“But! Before you can defeat me, you’ll still be my Little Brother. Do not forget about your identity!” Big Sister Lan reminded him by saying.
A humiliated Big Brother Huang replied, “I’ll never forget this day.”
After a moment of observation, Yang Kai placated the young boy by saying, “In war, it is normal to win or lose. Keep your chin up, Big Brother Huang. Just go back and continue nurturing your Small Stone Race members and stage a comeback.”
Big Brother Huang grunted and left. It seemed that he couldn’t wait to strengthen and develop his own Small Stone Race members.
Presently, he was only left with his ten Stone Kings and a small number of Elite Guards. It would be difficult for him to make his army stronger in a short time.
On the other hand, Big Sister Lan still had about 100,000 soldiers, which put her at a great advantage. She definitely had a better chance of winning the next battle.
“It’s all thanks to your idea!” Big Sister Lan looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “He’s finally willing to call me Big Sister after so many years. Tell me. What reward do you want?”
“You have a reward for me?” Yang Kai became energetic in an instant.
“Of cour… Nevermind, I know what you want even if you don’t say it.” Upon finishing her words, Big Sister Lan dashed out of the Small Universe. When she returned, she brought back literal mountains of Yellow and Blue Crystals and tossed them to Yang Kai.
Naturally, Yang Kai was ecstatic.
Initially, he thought that he would never have a chance to easily get these Yellow and Blue Crystals again, so it surprised him when Big Sister Lan gave so many to him all at once.
Yang Kai of course wouldn’t turn her down. After thanking her, he quickly sent these materials to the medicine garden.
After the epic war, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan stopped bickering with each other for quite some time. While Big Brother Huang worked hard to develop his own Small Stone Race members, Big Sister Lan was never complacent. Even though she was the winner this time, 90% of her Small Stone Race members were killed. Naturally, she had to quickly replenish her ranks.
If she was drowned in the ecstasy of this victory and never thought about improving herself, she would be the one calling him ‘Big Brother’ next time. This kind of outcome was simply intolerable for her.
Even though both of them were busy, Big Sister Lan would look for Big Brother Huang from time to time just to hear him calling her ‘Big Sister’. While she was satisfied every time, Big Brother Huang only became more furious and further strengthened his determination to get his revenge.
The enlightenment that dawned upon Yang Kai from the battle allowed him to have a better understanding of the Great Nothingness Scripture. He had a feeling that he was just one step away from grasping the core of the Secret Art, but he hadn’t been able to achieve that. That was because he still hadn’t figured out the relationship between Great Nothingness Scripture and the Dao of Time.
On this day, he suddenly detected something and looked in a particular direction.
Presently, Xu Yi was seated with his legs crossed on a boulder by a cliff. All his vitality surged as his True Qi roiled. Above his head were swirling dark clouds and deafening thunder could be heard.
He was showing signs of achieving a breakthrough!
Xu Yi was already in the Third-Order Transcendent Realm, and he would soon make it to the Saint Realm.
That was a very unique Realm. Yang Kai recalled that when he was in Tong Xuan Realm in the past, the highest Martial Dao was the Saint Realm. It wasn’t until he left the place and entered the Star Field that he came into contact with higher Realms.
He already had a feeling that there would be a strange phenomenon when his Third Disciple ascended to the Saint Realm; therefore, when he realised that Xu Yi was achieving a breakthrough, he immediately came over and observed him from up close.
In fact, Yang Kai was there every time Xu Yi achieved a breakthrough in the past, but he hadn’t discovered anything special so far.
However, this time was apparently different.
Before the ascension even happened, the Time Dao Essence in his Small Universe began reacting in a way as though it was trying to resonate with Xu Yi.
Yang Kai had the same feeling when his First Disciple Zhao Ye Bai achieved a breakthrough, but what resonated with him was the Space Dao Essence.
Meanwhile, he wasn’t worried about Xu Yi’s breakthrough. Although the progress of Xu Yi’s cultivation was rapid, he had spent a much longer time in his dreams than in reality due to his unique talent in the Dao of Time; therefore, his foundation was solid.
Certainly, he wouldn’t fall into danger by ascending to the Saint Realm.
When the World Baptism descended on Xu Yi’s head, he didn’t seem to notice at all. Instead of reacting to it, he hung his head low as though he had slumbered off.
It wasn’t until the force reached him that he looked up and stared into the void with a pair of eerie-looking eyes. There was a strange smile on his face.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai frowned.
The World Baptism continuously streamed into Xu Yi as he opened up his body and accepted it. Soon, he was covered in wounds, but as he was faced with the trial, his aura rapidly increased and soon reached the peak of the Transcendent Realm.
The Great Nothingness Scripture was circulated to the fullest as it protected Xu Yi’s vital parts. At the same time, the Time Dao Essence in the Small Universe became increasingly active. Yang Kai could clearly feel that a lot of Time Dao Essence streamed into Xu Yi’s body and was consumed by him following the World Baptism.
Just an hour later, Xu Yi’s aura, which was already at the peak, reached the next stage, and with him as the centre, a pressure wave was seen spreading out.
He had made it to the Saint Realm!
At the same time, the flow of time in the Small Universe seemed to have been affected as the whole world halted for an instant before it began surging ahead again.
The fog in Yang Kai’s mind remained, as he still hadn’t figured out the relationship between the Great Nothingness Scripture and the Dao of Time, but he could clearly feel that the flow of time in his Small Universe had accelerated.
In the past, the flow of time in his Small Universe was two times faster than the outside world, but now, it was three times faster.
This transformation astounded Yang Kai.
It had to be noted that his mastery of the Dao of Time remained in the sixth level, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary. This was a kind of categorisation he had invented and it was only thanks to this level of comprehension that the flow of time in his Small Universe had accelerated prior to this.
Why did he gain such a reward after Xu Yi achieved a breakthrough in his Small Universe?
Was it because of Xu Yi himself? Or was it because of the Great Nothingness Scripture? Could both reasons be valid?
Xu Yi was talented in the Dao of Time, and he had cultivated the Great Nothingness Scripture. Moreover, he had achieved an ascension in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Perhaps this plethora of reasons brought about unexpected changes.
However, Yang Kai felt uneasy.
The reason he selected Xu Yi to cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture was that he wanted to fully comprehend the Secret Art so that his mastery of the Dao of Time would improve.
But now, while he had benefited, he hadn’t really learned anything new, which was simply incomprehensible.
When he checked on his Small Universe and confirmed that there was nothing wrong, Yang Kai became even more doubtful.
Meanwhile, Xu Yi had awakened as he looked dazedly at his own hands. Although he had experienced a lot of hardship while achieving this breakthrough, his body had been fortified by Yang Kai. Additionally, he had already ascended to the next Great Realm; therefore, he was fine as his wounds had mostly healed already.
“Do you feel any discomfort?” Yang Kai appeared before him and asked.
Upon hearing that, Xu Yi quickly got to his feet and saluted him, “Greetings, Honoured Master.” He still appeared doubtful, “Did I break through?”
Yang Kai nodded, “You’re in the Saint Realm now.”
Xu Yi scratched his head, “I didn’t even realise it. For some reason, I was overwhelmed by sleepiness and dozed off just now. Many thanks for protecting me, Honoured Master.”
He thought that the reason he successfully achieved an ascension was that Yang Kai had been standing guard beside him; otherwise, he would’ve lost his life since he was asleep just now.
Yang Kai stared fixedly at him and gave it a thought before saying, “Since you’ve made it to the next Great Realm, continue strengthening your foundation. You must not become arrogant just because you’re more powerful now.”
“Yes,” Xu Yi replied respectfully, “Disciple will cultivate hard and never forget your teachings.”
