They were defeated by Yang Kai during the training because they were weaker. There was no reason to be resentful. Besides, Yang Kai had left a fig leaf for Lang Ya Paradise at the last moment. Although they were very grateful to him for that, that was not enough to stop them from wanting to beat him up.
Somebody abruptly took out a jade bottle and pushed it in front of Yang Kai’s face. He happily said, “Junior Brother Yang, this is Lang Ya Paradise’s special healing pill. Would you like to give it a try?”
*Shua shua shua…*
Countless jade bottles were taken out and shoved at Yang Kai. The entire space became densely packed with jade bottles!
Yang Kai yelled in grief and indignation, “Don’t you dare go too far!”
Senior Sister Zhou sneered coldly, “The tables have turned. We are simply returning to you what you gave us in the first place. Hurry up and stop wasting time. Each healing pill is worth a set of Sixth-Order materials.”
“Don’t even think about it!” He clutched at his Space Ring.
How could he possibly cough up the food he had already swallowed!? His biggest gains from the training were these resources. In total, everything was worth tens of billions of Open Heaven Pills!
Senior Sister Zhou’s pretty face darkened, “It looks like you don’t quite understand the situation that you’re in, Junior Brother!”
Yang Kai gnashed his teeth in frustration before roaring, “You are the ones who forced my hand… Dragon Transformation!”
…
Many weaker Lang Ya Paradise disciples witnessed an extremely bizarre scene today. A 10,000 metres long Grand Dragon that shone brilliantly with a golden light rose into the sky above Void Flower Spirit Province. Shaking its head and flicking its tail, the Dragon headed in some unknown direction.
A Dragon Clan member! Moreover, a Grand Dragon! This was a scene that many people would never witness in their lives. Who could have imagined that such a sight would appear in Lang Ya Paradise? The weaker disciples did not understand the situation or the reason why a Golden Grand Dragon appeared in Lang Ya Paradise out of nowhere. Could it be that the Master Sect had raised a Grand Dragon in secret all this time?
In the end, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise failed to retrieve the resources they lost. When Yang Kai transformed into a Grand Dragon, they were momentarily stunned by the terrifying Dragon Pressure that spread outward; thus, he had taken the opportunity to break free of the Sealing Array on Void Flower Spirit Province and escaped.
Looking at the departing Golden Grand Dragon, they finally understood the reason why their strength was so insignificant compared to Yang Kai even though they were all in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Even Eldest Senior Brother Le Mang, who had already comprehended the opportunity to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, was not his opponent.
That Bastard might seem like a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master on the surface, but he was actually a Grand Dragon! That was an existence that could rival a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master in terms of strength; hence, the Sixth-Order Masters in Lang Ya Paradise suddenly felt that their loss was not undeserved!
Inside the Main Hall, a bruised Yang Kai glared at Li Yuan Wang furiously. On the other hand, the latter acted as though nothing was wrong as he sipped on his tea
After a while, Li Yuan Wang finally spoke, “Know your limits. You gained a lot from this trip. Besides, this King does not expect you to return those resources. You only had to suffer a beating in return. It’s not like it’s a big deal.”
Yang Kai sneered coldly, “Sect Master Li, it’s easy for you to say. Why don’t you go and get beaten up as well?”
Li Yuan Wang’s neck stiffened, “Who would dare?”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I don’t care. In any case, Lang Ya Paradise has to pay me compensation for my losses.”
Li Yuan Wang was so angry that he laughed, “You want compensation for your losses? You robbed my people of resources worth several billions of Open Heaven Pills! What losses did you suffer?
Yang Kai tapped his fingers hard against the armrest of the chair and solemnly said, “Sect Master Li, I am contributing blood and tears to Lang Ya Paradise, risking my life in the process! It’s bad enough that you didn’t help me, but how could you stab me in the back at the last moment!? Is that something a person should do?”
Li Yuan Wang pondered seriously for a moment, then he suddenly came to stand in front of Yang Kai.
“What is it?” Yang Kai watched Li Yuan Wang warily.
Li Yuan Wang bowed deeply, “This King failed to consider matters carefully. Forgive me, Martial Nephew. Please accept the apologies of this Li!”
Yang Kai’s mouth fell open in shock. [This guy… sure is shameless! He is a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and the Sect Master of Lang Ya Paradise. How can he just apologise so easily!?]
Nevertheless, how could Yang Kai continue to pursue the matter when a Senior like Li Yuan Wang had already gone so far as to bow and apologise? He had no choice but to swallow this loss!
Li Yuan Wang resumed his seat and asked with a much more solemn expression, “Did you gain anything else from this training, Martial Nephew?”
Needless to say, Yang Kai knew exactly what Li Yuan Wang was asking. He mulled over the question before he answered gravely, “Gu Ling’er, Chang An Yi, Liang Qiu Hong, and Jiang Yan!”
Li Yuan Wang’s eyes narrowed slightly. Although he had hoped that Yang Kai could discover further information from this training, he couldn’t help feeling saddened when he actually heard the results! These four were among the elite of all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise!
“Are you sure?” He asked grimly.
Yang Kai nodded in response, “I’m sure!”
These four had said the words ‘Black Ink Eternal’ to him. Only those corrupted by the Black Ink would do that.
Although Yang Kai did not sense the slightest hint of the Black Ink’s power from them, there was nothing abnormal about Shi Zheng before his identity was exposed either! The Black Ink’s power was extremely hidden and strange after all. Unless they checked the Small Universe of each individual or the people corrupted by the Black Ink proactively exposed themselves, it was very difficult for others to detect any anomalies!
“At present, I can confirm the identities of these four. I don’t know whether there are others who have been corrupted by the Black Ink hiding among the rest.”
Besides, not all the people corrupted by the Black Ink would say that phrase to him in the face of danger. Yang Kai had no means to confirm if there were others who remained in hiding.
Li Yuan Wang raised his head and looked at Gao Ting.
Gao Ting looked pensive, “Gu Ling’er is a gentle and kind-hearted disciple with a beautiful appearance. She is very popular among all the disciples and even the Elders in Lang Ya Paradise. Zong Yu Quan oversees the Star City Void Dock, so it can be said that he holds a high-ranking position. Chang An Yi is one of the Elders in charge of the Outer Disciples’ cultivation. His position is unique and allows him to come into contact with many of the lower disciples. Liang Qiu Hong oversees one of the Restricted Areas in Lang Ya Paradise, which also gives him an outstanding status. Lastly, Jiang Yan is in charge of Lang Ya Paradise’s business affairs and holds great authority!”
Li Yuan Wang’s eyes flashed as he asked, “Do you mean to say…”
He continued, “The hidden Black Ink Clansman is targeting certain demographics of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise. The people they choose are those who hold important positions.”
There were many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise, and based on their seniority and strength, they were considered to be Outer Elders. However, most of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise did not hold any specific post in the Sect. ‘Outer Elder’ was nothing more than an honorific title, one that did not actually hold any power.
It was not that Lang Ya Paradise treated them differently, it was just that most Open Heaven Realm Masters did not wish to be involved in such mundane matters. They only wanted to focus on pursuing the Martial Dao. This was the case for all the Cave Heavens and Paradises!
Be that as it may, the people named by Yang Kai were those who held important positions in Lang Ya Paradise!
Gao Ting added, “Moreover, they all share something in common!”
Li Yuan Wang nodded, “They are all expected to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm within the next 200 years!”
“That explains everything!” A look of realization appeared on Gao Ting’s face.
All this time, they had been wondering why the Black Ink Clan chose to corrupt the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. According to the ancient books in the Sect, the Black Ink Clan generally chose to corrupt Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as they were the most valuable targets.
It would now seem that these Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters corrupted by the Black Ink were expected to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm within the next 200 years. Comparing between corrupting a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was only natural that the former was much easier to accomplish. Not to mention, they were expected to advance into the next Order soon.
If they were the Black Ink Clansman, they would have done the same.
With this information in hand, it would be much easier to proceed with the investigation. They only needed to identify the disciples who were expected to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm in the near future and also held important positions in Lang Ya Paradise. Those who were corrupted by the Black Ink, but remained in hiding would have nowhere else to run.
Gao Ting sighed, “The training was only aimed at Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so we still don’t know who among the Seventh-Order Masters have been corrupted by the Black Ink. The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who have been corrupted are the greatest hidden dangers to Lang Ya Paradise!”
Every single Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was an Inner Elder that held great power. Take Shi Zheng for example; Shi Zheng was the foreign affairs envoy of Lang Ya Paradise, so losing him to the Black Ink was a huge loss to Lang Ya Paradise.
Yang Kai smiled, “There’s a chance that the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters corrupted by the Black Ink will soon expose their whereabouts.”
Li Yuan Wang and Gao Ting turned to look at Yang Kai in unison. The former asked, “Do you have any clues?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t have any clues, but there’s a certain saying that applies here. ‘Rustle the grass to lure out the snakes’! Now that we have rustled the grass, the snakes won’t stay quiet for much longer!”
Li Yuan Wang and Gao Ting first showed puzzled expressions, then they showed understanding.
Gao Ting asked, “Is that why you transformed into your Dragon Form?”
Yang Kai replied, “It was just how things turned out!”
Under those circumstances, it was impossible for him to escape the siege of hundreds of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters without transforming into his Grand Dragon Form.
The Dragon Clan was the leader of all Divine Spirits! Furthermore, the Divine Spirits had a natural resistance towards the Black Ink. If not for that, the Dragon and Phoenix Clan would not have chosen to sacrifice half the Ancestral Strength in the Ancestral Land in ancient times to suppress and seal the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
Under the erosion of the Ancestral Strength over countless aeons, even the Giant Spirit God corrupted by the Black Ink had been killed. That only served to showcase the tyrannical power of the Divine Spirits.
Yang Kai’s transformation into his Grand Dragon Form had been witnessed by hundreds of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Even the weaker disciples on the nearby Spirit Provinces had witnessed this scene. This information was bound to reach the ears of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters corrupted by the Black Ink. That being the case, they would surely become suspicious.
If Yang Kai was a Grand Dragon, then was he actually corrupted by the Black Ink? It was possible for Divine Spirits to become corrupted by the Black Ink, but it was much harder to accomplish.
Nevertheless, as long as this suspicion existed, the people hiding behind the scenes would surely do their best to verify the truth!
Li Yuan Wang suddenly spoke up, “Check what Jiang Yan is doing right now.”
Gao Ting understood and quickly sent out a message.
A short while later, he looked up, “Jiang Yan just led some people out of the Sect in the name of conducting business. He also brought many resources with him, claiming that he wanted to deliver them to the Star Boundary for the disciples there!”
Li Yuan Wang’s eyes narrowed slightly, “As expected, they can’t stay quiet any longer!”
The training had only just ended, but not only was Jiang Yan travelling even though he had yet to recover from injuries, but he was also heading towards the Star Boundary. It was obvious that he wanted to ask Shi Zheng for confirmation regarding Yang Kai’s true identity.
Gao Ting asked, “Should we stop him?”
Li Yuan Wang waved his hand, “No need. Travelling to and back from the Star Boundary will take at least several months. If we stop Jiang Yan now, Yang Kai’s identity will be revealed immediately! If we let him go, we will at least have a buffer of several months.”
Gao Ting frowned, “Then, what should we do?”
Li Yuan Wang lightly tapped his fingers against the table, “We wait. If somebody sent Jiang Yan to inquire for more information from Shi Zheng, then they might not be able to wait patiently. There’s a possibility that they might reveal something soon.” Turning to look at Yang Kai, he added, “Nephew Yang, this Li thanks you in advance for everything you’ve done for Lang Ya Paradise.”
Yang Kai waved his hand casually, “Matters regarding the Black Ink Clan involve more than just Lang Ya Paradise.”
Li Yuan Wang sounded emotional, “You are righteous indeed, Nephew Yang. But, you will face some dangers after this. If you think it’s dangerous, you can leave now. We will do something about Lang Ya Paradise ourselves.”
Yang Kai laughed, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained!”
The training among the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise had been extremely eventful. The final result might have been somewhat imperfect, but the outcome was acceptable to a certain extent.
Yang Kai had shone brightly during this training. As the target of this training, he had practically beaten up all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise!
It was true that many of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise had been resentful towards him during the training, but his immense strength had won the admiration of many as well.
With Lang Ya Paradise’s training, the disciples were not people who would lose their tempers after losing just once. Even if they lost this round, they would simply work harder and strive for victory next time. It was only natural for those walking the path of the Martial Dao to strive for improvement after experiencing setbacks.
That was why Yang Kai received many invitations after the training.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise scrambled to invite him to their respective secluded homes in order to exchange cultivation experiences among each other.
Such things were very commonplace. On the Martial Dao, it was easy to go down the wrong path if one only cultivated behind closed doors. On the contrary, they might experience a flash of inspiration or an epiphany while conversing with their peers.
There were at least dozens of these invitations, and they were all sent to Gu Pan’s residence.
Yang Kai had initially worried about how he could come into contact with those who had been corrupted by the Black Ink through natural means; therefore, the existence of these invitations was akin to receiving a pillow just as he was about to doze off.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise who invited him over would also invite their friends. Only when everybody shared knowledge with each other could the meeting truly be considered an exchange.
For the next half month, Yang Kai’s schedule was extremely hectic. He went around to all the Spirit Provinces in Lang Ya Paradise to visit the secluded homes of the Open Heaven Realm Masters who sent him invitations.
It could be said that there was a small feast every single day and a banquet every three days. The smallest gatherings consisted of three to five people, while larger gatherings might consist of eight to ten people. They would either gather together to express their respective opinions or compare their knowledge with each other.
Both parties gained quite a lot from each other, and Yang Kai also witnessed the impressive heritage of Lang Ya Paradise.
During the training, he had attacked viciously in order to sound out the identities of those corrupted by the Black Ink. That was why almost every single Open Heaven Realm Master who encountered him would be defeated within a very short period of time.
However, that was not to say that the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise were merely embroidered pillows. As part of the 72 Paradises, Lang Ya Paradise boasted an inheritance of countless years and established a solid position for itself in the 3,000 Worlds. That would have been impossible to achieve if they were nothing more than embroidered pillows.
Despite having the same cultivation, Yang Kai could clearly sense that the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise were significantly stronger than the Open Heaven Realm Masters outside.
If somebody like Mao Zhe was thrown into the midst of Lang Ya Paradise, he might not even rank in the top 100 among the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Many of Lang Ya Paradise’s Secret Techniques broadened Yang Kai’s horizons and expanded his knowledge. Some of this new knowledge also benefited him greatly. Hence, he would happily attend these meetings and leave with satisfaction every single day.
One early morning half a month later, Yang Kai held up an elegant-looking invitation. The writing on the invitation was very beautiful, and a faint but pleasant fragrance wafted from it. He could tell that the invitation was written by a woman at first glance. More importantly, the invitation was signed off with the name ‘Gu Ling’er’!
Gu Ling’er’s invitation had been sent several days ago, and the appointment that he was attending today was none other than her invitation!
Would there be any discoveries or gains from this meeting? Yang Kai did not know. However, he had the vague feeling that he was not far from unearthing the core of those who had been corrupted by the Black Ink! As long as he could find the core of the Black Ink, then he would have the chance to uncover the hidden Black Ink Clansman.
He heard the sound of something slicing through the air. It was the sound of somebody flying towards him from the outside. A moment later, a figure landed in front of the building and Gu Ling’er’s gentle voice rang out, “Junior Brother Yang!”
Putting the invitation away, Yang Kai pushed open the door only to see Gu Ling’er standing gracefully outside. She smiled at him when their eyes met, and all the colours in the world seemed to fade for a moment.
Yang Kai asked in surprise, “Senior Sister Gu, why did you come here in person? I was just about to head over.”
Gu Ling’er pursed her lips into a smile, “Aren’t you unfamiliar with Lang Ya Paradise, Junior Brother? I heard that you even took the wrong path on the way to visit Junior Brother Wang several days ago. In the end, they waited a long time for you to arrive.”
“Hahaha…” Yang Kai looked embarrassed, “That was an accident. There are too many Spirit Provinces in Lang Ya Paradise, so I got a little confused.”
She teased in a meaningful manner, “You must be feeling down because Junior Sister Gu entered the Five Lights World for training, Junior Brother.”
After the training, Gu Pan immediately entered the Five Lights World for training under Li Yuan Wang’s orders. For that reason, Yang Kai had been living alone on Gu Pan’s Spirit Province recently.
The reason for Li Yuan Wang’s actions was clearly out of consideration for Gu Pan’s safety. There was a Supreme Elder guarding the Five Lights World. Even if a disturbance broke out in Lang Ya Paradise, the effects would not spread that far. It was a fool-proof plan.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Senior Sister,” Yang Kai replied seriously, “There is nothing going on between Junior Sister Gu and I.”
She covered her mouth, “Say that to the other Fellow Brothers and see if they believe you!”
Those words gave him a toothache. Lang Ya Paradise had concluded that the relationship between Gu Pan and him was ambiguous, and all the explaining in the world could not change their perception.
[Just where did things go wrong?] Even though Yang Kai agonised over the question, he could not figure out how the misunderstanding started in the first place. Nevertheless, he could not be bothered to argue with them. His innocence would be proven with time.
“Senior Sister, shall we go?” Yang Kai asked.
Gu Ling’er nodded, “Please follow me, Junior Brother.”
After saying that, she took the lead and showed the way.
His figure flashed in response. Coming to stand beside Gu Ling’er, he proceeded to walk side-by-side with her. Their flying speed was not very fast, and they chatted casually as they moved. Her voice was as gentle as water, sounding very pleasant and comfortable to the ear.
Yang Kai couldn’t help sighing in his heart, [I can’t believe such a person has been corrupted by the Black Ink. I can only say that fate is truly toying with us.]
In the past, he once asked Li Yuan Wang whether there was hope of returning to normal after being corrupted by the Black Ink, but his answer contained only one word, ‘Impossible’.
In other words, the other party would completely turn into their enemy once corrupted by the Black Ink! Regardless of how normal they looked on the outside or how normal they behaved in public, somebody that had been corrupted by the Black Ink could not be saved.
Thinking about it again, it made sense. The root cause of a cultivator becoming corrupted by the Black Ink was their Small Universe being contaminated by the power of the Black Ink. Yang Kai could not think of a solution to remove the power of the Black Ink from someone’s Small Universe. That power was simply too strange.
When Gu Ling’er drew nearer to the Spirit Province where she lived, she suddenly spoke up, “Junior Brother, there will be an extremely important guest later. Please refrain from being disrespectful!”
Her expression was unnaturally solemn when she said that. It made her seem almost like another person altogether compared to her usual gentle demeanour.
Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged on the surface, but his heart was filled with anticipation.
[Are they finally going to reveal themselves?] He answered, “Rest assured, Senior Sister. I will be mindful!”
In the eyes of the people corrupted by the Black Ink in Lang Ya Paradise, he had already been recognised as a companion; therefore, he did not need to worry about being exposed when talking to people like Gu Ling’er and Zong Yu Quan.
Nonetheless, how should he act after meeting this so-called ‘extremely important guest’? More importantly, was this guest the true Black Ink Clansman or was it just someone corrupted by the Black Ink?
A Spirit Province in the distance entered his field of view. It was neither too big nor too small. There were hundreds of similar Spirit Provinces scattered across the entire Lang Ya Paradise. Furthermore, there was a certain palace on the Spirit Province that stood out conspicuously.
Gu Ling’er guided Yang Kai to land directly on the Spirit Province and spoke with a smile, “This is where I live.”
Yang Kai nodded, “It’s a beautiful place with wonderful scenery. No wonder an excellent person like you was produced, Senior Sister.”
She gave him a meaningful look and smiled slightly. With a wave of her hand, she activated the Grand Array around her Spirit Province and isolated the inside from the outside.
Afterwards, she took the lead to walk towards the palace. He quickly followed closely behind.
A short while later, they entered the palace and came to a courtyard after some twists and turns. Four others were already waiting in the courtyard.
Yang Kai had previously given Li Yuan Wang the names of four people. These four were Gu Ling’er, Chang An Yi, Liang Qiu Hong, and Jiang Yan. They were also the ones who said the words ‘Black Ink Eternal’ to him during the training and were subsequently identified as people corrupted by the Black Ink.
Among the people present in this place, aside from Jiang Yan who left on an errand, the other two were here. Zong Yu Quan was also here. On the other hand, the remaining person was not on his name list.
However, this person looked very familiar to him. It could be certain that he had seen the other party during the training, but he did not know the other party’s name. [Looks like I missed a few when trying to sound them out during the training!]
When Gu Ling’er and Yang Kai arrived, all four of those people turned to look in unison.
Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged as he stepped forward in greeting, “Yang Kai greets Senior Brothers!”
Zong Yu Quan burst out laughing, “You are too polite, Junior Brother Yang. During the training, your performance was absolutely brilliant. We certainly admired your skill.”
Yang Kai looked slightly embarrassed, “It’s enough as long as you don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
The people present here had been horribly beaten up by him and subsequently forced to buy a healing pill. Even Zong Yu Quan was no exception.
Chang An Yi waved his hand, “Things were out of your control during the training. There’s no reason for us to blame you for anything.”
“That’s great!” Gu Ling’er said, “Junior Brother Yang, I’m sure you already know Senior Brother Zong, Senior Brother Chang, and Senior Brother Liang. This person is Senior Brother Gong Wen Shan. You probably met him during the training.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Of course! It’s just I never imagined Senior Brother Gong to be one of us too.”
Gong Wen Shan laughed, “I’ve never revealed myself, so it’s only natural that you didn’t know, Junior Brother Yang. On the contrary, we knew about you as soon as you arrived at Lang Ya Paradise.”
Zong Yu Quan exclaimed, “Now that we have somebody like Junior Brother Yang among the Black Ink Disciples, our future is bright!”
[Black Ink Disciple…] Yang Kai memorised those words. Whenever he spoke to Li Yuan Wang and the others, they called these people ‘those corrupted by the Black Ink’. Conversely, the people corrupted by the Black Ink seemed to call themselves ‘Black Ink Disciples’.
“You praise me too highly, Senior Brother.” He responded humbly, “If not for Elder Shi Zheng’s guidance to the right path, this Junior Brother would still be lost and unable to extricate myself. I am extremely grateful to Elder Shi Zheng!” After that, his expression turned serious. He placed one hand over his heart and quickly said, “Black Ink Eternal!”
The rest of them were taken aback for a moment, but they quickly lowered their voices and responded in unison, “Black Ink Eternal!”
Yang Kai once again confirmed that this phrase seemed to hold some sort of irresistible power over the Black Ink Disciples. As long as this phrase was mentioned in front of them, they would surely respond.
He couldn’t help wondering whether doing so would bring about any effects in the middle of battle.
Unfortunately, the possibility was not very high. The Black Ink Disciples might have been corrupted by the Black Ink, but their reasoning was no different from usual. It was just that their deepest beliefs had been completely changed, almost making them into another person altogether.
What’s more, they would consider the Black Ink to be supreme over everything! That was the most dangerous aspect of the Black Ink. Not only could the Black Ink Clan make one bend to their will with it, but they could also instil unwavering faith and force them to give up everything for their sake. Nothing else in the world could compare with the Black Ink.
“Let’s sit down and talk.” As the owner of this place, Gu Ling’er beckoned to the others.
Everybody sat down around a stone table. There were spirit fruits and wine laid out on the table so that anybody could help themselves to the refreshments.
Yang Kai originally thought that the Black Ink Disciples would surely discuss various shady topics when they gathered together, but the reality could not be further from the truth. Similar to the banquets that he attended recently, these people gathered together to discuss various topics regarding their cultivation and other common anecdotes. It was an extremely harmonious scene.
He couldn’t help feeling strange at the sight. Looking at such a scene, if he had not known that these people were Black Ink Disciples, he would not have suspected them of anything even if he came across this scene. They were no different from ordinary people in any aspect.
Zong Yu Quan and Chang An Yi were arguing over the methods of activating one of the Secret Techniques in Lang Ya Paradise. Both of them were fervently expressing their opinions.
All of a sudden, Gu Ling’er approached Yang Kai and whispered quietly, “Junior Brother Yang, it has not been long since you became a Black Ink Disciple. Have you had any trouble adjusting?”
She was sitting next to Yang Kai, and now that she took the initiative to lean over, the air was suddenly filled with the scent of orchids. Her attitude was incredibly intimate.
Gong Wen Shan and Liang Qiu Hong looked in this direction, and then they both smiled slightly. They realised that Yang Kai’s performance during the training must have caught Gu Ling’er’s attention. It was obvious that she was planning to snatch Yang Kai from Gu Pan.
Even after so many years, Gu Ling’er had yet to choose her Dao Partner. The first reason was that she had extremely high standards. Very few Open Heaven Realm Masters in the same Order could catch her attention. The other reason was her identity as a Black Ink Disciple. If she were to enter a long-term relationship with somebody else, there was a high possibility that her identity would be exposed.
Yang Kai was different, however. His strength could practically be said to be the best among all Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Moreover, he was a Black Ink Disciple himself, so there was nothing for her to worry about.
The path of cultivation could be extremely dull and dreary. In addition, Open Heaven Realm Masters generally had exceptionally long lifespans. It was a good thing to have the company of an excellent person.
Yang Kai naturally inhaled Gu Ling’er’s fragrance, but his attitude remained calm. He nodded in response to the question, “There is something I wanted to ask.”
Even Chang An Yi and Zong Yu Quan, who had been arguing fiercely, stopped speaking and turned to look at him.
Gu Ling’er smiled sweetly, “Please feel free to speak, Junior Brother Yang. We are all Black Ink Disciples. You can consider us family now, so there’s no need to hide anything.”
Yang Kai asked, “As Black Ink Disciples, our Small Universe has been enlightened by the Black Ink. But, will there be any effects on our cultivation in the future?”
They exchanged a glance with each other, and Zong Yu Quan laughed, “So that’s what you’re worried about, Junior Brother Yang! Hmm… If you’re talking about effects, then there are definitely some. But… they are good effects!”
“Oh?” Yang Kai was surprised, “Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Zong!”
Zong Yu Quan replied solemnly, “The Black Ink Strength is mysterious and unparalleled in this world. The biggest advantage we experience is in terms of our advancement. Senior Brother Le Mang received insight recently and will soon advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. You probably saw that too, Junior Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded.
Zong Yu Quan continued, “However, even if Senior Brother Le Mang comprehends the opportunity to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, it will not be easy for him to succeed in his breakthrough. Advancing from the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm will require overcoming a steep threshold. If you succeed in overcoming this challenge, then your horizons will be widened infinitely. On the other hand, if you fail, the best outcome is that you will be stuck in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm forever. If your luck is poor, then there’s a possibility that your Small Universe will become unstable and your cultivation will regress. In the worst case, you might even lose your life. Conversely, Black Ink Disciples like us have no need to worry about such matters. Our Small Universe is protected by the Black Ink Strength, so there won’t be any problems for us when we advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
Yang Kai was absolutely amazed, “The Black Ink Strength is so amazing!”
If that was the case, then the Black Ink Strength truly had astonishing properties.
Gu Ling’er smiled and followed up, “That’s just one aspect. The biggest benefit that we enjoy as Black Ink Disciples is that we have broken free from the limitations of the Open Heaven Realm!”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai asked humbly.
Zong Yu Quan explained, “I heard that you only broke through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm when you initially advanced. Is that true, Junior Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai nodded.
Zong Yu Quan gestured around him with his finger, “I’ll be straight with you, Junior Brother. The same was true for us. Logically speaking, the limit of those who advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm is the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, no matter how abundant one’s cultivation resources are. However, that is only true for other Open Heaven Realm Masters. For Black Ink Disciples like us… heh…”
Yang Kai suddenly revealed a look of excitement. Even his breathing became a little disordered, “Senior Brother Zong, are you implying that Black Ink Disciples like us are not bound by such limitations?”
Zong Yu Quan nodded lightly, “That’s right. As long as we work hard in our cultivation and as long as we do not lose our lives during the journey, we can even reach the Supreme Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm!”
“Is that true!?” Yang Kai hastily asked. His animated expression was mixed with disbelief and a degree of worry.
Zong Yu Quan nodded sincerely, “It’s true!”
“Have you ever met such a Master, Senior Brother Zong?”
Zong Yu Quan laughed in embarrassment, “Of course not. Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are not people we minor characters can meet whenever we want. Nevertheless, this is the truth.”
He could not produce any evidence, but he was absolutely convinced of this matter.
Yang Kai understood that this information was probably told to them by a Black Ink Disciple in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm like Shi Zheng. Be that as it may, he could not determine the truth of the matter. If this was the truth though, then the Black Ink Strength was far too tempting. For an Open Heaven Realm Master, one of their greatest concerns was their innate limitations.
The World Fruit was capable of breaking this limitation to an extent, but it could only be used once. What’s more, how precious were World Fruits? How could ordinary people ever get their hands on one?
On the other hand, if the Black Ink Strength surpassed or even ignored this limitation, then Yang Kai could not imagine what would happen in the future. Would people proactively seek out the Black Ink Strength simply for the sake of making further progress in their cultivation? There was no doubt they would! Who would not wish to become stronger? Who would not wish to stand at the top in the future so that they would never have to be at the mercy of others again?
Yang Kai suddenly recalled something. All the Elders in the Cave Heavens and Paradises were aware of the Black Ink Clan, and the Core Disciples would also be informed by their Honoured Masters after they advanced into the Open Heaven Realm. Aside from them, most others, even the ordinary disciples in the Cave Heavens and Paradises, had never even heard of such matters before.
Since ancient times, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had censored all information regarding the Black Ink Clan. This information was only limited to circulation among the Elders. Consequently, even the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Shattered Heaven were unaware of the reason why they were being targeted by the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
In the past, Yang Kai had not understood the reason for this behaviour either. If the Black Ink Strength was really as corrosive and invasive as he imagined, then logically it would be better for everybody to know about the dangers so that they could take the appropriate precautions.
However, if the Black Ink Strength could also break the limitations of the Open Heaven Realm, then Yang Kai could understand why the Cave Heavens and Paradises had concealed all information regarding the Black Ink Clan! They were afraid that people might not be able to resist the allure of the Black Ink Strength… These were the preventive measures taken by the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
With such considerations in mind, Yang Kai was slightly more convinced that the Black Ink Strength could actually break the limitations of the Open Heaven Realm.
“But… how could this be?” Yang Kai remained puzzled.
“How could people like us possibly understand the Black Ink Strength?” Zong Yu Quan sounded inscrutable. It was most likely that he himself didn’t understand it either.
Yang Kai lowered his head, his black hair casting a dark shadow over his forehead. At the same time, soft laughter suddenly came out of his mouth.
Gu Ling’er exclaimed in astonishment, “What’s wrong, Junior Brother Yang?”
“Hahahahaha!” He suddenly threw his head back and laughed maniacally with a wild expression on his face, “The Heavens have taken pity on me!”
The others exchanged puzzled glances with each other, not understanding why Yang Kai was going crazy.
Fortunately, Gu Ling’er was as intelligent as she was beautiful. After pondering for a while, she explained, “In the past, Junior Brother Yang used to have the ability to advance directly into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Unfortunately, several Cave Heavens and Paradises spearheaded by Myriad Demons Cave Heaven were afraid of his potential and greatly suppressed him as a result. I heard that Junior Brother Yang was forced to advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the Shattered Heaven under helpless circumstances.”
Roughly 100 years ago, there was a huge uproar over Yang Kai; therefore, many disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had heard about what happened.
Gu Ling’er had inquired about Yang Kai’s, so it was only natural that she had some understanding on the matter. Besides, the fact that Yang Kai had advanced into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm outside Shadowless Cave Heaven in the Shattered Heaven was not a secret. Many people had witnessed the incident at the time.
Upon hearing her explanation, everybody immediately understood the situation.
Yang Kai originally had the ability to advance directly into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, but he was ultimately forced to advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. It was a difference of two whole Orders, which was undoubtedly an unbridgeable gap! What’s more, the limitation of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm while the limitation of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm was only the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
It was no surprise for Yang Kai to be filled with frustration and rage for all these years. His bright future had been destroyed just like that. Anybody would have a difficult time accepting such a situation.
After learning that the Black Ink Strength could break the shackles of this limitation, it was only natural for him to feel as though he could finally see light in the vast darkness.
Therefore, they more or less understood the reason for his strange reaction.
Zong Yu Quan patted Yang Kai on the shoulder and said earnestly, “You have a long journey ahead of you, Junior Brother Yang. Let us take things slowly. The Black Ink Disciples will surely stand at the top of the 3,000 Worlds one day, and all the others will be dogs beneath our feet!”
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and nodded, “When that time comes, I will definitely raze those Cave Heavens and Paradises to the ground, starting with Myriad Demons Heaven! Only then will I be able to quell the hatred burning in my heart!”
Zong Yu Quan’s mouth fell open in surprise, “You really are ambitious, Junior Brother!”
Yang Kai asked, “Will it be alright for me to do so though? Will it ruin the plans of the higher-ups?”
He pointed to the sky while speaking.
Zong Yu Quan was not in the position to answer that question; after all, he had no clue what the higher-ups were planning.
At that moment, a voice sounded without warning, “If that time comes, this King will accompany you!”
Everybody hurriedly stood up. Likewise, Yang Kai also stood up and looked in the direction where the voice was coming from.
“Greetings, Martial Uncle Yuan!” The others called out in greeting.
“Greetings, Senior Yuan!” Yang Kai cupped his fist with a calm expression.
Yuan Du! One of the three Vice Sect Masters in Lang Ya Paradise! When Yang Kai first arrived at Lang Ya Paradise, Gu Pan had brought him to meet Li Yuan Wang. It was during that particular time that he encountered this person along the way.
