of us started at the Fifth-Order and rose to our current realms through long years of hard work. If you had directly ascended to the Sixth-Order, you would’ve become Eighth-Order Ancestors in your respective Sects instead of Inner Elders. There are indeed some advantages to having a higher starting point. The Star Boundary is now filled with talented people, and the World Tree is still in its growth stage, yet it has already showcased such incredible power. In three to five generations, this Xu wouldn’t dare to imagine how prosperous the Star Boundary would be. Three to five mortal generations is just about 100 years, barely the blink of an eye for us. When that time comes, the Star Boundary will be full of young people with extraordinary aptitudes!”
Someone cut him off by saying, “Old Xu, enough with the nonsense already. Of course we can also see the things you’re able to see. Stop trying to stir up our sentiments and cut to the chase.”
Xu Ling Gong replied with a grin, “I’ll stop, then. I know what you all want. Certainly, you want to get some talented disciples from the Star Boundary. To be honest with you, Yang Boy and I have come to an agreement. Yin-Yang Cave Heaven will be able to receive ten disciples from the Star Boundary every 100 years.”
“Ten people!” The one-armed Xun Ping arched his brow, “The figure is neither small nor big. It’s quite fair, actually. The prerequisite is that you’re speaking the truth.”
The feelings of Xu Ling Gong seemed to have been hurt as he said, “You wrong me, Brother Xun. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Yang Boy about it.”
Xun Ping snorted, “You and Yang Kai are basically one family. Of course he’ll agree to whatever you say.”
A solemn Yang Kai replied, “There’s a misunderstanding here, Senior Xun. Martial Uncle Xu didn’t lie to you. It is indeed ten people.”
Yang Kai initially wondered why Xu Ling Gong was so honest; however, after giving it a thought, he realised that this matter couldn’t be hidden from everyone when Yin-Yang Cave Heaven started accepting disciples in the Star Boundary, so it was a wise move to break it to them first.
Xun Ping nodded gently, “This Old Master doesn’t believe Old Xu, but I believe what you’ve said, kid.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Many thanks, Senior.”
Xun Ping added, “Since Yin-Yang Cave Heaven will take ten disciples every 100 years, Purple Jade Cave Heaven will also do the same, then.”
All of them agreed with him, “Good.”
Xu Ling Gong said with a sly smile, “Yang Boy is a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so naturally I can get more benefits. Let’s see if he’ll agree to it if you want the same.”
He easily shifted the responsibility to Yang Kai, who didn’t really mind it in this case.
As a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, Yang Kai certainly had to take responsibility for these negotiations. In a dispassionate manner, he stated, “If each great force will get ten people, it’ll be 1,080 people for all 108 great forces. Even though a lot of talented people will be born in the Star Boundary, there won’t be so many of them every 100 years. If you take all the disciples away, no benefits will be left for Void Land.”
Xun Ping lowered his gaze, “Since you want to avoid a calamity, there’s a price to pay.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’ve shown enough sincerity by asking Martial Uncle Xu to invite all of you to come over. All of you are Seniors, so you can’t possibly oppress me by hogging all the benefits in the Star Boundary to yourselves.”
While Xun Ping remained silent, some people started haggling with Yang Kai. All of them were Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they didn’t find it shameful to be so philistine; instead, they were high-spirited in their bargaining.
With that said, they wouldn’t really be as rowdy as in a downtown market. There was a sense of solemnity in the air, but instead of backing down, Yang Kai became increasingly bolder when dealing with these Seniors.
Xu Ling Gong was seated on the right side of Yang Kai while Hong Xiang Ling from Azure Void Cave Heaven was seated on his left. Hong Xiang Ling was a short, amiable-looking old man. Although he hadn’t said anything during the negotiations so far, his eyes kept darting around as he carefully observed the situation.
When Yang Kai finally took a rest, and the Grand Hall fell into silence, Hong Xiang Ling seized the chance and gently pulled Yang Kai’s sleeve.
Yang Kai turned to look at him and asked respectfully, “What’s wrong, Senior Hong?”
Hong Xiang Ling flashed a smile at him and flipped his hand. As he pushed his World Force, a true-to-life image appeared above his palm.
Yang Kai didn’t understand, but upon closer inspection, he realised that in the image there was a demure-looking woman standing on a mountain peak while gazing up at the clouds. Only her profile was shown, but it was apparent that her figure was slim and her skin was fair. There was no doubt that she was a stunning beauty. The clouds almost covered the peak, which made it look like she was hovering above them.
“How do you find her?” Hong Xiang Ling asked with his brow raised.
A puzzled Yang Kai didn’t know what the woman’s relationship with this old man was, so he just gave a frank remark, “She’s beautiful with an extraordinary demeanour, just like an Immortal Fairy from the Heavens.”
Hong Xiang Ling then boldly declared, “She’ll marry you!”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
To his side, Xu Ling Gong rolled his eyes.
Like a farmer that sold his vegetables in town, Hong Xiang Ling continued persuading Yang Kai by saying, “This is my Third Disciple. She directly advanced to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and she’s now in the Sixth-Order. She will certainly ascend to the Seventh-Order one day. Her demure temperament will make her a great Wife. You won’t suffer any losses by marrying her, and we don’t need you to get married into our Sect like what Yin-Yang Cave Heaven has asked you to.”
Yang Kai’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
A moment later, he replied with a helpless smile, “Senior, don’t you think this is a rash decision? Of course men love beautiful women, but I’ve never met your Disciple before. It’s much, much too soon to talk about marriage. Moreover, this Senior Sister might not be willing to marry someone like me.”
“Why wouldn’t she be?” Hong Xiang Ling glared at him, “As her Master, I have to look for a decent Husband for her. She’ll be more than happy with this arrangement. How about it? Just nod if you agree and I’ll have her come here right now. She’ll be ready to marry in three months.”
Yang Kai found it increasingly difficult to deal with the eager old man.
He knew just how alluring the Star Boundary was now, so all the Cave Heavens and Paradises would like to get more benefits; however, he hadn’t expected it to be so enticing that Hong Xiang Ling was even willing to let his Third Disciple marry him in order to get a bigger share of the pie.
Then, Yang Kai looked around and realised that some of the other Masters here had fallen into their thoughts, as though they were pondering on the possibility of getting their single Sixth-Order female disciples married to Yang Kai as well.
This was giving Yang Kai a huge headache as he looked pleadingly at Xu Ling Gong, who stood up for him by saying, “Yang Boy is the son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so you’d better not have your eyes on him, Old Hong.”
A displeased Hong Xiang Ling refuted, “It’s normal for a man to have three Wives and four Concubines. So what if he’s a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven? Why can’t he also be a son-in-law of Azure Void Cave Heaven as well?” He then winked at Yang Kai, “Don’t you agree?”
Xu Ling Gong scoffed, “I remember your Disciple, she’s quite stiff. Even if she’s married to Yang Boy, she won’t receive any favour.”
Hong Xiang Ling snorted, “Every person has their own preferences. Perhaps Yang Boy likes elegant women.”
Seeing that they were about to bicker, Yang Kai had no choice but to interject, “Many thanks for your kind offer, Senior Hong, but please don’t mention marriage again. I already have many Wives, so I’m not going to marry anyone else.”
Hong Xiang Ling parted his lips, but he eventually only let out a sigh, “What a shame!”
Yang Kai wasn’t willing to delve into this topic. After straightening his face, he knocked on the table, “The Star Boundary can’t possibly afford to let all of you, respectively, get ten disciples every 100 years. My suggestion is that apart from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, every great force will be able to accept three disciples every 100 years.”