When he looked up, Yang Kai was already nowhere in sight.
Xu Yi was very respectful of his Honoured Master. If Yang Kai hadn’t taken him on as a Disciple during the Disciple Recruitment, he wouldn’t have achieved anything great in life given his aptitude. Nevertheless, following Yang Kai’s teachings, he made it to the Saint Realm after just a couple of decades.
He believed that it was just the beginning as he still had a brighter future ahead of him.
Upon receiving Yang Kai’s order, he quickly began consolidating his new cultivation.
In fact, it was easy for him to cultivate, as he just had to fall asleep. His aptitude remained terrible when he cultivated while he was awake.
Over the years, Xu Yi had gotten used to cultivating in his dreams; therefore, he had learned how to slumber off at will.
Presently, Yang Kai was thoroughly examining his Small Universe.
The fact that Xu Yi had brought such a benefit to him by achieving a breakthrough in his Small Universe puzzled him greatly. He would never be at ease before finding out the reason.
Unfortunately, he still hadn’t found a clue after several days of searching.
With that said, it had been established that the flow of time in his Small Universe was now three times faster than the outside world.
Yang Kai decided to ask Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan about it, but they had no idea what he was talking about.
To them, their innate abilities were the most powerful in the world and already transcended all other Secret Arts or Techniques. There wasn’t a need for them to learn anything else.
Left with no other choice, Yang Kai could only give up on investigating.
As a matter of fact, he wasn’t particularly talented in the Dao of Time. The reason he had such achievements was thanks to all the opportunities in the past.
He was most talented in the Dao of Space, which had reached the eighth level of comprehension, Summiting the Peak. He wouldn’t dare to say that no one would surpass him in the future, but rarely had anyone reached this level since time immemorial.
The most talented person in the Dao of Time that Yang Kai knew of was the deceased Flowing Time Great Emperor from the Star Boundary.
If Flowing Time Great Emperor were still alive, he might have been able to fully comprehend the Great Nothingness Scripture given his talent in the Dao of Time.
Yang Kai could only lament that such a gifted person passed away too soon. Flowing Time Great Emperor died for the Star Boundary, and if he hadn’t single-handedly injured Great Demon God all those years ago, the latter would have devoured and destroyed the Star Boundary long before Yang Kai was born.
Fortunately, there were two Disciples who had obtained his inheritance.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were equally talented in the Dao of Time. While Yang Xiao had followed the Dragon Clan members to the Ancestral Land and wouldn’t come back so soon, Yang Xue remained in High Heaven Palace. Yang Kai decided that when he returned to High Heaven Palace, he would ask Yang Xue to comprehend the Great Nothingness Scripture.
Meanwhile, Giant Spirit God Ah Er still did nothing else but eat, sleep, head to his next destination, and repeat.
Every time he dozed off, it would take him a few years to awaken.
On the other hand, the fight between Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan remained intense in the Small Universe. Following his first defeat, Big Brother Huang had learned his lesson as he now tried harder to nurture his Small Stone Race members. He didn’t care how many materials it would cost him to do that.
Certainly, Yang Kai was pleased with what these two were doing.
Big Brother Huang never forgot about the lesson he was taught during the first war. Moreover, due to the disadvantage caused by the previous defeat, he wasn’t in a rush to have a showdown with Big Sister Lan. Instead, he sent out his soldiers in small groups and harassed Big Sister Lan’s mighty army. She had never expected him to be so shameless, so she found it hard to deal with the situation for the time being.
After gaining some advantage, Big Brother Huang brought out all of his armies and defeated the other party in a decisive strike. This kind of outcome surprised Yang Kai, while it was unacceptable for Big Sister Lan.
With that said, regardless of how powerful these two were, they had a good quality; they were willing to admit defeat.
When Big Brother Huang lost the battle the first time around, he gritted his teeth and called her ‘Big Sister’ regardless of how unwilling he was.
It was the same case this time. Nevertheless, it was Big Sister Lan’s turn to call him ‘Big Brother’.
Both of them were haughty, which was expected as they were probably the most powerful beings in the 3,000 Worlds, so it wasn’t surprising that they were arrogant.
Hence, after achieving a clear victory, neither of them would destroy the other party entirely.
Just like how Big Sister Lan spared the lives of his Stone Kings and gave him time to restock and rearm, Big Brother Huang had done the same this time.
It wasn’t that they were sympathetic to the loser, but rather that they just wanted to let the other party know that they were indeed the stronger one, and the loser had to willingly call the winner Big Brother or Big Sister.
For the coming years, Yang Kai witnessed their rapid growth as military commanders.
There were no techniques to speak of during the first battle as they just brought out all their soldiers and had a showdown on an open field. They didn’t intend to direct their soldiers at all.
After respectively losing and winning one battle each though, they seemed to have learned their lessons as they could now skillfully mobilise their soldiers.
As time passed, Yang Kai witnessed all sorts of interesting sneak attacks, ambushes, luring enemies into traps, creating diversions, and luring the tiger from the mountain strategies.
Their mastery of military tactics and formations became increasingly profound as they would fight against one another with their wits every single moment. Yang Kai was awestruck by this.
When he suggested using Small Stone Race members to determine who the winner would be, he had never expected that things would come to such a point.
The entire territory Yang Kai had given them had completely turned into a battlefield.
Their Small Stone Race soldiers had expanded to several tens of millions from barely 1 million and they had spent innumerable materials because of that.
If those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises found out about it, they would surely curse them for being so wasteful.
Nevertheless, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan wouldn’t care about the Orders or amounts of those materials. In order to help their Small Stone Race members grow, they would even feed them with Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order materials!
As a result, the Stone Kings under their command were now quite different from normal ones. Not only were they much larger, but they could also produce more pebbles at a faster rate. The Small Stone Race members hatched from their pebbles were also much stronger from the start.
With their fight being never-ending, it had brought great benefits to Yang Kai.
As the Small Stone Race members were born and died in such incredible numbers, they continuously helped increase the heritage of his Small Universe. Therefore, even though Yang Kai had not cultivated at all recently, his strength had still continued to grow rapidly.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan never rewarded him with any Yellow and Blue Crystals again as they were simply engrossed in the fight of wits among themselves.
Yang Kai was someone who counted his blessings as he had already obtained immense rewards in the Chaotic Dead Territory. No one in history had ever accumulated mountains of Yin and Yang Element material in their Small Universe like what he had done.
Moreover, Yang Kai had been observing his surroundings recently.
When he barged into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside Giant Spirit God Ah Er, the void was filled with Blue and Yellow Crystals and he could easily get his hands on them.
However, as time passed, he could barely see any Blue and Yellow Crystals floating about now.
Some of them were given to Yang Kai by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan and were now sitting in his Small Universe. Some of them were used to nurture the Small Stone Race members.
Perhaps there were some Yellow and Blue Crystals scattered around the Chaotic Dead Territory, but there wouldn’t be a lot of them.
Furthermore, Yang Kai’s arrival had changed the status quo in the Chaotic Dead Territory that had persisted for eons.
Before his arrival, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan never stopped fighting one another. Every time a massive clash took place, countless Soul Clones would be produced that then hacked each other to death. The fallout would spread across the entire Chaotic Dead Territory, which made it a very dangerous place.
Nevertheless, the two of them were now engrossed in nurturing their Small Stone Race members and the danger in the Chaotic Dead Territory slowly dissipated. The Soul Clones had all turned into Yellow and Blue Crystals of different Orders while the giant masses of coloured light stopped clashing with each other.
The Chaotic Dead Territory was no longer dangerous.
This was a fact Yang Kai had inadvertently discovered.