Gu Pan mentioned that Vice Sect Master Yuan Du was extremely fond of receiving flattery from others. At the time, Yang Kai thought that this senior expert in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm had been very friendly. He never imagined that Yuan Du would also be a Black Ink Disciple!
At this moment, Yuan Du had a gentle smile on his face as usual. He was looking at Yang Kai with an approving look, almost like how an Elder would look at the Juniors in the Sect.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai felt a chill running down his back! Even though he had speculated that there were other Black Ink Disciples among the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise, this person was actually one of the three Vice Sect Masters!
[Just what has Lang Ya Paradise been doing!? I can’t believe that one of their pillars has been corrupted by the Black Ink Strength!]
Upon further consideration though, he recalled the name list that Li Yuan Wang had previously given him. The list had the names of all the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were on friendly terms with Shi Zheng and Zong Yu Quan, and Yuan Du had been listed among them!
Yuan Du and Gu Ling’er had a Master-and-Disciple relationship between them. Having stood out from among the lower disciples, Gu Ling’er had been taken under Yuan Du’s wing and became his only Legacy Disciple. That would explain how Gu Ling’er had been corrupted by the Black Ink. The Honoured Master himself was in this state, what more was there to say about the Disciple?
On this occasion, Yuan Du had used his status as her Honoured Master to travel to the Spirit Province where Gu Ling’er lived. Even if his movements were noticed by Li Yuan Wang and the others, they would not suspect him of anything.
At this moment, he looked at Yang Kai warmly and smiled, “You shone very brightly in the recent training, Martial Nephew. This King was amazed by your performance.”
Yang Kai bowed, “You praise me too highly, Senior. I was simply lucky. Unfortunately, I was forced to harm my Senior Brothers and Sisters. I feel very bad about that.”
Yuan Du chuckled, “The circumstances were unavoidable, and you had no other choice. Don’t take it to heart. Besides, it’s not as if you didn’t know how to hold back.” Turning to the side, he looked at Gu Ling’er and asked, “How are the preparations?”
Gu Ling’er nodded, “Please don’t worry, Honoured Master. Everything is in order!”
He nodded, “In that case, let us begin.”
Zong Yu Quan suddenly winked at Yang Kai, “Thanks to you, Junior Brother Yang, we will also receive some enlightenment.”
The other Black Ink Disciples also looked very excited. Their faces were filled with anticipation, as though something good was about to happen.
Yang Kai was puzzled, “What do you mean, Senior Brother?”
Zong Yu Quan smiled mysteriously but did not explain himself.
At this moment, a ferocious World Force surged violently. Yang Kai was startled and quickly glanced at Yuan Du. Yuan Du’s robes flapped noisily even though there was no wind in the air. The illusory phantom of a vast Small Universe emerged behind him before expanding outward all of a sudden.
Yang Kai was slightly startled. Yuan Du was clearly trying to manifest his Small Universe around them! However, Zong Yu Quan and the others showed no response. They seemed to have expected this scenario, so he did not dare to make any rash actions. Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Yang Kai simply waited quietly.
In the next moment, Yuan Du’s Small Universe came crashing down and swept everyone up into it.
This was not Yang Kai’s first time encountering such a situation. Back when he was pursuing Zuo Quan Hui in the New Great Territory, Zuo Quan Hui had manifested his Small Universe in a last-ditch effort to fight to the death.
In the end, Yang Kai had done the same and manifested his Small Universe to confront Zuo Quan Hui. Although Void Land ultimately won that day, the battle caused Yang Kai’s Small Universe to become mixed with a lot of impurities derived from Zuo Quan Hui’s Small Universe, which the latter intentionally collapsed as a final act of defiance.
Afterwards, Yang Kai spent great effort to remove the hidden dangers in his Small Universe, causing his heritage to weaken significantly in the process.
Having experienced such a battle once, it could be said that Yang Kai was traversing a familiar path when faced with the current situation.
Under normal circumstances, the power of the Black Ink would leak out if Yuan Du spread out his Small Universe in this manner and that would have alerted the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise.
However, this place was Gu Ling’er’s private Spirit Province and there were many barriers and restrictions set up over this land to isolate the inside from the outside.
When Yuan Du asked Gu Ling’er whether the preparations were in order, he was probably asking about this matter.
In an instant, Yuan Du’s Small Universe spread outward with everybody being pulled inside. Yang Kai looked around only to see that Yuan Du’s Small Universe was identical to the Universe Paradise that Shi Zheng left behind after his death. Everything was dyed pitch-black, as though the entire world had been smeared with a thick layer of ink. The scenery in Yuan Du’s Small Universe gave off an extremely uncomfortable feeling.
Nevertheless, it was undeniable that Yuan Du’s heritage as a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was very impressive. The Dao Essence was extremely abundant in his Small Universe, though Yang Kai could not determine what type of Dao Essence it was.
Everybody looked around after they appeared on the black-coloured land. Zong Yu Quan and the others looked confused, but Yang Kai did not know what was puzzling them.
As the owner of this Small Universe, Yuan Du simply looked at Yang Kai with a smile and asked in a pleasant voice, “Martial Nephew, I suddenly thought of something. May I ask you a question?”
Yang Kai was looking around his surroundings when he heard the question, and he nodded in response, “Please ask, Senior Yuan. This Junior will surely answer to the best of my abilities!”
Yuan Du asked, “You were enlightened by Elder Shi Zheng, right, Martial Nephew?”
“That’s right!” Yang Kai nodded.
“How did Elder Shi Zheng enlighten you?” Yuan Du inquired further.
[Is he suspecting me… He would not have asked me this question otherwise.]
Yang Kai’s heart was as bright and clear as a mirror. Besides, he had already prepared himself for such questions. It was just as he had mentioned to Li Yuan Wang and Gao Ting earlier. The grass had already been rustled, so there was no way the snakes would remain quiet after that.
It was precisely because of these considerations that Li Yuan Wang warned Yang Kai that staying here would be dangerous and asked him to consider his next course of action carefully.
In any case, Yang Kai came here for the Black Ink Disciples and the true Black Ink Clansman. If he wanted to remain safe, he would not have taken the initiative to propose going out to the front lines to gather information in the first place.
As such, he answered calmly and respectfully, “Elder Shi Zheng used a Black Ink Insect. When this Junior felt the wonders of the Black Ink Strength, I suddenly experienced an epiphany. Therefore, I boldly embraced the Black Ink. It is all thanks to Elder Shi Zheng that Junior is here today!”
Yuan Du gently nodded and asked meaningfully, “Did Elder Shi Zheng tell you anything else?”
Yang Kai mulled over the question, “He told me some things, but not everything. What may you be referring to, Senior Yuan?”
Yuan Du laughed, “To be honest, this King has known about your identity as a Black Ink Disciple since the day you stepped into Lang Ya Paradise and met Zong Yu Quan. This King has also been waiting for you to visit me on your own recently. It’s a pity that you never came. If not, this King would not have taken the risk to come and meet you here.”
Yang Kai bowed, “Please forgive me, Senior!”
Yuan Du continued, “Furthermore, your various actions during this time have led this King to believe that you didn’t know the identity of any other Black Ink Disciples aside from Zong Yu Quan. What’s wrong? Didn’t Elder Shi Zheng tell you these things after enlightening you?”
At first, Gu Ling’er and the others were confused as to why Yuan Du was mentioning these topics to Yang Kai. It was not until this moment that the realisation struck them. Yuan Du was clearly suspicious of Yang Kai’s identity.
If Yang Kai had been enlightened by Elder Shi Zheng, then Elder Shi Zheng should have informed him about the situation in Lang Ya Paradise to a certain extent. Yet, he had seemed ignorant of their identities during the training. Rather, they were the ones who took the initiative to reveal their identities to him.
Naturally, that did not prove anything. It might be that Yang Kai was simply being cautious, so he was reluctant to reveal his identity first; however, since Yuan Du was suspicious, it was only proper for them to show the corresponding attitude.
With a shift of their bodies, Gu Ling’er and the others quickly surrounded Yang Kai in unison. At the same time, they silently mobilised their World Force.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai remained calm, not the slightest hint of nervousness in his countenance as he replied, “Please forgive me, Senior. After Elder Shi Zheng enlightened this Junior, he only told this Junior to head to Lang Ya Paradise. As for what this Junior was supposed to do or who to meet, Elder Shi Zheng did not explain anything. It was only after repeated enquiries that Elder Shi Zheng finally told this Junior about Senior Brother Zong’s identity. He told me that I only needed to reveal my identity to Senior Brother Zong who oversaw the Void Dock when I arrived at Lang Ya Paradise. He also mentioned that there was no need to worry about anything else because someone would approach me when I arrived!”
Yuan Du frowned slightly upon hearing those words.
If it had to be said, Yang Kai’s words were reasonable and worth considering. There was nothing wrong with his explanation, and thinking about Elder Shi Zheng’s personality, it was not impossible for him to come up with this arrangement.
Even so, Yuan Du could not shake off his feelings of suspicion towards Yang Kai, one that seemed almost instinctive.
Despite calmly observing Yang Kai for a while, he did not detect anything unusual from the latter’s expression. Only after some time did Yuan Du speak again, “The Black Ink Strength is mysterious, but not omnipotent. Divine Spirits have a certain degree of resistance towards the Black Ink Strength. I believe you are a Grand Dragon, Martial Nephew. Have you truly been enlightened by the Black Ink Strength?”
Yang Kai glanced at Yuan Du, “So, you’re suspecting my identity, Senior?”
Yuan Du replied grimly, “This is an important matter. This King has no choice but to proceed with caution!”
Yang Kai nodded with an expression of understanding, “This Junior understands. I am a new Black Ink Disciple after all. It is only natural for you to doubt my words, Senior. In that case, please take a look at this!”
While saying so, he stretched out his hand. A ball of black energy immediately appeared in the palm of his hand. The energy wriggled on the palm of his hand like a living creature.
“Black Ink Strength!” Gu Ling’er exclaimed softly.
They had similar energy within their bodies; moreover, this energy came from the same source as the Black Ink Strength that flooded the entirety of Yuan Du’s Small Universe. It was only natural that they were familiar with the energy.
As soon as the Black Ink Strength appeared, the vigilance of Gu Ling’er and the others immediately vanished. Even Yuan Du’s expression became much kinder again.
The ability to mobilise the Black Ink Strength undoubtedly proved that Yang Kai had been corrupted by the Black Ink. That was not something just anybody could touch.
“In this way, have your worries been assuaged, Senior?” Yang Kai asked.
Yuan Du nodded lightly, “Since you can mobilise the Black Ink Strength, this King is willing to recognise you as our comrade.”
Before Yang Kai could breathe a sigh of relief though, he heard Yuan Du’s voice again, “However, just to be on the safe side, I ask that you open your Small Universe for this King to inspect, Martial Nephew. That’s the only way to truly confirm your identity.”
Yang Kai was speechless, he would be exposed if his Small Universe was investigated!
It was true that there was some Black Ink Strength suppressed and sealed in his Small Universe, but that was all thanks to the World Spring. The World Spring had strengthened his Small Universe to the point of impregnability, so the Black Ink Strength could not corrupt his foundation. That was why he was not taken over by the Black Ink.
Unfortunately, his identity would be exposed immediately if he were investigated by Yuan Du.
Without any hesitation, Yang Kai revealed a troubled expression, “What’s wrong? Are you still unwilling to believe me, Senior?”
Yuan Du answered calmly, “Martial Nephew, it is not that this King is unwilling to trust you. Nevertheless, investigating your Small Universe is the safest and easiest way to confirm your identity. Open your Small Universe and let this King take a look. Whether you are an enemy or an ally, everything will become clear at a glance. You have nothing to lose in doing so.”
Yang Kai quickly asked, “What if I refuse?”
Yuan Du’s gaze immediately sharpened once more. He glared intently at Yang Kai, “Why would you refuse?”
His initial doubts had been assuaged for the most part. Yang Kai had activated the Black Ink Strength after all, which was enough to prove his identity as a Black Ink Disciple.
However, Yang Kai’s reaction made Yuan Du suspicious again. [If he has nothing to hide, then why would he refuse? It’s just an investigation of his Small Universe. It’s not as if I was planning to do anything to him. Could it be that the power of a Grand Dragon is enough to resist the erosion of the Black Ink Strength even if one is affected by it?]
Yuan Du’s heart moved with his will. All of a sudden, the wind swirled about in his Small Universe World and his murderous intent surged.
Yuan Du’s attitude made Gu Ling’er and the others, who calmed down earlier, become nervous again. Crowding around Yang Kai, they mobilised their World Force and prepared to attack at any moment.
There was bound to be some trouble if they killed Yang Kai here, but compared to their identities as Black Ink Disciples being exposed, they had no other choice.
Besides, they only needed to come up with a random excuse. They could claim that Yang Kai became lustful and made unwanted advances towards Gu Ling’er. In this situation, those claims would be enough to conceal the truth; after all, his image as a heartless thief had been deeply engraved into the hearts of the people. Having abandoned Gu Pan after thoughtless sleeping with her, it would not be strange for him to set his eyes on Gu Ling’er’s beauty.
Yang Kai looked around him flatly. His ice-cold gaze frightened Gu Ling’er and the others. They couldn’t help remembering the scene of their battle against him during the training.
With the strength he previously displayed, it was extremely easy for him to defeat them. That was why they hoped from the bottom of their hearts that this battle would never break out, regardless of Yuan Du’s intentions.
“Senior…” Yang Kai’s head drooped low, and his voice was low, “One’s Small Universe is one’s greatest privacy. It is not something that can be investigated so casually. This Junior understands that you have doubts about my identity; however, this Junior has already provided proof earlier. Why are you being so insistent, Senior?”
Yuan Du quickly said, “I have to be absolutely sure!”
Yang Kai raised his head, looked Yuan Du straight in the eyes, and grinned fiercely, “Senior, since you know that I am a Grand Dragon, you should also know that it won’t be easy for you to kill me even if we are inside your Small Universe. If it comes down to a fight, I will definitely suffer, but it won’t end well for you either, Senior.”
Yuan Du’s expression changed slightly, “Are you threatening me?”
“I wouldn’t dare. I’m just telling you about the current situation, Senior,” Yang Kai smiled in a carefree manner.
Gu Ling’er and the others were stunned. Yang Kai had always been polite and courteous. He was also unusually humble in front of an Elder like Yuan Du. For him to become so intimidating all of a sudden made him seem like a different person altogether, so it was rather difficult for them to adjust to the change.
Thinking about it again though, it was true that he had the qualifications to speak to Yuan Du as equals on account of his identity as a Grand Dragon.
It was just that his identity as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master caused everybody to subconsciously forget about his terrifying combat prowess when he transformed into a Grand Dragon. Showing Yuan Du due respect as a Junior was nothing more than a courtesy. If any of them thought of him as nothing more than an ordinary Junior because of his behaviour, then they were greatly mistaken.
“It’s bad enough if that’s all that will happen. But, if the aftermath of our battle leaks to the outside, our identities as Black Ink Disciples will also be revealed to Lang Ya Paradise. The consequences of that will be disastrous!” Yang Kai took a light breath.
Yuan Du’s expression was unfriendly and his voice was frigid, “This King is well aware of that, but if you are not a Black Ink Disciple… Our identities will also be exposed to the world; therefore, no matter what happens, I must check your Small Universe today!”
Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows tightly, “Why must you do this, Senior!?”
“What are you hiding!?” Yuan Du shouted.
The more Yang Kai refused, the more uneasy he felt. [I just want to check his Small Universe. Is there a need for him to react so strongly? Unless he is not a real Black Ink Disciple! But, I clearly saw him mobilising the Black Ink Strength just now! I just don’t understand!]
Yang Kai fell into silent contemplation for some time. A long while passed before he gave a long sigh, “You’re right, Senior. I am hiding some secrets, but they have nothing to do with my identity as a Black Ink Disciple. Forget it; even if it comes down to a fight, it won’t end well for anybody. Since you are so persistent, Senior, this Junior will do as you wish!”
While saying so, he activated his World Force. The illusory phantom of his Small Universe appeared behind him. However, he did not show them his entire Small Universe. He only showed them the part where he had suppressed and Sealed the Black Ink Strength.
At this moment, he was secretly glad that he collected all the Black Ink Strength left behind after Shi Zheng’s death into his Small Universe to suppress and seal; otherwise, he would have had no means to overcome the situation he faced today. In that situation, the end result would undoubtedly have triggered an intense battle. Inside Yuan Du’s Small Universe, things would not end well for him even if he transformed into his Grand Dragon Form.
In the eyes of Yuan Du and the others, the illusory phantom of the Small Universe behind Yang Kai churned chaotically with an energy that resembled Black Ink. They immediately felt relieved at the sight, but in the next moment, they were flooded with astonishment, puzzlement, and shock!
Retracting the illusory phantom of his Small Universe, Yang Kai looked at Yuan Du, “Senior, does that prove my identity?”
Yuan Du’s expression clouded slightly at those words. He nodded after some thought, “This King was overly suspicious. Please forgive me, Martial Nephew!”
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “You were simply being cautious, Senior. I can understand that.”
Both of them spoke warmly, almost as if their aggressive argument earlier had been nothing more than an illusion.
Gu Ling’er parted her red lips, “Junior Brother Yang… Your Small Universe has already fully materialized?”
Similarly, Zong Yu Quan and the others also had extremely shocked expressions on their faces. They immediately realised the moment they saw Yang Kai’s Small Universe. His Small Universe was extremely solid, unlike their own.
But… Yang Kai was clearly only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm! How could his Small Universe transform from immaterial to material!? Wasn’t that a privilege that belonged only to Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters!? No wonder he was against letting anybody investigate his Small Universe! This was the secret he was trying to hide!
That was truly an unbelievable secret. Since ancient times, the Small Universe of Open Heaven Realm Masters would only materialize when they advanced into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. That was the path forged by countless predecessors over innumerable years. There had been no exceptions recorded in history.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had crushed the common sense that everybody knew.
“No wonder Junior Brother Yang’s heritage is so much more magnificent even though we are all in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!” Zong Yu Quan revealed a look of understanding.
Before this, they assumed that Yang Kai was invincible among those in the same Order because of his Dragon Clan bloodline; even so, he had not used the power of the Dragon Clan during the training. It was only at the last moment when he was being besieged by hundreds of Open Heaven Realm Masters that he transformed into his Grand Dragon Form to escape.
What he relied on the whole time was the heritage of his Small Universe! With a Small Universe that had transformed from immaterial to material, it was only natural that his heritage was beyond what ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could compare to.
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment before he casually explained, “To be honest, I don’t know the reason why my Small Universe is so different from others either. It was already like this when I first advanced into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Over the years, I’ve speculated that this difference is related to my proficiency in the Dao of Space.”
Zong Yu Quan and the others gasped in surprise. For one’s Small Universe to transform into a substantial existence after advancing into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm was beyond their comprehension. In any case, they had no reason to suspect Yang Kai’s explanation. They were not knowledgeable in the Dao of Space after all. Who could know whether one’s proficiency in the Dao of Space could cause such changes in the Small Universe?
“This is my biggest secret. Please do not leak this information to the others,” Yang Kai urged.
Yuan Du nodded, “Don’t worry, Martial Nephew. This secret will only be limited to the few of us. Nobody else will learn of it.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Yuan Du. After hesitating for a while, he finally said, “Senior, although Divine Spirits can resist the Black Ink Strength to a certain extent, it doesn’t mean that Divine Spirits cannot be corrupted by the Black Ink.”
Yuan Du smiled, “You are a Black Ink Disciple. That’s something I fully understand now.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m not talking about myself. Rather… there are others!”
Yuan Du looked stunned, “Martial Nephew, have you seen other Divine Spirits who were corrupted by the Black Ink?”
Gu Ling’er and the others also looked over in curiosity. The Black Ink Disciples had always known everything about each other, and there were no Divine Spirits among the Black Ink Disciples.
Yang Kai shook his head again, “It’s not a Divine Spirit, but an existence far greater than the Divine Spirits.”
Yuan Du was slightly shocked, “What existence could be far greater than the Divine Spirits?”
Yang Kai stared straight into Yuan Du’s eyes, “A Giant Spirit God!”
The sound of people gasping rang out across the room. Even Yuan Du had a look of disbelief on his face. He shook his head and said, “That’s impossible. How powerful is a Giant Spirit God? A Black Ink Insect would have absolutely no effect against one.”
Yang Kai pointed at his eyes, “Everything is possible. I witnessed it with my own eyes!”
Yuan Du felt his heart pounding in his chest and his lips going dry, “Where!?”
For Black Ink Disciples like himself, it would be like adding wings to a tiger if they had a Giant Spirit God corrupted by the Black Ink on their side; after all, a Giant Spirit God was such a powerful existence that even the Cave Heavens and Paradises could only look up to them.
If there truly was a Giant Spirit God corrupted by the Black Ink, the strength of the Black Ink Disciple would soar in an instant. Even if they accidentally revealed their true identities, they could rely on the strength of the Giant Spirit God to deal with the Cave Heavens and Paradises. They would no longer need to act so carefully and secretively.
Contrary to expectations, Yang Kai abruptly changed his tune and shook his head regretfully, “It’s a pity that the Giant Spirit God is dead.”
“D-Dead!?” The enormous wave of disappointment after hearing those words was so at odds with his initial feelings of excitement and anticipation that Yuan Du nearly coughed up blood as a result.
“Even a Giant Spirit God can die?” Zong Yu Quan asked incredulously. The Giant Spirit God Clan stood at the top of all the other Races in the vast universe. Who could kill one?
Yuan Du was depressed for some time, then he suddenly collected his emotions and opened his mouth, “Even if the Giant Spirit God is dead, his corpse will not rot or decay. The Black Ink Strength inside his body will not disappear either. Martial Nephew, where did you see this Giant Spirit God?”
Yang Kai asked, “Senior, have you ever heard of the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land?”
Yuan Du pondered for a moment and exclaimed in realisation, “This King has heard rumours about the so-called Ancestral Land of all the Divine Spirits said to be located in the depths of the Shattered Heaven, but I’ve never seen that place for myself. Nobody has ever confirmed the rumours before either. Could it be that the rumours are real?”
Yang Kai nodded, “It’s true. I saw the Giant Spirit God in the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land.”
Yang Kai had his own reasons to reveal the information about the Black Ink Giant Spirit God. The first reason was to remove Yuan Du’s doubts. The other reason was that the Giant Spirit God corrupted by the Black Ink would be an extremely important existence to the Black Ink Disciples. Even the Black Ink Clansman hidden in the shadows could not ignore this matter.
As long as this information was delivered to the Black Ink Clan, Yang Kai could use the chance to approach the real ringleaders and learn the hiding place of the true Black Ink Clansman.
“Several decades ago, I entered the Shattered Heaven for training. During that time, I ran into some trouble and offended some people. More importantly, I was relentlessly pursued by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master called Bright Sun Divine Monarch. With no other choice, I could only flee deeper and deeper into the Shattered Heaven.”
“Bright Sun Divine Monarch!” Yuan Du raised his eyebrows at the name, “I’ve heard of this person before. He is indeed an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!”
Meanwhile, Gu Ling’er had a mixture of shock and admiration on her face. While they were cultivating peacefully in Lang Ya Paradise, Yang Kai had gone to the Shattered Heaven and even been hunted by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. That must have been a thrilling and terrifying experience.
The higher one’s Order in the Open Heaven Realm, the stronger one became, and there was a huge disparity in strength between each Order. Take Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like themselves for example. With their strength alone, they were completely powerless against a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, let alone an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. In the eyes of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was probably no different from an ant.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai had been pursued by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. With him standing here unscathed, there was no need to further elaborate on what happened at the end. It was obvious that he had successfully escaped the pursuit of that Eighth-Order Master.
Such a feat was even more shocking and admirable compared to how he challenged and defeated all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise by himself.
“It was during that incident that I had the opportunity to enter the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land. As you know, Senior, I have a Dragon Clan bloodline. Entering the Ancestral Land is like a fish diving into water for me,” Yang Kai continued, “This Junior saw a Black Ink Giant Spirit God who was suppressed and sealed in the Ancestral Land since ancient times.”
“A Black Ink Giant Spirit God!” Yuan Du’s expression became excited.
“That’s right.” Yang Kai nodded, “Speaking of which, I didn’t understand why the Giant Spirit God had that appearance at the time, much less why a Giant Spirit God was suppressed and sealed in the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land in the first place. After all, the Giant Spirit God Clan has a gentle, almost child-like temperament. As long as one does not provoke them, they will not provoke others. For a long time, this Junior had wondered why the Giant Spirit God was suppressed and sealed in ancient times. Just what kind of conflict took place between that Giant Spirit God and the Divine Spirits in the Ancestral Land?
“It was not until later when this Junior was enlightened by Elder Shi Zheng that I understood. The Giant Spirit God had embraced the Black Ink. That was probably the reason why the Divine Spirits in the Ancestral Land were in conflict with him back then.”
Yuan Du’s eyes were shining so brightly that he looked terrifying, “That must be the reason. Looks like the Giant Spirit God had indeed been enlightened.” Pacing back and forth with an excited and agitated expression, he suddenly stopped moving and asked, “Martial Nephew, are you sure the Giant Spirit God is dead?”
Yang Kai revealed a look of remembrance, “Although countless years have passed, the Giant Spirit God’s corpse remains perfectly intact. The Divine Spirits in the Ancestral Land claimed that he was dead, but I’m not sure about the specific circumstances. I’ve never observed the Giant Spirit God from up close after all. In any case, the Divine Spirits in the Ancestral Land have designated that area as a Restricted Area, so nobody dares to approach carelessly.”
Those words were peppered with half-truths. He could be certain that the Giant Spirit God was dead; after all, many Divine Spirits headed by the Phoenix Clan and the Kun Clan had risked danger and ventured deep into the Giant Spirit God’s body to investigate. Their investigation did not reveal the slightest hint of vitality.
“If that’s the case, then there’s a possibility that he’s not dead!” Yuan Du’s expression became even more excited, “How powerful is a Giant Spirit God!? How could he possibly be killed so easily!? Even the Divine Spirits can’t achieve something like that! He’s simply suppressed and sealed in that place. I’m sure he is accumulating strength and waiting for the chance to rise again!”
Having said that, Yuan Du laughed heartily and reached out to pat Yang Kai on the shoulder, “Martial Nephew, you are the lucky charm of the Black Ink Disciples! You brought such great news as soon as you arrived!”
“Honoured Master,” Gu Ling’er called out from the side, “Are we going to figure out a method to rescue the Giant Spirit God?”
Yuan Du quickly said, “Of course! We definitely need to rescue such a powerful helping hand. Nevertheless, we need to confirm whether he is still alive first. If he is still alive, then we must rescue him. But, if he is dead, then there’s no point. Besides… that place is the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land. With our strength alone, I’m afraid our hope of success is slim to none.”
Judging from his words, he could not confirm whether the Giant Spirit God was alive or dead even though he seemed pretty confident that the Giant Spirit God was still alive earlier.
He turned to look at Yang Kai, “I’m afraid we will have to rely on you for this matter, Martial Nephew. It is the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land, after all, so only you can freely access that place.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “I will do whatever it takes!”
Yuan Du nodded in satisfaction, “But, before that, we should ask the Divine Lord for advice. Come with me.”
After saying that, he beckoned to them and led them in a certain direction.
Zong Yu Quan and the others immediately followed with excited expressions, as though something good was going to happen.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s heart raced slightly. The ‘Divine Lord’ that Yuan Du mentioned just now forcefully reminded him of the Black Ink Clansman! If he was not mistaken, then the ‘Divine Lord’ that Yuan Du mentioned was most likely the Black Ink Clansman hiding in the shadows!
[Will I face my greatest trial so quickly?] There was no denying that Yang Kai came to Lang Ya Paradise for this purpose. What’s more, he had been working hard in this direction. It was just that the opportunity to approach his target came so quickly that he was mentally unprepared.
In front of Yuan Du and the others, he could simply use the Black Ink Strength suppressed and sealed in his Small Universe to conceal the truth and deceive them.
However, could he keep his identity hidden in front of a true Black Ink Clan member? Would the Black Ink Clan have some sort of special method to distinguish between friend and foe? He did not know. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to proceed forward at this point. His only option was to take things one step at a time. In the worst case, he could transform into a Grand Dragon and fight to the death.
At this moment, there was something else that puzzled him even more. [Could it be that the Black Ink Clansman is hidden in Yuan Du’s Small Universe World? Otherwise, there is no explanation for his current behaviour.]
A short while later, they arrived at an empty space where an altar in the shape of a Nine-Layer Pagoda stood on the ground ahead. It was several tens of metres tall and made from an unknown substance. More importantly, there was an eerie and sinister aura pervading it.
Yang Kai had been guarding against the Black Ink Clan and contemplating how he should react when faced with the true Black Ink Clan member. Therefore, he couldn’t help feeling confused when he suddenly caught sight of the altar. [What the Hell is that for!?]
On the contrary, the Black Ink Clan that he had been guarding against was nowhere to be seen.
Zong Yu Quan, Gu Ling’er, and the others clearly knew what was going to happen in advance. It might not even be their first time here, so their expressions were calm. Nonetheless, their gazes were extremely feverish when they looked in the direction of the altar, almost as though filled with reverence.
Yuan Du stepped forward with a solemn expression. Standing below the altar, he reached his hand out and grabbed at something. A short sword appeared in the palm of his hand. Then, he slashed the sword down his wrist. The short sword was extremely sharp. Not to mention, he had dispelled his defensive powers, so as soon as the sword came slashing down, his flesh churned and fresh blood spurted out violently.
He raised his hand and scattered his blood across the altar while chanting something. Nobody knew what he was muttering, but following his actions, his entire Small Universe began to vibrate. The Black Ink Strength churned and wriggled as though it had a life of its own.
Meanwhile, Zong Yu Quan and the others watched and waited with fiery gazes.
Yang Kai turned his head to the side, leaned close to Gu Ling’er’s ear, and whispered, “Senior Sister Gu, what is Senior Yuan Du doing?”
Gu Ling’er blushed slightly but patiently explained nevertheless, “Honoured Master is trying to communicate with the Divine Lord.”
[Communicate…] He suddenly understood. The Black Ink Clansman was not in this Small Universe. Why else would they need to go through such tedious procedures? Although Yang Kai did not know where the Black Ink Clan member was hiding, was it really possible for Yuan Du to communicate with them just by doing this? He couldn’t help being extremely sceptical!
After waiting for a long while, the altar remained unresponsive. On the contrary, Yuan Du’s complexion became pale due to excessive blood loss. Even if he was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was impossible for him to last long when his blood was spilling freely from his wrist like a fountain.
Yang Kai leaned towards Gu Ling’er again and whispered, “Senior Sister, there’s no response!”
Gu Ling’er continued to blush, “It’s like that sometimes. Not every attempt to communicate will succeed!”
“Why?” Yang Kai was puzzled. Logically speaking, the Black Ink Clansman should be very responsive to the Black Ink Disciples. Be that as it may, her words indicated that the success rate of this communication method was rather inconsistent.
Despite not understanding the reason for everything that was happening at the moment, Yang Kai carefully recorded this scene in his heart. He would need to report his findings to Li Yuan Wang and the others later. As Elders from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, they might know something.
“I don’t know either,” She slowly shook her head.
After a whole hour had passed, Yuan Du’s complexion became as white as paper. Just as his figure was about to collapse, the altar suddenly trembled violently.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly. That was because he sensed a mighty Will resembling the Heavens descending from the sky without any warning. Compared to that Will, all the living beings in the World seemed like nothing more than ants.
[Is the Black Ink Clansman really this powerful!?] His heart thumped wildly in his chest.
Following the advent of that Will, a look of excitement appeared on Yuan Du’s pale face. His voice also became louder at the same time.
Yang Kai could not understand what Yuan Du was saying at all, but he vaguely guessed that it was some kind of mantra to summon the advent of the Black Ink Clansman’s Will.
All of a sudden, pitch-black Black Ink Strength spread out from the pagoda-like altar and flowed outward in all directions like water. It was extremely pure Black Ink Strength.
Zong Yu Quan and the others immediately knelt on the ground with their hands stretched out in front of them and their bodies lowered to the ground. They constantly prayed in the direction of the altar.
Yang Kai was stuck in a daze when he felt Gu Ling’er tugging sharply on the corner of his clothes. Hesitating slightly for a moment, he imitated their actions and prostrated himself on the ground.
The Black Ink Strength that resembled real black ink flowed out of the altar and slowly came close. Zong Yu Quan and the others then absorbed and collected the Black Ink Strength into their Small Universes.
Upon receiving the nourishment of the Black Ink Strength, their expressions became even more enlivened. Even Yuan Du, who suffered from excessive blood loss, seemed to become as mighty as a dragon and fierce as a tiger at this moment.
Under these circumstances, Yang Kai did not dare to do anything suspicious. He simply allowed the Black Ink Strength to pour into his Small Universe, then activated his strength to suppress and seal it.
The Will that descended without warning earlier had left him feeling extremely on edge, for fear that his identity would be revealed; however, he soon discovered that the majestic Will was not paying any attention to him. In fact, the Will seemed a little strange. It was strong one moment and weak the next, erratically fluctuating in an endless cycle.
After boldly perceiving the energy for a moment, Yang Kai vaguely discovered that the Will was rather simple. There was not the slightest hint of subjectivity. In other words, the Will gave off the feeling of a person with a blank mind.
If there were no thoughts, then how could it communicate? How could it respond to Yuan Du’s summons and descend here? Everything was extremely odd!