Luo Xiu rolled her eyes, “The difference is too stark, you smelly brat. Three people is significantly fewer than ten people.”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “Please forgive me, Senior. I am a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven after all, so I must offer more benefits to them.”
Xu Ling Gong grinned from ear to ear at those words.
When Yang Kai previously won first place in the Dao Theory Assembly, Xu Ling Gong wasn’t displeased with the result, but he did think Yang Kai wasn’t worthy of his precious Disciple. That was the reason he paid a price to send Yang Kai into a Small Source World.
That was because he hoped that Yang Kai would grow to be strong enough to protect his woman in the future.
Now though, it seemed that it was Yin-Yang Cave Heaven that picked up a great bargain. No one could have expected that the Star Boundary, where Yang Kai came from, would become the centre of attention for the entire 3,000 Worlds.
He was also pleased with Yang Kai’s frank attitude.
Yang Kai was a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so he was supposed to help the Sect out, and no one could say anything about it.
They went on to fight a great battle of words, with Yang Kai determined to only allow them to take three disciples every 100 years. More than thirty High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters took turns to persuade the young man until they had the urge to teach this young man who didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth a lesson. The auras of these powerful High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters permeated the Grand Hall and the maid servants had to leave; otherwise, they would’ve been killed since they hadn’t even reached the Emperor Realm.
Yang Kai remained unfazed as he appeared confident. So what if there were more than thirty High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters at the scene? This was his territory, and he had the right to dictate the terms of the discussion.
They were unable to come to any conclusion after a full day of discussion, so they decided to return to their rooms and get some rest. The talks continued on the next day.
Yang Kai conceded and allowed every great force to take four disciples every 100 years, but they were still displeased as they continued making counter proposals. During the intense verbal exchange, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters haggled just like ordinary market goers, searching for a bargain.
All of a sudden, the noises in the Grand Hall came to an abrupt halt as they fell silent at the same time.
Yang Kai looked up at the sky and narrowed his eyes. The people he had been waiting for finally arrived.
Even before the arrival of those people, two powerful auras recklessly showered the entire Star Boundary, causing it to shake with a hum.
The owners of the auras seemed to be trying to be intimidating, but they were soon stunned.
That was because it never crossed their minds that there were more than thirty High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, all of whom were just as powerful as they were, already in the Star Boundary. Upon that realization, they were both shocked and doubtful.
Xu Ling Gong said gently, “Since you’ve arrived, come here and join the discussion.”
Despite his small voice, the two newcomers were able to hear him clearly.
The door of the Grand Hall suddenly opened as two figures descended from the sky. One of them was shrouded in Demon Qi while the other was a stern-looking man.
When they took a glance inside the Grand Hall, they became startled. They were unable to figure out why so many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered together. These people didn’t seem to be waiting in ambush either. Rather they had a feeling that something major was happening.
Beside Xu Ling Gong sat Yang Kai, who gazed at the two unwelcome guests with a dispassionate expression. He certainly could recognise them. One of them was Zhuo Bu Qun from Myriad Demons Heaven while the other was Yu Huan from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
Both of them were there when the Dao Theory Assembly ended in the past. They were responsible for dealing with the external affairs for their respective Sects, and since they were in such important positions, they would frequently come into contact with the people from other Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Many of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters at the scene were not only Inner Elders of their respective Sects, but were also responsible for handling external affairs.
“Since you’re here, you’re also my guests. Please be seated.” Yang Kai extended his hand without rising from the chair.
Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan traded glances as they frowned. They had come all the way here because their Core Disciples were killed.
The Core Disciples who could directly ascend to the Sixth-Order were the future hope of their Sects that had to be nurtured with a lot of resources and effort. After Zhao Xing was killed, Zuo Quan Hui was even willing to leave Thousand Cranes Paradise in order to avenge his death. It wasn’t just because they were Master and Disciple though. Those from Thousand Cranes Paradise had also given him the permission to do so.
Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao were as important as Zhao Xing. They were also disciples with exceptional aptitudes in their Sects that might ascend to the Eighth-Order in the future.
In the past, no one in the entire 3,000 Worlds would’ve dared to offend them. But now, both of them were killed.
It was expected that those from Myriad Demons Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven were incensed.
Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan joined forces and headed to Void Land in an attempt to retaliate against Yang Kai.
Although Bi Xi was powerful, he was pretty meek, so while fending off their attacks, he persuaded them for a long time before they finally believed that Yang Kai wasn’t in Void Land.
They then used their Secret Techniques and followed the traces. It took them a lot of hard work before they found the Great Territory where the Star Boundary was located.
However, before they could even flare up, they were surprised to see so many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered together.
As soon as Yang Kai finished his words, the two of them shot him ferocious glances as their Seventh-Order pressures unreservedly fell upon him, but he remained unfazed.
Xu Ling Gong and Yu Chang Dao, who had remained silent, looked up at the same time.
Following a silent clash, the auras in the Grand Hall exploded as some of those gathered grunted.
The onlookers turned to look at Yu Chang Dao with surprise. It was expected that Xu Ling Gong would defend Yang Kai since the latter was a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. There was no way Xu Ling Gong would let him be harmed in his presence.
However, they were puzzled as to why Yu Chang Dao had also made a move. Those from Free and Unfettered Paradise had always steered clear of any kind of internal strife. Of the 108 top forces, they were the only ones that had little to no friction with all the others; therefore, they wondered what benefits Yang Kai had given to Yu Chang Dao that prompted him to lend the young man a hand.
“What happened? Why are you two so mad?” Xu Ling Gong looked smilingly at Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan.
Zhuo Bu Qun snorted as his Demon Qi weltered, “Stop asking the obvious!”
“Enough nonsense then. If you want to fight, we can go out and fight. If not, take your seats. Both of you are already so old now; how could you oppress a young man like this?” Xu Ling Gong sneered.
While Zhuo Bu Qun was still incensed, Yu Huan suddenly chuckled, “Since we’re here, let’s see what’s going on, Brother Zhuo.”
With Xu Ling Gong around, they wouldn’t be able to kill Yang Kai. Rather than falling out with him, they should wait for another chance. What concerned Yu Huan was why so many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were in this place.
He and Zhuo Bu Qun had never heard of any news about it.
Before they were seated, they couldn’t help but recall the gigantic tree they had seen when they arrived at this place. It greatly resembled the World Tree which they had read about in ancient books.
They hadn’t managed to take a closer look since they were in a rush, so they were uncertain about it. However, since so many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were around, they had a feeling that their speculation was right.
It had to be noted that these powerful Masters wouldn’t have come together if there were not immense benefits.
After the commotion ended, Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan became seated. There were still many vacant seats anyway, so there wasn’t a need for any additional arrangements.
Following that, the intense haggling continued.
As Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan listened to them, they were slowly dumbfounded.
They initially had no idea why so many Masters were here, but after listening to their discussion, they became aware that these people were trying to divide the benefits among themselves.
The gigantic tree they had seen earlier was indeed the World Tree, and because of the tree’s presence, this originally unknown Universe World called the Star Boundary was now filled with young people with exceptional aptitudes.
On the other hand, the owner of this treasure trove was the very Yang Kai that they were determined to kill. They felt their hearts sinking as they realised that now it would be impossible for them to kill him.
Since the people at the scene had gotten so many benefits, they wouldn’t allow the two of them to make a move on Yang Kai once the discussion concluded.
At the thought of this, Zhuo Bu Qun sneered and cut them off by saying, “All of you are High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, but you’re being led by the nose by a little brat. Don’t you find it shameful?”
Xu Ling Gong looked smilingly at him, “What opinion do you have, then?”