There had always been a protective layer around Giant Spirit God Ah Er since they entered the Chaotic Dead Territory. He would never dispel it even when he was eating or sleeping. It was thanks to this protective layer that Yang Kai had remained safe until now, but there came a day when the protective layer around Ah Er abruptly disappeared.
It wasn’t until that moment that Yang Kai realised the Chaotic Dead Territory had undergone a stunning transformation.
His feelings were complicated upon that realization.
It was just an idea that flashed through his head as he was searching for a way to save himself, so he hadn’t expected it to solve the epic battle that had been ongoing between Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan since time immemorial. Seeing the fight between them had turned into something more peaceful, he actually felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Although he felt sorry for the Small Stone Race members, they were born to attack each other. Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had only magnified this characteristic.
Since the Chaotic Dead Territory was no longer dangerous, Yang Kai felt that it was time for him to leave.
The reason he hadn’t left earlier was that he was unable to do so. Without Ah Er’s protection, he wouldn’t be able to move around freely in the void that was filled with murderous intent.
He was supposed to look for Qu Hua Shang after her 100 years of confinement were up, but that time had passed as he had been held up in the Chaotic Dead Territory for about thirty or forty years. He couldn’t wait to head to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven now.
After he won first place in Dao Theory Assembly and became a Son-in-Law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, he was supposed to marry Qu Hua Shang.
Yang Kai thus found a chance to bid farewell to Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan.
Both of them were shocked upon hearing that.
“Are you leaving?” Big Sister Lan batted her eyes and gazed at him.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “It was an accident that I came into this place. I’m more than satisfied to have come across the two of you as you’ve taken good care of me; however, I cannot stay here forever, so it’s time for me to leave.”
He was genuinely grateful to the two of them. Without them, he wouldn’t have gained so many benefits. It was expected that he was saddened to have to leave them after spending so many years with them.
On the other hand, it seemed Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were fine with his leaving, and she only nodded upon hearing that.
Just then, Big Brother Huang said, “You can leave, but our territories will have to stay here.”
Yang Kai instantly sported a dark expression as his face twitched, “What do you mean?”
Big Brother Huang drew a circle with his hand, “These territories!” He directly included thirty percent of Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
Yang Kai coughed and replied, “No. It’s my Small Universe. I’ll die if I leave behind such a large area.”
Certainly, he wouldn’t die because of that, but his strength would plunge by cutting off such a large area of his Small Universe and his foundation would be crippled, meaning he would lose any hope of achieving another breakthrough in his life.
“Come up with a solution, then. Don’t affect our fight.”
“That’s easy.” Yang Kai was well prepared. Since he had decided to leave, he naturally wouldn’t run away with no backup plan. They wouldn’t agree to it, either.
Small Stone Race members just needed a simple environment to live. He just had to look for a new place for them to develop.
Fortunately, the Chaotic Dead Territory was full of shattered Universe Worlds. He just had to look for a larger shattered Spirit Province so that they could continue the fight freely.
After Yang Kai brought his idea up, Big Brother Huang spread his palms, “There’s none left.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai widened his eyes.
Big Brother Huang stomped his foot, “There were some in the past, but they were all eaten by this guy.”
He was talking about Ah Er.
At that, Yang Kai was speechless.
After Big Brother Huang stomped his foot on the ground, Ah Er, who had been sound asleep, suddenly awakened. This time, he didn’t appear to be sulky as he just charged forward into the distance.
Judging from the direction he was heading, his destination was the Territory Gate.
Since all the shattered Universe Worlds in the Chaotic Dead Territory were consumed by Ah Er, there was no reason for him to stay.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan didn’t intend to stop him from leaving.
It wasn’t the first time Giant Spirit God Clan members visited their territory. Whenever their fight affected a new Great Territory, which resulted in numerous Universe Worlds getting destroyed, Giant Spirit Gods would get wind of it and arrive at this place. After they were done with wolfing down all the shattered Universe Worlds, they would leave.
The two of them were already used to it.
A few days later, the Territory Gate came into sight. Just like how Ah Er entered this place back then, he growled as his body shrank rapidly. The next moment, he plunged into the Territory Gate and disappeared.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s Small Universe remained in place.
His Small Universe was placed on Ah Er’s head, so it had been moving alongside him; however, even though Ah Er was now gone, Yang Kai was left behind.
He couldn’t detect Big Brother Huang or Big Sister Lan making any moves, but he knew that it had something to do with them.
At that moment, he was heartbroken at the fact that Ah Er abandoned him just like that.
Meanwhile, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan directly ignored his depression. To them, they just needed Yang Kai’s Small Universe to serve as their battlefield. As for Yang Kai himself, he didn’t matter to them.
Yang Kai felt his head aching as he watched the two in his Small Universe.
There was no way he could leave this place before solving this problem. With that said, he reckoned that it wasn’t so hard to solve this problem after all.
As he darted his gaze around, an idea soon came into his mind.
“Good, Big Brother Huang, Big Sister Lan. I’ll look for a new battlefield that’s much bigger and expansive than the current one so that you’ll be able to fight more freely. What do you think?”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan exchanged glances before nodding gently, “Go ahead, then.”
Yang Kai said, “I have to leave this place for a short while. This place doesn’t have the things you need.”
On the other side of the Territory Gate, more than ten High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters still steadfastly watched over the Chaotic Dead Territory, just like they had been doing for a long time.
As Yang Kai had speculated, the fallout from the fight between the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer was too horrifying and would affect the neighbouring Great Territories. Once that happened, the entire Great Territory would become a part of the Chaotic Dead Territory.
Therefore, the Cave Heavens and Paradises would always empty the adjacent Great Territories to prevent too many casualties due to the fight. They had been doing this for many, many years now.
When the fight between the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer expanded previously and affected new Great Territories, they would already be empty to begin with; therefore, even though countless Universe Worlds would be destroyed, no casualties had been reported.
That was the reason the cultivators in this Great Territory fled decades ago.
When Giant Spirit God Ah Er dashed out of the Territory Gate, these High-Rank Masters didn’t try to stop him and simply watched him leave. In fact, they were unable to stop him even if they wanted to. Even though there was an Eighth-Order Ancestor around, there was no way they could challenge a Giant Spirit God.
As they watched the Giant Spirit God leave, a Seventh-Order woman suddenly let out a sigh, “It’s unfortunate that such a talent passed away at such a young age.”
The person beside her nodded, “You’re right. A rising star like him was killed just like that. Life is full of uncertainties, isn’t it?”
Another person said, “An ignorant person knows no fear. I suppose he wasn’t aware that he was entering the Chaotic Dead Territory; otherwise, he wouldn’t have the guts to tag along with the Giant Spirit God.”
“I heard that the young man was engaged to a Core Disciple from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Now that he’s dead, I suppose the engagement has been annulled.”
“I heard from the Sect that he had made a significant contribution in the fight to destroy the Black Ink Disciples in Lang Ya Paradise. It was thanks to him that those from Lang Ya Paradise could find and eliminate all the Black Ink Disciples. They had even found some clues that led to the true Black Ink Clansman hiding behind the shadows.”
They were naturally talking about Yang Kai.
When Yang Kai barged into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside Ah Er in the past, many of these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters witnessed it.
At that moment, all of them were shocked.
First of all, no one had ever worked with a Giant Spirit God before, so the people who saw Yang Kai thought that they were just seeing things.
Secondly, the Chaotic Dead Territory was an extremely dangerous place. Even though Yang Kai had entered alongside a Giant Spirit God, they reckoned that his fate would be miserable. He would most likely be killed by the shockwaves of the never-ending fight.
Therefore, after Yang Kai dashed into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside the Giant Spirit God, they started looking into his identity.
Although they had been monitoring the movements of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer for many years as it was their duty, they still had ways to communicate with the outside world.