The entire ritual did not last for long. From the beginning to the end, only an hour or so pass. Once the ritual ended, the Will that descended slowly vanished into nothingness. Only then did Yuan Du get to his feet and stand there with his brow wrinkled tightly.
Everybody else also followed suit and stood up. All of them were flushed and glowing as though they had just received great nourishment.
Yang Kai looked around. [Oh, no! I can’t be the exception!]
Thus, he secretly activated his strength and forced his complexion to become as red as fire, turning his skin a radiant shade!
The Will that descended from the altar just now had subsided, but Yuan Du continued to stand there with a deep frown on his face. The others did not dare to disturb him carelessly, so they could only wait quietly.
After a while, he finally blew out a breath softly and raised his hand, “Let’s go out first before we talk.”
When the words left his mouth, his Small Universe that was spread outward closed swiftly.
Yang Kai felt his vision blurring for a moment, and by the time it returned to normal, he was already standing in the room from before. He anxiously asked, “Senior, what were the instructions of the Divine Lord?”
Yuan Du shook his head and said nothing.
Yang Kai was extremely anxious, but did not dare to ask questions rashly lest he roused Yuan Du’s suspicion again. It had taken a lot of effort for him to infiltrate the Black Ink Disciples’ organisation and obtain Yuan Du’s recognition; therefore, things would not end well if he roused Yuan Du’s suspicions again.
A long time passed before Yuan Du finally looked up at Yang Kai, “Martial Nephew, can I trouble you to make another trip to the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land? Please figure out a way to determine the life or death of the Giant Spirit God.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Of course, that’s not a problem. I’ve already received the recognition of the Divine Spirits in the Ancestral Land during my last trip there. Ordinary people are not allowed to enter that place at will, but as a Grand Dragon, I can freely enter and leave that place without obstruction.”
“That’s good. This matter is not urgent though, so you can go when you are free, Martial Nephew.”
Yang Kai then asked, “Senior, it’s one thing if the Giant Spirit God is dead. But, what if he is still alive? Do I need to think of a way to rescue him?”
Yuan Du asked, “Can you do that?”
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment, “It will be difficult! Senior, you might not know this, but the Divine Spirits all gather in the Ancestral Land. There are many Divine Spirits with strength comparable to Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. My strength is very insignificant there. But, if the Giant Spirit God is still alive and I can figure out a way to rescue him, then no matter how many Divine Spirits are in the Ancestral Land, they will not be his opponents!”
Yuan Du nodded, “A Giant Spirit God is powerful indeed, but he has been suppressed and sealed for so many years. Even if he is alive and receives help from you, it will be difficult for him to wield his full strength for some time.”
The gears in Yang Kai’s head spun, “Maybe I can figure out a method to bring all of you into the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land! That way, we can cooperate from both the inside and the outside! Senior, how many Black Ink Disciples do we have? How powerful are they?”
Yuan Du replied, “All of them are already gathered here. By the way, there’s also Jiang Yan. He left on a mission and has yet to return. The last one would be Elder Shi Zheng, who oversees the Star Boundary!”
Yang Kai’s mouth fell open, “Are there only so few Black Ink Disciples?”
Yuan Du laughed, “Did you think enlightening a Black Ink Disciple is easy?”
Yang Kai answered, “I only know that you need the Black Ink Insect.”
“That’s right. The enlightenment of each Black Ink Disciple requires the use of a Black Ink Insect. The Black Ink Insects are bestowed by the Divine Lord and are extremely rare. It took me several thousand years to get just a few, and I gave the last one to Elder Shi Zheng to use on you.”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai showed an expression of realisation, his heart calming down considerably.
[This is great! I’m glad there are only so few Black Ink Disciples in Lang Ya Paradise!] Although he could not rule out the possibility that Yuan Du was lying to him, Yuan Du had already accepted his identity, so there should be no need for him to conceal anything anymore. What’s more, this matter was related to the Giant Spirit God.
If there were many Black Ink Disciples, Yuan Du would definitely have shown some greater ambitions. Unfortunately, with so few Black Ink Disciples, it was practically impossible for them to rescue the Giant Spirit God, who was suppressed and sealed in the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land.
More importantly, Yuan Du no longer had any Black Ink Insect in his possession! For most of the Open Heaven Realm Masters, the Black Ink Insect was the most troublesome aspect. Without this threat hanging over their heads, they would have much less scruples when taking action in the future.
“Looks like we have to work hard to gather more companions!” Yang Kai rubbed his chin, looking as though he was thinking hard about the future.
“This King would like that too, but the instances when the Divine Lord bestows the Black Ink Insects are simply too unpredictable.”
Yang Kai gave a leisurely sigh, “If that was the case, you should have enlightened more Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Senior!” After saying that, he seemed to realise something and turned to give Gu Ling’er and the others an apologetic look, “Please don’t take offence. This Junior Brother is not looking down on you. It’s just that the gap in power between a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master is extremely large. Of course, you will also advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm soon.”
Gu Ling’er and the others looked indifferent and turned a deaf ear to him.
Yuan Du smiled slightly and said, “It’s not that simple. The Black Ink Insect might be able to convert others into Black Ink Disciples, but the Black Ink Insect itself is actually extremely fragile. Even a First-Order Open Heaven Realm Master can effortlessly kill a Black Ink Insect if they are prepared. That is why I have to catch others off guard in order to enlighten them. Elder Shi Zheng and I are very close friends, so he was always unguarded around me and became enlightened as a result. That would not work for the other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise. Moreover, if I failed in my attempt to convert them, this King’s identity would not be secret anymore.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened, “Senior, have you ever thought of enlightening Sect Master Li? We can bring him back to the right path.”
Everybody was shocked by his words. In their opinions, Yang Kai was far too daring. They could not believe that he had set his sights on the Sect Master. However, upon further consideration, they realised that although the risk was very high, if they succeeded, the benefits that they would enjoy were also correspondingly terrifying.
If the Sect Master were to convert others in turn, the strength of the Black Ink Disciples would surely expand like a snowball rolling down a hill. The entire Lang Ya Paradise would become the Black Ink Disciples’ base of operations if that were to happen.
“It can’t be done!” Yuan Du waved his hand forcefully in a dismissive action, “The Sect Master’s cultivation is at the point where he can break through his shackles and advance into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm at any time. There is no chance of success at all unless we can get very close to him. Even if we manage to approach him, it would be hopeless as long as he does not lower his defences.”
Yang Kai smiled, “It will naturally be impossible if we take action ourselves, but what if Gu Pan were to do it instead?”
Yuan Du stiffened slightly in surprise, but he immediately came back to his senses, “Martial Nephew, are you saying…”
“The reason you didn’t convert Gu Pan earlier was that she had yet to advance into the Open Heaven Realm, isn’t that right? Now that she has advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there is hope for her to advance into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future. She has more than enough qualifications for you to use a Black Ink Insect on her now. Once she becomes a Black Ink Disciple, she can then enlighten the Sect Master! Our chances are very high!” Yang Kai earnestly enticed Yuan Du.
Yuan Du rubbed his chin in contemplation, looking rather interested in the idea.
Just as Yang Kai mentioned, the reason he had not converted Gu Pan earlier was that her cultivation had been too low and there was no guarantee whether she could successfully advance into the Open Heaven Realm.
By the time he made plans to enlighten Gu Pan, the news about the Star Boundary’s World Tree came out. Comparatively speaking, he had greater interest in Yang Kai. That was why he used the last Black Ink Insect on Yang Kai in hopes of using his strength to control the Star Boundary.
In that way, all the rising stars produced in the Star Boundary would become the reserve force of the Black Ink Disciples. When they had gathered enough power, the Black Ink Disciples could set off a storm in the 3,000 Worlds!
“What you’ve said holds true, Martial Nephew. Unfortunately, we lack the Black Ink Insect right now,” Yuan Du nodded lightly, “Leave this matter to me. I will do my best to ask the Divine Lord to bestow more Black Ink Insects. On the other hand, I will have to trouble you over the matter regarding the Giant Spirit God in the Ancestral Land.”
Yang Kai agreed readily, “No problem!”
“Let’s stop here for today,” Yuan Du started to climb to his feet as he spoke.
Yang Kai quickly said, “Senior, this Junior has a question to ask you.”
Yuan Du looked at Yang Kai, “Go ahead!”
Yang Kai asked, “Where is the Divine Lord? Is the ritual we performed just now the only method to communicate with him? Wouldn’t it be better to meet him in person?”
Yuan Du smiled bitterly, “How could I not have thought of meeting the Divine Lord in person? I’ll be honest with you, Martial Nephew. In all these years, although the Divine Lord has occasionally responded to my requests, he has never communicated directly with me before. Moreover… I have the feeling that the Divine Lord is trapped somewhere. I don’t know where that place is located, but the Divine Lord is probably on the verge of breaking out soon.”
Yang Kai was shocked, but his expression remained unchanged on the surface, “How do you know, Senior?”
Yuan Du laughed, “That’s because the Divine Lord very rarely responded to the sacrificial offering ritual at the beginning. Nine out of ten times, the ritual would be unsuccessful; otherwise, I would not have had so few Black Ink Insects through so many years. But, the situation began to change about 100 years ago. The frequency of the Divine Lord’s response became higher and higher, especially in the past decade. There have been almost no failures at all.”
Yang Kai immediately ‘cheered up’, “In that case, it must be as you say, Senior.”
The Black Ink Clan’s response towards Yuan Du’s sacrificial offering ritual was becoming more and more frequent. There could only be one explanation for that. Just as Yuan Du mentioned earlier, the Black Ink Clansman was about to break free of whatever prison they were trapped in. That was why the communication between both parties had been greatly enhanced.
[Who was the Black Ink Clansman trapped by? Where are they trapped?] Yang Kai did not know, but Yuan Du was no more informed either.
Yang Kai had countless other questions that he wanted to ask; for example, how did Yuan Du come into contact with the Black Ink Clansman in the first place or how did Yuan Du become corrupted? Unfortunately, he could not ask any more questions at this time. In any case, the information he learned so far was enough. The situation at hand was clear, and it was time to take action. Besides, he was simply grateful that his efforts in Lang Ya Paradise were not in vain.
“Black Ink Eternal!” Yuan Du whispered solemnly before he took his leave.
The rest responded in unison, “Black Ink Eternal!”
Afterwards, Zong Yu Quan and the others left quickly. It was not appropriate for them to remain gathered here after all. If not for the pretext of inviting Yang Kai over for an exchange, it would have been difficult for them to gather together under normal circumstances.
“Junior Brother Yang.” Gu Ling’er called out in a gentle voice, “Junior Sister Gu Pan has already entered the Five Lights World, right?”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s right. Sect Master Li sent her there as soon as the training ended.”
She then smiled, “To be able to receive kindness from you, Junior Brother Yang, Junior Sister sure is blessed.”
If Yang Kai had not conceded defeat at the last moment, how could Gu Pan have obtained victory? All the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise were well-aware of that fact.
“I couldn’t just defeat everybody after all. Sect Master Li might have beaten me up himself otherwise.”
Gu Ling’er complained resentfully, “You didn’t hold back against me at all, Junior Brother.”
During the training, Yang Kai not only injured her but also forced her to buy his healing pill by compulsion without discrimination. Every time she recalled that incident, she couldn’t help feeling resentful.
“Hahaha…” Yang Kai gave a dry laugh, not knowing what to say in this situation.
“Junior Sister Gu Pan is currently inside the Five Lights World. You’ve been involved in the training all this while, Junior Brother, I’m sure you have not taken a good look at the scenery in Lang Ya Paradise. Why don’t I show you around? There are many fun places in Lang Ya Paradise.”
Faced with the request of such a gentle woman like Gu Ling’er, especially under the ardent gaze of her watery eyes, there was probably no man in the world who would refuse her; however, Yang Kai shook his head and said, “Maybe next time. I wish to go to the Ancestral Land as soon as possible to confirm the life or death of the Giant Spirit God. This matter is related to the rise of the Black Ink Clan, so it cannot be delayed.”
Since he brought up the Black Ink as an excuse, she could not refute anything he said; thus, she could only nod in response, “I hope you have a smooth journey, Junior Brother.”
“Senior Sister, take care! I’ll be taking my leave now!” He cupped his fist, then soared into the air and departed in the blink of an eye.
An hour later, many people witnessed the Sect Master’s Legacy Disciple Dong Peng giving Yang Kai a send-off from Lang Ya Paradise.
Inside a secret room, many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were gathered together. There were at least fifty or sixty of them altogether. It was conceivable how fifty or sixty Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered together would be an extremely terrifying force.
Aside from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, there were no other great forces that could bring out such a line-up. Nevertheless, the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered here were not from the same Cave Heaven or Paradise. They each represented one of the great forces that stood at the top of the 3,000 Worlds.
More than a month had passed since they arrived at Lang Ya Territory, but they had remained hidden inside this secret room throughout this period. With the exception of Sect Master Li Yuan Wang, Vice Sect Master Gao Ting, several Supreme Elders, Gu Pan, and Dong Peng, no one else in Lang Ya Paradise was aware of their arrival.
At this moment, they were all waiting for something. Although there were so many of them, the secret room was totally silent. For Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, such patience was nothing. Only Li Yuan Wang, who sat in the highest seat, seemed very uneasy and subconsciously rubbed his fingers together lightly.
All of a sudden, a weak energy fluctuation appeared, followed by the sound of footsteps. Everybody became alert and turned to look in the direction of the sound.
A short while later, Yang Kai stepped into the secret room under Dong Peng’s guidance. Although he had departed Lang Ya Paradise earlier, his actions were only to fool the Black Ink Disciples. He later secretly returned to Lang Ya Paradise with the help of Dong Peng. It was thanks to his proficiency in the Dao of Space that his quick trip was unknown to all the other people in Lang Ya Paradise, apart from Dong Peng whom he had made arrangements with in advance.
“Greetings, Seniors!” Yang Kai bowed in greeting.
“Sit!” Li Yuan Wang gestured with his hand.
Yang Kai murmured his thanks and took a seat.
Several dozen pairs of eyes stared fixedly at him as Li Yuan Wang asked, “What did you learn?”
Gu Ling’er previously gathered Zong Yu Quan and the others under the pretext of inviting Yang Kai over for an exchange of pointers. As the Sect Master, he was naturally aware of the circumstances. In particular, those people had already been identified as Black Ink Disciples by Yang Kai. That alone was a great cause of concern for him.
Yang Kai had immediately taken his leave after departing from Gu Ling’er’s place, so Li Yuan Wang had not had the time to ask anything.
“There’s good news and bad news. Sect Master Li, which would you like to hear first?” Yang Kai asked while looking at Li Yuan Wang.
Li Yuan Wang reluctantly replied, “Let’s hear the good news first.”
Yang Kai said, “The good news is that, apart from the few people who I’ve already identified as Black Ink Disciples, there are only two other fish who slipped through the net. One of them is a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master named Gong Wen Shan!”
“Gong Wen Shan…” When Li Yuan Wang heard the name, he turned to look at Gao Ting.
Gao Ting looked sad, “Wen Shan has also been corrupted by the Black Ink?”
Judging by his tone and expression, he probably had high hopes for Gong Wen Shan. Unfortunately, it was meaningless no matter how much he favoured him now that he had been corrupted by the Black Ink. Although the appearance of a person corrupted by the Black Ink would not look any different from usual, they were no longer the same person as before inside.
Li Yuan Wang murmured, “When that child Wen Shan first advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, it had only been to the Fourth Order. The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm was his limit. It was only thanks to many years of intense cultivation that he was able to obtain his current achievements. Therefore, it was inevitable for him to succumb to the temptations of the Black Ink Strength. I’m afraid that’s probably one of the reasons the mastermind chose him.”
Yang Kai exclaimed, “As expected, you know about some of the mysteries of the Black Ink Strength.”
Judging from the meaning behind Li Yuan Wang’s words, it could be seen that he knew about the ability of the Black Ink Disciples corrupted by the Black Ink to break the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm and advance without limitations.
“It looks like you’ve heard of it too!” Li Yuan Wang glanced at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded, “As long as those who have been corrupted by the Black Ink have enough resources, they can continue to advance in their cultivation without limitations. That is indeed a huge temptation. It’s no wonder that the Cave Heavens and Paradises have always kept the information regarding the Black Ink a secret since ancient times.”
“That’s right. People’s hearts are unpredictable. If this information were spread to the public, who can guarantee that those with ulterior motives or misanthropy will not take the initiative to seek out the Black Ink Strength? Although it is basically impossible for the Black Ink Clan to exist in the 3,000 Worlds, there is always an exception to everything. Lang Ya Paradise’s current situation is that exception.” Li Yuan Wang sighed deeply.
Gao Ting looked at Yang Kai and asked, “You mentioned that there are two fish who slipped through the net. If one of them is Gong Wen Shan, then who is the other one?”
Yang Kai’s expression became solemn, “That’s related to the bad news I have for you. The last person is Yuan Du!”
“What!?” Li Yuan Wang was shocked and even Gao Ting had a look of disbelief on his face.
That was Yuan Du! One of the three Vice Sect Masters in Lang Ya Paradise!
It was obvious that the other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters present in the room were also aware of Yuan Du’s identity, so their expressions at this moment were extremely serious.
One of the three Vice Sect Masters in Lang Ya Paradise turned out to be corrupted by the Black Ink. If this news were spread to the public, they would be subjected to endless ridicule.
Li Yuan Wang could barely believe what he heard, “Martial Nephew, are you certain that person is Yuan Du?”
Yang Kai replied, “I saw him myself. How can it be anything but the truth?”
“Are you acquainted with Yuan Du?” Li Yuan Wang asked persistently. It was not that he did not believe in Yang Kai’s words, it was just that the truth was simply too difficult for him to accept.
“When I first came to Lang Ya Paradise and went to visit you with Junior Sister Gu, I met Yuan Du along the way. Junior Sister Gu explained his identity to me at the time,” Yang Kai explained.
Li Yuan Wang thought back for a moment before he nodded in response, “That’s right. Before you arrived, I was discussing some matters with Yuan Du. You arrived right after he departed.”
In that case, it could be confirmed that Yang Kai was speaking the truth. The identity of the final person corrupted by the Black Ink could also be confirmed. It turned out to be one of the three Vice Sect Masters in Lang Ya Paradise! Even if Li Yuan Wang had strong mental fortitude, he was shocked by the news and lost his composure.
The news that Yang Kai brought certainly consisted of good news and bad news.
The good news was that Lang Ya Paradise’s situation was not as dire as they initially predicted.
When Shi Zheng’s identity as a Black Ink Disciple was first exposed, many foreign affairs envoys from the various Cave Heavens and Paradises had been extremely worried about the situation in Lang Ya Paradise. Nobody knew how many Black Ink Disciples were hidden after all. That was also why they immediately dispatched several dozen High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters with the intention of helping Lang Ya Paradise and containing the situation.
It was only at this moment that they discovered that the situation was not too terrible or unbearable. There were only a few people who had been corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. In this way, the situation could be controlled to a certain extent. There was no need to worry about the information being leaked to the outside and causing a panic.
On the other hand, one of the three Vice Sect Masters of Lang Ya Paradise turned out to be a person corrupted by the Black Ink. There could not be any worse news for Lang Ya Paradise.
Yu Xiang Die of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven said, “Tell us about all the events and people that you encountered in detail. Let’s take a look at the situation together!”
“En!” Yang Kai responded before he continued, “During the training, I confirmed the identities of several Black Ink Disciples. By the way, the people who are corrupted by the Black Ink and eroded by the power of the Black Ink Clan call themselves Black Ink Disciples!”
Everybody nodded lightly. That was something none of them had known beforehand. It couldn’t be helped since nobody had ever infiltrated the Black Ink Disciples to gather more information.
Yang Kai continued, “Gu Ling’er is one of them. After the training, I received an invitation from her. She invited me to her Spirit Province for an exchange meeting. When I arrived, I saw that the other Black Ink Disciples in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were already there. In the beginning, the conversation was very ordinary. It was no different from the gatherings with the other Fellow Brothers. Then, Yuan Du came…”
Yang Kai described everything he encountered and heard in Gu Ling’er’s Spirit Province to them in great detail. The main reason was that he was worried about missing out on any useful information. There was no denying that the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters present in this place knew more about the Black Ink Clan than he did. There was no denying that if Shi Zheng had not tried to drag him into the matter, he would not have known about the existence of something as evil as the Black Ink Clan even now.
When he told them about how Yuan Du had repeatedly tried to sound him out, everybody couldn’t help feeling very nervous even though they knew he must have resolved the issues without any danger; after all, he would not be sitting here safe and sound otherwise.
Upon hearing about the altar and Yuan Du’s sacrificial offering ritual, they furrowed their brows slightly in response. Then, when they heard about the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land, they finally turned pale in fear.
Yu Xiang Die asked in shock, “Did you make up that story to deceive Yuan Du, or is that story the truth?”
Yang Kai responded sternly, “The Black Ink Giant Spirit God does exist. He still sits within the Ancestral Land. However, I did not tell Yuan Du the whole truth. At the time, several Divine Spirits headed by the Phoenix Clan and the Kun Clan went deep into the Giant Spirit God’s body to investigate the situation. They confirmed that he had been dead for many aeons. Besides, when I first obtained the Dragon Clan’s Crystal Palace, I also witnessed various scenes from the ancient war with its help. During that ancient war, the Dragon Clan’s Dragon Emperor and the Phoenix Clan’s Phoenix Empress burned all their Blood Essence and used the Sacred Treasures of all the Divine Spirit Clans as a foundation to split the Ancestral Land into two. Using that as a basis, they managed to suppress and seal the Giant Spirit God.”
Although he witnessed various scenes from the ancient war back then, he had not known about the actual situation at the time, much less understood why a Giant Spirit God was in conflict with the Divine Spirits in the Ancestral Land. It was not until later when he came across the Black Ink Disciples that he suddenly understood the entire situation. The Demon Sealing Land passed down by word of mouth between the Divine Spirits should actually be known as the Black Ink Sealing Land!
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s response, everybody breathed out a sigh of relief. It was fortunate that the Giant Spirit God was dead! The Giant Spirit God Clan was an extremely terrifying Race after all. If he was not dead, even the Divine Spirits in the Ancestral Land would not be able to stop him if he were released from captivity. At that time, rivers of blood would surely flow in the 3,000 Worlds.
Gao Ting said, “In other words, Yuan Du’s current goal is to free the Giant Spirit God!”
“That’s right!” Yang Kai nodded, “But, his efforts are bound to be in vain.”
He nodded lightly, “The situation is still within control.”
Yuan Du had no reason to deceive Yang Kai at the time, so his words back then were probably the truth.
The Black Ink Insects were extremely rare. For that reason, he only managed to corrupt a few people in Lang Ya Paradise over the years. Among them, with the exception of the dead Shi Zheng, the rest were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
At this moment, they could only be certain about one thing: Yuan Du was the cause of everything. As long as they cut off the source and clip the wings that he developed, then the worrying situation in Lang Ya Paradise would be resolved.
Unfortunately, they could not be certain as to where the true Black Ink Clansman for whom Yuan Du had performed the sacrificial offering ritual was currently hiding! Just solving the issue of Yuan Du and the Black Ink Disciples would not eradicate the problem completely. If they could not remove the fundamental cause of this issue, then a second or even a third Yuan Du might appear again in the world several thousand years later.
Li Yuan Wang observed worriedly, “Judging by the meaning behind Yuan Du’s words, the Black Ink Clansman is probably being suppressed and sealed somewhere in the 3,000 Worlds. If his contact with the Black Ink Clan had become more and more frequent over the past 100 years, then it can be speculated that the suppressed and sealed Black Ink Clan member is showing signs of regaining their freedom!”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s also what Yuan Du claimed.”
“Regarding the place where the Black Ink Clan is being held, do the rest of you have any ideas?” Li Yuan Wang raised his head and looked at the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters below him.
Everybody shook their heads in response.
Yu Chang Dao spoke, “There has not been any unusual news from any of the Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds over the years. Besides, there are no related records written in the ancient books of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. It can be surmised that the suppressed and sealed Black Ink Clansman has existed since a very long time ago. This incident might even have occurred before the birth of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.”
Yang Kai suddenly had an idea, “Could it be in the same era as when the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan suppressed and sealed the Black Ink Giant Spirit God?”
Li Yuan Wang reached up and stroked his beard, “That’s not impossible, but nobody can confirm the truth.”
There was no other explanation as to why there were no records in the ancient books of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. If such an evil existence had truly been suppressed and sealed, then the ancient books passed down through the inheritance of the Cave Heavens and Paradises would surely have mentioned the incident.
Even the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were clueless about this matter. In that case, the suppressed and sealed Black Ink Clan member could only have existed a very long time ago.
“Could it be located in the Shattered Heaven?” Somebody asked with a frown, “The situation of the Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds is basically known to us. Only the Shattered Heaven is chaotic and filled with all sorts of dangers. Even High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters like us might not escape unscathed if we ventured deep into the Shattered Heaven and encountered danger. It would make sense to say that the Black Ink Clansman was being suppressed and sealed in the Shattered Heaven!”
Yu Xiang Die acknowledged the idea, “Looks like we need to investigate the Shattered Heaven thoroughly. This matter is of grave importance, so there can be no room for negligence.”
Li Yuan Wang nodded in agreement, “Let’s discuss this matter later. At present, it is more important to deal with the Black Ink Disciples in Lang Ya Paradise.”
“Senior Brother Li, please make the arrangements. We will support Lang Ya Paradise unconditionally!”
They originally thought that there were many Black Ink Disciples in Lang Ya Paradise, which was why several dozen High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had rushed here so quickly. They wanted to take precautions to prevent future disasters. Now that it had been confirmed that there were not many Black Ink Disciples, their tense nerves relaxed considerably. With so many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters present, it would not be a problem for them to deal with a few Black Ink Disciples. They only needed to be careful not to be contaminated by the Black Ink Strength.
As for the affairs of Lang Ya Paradise, they had to be settled by Lang Ya Paradise.
In the following days, everything was calm and quiet. The training that was triggered by Yang Kai was the talk of the town. That training had also inspired the determination of many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise to cultivate harder. It was said that as many as several hundred Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise had entered retreat all at once after the training. Some even vowed not to come out of retreat until they advanced into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Consequently, the once lively Lang Ya Paradise suddenly became much quieter and more desolate than usual.
In the Spirit Province where Li Yuan Wang lived, many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters concealed their figures as though they were waiting for somebody to come. Similarly, Yang Kai concealed himself in the Void. With the help of the Grand Array around the Spirit Province, he disguised himself to prevent his aura from being discovered.
On the porch of a thatched hut below, Li Yuan Wang sat in a rattan chair like an elderly farmer in the countryside. There was a teacup in his hand, and he would take a sip from time to time.
A stream of light sped over from a distance and landed in front of Li Yuan Wang. That person cupped his fist and said, “Greetings, Sect Master!”
Li Yuan Wang smiled and gestured with his hand, “Sit!”
Yuan Du nodded and sat beside Li Yuan Wang before he asked curiously, “Did you summon me here because you needed something from me, Sect Master?”
Li Yuan Wang shook his head, “Can’t I have a chat with you for no particular reason, Senior Brother?”
Yuan Du was slightly taken aback. [‘Senior Brother’… It has been so long since I heard those two words. When was the last time I heard this title? Was it 3,000 years ago? Or, 5,000 years ago?]
It was so long ago that he could no longer recall.
“Of course, you can.” Yuan Du smiled, “Come to think of it, it has been a long time since we Fellow Brothers sat together so quietly like this.”
“That’s right.” Li Yuan Wang sighed, “Ever since you became the Vice Sect Master and I became the Sect Master, we’ve only been worrying about Lang Ya Paradise every single day.”
Yuan Du glanced sideways at Li Yuan Wang, “I’ve never seen you paying much attention to these affairs, Junior Brother. On the contrary, the grey hairs of the three Vice Sect Masters have been increasing year after year.”
“Bullshit!” Li Yuan Wang responded with a straight face, “I’ve devoted all my blood, sweat, and tears to Lang Ya Paradise! How could Lang Ya Paradise become so glorious otherwise!?”
Yuan Du jokingly scolded, “Don’t flatter yourself! This is the foundation that many Seniors have worked hard to lay down over immeasurable years! You are simply managing what they succeeded to build!”
Li Yuan Wang replied seriously, “Managing what they succeeded to build is not a simple feat. Everybody else thinks that being the Lang Ya Paradise Sect Master is marvellous, but they do not know how much my heart breaks over the Lang Ya Paradise disciples.”
Yuan Du curled his lips, “Your shameless behaviour has never changed, no matter how many years passed, Junior Brother.”
Li Yuan Wang suddenly exclaimed, “On the other hand, you’ve changed a lot, Senior Brother!”
Yuan Du’s eyes narrowed slightly, “How did I change?”
Their gazes met. Then, Li Yuan Wang’s expression became extremely solemn, “You’ve gotten older, Senior Brother. You’ve long lost the suaveness of youth!”
After saying that, he burst into laughter with a smug look on his face, as though he himself was very young.
Yuan Du also laughed along.
The two Fellow Brothers seemed to have returned to the time when they were young and carefree. Although they constantly used to bicker, they had a very close relationship with each other.
Yuan Du had joined the Sect earlier, and by the time he advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, Li Yuan Wang had only just started cultivating. It was just that Yuan Du’s Order when he first advanced into the Open Heaven Realm was not as high as Li Yuan Wang’s. That was why they were both in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm today.
“Do you think the old man is dead?” Li Yuan Wang suddenly asked.
Yuan Du chuckled, “The old man is such a lively person. How can he be dead? He was in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm when he left!”
“En!” Li Yuan Wang nodded, “You’re right. With his personality, even if everybody else was dead, he would still be alive and kicking!”
At the mention of the old man, Yuan Du seemed to deflate and lose interest. Therefore, the two Fellow Brothers fell back into silence.
Li Yuan Wang took a sip of tea, and his voice became a little grimmer, “Senior Brother, don’t blame the old man too much for what happened back then. He made you advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm for your sake. I didn’t understand at the time, but now that I am the Sect Master… Every time a disciple preparing to advance into the Open Heaven Realm comes and asks me which Order would be safer for them to advance into based on their heritage, I feel like I am holding their future and destiny in my hands. My choices… My answer to their question will affect their entire life.”
Yuan Du remained silent.
“I was too young back then. Besides, too much time has passed. There is no way to determine what your heritage was at the time, but since the old man asked you to advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, it must mean that advancing into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm would have been very risky for you. The old man at the time was just like me now. He held your future in his hands, but his choice was made for your sake. It may only be a one-Order difference between the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but the slightest misstep would have extinguished your Soul. How could the old man bear to watch you fall short at such a critical moment?”
Yuan Du lowered his head, causing a dark shadow to cover his eyes.
“To this day, do you still think that the old man was wrong, Senior Brother?” Li Yuan Wang asked.
Yuan Du finally opened his mouth, “As you’ve said, Junior Brother, how can I not know that the old man was only acting in my best interests?”
“If that’s the case, then why can’t you understand?” Li Yuan Wang looked at Yuan Du sorrowfully.
Yuan Du shook his head, “Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, it’s still a possibility. A person who gives up before even trying is already sick in the head!”
Li Yuan Wang stared at Yuan Du calmly. A long while passed before he sighed, “Senior Brother, it’s never too late to turn around and repent!”
Yuan Du’s gaze went slack, and he stared into the distance quietly, “I’ve already passed the point of no return, Junior Brother!”
His eyes seemed to have a peculiar power that allowed him to see through the void. Staring directly in the direction of Yang Kai, he frowned, “To be honest, I’m more curious about how that boy is able to resist the Black Ink Strength.”
He had not known anything when he first arrived, but he soon understood after his conversation with Li Yuan Wang. He was not a fool after all. Besides, Li Yuan Wang’s behaviour today was simply too abnormal.
Yang Kai’s hiding spot was located not far from Yuan Du, and due to the gap in their strengths, it was impossible for Yang Kai to keep his presence hidden under Yuan Du’s intentional search of the surroundings.
Seeing as his cover had been seen through, Yang Kai revealed himself without further ado and cupped his fist, “Greetings, Senior!”
Yuan Du looked at Yang Kai with a puzzled look on his face, “Your Small Universe has already been corrupted by the Black Ink, so why aren’t you affected?”
“Senior, what you saw was this…” Yang Kai partially manifested his Small Universe, causing its projection to appear behind him.
Just as Yuan Du had previously seen, the Black Ink Strength writhed about in Yang Kai’s Small Universe; however, as Yang Kai’s Small Universe spread outward, more scenery entered Yuan Du’s vision.
Yuan Du immediately understood, “Four Universe Pillars!”
If there was anything in the world that could truly restrain the Black Ink Strength, then it could only be the Four Universe Pillars. The powers of a Divine Spirit could not fully resist the erosion of the Black Ink Strength. After all, even a Divine Spirit could become corrupted by the Black Ink. It was just that the possibility of a Divine Spirit being corrupted by the Black Ink was much lower than an Open Heaven Realm Master of the same strength.
Needless to say, Yuan Du knew about the effects of the Four Universe Pillars. It was just that the Four Universe Pillars were extremely rare treasures that could only be dreamt about by most; hence, he never even imagined that Yang Kai would have one of them, much less that Yang Kai would be so bold and reckless as to suppress and seal the Black Ink Strength in his Small Universe to deceive his eyes.
“So, does that mean Shi Zheng is dead?”
He was the one who ordered Shi Zheng to use the Black Ink Insect to corrupt Yang Kai, but Yang Kai was safe and sound. Not to mention, Yang Kai had the Black Ink Strength suppressed and sealed in his Small Universe. The source of the Black Ink Strength could only have been Shi Zheng.