Zhuo Bu Qun never intended to hide his murderous intent, “As long as he’s dead, there’ll be no need to bargain. Moreover, what right does a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master have to have a discussion with us?”
Yang Kai replied impassively, “Since I, a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, was able to kill Zuo Quan Hui, I can also do the same to you.”
Zhuo Bu Qun’s expression darkened, “Did you also kill Pei Wen Xuan?”
Yang Kai knocked on the table, “Please do not make such an accusation without any evidence, Elder Zhuo. Did you see me killing Pei Wen Xuan?”
He could admit that he had killed Zuo Quan Hui because the latter was a traitor to Thousand Cranes Paradise, so they were not in any place to retaliate against him. Instead, they had to thank him for cleaning up their mess for them.
However, he could never admit that the death of Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao had something to do with him; otherwise, he would invite trouble to Void Land. Furthermore, he really didn’t kill them, so Yang Kai was confident when he uttered those words.
After a pause, he went on to say, “As for what right I have, I’m a Great Emperor in this place, and this is my territory. How can I not have the right?”
“A Great Emperor? What rubbish is that?” Zhuo Bu Qun said disdainfully.
Yang Kai extended his hand, “Since you have some bias against me, Elder Zhuo, you should leave. The Star Boundary does not welcome you.”
Zhuo Bu Qun naturally wouldn’t leave just like that, or else he would be a fool. He fell silent after a snort, which showed how thick-skinned he was.
Xu Ling Gong took the initiative to ease the tension, “Good, you should stop arguing since there’s a serious issue to discuss here. Stop making unnecessary noise.” He then chided Yang Kai by saying, “Elder Zhuo is an old man who doesn’t have many years to live. Why make him angry, brat?”
“You’re right, Martial Uncle Xu. Forgive me for my indiscretion.” Yang Kai appeared meek and obedient.
Zhuo Bu Qun closed his eyes and pretended to not understand the mockery in Xu Ling Gong’s words so as to contain his irritation.
Yang Kai then continued speaking, “Every great force will get five disciples every 100 years. That’s my limit. If all of you agree, the discussion shall continue. If not, a further discussion is not needed.”
The Grand Hall fell silent as no one responded to him.
Although five people was only half of what Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would get, it was indeed Yang Kai’s limit. He had no idea how many talents would appear in later generations, but the Heavenly Way was fair in all things, so this place couldn’t possibly be swamped with so many young people with outstanding aptitudes.
Since the Cave Heavens and Paradises would obtain a few hundred disciples every 100 years, only a small number of people would be left for Void Land.
After letting these people ponder on it for a while, Yang Kai continued saying, “Of course, as a form of compensation, I’m willing to let all of you build Dao Temples in the Star Boundary. Every great force will receive a region of 500,000 square kilometres. Except for the area in a radius of 10 million kilometres around the World Tree and the locations of the existing Sects, you may choose any place you want, and I won’t interfere.”
This was the foundation Xu Ling Gong had laid down for him. The offer was attractive since it was brought up at this point.
With their own Dao Temples in this place, it meant that they could transfer their own people to the Star Boundary and nurture them from a young age or even from before they were born. By doing so, they might be able to get the disciples they wanted, and there was no limit on this number.
These people were initially displeased with getting only five disciples every 100 years for every great force and were preparing to haggle with Yang Kai so that he could give in further. However, their expressions changed when they heard what he had said.
Luo Xiu gave a fair remark at this point, “It’s a good idea actually.”
Most people nodded while the others tacitly agreed to it.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai said without hesitation, “It’s decided, then. Other than Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, all of you can respectively obtain five disciples from the Star Boundary every 100 years and select a landmass of 500,000 square kilometres to build your own Dao Temples.”
“Good.” The one-armed Xun Ping nodded.
Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan exchanged glances as they frowned. Instead of excluding Myriad Demons Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, Yang Kai had counted them in from the start. The outcome surprised them, but they had also kind of expected it.
They had expected it because if Yang Kai really excluded the two Cave Heavens, a blood feud would be formed between the two parties. By counting them in, it could serve as a form of compensation for them.
Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao were dead; however, if the two Cave Heavens could find some talented youths from the Star Boundary, they would have a chance to get more Core Disciples who could directly ascend to the Sixth-Order a few hundred or a thousand years later.
What surprised them was that Yang Kai didn’t seem to have any intention of making things difficult for them.
Since the number of people had been agreed on, the rest of the issues were simple to deal with. Yang Kai then made his demands on behalf of the Star Boundary known. For every disciple they took, they had to pay a full set of Sixth-Order materials or something of equivalent value.
This demand wasn’t outrageous, so the High-Rank Masters directly agreed to it without haggling.
When they discussed the World Tree and the World Fruits, Yang Kai didn’t give them a definitive answer as he said that it wouldn’t be too late to talk about it when the World Tree actually started bearing fruits one day.
They also felt that it was pointless to discuss the issue at this point, so they directly agreed to this as well.
There was no contract to be signed. The more than thirty High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters at the scene represented their Sects, so their word was the best assurance.
The difficult negotiation lasted for three days before the dust finally settled. As for what kind of disciples the great forces wanted to get or where they would build their Dao Temples, it was their own business. By then, they could just inform High Heaven Palace, that was nominally in charge of the Star Boundary, about it, so it wasn’t troublesome at all.
At the very end, Yang Kai said, “The discussion is only limited to the Star Boundary. Everything else in this Great Territory belongs to High Heaven Palace, and none of you should have your eyes on it.”
“Good.” They all nodded.
Xu Ling Gong secretly rolled his eyes, thinking that Yang Kai was taking advantage of them since they had no idea that the Territory Gate that was only a couple million kilometres away from the Star Boundary led to a Newborn Great Territory. If they knew, they wouldn’t have agreed right away.
Even though many of them saw the Territory Gate, that didn’t really bother them as they thought that it was just another Territory Gate that led to a known Great Territory.
However, this matter couldn’t be hidden forever. When these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had some free time, they would realise that something was off. Having said that, with Yang Kai making his stance clear on this day, and the great forces having indeed gotten a lot of benefits from the Star Boundary, they might not be willing to have an argument with Yang Kai over it.
Even though a new Great Territory was rich in resources, the Cave Heavens and Paradises already had ample heritages anyway; hence, they wouldn’t be willing to quibble with Yang Kai over this. If Yang Kai became irritated, they might suffer some losses.
After the discussion, they quickly left the palace, including Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan. They were invited to enter the Grand Hall as soon as they arrived at the Star Boundary, so they were not familiar with the situation here yet. Therefore, they had to personally look around.
The rest of them went looking for suitable locations to build their Dao Temples as they weren’t in a rush to select disciples. Just like what Xu Ling Gong had said, the World Tree had showcased its wonders, but it would not be until a few generations had passed that the tree would have a significant impact on the residents here. It was a rare incident that Yu Chang Dao could find a child with the Innate Dao Body to inherit his legacy so quickly.
Certainly, if they really came across someone with exceptional aptitude, they wouldn’t mind taking them on as a disciple. They could get five people every 100 years anyway. The Star Boundary, as an Open Heaven Realm Cradle, was destined to export different kinds of talented people across the entire 3,000 Worlds.
The news would soon be spread to the rest of the Outer Universe, and by then, the Cave Heavens and Paradises that didn’t take part in the discussion would send their representatives over. However, since the rules had been set, the rest of them would just have to follow them.
Compared to the Cave Heavens and Paradises that had no representatives in the Star Boundary at this point, the only advantage that the more than thirty great forces present at the scene could get was that they could select the best areas and build their Dao Temples. The rest of the benefits were the same.