Upon asking around, they found out that the young man who entered the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside the Giant Spirit God was a famous figure, not a nobody.
His titles included Star Boundary Great Emperor, Void Land’s Lord, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Son-in-Law and so on.
Previously, the incident regarding the World Tree had spread like wildfire. Even though they were stationed here, these Masters had heard of it. It was already shocking enough that Yang Kai, as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, was able to kill a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. During the Dao Theory Assembly, he defeated all other Core Disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises and won first place. That was why they were also aware that he was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law.
Additionally, it was thanks to Yang Kai’s contribution that those from Lang Ya Paradise were able to root out the Black Ink Disciples and kill them all, which prevented a disaster from happening.
Yang Kai had done many things that were of great concern to the Cave Heavens and Paradises, so he was no longer a nameless figure. That was why they could easily find out his identity by just asking around.
After some calculations, they reckoned that he had come to the Chaotic Dead Territory with the Giant Spirit God after leaving Lang Ya Paradise.
Regardless of how many achievements Yang Kai had made in the past, which included killing a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was still just a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the end. There was no way he could survive in the Chaotic Dead Territory.
They believed that it was the truth. Decades had passed, and the Giant Spirit God finally left; however, the young man that had tagged along was nowhere to be seen now.
No one could survive in the Chaotic Dead Territory for long, not even the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, to say nothing of the fact that Yang Kai was just a Sixth-Order Master.
Although they felt sorry for Yang Kai’s death, they were not close to him after all; therefore, after a moment of silence, they soon talked about other matters.
“Speaking of the Black Ink Clan, how’s the situation in the Shattered Heaven now?”
All of them shook their heads, including the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor, who supposedly knew a little more than the rest, “Although we’ve been looking into it for decades, we haven’t found the whereabouts of the Black Ink Clansman in the Shattered Heaven. They seem to be very well hidden.”
“Have they found other Black Ink Disciples in our forces?”
“No.”
“I suppose the situation is not that bad yet. I wonder how those Black Ink Disciples from Lang Ya Paradise became connected to the Black Ink Clan.”
Just when the Eighth-Order Ancestor was about to speak, his expression changed drastically as he turned to look at the Territory Gate.
Fluctuations could be felt coming from the Territory Gate. It wasn’t the first time they experienced this. The same thing happened when Giant Spirit God Ah Er shot out of the Chaotic Dead Territory. It would also happen when the fallout from the fight between the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer spread.
Now that the Giant Spirit God was gone, there were no other living creatures in the Chaotic Dead Territory other than the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
The Eighth-Order Ancestor felt his heart sinking, thinking that the fight between the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer would soon affect the next Great Territory. The same thing happened barely 100 years ago.
Why would it come so soon?
Without the need for him to give the order, more than ten High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters drew on the powers of their Small Universes to protect themselves while raising their vigilance to the highest.
According to past experiences, the Territory Gate wouldn’t be destroyed too quickly, so they still had time to flee. Once the Territory Gate was destroyed, if they still hadn’t left this Great Territory, they would be killed despite being High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Under their pointed watch though, a figure strolled out of the Territory Gate.
All of them were rooted to the spot as though they had been hit by some kind of binding technique. Even the seasoned Eighth-Order Ancestor widened his eyes as he looked dazedly at the young man, who had stepped out of the Chaotic Dead Territory totally unscathed.
When Yang Kai shook off his dizziness from crossing the Territory Gate, he saw that more than ten people gazing at him as though he was a ghost. He frowned, knowing that they must have misunderstood something.
However, he didn’t intend to explain anything and simply saluted them respectfully, “Void Land’s Yang Kai greets Seniors.”
[It’s really him!]
Although they already found out Yang Kai’s identity and knew that he was Void Land’s Lord, they hadn’t verified this fact as there was simply no way to do that. It wasn’t until this moment that they could confirm it.
These people exchanged dumbfounded glances as they couldn’t believe their eyes. They had always believed that Yang Kai was long dead, and the Cave Heavens and Paradises that received the news must have shared the same sentiment.
A Seventh-Order woman, who spoke earlier, asked doubtfully, “You’re still… alive?”
[What on Earth is she talking about?] A speechless Yang Kai gaped at her and nodded, “Yes?”
Another High-Rank Open Heaven Realm asked in shock, “How are you still alive?”
Yang Kai sported a dark expression, wondering why these people seemed to want him dead when there were no grudges between them.
The Eighth-Order Ancestor seemed to realise what Yang Kai was thinking and explained, “They’re curious about how you survived in the Chaotic Dead Territory. Did the Giant Spirit God protect you?”
Upon hearing this, the others finally realised what was happening. It would only be possible for Yang Kai to survive in the Chaotic Dead Territory with the Giant Spirit God’s protection.
However, after giving it a thought, they realised that something was off. The Giant Spirit God had left some time before Yang Kai came out of the Chaotic Dead Territory, yet he was still alive and kicking even though he didn’t have the Giant Spirit God’s protection for the past incense or so.
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Your insight is truly sharp, Ancestor. It was indeed thanks to the Giant Spirit God that I survived. However, it’s no longer dangerous inside as one can enter and leave without fear.”
All of them were stunned as some of them asked doubtfully, “Are you serious?”
Without going into the details, Yang Kai replied, “I’ve found a… game for the two powerful beings inside to occupy their time with. Now that they’ve switched to a different method of competing, it’s no longer dangerous inside.”
All of them stared fixedly at Yang Kai as though they were trying to figure out whether he was lying.
After pondering on it for a moment, the Eighth-Order Ancestor said in a weird tone, “You said you’ve found a game for the powerful beings inside?”
Yang Kai nodded seriously.
The Ancestor’s expression became more awkward, “Do you know who they are?”
“Of course, I know.” Yang Kai nodded again.
At that, the Ancestor was speechless.
The other High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters traded glances. Some of them even suspected that Yang Kai had gone mad.
The beings inside were the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, who had been fighting against one another since the dawn of time. They had destroyed innumerable Great Territories along the way. No one knew what the cause of the fight was, but they speculated that they were simply incompatible with each other’s existence.
This was a truly irreconcilable feud.
Nevertheless, there was now a young man who said that he had found a new game for these two beings to kill time with so they changed the way they fought?
Was this whole thing some kind of child’s game? Certainly, they wouldn’t believe it.
They would probably find it to be even more inconceivable if they found out that Yang Kai had played this child’s game with them for quite a long time.
“Well…” The Ancestor tried to measure his words as he also believed that Yang Kai had gone mad. Even though Yang Kai had stayed in the Chaotic Dead Territory for decades and eventually stepped out of it safely, which was a feat no one had pulled off in history, it didn’t mean that what he said was true.
The Ancestor asked seriously, “What kind of game is it?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “Will you believe me if I say it’s a kind of strategy game?”
Yang Kai had naturally noticed the Eighth-Order Ancestor’s doubt, and there was something off about the way the other High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters looked at him, as if they felt sympathy for him.
The Eighth-Order Ancestor fell silent.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing to believe Yang Kai, but the latter’s words were just too inconceivable.
Could a so-called strategy game make the two powerful beings forget about the grudges between them that had spanned across the ages? If it were so easy, these people wouldn’t have had to keep guard in this place for so many years.
“It’s expected that you don’t believe me, so why don’t you come with me to see for yourself? You’ll believe me when you witness it in person.” Yang Kai invited him to enter the Chaotic Dead Territory with him.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor instantly put up his guard. If he hadn’t known that Yang Kai had the World Spring, which protected his Small Universe from any external invasion, he would’ve suspected that the young man had been stained with Black Ink and was trying to kill him.
Not just anyone could barge into the Chaotic Dead Territory. Even though Yang Kai had left safely, he might have some special way of achieving it. On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Ancestor wouldn’t dare to put his guard down.