Yang Kai nodded.
During their conversation, numerous figures appeared out of nowhere. There were at least a dozen High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered in this place. Meanwhile, Li Yuan Wang gave a wave of his hand, activating the Sealing Grand Array of the Spirit Province to isolate the inside from the outside.
Yuan Du swept his glance over the crowd and chuckled, “What an impressive line-up! You really think highly of this Yuan!”
With so many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master might not stand a chance, much less Yuan Du, who was only in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. He had no chance of winning this fight. It was certain death for him!
Yuan Du was dead. His death was not caused by anybody else but himself. He died by suicide.
It was just like what Shi Zheng had done in High Heaven Territory when faced with a situation of certain death. In the face of insurmountable odds, he did not show any resistance and simply chose to cut off his vitality. His actions were extremely decisive.
This was a completely unexpected situation. The dozen or so High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t even get the chance to take action. On the contrary, they were quite shaken to personally witness a Master, who was their equal in terms of status and identity, resolutely taking his own life in front of them.
Yang Kai frowned slightly at the sight. Staring at the spot where Yuan Du had died, he couldn’t help feeling extremely unsettled in his heart.
These Black Ink Disciples seemed to think nothing of their lives after being corrupted. This incident only made him more and more aware of the horrors of the Black Ink. The Black Ink Strength was a force capable of controlling one’s body and mind, which even a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could not resist.
After watching the Senior Brother whom he had known for thousands of years dying in front of him, Li Yuan Wang’s gaze became very complicated. He stood frozen in place without saying anything for a long time.
Gao Ting stood by his side. Looking up into the horizon, he gave a soft whisper, “Sect Master!”
It was not until he heard his voice that he returned to his senses. He waved his hand and removed the Sealing Array around the Spirit Province.
Immediately after that, a figure sped through the sky towards them. It was Dong Peng. Landing in front of Li Yuan Wang, he bowed and cupped his fist, “Honoured Master, everything has been dealt with. There are no survivors.”
Li Yuan Wang nodded lightly.
When he invited Yuan Du over, he had also arranged for the others to deal with Gu Ling’er and the rest of the Black Ink Disciples at the same time. Even Jiang Yan, who left Lang Ya Paradise some time ago, had Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters tailing him. As soon as he approached High Heaven Territory, they would automatically get rid of them.
“Were there any casualties?” Li Yuan Wang asked.
Dong Peng shook his head, “There was some resistance, but no casualties.”
Li Yuan Wang nodded.
On the contrary, Yang Kai breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard those words. It was normal to have some resistance in the face of death. If all of the Black Ink Disciples had the same courage as Shi Zheng and Yuan Du to sacrifice themselves, then it would be too terrifying. Still, it seemed not everyone could disregard their lives so easily.
Although Lang Ya Paradise did not lose many people in this incident, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and the other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters they lost were people who either held important positions in the Sect or had very high popularity. The disappearance of one or two of them could have been ignored, but all of them disappearing abruptly was bound to arouse the suspicions of the disciples.
Naturally, Lang Ya Paradise had already prepared the means to deal with the aftermath. It just so happened that many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who suffered defeat at Yang Kai’s hands had declared that they were going to enter retreat after the training ended. The disappearance of Gu Ling’er and the others could be explained away by claiming that they had gone into retreat. As for Yuan Du, the same would apply to him.
Over time, the waves would naturally subside.
“Many thanks to all of you for coming to help with this matter. Lang Ya Paradise is very eternally grateful,” Li Yuan Wang composed himself and turned to thank the many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered around him.
Even though they did not get the chance to make a move because Yuan Du had ultimately chosen to end his own life, Yuan Du might have resisted if they had not been watching the situation from nearby. There was no saying whether he would have fought Li Yuan Wang under the compulsion of the Black Ink Strength.
Yu Xiang Die nodded lightly, “Since ancient times, the Cave Heavens and Paradises have always been one family. You’re being too polite, Senior Brother Li.”
The affairs of Lang Ya Paradise could be considered to have been resolved; however, while they were hiding here, they remained unaware of the situation of their own respective Sects. Before rushing over to Lang Ya Paradise, they had already sent messages back to their respective Cave Heavens and Paradises to inform them about the reappearance of the Black Ink Strength.
If everything went as planned, then the Cave Heavens and Paradises had probably been checking themselves in the recent period. Judging from the current situation in Lang Ya Paradise, it was unlikely that the Black Ink Disciples existed in the other Cave Heavens and Paradises. Even so, there was always a possibility. If Lang Ya Paradise had a person like Yuan Du, then the other Cave Heavens and Paradises might have one too.
Li Yuan Wang said, “Now that Yuan Du is dead, the source has been cut off. It will not be easy for us to track down the Black Ink Clansman after this. Do you have any other ideas?”
Yuan Du was nothing more than a Black Ink Disciple. While he was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and one of the Vice Sect Masters of Lang Ya Paradise, he was insignificant compared to the actual Black Ink Clan member. Now that he had chosen to take his own life, the search for the true Black Ink Clansman became the top priority of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. As long as the Black Ink Clansman was not found, all of them would have trouble sleeping soundly at night.
Nobody spoke up. During the previous discussion, they had concluded that the Black Ink Clan was most likely hiding in the Shattered Heaven. That place was not only vast, but extremely dangerous and chaotic, so it was much easier to hide and cover one’s tracks there compared to any of the other Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds. As such, it was not going to be easy to find the whereabouts of the Black Ink Clansman in the expansive Shattered Heaven.
Yang Kai stepped forward and said, “If you will allow me, Seniors, I would like to investigate Yuan Du’s Small Universe. I might be able to learn something there.”
Yu Chang Dao’s eyes lit up at those words, “The altar!”
The only means for Yuan Du to communicate with the hidden Black Ink Clansman and receive Black Ink Insects was through the power of the altar and the sacrificial offering ritual. Although he was dead, the altar that was connected with the Black Ink Clan might not necessarily have been destroyed. They might actually discover something by studying that altar.
None of them had considered this idea. It was not that they were dull-witted. Rather, the Black Ink Strength was so evil and invasive that they subconsciously assumed that the Small Universe left behind by Yuan Du was a forbidden zone.
On the other hand, Yang Kai not only had the World Spring, but also in-depth experience from entering Shi Zheng’s Small Universe once. It was only natural for him to view the situation from a different point of view.
“Are you confident?” Yu Xiang Die asked with concern.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I can only give it a try.”
How could he be certain about anything? Despite witnessing Yuan Du’s actions during the sacrificial offering ritual, he could not figure out how Yuan Du had gotten in touch with the Black Ink Clansman earlier. Even if he did manage to get in contact with the Black Ink Clansman, he was even more uncertain about whether they would discover that he was not part of the Black Ink Disciples.
Nevertheless, giving a dead horse medicine could not harm the horse any further. He could only do whatever he could in this situation. It would not make a difference if he learned nothing, but if he did learn something, then it would certainly be a pleasant surprise. It would be even better if he could determine the location of the Black Ink Clan member’s hiding place through this opportunity.
Li Yuan Wang did not give an immediate answer; instead, he activated his Divine Sense and communicated with the other High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters for a long time. Only then did he turn to look at Yang Kai, “Be careful!”
Those words indicated his agreement.
Yang Kai nodded. Stepping forward, he walked towards the spot where Yuan Du had died.
Yuan Du was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so the Small Universe in his body had been fully materialized. The situation of his death was similar to Shi Zheng where his Small Universe hadn’t shattered but had instead been exiled to the Void, leaving only an external portal behind. Even his body had been devoured by his vanished Small Universe.
At this moment, there was an extremely uncomfortable aura coming from the portal. It was the aura of the Black Ink Strength.
Thanks to his prior experience, Yang Kai could be considered traversing a familiar path. His figure flickered and he plunged into Yuan Du’s Small Universe.
Just like the scene he saw a few days ago, Yuan Du’s Small Universe was pitch-black. The dense Black Ink Strength writhed and surged tumultuously like ink that had been spilled on the ground.
Unfortunately, as Yuan Du had died by suicide, the Universe Paradise he left behind was now a chaotic mess. With the World Barriers cracked and the landscape turned upside down, it was now essentially a mass of shattered Spirit Provinces that were being loosely held together.
Yang Kai could only secretly pray that the altar had been preserved; otherwise, he would not have the opportunity to come across another one again.
Wandering around in Yuan Du’s Small Universe, he tried his best to compare his surroundings with the scenes in his memories to search for a sense of familiarity. It took several hours before he found the altar in the shape of a Nine Layer Pagoda on a Spirit Province that only had a radius of several dozen metres.
Using a Secret Technique, Yang Kai removed the altar completely and relocated it to a larger, stabler Spirit Province. He silently recalled Yuan Du’s various actions from before, then he reached out to retrieve a sharp longsword from his Space Ring and slashed at his arm. Having withdrawn his defensive abilities, the sword slash immediately caused his Golden Dragon Blood to spurt out and splatter across the altar.
Yang Kai allowed his blood to flow freely, but even so, his brow furrowed with worry. Yuan Du had used his own blood as the sacrificial offering and simultaneously muttered something under his breath back then. Unfortunately, Yang Kai did not know what Yuan Du had said at the time. He could imitate actions such as offering his own blood as a sacrificial offering, but how could he know what Yuan Du had been chanting at the time? It might have been some kind of irrelevant mantra or a crucial part of the ritual. He was not sure whether Yuan Du’s muttering would have any effect on the sacrificial offering, so all he could do right now was give his best attempt and leave the rest to fate.
Golden Blood continuously dripped onto the altar as Yang Kai suppressed his emotions and waited quietly. Yuan Du had also performed the sacrificial offering ritual for quite a long time. It seemed that the Black Ink Clansman only responded after a long wait, so Yang Kai was not in a hurry. Be that as it may, he never expected the altar to remain unresponsive even after three whole days had passed. The Dragon Blood he spilled was enough to fill a pond by then.
The situation gave him an inevitable sense of discouragement, and he wondered whether his method was wrong. If his method was wrong, then it didn’t matter how much blood he spilled or how long he waited. He would never get in touch with the hidden Black Ink Clansman. Therefore, Yang Kai decided to wait one more day, and if there was still no effect, he would immediately leave.
To his pleasant surprise, the altar reacted half a day later. Pure Black Ink Strength suddenly poured out like poisonous snakes sliding out from the shadows and quickly wrapped around him.
The Black Ink Strength pouring out of the altar was slightly different from the Black Ink Strength that Yuan Du owned. Although the Black Ink Strength could not be called dense, it was much purer in comparison.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling shocked! He had only done this on a whim, so it was surprising that his method actually worked!
In spite of his excitement, he remained extremely vigilant. He did not forget that a mighty Will had descended all of a sudden when he watched Yuan Du performing the sacrificial offering ritual. The horror of the Will demonstrated the strength of its owner. That power was not something he could resist.
Pure Black Ink Strength surged around Yang Kai as if trying to flood into his body. He pondered in silence for a moment but ultimately did not resist. The Black Ink Strength then quickly infiltrated his body and rushed into his Small Universe.
In the next moment, the majestic Will that he experienced previously descended again without warning! All of a sudden, his entire body was struck with an exceptionally peculiar feeling. It was cold, dark, and deathly silent. At the same time, an unstoppable restraining force came from all directions to envelope him in countless layers. He was unable to move a single muscle as a result.
This feeling made him panic, but he soon came to realise that this horrendous feeling did not belong to him. When the majestic Will descended and the Black Ink Strength poured into his body, he resonated with the Will to some extent. It would seem that this resonance allowed both parties to spy upon a fraction of each other’s inner feelings.
[These feelings of gloomy darkness, silence, and restraint are not my own but that of the Black Ink Clansman!] As soon as Yang Kai realised that fact, he cursed in his heart. [Shit! If we resonate with each other during the sacrificial offering ritual, then the Black Ink Clansman will surely realise that I am not part of the Black Ink Disciples!]
He immediately tried to cut off the connection, but his efforts were completely useless.
The magnificent Will plunged straight in and invaded his consciousness, causing him to feel an involuntary sense of adoration. It felt as though the Will reigned supreme in the world. Any kind of resistance was a form of blasphemy and disrespect. Only surrender was the correct path!
A dense layer of cold sweat immediately broke out across his forehead. There was an immense battle taking place in his heart, and the look in his eyes became uncertain.
At that critical moment, a cool feeling spread out across his mind and abruptly brought him back to his senses. It was the Soul Warming Lotus! When things reached a critical point, the Soul Warming Lotus reacted automatically.
In the next moment, he raised his hand to summon his spear and thrust it out. His World Force burst out at the same time. The altar in front of him shattered in response, and the dense Black Ink Strength scattered into the surroundings. Holding his spear in one hand, he gasped for breath with an expression of lingering fear on his face.
The situation just now had undoubtedly been very dangerous. If the Soul Warming Lotus had not stepped in at the last moment, he was uncertain as to whether he could resist the influence that the Will exerted on him. Moreover, if he had failed to withstand the pressure, he would have suffered tragically even if he did not become corrupted by the Black Ink.
The Black Ink Strength was extremely strange indeed!
A short while later, Yang Kai walked out from the Yuan Du’s Small Universe. Many of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had been waiting for several days, so they quickly questioned him as soon as he appeared.
Yang Kai told them all about the situation he encountered in detail, but he concealed the existence of the Soul Warming Lotus. He only told them that he struggled with all his strength just to deal the critical blow, which cut off his connection between him and the Black Ink Clansman.
Li Yuan Wang’s expression was extremely solemn, “Is the Black Ink Clan capable of affecting one’s consciousness out of thin air?”
That was extremely important information. Although the Cave Heavens and Paradises had some understanding of the Black Ink Clan, they only knew that the Black Ink Strength was extremely aggressive and corrosive. That was why they had always been on guard against the Black Ink Strength; however, if the situation was as Yang Kai had described, then there would be far more precautions to be taken in the future.
Yang Kai pondered in silence, “The Black Ink Clan’s Will is certainly powerful, but it might not necessarily be that terrifying.”
“What do you mean?” Yu Chang Dao asked.
Yang Kai explained, “This situation did not happen when I experienced the sacrificial offering ritual with Yuan Du. The only difference is that Yuan Du was the one presiding over the sacrificial offering ritual back then and I was the one presiding over it this time. There’s a high possibility that only the person performing the sacrificial offering ritual will be directly affected by the Will. The others are unable to form a direct connection with the Black Ink Clan member, so they naturally will not be affected.”
Everybody nodded lightly. It was not impossible. If that was the extent of the Black Ink Clan’s Will power, then the threat of the Black Ink Clan was not that terrifying after all.
Yang Kai sighed again, “It’s such a pity. While the sacrificial offering ritual barely succeeded this time, there was no way to figure out where the Black Ink Clansman was hiding.”
Li Yuan Wang replied, “It doesn’t matter. The universe might be large, but now that we have a goal, as long as we patiently keep searching, we will definitely locate them one day.”
That was something the Cave Heavens and Paradises had to handle. It was no longer something that Yang Kai could handle alone.
“I heard you have the Profound Yin Bamboo in your possession.” Li Yuan Wang suddenly turned to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai blinked, “There might be a need for everybody to sit down and discuss this matter!”
He previously opened up his Small Universe and allowed the others to investigate him to clear the suspicion of being corrupted by the Black Ink. Therefore, some of the secrets in his Small Universe had been exposed. The existence of the Profound Yin Bamboo was witnessed by many of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Besides, this was one of the bargaining chips that he had prepared to negotiate with the Cave Heavens and Paradises, so there was no need to deny its existence.
The Profound Yin Bamboo was one of the Twelve Minor Universe Pillars. Its effects were not as powerful as the Four Universe Pillars, and its cultivation required a massive cost. Nevertheless, it was extremely useful for every Open Heaven Realm Master with a Small Universe that had materialized. It was certainly a treasure. Unfortunately, in order for it to show its strengths, one would have to spend massive amounts of their own strength to cultivate it.
Yang Kai had personally verified this fact. The Profound Yin Bamboo mainly devoured the World Force in order to grow and spread into a forest. In that way, it would take at least hundreds to thousands of years of hard work to turn the Profound Yin Bamboo into a bamboo forest that was not very large in terms of scale.
That was equivalent to turning the World Force stemming from hundreds to thousands of years of intense cultivation into the nutrients required for the growth of the Profound Yin Bamboo. As a result, the heritage of the Open Heaven Realm Master would weaken and their strength would decline.
If it was before, they might not have been so desperate to obtain the Profound Yin Bamboo; however, with the reappearance of the Black Ink Clan, their desire to obtain the Profound Yin Bamboo had changed.
Even if this treasure could not make their Small Universe as robust and flawless as the World Spring, or prevent the invasion of external forces completely, it could at least increase their resistance against the Black Ink Strength.
In other words, the existence of the Profound Yin Bamboo might save their lives at a critical moment. Comparatively speaking, the risk of losing the heritage of their Small Universe or declining in strength was not worth worrying about. No matter how much their strength decreased, their Order would not decline.
After hearing what Yang Kai said, the many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters subconsciously clutched at their respective Space Rings. They couldn’t help recalling what happened during the training at Lang Ya Paradise.
During the training, Yang Kai had treated all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise as fat sheep and sheared off their thick layer of wool for his own use. His actions left many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters resentful and miserable due to the heavy losses they suffered.
With those people as an example, how could anything good happen to them? They could practically foresee a greasy, smiling face as he tried to take the lion’s share from them.
Negotiations over the Profound Yin Bamboo took place in a secret room, along with the discussion for the Good Fortune Divine Furnace.
The matters regarding the Good Fortune Divine Furnace remained up in the air. The main reason for the situation was that both parties were unsatisfied with the terms offered by the other side. Before Yang Kai was attacked by Shi Zheng, the foreign affairs envoys at the Star Boundary were supposed to discuss this matter with him after two days. Unfortunately, the reappearance of the Black Ink Clan had immediately disrupted all their plans. It was not until now that this issue was brought up again.
Yang Kai was fixated on the Small Source Worlds of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Even though he named his conditions in the past, none of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had shown any intention of giving in to his demands.
The opportunity to enter the Small Source Worlds was extremely precious to any Cave Heaven or Paradise. More so, since it was not enough for the use of their own disciples. The disciples often had to wait in line for hundreds of years, sometimes even thousands of years, before they could enter. How could they possibly give such an advantage to outsiders?
If not for the reward from the training previously, Gu Pan would not have the qualifications to enter the Five Lights World for training either. That was the case even for a Core Disciple like her, so what more need be said about the Common Disciples?
Since Void Land did not have a Small Source World of their own, they could only set their sights on others instead.
Although it was said to be a negotiation, the truth was that Yang Kai one-sidedly refused everybody else. The rights of use for the Profound Yin Bamboo and the Good Fortune Divine Furnace were very attractive to all the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Be that as it may, Yang Kai refused to accept any other conditions aside from the qualifications to enter the Small Source World for training.
On this point, neither Yu Chang Dao nor Yu Xiang Die spoke up for Yang Kai. Although they were inextricably linked to him, they were foreign affairs envoys as well. In other words, they represented the interests of the Sects behind them.
The discussion went on for a day and a night. Throughout this entire period, Yang Kai continued to insist on his demands; thus, the others could only give in upon seeing his persistence.
In the end, the final results of the negotiation were decided. Each Cave Heaven and Paradise would provide the qualification to enter a Small Source World once for training. In return, Yang Kai had to provide each Cave Heaven and Paradise with five stalks of the Profound Yin Bamboo and the right to use to the Good Fortune Divine Furnace for two months.
That was the best result that could be achieved.
Nonetheless, over a hundred Cave Heavens and Paradises meant that Yang Kai would need over five hundred stalks of the Profound Yin Bamboo. That was an enormous number. Even he could not come up with such an amount in a short time. As for the order in which the Good Fortune Divine Furnace would be used, the issue of precedence was something the Cave Heavens and Paradises had to discuss among themselves. He could not care less about such matters.
After the negotiations were settled, everybody took their leave and departed.
Even though not all the foreign affairs envoys of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were present during this negotiation, the people present today were enough to represent the rest. Those Cave Heavens and Paradises whose foreign affairs envoys did not participate in this negotiation would also acknowledge the results. That was the tacit understanding and trust accumulated between the Cave Heavens and Paradises over countless years.
All the foreign affairs envoys were in a rush to return to their respective Sects in order to report the results of the negotiation and prepare the materials that would be sent to Great Evolution Paradise. These materials would be used in the Good Fortune Divine Furnace to create higher Order materials.
Before Yang Kai left, he asked Li Yuan Wang a question. This question had been troubling him for a very long time now.
“How are Small Source Worlds created?” Li Yuan Wang reached up to stroke his beard and nodded in understanding, “Do you wish to obtain your own Small Source World?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Indeed.”
Many Open Heaven Realm Masters had been added to the ranks of Void Land, so if they had their own Small Source Worlds, then they could help the disciples improve their cultivation quickly.
It was a pity that only the Cave Heavens and Paradises had something like the Small Source Worlds. He had never seen nor heard of any other great forces with their own Small Source World. Therefore, he had never understood where Small Source Worlds came from or how they had such mystifying effects.
“If this is some kind of taboo secret, then please act as though I never asked, Sect Master Li.” Yang Kai hurriedly said when he saw the pensive look on Li Yuan Wang’s face.
Li Yuan Wang waved his hand dismissively, “It’s a secret, but it’s not really a secret either. You’ve entered a Small Source World before. What did you think about it?”
Yang Kai thought back to his previous experience in the Divine Armament World and said, “It felt very real. There was no sense of being an illusion.”
The decades that he spent while training in the Divine Armament World felt like a cycle of reincarnation and rebirth. His impression of that experience was very profound.
Li Yuan Wang laughed, “Of course, it feels real. That’s because the true nature of the Small Source Worlds comes from the Universe Paradises and the Universe Cave Heavens!”
Yang Kai was stunned by those words, “The Universe Paradises and the Universe Cave Heavens? Sect Master, you don’t mean…”
Only the Small Universe left behind after the death of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could be called such. The Small Universe left behind by a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was known as a Universe Paradise, and the Small Universe left behind by an Open Heaven Realm Master above the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was known as a Universe Cave Heaven.
Li Yuan Wang nodded lightly, “It’s exactly what you’re thinking. All the Small Source Worlds stem from the Small Universes left behind by High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.”
“How can that be!?” Yang Kai was shocked to the core.
“There’s nothing impossible about it.” Li Yuan Wang chuckled softly, “But, not every Small Universe left behind by a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master will transform into a Small Source World.”
If that was the case, then there would have been many more Small Source Worlds in existence and they would not have been valued to this extent.
“Is there some kind of special Secret Technique required for the transformation?” Yang Kai boldly speculated.
Li Yuan Wang shook his head in response, “The transformation is not caused by the use of a Secret Technique. On the contrary, you have to cultivate a specific Secret Art from the beginning. This Secret Art does not have powerful properties, so there are no advantages in a battle against others. However, it allows the cultivator to transform their Small Universe into a Small Source World at the time of their death. Of course, it is not that simple. The birth of a Small Source World is a very complicated process. It can be said that the cultivator has to pay a lifetime’s worth of hard work for their efforts to succeed.”
Yang Kai understood, “Sect Master, do you mean that from the very beginning, these people cultivated for the sole purpose of transforming their Small Universe into a Small Source World after their deaths?”
Li Yuan Wang nodded solemnly, “Nobody forced them. They were aware of their future destiny when they first cultivated this Secret Art.”
Yang Kai was slightly stunned by those words.
After cultivating hard for a lifetime, their Small Universe would eventually be transformed into a Small Source World after their deaths to become a training place for others. That would require a great amount of dedication and a strong sense of belonging to one’s Sect.
While achieving such a feat might be as difficult as ascending to the Heavens for any other great force, it would not be difficult to find such disciples among the Cave Heavens and Paradises that boasted an inheritance of countless years. What’s more, cultivating this special Secret Art would not cause any harm to the disciples. It was just that they might suffer some disadvantages in battle. That was because the Secret Art was unsuited for combat; it was only suitable for cultivation.
“The formation of a Small Source World is not an easy feat, and not every attempt will succeed.” Li Yuan Wang explained, “Most of the time, among all the people who cultivate this Secret Art, only one out of ten can successfully produce a Small Source World. I’m sure you understand why the Small Source Worlds are so precious even to the Cave Heavens and Paradises now.”
Yang Kai nodded.
On a fundamental level, a Small Source World was the Universe Paradise or Universe Cave Heaven left behind after the death of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
How many years would it take for a cultivator to grow from an ignorant child to a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master before finally reaching the end of their life? Despite such a long wait, there was only a 10% chance of producing a Small Source World in the end. How could a Small Source World not be precious?
Yang Kai suddenly thought of something, “If that’s the case, does that mean all the living beings in the Small Source World are real?”
Li Yuan Wang nodded, “Of course! The disciples who cultivate this Secret Art will never participate in battle; hence, they will start raising living beings in their bodies to form the World Principles in their Small Universe as soon as they advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm and their Small Universe transforms from immaterial to material. The prosperity of those living inside would be enough to guarantee that the World Force of the Small Source World would continue to increase even after their deaths. Moreover, the various rules decided by the Master before his death will become the goal of the disciples who enter the Small Source World in the future. By achieving this goal, their training will be completed successfully. The disciples will then obtain the recognition of the Small Source World’s World Principles and receive great benefits!”
Yang Kai revealed a look of understanding.
The rule of the Divine Armament World, which he entered for training previously, was to obtain one of the Ten Divine Armaments. In the end, he went overboard and took three in one go which resulted in a huge loss to the heritage of the Divine Armament World.
When he came out of the Divine Armament World, the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Ancestor overseeing it had seemed quite upset with him. That was because the results of his training were equivalent to depleting the training opportunities of several disciples!
He finally understood why he was not rejected by the people when he first entered the Divine Armament World. On the contrary, they had accepted his presence as a matter of course. It was all thanks to the effects of the Small Source World’s World Principles, and these rules were formulated by the Master of the Small Source World before his death.
“Generally speaking, most of the Small Source Worlds that belong to the Cave Heavens and Paradises are founded upon Universe Paradises. There are very few Small Source Worlds produced from Universe Cave Heavens,” Li Yuan Wang continued, “A Universe Paradise is the legacy left behind after the death of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it is open to any Open Heaven Realm below the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm for training and benefits. On the other hand, a Universe Cave Heaven is the legacy left behind after the death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. That is why only Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are eligible to enter.”
Yang Kai understood.
For a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, as long as one advanced directly into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm when they advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, then they would eventually reach the limits of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm after countless years of cultivation. Such disciples could be found in abundance in the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
On the other hand, it was different when it came to those who could cultivate to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. They would be the Core Disciples of the Sect, like Gu Pan. Disciples with such aptitude would eventually become the pillars of their respective Sects if they developed fully, so how could their Sects be willing to let them cultivate this special Secret Art?
Nevertheless, there would always be exceptions to everything. Some of the chosen disciples might not have shown outstanding aptitude when they were young, but as they cultivated, their talents shone brighter and brighter. Therefore, it became possible for them to advance directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. In due course, these disciples would reach the end of their lifespans after advancing into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, leaving behind Small Source Worlds on the rank of Universe Cave Heavens.
In this vast universe where 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises existed, there were hundreds of Small Source Worlds. Be that as it may, there were apparently less than ten Cave Heavens and Paradises with Small Source Worlds on the level of a Universe Cave Heaven.
The cultivation of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in these ten or so Cave Heavens and Paradises that owned the Small Source Worlds on the rank of a Universe Cave Heaven would progress much faster than the other Cave Heavens and Paradises. Over time, the birth of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would slowly increase in number and frequency. Heritage was something that was accumulated over countless years after all.
“That can’t be all…” Yang Kai suddenly remembered something, “If that was really the case, then what is with the flow of time in the Small Source Worlds?”
Only two months had passed during his training in the Divine Armament World, but the time he actually spent in the Divine Armament World was more than several dozen years! The flow of time in the Small Source World was far too different compared to the outside world.
It had to be said that Yang Kai had already reached the sixth level of the Dao of Time, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary; even so, he only managed to double the flow of time in his Small Universe compared to the outside world. It was impossible for those who cultivate this special Secret Art to be better than him in the Dao of Time, let alone be better than him by several times! Seeing as the Universe Paradise or Universe Cave Heaven was the essence of the Small Source World, there was no explanation for this accelerated flow of time.
“Every Cave Heaven and Paradise has pondered this question before, but there has been no clear answer so far.”
Yang Kai frowned and asked, “Who created this Secret Art?”
Li Yuan Wang replied, “It was handed down since ancient times. This Secret Art is something that has existed even before the Cave Heavens and Paradises were formed. Even now, the Cave Heavens and Paradises are simply learning from the wisdom of the past.”
It turned out that the Secret Art had been handed down since ancient times, during an era where too much time had passed for anything to be verified. Yang Kai suddenly felt extremely troubled. He recently encountered many things that came from an era far in the distant past. That was true for the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in the Black Ink Sealing Land, the Black Ink Clan, and even this special Secret Art.
“Although nobody has a definite answer, judging from the results, it would seem that cultivating the Secret Art would indeed cause the flow of time in their Small Universe to increase greatly after they advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. That was an improvement of ten or even tens of times!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he heard those words, “Is there really such a good thing!?”
If that was truly the case, then that would truly be a huge help to the Open Heaven Realm Masters; after all, Yang Kai could already feel the benefits even though the flow of time in his Small Universe was only twice the speed of the outside world. Those raised in his Small Universe would produce World Force, and under the same circumstances, Yang Kai was experiencing double the benefits compared to others in similar situations. It was only natural that his growth would also be much faster.
Speaking of which, there were not many people like him in this vast universe who could raise living beings in their Small Universe without any worries. There was no need to even speak of the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had no such qualifications, and the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters barely had any either. Only the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would try to raise living beings in their Small Universe and even then very few did.
“Do you think it’s a good thing?” Li Yuan Wang glanced at Yang Kai with a strange half-smile.
“Could it be that there’s a disadvantage?” Yang Kai frowned.
Li Yuan Wang sighed, “Those who cultivate this Secret Art are generally short-lived. Compared to their Fellow Brothers in the same Realm, their lifespans tend to become very short after they advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Thanks to the influence of the Secret Art, the flow of time in their Small Universe also affects them.”
Yang Kai was stunned by those words.
“If an ordinary person lives for a year, then that same span of time is equivalent to tens or several tens of years to them. How could they live a long life under such circumstances?”
The time they experienced themselves was equivalent to the flow of time in their Small Universe. That was very different from what Yang Kai experienced where the flow of time in his Small Universe might be double the ordinary speed, but that was due to his comprehension of the Dao of Time so there was no harm done to him.
“In this world, it is very rare for only benefits to exist. Nothing in this world is perfect!” Li Yuan Wang sighed once more.
Just like the Black Ink Strength, that was something that could break through the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm that had been in place since ancient times and allowed the cultivator to advance infinitely without regard for their own limitations. Unfortunately, those corrupted by the Black Ink Strength would turn into another person altogether. That was the same for this special Secret Art. Even though the Secret Art could increase the flow of time in their Small Universe by several times, the Secret Art would consume the cultivator’s lifespan in exchange.
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before he spoke, “Sect Master, can I have a look at this Secret Art?”
Li Yuan Wang turned to look at Yang Kai, “Do you plan to cultivate the Secret Art? That’s not a good idea.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I only want to have a look. Allow me to speak truthfully, Sect Master, I know a little bit about the Dao of Time and may be able to gain something from the Secret Art.”
Li Yuan Wang was extremely shocked, “Do you also dabble in the Dao of Time?”
Yang Kai’s proficiency in the Dao of Space was something Li Yuan Wang knew well. In the training that riled up hundreds of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise, Yang Kai would not have been much of an opponent if he had not been proficient in the Dao of Space, regardless of his strength. It was precisely because of his proficiency in the Dao of Space that all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise had been twisted around his finger.
If the Dao of Space was difficult to cultivate though, then the Dao of Time was even more so!
[It’s bad enough that this brat is proficient in the Dao of Space, but he also dabbles in the Dao of Time!? Just what kind of freak is he!?] Despite living for so long and having seen so many things during that time, Li Yuan Wang could not help feeling shocked at this moment. Looking Yang Kai up and down for a moment, he suddenly blurted out, “There’s nothing great about Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Why don’t you become the Young Master of Lang Ya Paradise instead!?”
Yang Kai rolled his eyes immediately, “You must be joking, Sect Master.”
Li Yuan Wang replied seriously, “I’m not joking. The entire Lang Ya Paradise knows that you abandoned Xiao Pan’er after thoughtless sleeping with her. I’m afraid it will be difficult for her to find a Dao Partner in the future. You need to take responsibility for your actions.”
Yang Kai turned to leave, “Forget it. I’m sure Yin-Yang Cave Heaven has this Secret Art too. I’ll go and ask them instead.”
Li Yuan Wang immediately grabbed Yang Kai by the arm, “Calm down! We can always talk things out peacefully.”
Yang Kai turned around, “Who is the one acting unreasonably?”
“Fine, fine!” Li Yuan Wang waved his hand dismissively, “Let’s leave the matter regarding Xiao Pan’er aside for now. You can take a look at the Secret Art, but I have a condition.”
The special Secret Art was known as the Great Nothingness Scripture. Every Cave Heaven and Paradise had a copy, so it was not a huge secret. It was said that the Great Nothingness Scripture was engraved on a huge stone monument in ancient times and was obtained by the Ancestors of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
If it was an ordinary person, it would have been impossible for them to study the Great Nothingness Scripture.