“Aren’t you going to take a look?” Yu Chang Dao suddenly appeared beside Xu Ling Gong. Presently, they were wandering somewhere in the Star Boundary. Xu Ling Gong found a nice place as he was surveying the area. He planned to build a Dao Temple for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven here.
They were in the Southern Territory where Azure Sun Temple was previously located. In the past, the Great Demon God brought a calamity upon the Star Boundary and the entire Southern Territory fell. Those from Azure Sun Temple had no choice but to abandon their foundation. With the Temple Master Wen Zi Shan leading the way, they retreated to High Heaven Palace.
After that, the Great Emperors joined forces and killed the Great Demon God, thus restoring peace to the Star Boundary. Following the war, Wen Zi Shan saw that the original location of his Sect had been shattered and the Earth Vein had snapped, so he decided to find a new location to rebuild Azure Sun Temple.
If it weren’t because of the World Tree’s expansion, this place would have remained desolate for many millennia to come.
However, with the nourishment from the World Tree, the Earth Vein had been reconnected, and the World Energy became ample again. A lot of trees started growing on the mountains, and the picturesque scenery had begun to return.
Xu Ling Gong replied with a smile, “You also didn’t bother to take a look, did you?”
Yu Chang Dao refuted with a frown, “He’s the son-in-law of your Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. What if anything happens to him? The two of them are High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. How is Yang Kai supposed to go against them if they join forces?”
A nonchalant Xu Ling Gong replied, “You’re the Supreme High-Rank Guest Elder of High Heaven Palace. Since you’re not concerned about his safety, why should I be?”
“Are you really not going?” Yu Chang Dao was stunned.
“If he’s unlucky, he’s fated to fall into danger this time. I can’t possibly protect him forever. If he’s lucky, he’ll be able to get out of this on his own.” Xu Ling Gong appeared confident, “Moreover, there are some things he has to deal with directly, or else it’ll never end.”
Yu Chang Dao gazed at him with a frown, wondering what the latter was up to. He then shook his head and said, “Fine. I’ll go there myself.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned into a ray of light and shot into the sky.
Xu Ling Gong remained on the same spot for a moment before he took a look in the direction Yu Chang Dao had left, but he soon retracted his gaze as he called out, “Qing Kui.”
Qing Kui, who had remained silent behind him for a long time, cupped his fist, “Honoured Master.”
“Go back to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and inform the Sect Master about this place in detail. He’ll have the final say in whatever arrangements we make.”
“Yes,” Qing Kui replied and turned to leave.
With his hands behind his back, Xu Ling Gong stood on a certain peak as he suddenly put on a smile, “Old Yu has really joined a pirate’s ship this time, and with a truly sly captain at that.”
In the Northern Territory, in a land covered in snow, Yang Kai was clad in green robes as he stood atop a white mountain peak.
Following the transformation in the Star Boundary, it was destined that all 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises would gather in this place. As a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, there were a lot of things he had to handle.
The most important task at the moment was to expand the population of the Star Boundary.
Following an intense battle against the Great Demon God, the vast majority of the population was killed in the Star Boundary. Although it had been a hundred years since the battle, recovering from such a loss was not so simple. A lot of places were void of people as the usually bustling cities were now empty. There were ruins everywhere.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises were going to take on disciples from the Star Boundary, so Yang Kai could already envision that when the news was spread across the entire 3,000 Worlds, apart from the top 108 great forces, those Second Class great forces would also stream into this place like cats catching a whiff of fish, looking for chances to steal some benefits.
Yang Kai didn’t intend to stop them either as trying to do so would be pointless.
Just like what Xu Ling Gong had said, the Star Boundary would be the winner if the people from that place became scattered across the 3,000 Worlds.
In order to have more talented people in the Star Boundary though, he had to expand the population by encouraging the people to bear more children.
Still, they couldn’t fill the gap in a short time by relying on the current population of the Star Boundary. Fortunately, there were many Universe Worlds in the Newborn Great Territory. The Martial Dao in those Universe Worlds was generally low, so there wouldn’t be a problem if they relocated some of those people to the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai had already told Yue He to process this issue. When the time for the migration came, he would personally make a move.
After all, his Small Universe had materialised and could accommodate living beings. Others in the same Order were unable to do that. The migration of billions of lives was a difficult task, so only by keeping them inside his Small Universe could he do it with ease.
Xu Ling Gong and Yu Chang Dao could also help, but Yang Kai didn’t intend to let anyone who wasn’t from Void Land or High Heaven Palace enter the Newborn Great Territory. Hence, he had to put in more effort.
The cold wind became increasingly freezing as murderous intent permeated the air.
Two rays of light, which radiated horrifying World Forces, directly descended upon Yang Kai, who was standing on the peak of a snowy mountain, from the sky.
Yu Chang Dao, who was hiding nearby, let out a sigh. These two still couldn’t contain their urge to make a move. Although Yang Kai had set the grudges aside and promised them some benefits in order to make up for the loss of their Core Disciples, they still had no choice but to act.
Just when Yu Chang Dao was ready to leap forward in order to help Yang Kai ward off the attacks, the entire Star Boundary started humming as though a sleeping Dragon had lifted its head. Lightning started appearing in the world as an incredibly rich World Force came to life and instantly surrounded the young man.
His Sixth-Order aura rapidly rose in an inconceivable manner, and in the blink of an eye, he achieved a breakthrough to the Seventh-Order, but it didn’t stop there.
Soon after, Yang Kai, who was originally in the Sixth-Order, radiated the aura of a Peak Seventh-Order Master, seemingly just one step away from the Eighth-Order.
Yu Chang Dao gasped and exclaimed, “He’s borrowing the World Force from this World!”
It was then he realised why Xu Ling Gong wasn’t concerned despite knowing that Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan would secretly make a move.
That was because he was certain that Yang Kai could deal with his opponents. Yu Chang Dao found himself to be laughable as he came all the way here to protect the young man.
Usually, one was unable to borrow a lot of World Force from a Universe World; after all, there wasn’t much World Force in a Universe World to begin with. However, the Star Boundary was different.
When Yang Kai borrowed the World Strength of the Star Boundary for the first time, he couldn’t make it to the Seventh-Order without the help of all the other Great Emperors, who had already ascended to the Sixth-Order.
However, even without the help of the Great Emperors this time, he could still easily make it to the peak of the Seventh-Order.
There was only one explanation. The heritage of the Star Boundary was now significantly more ample than in the past, which allowed Yang Kai to have a great leap forward in power after he borrowed the World’s World Force.
As the World continued thrumming, Yang Kai raised his spear and thrust it out, his hair and clothes flapping in the wind. The snowflakes in a radius of a million kilometres around him seemed to have frozen mid-air.
Following a loud boom, the Divine Abilities of the two High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were instantly resolved.
Yang Kai’s aura surged as he took control of a power that was at the peak of the Seventh-Order even though he was only in the Sixth-Order. He then said after a laugh, “It would be impolite if I didn’t give you anything in return!”
He then pushed out his spear. The snowflakes exploded in mid-air and turned into invisible murderous intent as they swirled around in a radius of a million kilometres.
In the next moment, two faint grunts were heard.
Since the beginning, Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan, who secretly made a move, had not shown their faces. Yang Kai didn’t have the intention of killing them ruthlessly either as he just traded a move with them before stopping.
As the clouds weltered, two cracks suddenly appeared in the sky. They were so huge that anyone in the Star Boundary could see them clearly wherever they were.
The cracks slowly expanded and revealed a pair of gigantic eyes, as though some reclusive deity had finally descended upon this land.