This matter had far-reaching implications. If the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer could live peacefully together, it would be good news for the entire universe. At the very least, the Cave Heavens and Paradises wouldn’t have to worry about their fight destroying more Great Territories.
Over the years, too many Great Territories had been destroyed because of their fight, which was a loss for the entire 3,000 Worlds.
Although the Eighth-Order Ancestor didn’t believe Yang Kai’s words, he still said, “You’ll stay here. I’ll go in and have a look.”
It wasn’t the first time he entered the Chaotic Dead Territory; after all, he was a powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although he couldn’t go deep into the Chaotic Dead Territory, it wasn’t hard for him to momentarily visit the periphery.
In fact, he had entered the Chaotic Dead Territory several times before to examine the situation inside, but he would always quickly withdraw. He wouldn’t be able to bear the repercussions if he stayed there for too long.
There was even once when he obtained a Seventh-Order Blue Crystal almost as big as a washbasin while he was there, which was a huge bonus.
“Be careful, Ancestor,” all of them said with concern.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor nodded gently and fully activated the power of his Small Universe. Then, he summoned a defensive artifact, which turned into a glowing aura that engulfed him, before he plunged into the Territory Gate.
However, barely a few breaths of time later, he dashed out of the Territory Gate.
What shocked them was that the Ancestor was all charred, and his clothes were tattered. Even his hair was in a mess as smoke could be seen billowing from his head. It was as though he had been struck by lightning.
The defensive artifact he had summoned earlier was nowhere to be seen, apparently destroyed in just those few breaths’ time.
A dumbfounded Yang Kai exclaimed, “No way!”
The Chaotic Dead Territory was clearly calm and tranquil when he left, so why did the Ancestor seemingly get struck by lightning after entering it?
While feeling doubtful, Yang Kai dashed into the Chaotic Dead Territory to find out what had happened. The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t stop him in time.
In reality, the Chaotic Dead Territory was still calm and quiet. Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were just standing there and staring at the Territory Gate.
Upon seeing Yang Kai, Big Sister Lan asked excitedly, “Are you done?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s not something that can be completed so quickly. I came back not long after I left, so I still need some time.”
Big Brother Huang frowned, “Why did you come back when you’re not done with your task?”
Yang Kai asked, “Did you two see anything just now?”
Big Sister Lan tilted her head, “Are you talking about that old man? I was shocked when he suddenly barged in, so I gave him a little smack. I didn’t do anything else.”
[Her little smack almost shocked the life out of that old man, literally…]
Yang Kai didn’t know what to say, so he could only try to persuade them, “Please don’t hit him so hard next time. He meant no harm; he just wanted to have a look inside.”
Big Brother Huang snorted, “He should consider himself lucky that he wasn’t killed. Tell him not to come in again. We didn’t settle accounts with him when he came in several times before.”
“Good good.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. It seemed that Big Brother Huang didn’t welcome outsiders into the Chaotic Dead Territory.
He then turned around and bolted out.
Although the Ancestor’s head had been struck, he wasn’t at risk of losing his life. When he saw that Yang Kai come out all safe and sound while he was burnt and battered, he couldn’t help but feel indignant despite being an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai explained, “The thing is… the two of them don’t want to be bothered by anyone. They were displeased when you suddenly appeared, Ancestor.”
The Ancestor nodded gently, “They didn’t intend to kill me.”
If they wanted to kill him, he would be dead. Although he was injured, it was already the best outcome possible.
What was more shocking to him was that these supreme beings who had lived for countless eons were actually two young kids who looked like they were barely over ten years old.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it.
Over the years, no one had ever seen the true bodies of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. He wasn’t sure if what he had seen were their true bodies or just temporary forms they had manifested.
Although he was stunned, he could confirm that the Chaotic Dead Territory was indeed safe now as no horrifying shockwaves were rippling across it. The entire Chaotic Dead Territory was eerily calm.
It seemed that what the young man had said was true.
Suppressing his excitement, he asked, “You said you’ve found a new game for them. Is there anything we can do to help?”
It was wonderful news that the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer had stopped fighting. At the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about more Great Territories getting destroyed.
Upon noticing the change in the Ancestor’s attitude, the other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters gazed at Yang Kai with solemn expressions.
Yang Kai replied, “I could use your help actually.”
“Go ahead.”
“The thing is, the game requires a vast area for them to play freely. However, I’m sure you know that there’s nothing else but the endless void in the Chaotic Dead Territory. Hence, I’ve been tasked with looking for a new board for them to play on.”
The Ancestor pondered on it for a moment before nodding, “I understand. Come with me.”
Upon finishing his words, he led the way.
Yang Kai followed closely.
A few hours later, a gigantic Universe World came into their sight. The Ancestor pointed at the Universe World and asked, “How about this place?”
“It’s good enough. Are there no people living here?”
The Ancestor replied, “There were some residents in the past, but they moved out decades ago. There are no Humans living in this place now. Perhaps there are some low-level beasts.”
Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, please make a move to split up this Universe World so that it’s easier to send into the Chaotic Dead Territory.”
Upon realising Yang Kai’s intentions, the Ancestor raised his hand and pointed two fingers at the gigantic Universe World.
As the majestic World Force burst forth, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel all his pores tightening.
It wasn’t the first time he witnessed an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master making a move. When he was previously hunted down by Bright Sun Divine Monarch, Cheng Yang, the other party had repeatedly attempted to kill him.
Nevertheless, that was different from the current situation. It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised how formidable an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master truly was.
Following the Ancestor’s move, a light penetrated the void and caused the entire Universe World to shake. It then split into shattered Spirit Provinces of different sizes.
The emotions in Yang Kai’s heart undulated. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could also destroy a Universe World, but he could not do it as accurately and effortlessly as the Ancestor beside him.
This was the difference between their Realms.
The force the Ancestor exerted was ingenious. Although the Universe World had turned into countless shattered Spirit Provinces, they were not a jumbled mess; instead, they seemed to have been neatly cut into pieces.
It went to show that this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had precise control over his power.
“I heard that your Small Universe has materialised,” the Ancestor suddenly commented.
Yang Kai didn’t know where the old man had heard it from, but his Small Universe had been probed by numerous High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, so it wasn’t really a secret now.
Therefore, he replied frankly, “Yes.”
The Ancestor went on to say, “In that case, we’ll store these shattered Spirit Provinces in our Small Universes and take them into the Chaotic Dead Territory; however, you must be careful. Use your own power to isolate these Universe World pieces; otherwise, your World Force will be contaminated. When that happens, you’ll have to spend quite some effort to get rid of it.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai replied respectfully.
The two of them made a move together and transferred these shattered Spirit Provinces into their Small Universes. Since Yang Kai was weaker, he couldn’t keep many of the pieces. In the end, he only kept 30% of them while the rest were taken by the Ancestor.
They then activated their own powers to suppress the World Force contained in those shattered Spirit Provinces so that they wouldn’t merge with their Small Universes.
Half a day had passed when they returned to the Territory Gate.
In front of the Territory Gate, the Ancestor was hesitant while looking at Yang Kai with a pair of hopeful eyes.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai said, “Please come with me, Ancestor. It’ll save us time by completing it all at once.”
The Ancestor asked nervously, “But the two of them inside…”
Yang Kai secretly sneered, thinking that the Ancestor was clearly eager to have a look inside the Chaotic Dead Territory; however, he was still reeling from the memory of what had just happened to him. Without Yang Kai’s assurance, he wouldn’t dare to go in again, lest he be killed on the spot.
Therefore, Yang Kai reassured him by saying, “Don’t worry, Ancestor. We’re going in to help. You just have to follow me closely, and they won’t make a move on you again.”