However, Yang Kai was different from ordinary cultivators. He was Yin-Yang Heaven’s Son-in-Law in name and the Star Boundary’s Great Emperor in status. Thanks to the Star Boundary’s World Tree, he was inextricably linked to the Cave Heavens and Paradises. What’s more, he recently went to great lengths to solve the issue of the Black Ink Disciples in Lang Ya Paradise.
Although Yang Kai was a mere Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had already encountered and taken part in many secrets in the 3,000 Worlds. That was why Li Yuan Wang believed that it would not matter if he showed Yang Kai the Great Nothingness Scripture. Nevertheless, he named a condition. The condition was that Yang Kai had to share his findings with Lang Ya Paradise, regardless of what he comprehended from the Great Nothingness Scripture.
Naturally, Yang Kai had no reason to refuse. He simply wanted to learn why cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture would cause the flow of time in the Small Universe to increase rapidly after advancing into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. There was nothing to hide even if he actually learned something from this opportunity.
The place where the Great Nothingness Scripture was stored had been designated as a Restricted Area, so there were numerous barriers covering the surroundings. Aside from the Ancestors and certain Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Elders in Lang Ya Paradise, nobody else was allowed to step foot in this place.
When Li Yuan Wang led him to this place, Yang Kai immediately noticed the stone monument standing tall on the ground. The stone monument was quaint and simple. It was easy to see that the stone monument was very old at first glance; moreover, there were dense lines of small letters carved into it.
“It is no longer known where the original Great Nothingness Scripture was found. This is not the original, but the Ancestors completely replicated it in its entirety. Even the size of the stone monument is identical to the original. Their efforts were all so that their future disciples could better comprehend this Secret Art. It is a pity that even though the Cave Heavens and Paradises are highly capable, we only understand the utility and not the rationale behind this Secret Art.”
The various advantages and disadvantages of cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture were known to all the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but the reason for these happenings remained unknown. That was why Li Yuan Wang mentioned that they were simply learning from the wisdom of the past.
Yang Kai nodded and shifted his gaze downward.
Not far from the Great Nothingness Scripture’s stone monument was a row of thatched cottages that stood out conspicuously. That was not all, there were also several figures sitting quietly below the stone monument. All of them had their heads raised to look up at the small letters carved on the stone monument in fascination. Among these people, there were young adults, teenagers, and even a child that looked no more than ten years old.
Upon hearing the commotion, they turned to look in this direction. Then, they immediately stood up and bowed in unison, “Greetings, Sect Master!”
Li Yuan Wang nodded lightly and waved his hand lightly for them to return to their activities. Only then did he explain the situation to Yang Kai, “These are the Lang Ya Paradise disciples cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture.”
Yang Kai understood. There were no more than five people in this place. Whether or not they could successfully advance into the Open Heaven Realm, achieve the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, and transformed their Small Universe into a Small Source World after their deaths… These were huge obstacles in their path. If they failed to overcome any of these obstacles, then their thousands of years of effort would all be wasted.
“I’ll give you half a year. You may comprehend at your leisure. I’ll come and pick you up then!” Li Yuan Wang said.
“Many thanks, Sect Master Li!” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
This place was Lang Ya Paradise’s Restricted Area after all. The fact that Li Yuan Wang allowed him to stay here for half a year to comprehend the Great Nothingness Scripture was already pushing the limits; therefore, it was impossible for him to stay here indefinitely.
After explaining everything to Yang Kai, Li Yuan Wang took his leave.
Yang Kai walked over to the stone monument and raised his head to commit all the words on it to memory. It had to be said that the Great Nothingness Scripture was certainly an extraordinary Secret Art. Even though he did not try to cultivate it, his current vision was extremely high, so he understood the advantages and the disadvantages of the Secret Art at a glance.
Li Yuan Wang was right. This Secret Art was only suitable for cultivating. It was extremely stable, so the cultivators cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture would hardly ever encounter any bottlenecks. As long as they followed the proper procedure, they would not face the risk of cultivation dissonance either. Unfortunately, that was also the greatest disadvantage of this Secret Art. It was far too peaceful. As a result of cultivating this Secret Art, even if their cultivation improved, they would not have much combat power to speak of.
Even if they fought somebody in the same Realm, they were bound to be at a disadvantage. That was absolutely unacceptable for a cultivator who was trying to reach the peak of the Martial Dao. If they couldn’t even protect themselves, then how could they strive for a higher Realm?
Be that as it may, the cultivators born in the Cave Heavens and Paradises had no need to worry about such matters. They only needed to cultivate here over many years. There was no reason for them to participate in external battles, so it didn’t matter if their combat powers were lower than usual.
However, even though Yang Kai studied the Secret Art diligently, he could neither identify the connection between the Great Nothingness Scripture and the Dao of Time nor figure out why a cultivator who cultivated this Secret Art would experience a sudden multi-fold increase in the flow of time within their Small Universe after advancing into the Open Heaven Realm.
Although the five Lang Ya Paradise disciples cultivating in this place did not understand Yang Kai’s origins, they saw Sect Master Li Yuan Wang bringing this person here with their own eyes. Nobody else had ever had such an honour before. Combined with his Open Heaven Realm heritage, they realised that he was different from them and did not take the initiative to speak to him.
Yang Kai ignored them and found a place to sit directly beneath the stone monument to comprehend the mysteries of the Great Nothingness Scripture.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. At this point, Yang Kai could already recite the entire Great Nothingness Scripture backwards. While he fully understood the mysteries of the Secret Art, he could not find any connection between the Secret Art and the Dao of Time.
The lack of findings puzzled him greatly. Logically speaking, the Great Nothingness Scripture should have some connection to the Dao of Time since it could greatly enhance the flow of time in the Small Universe of a cultivator who had advanced into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Nonetheless, he simply could not figure out the connection.
In that case, there were only two possibilities. One was that his attainments in the Dao of Time were insufficient, so he did not have the ability to detect the connection. The second possibility was that the effects could not be seen just from studying the words of the Secret Art in the first place. If he wanted to verify the effects, then he could only cultivate the Secret Art himself!
Seeing as he was already in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, the foundation of his cultivation had already been set, so there was no further opportunity to start over again. Even if he had the opportunity, he would not actually cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture either; after all, this Secret Art was completely done for the sake of becoming somebody else’s stepping stone.
An idea soon came to him. Maybe… there was no need for him to cultivate this Secret Art himself…
…..
Inside the Small Universe, there was a lively scene in front of the Seven Stars Sect’s Main Gates. It was the Seven Stars Sect’s Disciple Recruitment period that was held once every three years. Countless young people from all over the world had travelled here in hopes of joining Seven Stars Sect.
At present, Seven Stars Sect was no longer the small force that it once was in the past. Across the entire Void Continent, the overall strength of the Seven Stars Sect could be ranked among the top three.
Sect Master Shang Guan Ji had advanced into the Emperor Realm many years ago. Based on his strength alone, Seven Stars Sect could not be considered powerful; however, according to legend, there was an Ancestor in the Third-Order Emperor Realm in the Seven Stars Sect. That was an extremely terrifying existence; after all, how many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters were there in the entire Void Continent?
The Supreme Elder, known as Yang Kai, was not born in Seven Stars Sect. It was said that he wandered here a long time ago and stayed in the Seven Stars Sect because he felt some kind of fate with the Sect. That was how he eventually became the Seven Stars Sect Ancestor.
In the past, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master had acted presumptuously in Seven Stars Sect. As soon as the Ancestor stepped forward, the Master known as Shen Xing of Southern Star Palace had immediately been silenced.
Many of the smaller Sects had lamented over the fact that this Master had not been fated with them. If their Sects had caught his eye back then, the current Seven Stars Sect would not exist today.
Compared to the lively scene in front of the mountain gates, the atmosphere inside the Main Conference Hall seemed a little gloomy.
The current fame and reputation of the Seven Stars Sect was all thanks to the Ancestor alone. Shang Guan Ji might have advanced into the Emperor Realm, but he was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm. He was not responsible for Seven Stars Sect’s current fame. Unfortunately, the Ancestor had been missing for many years!
Nobody knew when the Ancestor had gone missing. When Shang Guan Ji went to visit one day, he discovered that the Spirit Peak where the Ancestor lived was completely devoid of people. Even the two Disciples whom the Ancestor had taken in were nowhere to be seen.
Shang Guan Ji had been shocked by the discovery. At first, he assumed that the Ancestor had simply taken his Disciples out for training and would return soon. Contrary to his expectations though, the Ancestor remained nowhere to be seen after so many years. What’s more, there was not the slightest clue of the Ancestor’s whereabouts in the Void Continent.
Instinctively, Shang Guan Ji felt that the Ancestor had abandoned Seven Stars Sect. The Ancestor was not somebody who originated from Seven Stars Sect after all. He simply happened to be passing by this place and waiting for the right person to come along. Since he found the person he had been waiting for, why would he remain in Seven Stars Sect?
Nevertheless, Shang Guan Ji was not resentful. The only reason Seven Stars Sect could enjoy its current reputation and status was all thanks to the Ancestor. He could only resent himself for being too weak to protect the foundation that the Ancestor had established back then.
Although this information had been kept under wraps for a long time, there was no such thing as a wall without holes. Many among the top ten Sects in the Void Continent were currently watching Seven Stars Sect vigilantly. Why else would so many Emperor Realm Masters come to observe the Disciple Recruitment this year?
It was a friendly visit in name, but it was actually a test. While Seven Stars Sect might not be obliterated if they failed to overcome this disaster, their reputation would definitely suffer a heavy blow. They would become a laughing stock if the news spread to the public. If that happened, finding good disciples would become difficult in the future.
The people in the Main Conference Hall were brainstorming various suggestions. Although there were many differing opinions, none of them could come up with a good solution to their current problem. In any case, the Disciple Recruitment was about to begin. If they were capable of doing the job, then it was time for them to start showing their abilities. At this point, it was impossible for them to conceal the news of the Ancestor’s disappearance.
Just as Shang Guan Ji was at a loss for what to do, a figure frantically rushed into the Grand Hall as though he was being pursued by a ghost. Everybody turned to look in that direction only to see Elder Guan Qian Xing stumbling into the Grand Hall with an extremely strange expression on his face.
“What happened?” Shang Guan Ji asked.
Guan Qian Xing might be in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, but he was clearly very agitated by something at this moment. Seeming to be out of breath, he exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and joy, “The Ancestor…”
There was a series of rustling noises as everybody stood up abruptly. Shang Guan Ji asked in a trembling voice, “Do you have news of the Ancestor!?”
Despite inquiring for so many years, there had been no news of the Ancestor. There was no saying whether it was a blessing or a curse for such information to appear today.
Guan Qian Xing pointed behind him, “The Ancestor is on the viewing platform!”
“What!?” Shang Guan Ji could barely believe his ears.
After a few stunned moments, he hastily rushed outside with Guan Qian Xing following closely behind. Following a quick conversation along the way, Shang Guan Ji finally learned that the Ancestor, who had been missing for so many years, had abruptly appeared on the viewing platform today.
Nobody knew how the Ancestor appeared. Even the Emperor Realm Masters from the other great forces who were sitting on the viewing platform had not noticed his presence until Guan Qian Xing, who was in charge of the Disciple Recruitment, suddenly turned around and saw him.
Guan Qian Xing almost thought that there was something wrong with his eyesight at that moment. After hastily greeting the Ancestor, he immediately rushed over to give his report.
When Shang Guan Ji arrived at the viewing platform, he saw that the Ancestor was indeed sitting in the highest seat right at the centre with an indifferent expression on his face. The rock that had been weighing down on his heart for so many years suddenly lifted at that moment. [The Ancestor did not abandon Seven Stars Sect! He came back!]
While he did not see the two Disciples under the Ancestor, the Ancestor had always been similar to a hidden dragon that showed its tail but never its face. In any case, he was not qualified to ask any questions.
What delighted him even more was the reactions of the Emperor Realm Masters on the viewing platform.
In the past, news of the Ancestor’s disappearance had been leaked to the public for some unknown reason. Many Sects in the Void Continent had repeatedly tried to probe for the truth, and various businesses under Seven Stars Sect had faced pressure from multiple directions.
Even the Disciple Recruitment had attracted Emperor Realm Masters from more than ten Sects to come and watch. What was there to see at a trivial Disciple Recruitment? Everybody knew that this was a test!
When Shang Guan Ji welcomed these Masters, all of them wanted to visit the Ancestor; however, he politely declined all their requests. His actions might have confirmed their suspicions about Yang Kai’s disappearance.
For that reason, the Emperor Realm Masters who came to watch the Disciple Recruitment became less polite towards Seven Stars Sect over the past few days. Their attitudes towards him also became much more condescending than before.
At this moment, the same Emperor Realm Masters who had been acting high and mighty were sitting upright and shivering in fear like quails during winter. Some of them also had pale complexions and feeble auras, almost as though they had been injured.
They had been sitting here and waiting for the Disciple Recruitment to begin, and during this period, they leisurely chatted among themselves to pass time. The atmosphere was very harmonious.
It was not until Guan Qian Xing hastily bowed at a certain person in greeting that they realised something in horror. An additional person had appeared on the viewing platforms at some point in time without their realisation. Moreover, that person was sitting in the main seat belonging to Seven Stars Sect.
This incident startled them greatly! There were First-Order, Second-Order, and even Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters among them. Nonetheless, none of them had noticed his presence. Did they meet a ghost in broad daylight!?
One of those present was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master from the Spirit Sea Temple and he originally wanted to investigate this person with his Divine Sense. Who could have known that he would experience a severe backlash just from this probing action? It was fortunate that the mysterious young man held no killing intent; otherwise, he would have died on the spot.
A Third-Order Emperor Realm Master already stood at the highest peak on the Void Continent. Even so, a simple probe had ended with such an outcome. Just how high was the cultivation of the mysterious young man!? It was rumoured that there were higher Martial Dao Realms beyond the Emperor Realm. Could it be that this person was beyond the Emperor Realm!?
Judging from Guan Qian Xing’s respectful attitude towards the young man, there was a high possibility that this person was none other than the Ancestor who was rumoured to have gone missing.
When Shang Guan Ji rushed over with the Elders of Seven Stars Sect in tow and bowed to Yang Kai in greeting, the Emperor Realm Masters finally confirmed Yang Kai’s identity. That person was indeed the mysterious and powerful Ancestor!
They were puzzled and confused by the situation. Wasn’t it said that the Ancestor had been missing for many years!? The Spirit Peak where he currently lived was devoid of people, and there were no clues about his whereabouts across the entire Void Continent. Why would he suddenly appear here today!?
Nevertheless, nobody questioned the situation. They all just quickly stood up and bowed in greeting.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Please sit. All who come here are guests.”
Now that all his worries from before had been swept away, Shang Guan Ji had a healthy flush on his face and he asked for instructions, “Ancestor, do you have any orders regarding the Disciple Recruitment?”
“Just proceed as usual. This King is only here to have a look.”
“Yes!”
The Disciple Recruitment was held as usual, but the news of Seven Stars Sect Ancestor’s appearance quickly spread to the public. Although Yang Kai claimed that he was only here to watch, this piece of news was extremely important to the people who came to participate in the Disciple Recruitment.
The Ancestor was not just anybody. How could he possibly come to watch the ceremony for no reason? It had to be said that the last time he came to watch the ceremony, he took in two Disciples at once! Who could guarantee that he was not here for more Disciples!?
Therefore, as soon as the news came out, all the people who came to participate in the Disciple Recruitment became highly motivated and desperately showed off their skills.
The Disciple Recruitment lasted for a whole day. Regardless of how outstanding the aptitude of a disciple though, none of them caught the interest of the Ancestor. Many people who came to watch the excitement were extremely disappointed as a result.
Hence, they were shocked and confused when Shang Guan Ji personally led a dirty and dishevelled thirteen- or fourteen-year-old young man over to Yang Kai.
The many Emperor Realm Masters on the viewing platform hurriedly recalled the information on this young man and quickly came to a conclusion.
Xu Yi; overall assessment C-; aptitude below average.
Nowadays, Seven Stars Sect had a higher standard when selecting new disciples. Only those with an overall assessment of C+ and above had the qualifications to join the Sect. It was obvious that Xu Yi’s assessment did not meet the requirements, so he was bound to be eliminated from the selection. However, Yang Kai had summoned him! Nobody could understand what Seven Stars Sect’s Ancestor was planning to do.
On the other hand, Xu Yi himself looked so frightened that he resembled a terrified little beast. Shang Guan Ji had probably said something to him when leading him here; hence, he immediately dropped to his knees with a thud in front of Yang Kai and pressed his head against the floor, “This little boy from the mountains, Xu Yi, greets Senior!”
Yang Kai quietly watched Xu Yi. He originally entered his Small Universe with the intention to find some suitable candidates to cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture. He could not cultivate the Secret Art himself, but if he could allow the people in his Small Universe to cultivate it in his stead, then he could monitor their condition at all times. That would be very helpful for his research into the Great Nothingness Scripture.
It was fortunate that he happened to be just in time for Seven Stars Sect’s Disciple Recruitment, but he did not expect to obtain such a harvest.
There was no denying that Xu Yi’s aptitude was not very high. He was only on par with Zhao Ye Bai in terms of overall talent. Be that as it may, Yang Kai could keenly sense that this child was compatible with Time Principles.
Yang Kai’s Small Universe had an abundance of Dao Essence, namely Space, Spear, and Time Dao Essence. These three Daos were also the Daos that he was most proficient in.
Before Zhao Ye Bai was born, Yang Kai had sensed that Zhao Ye Bai had extraordinary talent in the Dao of Space. Although Xu Yi was not as innately talented as Zhao Ye Bai, he was not bad either. If he was guided properly, he might reach great heights in the Dao of Time in the future. That made him the best candidate to cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture.
In this way, Yang Kai had found heirs to all three Daos that he was proficient in. Zhao Ye Bai for the Dao of Space, Zhao Ya for the Spear Dao, and Xu Yi for the Dao of Time.
“Where are your parents?” Yang Kai asked.
Xu Yi lowered his head and respectfully answered the question, “This little boy is an orphan. My parents have long passed away.”
Everybody in the surroundings revealed a look of understanding. From the tattered clothes and dirty appearance of Xu Yi, it could be seen that he had nobody taking care of him at a glance.
“Are you willing to worship me as your Master?” Yang Kai asked again.
A commotion spread through the crowd. Many of the Emperor Realm Masters and the Elders of Seven Stars Sect on the viewing platform turned to look at Yang Kai in complete disbelief. In their opinion, Xu Yi’s aptitude and assessment had no cultivation value. Even if he were allowed to cultivate, his future achievements would be extremely limited.
Why would the Ancestor take an interest in someone like Xu Yi!? What’s more, he planned to take Xu Yi as his Disciple!?
Although Shang Guan Ji was puzzled, he did not question the decision. The Ancestor would surely have his own reasons for his decision. In any case, the thoughts of the Ancestor were not something Shang Guan Ji could figure out. Maybe there was something special about Xu Yi that the Ancestor could see but they could not.
That was why he couldn’t help giving Xu Yi a gentle prod when he saw the boy staring blankly at Yang Kai, “Silly brat, why are you still daydreaming!? Receiving the favour of the Ancestor is a great honour!”
Xu Yi quickly bowed, “Disciple Xu Yi greets Honoured Master!”
He might not understand what the Ancestor represented, but he knew of Shang Guan Ji’s status. The fact that Seven Stars Sect’s Sect Master was being so respectful to this person clearly meant that the Ancestor’s status was much higher. He had been eliminated from Seven Stars Sect’s selection because did not have the qualifications to join the Sect; therefore, he had been quite disheartened. Now that there was a ray of hope in the darkness, it was only natural for him to grasp this opportunity with all his might.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and vanished out of sight with a flicker of his body. Xu Yi, who had been kneeling on the ground, also vanished at the same time!
All the Emperor Realm Masters on the viewing platform secretly gasped at the sight.
Just like how Yang Kai had appeared out of nowhere, nobody managed to catch a clear glimpse of how he disappeared either. With such elusive movements, how could anybody stop him if he wanted to harm them?
There was no need to mention how after these events, the many Emperor Realm Masters politely said their goodbyes and departed with haste.
On a certain Spirit Peak, Yang Kai studied Xu Yi, who was standing in front of him, “You wish to gain a Master, and I wish to gain a Disciple. However, this matter should not be rushed. There is something I must first explain to you. You may answer after you’ve given this matter some thought.”
Xu Yi clenched his fists tightly and nodded. The young man was not very knowledgeable, but he instinctively sensed that his answer would affect his future destiny.
“I have a Secret Art that I need someone to cultivate for me. You are a good candidate. Unfortunately, cultivating this Secret Art comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. The good thing is that you are very compatible with this Secret Art and there is a high possibility that this Secret Art can make up for your lack of aptitude. If you cultivate this Secret Art, you might achieve great things in the future.”
Xu Yi flushed beet red. It was clear that he was very excited, but he still asked cautiously, “What are the disadvantages?”
Yang Kai nodded slightly. Xu Yi’s attitude satisfied him. If Xu Yi had been too eager to cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture, Yang Kai might not have taught him the Secret Art lest he regret his choice in the future and feel resentment towards Yang Kai instead.
“Cultivating this Secret Art will not benefit you in combat. In other words, under the premise that your opponent is in the same cultivation realm as you, you might not be able to win against them. Moreover, when your cultivation reaches a certain realm, your lifespan will be greatly shortened.”
“I don’t like fighting!” Xu Yi said softly.
Yang Kai smiled, “In the path of cultivation, battles are inevitable. You can’t avoid battles just because you don’t like them.”
Xu Yi nodded and spoke like an old man, “One has to compromise; it is not always possible to act as they please.” After saying that, he blushed furiously, “That’s what I often hear from others…” Following some careful consideration he asked another question, “How high do I have to raise my cultivation before my lifespan will start to shorten?”
Yang Kai looked at Xu Yi and said, “Very, very high. What’s more, you may not be able to reach that point at all.”
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was not something just anybody could achieve at will.
“Is that so…” Xu Yi lowered his head. A long while passed before he raised his head and said, “I am willing to cultivate that Secret Art.”
He might be very young, but he had given much thought to this matter. If he did not cultivate this Secret Art, with his aptitude that had eliminated him from Seven Stars Sect’s selection, he would not have many other future options once he left this place. Even if he managed to join other smaller Sects, his cultivation would not amount to much no matter how much effort he put into it.
Although the Ancestor in front of him had mentioned that cultivating the Secret Art would bring various disadvantages, that was something that would only happen in the distant future. Why bother to worry about that now?
“You can take your time to consider. There’s no rush to answer!” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively.
Xu Yi nodded silently and did not rush to express his intentions again. Nevertheless, he continued to stay on the Spirit Peak.
From that next day onward, Yang Kai started to prepare various means to nurture Xu Yi’s foundation. He would occasionally toss Xu Yi into a giant bathtub to soak in a medicinal bath for several days or bring out some medicinal liquid for Xu Yi to apply on his body. Once in a while, he would also hand out some elixirs for Xu Yi to consume.
The young man did not refuse any of these items.
Yang Kai did not teach Xu Yi any cultivation techniques. Be that as it may, Xu Yi discovered that his body was undergoing a subtle change as time passed. He seemed to shed his former self and was reborn as a result. His body felt much lighter compared to before. Even his vision and hearing became significantly sharper.
Zhao Ya and Zhao Ye Bai had also gone through this process in the past. Before they started cultivating in earnest, Yang Kai had spent enormous amounts of time and energy laying their foundation for them. As the saying went, ‘All tall buildings began from the ground’. He himself had not enjoyed such favourable conditions when he started cultivating, but he spared no effort when it came to his Disciples.
Nobody had ever been so kind to Xu Yi before. Ever since the death of his parents when he was five years old, he had lived the life of a wanderer. There were also several occasions where he nearly starved to death. If not for his good luck, he would have died a tragic death a long time ago.
As Yang Kai did not restrict his freedom, he would often leave the Spirit Peak and wander around Seven Stars Sect. He was only a teenager after all; it was only natural that his curiosity was at its peak.
All the people he met would treat him courteously, regardless of whether they were Common Disciples or Elders in the Sect. At the same time, he slowly grasped Yang Kai’s identity and influence from the snippets of conversations that he heard from the people around him. Everybody in Seven Stars Sect believed that the Ancestor had already taken him in as a Disciple, so nobody dared to show him any disrespect.
Therefore, he did not hesitate to express his willingness to cultivate the Secret Art when Yang Kai questioned him again two months later.
“I hope you’ve thought about this carefully. I’ve already explained the disadvantages of the Secret Art to you. Once you begin cultivating, it will be too late for regrets,” Yang Kai warned solemnly.
Xu Yi nodded seriously, “This Disciple has decided! If I don’t cultivate this Secret Art, this Disciple might already be part of the soil in 100 years. There may be disadvantages in cultivating this Secret Art, but it’s still better than living a mediocre life!”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, “In that case, I will teach you the Great Nothingness Scripture!”
Xu Yi hurriedly bowed down, “Disciple greets Honoured Master!”
Yang Kai received the worship, but he did not ask Xu Yi to stand up immediately. Instead, he opened his mouth to explain something, “I have to let you know one thing. You are not the only Disciple under me. I’ve already taken in two other Disciples before you. Your Eldest Senior Brother is Zhao Ye Bai and your Second Senior Sister is Zhao Ya. They are elsewhere at the moment. I’m sure you will have a chance to meet them in the future.”
Xu Yi nodded. He had heard about this previously. The Seven Stars Sect disciples had mentioned his Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister while leisurely chatting with him, but he did not know much about the other two Disciples under his Honoured Master.
“Honoured Master, I’ve heard that Eldest Senior Brother does not have good aptitude. Is that true?” He asked.
Yang Kai nodded and swept a glance over Xu Yi, “He is on par with you.”
Xu Yi blushed when he heard those words. His aptitude was his greatest shortcoming. He secretly thought to himself that he had to work harder in the future; otherwise, he would only embarrass the Honoured Master when he was travelling outside.
At the same time, he couldn’t help feeling curious. Other people generally only accepted Disciples with good aptitude and rarely even bothered to give those with poor aptitude a glance. On the contrary, the Honoured Master seemed to accept these Disciples without such qualms.
At any rate, he was secretly grateful for the Honoured Master’s peculiarity. How else would he have the opportunity to worship the Honoured Master?
“Calm yourself and focus your mind!” Yang Kai instructed and simultaneously stretched out his finger towards Xu Yi’s forehead.
Xu Yi felt a finger stabbing at him before he could react. In the next moment, a warm and gentle force flowed into his mind. It was immediately followed by a considerable amount of inexplicable information. His body swayed unsteadily as a result, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
Before he could understand what had happened, he heard his Honoured Master’s voice, “This is the Great Nothingness Scripture. Don’t rush to cultivate the Secret Art. You only need to comprehend it for now.”
“Yes!” He nodded respectfully.
In the following months, Xu Yi lived in the house where Zhao Ya and Zhao Ye Bai had lived previously. He soaked in medicinal baths, applied medicinal liquid, consumed Spirit Pills, and constantly comprehended the mysteries of the Great Nothingness Scripture.
Unfortunately, he had never cultivated before, so he could not really comprehend anything when he suddenly came into contact with the mysterious Secret Art. It was fortunate that Yang Kai would take some time out of his schedule to explain the mysteries of the Great Nothingness Scripture to him.
One day, Xu Yi was soaking in the bathtub and listening to Yang Kai’s explanation when he suddenly noticed that his Honoured Master had gone silent. Moreover, his Honoured Master was completely motionless as though somebody had used a Binding Secret Technique on him. Startled, he jumped in fright and anxiously shouted, “Honoured Master?”
Yang Kai waved his hand at Xu Yi dismissively and stared blankly in a certain direction.
What was inside his Small Universe was just a projection of his Spiritual Energy, while his true body remained beneath the huge stone monument from before. The reason for his sudden absent-mindedness was that one of the five Lang Ya Paradise disciples cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture had suddenly broken through his bottleneck and advanced to the next Realm.
Although it was only an advancement from the Origin Returning Realm to the Origin King Realm, Yang Kai clearly detected a trace of Time Principles permeating the disciple’s body for a brief moment when the advancement succeeded. It was only present for a moment before vanishing without a trace. If he had not been proficient in the Dao of Time, he might not have detected them at all.
The other disciples, even the one who just advanced into the next Realm, seemed completely oblivious to the energy fluctuations. When Yang Kai tried to investigate further, the energy fluctuation from the Time Principles had already vanished. Furthermore, the disciple who just advanced into the next Realm showed no other signs of the Time Principles around him.
This situation puzzled him greatly. Nevertheless, he confirmed that the Great Nothingness Scripture was indeed related to the Dao of Time.
Li Yuan Wang had only given him half a year’s time, so it was predestined that his endeavour would not produce many results; hence, it was truly fortunate that he had asked Xu Yi to cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture. As long as Xu Yi was in his Small Universe, all the changes that occurred to Xu Yi while cultivating this Secret Art would not escape his perception.
It would seem that the only way for him to find the answers to the connection between the Great Nothingness Scripture and the Dao of Time was from Xu Yi. As a result, he started to nurture Xu Yi even more diligently than before, using only the very best herbs to help his Third Disciple solidify his foundation.
Xu Yi’s innate talent was poor, but his aptitude improved slightly thanks to Yang Kai’s efforts. At this rate, it would become easier for him to cultivate in the future.
When there was only half a month before the end of the six-month period, Xu Yi woke up one morning only to see his Honoured Master standing by his bedside and staring intently at him as soon as he opened his eyes. Startled, he hurriedly greeted the other party, “Honoured Master!”
Yang Kai’s gaze was profound, and he studied Xu Yi keenly as though he was trying to figure out something. There was a look of absolute confusion on his face. That was because he discovered that Xu Yi’s body already contained the Yuan Qi that came from cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture. Although it was as weak as a fluttering candle flame, the nature of the Yuan Qi was identical to the five Lang Ya Paradise disciples beneath the stone monument.
In other words, Xu Yi had officially begun to cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture! It was just that Yang Kai clearly recalled that there was nothing different about Xu Yi last night. More importantly, he had yet to allow Xu Yi to officially begin cultivating.
During the past few months of contact, Yang Kai had watched Xu Yi’s actions carefully. The young man was simple and honest without any kind of scheming or cunning in his heart. He was very similar to his Eldest Senior Brother Zhao Ye Bai in this aspect. He also treated Yang Kai’s words reverently. If Yang Kai did not allow him to cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture, then Xu Yi would never cultivate the Secret Art on his own initiative.
Besides, Yang Kai did not see Xu Yi cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture either, so where did the Great Nothingness Scripture’s Yuan Qi come from?
“Is something wrong, Honoured Master?” Xu Yi asked in confusion. The way the Honoured Master stared at him was making him feel very uneasy. Thus, he vaguely wondered whether he had made a mistake somewhere and displeased his Honoured Master.
“Did you cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture?” Yang Kai inquired bluntly.
“No!” Xu Yi quickly shook his head, “I would not dare to cultivate the Secret Art without Honoured Master’s permission.”
He did not seem to be lying.
“What did you do last night?” Yang Kai continued to question.
Nothing inside his Small Universe could be concealed from his perception, and he had indeed watched Xu Yi sleeping the entire night. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, but the Great Nothingness Scripture’s Yuan Qi definitely only started appearing last night.
“Disciple did not do anything. I was simply sleeping.”
Yang Kai frowned, “Check your own body. Do you feel anything different from before?”
Xu Yi hurriedly perceived himself when he heard those words. A short while later, he exclaimed in surprise, “Honoured Master, it feels like there’s something cool swimming around in my body!”
“That’s the Yuan Qi of the Great Nothingness Scripture.”
Xu Yi was stunned. Although he had never cultivated before, he understood what it meant for the Great Nothingness Scripture’s Yuan Qi to appear in his body. Be that as it may, he clearly had never officially cultivated the Great Nothingness Scripture.
[Where did the Yuan Qi come from? Could it be that I gained such benefits just from listening to the Honoured Master explain the mysteries of the Great Nothingness Scripture to me?]
After a moment of bewilderment, he suddenly scratched his head and looked at Yang Kai apologetically, “Honoured Master, does dreaming count as cultivation?”
“What dream?” Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows together.
Xu Yi explained, “Disciple had a dream last night. I began to cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture, but… it was just a dream!”
Yang Kai was puzzled, “You dreamt that you were cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture?”
Xu Yi replied, “Yes. I’m certain I cultivated in my dream. Disciple has always had many dreams since I was young. It happens almost every night. Moreover, it always feels as though many days have passed in my dreams. I often wake up feeling dizzy and exhausted as a result.”
A sudden realization struck Yang Kai, and he suddenly had a bold conjecture, “Do you always feel as though many days have passed every time you enter a dream?”
Xu Yi mulled over the question for a moment, “Most of the time. There was once when I felt as though I stayed in my dreams for two whole months. Moreover, everything in my dreams felt very real, almost like I was really living in that dream.”
Yang Kai asked, “Even after you came here?”
Xu Yi nodded, “Yes. But, after coming here, I don’t feel so exhausted anymore whenever I experience such dreams. It’s probably because my body has grown stronger.” Pausing for a moment, he added, “Honoured Master, I really did not cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture.”
“I know.” Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment and casually said, “It might be that you’re extremely compatible with the Great Nothingness Scripture. That may be why you can gain something just from listening to my teachings.”
Xu Yi had just started his path for the Martial Dao, so he was unable to stay alive without sleep or food like Yang Kai. After exhausting himself in the daytime, he soon slumbered off when darkness descended.
Yang Kai abruptly appeared beside his bed and looked silently at him.
The teenage boy was sound asleep with his expression calm and his breathing stable. He was unaware that there was someone else beside him in his room.