As the eyes gazed down, the billions and billions of living beings in the Star Boundary couldn’t help but have the urge to fall on their knees and worship them. Even the more than thirty High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were wandering around the Star Boundary at that moment, felt pressured as they furrowed their brows, stopping in their tracks to look up at the sky.
The eyes appeared to be smiling, as though the owner was trying to say he would attack anyone who dared to make a fuss in his territory.
Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan were flabbergasted as they fled, but the pair of eyes followed them and made sure that they couldn’t escape the owner’s sight. The murderous intent was like chains that had been wrapped around their necks, causing them to suffocate.
Both of them appeared vexed.
They had never expected that a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to reach the peak of the Seventh-Order by borrowing the might of this World. Furthermore, they were in the Star Boundary, so the situation was in the young man’s favour. Even if they intended to kill him ruthlessly, they might end up losing their lives instead.
The pair of eyes in the sky just looked at them in silence, as though the owner was watching two rats that had barged into his granary. The gaze was filled with mockery.
On the peak of the snow mountain, Yang Kai gently closed his eyes. At the same time, the huge eyes in the sky also slowly disappeared.
Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan dashed into a cave in a certain cliff before they sat down with their legs crossed and wiped the blood from their mouths. As the wind breezed past them, they realised that their backs were covered in cold sweat.
Still reeling from the shock, they exchanged glances.
A moment later, Zhuo Bu Qun said with a dark expression, “It seems that no one can deal with that brat unless an Eighth-Order Ancestor makes a move.”
Yu Huan grunted with displeasure, “At least he was tactful by not crossing the line.”
If Yang Kai had insisted on making things difficult for them, an intense battle would’ve taken place. Perhaps Yang Kai would’ve ended up in a terrible state, but at least one of them would also have lost his life.
However, even though Yang Kai had made use of the Star Boundary’s World Force, he had only given them a warning and then stopped. It was apparent that he just wanted to ward them off instead of falling out with the two Cave Heavens.
With more than thirty High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as witnesses on this day, no one would blame Yang Kai in the future; instead, they would praise him for being magnanimous and tactful.
In comparison, Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan, who oppressed the young man despite being more powerful, would be regarded as devious.
“We have no choice but to choke it down this time.” Zhuo Bu Qun sported a grim expression.
Even though they firmly believed that their disciples, Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao, were killed by Yang Kai, no one had seen the deed, so there was no evidence to make a case.
If it was before, if the two Cave Heavens wanted to avenge the death of their disciples, they wouldn’t need any evidence. A single doubt could prompt them to make a move, and no one would dare to say anything.
However, since the World Tree was in the Star Boundary, this place was destined to be the centre of attention for the entire 3,000 Worlds. As a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, Yang Kai already had a right to be on an equal footing with them and discuss terms with the Sects they represented.
If they really insisted on making things difficult for Yang Kai, the other Cave Heavens and Paradises would blame and stop them, which would only cause them to suffer losses.
Otherwise, given their identities and statuses, they wouldn’t have launched a sneak attack. They could’ve directly looked for Yang Kai and killed him.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai borrowed the World Force from the Star Boundary and instantly possessed power that was at the peak of the Seventh-Order, which made them suffer a small setback.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had no intention of killing them as he only teased them a little.
However, it seemed that they could no longer avenge the death of Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao since there was no evidence. Furthermore, if Myriad Demons Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven wanted to get some benefits from the Star Boundary, they wouldn’t bring it up again; otherwise, they would be asking for trouble.
Both parties were tacitly aware that they had to make a concession.
As they exchanged glances, they let out a long sigh. They were definitely heartbroken at the fact that their Sixth-Order disciples were dead. In the past, this kind of loss couldn’t be said to be unbearable, but it was certainly immense.
However, if they could find some talented young people to nurture in the Star Boundary, they could make up for the losses. It was just that they found it hard to get the fury off their chests.
On the peak of the snowy mountain, Yang Kai was seated with his legs crossed. As the snowflakes whirled around him, he tried his hardest to suppress his murderous intent. If possible, he would never easily let Zhuo Bu Qun and Yu Huan off. Just like he had told Xu Ling Gong previously, he would treat them politely when they arrived, and everything would be fine if they were tactful. If not, he naturally would have to fight against them.
Yang Kai had shown his sincerity by allowing them to take part in the discussion and even shared equal benefits with them from the Star Boundary.
Nevertheless, they still secretly made a move. If Yang Kai were just an average Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and the Star Boundary was just an ordinary Universe World, he couldn’t have survived the assault of two Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
At that moment, he had the urge to kill them ruthlessly.
Nonetheless, if he had really done that, the Star Boundary wouldn’t have been able to bear it, and the other High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters wouldn’t have turned a blind eye to the situation. When they interfered, the conflict would be halted and he would be the one blamed.
He was suddenly envious of Wu Kuang, who had no worries about such things. The man could kill anybody he wanted, anytime he wanted.
With that said, Yang Kai asked himself whether he would really be happy if he were just like Wu Kuang. Since time immemorial, the man had been like a tree without roots, a river without a source.
He didn’t think he could live like Wu Kuang, constantly hunted and alone, so there was nothing to be envious of in reality.
A moment later, he slowly shook his head and opened his eyes. As he returned all the World Force he had borrowed, his cultivation plunged from the Seventh-Order to the Sixth-Order.
He then turned to look in a particular direction and nodded with gratitude.
Yu Chang Dao, who had hidden over there, put on a smile and left. He swiftly returned to High Heaven Palace to play with the toddler named Shi Da Zhuang.
It had only been a few months since Shi Da Zhuang was born, so he naturally couldn’t cultivate; however, Yu Chang Dao would help warm his meridians with his cultivation every day. He would do it every six hours, so it was four times a day, and he had never skipped a single session.
However, instead of finding it troublesome, he enjoyed doing it. On the other hand, Shi Da Zhuang’s Mother, Liu Cai Xia, felt a little sorry.
Although it had been a short time since she started residing in High Heaven Palace, she was now clearly aware that this old man was a senior expert that was even more powerful than Senior Void.
She was just a lowly person, but her child was treasured by someone so extraordinary. That was the reason she found it hard to believe as she thought that something might have gone wrong. If the child didn’t grow up to be just like what the old man had expected, they would certainly feel guilty.
On the other hand, Yu Chang Dao was extremely pleased with Shi Da Zhuang.
The only thing he wasn’t happy with was the child’s name, for Shi Da Zhuang sounded very much like a peasant’s name. It didn’t give off a majestic or imposing air. He felt sorry for the child when the latter became powerful one day and had to tell his name to the people he met for the first time.
He suggested giving the child a different name, but Liu Cai Xia categorically rejected him, saying that the name must not be changed since it was given by the child’s Father before his death. Otherwise, the child would be considered unfilial.
Knowing how obstinate the woman was, Yu Chang Dao decided to give it up. It wouldn’t change a thing by not giving the child a new name anyway. It was just that when the child told his name to his enemies in the future, he would appear to be less intimidating. Perhaps those enemies would even take him lightly.
Liu Cai Xia was gratified with the fact that the child had taken a liking to the old man. Over the past few days, he even ignored her at most times. Whenever the old man appeared, the child would demand to be in his arms. It wasn’t until he was hungry that he would look for his Mother.
Yu Chang Dao was certainly pleased with that.
Those from High Heaven Palace had prepared a Spirit Peak for Yu Chang Dao, Liu Cai Xia, and Shi Da Zhuang to stay. Fresh food would be sent to them every day, so there was nothing they had to worry about. Moreover, it appeared that Yu Chang Dao would be staying in High Heaven Palace for a long time. Before the child ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, the old man would likely remain here in order to teach him how to cultivate.