It was then that the Ancestor nodded, “Sorry for the trouble then, Martial Nephew.”
He couldn’t help but feel his emotions undulating. Since time immemorial, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had been trying to come into contact with the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, but no one had succeeded so far. The Chaotic Dead Territory was too dangerous, and no one was able to have a talk with these two powerful beings.
Would he be the one to make history on this day?
Certainly, he wasn’t the first person to do so, but Yang Kai wasn’t a part of the Cave Heavens and Paradises after all, nor could he represent the aforementioned great forces.
After telling the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to keep guard in this place, the Ancestor followed Yang Kai closely and entered the Chaotic Dead Territory for the second time.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were still waiting in the same spot, but their eyes brightened when they saw Yang Kai return.
Their armies were ready for the next battle, so they desperately needed a large place where they could fight against one another freely.
However, when Big Brother Huang saw the Ancestor who was behind Yang Kai, he frowned with displeasure.
The nervous Ancestor quickly saluted them, “Greetings, Seniors.”
Although he was an old man who had lived for a long time, he wouldn’t dare to pull rank in front of these two. He hung his head low and stared at his own feet in a respectful manner while speaking to them.
Big Brother Huang directly ignored him while a displeased Big Sister Lan snorted, “Why did you call us Seniors? Call me Big Sister!”
The title ‘Big Sister’ seemed to be the sweetest music to her ears.
Upon hearing that, the Ancestor was dumbfounded.
[Why did she suddenly ask me to call her Big Sister?] He turned to look at Yang Kai in the hope that the other party could give him some clarity.
Yang Kai thus secretly spoke to him, “These two are a bit eccentric. Just do as they say.”
The Ancestor coughed and then said respectfully, “Greetings, Big Sister.”
“Good!” Big Sister Lan was elated.
Just then, Big Brother Huang snorted.
The Ancestor instantly got the hint and quickly followed up, “Greetings, Big Brother.”
It was only then that Big Brother Huang sported a milder expression.
On the other hand, the Ancestor was clearly embarrassed. He didn’t mind calling them Seniors as it was the most common form of address, but he was puzzled as to why he was asked to call them Big Brother and Big Sister. Although it seemed like he had taken advantage of them, the other old people of his rank would surely laugh at him if the news was spread.
At that moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling gleeful. It was just like how one would feel much better when he saw that he wasn’t the only one who was suffering from some indignity. At the very least, Yang Kai wasn’t the only one who felt ashamed now as someone else was also forced to call these two young children Big Brother and Big Sister.
Yang Kai and the Ancestor had put a lot of shattered Spirit Provinces inside their Small Universes and were continuously consuming their own strength to suppress the World Force from these Spirit Provinces.
Otherwise, once the foreign World Force penetrated their Small Universes, impurities would be formed, and they would have to spend some effort to get rid of them.
This matter couldn’t be delayed, so they quickly fished out the shattered Spirit Provinces from their Small Universes.
Although the Ancestor had precise control over his power and had cut the Universe World into neat pieces, it was difficult to put these shattered Spirit Provinces back together in their original form.
Fortunately, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan didn’t demand them to do so, nor did Yang Kai intend to put these pieces together just the way they were.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan just needed a battlefield where they could fight freely, so they didn’t have any demands when it came to the venue.
Therefore, barely half a day later, an expansive territory that was made from Spirit Provinces of different sizes was completed.
In order to make it easier for them to battle with one another, Yang Kai had intentionally created a rectangular battlefield. In that case, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan could respectively occupy half of the territory and nurture their armies to fight with each other.
After the two of them took a stroll around, they were pleased with their new game board. At the very least, it was much bigger than the previous territory provided by Yang Kai. This kind of territory that was made from an entire Universe World could accommodate billions of lives, which was enough for them to keep on playing this game for many years to come.
The next moment, Yang Kai released the Small Stone Race members that they had been nurturing inside his Small Universe.
The Eighth-Order Ancestor was dumbfounded when he saw the several tens of millions of Small Stone Race members. Despite being an experienced person, he had never seen such living creatures before. He had no idea where Yang Kai had found them, so he speculated that these unique living creatures might belong to the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
It wasn’t easy to help these millions of soldiers settle down, so it took Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan a few days to organize them.
During this period of time, Yang Kai and the Eighth-Order Ancestor had been waiting patiently.
Yang Kai wanted to wait for Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan to settle everything before leaving; after all, he had promised to help them with it. As for the Eighth-Order Ancestor, he wouldn’t dare to say anything in front of these formidable beings.
More than ten days later, all the soldiers had finally been settled in.
It was then Yang Kai bid Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan farewell.
Although they were a bit reluctant to part ways with their new Little Brother, they didn’t intend to make him stay. Before Yang Kai’s departure, Big Brother Huang suddenly said, “Thanks for what you’ve done for us during this period.”
Despite knowing that Yang Kai had gained a lot of benefits from them, they didn’t really care about those things. As far as they were concerned, it was thanks to Yang Kai’s own opportunity and capability that he had obtained those benefits. On the other hand, they had found a more peaceful and useful way to settle the dispute between them that had persisted for so many years upon his arrival.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Don’t mention it, Big Brother Huang. In fact, I should be the one thanking the two of you.”
Big Brother Huang shook his head, “It’s different.”
Big Sister Lan came over and beamed at him, “That’s right. Even though we would respectively lose or win the game, I’ve finally heard him call me Big Sister at the very least. I had never heard him call me that before your arrival.”
There was a haughty expression on Big Brother Huang’s face, “Have you never called me Big Brother?”
Big Sister Lan corrected him with a solemn expression, “You call me Big Sister more frequently, though.”
Instantly, Big Brother Huang felt humiliated and balled up his fists, “I have several dozen million soldiers with me now. I’ll definitely destroy you!”
“Bring it on! It’s not like I’m afraid of you. I have an army as well!” Big Sister Lan replied defiantly.
While they were engrossed in bickering with one another, the Ancestor was quivering like a quail in winter as he was worried that the two of them would suddenly come to blows.
If that happened, at this kind of range, he wouldn’t even know how he died.
He then turned to look at Yang Kai in the hope that the latter would persuade them to stop arguing, only to see him looking calm and collected. Admiration was written all over the Ancestor’s face at that instant.
Seeing that their argument was intensifying, Yang Kai had no choice but to stop them, “Good, stop arguing since there’s a battle ahead of you. I’ll take my leave now. Please take care of yourselves. I’ll visit you again when there’s a chance.”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan shut their mouths at exactly the same time and turned to gaze at him. All of a sudden, they said simultaneously, ““Before you leave, we’ll give you a gift.””
Upon finishing their words, they raised their hands and pointed their fingers at Yang Kai.
No noise could be heard, nor was there any fluctuation of energy or any kind of anomaly at all.
Yang Kai didn’t feel or see anything.
On the other hand, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan stopped responding to him as they dashed towards the newly formed battlefield and directed their own armies to fight with each other. Their fighting spirits had been ignited following the argument as they were now eager to defeat the other party and make them surrender.
With a frown, Yang Kai examined himself, but he still couldn’t feel anything.
He then turned his head and asked, “Did you see anything, Ancestor?”
The Ancestor shook his head, “No.”
He had heard the two of them say that they were giving Yang Kai a gift, and he had also seen them pointing their fingers at Yang Kai, but there was nothing else.
“Do you feel that there’s anything different, Martial Nephew?” The Ancestor asked cautiously. Since the two of them had said they would give Yang Kai a gift, they certainly were not lying; however, the current situation was strange.
Yang Kai shook his head as he didn’t detect any difference in his body.
After pondering on it for a moment, the Ancestor said, “Their powers are inscrutable. Perhaps we’re too weak to discover it. I’m sure the benefits of this gift will manifest in the years to come.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Perhaps you’re right.”