Just one hour later, Yang Kai could clearly feel that the faint Yuan Qi in the teenager’s body was running in the cultivation route of the Great Nothingness Scripture.
Although he already had such a speculation, he was still shocked upon sensing it.
The teenage boy was really cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture in his dreams, and it actually worked! This was something that was unheard of. It had to be noted that a person’s consciousness was in chaos in their dreams, just like a shattered space; there was no order to speak of. However, Xu Yi seemed to have a special instinct that could allow him to do things in his dreams that no one else could.
After a night of observation, Yang Kai realised that it took Xu Yi about six hours to finish running a full circulation.
Hence, the Yuan Qi in Xu Yi’s body only managed to run fewer than two orbits after one night. Despite that, his weak Yuan Qi had still been slightly strengthened.
When Xu Yi awakened the next day, he was pretty energetic.
Since he had already started cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture in his dreams, there was no longer any reason to be restricted in any way. Therefore, when he heard from his Honoured Master that he was allowed to start cultivating, he was ecstatic.
Yang Kai sat down beside him and gave him some instructions.
However, he soon found a problem. The teenage boy could smoothly cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture in his dreams, but when he was allowed to cultivate freely, his progress was basically stagnant.
Half a day had passed, but he had only run half a circulation. There were also times when he almost made mistakes in the cultivation route.
The boy was embarrassed by his performance as his face flushed. Despite that, he persisted.
Half a year had passed, so Li Yuan Wang personally came over and brought Yang Kai out. When Yang Kai was asked what he had discovered, he only said that he had felt the traces of Dao of Time coming from the disciple who had achieved a breakthrough, but there was nothing else.
Li Yuan Wang didn’t probe him further. It had been years since those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises started studying the Great Nothingness Scripture, but they still hadn’t found any clues. It was expected that Yang Kai hadn’t discovered anything new after studying it for just half a year.
After the matter in Lang Ya Paradise was solved, Yang Kai was supposed to go back to High Heaven Territory and get some rest. At the same time, he had to send his own Open Heaven Realm Masters to the different Small Source Worlds of those Cave Heavens and Paradises to get some training. The matter regarding the Profound Yin Bamboo had to be settled as well. Moreover, Qu Hua Shang would soon be set free following her 100 years of imprisonment.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t in a rush to set off on his journey because of Xu Yi. Instead, he stayed in Lang Ya Paradise and lived on Gu Pan’s Spirit Province for a time.
One month later, Xu Yi was finally on the right track in his cultivation journey.
However, he seemed to be two different people during the daytime and nighttime.
His performance was terrible while he was awake. Although he had been working hard, his improvement was negligible due to his weak aptitude.
On the other hand, his improvement was rapid during the nighttime. After every dream, the Yuan Qi in his body would be increased significantly. Moreover, Yang Kai realised that as time passed, the teenage boy could cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture increasingly faster in his dreams.
He had never expected his Third Disciple to be such an eccentric person.
It was as though the boy had two different aptitudes. One of them was his daytime aptitude. Despite Yang Kai’s nurturing, Xu Yi’s aptitude was still below average. Nevertheless, the aptitude that he showcased in his dreams was excellent. Although it wasn’t as extraordinary as Zhao Ya’s, he could be considered a gifted person.
Therefore, in just a month, Xu Yi made it to the Initial Element Stage.
Since his aptitude wouldn’t change so easily, the only explanation was that the flow of time in his dreams was different.
Xu Yi had said that he felt like he had spent days in his dream every time he slumbered off. In other words, he had more time to cultivate in his dream than during the daytime, which was why his progress was rapid in his dreams.
Was this due to his talent in the Dao of Time? He actually had more time to spend in his dreams.
Yang Kai had a feeling that he had taken on an incredible Disciple.
All of a sudden, he was looking forward to what Xu Yi would grow up to be.
More than ten days later, Gu Pan returned to her Spirit Province.
Although she was still in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai could clearly feel that her heritage had been significantly strengthened. He couldn’t help but think that Small Source Worlds were truly extraordinary. The reason the Cave Heavens and Paradises could stay powerful and rule over the entire 3,000 Worlds for such a long time was no doubt thanks in part to the Small Source Worlds.
Since Gu Pan had returned, and his business was completed, Yang Kai decided to bid her farewell.
He couldn’t figure out more things regarding Xu Yi for the time being, but Xu Yi was cultivating in his Small Universe, so as the boy grew up, Yang Kai would eventually find out the things he wanted to know.
Yang Kai had come to this place with a group of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, but he was all alone when he left. Since he was already used to this kind of situation, he didn’t feel lonely at all.
During this period of time, he had been nurturing the Profound Yin Bamboo in his Small Universe. Since the Black Ink Strength had reappeared, the Profound Yin Bamboo would definitely be in hot demand in the future. At the very least, all of Void Land’s Open Heaven Realm Masters would need it.
On the other hand, those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would buy the bamboo from High Heaven Territory in bulk.
Nevertheless, the downside of Profound Yin Bamboo was that it was only one of the Twelve Minor Pillars. Regardless of how it was nurtured, it would never be comparable to the Four Universe Pillars. Moreover, only High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could use it.
The Small Universes of the cultivators below the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm hadn’t materialised, so they were unable to nurture Profound Yin Bamboo in them.
Therefore, Void Land’s Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t use the Profound Yin Bamboo for the time being.
A person had to consume the heritage of his or her Small Universe in order to nurture more Profound Yin Bamboo. Others might not be willing to do this, but Yang Kai didn’t mind it. The Small Stone Race members living in his Small Universe were continuously increasing his heritage ten times faster than usual. All he had to do was send a lot of materials into the Small Universe so that the Stone Kings of the Small Stone Race could produce more pebble eggs.
As long as the benefits brought to the Small Universe by the Small Stone Race members could replenish the consumption of nurturing the Profound Yin Bamboo, Yang Kai’s power wouldn’t be affected.
Certainly, in that case, it would take him a longer time to make it to the Seventh Order, but it was a price that had to be paid.
Presently, Yang Kai was moving across the void on his own.
He passed through several Great Territories, but there came a moment when he suddenly looked in a particular direction and appeared amazed.
In that direction, there was a gigantic creature moving across the void, heading to some unknown place.
The void in the 3,000 Worlds was not safe. When he and Zhang Ruo Xi left for the Outer Universe for the first time and arrived at the 3,000 Worlds, they came across a Myriad Facets Insect. The unsuspecting duo was swallowed by the insect, which resulted in their separation. While Yang Kai fell into Seven Wonders Land, Zhang Ruo Xi was pretty lucky and after going through some hardship, she found her way to Lang Ya Paradise and became a disciple. She had been cultivating there ever since.
Other than the Myriad Facets Insect, there were also a lot of strange Space Beasts. Some Space Beasts kept to themselves while some of them would attack the cultivators that passed by. There were also some that loved going to places where many people had gathered together.
The reason there was a Void Dock in front of every major Star City wasn’t solely to inspect the cultivators that moved in and out of the place; it was also set up to ward off any Space Beasts that might attack them.
When Yang Kai was navigating through the void in the past, he had come across Space Beasts from time to time. When he was still weak, he would naturally avoid them, but now that he was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, most Space Beasts were not a match for him.
However, the creature in front of him now wasn’t a Space Beast. Instead, it was a being that was far more powerful than Space Beasts and even Divine Spirits.
A Giant Spirit God!
So far, Yang Kai had only met two Giant Spirit Gods. One of them was Ah Da, who had been loitering outside the Star Boundary. The other was the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, who had passed away in the Ancestral Land.
The Azure Dragon Spear was given to him by Ah Da back then, and over the years, Yang Kai had brought the spear with him to venture into different parts of the universe, making some achievements with its help.
Nevertheless, after the Star Boundary was rejuvenated, Ah Da decided to leave. There had not been any news about him since then. During this period of time, Yang Kai had not even met anyone who had seen another Giant Spirit God.
Yang Kai had never expected that while he was returning to High Heaven Territory, he would bump into a Giant Spirit God.
[Could it be Ah Da?] He wasn’t certain about it. Supposedly, there were only a small number in the Giant Spirit God Clan, so this Giant Spirit God was possibly the one Yang Kai knew.
He thus dashed forward and soon saw the colossal figure. For every step the Giant Spirit God took though, he could move across a vast distance in the void. His speed was actually slightly faster than when Yang Kai used Instantaneous Movement.
“Ah Da!” Yang Kai spoke to him using a Secret Technique to magnify his voice, but the Giant Spirit God ignored him and kept moving forward.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and manipulated Space Principles. After his figure flickered several times, he finally reached the colossal creature and stood on his shoulder.
The Giant Spirit God was truly massive. While standing on his shoulder, Yang Kai looked just like a grain of dust.
Although it wasn’t the first time Yang Kai came across a Giant Spirit God, the emotions in his heart still undulated when he laid eyes on one. He supposed the Heavens were truly incredible as such a gigantic creature could exist in this world.
“Ah Da!” Yang Kai shouted right beside his ear using the same Secret Technique.
However, the other party still ignored him and rushed forward in silence.
Yang Kai examined him for a moment and confirmed that this Giant Spirit God wasn’t Ah Da. That was because Ah Da had a bald head while this Giant Spirit God had a few strands of black hair, which made him look a bit comical.
“Do you know Ah Da?” Yang Kai asked.
This time, the Giant Spirit God turned to look at him and put on a silly smile.
[I suppose he knows Ah Da after all.] Yang Kai thought. Giant Spirit Gods weren’t the best conversationalists. In the past, Ah Da would only tell him that he was hungry. On the other hand, the Giant Spirit God in front of him was completely silent.
This Giant Spirit God appeared to be calm and collected, so Yang Kai wasn’t worried that the gigantic creature would harm him. Instead, he was curious about his behaviour.
“Where are you going?”
“Where’s Ah Da? Are you and him Brothers?”
“What’s your name?”
…..
Yang Kai went on to ask him a lot of questions, but he didn’t get any replies at all, so in the end, he made a decision and said, “I’ll call you Ah Er, then.”
He wondered if there were Ah San, Ah Si, and so on in the Giant Spirit God Clan.
Soon, Giant Spirit God Ah Er arrived at a Territory Gate.
Yang Kai looked curiously at the situation. Supposedly, given Ah Er’s size, it would be impossible for him to pass through the Territory Gate. Although the Territory Gate was huge, it was much smaller than the Giant Spirit God. If he really squeezed through it, the barrier of the Territory Gate would be shattered.
It had been a long time since Yang Kai arrived in the 3,000 Worlds, so he was no longer a naive and ignorant boy.
There were thousands of Great Territories in the expansive universe, and every Great Territory could be seen as a sealed space. There were very thick barriers between the Great Territories to separate them.
With that said, there were loopholes in the barriers. Only by passing through the loopholes could a person go from a Great Territory to another.
The loopholes were the Territory Gates.
Yang Kai had no idea whether Territory Gates were made by ancient Great Experts or were naturally formed.
Countless years had passed, and all the known Great Territories were recorded in the Universe Charts, which offered great convenience to cultivators.
However, there were some unknown Great Territories where there were no loopholes in the barriers, or their loopholes were inconspicuous. An example was the New Great Territory that was near High Heaven Territory. If it weren’t for the battle between the top cultivators from Void Land and Zuo Quan Hui, the New Great Territory wouldn’t have been exposed and come into everyone’s sight.
In fact, the New Great Territory wasn’t a unique case. According to the records in the ancient books, a new Great Territory would be discovered in this expansive universe every few thousand or tens of thousands of years.
The discovery of a New Great Territory meant that there would be ample resources which had yet to be exploited; therefore, whenever the news was spread, it would attract a lot of great forces over.
If it weren’t for the World Tree in the Star Boundary, High Heaven Palace wouldn’t have been able to monopolise the New Great Territory that was just beside High Heaven Territory. The Cave Heavens and Paradises wouldn’t have easily given up on it.
At this moment, the gigantic Giant Spirit God was standing in front of the Territory Gate. In comparison, the Territory Gate looked as small as a mouse hole.
Yang Kai was curious about how this Giant Spirit God would pass through this Territory Gate. Given the Giant Spirit God’s power, he could probably just force his way through it; however, if he did that, the Void Barrier would likely be shattered. When that happened, the two Great Territories would be adversely affected.
It wasn’t just about a portal breaking into pieces. It might cause an upheaval in both Great Territories.
Although the Giant Spirit Gods were reticent, they were obviously aware of this truth; therefore, under Yang Kai’s watch, the colossal creature’s power suddenly surged as his figure rapidly shrank.
The Giant Spirit God Ah Er eventually stopped when he was small enough to pass through the Territory Gate.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised the Giant Spirit Gods were capable of doing this. At such a size, it wasn’t hard for them to pass through a Territory Gate.
He suddenly recalled Bi Xi, who was also a colossal giant. The entire Void Land resided on his back. Bi Xi had previously said that if he wanted to move to another place, he had to shrink his true body in order to move past the Territory Gates.
This was also the method used by Giant Spirit God, Ah Er.
However, the entire Void Land was on Bi Xi’s back, so if he really shrank his true body, Void Land would cease to exist. That was the kind of loss Yang Kai would never be able to accept.
Void Land was the first foundation he had built since he arrived at the 3,000 Worlds. Void Star City, which was thriving, had a symbolic meaning, and it was also a great source of income.
After Ah Er became smaller, he directly plunged into the Territory Gate while Yang Kai was firmly standing on his shoulder.
They then moved past the Territory Gate and arrived at a different Great Territory. Following that, the Giant Spirit God’s figure expanded and returned to its original size.
It seemed that he felt most comfortable in this state.
Yang Kai had no idea where Ah Er was heading or what the latter was doing. After hesitating between following him and returning to High Heaven Territory for a while, he chose the former.
It wasn’t necessary for him to return to High Heaven Territory as Hua Qing Si generally handled everything for him. In comparison, he was more interested in this Giant Spirit God.
Yang Kai was wary of the Black Ink Clansman that was hiding in some unknown place. He had personally experienced how powerful the resurrected Will was, so he knew that the forces under his command could never resist it if it appeared before them.
Although the Cave Heavens and Paradises were now looking for the Black Ink Clan member and many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had streamed into the Shattered Heaven, no one could be certain whether they could find the enemy.
Yang Kai reckoned that they would eventually find them though. The fact that the Black Ink Clan member had exposed themselves meant that they could no longer bear to remain hidden in isolation and would certainly make a move again.
If Yang Kai could gain this Giant Spirit God as an ally, he wouldn’t have to worry if he came across the Black Ink Clansman again.
After tagging along with Ah Er for about a month, Yang Kai finally understood why people never caught sight of any Giant Spirit Gods even after such a long time.
That was because a Giant Spirit God was extremely fast!
Ah Er’s colossal figure could move at the speed of lightning across the void, so the average person might not notice him even if they brushed past him.
If it weren’t because Yang Kai was an expert in the Dao of Space, he wouldn’t have been able to chase after him even if he discovered him.
After passing through more than ten Great Territories, Yang Kai suddenly noticed a strange phenomenon.
Usually, it was unlikely for him to come across other cultivators in the void. After all, space was vast, and everyone had their own business to attend to. Unless it was a coincidence or an agreed meet-up, he usually wouldn’t bump into anyone.
However, when Yang Kai arrived at this latest Great Territory, he realised that many cultivators had come together in groups as they flew forward in his direction. There were also many flight-type artifacts of different styles, all of them glowing brightly as they sailed forth filled with people.
The speed at which they were moving was rapid and many of the people aboard appeared flustered, as though they were trying to flee from a calamity.
People who could travel across the void were cultivators who had the right to shake off the restrictions of their Universe Worlds at the very least. Even the weakest ones had condensed their own Dao Seals.
Yang Kai saw a lot of such cultivators here.
There was something off about this situation though. Usually, even if a cultivator had condensed his or her own Dao Seal, they wouldn’t travel across the void as he pleased. After all, Space Beasts were everywhere, so it was dangerous for a cultivator to move around recklessly. No one could be certain whether they would fall into danger or get killed at any moment.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai could see that these people seemed to be forced to leave their homelands and head to a different place.
He grew curious about this. If it weren’t because he was worried that he would lose the Giant Spirit God, he would’ve caught someone and asked him what was going on.
Half a day later, Giant Spirit God Ah Er brought him to the Territory Gate of this Great Territory.
In front of the Territory Gate stood more than ten people who stared fixedly at the portal. All of them seemed to be awaiting a formidable enemy. Furthermore, every one of them exuded an aura that was as deep as the ocean. The grey-haired old man among them was the most powerful.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched when he saw that.
All of these people were obviously High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. In other words, they were top cultivators from the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
The grey-haired old man in the middle of them was even an Ancestor who was in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai wondered which Cave Heaven or Paradise the old man was from.
More than ten Seventh-Order and an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had gathered together in this place. It was apparent that something major had happened.
The first thought that came into Yang Kai’s mind was that they had found the Black Ink Clansman. Otherwise, these top cultivators wouldn’t have gathered together here. Only the Black Ink Clan could cause these Cave Heavens and Paradises to put their guards up.
At that moment, the emotions in Yang Kai’s heart undulated.
It was no wonder that all the cultivators in this Great Territory were fleeing, for the Black Ink Clansman had an eerie power. The Cave Heavens and Paradises apparently didn’t want the innocent people to be affected, nor would they want to give the Black Ink Clan members a chance to corrupt others and spread their influence. That was why they told all the cultivators in this Great Territory to move to another place.
Meanwhile, Ah Er’s arrival caught the attention of many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. One of them even turned his head and yelled, “Giant Spirit God!”
It wasn’t until this moment that the others saw the gigantic creature that was coming at them.
Ah Er directly arrived at the Territory Gate as his figure shrank and charged forward.
“Dodge!”
The Eighth-Order Ancestor’s expression changed as he shouted. At the same time, he waved his hand and swept a gentle force across the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were forced to separate to the sides in front of the Territory Gate. The next instant, Ah Er dashed into the Territory Gate.
The Eighth-Order Ancestor frowned and looked at the Territory Gate. Just now, he thought that he had seen something.
“Was someone standing on the Giant Spirit God’s shoulder?” A woman in an imperial dress looked doubtfully at the others.
Earlier, she caught a glimpse of a figure standing on the Giant Spirit God’s shoulder, but before she could make out what the person looked like, the Giant Spirit God had disappeared.
Someone nodded to show that he had seen the figure as well, “Just who was that? He is too reckless!”
“Regardless of who he is, he won’t stand a chance to survive after entering that place.”
“What a shame!”
They soon stopped talking. Under the Eighth-Order Ancestor’s leadership, they stared vigilantly at the Territory Gate, carefully observing any changes that occurred.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had the urge to curse.
When he saw those High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters just now, he had the intention to jump off the Giant Spirit God and ask them what was going on; however, Ah Er had already passed through the Territory Gate without giving him a chance to react.
As soon as Yang Kai entered this Great Territory, he knew that he was in a perilous situation.
That was because this place was filled with a rampaging murderous intent and the air of danger! Although Yang Kai was standing on the Giant Spirit God’s shoulder, he still felt terrified.
Looking up, he saw that the void around him was filled with only two colours.
One of them was yellow, and the other was blue.
The entire void seemed to be painted by these two colours as they entangled and crashed with one another. The violent forces churned and swirled, smashing space to pieces whenever they clashed.
Without even needing to examine them, Yang Kai could clearly tell that these masses of coloured light contained horrifying powers that could easily destroy worlds.
Upon closer inspection, he could see that the colours had actually taken on various forms. Some had dragon heads, while others had phoenix tails. Some had Qilin horns, Kun fins, Turtle feet, and so on and so forth.
All the characteristics of the Divine Spirits could be found in these creatures, making them look mightier than any ordinary Divine Spirit.
Both parties looked the same, but their colours were different.
The void was filled with these weird creatures of different shapes and sizes as they crashed into and attempted to hack each other to death. Every time they exchanged moves, space would tremble and warp. The fallout from the attacks were unbearable even for High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Fortunately, a layer of milky white glow was formed around the Giant Spirit God to serve as a protective barrier to ward off these shockwaves.
Ripples could be seen as the fallout came into contact with the white glow.
At that moment, Yang Kai found himself in a dilemma.
Right now, he could not stray away from Ah Er, for without the Giant Spirit God’s protection, he reckoned that he would lose his life in under three breaths in this place.
The shockwaves produced from the clashes between the two different coloured lights were too horrifying. There was no way he could fend them off. He had never seen such purely devastating powers before.
[Just what are they?]
Yang Kai’s pupils contracted to needle points as he watched the countless unique beings hacking each other to death.
All of a sudden, he came to realise what the two colours, yellow and blue, represented.
They were the Sun’s Burning Light and the Moon’s Serene Glimmer!
Rumour had it that when the world was born in ancient times, the first ray of light appeared, and that light split into two which gave rise to Yin and Yang. As time passed, this pure Yang became the Sun’s Burning Light while the Yin became the Moon’s Serene Glimmer.
They were the ancestors of all Divine Spirits, as well as the source of all living creatures.
The Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer were closely related to the Divine Spirits and the Ancestral Land. In fact, they had supposedly lived in Ancestral Land for a long time in the ancient past.
One day, these two powerful beings suddenly left. No one knew what had happened, but the battle between the Sun’s Burning Light and the Moon’s Serene Glimmer started then.
The battle had spanned across countless years, and it still hadn’t stopped up until now. Due to the fight between the two, innumerable Great Territories had been destroyed.
The Proprietress had said that wherever the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer went, all lives would be destroyed. They lived in a true Chaotic Dead Territory. Even the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters wouldn’t dare to go anywhere near this place.
Initially, Yang Kai thought that the more than ten High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were guarding the Territory Gate because they had found the hiding place of the Black Ink Clansman, but it didn’t seem to be the case now.
No traces of the Black Ink Clan were found here. Instead, this place was filled with the pure yet violent Yin and Yang forces that were represented by yellow and blue lights. They tangled together and tried to rip each other to pieces.
Yang Kai couldn’t think of any other explanation. These were the forces of the Sun’s Burning Light and the Moon’s Serene Glimmer.
Upon that realization, he couldn’t help but gulp.
He had never thought about visiting Chaotic Dead Territory before. The Proprietress was right to say that no Humans should ever step into this place. Even a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be swiftly killed after barging in here.
It was only thanks to the Giant Spirit God that Yang Kai was still alive. Ah Er fended off all of the devastating forces around them, which was why he hadn’t been harmed.
It was only then he understood why all the cultivators in the neighbouring Great Territory had fled.
The battlefield between the Sun’s Burning Light and the Moon’s Serene Glimmer was expanding. Once the Territory Gate was affected, even the neighbouring Great Territory would be dragged into this eternal conflict. When that happened, the entire Great Territory would become a part of the Chaotic Dead Territory.
No one was willing to stay there and wait for death.
The Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer were a grave threat, so the Cave Heavens and Paradises must be paying close attention to the two. That was why more than ten High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were asked to watch over the place.
When Yang Kai snapped back from his dazed state, he realised that the battle between the two colours he had been observing had come to an end. The two colours represented the forces of Yin and Yang. Although their appearances were similar, their powers were not equally matched.
During the entanglement, the yellow creature that represented the Yang Element was defeated and shattered by the other party. Although it tried to condense into a new figure, it couldn’t achieve its goal.
All that was left behind was a crystal the size of a palm.
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened when he saw that.
Countless materials of different Elements and Orders had passed through his hands, so he was now an expert in identifying such resources. Without even the need to take a closer look, he was sure that this palm-sized Yellow Crystal was a very pure Yang Element material, and it was of a high Order.
He then looked around and realised that innumerable Yellow Crystals and Blue Crystals of different sizes were floating about in the void.
He even saw a Yellow Crystal vein that spanned across several kilometres. It looked like a dead Flood Dragon that was drifting through space.
When he arrived at this place just now, he was overwhelmed by the violent forces and attracted to the battle between the two colours, so he hadn’t been paying attention to anything else. It wasn’t until this moment that he noticed these crystals.
At that moment, his breathing started becoming rapid.
All of a sudden, he recalled that when he desperately needed Yin and Yang Element materials back then, the Proprietress jokingly told him to come to the Chaotic Dead Territory, for it was the battlefield of the Sun’s Burning Light and the Moon’s Serene Glimmer. As the two forces clashed, countless Yin and Yang Element materials would be born.
These Yellow Crystals and Blue Crystals of different sizes that were floating about randomly were all Yin and Yang Element materials. Regardless of their Orders, they must be very pure, for they were the condensation of the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer’s power.
[H-How many are there?]
It was the first time Yang Kai realised what innumerable truly meant. Despite the fact that he was wealthy, as he owned two Star Cities and a whole New Great Territory, his blood was still boiling when he saw these ownerless materials.
It had to be noted that these were all Yin or Yang Element materials, which were the rarest materials in the entire 3,000 Worlds.
The reason the Cave Heavens and Paradises were willing to offer the opportunities to enter their Small Source Worlds in order to gain the right to use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace was that they wanted to create Yin and Yang Element materials of higher Orders. They had to get prepared for the disciples who were growing up in the Star Boundary who would soon need such resources.
Yang Kai shared the same sentiment when he told Bian Yu Qing to send a large amount of materials to Great Evolution Paradise.
However, if he could gather the materials in the Chaotic Dead Territory, he wouldn’t need the Good Fortune Divine Furnace anymore.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises must be aware of this as well, but they were unable to get their hands on these materials. Perhaps an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could hug the edge of the Chaotic Dead Territory to gather a few materials, but once they ventured further in, they would be unable to guarantee their safety. The mere fallout from the battle between the Burning Light and the Serene Glimmer could easily kill an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai extended his hand toward the newly formed Yellow Crystal that was close to him.
Yang Kai had to ensure that his hand remained within the protection range of the Giant Spirit God, or he would likely lose it, but this layer of protection also seemed to dampen his abilities severely.
Fortunately, the Yellow Crystal was only a few dozen metres away from him, so he could easily snatch it.
Upon obtaining the crystal, Yang Kai realised that it was a Sixth-Order Yang Element material.
He became startled as he initially thought that the Yellow Crystal would be of a higher Order, but it turned out to only be in the Sixth Order.
Both the Burning Light and the Serene Glimmer were at least in the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm; or more likely, there was no Order that could really define them.
Naturally, their powers wouldn’t be so weak.
Nevertheless, after giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that the living creatures of different colours must have experienced a prolonged battle which slowly wore down their strength, so it was only natural for this crystal’s Order to be degraded.
A Sixth-Order material was by no means worthless though, and could even be considered a strategic resource to the Cave Heavens and Paradises. They wouldn’t easily use it unless it was necessary.
It was just that Yang Kai’s expectations had been heightened as he was surrounded by the abundance of materials.
He then extended his hand one more time in an attempt to grab a Blue Crystal that was further away. This Blue Crystal was larger than the Yellow Crystal he had just obtained, and it looked more refined. He reckoned that it might be a Seventh-Order Blue Crystal.
While his Space Principles undulated though, the Blue Crystal remained unmoving.
Yang Kai became startled for a moment before he made another attempt, but he still couldn’t snatch it.
However, he wasn’t given another chance as Ah Er suddenly began charging forward in a particular direction at the speed of lightning.
Yang Kai quickly shifted his attention and looked in the direction Ah Er was heading. He stared intently at the front and targeted the Yellow and Blue Crystals he would soon come across.
He extended his hand from time to time to capture the Yellow and Blue Crystals of different sizes.
Within an hour, Yang Kai had obtained more than 100 materials. He didn’t even have time to look into the Orders of these materials, for any lack of concentration would result in missing another opportunity.
Giant Spirit God Ah Er naturally wouldn’t cooperate with him as he seemed to have his own goal for coming to this place. Regardless of how loudly Yang Kai shouted beside his ear, he never slowed down.
Yellow and Blue Crystals seemed to be everywhere in the Chaotic Dead Territory and all one had to do was reach out to catch them.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai was fully aware that it was all thanks to his Giant Spirit God companion. Without Ah Er’s protection, he wouldn’t have been in the mood to capture these materials as he would have already been vaporized by the never-ending explosions around him.
With that said, Yang Kai soon figured out some basic rules of this place. He would be able to easily capture the Yellow and Blue Crystals within a radius of 50 metres around him, but he would be powerless to do so for anything beyond that distance.
The entire Chaotic Dead Territory was filled with those destructive forces. Moreover, the protective layer around Ah Er would significantly weaken his abilities.
Yang Kai felt that it was such a shame, because he had seen some crystal veins on several occasions. The short ones were about several tens of metres while the long ones were more than a dozen kilometres in length. Nevertheless, he couldn’t get them as they were too far away from him. If he managed to obtain any of those crystal veins, it would mean that he would have immense wealth in his possession.
It was indeed a shame, but there was nothing he could do.
He reckoned that this was already a huge windfall for him, and since he had obtained so many rewards already, he should learn to feel content. It would do him no good to be greedy. Moreover, he only had one chance to tag along with Ah Er to pick up these treasures.
Soon, Yang Kai found out Ah Er’s purpose for visiting this place.
The Giant Spirit God had come all the way here for the dead Universe Worlds!
The Giant Spirit God Clan members were known to be powerful yet peaceful. Dead Universe Worlds were their only food. Moreover, they had a special skill that allowed them to catch a whiff of the auras of dying Universe Worlds.
It was because of this reason that Ah Da remained outside the Star Boundary in the past. He waited for a long time as he anticipated the Star Boundary to die, but in the end, Yang Kai managed to save the Universe World with a World Tree’s root.
Without any complaints, Ah Da left the place while still feeling hungry.
Yang Kai felt a bit guilty whenever he thought about this incident; after all, while he was venturing into the 3,000 Worlds, it was Ah Da who kept the Star Boundary safe, and it was even Ah Da who taught him how to save the Star Boundary.
Since the battlefield between the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer was expanding, this region had descended into chaos, and the Universe Worlds had begun collapsing. Ah Er caught a whiff of this dying aura, which was why he travelled across dozens of Great Territories to have his fill.
No one could figure out the original state of the shattered Universe World as half of it was already gone. Only shattered Spirit Provinces of different sizes were left while all the beings who once lived here were already dead.
Ah Er arrived at a shattered Spirit Province that was about a hundred kilometres wide. After grabbing the Spirit Province, he brought it to his mouth and began chomping on it.
There was an elated expression on his face as though he was wolfing down a piece of delicious meat, which was in contrast to his usually expressionless face.
Yang Kai didn’t even hear any sound of chewing as the large shattered Spirit Province was gulped down into the colossal figure’s stomach. The Giant Spirit God then extended his hand towards another shattered Spirit Province.
Yang Kai looked around and realised that there were no nearby materials that he could capture. Since he had time now, he decided to go through the rewards he had obtained so far.
After some quick counting, Yang Kai realised that he had amassed more than 100 materials, which was why he was ecstatic.
Moreover, they were all in the Fifth Order and above.
There were not a lot of Fifth-Order materials, just about 10% in total. 30 to 40% were Sixth-Order, while the same percentage were Seventh-Order. The rest were Eighth-Order materials.
Just like the Fifth-Order materials, the Eighth-Order ones came in a small quantity.
From this sample, Yang Kai reckoned that most of the materials floating in the void were in the Sixth and Seventh-Orders. After pondering on the process of their formation, he found a sensible explanation.
The disorderly energies of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer filled the entire Chaotic Dead Territory as they hacked each other to death. Every time they clashed, their forces would weaken a little.
They were originally in the Ninth Order at the very least, but after a prolonged fight, it was expected that their Order would degrade.
When they were reduced to the Sixth Order or the Seventh Order, the outcome of the battle would be clear. As a result, Yellow and Blue Crystals in the Sixth-Order and the Seventh-Order would be left.
If the battle ended sooner, Eighth-Order materials would be left.
However, if the battle dragged on longer, their powers would be weakened further, and only Fifth-Order materials would be left.
Hence, there were not a lot of Eighth-Order and Fifth-Order materials. On the other hand, Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order materials were the most abundant in the Chaotic Dead Territory.
Yang Kai’s eyes glowed brightly as he looked at the Eighth-Order Blue Crystal in his hand.
It was an Eighth-Order Yin Element material! He had never expected that he would acquire such a valuable treasure one day. Even the Cave Heavens and Paradises wouldn’t have many Eighth-Order materials.
If this Eighth-Order Yin Element material was traded for Open Heaven Pills, it would be worth at least 2 billion. Of course, no one would actually sell such a precious treasure.
This thing was greatly beneficial to High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. By collecting a full set of Yin, Yang, and Five Element materials, and refining them, one could significantly increase the heritage of their Small Universe.
To the Cave Heavens and Paradises, Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials were strategic resources. That was because some gifted disciples might be able to directly ascend to the Sixth Order, and such materials would be required; hence, they had to prepare enough of such materials.
However, Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order materials were not in that category.
Even if there was a supremely talented disciple who could directly ascend to the Seventh Order, such a person would only appear once in a few thousand years; therefore, only two to three sets of such materials would ever be needed in reserve.
On the other hand, no one had ever directly ascended to the Eighth Order before. It was a feat no one had achieved in history. Even someone as strong as Yang Kai only attempted to make it to the Seventh Order in the past. The Dao Seal of an Emperor Realm cultivator was simply unable to bear the impact of Eighth-Order materials, no matter how gifted they were.
Therefore, Eighth-Order materials were not considered strategic resources. To High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order materials could all be used for cultivation. It would be too slow to refine Open Heaven Pills, so refining a complete set of materials was a better option.
It was for this reason that once a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master collected a complete set of materials, they would immediately refine it. The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters among the Cave Heavens and Paradises would also only exchange items like this for other like items they needed.
Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were able to refine Sixth-Order Materials, Seventh-Order Masters could refine Seventh-Order Materials, and so on and so forth.