The fate of Shi Da Zhuang had basically been transformed for the better. Many of the disciples in High Heaven Palace were even envious of him.
In the Star Boundary, many Spirit Peaks now had new construction projects. Even the ancient forests that were usually devoid of people were bustling with noise.
As time passed, the Dao Temples and branches of the Cave Heavens and Paradises slowly took shape.
When more Cave Heavens and Paradises heard about the news, they immediately sent their representatives to come to the Star Boundary.
Those from High Heaven Palace had specifically prepared a place to receive these top Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Whenever there was a visitor, they would inform him or her of the agreement that the first High Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had come to and explain to them the current situation in the Star Boundary.
Certainly, those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises had no regard for a Sect that ruled over a mere Universe World, so it was expected that they wouldn’t just take High Heaven Palace’s word for it.
However, after asking around, they would realise that those from High Heaven Palace had spoken the truth.
When they found their old friends and saw that about thirty great forces had already started building Dao Temples in the Star Boundary, they could no longer sit back and do nothing.
Although the Star Boundary was expansive, there would be fewer choices for them if all the good spots were occupied by others first.
They then hurriedly surveyed the Star Boundary to look for suitable locations.
Hua Qing Si was initially worried that the latecomers wouldn’t acknowledge the agreement. In that case, some conflicts might arise.
Nevertheless, it surprised her that none of the Cave Heavens and Paradises that came at a later time objected. It was only then that she believed what Yang Kai had said; the more than thirty great forces that had taken part in the discussion not only represented their own Sects, but all the Cave Heavens and Paradises. There wouldn’t be any problems with the agreement they had concluded.
There would always be people who glanced at the World Tree as well. Even though these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were extremely powerful, they had only seen the records of the World Tree in ancient books. They were expected to be curious since they had never seen it with their own eyes before.
They were also amazed at the ample heritage of the Star Boundary.
On the other hand, it was no longer a secret that Yang Kai was able to borrow the World Force of the Star Boundary to reach the peak of the Seventh-Order since he was a Great Emperor of this place. Therefore, all the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters acknowledged that he had a right to stand on equal footing with them.
That was the case in the Star Boundary at the very least.
In just a few years, the Star Boundary, which was located in the newly named High Heaven Territory, became a household name in the entire 3,000 Worlds.
It was the first Great Territory that was named after a Sect of a Universe World.
Usually, a Great Territory was named after the most powerful great force in that place. For example, the Great Territory where Void Land was located was named Void Territory. The Great Territory where Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was located was called Yin-Yang Territory. There had never been an exception.
In High Heaven Territory, there wasn’t really a decent great force, so it was expected that the Great Territory was named after High Heaven Palace, and most people were fine with it.
In just a few years, 108 Dao Temples had been built in the Star Boundary that belonged to all the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Every Dao Temple was overseen by a Seventh-Order Master who was responsible for dealing with external affairs.
In other words, there were more than 100 High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters residing in the Star Boundary.
That was a horrifying figure. It had to be noted that every one of them was just as strong as Zuo Quan Hui.
After the initial phase of puzzlement, anxiety, and excitement, the natives in the Star Boundary had become at ease. Thanks to the campaign held by High Heaven Palace, everyone in the Star Boundary became fully aware of the situation in the 3,000 Worlds.
Many young people believed their aptitudes to be exceptional as they hoped that the elusive senior experts would have their eyes on them and take them on as disciples one day. With proper training, they would stand a chance to become successful one day.
However, it was destined to be a pipe dream for 99% of them. With that said, there were some ordinary-looking kids in all four Territories who had been selected and taken on as disciples by the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Whenever such news was spread, the town where the child was selected would celebrate, and it would also allow those who thought highly of themselves to become even more hopeful.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises were not in a rush to select disciples from the Star Boundary; after all, each of them could get five disciples every 100 years, and it was still early. On the other hand, upon the completion of their Dao Temples, they immediately sent some talented young disciples over to be nurtured here.
Every Cave Heaven and Paradise controlled one or more Great Territories, in which there were countless Universe Worlds; therefore, it wasn’t hard for them to select some youths with exceptional aptitudes to send over.
The disciples they had sent had very low cultivations. Some of them had only started cultivating. The similarity between them was that they were all very talented. As these people grew up under the influence of the World Tree in the Star Boundary, the achievements they would have in the future would also be amplified when they finally comprehended their Grand Dao and condensed a Dao Seal.
Many of these people could possibly make it to the Fifth Order, or even the Sixth Order.
Every great force got a landmass of 500,000 square kilometres, which was neither big nor small, but it was sufficient for them to nurture up to 10,000 people.
As the people from the Cave Heavens and Paradises settled down, the finances of Void Land also improved dramatically.
According to the agreement between Yang Kai and all those great forces, each of them could get five disciples from the Star Boundary every 100 years. In return, they had to give five sets of Sixth-Order materials or resources of equivalent value.
None of the Cave Heavens and Paradises went back on their word as they directly paid the materials. Therefore, the Star Boundary had amassed several hundred Sixth-Order materials over the past few years.
The figure wasn’t staggering, but it was a long-term deal.
After Heavenly Sword Union was destroyed, which resulted in Zuo Quan Hui losing his life, Void Land’s Star City started operating again. Mo Mei led a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters back to Void Territory and resumed her role as Governor of the Star City. With Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills in their possession, they wouldn’t have to worry about the popularity of the Star City; therefore, they soon recovered from the losses they had suffered.
The rent of the shops in the Star City alone allowed Yang Kai to make a fortune.
When Zuo Quan Hui led Heavenly Sword Union to cordon off the Territory Gates to Void Territory, many of the merchants had a bleak view of Void Land’s future as they were not willing to offend Heavenly Sword Union and the great force behind Zuo Quan Hui, Thousand Cranes Paradise. Therefore, they decided to run away from the Star City. Yang Kai directly took back the shops where the renters had left. Now that Void Land had overcome this calamity, anyone who wanted to return to the shop they abandoned would have to pay double the rent.
Yang Kai didn’t expect them to share the burden when Void Land was in crisis, but they shouldn’t hope to share the benefits when Void Land was on the rise.
On the other hand, the merchants who had stayed for various reasons had a reason to celebrate. They were naturally elated to see that Void Land had gotten out of danger. Since they had stayed when Void Land was in crisis to prop up the Star City’s waning popularity, those from Void Land would certainly repay their favour by reducing their rent or even allowing them to run their businesses rent-free.
With the resources given by the Cave Heavens and Paradises and the recovery of the Star City, the burden on Void Land’s finances had finally been eased.
Furthermore, they had several hundred Open Heaven Realm Masters who were extracting resources from the New Great Territory.
In the past few years, the New Great Territory had mostly been explored. Even though there were still some hidden corners that had yet to be investigated, it couldn’t be rushed. They still had ample time anyway.
There were innumerable resources in the New Great Territory. As long as those from Void Land could maintain their grip on the Territory Gate, all the resources extracted from the New Great Territory would be sufficient for their own needs, and there would even be some surplus.
Unfortunately, they were short on manpower now. Although several hundred Open Heaven Realm Masters sounded like a large figure, they were far from enough when they were placed in an entire Great Territory. It also wasn’t very efficient.
With that said, this couldn’t be rushed. They had to take it slow.
Yang Kai had been swamped with work for the past few years and rarely had time to cultivate. He had to keep going back and forth between the New Great Territory and High Heaven Territory.