After taking another glance at the newly formed territory, Yang Kai left the place with the Ancestor. The armies behind them had already started clashing with each other.
In front of the Territory Gate, the Ancestor asked with an amiable expression, “Where are you going, Martial Nephew?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “I have to head to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
Upon hearing that, the Ancestor instantly realised his intention. Yang Kai had won first place in the Dao Theory Assembly, after which Qu Hua Shang had been confined for 100 years. After some calculations, the Ancestor realised that those 100 years had passed some time ago. Yang Kai had been held up in the Chaotic Dead Territory, so he wasn’t able to head to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven on time. Now that he could leave though, he naturally had to hurry over.
“I hope you’ll have a smooth journey then, Martial Nephew.” The Ancestor put on a gentle smile.
Yang Kai saluted him and cupped his fist, “Until we meet again.”
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sported conflicted expressions as they watched Yang Kai leave. They had seen how the Ancestor was treating Yang Kai in such an amicable manner, which was something unprecedented. Although they were in the Seventh-Order, which was one Order above Yang Kai, they had never received such a treatment from the Ancestor before.
It was inconceivable that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would treat a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master so cordially.
With that said, Yang Kai was obviously no ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as he was able to enter and leave the Chaotic Dead Territory freely.
“Ancestor… is the Chaotic Dead Territory really safe now?” One of the Masters asked.
After measuring his words, the Ancestor replied, “The status quo has changed, but as long as those two beings exist, it will never really be considered safe.”
All of them nodded in agreement. Although Yang Kai said he had found a new game for the two of them to occupy their time, no one knew how long their passion for the game would last. Perhaps they would lose interest a few years later. By then, another round of devastating fights would happen and destruction would reign once more.
Hence, they had to stay in this place and continue monitoring the situation.
In the void, Yang Kai fished out a Universe Chart to identify his current location. He then charted a route that led to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
After making some calculations, he realised that it would only take him two months to pass through more than ten Great Territories and arrive at Yin-Yang Territory given his current speed.
Most people couldn’t be as swift as he was and it would take the average Sixth-Order Master half a year to reach Yin-Yang Cave Heaven from this position. However, as an expert in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai could enjoy this kind of convenience.
Qu Hua Shang was supposed to have come out of the confinement by now. Yang Kai felt guilty that he hadn’t managed to meet up with her on time as they had agreed.
It was an accident that he came across the Giant Spirit God and was subsequently brought into the Chaotic Dead Territory. Before that, he had no idea that Ah Er was heading to the Chaotic Dead Territory, and he had never expected that he wouldn’t be able to come out until so many years later.
He wondered if Xu Ling Gong would kill him when he arrived at Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
A sense of fear overwhelmed him when he recalled the way Xu Ling Gong held a sword menacingly in his hand.
He decided that he would directly give Xu Ling Gong an expensive bridegroom’s gift in order to appease him. He had obtained a lot of valuable items from the Chaotic Dead Territory, so he was sure that Xu Ling Gong would be pleased.
On his way to his destination, Yang Kai examined himself again. Before his departure, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan said that they were giving him a gift, but they only pointed at him in silence, which befuddled him.
After another thorough examination, he still hadn’t discovered anything.
[Could the two of them have been messing with me? Given their temperaments, it’s not impossible…]
After all, he had already obtained a lot of benefits from the Chaotic Dead Territory, so there was no reason for Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan to give him an additional gift.
Upon that realisation, Yang Kai couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
However, some time after he decided to stop examining himself, there came a moment when he felt that something was off while he was heading to his destination.
The Dragon Vein in his body suddenly started throbbing for no apparent reason. Following that, it became scorching hot just like boiling water.
In an instant, Yang Kai became as red as a cooked shrimp while smoke could be seen billowing from his figure.
His Dragon Vein didn’t stopped rumbling from that point on while a violent force could be felt expanding internally. Yang Kai had a feeling that he would soon be unable to suppress it any longer.
Realising that he was in trouble, he quickly looked around and soon spotted a medium-sized Universe World before plunging into it.
Given his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, he could easily break through the World Barrier of this Universe World and pass through the clouds. A moment later, an ocean came into his sight.
Spotting a huge island in the middle of the ocean, Yang Kai landed on it like a meteorite, forming a deep crater in the ground.
He had used his last bit of power to come all the way here, so he was no longer able to suppress the roiling force in his body.
Therefore, as soon as he landed on the ground, cracking sounds could be heard coming from all over his figure.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s body started expanding rapidly. He uncontrollably let out a resounding Dragon Roar as his petite figure turned into a 10,000 metres long Grand Dragon.
Dragon Transformation!
This time, he wasn’t the one who took the initiative to transform into a Dragon; instead, he had no choice but to turn into a Grand Dragon following the unrest of the Dragon Vein in his body.
Yang Kai felt so scorchingly hot that it was as though he was burning.
Instinctively, he shook his head and plunged into the water as he headed to the depths of the ocean. The deeper he went, the colder he felt.
While he finally felt a sense of comfort, the ocean water started boiling wherever he went. In an instant, the area around him became a vacuum.
He had no idea what was going on with him, but he didn’t feel a sense of danger; instead, he was looking forward to what would soon happen, though he wasn’t sure what that would be.
Yang Kai soon realised what was going on. Following an excruciating pain, all the bones in his body started cracking loudly. His 10,000 metres figure, which was already colossal, was rapidly expanding at a speed that far exceeded his imagination.
He had obtained the Golden Divine Dragon Source when he was still in Tong Xuan Realm in the past. When he came across Zhu Qing in the Star Boundary, he was taught the Dragon Transformation Secret Art by her, which allowed him to tap into the power of his Dragon Vein and transform into a Half-Dragon.
Nevertheless, even after cultivating for many years, he could only transform into a 3,000 metre tall Half-Dragon.
If not for the opportunity in Ancestral Land where he obtained the Crystal Palace of the Dragon Clan and refined a lot of Ancestral Spirit Crystals and Spirit Fruits, it would have taken him thousands of years before he could become a Grand Dragon.
It took Dragon Clan members a painfully long time to grow. Not only the Dragon Clan though, but all Divine Spirits suffered from this problem. That was the reason the Divine Spirits were not willing to leave Ancestral Land. The Ancestral Strength in that place was extremely important to the Divine Spirits as it could greatly reduce the time they needed to mature and grow.
Yang Kai had already planned on heading to the Ancestral Land to cultivate in seclusion after ascending to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm so that he could further strengthen his Dragon Vein; however, that would only happen a long time from now.
He was only in the Sixth-Order currently, so he still had to make it to the Seventh-Order before he could even think of reaching the Eighth-Order.
Given his heritage, it wouldn’t take him a long time to make it to the Seventh-Order, but it would require a long, long time for him to ascend to the Eighth-Order. It could be several thousand years, or even 10,000 years.
With that said, it wasn’t the most pressing issue at hand. Although he could be considered a Pureblood Dragon after becoming a Grand Dragon, Yang Kai was still a Human, and he was most reliant on his Open Heaven Realm cultivation; therefore, he was determined to make it to the Eighth-Order, which was supposedly his limit.
Nevertheless, he had never expected that following a significant improvement in his Dragon Vein in the Ancestral Land, he would see another improvement so soon. Furthermore, this improvement was far more rapid, intense, and violent than the one he had experienced in the Crystal Palace in the Ancestral Land.
He could clearly feel that his Dragon Vein was becoming purer by the breath under the inducement of a strange force. As a result, his figure was expanding beyond his control.
The strength of a Dragon Clan member was manifested in their size. The bigger a Dragon Clan member was, the purer their bloodline was, and the more powerful they were.