Most people would follow such practices. However, even the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to get a lot of valuable materials, so they could only opt for the second best option, which would be to refine Open Heaven Pills or materials of a lower Order. As time passed, the heritage of their Small Universe would still increase, just slower.
Yang Kai was only one step away from the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, and he now possessed these Blue and Yellow Crystals in the Sixth-Order. As long as he was willing to pay the price, he could significantly shorten the time to make it to the Seventh Order.
Compared to the Yin and Yang Element materials, it wasn’t hard for him to get his hands on materials of the Five Elements. The Cave Heavens and Paradises would even welcome him if he was willing to exchange some Yellow and Blue Crystals for other materials.
Therefore, he would never miss the opportunity right in front of his eyes.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to enter the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside a Giant Spirit God, so it was expected that he wanted to acquire more benefits.
After storing his current haul, Yang Kai looked up and saw that Ah Er had almost finished eating the Universe World.
During this period of time, he had collected some of the nearby Yellow and Blue Crystals while Ah Er was moving around.
Just when he was looking forward to the Giant Spirit God’s next move, Ah Er suddenly patted his belly and appeared satisfied.
At that instant, Yang Kai had a very bad feeling.
The next moment, Ah Er lay down in the void and closed his eyes. Following that, snoring that was as loud as thunder reverberated out.
Yang Kai had the urge to curse. [This guy is asleep after having enough food! Just a shattered Universe World could make you full? I thought you had a bottomless appetite!]
Yang Kai furrowed his brow deeply, for he wouldn’t be able to collect more Yellow and Blue Crystals if Ah Er stopped moving altogether.
Moreover, he wasn’t certain how long Ah Er would remain asleep; after all, a Giant Spirit God was both enormous and powerful, so it wouldn’t be surprising for him to nap for 800 to 1,000 years.
Naturally, Yang Kai couldn’t be held up for such a long time. If he didn’t appear for 1,000 years, Void Land and High Heaven Territory would certainly fall into chaos.
[I cannot allow him to fall into a deep sleep! I have to do something!]
Like climbing a mountain, Yang Kai moved up and soon reached Ah Er’s ear. Standing beside the huge and dark ear canal, Yang Kai took a deep breath as his chest bulged. Using a Secret Technique, he roared, “Wake up!”
An impatient Ah Er rolled over and almost flung Yang Kai away.
After stabilising himself, Yang Kai continued shouting beside his ear.
“Your Big Brother Ah Da is here, Ah Er! Wake up!”
“Look, there’s a female Giant Spirit God. She looks so slim!”
“Are you waking up or not? I’ll poke you. I will really do it!”
…
A while later, Ah Er suddenly folded his ear as he was annoyed by Yang Kai’s harassment.
When the ear folded, it was like a gigantic hand coming right at Yang Kai, who immediately rolled away with a livid expression.
When he turned his head, he realised that Ah Er had blocked his ear canal.
Certainly, he wouldn’t give up just like that. As he darted his gaze around, he snorted and walked up to Ah Er’s massive nostrils. After entering one of them, he wrapped his arms around a strand of nasal hair that was as big as a column and pulled it.
This caused a massive reaction. While it was effective, the outcome was horrifying.
When Ah Er sneezed, Yang Kai felt like he was riding a small canoe in the ocean amidst a fierce storm. Regardless of how hard he clung on to the strand of nasal hair, he was still spurted out of Ah Er’s nostril. Following that, he kept rolling away.
Seeing that he was about to leave Ah Er’s protection range, he hurriedly assumed his Dragon Form.
Following a desperate Dragon Roar, Yang Kai’s 10,000 metres long Dragon Form wrapped around Ah Er’s calf like a snake, which finally saved him from the calamity.
After the storm, Yang Kai returned to his Human Form with a pale face.
Ah Er had absolutely no ill intentions, but his reaction almost sent Yang Kai to the Yellow Springs.
Yang Kai decided not to provoke him again as he had no idea what would befall him next time. It would be unfortunate if he was killed by Ah Er.
However, he didn’t want to just wait around and do nothing. After looking around, he decided to try to capture more Yellow and Blue Crystals.
While Ah Er was essentially motionless in his sleep, the Yellow and Blue Crystals floating in the Chaotic Dead Territory were moving around.
Following the impact of those violent forces, the innumerable Yellow and Blue Crystals were thrown about in random directions, and some of them would brush past Ah Er from time to time.
These were the crystals Yang Kai could capture.
He then dashed towards Ah Er’s head, which was a better position as he could get a better view of his surroundings.
After that, he sat down with his legs crossed as he decided to wait for the gains to come to him.
He was only able to acquire crystals that were within a radius of 50 or so metres around him, which was a shame as he missed a lot of potential treasures.
It would be wonderful if he could capture targets that were further away from him.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai slapped his own forehead and chastised himself for being so foolish. He had something he could make use of, but the idea never came to mind previously.
He then summoned his Azure Dragon Spear, and as he infused the power of his Dragon Vein into the spear, the weapon soon grew longer.
When Yang Kai’s Dragon Form was about 1,000 metres previously, the Azure Dragon Spear could also expand to the same length. However, since he became a Grand Dragon, he had not used Azure Dragon Spear while in his Dragon Form. He wondered if the spear could also become 10,000 metres long now.
Yang Kai reckoned that his spear could do that, but when he turned into a Grand Dragon, his claws and teeth were the sharpest weapons in the world, so there wasn’t a need for him to use the Azure Dragon Spear.
He had never heard of a Grand Dragon who used an artifact to deal with his enemies before. To a Grand Dragon, his body was the most powerful weapon.
The only thing that made Yang Kai feel worried was whether the Azure Dragon Spear could bear the impact of the forces coming from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
After all, even Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to withstand such impacts.
Yang Kai carefully stuck the Azure Dragon Spear out of Ah Er’s protection range, revealing only its tip.
The devastating forces in the void caused the tip of the spear to tremble, and Yang Kai could even hear a muffled Dragon Roar coming from the spear.
However, he was surprised to learn that Azure Dragon Spear was able to withstand the remnant forces brushing past it.
After giving it a thought, he realised the reason behind it.
The Azure Dragon Spear was made from the Dragon Bones of a Grand Dragon. While the Dragon Clan was the leader of all Divine Spirits, the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer were the Ancestors of all Divine Spirits. There must be a mysterious connection between them.
Moreover, the Azure Dragon Spear wasn’t required to go up against the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer themselves, it just had to withstand the fallout of their scattered forces.
The Azure Dragon Spear had never disappointed Yang Kai, and this time was no exception.
The rest would be easy now. He just had to lock onto his target and accurately pull it closer to himself with his spear in order to capture it.
Of course, things were never as simple as they seemed.
The first target that came into his sight was a Blue Crystal the size of a head with a refined appearance that was just 1,000 metres away from him.
Yang Kai quickly intercepted it with his spear and slowly pulled it closer to himself. During this period of time though, he had to go against the disorderly forces in the void, which required precise control over the angle and amount of force he exerted.
There were several times when he almost lost the crystal.
After a good three days of hard effort, he finally pulled the head-sized Blue Crystal to a spot that was within the 50 metres radius he could exert his powers over.
Yang Kai extended his hand and manipulated Space Principles to capture the Blue Crystal.
It was an Eighth-Order material!
The Blue Crystal the size of a head was an Eighth-Order material, which was much larger than any of the Yellow and Blue Crystals he had obtained previously.
A Blue Crystal of such a size was definitely worth a lot more than 2 billion Open Heaven Pills. It was at least several times more than that amount.
An elated Yang Kai marvelled at it for a moment before putting it inside his Small Universe.
His Small Universe was now divided into three territories. One of them was for the cultivators who came from Pear Flower Cave Heaven to live. This territory was slightly less than half of the entire Small Universe.
The second territory was for the Small Stone Race to live. Yang Kai had high hopes for these Small Stone Race members, so he had to give them the best environment to live in. This territory was also the largest as it was bigger than the living space of the human cultivators.
The last territory was the medicine garden, which was also the core region.
When Yang Kai built a medicine garden in the Small Sealed World in the past, he transplanted a lot of spirit plants there. During his ascension to the Open Heaven Realm, he refined and absorbed the Small Sealed World, which allowed it to merge with his Small Universe. The medicine garden was also transferred to this place.
Although this territory wasn’t big, it was the place where Yang Kai stored his most valuable treasures. The rewards he had obtained from selling healing pills in Lang Ya Paradise were all placed here as well.
The medicine garden was a Restricted Area for the cultivators and the Small Stone Race living in his Small Universe. Without his permission, no one could go anywhere near it.
Yang Kai’s confidence was boosted following his first fishing success. While standing on Ah Er’s head, he swept a glance over the surroundings with a pair of eagle-like eyes as he would never miss an opportunity.
Soon, he saw another Blue Crystal that was hovering in a spot that was several hundred metres away from him.
He decided to capture it using the same method.
There were times when he missed his targets; after all, it would be difficult to control the Azure Dragon Spear if it was extended too far away from him. In this kind of place, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation was completely useless. A special kind of finesse was required. Only by leveraging skill and strength could he slowly move materials closer to himself.
This required a lot of patience as well. The slightest impatience could make days of effort go down the drain.
Faced with a sky full of Yellow and Blue Crystals, no one would run out of patience though, and it was the same case for Yang Kai.
Gradually, he became more adept at his task and the number of targets he missed dropped significantly. Now, it only took him at most two days to move a target that was within a radius of 1,500 metres closer to himself.
If the target was more than 1,500 metres away, luck would play a big role in whether he succeeded or not.
However, since Ah Er was sound asleep and unmoving, there was nothing else Yang Kai could do other than wait patiently. Hence, it was up to the Heavens how many materials he could get his hands on. Sometimes, there wouldn’t be a single Blue or Yellow Crystal that passed by after he waited for half a month. Sometimes, several crystals would come over together. There was no regular pattern to speak of.
In this situation, Yang Kai would usually target the largest and most brilliant ones first, giving up on the others.
As time passed, Yang Kai reckoned that he had obtained more than 100 Yellow and Blue Crystals again. Just then, Ah Er suddenly stretched his back.
[This guy is finally awake!]
Since Yang Kai had been busy capturing Yellow and Blue Crystals, he didn’t bother keeping track of time; however, he estimated that Ah Er had been asleep for about two years.
Upon that realisation, he let out a huge sigh of relief.
He was most worried that this Giant Spirit God would remain asleep for 800 to 1,000 years. By comparison, two years was much more tolerable.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was looking forward to the Giant Spirit God’s next move.
In the Chaotic Dead Territory, the shattered Universe World consumed by Ah Er should not be the only one. There should be more such Universe Worlds. As long as Ah Er kept moving forward, Yang Kai would have a chance to obtain more Yellow and Blue Crystals.
Although he could get his hands on those crystals by waiting in place, it wasn’t nearly as efficient as capturing them while Ah Er was on the move.
However, unlike Yang Kai’s expectation, Ah Er didn’t immediately set off on his journey upon waking up. Instead, he sat down with his legs crossed in the void and seemed to space out. He remained unmoving, as though he had been bound to the spot.
Moreover, Yang Kai could clearly feel that Ah Er seemed to be sulky as his entire figure exuded a dangerous aura.
Seeing that, Yang Kai decided not to make any noise at all.
He wouldn’t even dare to move a muscle as he wasn’t certain why the usually gentle Giant Spirit God was in such a state. He even noticed several refined Yellow and Blue Crystal drifting past him, but he could only pretend that he hadn’t seen them.
More than ten days later, the dangerous aura surrounding Ah Er finally dissipated. The Giant Spirit God got to his feet and turned to look in a different direction before shuffling forward.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief while sporting an awkward expression.
He thought that this guy might feel cranky after waking up; otherwise, he couldn’t explain the transformation Ah Er had gone through.
Could a Giant Spirit God feel ill-tempered after waking from a nap? Yang Kai wasn’t certain about it.
With that said, he quickly pulled himself together since the Giant Spirit God had finally started moving. While standing on Ah Er’s head, he swept a glance over his surroundings.
It was just like the situation when he barged into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside Ah Er for the first time. As innumerable Yellow and Blue Crystals brushed past him, he targeted the best-looking ones and extended his hand from time to time.
By the time Ah Er arrived at the next dead Universe World, Yang Kai had already obtained another 100 or so Yellow and Blue Crystals.
A tacit agreement seemed to be formed between the odd pair. While Ah Er sat down with his legs crossed and at his meal, Yang Kai summoned the Azure Dragon Spear and looked for targets. The two of them minded their own business, not bothering one another.
In fact, Yang Kai doubted Ah Er even remembered that he was standing on his head.
Soon, the shattered Universe World was wolfed down by Ah Er, who fell asleep once more. Other than sleeping and eating, there was nothing else this guy would do.
Hence, a bored Yang Kai started waiting for the crystals to pass by again.
After the previous experience, he knew that Ah Er would awaken in a few years, so there was nothing he had to worry about. He just hoped that he would get more rewards during this period.
Just like he thought, it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside a Giant Spirit God. If he didn’t seize this chance, he would regret it after he left the place.
Although the process of waiting and capturing the crystals was dull, Yang Kai was still fervent.
Half a year later, he finally obtained his biggest reward yet.
A Yellow Crystal vein that was several dozen metres long was coming right at him. He didn’t even need to spend much effort to catch the vein and stuff it into his Small Universe.
There was no doubt that it was a huge pleasant surprise.
After examining it, Yang Kai realised that the entire Yellow Crystal Vein was in the Seventh Order and had a huge, pure, reserve of energy.
This one Crystal Vein was worth more than all the crystals he had previously acquired combined.
After years of observation, Yang Kai finally realised the reason the Yellow and Blue Crystals came in different sizes in the Chaotic Dead Territory.
It was all related to the strange yellow and blue creatures that tried to kill one another as they too came in different sizes. Although their powers were equally matched, one of the parties would always be defeated following a prolonged fight.
The defeated ones would turn into Yellow or Blue Crystals. After the larger living creatures were killed, bigger Yellow or Blue Crystals would naturally be left behind, and vice versa.
Luck was an elusive thing. Although Yang Kai hoped to easily get another crystal vein, his wish was never granted.
In the Chaotic Dead Territory, a several-dozen-metre-long crystal vein was by no means the largest. Yang Kai had even seen a crystal vein that was over a dozen kilometres long. He thought that if he could keep such a crystal vein inside his Small Universe, it would surely be a magnificent sight.
Even if it was just a Fifth-Order or Sixth-Order material, the value of a crystal vein that was over a dozen kilometres long was simply incalculable.
Over a year later, Ah Er awakened again.
It was then Yang Kai confirmed that the Giant Spirit God would become sulky after waking up. Just like the previous time, Ah Er remained morose on the same spot for a few days. His dangerous aura seemed able to destroy everything in the world.
Nevertheless, he never actually destroyed anything. After his crankiness subsided, Ah Er moved on to the next dead Universe World.
Over the following years, Ah Er travelled across the Chaotic Dead Territory. As a Giant Spirit God Clan member, he was born with the innate ability to sniff out dead or dying Universe Worlds. Therefore, he could accurately find those shattered Universe Worlds and consume them.
After a Universe World became shattered, what was left behind came in different sizes; therefore, Ah Er wouldn’t always fall asleep after he was done with his meal. If the portion was too small, he would look for the next target before dozing off.
Yang Kai was determined to harvest more wealth while tagging along with Ah Er and had soon lost track of time altogether. He could only make a judgement by observing the changes in his Small Universe.
Over ten years had passed in his Small Universe, and during this period, his Third Disciple Xu Yi had gone through a massive transformation.
His aptitude was weak as he was found to be C- during the Disciple Recruitment of Seven Stars Sect a decade ago. Given his aptitude, he supposedly didn’t have a right to become a disciple of Seven Stars Sect.
In the eyes of the top cultivators in the Void Continent, a cultivator with such an aptitude would never achieve anything great in life even if he had a good teacher and ample resources.
However, Xu Yi’s growth far surpassed his aptitude.
It only took Xu Yi ten years to become a Transcendent Realm cultivator from an ordinary mortal. This kind of progress was actually on par with that of Zhao Ya.
Nevertheless, the reason Zhao Ya progressed at such a slow rate in the past was that Yang Kai had deliberately suppressed her cultivation. If she was allowed to cultivate freely, her speed would’ve been much greater.
Xu Yi’s aptitude was clearly weaker than Zhao Ya’s. In fact, in this expansive universe, Yang Kai had never seen a cultivator who was on par with Zhao Ya when it came to cultivation speed. Even though there were many disciples in Void Land and High Heaven Palace, Zhao Ya was still the brightest.
However, compared to his C- aptitude, Xu Yi’s growth was simply unbelievable.
Just like Yang Kai had observed previously, Xu Yi was indeed a cultivator with C- aptitude as his progress was painfully slow during the daytime. However, once he fell asleep at night, he seemed to become an entirely different person.
Given his Transcendent Realm cultivation, he supposedly didn’t need to sleep. Nonetheless, just like an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated, when darkness descended, Xu Yi would lie down on the bed and easily slumber off.
This was a special talent as well as his cultivation method.
All the Elders in Seven Stars Sect admired their Ancestor even more after taking notice of this.
A disciple with such a weak aptitude could still achieve excellent results following Yang Kai’s guidance. He had practically achieved the impossible, so Shang Guan Ji and the others reckoned that they were no match for the Ancestor when it came to vision.
Ten years after Yang Kai entered the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside Giant Spirit God Ah Er, he finally had a chance to witness the clash between the real Sun’s Burning Light and the Moon’s Serene Glimmer.
At that time, Ah Er was heading to his next destination while Yang Kai was looking for fishing targets. It was at that moment that Yang Kai caught a glimpse of a dazzling explosion of light.
When he turned his head, he saw that in the far depths of the void, there was a colossal yellow light that was as splendid as a rising Sun.
Across from the yellow light, there was an equally mighty blue light that was charging right at it.
In the next instant, the Universe itself seemed to tremble as chaos descended all around. The protective layer around Ah Er expanded by several dozen metres all at once.
The clash was practically silent, but the expansive yellow and blue lights that exploded out from it spanned across billions of kilometres like a torrential rain. The entire Chaotic Dead Territory seemed to be filled with these colours all of a sudden.
The dots of light soon turned into the unique living creatures that Yang Kai had seen before which then proceeded to tear into each other.
Witnessing this sight, Yang Kai realised that these strange creatures could be considered Soul Clones of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
The impact of this clash only subsided after ten or so days, and the encounter left Yang Kai’s heart in turmoil.
If he hadn’t witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that such horrifying beings really existed.
He couldn’t even make out the true appearances of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, all he could see was the two devastating powers crashing into one another.
The fallout from such a clash could instantly annihilate an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Only a being as powerful as a Giant Spirit God could possibly withstand such an impact.
Since more Soul Clones were now fighting in the Chaotic Dead Territory, it was actually good news for Yang Kai. Perhaps he could gain more benefits now.
After one of the parties was defeated, Yellow or Blue Crystals would be left behind, and these were the treasures he could obtain.
When Giant Spirit God Ah Er was done with his meal, he fell into a deep sleep again.
While standing on his head, Yang Kai held the Azure Dragon Spear in his hands and looked for new targets.
After a day of hard work, he finally managed to move a Blue Crystal half the size of a human from 600 metres away to somewhere close to him.
However, before he could capture it, he felt a strange energy fluctuation coming from a nearby spot. The next moment, the Blue Crystal the size of half a Human brushed past him.
Drenched in cold sweat, Yang Kai hurriedly turned his head.
What came into his sight sent a chill down his spine as he instantly clenched his Azure Dragon Spear tightly.
That was because he saw two young children, about ten years old, glaring at him from a nearby spot.
They were a young boy and a young girl. The young boy was clad in yellow clothes while the young girl was wearing a blue dress. What was odd was that their hair colours matched their clothes. Even their eyes were respectively yellow and blue.
Yang Kai was now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with strong perceptive powers. Even a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near him without alerting him, let alone cultivators in the same Order.
Nevertheless, he had no idea when these two kids appeared. If not for the anomaly just now, he wouldn’t have noticed them at all.
What puzzled him was that he couldn’t feel any energy fluctuations coming from these two. They were like ordinary children who had never cultivated before, but they were also like indiscernible phantoms.
The Chaotic Dead Territory was an extremely dangerous place where even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be able to ensure their own safety, so how was it possible for ordinary people to be in this place?
Moreover, the colours of the young kids’ clothes, hair, and eyes made Yang Kai feel alarmed.
These were no ordinary colours. All his pores uncontrollably tightened as he almost descended into panic; however, he slightly set his mind at ease since Ah Er was still sound asleep.
Although Giant Spirit Gods were gentle creatures, that didn’t mean they weren’t formidable beings. Since Ah Er hadn’t awakened, it meant that he hadn’t felt any hostility directed towards him, which was good news for Yang Kai.
Nevertheless, he soon became uncertain when he saw the young kids’ expressions.
The Blue Crystal from earlier that was retrieved by the yellow-clothed young boy was now lying beside him. While staring at Yang Kai, he snapped, “You’re a thief!”
The young girl clad in a blue dress also pointed and shouted, “You’re a thief!”
The young boy turned his head and frowned at the young girl, “Stop mimicking what I say.”
Displeased, the young girl refuted, “No one mimics what you say. That was what I wanted to say.”
The young boy stopped frowning as though he wasn’t in the mood to bicker with her and said, “Go somewhere else and say whatever you want. Don’t repeat after me.”
The young girl snorted. While glowering at Yang Kai, she vented all her anger on him by demanding, “Kill him!”
The young boy instantly refuted, “You can’t kill him!”
Furious, the young girl stared at the young boy and said through clenched teeth, “I said kill him!”
Not willing to back down, the young boy shook his head, “I said you can’t kill him!”
“You have to listen to me. I’m the Big Sister!” The young girl placed her hands akimbo and declared.
Still calm and collected, the young boy shook his head, “You’re wrong. You’re supposed to listen to me because I’m the Big Brother.”
“I’m the Big Sister, and you’re the Little Brother!”
“I’m the Big Brother, and you’re the Little Sister!”
…..
The two children started arguing with one another as they were unable to make each other admit defeat. The young girl seemed to be ill-tempered while the young boy was much calmer. Regardless of how loud the young girl was, he would always flatly refute her.
Moreover, they never took a breather when bickering with one another as though this kind of argument had persisted for years. Both of them were obstinate and insistent.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was now dripping wet with cold sweat. Although he couldn’t feel any murderous intent coming from these two, he reckoned that it didn’t require any murderous intent for such beings to kill him.
To them, ending his life was the same as stepping on an ant, so what was the point of having murderous intent? No one would release murderous intent when they casually stepped on an ant.
This was an extremely awkward situation for Yang Kai.
Since he was in the depths of the Chaotic Dead Territory, he was unable to leave the Giant Spirit God’s protection. Once he did, he would be instantly killed. However, faced with such formidable beings that wanted to kill him, he was powerless to save himself.
He couldn’t possibly rely on Ah Er either. The Giant Spirit God was still sound asleep, so he apparently didn’t care about what was going on around him. Moreover, Yang Kai doubted whether even the Ah Er was a match for these two.
Presently, Yang Kai could only hope for the young boy to convince the young girl. Nevertheless, judging from their argument, he reckoned that it wasn’t easy for the young boy to do so.
Just when Yang Kai was at his wits’ end, the two children suddenly fell silent and turned to look at him at the same time.
The young boy said, “Why don’t you tell us who the Big Brother or the Little Sister would be?”
The young girl said, “Why don’t you tell us who the Big Sister or the Little Brother would be?”
Although they spoke at the same time, Yang Kai could clearly hear what they had said.
This was a question without an answer, or at least without an answer that would allow him to survive. Yang Kai furrowed his brow deeply, not knowing what would happen to him if he said anything wrong. Regardless of what his answer was, he would certainly offend one of these kids. It was impossible to come up with a reply that would please both parties.
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Who was the first one that was born? The person would be the Big Brother or Big Sister.”
The young kids exchanged glances and replied simultaneously, “We were born at the same time.”
“One of you must have been born first!” Yang Kai frowned.
“Nope.” The young kids shook their heads.
This was giving Yang Kai a headache. He suddenly recalled the legend that when the world was born in ancient times, the first light appeared. A long time later, the light split into two and became Yin and Yang.
Just when Yang Kai was pondering on how he could come up with an answer that would please both parties, the young girl said to the young boy in a small voice, “We’re so silly. We should’ve looked for someone and asked about it long ago.”
The young boy replied, “No one ever came here before over the years. He’s the first one.”
After giving it a thought, the young girl realised that he was right, “That’s true. He’s the first one.”
She then urged Yang Kai by saying, “Have you thought it through? Say it now!”
Yang Kai asked, “Will you spare my life after I tell you my answer?”
The young girl replied, “I won’t kill you if I’m pleased with your answer.”
Yang Kai turned to look at the young boy, who said dispassionately, “I’ll kill you if I’m displeased with your answer.”
[What the heck! They’re totally unreasonable!] It was the first time Yang Kai felt that children could be so deplorable and had the urge to kill them with his spear.
Moreover, he didn’t understand why it was worth arguing over this issue. Nevertheless, the two kids never stopped bickering over it.
An inconceivable idea suddenly sprang into Yang Kai’s mind, [Have they been fighting with each other all this time because of this exact argument!?] It would be laughable if that was the truth. The Chaotic Dead Territory encompassed many Great Territories that were originally vibrant and full of life, but were now all dead and desolate.
“Since you were born at the same time, neither of you would be the Big Brother or Big Sister then…”
The young boy shot him an impassive look, “I think you’re tired of living.”
Yang Kai quickly tried to save himself by saying, “However, if you insist on becoming the Big Brother or Big Sister, it’s not so difficult.”
The eyes of the young kids brightened, then the little girl asked, “How easy is it? Tell us about it.”
Yang Kai replied, “Why don’t you take turns? One day you’ll be the Big Brother, and the next day she’ll be the Big Sister. Isn’t it the best outcome for both of you?”
Upon hearing that, the young kids fell into their thoughts.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief. From the looks of it, even though they were irritable, they were pretty simple-minded. In that case, he might be able to keep fooling them.
Just when Yang Kai was lost in his thoughts, the young boy suddenly looked up, “Your solution is good. I’ll be the Big Brother today, then. Why didn’t we think of such a simple way?”
The young girl pursed her lips, “What makes you have the right to be the Big Brother first? I’ll be the Big Sister today.”
There was no expression on the young boy’s face as he turned his head, “Why must you insist on competing with me?”
The young girl snorted, “It’s you who insists on competing with me.”
A dumbfounded Yang Kai initially thought that the problem was solved, but a new problem popped up the next moment. [Are they deliberately making things difficult for me?]
Yang Kai had the urge to beat them up as he clenched his Azure Dragon Spear tighter, but he soon relaxed his grip while feeling dejected.
As expected, not long after, the kids then turned to look at him and asked, “Why don’t you tell us who the Big Brother or Big Sister would be today?”
Yang Kai had the urge to kill himself as he roared, “Why can’t both of you be the Big Brother and the Big Sister at the same time? What’s the point of arguing over this issue?”
The young girl gazed dazedly at Yang Kai as she was dumbstruck by his abrupt fury.
On the other hand, the young boy stroked his chin and fell into his thoughts for a moment before he looked up at Yang Kai, “You be the Little Brother, then.”
At that, Yang Kai was speechless.
“Little Brother!” The young girl called out with ecstasy as her dream of becoming the Big Sister was finally realised. Although the target wasn’t quite up to her expectations, it was acceptable.
Hence, Yang Kai became their Little Brother.
That was an outcome he had never expected, but he had no choice but to accept it. Judging from the way the young kids looked fervently at him, it was as though he would be directly killed and sent to the Yellow Springs if he dared to say no.
He felt like a mountain had been pressed against him.
It felt awkward to be the Little Brother to these young kids who looked like they were ten years old; however, when thinking about these ‘kids’ real age and status, Yang Kai reasoned he was actually the one taking advantage of them, not the other way round.
“Little Brother!” The young girl called out to him again with pleasure as she stared at him with a pair of blue eyes.
Yang Kai could read her intention through her eyes, but he pretended to see nothing as his head jerked to the side.
The young girl took a step forward and called out again, “Little Brother!”
Just like the wind in winter, her voice became significantly colder.
Yang Kai instantly felt all his bodily hair standing on end as his brow twitched. While scratching his face, he called out bashfully, “Big Sister…”
He felt his face burning as he kept telling himself that a man had to be flexible in every situation. He could always make a comeback as long as he was alive. Compared to his own life, calling her ‘Big Sister’ was no big deal. Moreover, he was at an advantage here.
Instantly, the young girl put on a bright smile. Yang Kai didn’t see her move at all, but she appeared in front of him the next moment and extended her hand to pat his head, “You’re my good Little Brother!”
The veins on Yang Kai’s forehead bobbed as he almost failed to contain his murderous intent.
Right then, the young boy coughed on the side.
Yang Kai was a worldly person who knew how to adapt to the situation. Since he already did it for the first time, it wasn’t so hard to do it for the second time. He cupped his fist at the young boy and called out solemnly, “Big Brother.”
Acting like he was more mature, the young boy nodded as he was pleased with Yang Kai’s action.
In fact, Yang Kai was curious about their names. Since they were considered ‘one family’ now, he decided to ask them about it.
Nevertheless, the young kids exchanged glances and shook their heads. They never had a name since their birth. The Sun’s Burning Light and the Moon’s Serene Glimmer were what others called them, not their real names.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai said, “Why don’t I give you names? It’ll be easier for us to call each other this way.”
The young kids exchanged glances as if they were fine with it.
After pondering on it for a while, Yang Kai came up with a few names, but they were displeased with all of them. Nevertheless, they were fond of the words yellow and blue.
Hence, one of the young kids became Big Brother Huang to Yang Kai while the other was his Big Sister Lan.
Since time immemorial, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had always had the dream to become the Big Brother and Big Sister. They kept arguing over it and got into intense battles because of it. It wasn’t until Yang Kai barged into their territory alongside Giant Spirit God Ah Er that their wish was granted.
Despite that, they had no idea what they should do after becoming the Big Brother and Big Sister.
Yang Kai promptly gave them a hint by saying, “As Big Brother and Big Sister, you’re supposed to take good care of your Little Brother.”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan nodded at the same time. Acting like an adult, Big Sister Lan said, “I’ll definitely take good care of you. Come to me if anyone bullies you in the future. I’ll stand up for you.”
Yang Kai felt like crying tears of joy at that moment. While bearing the humiliation, he accidentally found two incredibly formidable backers.
Of course, he wouldn’t be able to make use of such backers. Everything would be destroyed wherever they went, so who would have the guts to make them stand up for him? Moreover, no one would believe him even if he told everyone that he had these two kids as his backers.
After a cough, Yang Kai said, “I’ve always been the one who bullies others, not the other way round. Big Brother Huang, the thing beside you… It was hard for me to get it. Could you please return it to me? No Big Brother would snatch stuff from his Little Brother. Big Brother and Big Sister are supposed to take care of their Little Brother.”
Yang Kai hadn’t managed to catch the Blue Crystal the size of half a Human as it was retrieved by Big Brother Huang.
Upon hearing that, Big Brother Huang took a glance at the Blue Crystal, “You want this?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
“You can have it, then,” Big Brother Huang directly tossed the Blue Crystal at Yang Kai.
A pleased Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Big Brother Huang!”
Following that, he quickly put the Blue Crystal inside his Small Universe.
A smug Big Brother Huang looked provocatively at Big Sister Lan, who naturally became furious. She crooked her finger as a Yellow Crystal of a similar size came over from some unknown place. After throwing it at Yang Kai, she said, “This is for you.”
Yang Kai’s eyes were as bright as the Sun while he hurriedly put the crystal into his Small Universe. Gazing at the young girl, he sincerely expressed his gratitude, “Many thanks, Big Sister Lan.”
It was indeed a big pleasant surprise.
Big Brother Huang snorted and raised his hand as a new Blue Crystal appeared. He then pushed it towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai widened his mouth as he was overwhelmed by the sudden happiness which descended upon him. With that said, his movements were not sluggish as he promptly stored the Blue Crystal, “Many thanks, Big Brother Huang.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the young girl pushed another piece of Yellow Crystal towards him.
“Many thanks, Big Sister Lan!”
“Many thanks, Big Brother Huang!”
…
Yang Kai was exhausted from all the talking, but he was never tired of doing it. Just a few words of gratitude could be traded for a refined Yellow or Blue Crystal, so he didn’t mind doing it at all. If possible, he could thank them for eternity.
It was the first time he found these two kids so adorable.
He was initially embarrassed when he was forced to be the Little Brother, but as more and more Yellow and Blue Crystals came into his hands, the shame he felt had vanished into thin air. He could now shamelessly call them Big Brother and Big Sister, and he became increasingly sincere while doing it.
He wouldn’t even mind calling them Grandpa and Grandma as he was given such immense rewards, to say nothing of the fact that he was only required to call them Big Brother and Big Sister. In fact, given their age and seniority, he was actually taking advantage of them.
Yang Kai had no idea how many good things he had obtained, but they surpassed the total amount of what he acquired over the past 10 years in just half a day.
In the core area of his Small Universe, Yellow Crystals and Blue Crystals were stacked like two mountains, ranging from the Fifth-Order to the Eighth-Order.
This kind of wealth could be considered colossal. No Cave Heaven or Paradise could put forward such a large amount of treasure.
Just when Yang Kai was engrossed in thanking them, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan suddenly stopped as they glared at each other.
Yang Kai scratched his face and asked cautiously, “Why did you stop all of a sudden?”