Every time he returned from the New Great Territory, he would bring with him several tens of millions of immigrants.
In order to expand the population of the Star Boundary, the easiest way was to bring over people from the Universe Worlds in the New Great Territory. However, it wasn’t easy to make so many people leave their homelands.
Fortunately, there were several Universe Worlds in the New Great Territory where the environment was quite harsh and hostile. Some of them were even going to fall apart within a few thousand years. That was the reason Yang Kai was able to get them to migrate.
Due to the environment of those Universe Worlds, they had a small population to begin with. By moving them over, Yang Kai had somewhat alleviated the shortage of people in the Star Boundary. They naturally were not used to it at first, but they could settle down and adapt to it with time. Generations later, they would be just like the natives in the Star Boundary.
In an area of the void that was a million kilometres away from the Star Boundary, pieces of shattered continents had been bound together to form an expansive Spirit Province.
The Spirit Province was filled with greenery and clear rivers. Presently, many buildings were being constructed as the place was bustling with noise.
Yang Kai squatted on a certain Spirit Peak and looked down with displeasure.
Xu Ling Gong was standing beside him with his hands behind his back as he rambled on. Upon realising that Yang Kai never responded to him, he kicked the young man in the backside and demanded, “I’m talking to you. Make your stance clear. Why wouldn’t you reply to me?”
Yang Kai glowered at him and brushed away the dust on his backside.
An amused Xu Ling Gong snapped, “Are you mad? We’ve agreed that we’d all make a concession. Since a decision has been made, it’s pointless for you to get mad.”
A displeased Yang Kai stood straight up and roared, “All of you are trying to oppress me! I refuse to accept this!”
Xu Ling Gong chuckled and spread his palms. “So, what if you won’t accept it? A few years ago, they hadn’t recovered from their shock as they all focused on the Star Boundary. Since everything has been settled after several years, they can naturally notice things they haven’t paid attention to previously. Consider yourself lucky that you’ve managed to take control of that New Great Territory.”
“That was mine from the start!” Yang Kai was so vexed that he started flushing. “I already told them that other than the Star Boundary, everything else in High Heaven Territory belonged to High Heaven Palace. They couldn’t have a hand in anything!”
Xu Ling Gong replied, “High Heaven Territory and the New Great Territory are two different things.”
With a livid expression, Yang Kai refuted, “That’s mine, and the new Star City is also supposed to belong to me!”
Xu Ling Gong sneered as he looked down at the newly built Star City and shook his head. “Don’t blame them for being greedy. You’re fully aware of how attractive a New Great Territory is. How many good things have you found in the New Great Territory over the years? I’ve never asked you about it, but it doesn’t mean I have no idea. You’re exchanging a Star City for the right to take control of an entire New Great Territory. No matter how you look at it, you’re at an advantage. Just think about it; since it’s no longer a secret and a decision has been made, you won’t need to be secretive when exploring the New Great Territory anymore. It’s a good thing.”
Despite knowing that the old man was right, Yang Kai still felt as though he had a chunk of flesh sliced off from his body.
Previously, he had already planned on building a massive Star City outside of the Star Boundary.
The Star Boundary had become the centre of attention for the entire 3,000 Worlds. All 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises had built Dao Temples here. There were also innumerable great forces that came over to find out what was going on. The Star Boundary and the World Tree had changed everything.
This level of popularity in a single place was simply unprecedented.
With so many people gathering together, it was more effective than any advertising campaign. It would be a waste if a Star City wasn’t built to profit from the situation.
Therefore, a few years ago, Yang Kai had already planned on building a Star City outside the Star Boundary.
If the Star City in High Heaven Territory was successfully built, it would soon surpass all other known Star Cities. Even the First Class Star Cities controlled by the Cave Heavens and Paradises as well as Void Land’s Star City at the peak of its popularity wouldn’t be comparable to the one in High Heaven Territory.
However, when his plan was finally carried out, the Cave Heavens and Paradises jumped right in to snatch the benefits.
Certainly, those sly old foxes could see the things Yang Kai could see. Other than the World Tree in the Star Boundary, the new Star City would be a treasure trove that everybody wanted to get their hands on.
Hence, the representatives of all 108 great forces gathered together in High Heaven Palace to negotiate with Yang Kai.
In the end, he was defeated.
Previously, they had to get some benefits from Yang Kai and the Star Boundary, so they were willing to make huge concessions; however, this time was different. Some of them even brought up the New Great Territory. It seemed that if Yang Kai wouldn’t agree to building a Star City and distributing the benefits, they were ready to target the New Great Territory.
Even though Xu Ling Gong and Yu Chang Dao didn’t make things difficult for Yang Kai, they were unable to help him out since all the others shared the same sentiment.
A weak Yang Kai was certainly unable to win the argument against 108 top great forces. It was expected that he would be defeated.
Hence, this was the outcome. The new Star City would be owned by the Cave Heavens and Paradises as well as High Heaven Palace jointly, with all the benefits being shared among them.
However, with Yang Kai fiercely fighting back, he had eventually won the right to manage the Star City in High Heaven Territory, which was what he had expected.
Although it would be exhausting to manage such a big Star City, there were a lot of benefits to be gained.
With such power in possession, those from High Heaven Palace could get 5% of the Star City’s profit. Although 5% sounded like a small figure, it had to be noted that the remaining 95% was shared by all 108 great forces.
In comparison, 5% was a lot.
Xu Ling Gong had also told Yang Kai not to underestimate 5% of profit as it might even surpass what he could get from the Star City in Void Territory.
However, with the Star Boundary as the centre, Yang Kai had to build Space Arrays at the Star City and the Territory Gate of High Heaven Territory so that they could move around swiftly.
Those were the concessions both parties had to make as mentioned by Xu Ling Gong.
High Heaven Palace had gained the most benefits since they had the right to manage the Star City; nevertheless, Yang Kai had to be responsible for arranging the Space Arrays.
A sulky Yang Kai rebuked, “I don’t mind arranging the Space Arrays, but the ordinary ones cannot transfer people across such a long distance. Once it’s too far, the arrays cannot be connected. I can arrange the Arrays that could send people from the Territory Gate to the Star Boundary, but we’d have to draw on the power of the Star Boundary to make that happen. On that note, there’s one thing I don’t understand. Why don’t we just build a Universe Temple in High Heaven Territory instead of asking me to arrange special Space Arrays!”
Every Great Territory had at least one Universe Temple that served as a resting place for cultivators. It could also help them save time on travelling.
However, there wasn’t a Universe Temple in High Heaven Territory since it didn’t even have a name in the Universe Chart previously.
Xu Ling Gong replied calmly, “It’s not that they don’t want to build a Universe Temple here, it’s that they can’t. The Universe Temples left behind in the Great Territories are all from ancient times. No one from the Cave Heavens and Paradises is able to build a Universe Temple now.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “There are things that the Cave Heavens and Paradises can’t do?”
Xu Ling Gong said, “Universe Temples are essentially enhanced versions of Space Arrays, so mastery in the Dao of Space to build them. No one can build a Universe Temple without such skill. You might not be aware of it, but there are some Universe Temples in several Great Territories that have become dilapidated and lost their functions. Although we’ve been trying to restore them, it’s been to no avail. Not many people in the 3,000 Worlds know how to use Space Principles, let alone have mastery of them.”
Yang Kai fell into his thoughts.
Knowing what was on the other man’s mind, Xu Ling Gong continued, “I know what you’re thinking. You want to study the mysteries of the Universe Temples, right?”
Yang Kai nodded, “It’d be for the best if there’s such a chance.” Universe Temples certainly contained the secrets of the Grand Dao of Space. If he could study them carefully, he would gain immense benefits as well.
Xu Ling Gong replied with a smile, “Just wait. I’ve reported this matter to the Sect Master, and he’ll make the arrangements. However, you’re not from one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises, so I cannot be sure whether you’ll have a chance to look into the Universe Temples. The decision will have to be made by the higher-ups.”
Yang Kai frowned, “Why are you all so cautious about it? Everyone will benefit if the Universe Temples are restored.”
Following a sigh, Xu Ling Gong replied, “What you can see is not the complete picture of the 3,000 Worlds. You have no right to know many things now. When you become strong enough one day, you’ll find out. Now, I can only tell you that the mystery of Universe Temples has far-reaching implications. If we’re not careful, we might cause a disaster for the 3,000 Worlds.”
An astounded Yang Kai looked dazedly at Xu Ling Gong, but he didn’t think the latter was exaggerating.
“What do you think about creating the Space Arrays?” Xu Ling Gong urged, “Those shameless old people have asked me to persuade you. Just tell me right away whether you’ll agree to it.”
Yang Kai snorted, “In order to send people from the Territory Gate to the Star Boundary, the Space Arrays would be immense and costly. High Heaven Palace and Void Land can’t possibly afford it.”
Xu Ling Gong scoffed, “Stingy brat. Don’t worry, you’ll not pay anything for the materials.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s more like it. However, the distance between the Territory Gate and the Star Boundary is too far. Even if they could be connected by Space Arrays, it would still require the power of the Star Boundary to make it happen. The heritage of the Star Boundary would suffer a slight loss every time the arrays were used; therefore, even if the arrays are successfully built, they can’t be used for free. For every transfer, High Heaven Palace will collect a certain fee.”
Xu Ling Gong snorted, “Not only do you possess Void Star City and 5% of High Heaven Star City, but you also have the resources of the New Great Territory as a backup. I can’t believe you’re still trying to profit from the Space Arrays.”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “Haven’t you heard that many grains of sand can build a tower? You can never underestimate the amount of money something will generate. Martial Uncle Xu, you’re not responsible for managing a Sect, so you have no idea how difficult it is to run one.”
After giving it a thought, Xu Ling Gong replied, “Give some free quotas to the Cave Heavens and Paradises every year. Within those quotas, they won’t be charged a fee. Anyone who exceeds the quotas will have to pay the same fee as outsiders.”
Yang Kai pondered on it for a moment and replied, “Fine.”
“Write down the materials needed to arrange the arrays and give the list to me later. I’ll ask them to share the cost.”
With a smile, Yang Kai fished out a jade slip and passed it to him, “Here.”
Seeing that this boy was already prepared, Xu Ling Gong rolled his eyes, and upon looking into the jade slip, he did so again.
Even though he had no idea how many materials were needed to arrange these Space Arrays, it was obvious Yang Kai was trying to get more than what was required.
Without pointing it out though, he stored the jade slip and left. He was obviously going to ask the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters to share the cost.
Xu Ling Gong was pretty efficient as he passed Yang Kai a Space Ring three days later. Yang Kai directly stored the ring without looking into it, then he returned to the Star Boundary. After bringing Luan Bai Feng and some people with him, he headed straight to the first Territory Gate.
Fortunately, before the epic battle against Heavenly Sword Union, he had left behind many Space Beacons around High Heaven Territory. Therefore, they didn’t really have to fly over as they soon reached the Territory Gate by making use of those Space Beacons.
Arranging Space Arrays was like a walk in the park for Yang Kai. However, the one he was building was much larger than any array he had arranged before, and it would require a lot of materials.
Working for a full month, the gigantic array finally took shape near the Territory Gate.
Without taking a rest, he headed straight to the Star Boundary and found a suitable location before working on a corresponding Space Array.
Since this array was connected to the Star Boundary, it would draw on the Universe World’s immense World Force every time it was used. Otherwise, it couldn’t be linked to the array at the Territory Gate that was trillions of kilometres away.
Yang Kai wasn’t lying when he said to Xu Ling Gong that the heritage of the Star Boundary would be consumed every time the array was used. It was the truth.
However, only a small amount of heritage would be needed. With the continuous nourishment from the World Tree, the consumption was essentially negligible.
Ten days later, the array in the Star Boundary was completed. Yang Kai then headed to the Star City. This time, it only took him one day to finish building a new Space Array.
Hence, the arrays that connected the Territory Gate to the Star Boundary and then led to the Star City had been completed. The presence of these arrays could allow cultivators to move around easily. Otherwise, when the visitors arrived at High Heaven Territory, it would take them about half a month to go from the Territory Gate to the Star City.
During this period of time, the Star City had also been completed. The Cave Heavens and Paradises as well as High Heaven Palace had selected the best locations to open their shops, while the rest of the land was rented out.
Some astute business people had started asking about the Star City as they were apparently ready to start businesses there. However, since Yang Kai hadn’t come up with a framework to manage the Star City, he decided to ignore them for now.
Void Star City was currently managed by Mo Mei, a Sixth-Order Master, and since High Heaven Star City was much larger, the person in charge naturally couldn’t be weak.
Yang Kai intended to select one of the Great Emperors from the Star Boundary.
The Great Emperors also had the ability to borrow World Strength from the Star Boundary. Given the powerful heritage of the Star Boundary, after borrowing its World Force, they could exert the might of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. They would certainly be less powerful than Yang Kai, but that was because their heritages were weaker to begin with.
Only by doing so could they have a better control over High Heaven Star City. The reason Yang Kai decided to build the Star City near the Star Boundary was that the Great Emperor in charge of the city would be able to draw on the power of the Star Boundary.
Since he now had some free time, Yang Kai gathered all the Great Emperors together and told them about his plans, and after he finished, everyone turned to look at Duan Hong Chen at the same time.
Bustling World Great Emperor chuckled, “Well, it seems that I’ll have to take up the responsibility.”
The decision was made just like that. Bustling World Great Emperor would become the Governor of High Heaven Star City. Even though it might occupy some of his cultivation time, there shouldn’t be a problem as long as he could manage his time well.
On the day the Star City opened for business, innumerable merchants streamed into the city as they continuously knocked on the door of the Governor’s Mansion.
Meanwhile, in a Universe World in the New Great Territory, Yang Kai was seated across from Wu Kuang. It had been a few years since they last met, and Wu Kuang had become even more formidable. Perhaps it was because he had swallowed the heritages of a few Sixth-Order Masters that he was unable to fully conceal his aura now and was shrouded in Demon Qi.
There were some living creatures in this Universe World, but none of them had any sentience. It was obvious that it had been a short time since they were born, and the environment was hostile as the place was covered in a sandstorm.
However, Wu Kuang didn’t mind it at all as he decided to settle down here.
Yang Kai gazed at him and asked, “What are your future plans?”
Wu Kuang was holding a wine bottle given to him by Yang Kai as he leaned against a chair. His demeanour didn’t look like that of a senior expert. As he raised the bottle and let the wine flow into his mouth, he replied nonchalantly, “I’ll keep hiding for a few years and digest what I’ve eaten.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s for the best. More than a hundred High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters have gathered together in the Star Boundary. They’ll notice you as soon as you show up, and they’ll definitely try to kill you. Nevertheless, it’s not like you can keep hiding forever. You’ll have to go out one day.”
Wu Kuang shot him a glance, “Don’t worry. Since this King has tasted so many palatable dishes, I can never go back to having coarse food. Anyone that’s lower than the Fifth Order will be tasteless to me, not to mention the lowly living beings in those Universe Worlds.”