As he spoke, he quickly fished out a spirit fruit from his Space Ring to quench his thirst. His throat was all dried up after he kept thanking them for so long. He had to get prepared for the next round.
“Time’s up,” Big Brother Huang said.
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai gazed at him in puzzlement.
Big Brother Huang went on to say, “You said that we’d be Big Brother and Big Sister for one day. Time’s up.”
[One day has passed…] Yang Kai felt that time went by too quickly.
Big Sister Lan turned to look at Yang Kai, “What do you say today?”
Yang Kai pursed his lips and asked probingly, “Why don’t we keep doing it? I’m fine with being the Little Brother. You can still be the Big Brother and Big Sister.”
Big Brother Huang shook his head, “That won’t be interesting.”
[Why wouldn’t it be interesting? It’s very interesting!]
Despite the fury in Yang Kai’s heart, he wouldn’t dare to object out loud. These children were just like irritable cats, so they had to be placated.
As he darted his gaze around, he said cautiously, “Since you find it boring to be Big Brother and Big Sister, why don’t you be Little Brother and Little Sister? I’ll be the Big Brother today.”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan gazed at him at the same time.
A diffident Yang Kai said, “Well, if you’re not happy with it, just pretend that I’ve never said it.”
All of a sudden, Big Brother Huang nodded, “We can give it a try.”
Big Sister Lan agreed with it as well.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he had never expected that his random idea would be feasible. After giving it a thought, he realised that these young kids had never been Big Brother and Big Sister since time immemorial. In the same way, they had never been Little Brother and Little Sister as well. Perhaps they just found the idea novel.
“Big Brother!” Little Brother Huang called out. He found it unfamiliar to call someone in such a way, so he knitted his brows.
On the other hand, Little Sister Lan was more straightforward, “Big Brother!”
Yang Kai suddenly felt that he had taken up a huge responsibility as he sat down with a serious expression and acted like a mature Big Brother. As he gazed at the young kids, he said solemnly, “As Little Brother and Little Sister, you have to treat your Big Brother well.”
Little Brother Huang said doubtfully, “That was not what you said yesterday.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “What happened yesterday is different from what’s going on today. You were Big Brother and Big Sister yesterday, but you’re Little Brother and Little Sister today. Don’t you agree?”
Little Brother Huang fell into his thoughts as he felt that there was something off about it, but he couldn’t quite figure it out.
Meanwhile, Little Sister Lan got his hint as she drew a Yellow Crystal and pushed it towards Yang Kai before looking smilingly at him.
“That’s very kind of you, Little Sister Lan. You’re the best Little Sister in the world,” Yang Kai stored the Yellow Crystal and gently patted her head.
It took Yang Kai only one day to grasp how to fan the flames and sow discord between the two.
As expected, Little Brother Huang wouldn’t want to appear inferior as he pushed a Blue Crystal towards Yang Kai.
There was an amiable smile on Yang Kai’s face as he said, “You’re the best Little Brother in the world, Little Brother Huang!”
He also patted the young boy’s head. Little Brother Huang found it awkward, but he suppressed his urge to dodge the touch.
Although the situation was different from the day before, the outcome was the same.
More and more Yellow and Blue Crystals were presented to Yang Kai, who was more than happy to keep all of them.
The two mountains of materials in his Small Universe became increasingly higher.
He had to be bossed around since he was the Little Brother the day before. Now that he was the Big Brother, he decided to come up with a demand.
As he stored the Blue Crystal sent to him by Little Brother Huang, he looked fervently at a mineral lode that was hundreds of kilometres away. In a hopeful tone, he said, “That thing is very beautiful. I’ll be satisfied if I can get that.”
Little Brother Huang and Little Sister Lan turned their heads and extended their hands at the same time. The next moment, the mineral lode split into two and landed in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai could barely contain his excitement, “You’re my good Little Brother and Little Sister!”
It had been a few years since Yang Kai entered the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside Giant Spirit God Ah Er, and he had obtained a crystal vein before, but that one was only several dozen metres long.
However, the one captured by Little Brother Huang and Little Sister Lan was several kilometres long, and it exuded energy fluctuations in the Seventh Order.
Yang Kai felt his heart pounding against his chest. While complimenting the Little Brother and Little Sister, he quickly put the crystal vein, which had been split into two, inside his Small Universe.
It was comprised of Seventh-Order Yin Element materials. Among all the materials of different Orders, the Seventh-Order ones had the most use for him.
Following such an experience, Yang Kai would give them a hint whenever a crystal vein came into his sight. The next moment, the crystal vein would appear right in front of him.
w
The massive rewards far exceeded his imagination.
The Proprietress had said in the past that the Chaotic Dead Territory was filled with Yin and Yang Element materials, but who could have thought that they were really so ample?
As time passed, Yang Kai would gain a lot of materials. He didn’t need to do anything else other than exhausting himself from all the talking.
With that said, it wasn’t a big deal for him as he could always wet his throat by consuming some spirit fruits. There were a lot of spirit fruits in the medicine garden in his Small Universe. These spirit fruits were no longer useful for him in terms of cultivation, but he could consume them to moisturise his throat.
He initially thought that these kind of shameless days could go on forever, and he was ready for a prolonged coaxing session with these two.
However, there came a day when Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan suddenly started arguing over a trivial matter. The cause of the argument was negligible, but they were used to bickering with each other and the slightest conflict could turn into a big fight.
With his forehead beaded with cold sweat, Yang Kai persuaded them to stop arguing as he was worried that they would really get into a fight. Nevertheless, neither of them bothered to respond to him.
Half a day later, they suddenly stopped talking at the same time.
Big Brother Huang said, “It’s boring.”
Big Sister Lan nodded, “It’s indeed boring.”
A weary Big Brother Huang said, “We should stop playing this game.”
Yang Kai put on a smile on the side, “Let’s stop fighting. We’re one family, so what’s the point of bickering with each other? Come on, it’s my turn to be the Big Brother today.”
Big Sister Lan shot him a glance, “Do you still want to be the Big Brother?”
Yang Kai became startled for a moment, “Yes, it’s my turn.”
Big Brother Huang snorted, “Aren’t you satisfied with having gained so many benefits after such a long time?”
There was an embarrassed smile on Yang Kai’s face as he thought that these young kids were not so dumb after all. They played along previously because they found the whole experience novel. Since the sense of novelty was gone now, it was expected that they found the game boring.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had amassed a lot of materials over the past few days as Yin and Yang Element materials of different Orders had been stacked like two huge mountains in his Small Universe. They were sufficient for the cultivators in Void Land to use for tens of thousands of years, or perhaps even longer.
“What should we do now, then?” Yang Kai asked. Since they couldn’t keep playing the ‘game’, it wasn’t like they would just sit there and do nothing.
“We’re supposed to ask you this question instead.” Big Brother Huang looked dispassionately at him, “Tell us which one of us would be the Big Brother or Big Sister. If I’m pleased with your answer, you can leave this place with all the things you’ve obtained. However, if I’m not happy with your answer, I won’t kill you, but you have to leave all those things here and get out of my territory!”
There was no way Yang Kai would cough out the food he had already eaten, especially when what he had eaten was worth so much. His figure shook as he almost spurted out that the young boy was the Big Brother.
Fortunately, he caught himself in time as he finally recalled that Big Sister Lan was standing right in front of him too.
As expected, Big Sister Lan said, “I share the same sentiment.”
And so, it all went back to square one. Although they had previously become the Big Brother and Big Sister in the game, their Little Brother was Yang Kai. It was never determined who the Big Brother or Big Sister would be among the two of them. This was the point they had been arguing over since time immemorial, and it couldn’t be resolved with a silly little game.
Yang Kai furrowed his brows with a solemn expression.
This was a question that had no answer. Regardless of what he said, he would offend one of these two beings who he could not possibly afford to offend. Although his life wasn’t at stake now, the immense wealth he had obtained might be confiscated, which was why he had to give it a serious thought.
It wouldn’t have mattered if he had never acquired those treasures, but it would be heart-wrenching for him if he lost them now.
Half a day later, Yang Kai measured his words and asked, “Why are you asking me this question? Weren’t you in a fight before this? The winner will be the elder one, then.”
Big Brother Huang shook his head, “Neither of us will be the winner. Our powers are equally matched, so we can’t defeat each other.”
Yang Kai had the urge to ask them why they still started this massive fight that spanned across countless eons and destroyed innumerable Great Territories since they knew no one would be the winner.
Certainly, he wouldn’t dare to actually ask this question though as he was worried that they would get mad at him and slap him to death.
Presently, Yang Kai was in a deep dilemma. In this situation, if he couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer, all his gains would be snatched from him. This was an intolerable outcome for him.
[Is there a way that can satisfy both of them?]
Faced with the immense pressure, Yang Kai suddenly had an idea flash across his mind. Nevertheless, he wasn’t certain if this idea would work.
He looked up at the two of them and said, “Will you be happy if I have a way to make sure that one of you will eventually become the winner? By then, the winner will take all, and the loser can’t blame their loss on me.”
Big Sister Lan’s eyes brightened as she asked, “You have a way to make sure that one of us will eventually be the winner in our competition?”
On the other hand, there was a look of disdain on Big Brother Huang’s face, “That’s impossible. You’re not powerful enough to affect the outcome of our fight.”
Yang Kai put on a meaningful and inscrutable smile as he replied, “Since your powers are equally matched, there certainly wouldn’t be a winner between the two of you, but what if the two of you fought in a different way?”
Big Sister Lan tilted her head and asked, “What do you mean by a different way?”
Big Brother Huang gazed vigilantly at him, “What are you up to?”
Yang Kai snapped, “Are you saying that I’m up to no good? I’ve exhausted myself just to come up with a way to resolve the conflict between you two. If you have any doubts, just pretend that I’ve said nothing! Keep on fighting and let’s see whether one of you will be the winner in the end.”
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared righteous, Big Brother Huang felt apologetic as he thought that he had gotten him wrong.
He then raised his hand and summoned a 300-metre-long Blue Crystal vein before tossing it at Yang Kai. After that, he looked away and fell silent.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he quickly stored the Blue Crystal vein inside his Small Universe. He then nodded at Big Brother Huang, “Please don’t blame me for being rude just now, Big Brother!”
Big Brother Huang grunted in a muffled voice.
Meanwhile, Big Sister Lan’s interest had been piqued, “What’s your solution? Tell us about it.”
“Alright, it’s like this,” Yang Kai explained, “Since your powers came from the same source, and there’s no way for either of you to defeat the other in battle, why don’t you have others fight on your behalf? In that case, it could prevent you two from having to fight directly, and the issue would be solved peacefully. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.”
Worried that he hadn’t made himself clear, he decided to give them an example, “Similar situations have happened in the past. Sometimes, two top cultivators become arch-enemies, but despite countless battles between them, neither side manages to defeat the other. Realizing that the matter won’t be settled before their predestined time of death, they both understood that they would pass on with deep regrets as there still would be no winner. In the end, they decide to respectively take on a Disciple and nurture them with all their ability. When the Disciples grow up, they can have a final battle to settle the issue. One of the Masters will be the winner if their Disciple can defeat the other party’s.”
Big Sister Lan didn’t seem to get the key point as she asked, “You want to be our Disciple?”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “I don’t mind becoming your Disciple, but what can you teach me? The ways we cultivate are different; moreover, I’m the only Human here. Whose Disciple should I become? If I become your Disciple, Big Brother Huang will be displeased. If I become Big Brother Huang’s Disciple, you’ll be upset. By then, you two will get into an argument again.”
Big Sister Lan nodded her head, “Good, I’m glad you realised it.”
Big Brother Huang waved his hand, “Stop beating around the bush. Cut to the chase already.”
Yang Kai nodded and continued, “It was just an example. I didn’t mean to ask you to take on any Disciples. Please come into my Small Unive… Forget it. You can see it for yourselves.”
Yang Kai initially wanted to let them enter his Small Universe, but after giving it a thought, he realised that his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Small Universe certainly wouldn’t be capable of accommodating these two. Perhaps his Small Universe would explode as soon as they stepped into it.
Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to take such a risk, so he decided to manifest his Small Universe instead.
As the Small Universe spread out, it looked no different from a real Universe World. Regardless of how powerful Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were, Yang Kai wouldn’t be affected one bit this way.
A glint flashed through the eyes of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan as though it only took them an instant to understand everything about his Small Universe.
The next moment, their expressions changed as they stared fixedly at a particular spot. Their murderous intent seemed to have materialised as it streamed out of their bodies.
Yang Kai felt like he had fallen right into an ice cave as he had no idea how he offended the two of them. Faced with such murderous intent, he had lost the strength to even lift a finger.
It had to be noted that this place was his Small Universe, and he could rule over everything here; outsiders shouldn’t be able to exert their full strength in this place, but Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s murderous intent alone was enough to render him immoble.
“Where did you get this from?” Big Brother Huang suddenly turned to look at Yang Kai and asked as his yellow eyes radiated a strange glow. There was something as dark as ink that was squirming like a living creature in his hand.
It was the Black Ink Strength!
Quite a bit of Black Ink Strengths had been suppressed and sealed inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe; it had allowed him to successfully deceive Yuan Du from Lang Ya Paradise and gain the latter’s trust in the past.
Big Brother Huang’s reaction surprised Yang Kai as he replied, “I inadvertently obtained this thing a while back. Do you recognise it?”
He supposed it wasn’t surprising that Big Brother Huang could recognise this thing. The Black Ink Clan had existed for a very long time, their history possibly tracing back to before the birth of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Both Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had similarly existed since the dawn of time.
Perhaps they had even come into contact with the Black Ink Clan in the past.
“It’s not a good thing. Don’t keep it here,” Big Brother Huang said solemnly without directly answering Yang Kai’s question. The next instant, he clenched his fist as the squirming Black Ink Strength dissolved into nothingness.
Following that, he waved his hand as Yang Kai could feel an invisible force sweeping across his Small Universe. The place where the Black Ink Strength had been suppressed and sealed was instantly purified.
All the Black Ink Strength vanished like a puff of smoke.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was absolutely flabbergasted.
There was a World Spring in his Small Universe, so he wasn’t afraid of the Black Ink Strength at all. Since it had been suppressed and sealed, it couldn’t do him any harm. In fact, when he came across a Black Ink Clan member or Black Ink Disciples, he could use it to cover up his identity.
Now that the Black Ink Clan had reappeared, no one could be certain if they would come across them in the future. At the most critical moment, the suppressed Black Ink Strength might save Yang Kai’s life.
However, he had never expected that the Black Ink Strength would be destroyed by Big Brother Huang.
Certainly, Yang Kai knew how difficult it was to deal with the Black Ink Strength. Even High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters like Yu Xiang Die didn’t want to come close to the Black Ink Strength as they were worried that their Small Universes would be contaminated by it.
If a person was contaminated by the Black Ink Strength, they would not necessarily be turned into a Black Ink Disciple immediately. However, once that happened, a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would have to cut off a small part of their Small Universe to resolve the crisis. Doing this would damage their heritage, so no one was willing to have to deal with such a situation.
Black Ink Insects were apparently the main reason cultivators were turned into Black Ink Disciples.
Yang Kai was speechless, thinking that Big Brother Huang should have discussed it with him before destroying the Black Ink Strength. However, faced with the young boy’s grim-looking face, he wouldn’t dare to say anything.
He had a feeling that Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were somehow at odds with the Black Ink Strength; otherwise, the young boy wouldn’t have done such a thing.
Fortunately, he still had a Black Ink Insect. Although the Black Ink Strength in his Small Universe was all gone, the Black Ink Insect remained.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were not willing to explain anything to him. After the Black Ink Strength were gone, Big Sister Lan turned to look in a particular direction where the Humans lived, “There are so many people over there. Do you want us to take on Disciples from there?”
After pulling himself together, Yang Kai waved his hand, “Forget about taking on Disciples. It’s not that I want to underestimate you two, but although you’re powerful, I’m afraid that you know nothing about teaching Disciples. Any talented people would have their futures ruined by becoming your Disciples.”
Although Yang Kai’s words were blunt, the two of them didn’t refute him.
He then pointed in a different direction, “Look over there.”
As they turned their heads, the Small Stone Race that had gathered together in different groups came into their sight. The populations of these groups varied greatly. The large ones had more than 100,000 members while the small ones had only several hundred. They were scattered everywhere in the Small Universe and were all busy with their own work.
“What are those? They look strange,” Big Sister Lan asked curiously.
“They’re the Small Stone Race. They behave just like ants.”
“What are ants?” Big Sister Lan gazed at him.
Yang Kai realised that it would be hard to explain things to these two using examples from his life. After giving it a thought, he decided to briefly walk them through the behaviour of the Small Stone Race.
Big Brother Huang nodded, “What do you want us to do, then?”
A high-spirited Yang Kai replied, “It’s easy. You can select two equally matched Stone Kings and choose your own territories. Then, you’ll start nurturing them until the Small Stone Race members are strong enough to battle. After having a fight, it will determine who the winner will be.”
Upon hearing this, Big Brother Huang arched his brow as he fell into his thoughts.
On the other hand, Big Sister Lan said, “I see. This is what you mean by taking on Disciples.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Well, more or less. However, the Small Stone Race have low sentience, so you don’t have to take them as Disciples, nor do you need to teach them anything. You just have to nurture them.”
Big Sister Lan became startled for a moment before clapping her hands, “It’s a great idea. You’re so smart!”
A smiling Yang Kai replied, “Many thanks for the compliment.”
Seeing that her interest had been piqued, he breathed a sigh of relief.
It was wonderful that they were interested in it as he was most worried that they would dismiss the idea. In that case, he would have to consider encouraging them to take on some real Disciples from his Small Universe.
After giving it a thought, he realised these kids were even engrossed in a simple game of calling him Big or Little Brother previously, so nurturing Small Stone Race members to attack each other must be attractive to them as well.
The Small Stone Race innately behaved in this manner. Although their overall population had increased over the years in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, these different groups never stopped attacking one another. Otherwise, there would’ve been more Small Stone Race members in the Small Universe by now.
Yang Kai then turned to look at the young boy, “What do you say?”
Big Brother Huang nodded gently, “Good.”
An elated Yang Kai said, “It’s decided, then. You can choose your territories and Stone Kings now.”
Following that, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan set to work. There were a lot of Small Stone Race members in the Small Universe, along with many Stone Kings. Hence, it wasn’t difficult to choose two equally matched Stone Kings.
With Yang Kai’s assistance, it was also easy for them to select their territories. However, both Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were meticulous in every detail as they were worried that any slight imbalance might affect the outcome of their future battle.
Certainly, Yang Kai would offer them all the help that was needed.
Since the kids were bored with treating Yang Kai like a family member, it was hard for him to get his hands on the Yellow and Blue Crystals in the Chaotic Dead Territory; however, if he could let Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan nurture more Small Stone Race members, it would be a different kind of benefit for him.
After all, it took a massive amount of materials to nurture the Small Stone Race. In the past, Yang Kai had to personally scatter the materials for them, but now he didn’t have to worry about anything.
When Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were done selecting their territories, they picked a spot for their base and started drawing Yin and Yang Element materials to feed the Stone Kings.
Although Yang Kai was heartbroken to see so many precious materials disappear, he decided to put up with it as he thought of the potential benefits these Stone Kings would bring him.
In any case, the used Blue and Yellow Crystals would eventually turn into the capital for Yang Kai’s own growth.
During this period of time, he took a glance at the place where he suppressed and sealed the Black Ink Strength previously. Nevertheless, he was now certain that all of it was cleaned up, with not even a trace left behind.
It was as though Big Brother Huang’s power was the nemesis of the Black Ink Strength.
This made Yang Kai feel melancholic. Back then, there were some Black Ink Disciples in Lang Ya Paradise, but they were all killed after being exposed. That was because those from Lang Ya Paradise believed that once a cultivator was corrupted with the Black Ink, there was no saving them. Black Ink Disciples were and forever would be enemies.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think that if they were brought to this place, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan might be able to get rid of the Black Ink Strength in their bodies and help them return to their normal state.
Unfortunately, he could never carry out this kind of experiment.
Not just anyone could enter the Chaotic Dead Territory. If it weren’t because of Ah Er, Yang Kai wouldn’t have had the chance to enter this place either.
Although Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan seemed able to destroy the Black Ink Strength, Yang Kai could never have brought the Black Ink Disciples from Lang Ya Paradise to this place.
It took a long time for the Small Stone Race members to grow to be strong enough to battle, so Yang Kai reckoned that there wouldn’t be any conflicts between Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan for the time being.
With that said, the clashes between the yellow and blue Soul Clones never stopped as they continued hacking each other to death.
Yang Kai even witnessed the colossal yellow and blue lights crashing into one another again, which made him feel doubtful.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were standing inside his Small Universe right now, so what were those giant lights in the distance he had seen? Which ones of them were their true bodies?
Giant Spirit God Ah Er remained sound asleep, as it would take him one to two years to awaken.
Since his Small Universe’s time was accelerated and had its own World Barrier, Yang Kai was practically staying inside a sealed space right now. It was impossible for him to get his hands on the Yellow and Blue Crystals like he had previously done.
Even though he had already obtained a massive amount of materials from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, he wouldn’t mind getting more. While cultivators in the outside world scrambled to get their hands on a single piece of Sixth-Order Yin or Yang Element material, such materials were literally everywhere in the Chaotic Dead Territory. There were even Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order ones just floating about. If possible, Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t want to miss such a chance. Unfortunately, he was no longer able to collect those crystals.
As such, he had practically nothing to do.
Left with no other choice, he decided to spend some time comprehending the Great Nothingness Scripture while observing his Third Disciple’s cultivation process.
It was a good idea to let Xu Yi cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture as the boy was now in the Third-Order Transcendent Realm, above which would be the Saint Realm.
Yang Kai would be there to observe Xu Yi every time he achieved a breakthrough, but he had yet to discover anything special.
When he was in front of the stone monument in Lang Ya Paradise previously, Yang Kai felt a hint of Time Principles fluctuating from one of the disciples there when they achieved an ascension.
However, this had never happened to Xu Yi. Yang Kai reckoned that it might have something to do with his weak cultivation. Perhaps he would only find something special when Xu Yi became more powerful.
After the Third-Order Transcendent Realm, Xu Yi would reach the Saint Realm.
This Realm was neither high or low. In some low-end Universe Worlds, the Saint Realm was already the peak of the Martial Dao. Yang Kai’s instincts were telling him though that when his Third Disciple made it to the next Great Realm, there would be some significant change.
With that said, he didn’t intend to help him grow in any way. He just let him cultivate at his own pace.
The Great Nothingness Scripture was a Secret Art that was passed down from ancient times, so there must be some secrets that had been lost to time and had yet to be uncovered. Although the Cave Heavens and Paradises had comprehended part of it, they were only able to make use of the Great Nothingness Scripture to create Small Source Worlds.
One year later, Yang Kai suddenly felt his Small Universe shaking. Upon sensing this, he realised that the Giant Spirit God Ah Er had awakened. The gigantic creature sat down with his legs crossed and spaced out for a few days. When he no longer felt cranky from his nap, he headed to the next destination.
The Small Universe was placed right above Ah Er’s head, and with the Giant Spirit God’s protection, it wouldn’t be harmed at all.
Although only a year had gone by in the outside world, two years had passed in Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
The Small Stone Race members that Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had been nurturing were now looking strong.
In fact, they had already exchanged some probing moves, but those were just small fights. As soon as they lost some Small Stone Race members, they would stop the fight.
It wasn’t certain what special skill the two kids had, but the Small Stone Race members, whose sentience was low, would always obediently listen to their commands. However, after taking their background and identity into consideration, Yang Kai soon realised the reason behind it.
These two kids were the Ancestors of all Divine Spirits and could even be considered the origin of all living creatures. It wasn’t surprising that they had a special skill to control these Small Stone Race members.
And so the day came when the Small Stone Race members nurtured by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, respectively, would begin their epic battle.
Both of them were not stingy when it came to nurturing their Small Stone Race members. In any case, there were innumerable materials in the Chaotic Dead Territory, and they could easily draw as many of them over as they wanted in order to feed their army.
They each had one Stone King, initially, but after just two years, they each had 1 million soldiers under their command.
At this moment, the two armies had lined up at the border of their territories, both sides in different formations, but all of them looking fierce and imposing.
The habits and behaviour of the Small Stone Race members were similar to those of ants. Under the Stone Kings, there were guards that were responsible for keeping the territory safe. There were also soldiers that had to invade other territories. Nevertheless, most were just like worker ants.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan each had 1 million soldiers under their command. No Stone King could ever control so many soldiers.
Therefore, they didn’t only have one Stone King, respectively, now. When a group grew to a certain scale, more Stone Kings would be born as they brought parts of the clansmen to other places to build their own nests and reproduce.
Now, they each had more than ten Stone Kings as these 1 million soldiers were divided into more than ten formations, looking truly intimidating.
When Yang Kai arrived at the battlefield, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were shooting each other dismissive glances and exchanging taunts.
This had been their daily life since long ago as they would never stop fighting to become the elder sibling.
Upon Yang Kai’s arrival, they shifted their attention to him and stopped the war of words. A high-spirited Big Brother Huang said, “Take a look at my Small Stone Race. What do you think?”
Yang Kai looked in that direction and nodded gently, “Your army is truly intimidating, and I’m sure they will win almost any battle.”
Upon hearing that, Big Brother Huang appeared smug and looked provocatively at Big Sister Lan.
It was the first time they tried raising Small Stone Race members. Two years had passed, and they found it to be quite interesting, especially when the groups of Small Stone Race members became stronger and more populous by the day. They felt a sense of accomplishment from doing that.
Big Sister Lan came over and asked, “What about mine?”
Yang Kai turned to gaze at the other army and remarked, “Just like tigers, they look mighty and invincible.”
Big Sister Lan said smilingly, “I’ve spent a lot of effort on them. I’ll definitely be the winner this time.”
Big Brother Huang shot her a look of disdain, “I’ve spent more effort on my army than you. There’s no way you’ll win the battle.”
Big Sister Lan snorted, “Enough nonsense, bring it on! Let’s see who will win. If you lose, you have to call me Big Sister.”
A defiant Big Brother Huang refuted, “If you lose, you have to call me Big Brother.”
As their eyes met, there seemed to be a spark lighting up between them. Yang Kai quickly stepped away so that he wouldn’t be harmed.
They turned their heads at the same time and demanded, “You’ll be the judge of this battle!”
“Alright,” Yang Kai solemnly cupped his fist. He had already expected it when he suggested using Small Stone Race members to decide who the winner would be, so he wasn’t surprised when he was asked to be the judge.
“Are you ready?” Yang Kai asked.
Big Brother Huang sneered at his Sister, “Of course I’m ready.”
Big Sister Lan scoffed, “Bring it on!”
“Begin!” Yang Kai announced.
Instantly, like beasts that were released from their cages, the millions of soldiers marched forward from both sides across the plains. Although they had gathered together in formations before the war, there were not really any tactics to speak of when they started fighting.
This was a tangled melee between 2 million Small Stone Race members. The battlefield had descended into chaos as stony limbs were sent flying around in a merciless way.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan didn’t interfere in the war between the Small Stone Race members as they only watched it from the sides. To them, they had already put in their efforts over the past two years, so all they had to do now was wait for the outcome.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel heartbroken as he watched the Small Stone Race members getting slaughtered.
These Small Stone Race members were the capital for him to grow stronger, so he suffered an immense loss when so many of them were killed.
After giving it a thought though, he realised that these 2 million Small Stone Race members had brought a lot of benefits to his Small Universe when they were growing up already and he was unable to stop them from getting killed since it was a fight between Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan.
However, as more Small Stone Race members were killed, Yang Kai’s expression turned more and more pensive.
That was because he discovered that as a lot of Small Stone Race members were slaughtered, the heritage in his Small Universe actually increased a little. Initially, he thought that it was a misconception, but when 20% of the 2 million Small Stone Race had died, he could finally confirm that it wasn’t just his imagination. The heritage in his Small Universe really was increasing at an increased pace.
It was not a significant increase, only equivalent to a few months of cultivation, but the outcome surprised him greatly.
[What’s going on?]
The reproduction of the living beings in his Small Universe would continuously help increase his heritage. This kind of increase was slow and almost imperceptible. Nevertheless, over time, the increase would be significant.
If two people started out with the same heritages, the difference between them would be conspicuous 1,000 years later when one had living beings in their Small Universe and the other did not.
Yang Kai had always believed that it was an irrefutable fact that the more living beings there were in his Small Universe, the better it would be.
However, it now seemed that he had discovered a truth that he wasn’t aware of in the past.
Soon, a realization dawned upon him.
To be born, to grow old, to get sick, and to die were all parts of the cycle of life.
While the living could continuously bring benefits to his Small Universe, death could do the same the moment they passed away.
In the past, there had never been a time when so many living beings had died at the same time in his Small Universe; therefore, Yang Kai had never realised this point even though he had been raising Small Stone Race members in his body for years.
The fight between Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had accidentally revealed this truth.
This realization was like a bright Moon that cast away the fog that had been bothering him for days. All of a sudden, he thought of the Great Nothingness Scripture.
There were many descriptions of life and death in the Great Nothingness Scripture. Even though Yang Kai had studied these sections, he didn’t really pay any attention to it as it only seemed like common sense. Now, he had a feeling that there was something deeper that was within his grasp.
Perhaps the complete cycle of life and death was the biggest secret that was hidden in the Great Nothingness Scripture.
Although he couldn’t wait to find a quiet place to comprehend the Great Nothingness Scripture again, he couldn’t leave now as the war hadn’t ended.
The tangled warfare between 2 million soldiers persisted for half a month, with 80% of them dying in the process.
As the war unfolded, Big Brother Huang’s expression became increasingly gloomy. That was because his army was now clearly on the losing side. The subtle difference was not conspicuous in the beginning, but as the war dragged on, his disadvantage snowballed into something obvious.
When the war ended, his army was completely wiped out, leaving only the Stone Kings in their nest and a group of Elite Guards. On the other hand, Big Sister Lan still had about 100,000 soldiers under her command.
Big Brother Huang was in a state of utter grief as disbelief was written all over his face and he kept muttering under his breath, “How could this be? How could this be?”
Meanwhile, Big Sister Lan leaped into the air as though she was a child who had just obtained the greatest treasure. She clapped her hands and said with a smile, “I won!”
She then turned to look at Yang Kai with a hopeful gaze.
As the judge of the battle, Yang Kai naturally had to fulfil his responsibility. He pointed at the young girl and announced, “Big Sister Lan is the winner of this battle!”
Although the outcome was right in front of their eyes, it wasn’t until Yang Kai announced it that the war really ended.
A smug Big Sister Lan placed her hands behind her back and sauntered towards her Brother.
Presently, a devastated Big Brother Huang knelt on the ground and looked at the shattered stones on the battlefield with a pair of listless eyes. Unresignment, fury, and humiliation were written all over his face.
Yang Kai was extremely nervous as he was worried that this guy would do something crazy out of shame. It had to be noted that they were now in his Small Universe, so once Big Brother Huang’s power burst forth, his Small Universe wouldn’t be able to bear it and would be destroyed in the blink of an eye.
A speechless Yang Kai thought that Big Brother Huang’s reaction was over the top as it was just a game, but after pondering on it for a moment, he realised that it wasn’t just a battle between two armies. This was about the argument between them that had been going on since the dawn of time itself.
That was the crux of the problem that shattered Big Brother Huang’s psychological defence.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel sorry for the young boy as he silently looked away.
Big Sister Lan looked condescendingly at her Brother with a smug expression as ecstasy was written all over her face. When she realised that there was no reaction from her Brother though, who still appeared dejected, she couldn’t help but land a gentle kick on him and urge him by saying, “Hurry up. My patience is limited.”
In an instant, Big Brother Huang’s face became as red as blood. He repeatedly parted his lips, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
“Are you unwilling to admit defeat?” Big Sister Lan gave him a look of disdain.
“What are you talking about?” Big Brother Huang stood straight up with fury as he clenched his fists to summon his courage. Only after a long silence did he call out with great difficulty, “Big Sister…”
His voice was almost indiscernible.
Big Sister Lan deliberately moved her head closer to him, “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”
A flushing Big Brother Huang roared, “Big Sister!”
A stunned Big Sister Lan took a few steps away and patted her chest, “Why did you shout at me?”
Hot steam seemed to be billowing from Big Brother Huang’s nostrils as he glared at his Sister. It was as though there was irreconcilable enmity between them as he snarled, “Are you happy now?”
There was a bright smile on Big Sister Lan’s face as she nodded repeatedly, “Of course I’m happy. You’ve finally acknowledged that I’m the Big Sister after so long!”
It was the first time in her life to hear her Brother calling her ‘Big Sister’. Although Yang Kai had called her that many times, she still felt that something was lacking. It was different from the present situation.
She had never been as satisfied as when she heard her Brother say ‘Big Sister’ for the first time. This was a kind of satisfaction that Yang Kai could never give her.
“I will not concede defeat!” Big Brother Huang balled up his fists and said grimly.
Big Sister Lan stopped smiling and gazed at him with a frown, “What do you mean? Are you going back on your word?”
“I want to have another battle with you!” Big Brother Huang said through clenched teeth.
Big Sister Lan batted her eyes, “You have no more Small Stone Race members. How are you going to fight with me again?”
“I still have the Stone Kings. I will rise again!”
“Ha ha ha!” Big Sister Lan scoffed mercilessly, “You only have your Stone Kings, but I still have 100,000 soldiers. As soon as I give the order, your Stone Kings will be killed as well!”
Big Brother Huang’s face turned a shade redder, but there was nothing he could do.
Just then, Big Sister Lan said, “As your Big Sister, I will be generous and give you a chance. Go back and nurture a new army. When you’re ready, I’ll teach you another lesson.”