His 10,000 metre figure became stagnant after he left the Ancestral Land, but now, in just half a day, it had expanded by several dozen metres.
One day later, it grew by another 1,000 metres.
Even his robust Grand Dragon body was unable to bear this kind of rapid improvement. His bones kept becoming dislocated and restructured while his skin started cracking. Golden Blood started streaming into the ocean, and even his Dragon Scales, which covered his entire figure, started shedding.
Wherever Yang Kai went, he would leave a golden stain in the ocean.
The beasts in the ocean seemed to have detected this metallic tang and soon swarmed over.
Faced with the allure of a Grand Dragon’s blood, these Sea Beasts with low sentience couldn’t resist it as they yearned to become stronger. They opened their mouths wide and absorbed the sea water that contained the golden Dragon Blood with reckless abandon.
Wherever it was, Dragon Blood was a treasure, for the blood contained the secrets behind the Dragon Clan’s power, which was the greatest in the world.
Many Secret Techniques and Spirit Pills required Dragon Blood to complete.
However, Pureblood Dragons were extremely rare, so it was difficult to find their blood. Hence, they could only replace it with the blood of Monster Beasts and spirit beasts that were Dragonkin. Naturally, this solution wasn’t very effective.
The blood that streamed out of Yang Kai’s body wasn’t just Pureblood Dragon’s blood; it was the Dragon Blood of a Golden Divine Dragon. There was no doubt that it was a rarity among rarities.
Just a bit of his blood contained a horrifying power.
Therefore, wherever Yang Kai went, a large number of fish and beasts lost their lives. The initially serene ocean was now filled with carcasses.
His Grand Dragon figure was still expanding while the Dragon Vein in his body was becoming purer. The speed of the purification even made Yang Kai feel a sense of unease.
However, when he became certain about the source of this sudden transformation, all the uneasiness vanished and was replaced by endless joy.
Half a month later, he stopped feeling like he was burning while his Dragon Vein finally calmed down.
On a certain island, Yang Kai remained in his Grand Dragon Form as his colossal figure lay on the beach, nearly occupying the entire island. Although he had benefited greatly from the transformation, he was well and truly knackered. Additionally, despite obtaining a greater power, he wasn’t used to it so he needed to get some rest to begin adjusting.
Under the scorching Sun, his Dragon Scales radiated a golden glow that could dazzle the entire world.
20,000 metres!
After half a month of agony, his figure was now twice as large. His Dragon Form had gone from 10,000 metres to 20,000 metres.
When he was refining Ancestral Spirit Crystals and Spirit Fruits in the Dragon Clan’s Crystal Palace in the Ancestral Land, his Dragon Vein became purer by the day and Yang Kai had thought that such speed was already outrageously fast.
It wasn’t until this moment that he realised he was too naive. His cultivation during that period of time back then was incomparable to his current transformation.
No Grand Dragon in the world could double his size in half a month like Yang Kai had just gone through.
[So, this is the gift Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan gave me before I left!]
He had already figured it out the day after the transformation started. Previously, even though Yang Kai had thoroughly examined himself, he didn’t discover anything out of the ordinary, but that was because he had remained in his Human Form. It wasn’t until he transformed into a Dragon that the gift from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan manifested.
Presently, there were two amazing powers that were swirling about inside his Dragon Bead.
Only when a Dragon Bead developed in a Dragon Clan member’s body would he be considered a Grand Dragon.
Certainly, Yang Kai had a Dragon Bead as well. After he turned into a Dragon, the Dragon Bead naturally rested under his chin. Just like what a Monster Core was to a Monster Beast, the Dragon Bead was the condensation of a Dragon Clan member’s cultivation, so it was extremely powerful.
Yang Kai didn’t detect anything when Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan pointed their fingers at him back then, but their powers had somehow snuck into his Dragon Bead, just waiting to burst out.
The two of them were the ancestors of all Divine Spirits, so all Divine Spirits were like their children and grandchildren.
Hence, despite their nonchalance when they pointed their fingers at Yang Kai, they could easily stimulate the power of his Dragon Vein and rapidly purify his bloodline.
While thankful, Yang Kai also felt quite aggrieved.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan could have explained all this to him, but they acted mysterious instead. Yang Kai initially thought that they were just playing a prank on him, so it surprised him greatly when he realised that there was actually a gift.
This purification process thoroughly exhausted Yang Kai. It wasn’t that he was trying to resist it, but the speed of the purification was a grueling physical and mental test for him. Fortunately, the transformation didn’t take place when he was in battle.
If such a transformation in his Dragon Vein took place when he was in battle, he wouldn’t be able to keep fighting. Instead, he would be injured or even killed when his strength went out of control
It was truly an invaluable gift, but there were a lot of complaints to be had.
Presently, Yang Kai was both elated and worried. The mysterious forces from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan in his Dragon Bead had helped him purify his bloodline and caused his Grand Dragon form to go through exponential growth, but they hadn’t been exhausted yet and still remained hidden in his Dragon Bead.
Yang Kai wondered if they would be activated to give him another pleasant surprise when he was unsuspecting.
This move by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan was like a prank from two young kids. They were previously led by the nose by Yang Kai in the Chaotic Dead Territory, which was why they decided to give him a gift that also served as a punishment before his departure.
They wouldn’t care if Yang Kai would fall into danger because of that.
Realizing this, Yang Kai was speechless.
The powers from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan could help improve his bloodline, but the problem was that he was unable to control the process.
He had the urge to go back to the Chaotic Dead Territory and argue with the two of them.
However, considering the fact that he had gained such a massive benefit, he decided to give up on the idea. He could only think to himself that he had to be cautious in the future. If the powers in his Dragon Bead really exploded when he was in a fight with formidable enemies, he would end up in a horrible state.
There was no doubt that a Dragon Clan member had incredible restorative powers. Although all of Yang Kai’s skin had cracked during the purification process, his wounds were swiftly healed.
While feeling calm, Yang Kai silently sensed the increased power in his body.
When he became a Grand Dragon in the Ancestral Land, he already had the capital to fight with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Now that his figure had grown to 20,000 metres, the average Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be a match for him.
Nevertheless, his power now felt a little strange to him.
As a Human, he was still in the Sixth-Order. If he was faced with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he might be able to go up against them, but he might not succeed in defeating such an opponent. He could hardly cross the huge gap between the Sixth-Order and the Seventh-Order.
However, if he transformed into a Grand Dragon, he could instantly become a match for even a Peak Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai figured he still couldn’t face an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Even though he had no idea how powerful an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm truly was, he had a vague understanding.
As he was lost in though, Yang Kai suddenly heard some splashing sounds coming from nearby and opened his eyes to look out at the ocean.
There seemed to be a big fish swimming under the water. The next moment, the sea water separated to the sides and revealed a sea carp that radiated a faint golden glow. The carp was several dozen metres away from Yang Kai’s head and was staring up at him.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s expression turned awkward.
That was because he could feel that this sea carp had a bloodline that was related to him. It was as though this sea carp was his descendant.
Even though he was previously distracted by the purification of his Dragon Vein, Yang Kai was still aware of the changes that his Dragon Blood had caused to the surrounding ocean.
Those Sea Beasts that had coveted his Dragon Blood and consumed it, regardless of their sizes and strengths, were all dead by now. They were unable to bear the violent force within his pure Dragon Blood.
While Yang Kai’s Dragon Blood had caused countless Sea Beasts to lose their lives, there seemed to be a little survivor here.
The sea carp before his eyes had obviously consumed his Dragon Blood, but it was lucky enough to keep its life.
That was the reason Yang Kai could feel that their bloodlines were connected.
The aura of this sea carp wasn’t particularly powerful, so Yang Kai couldn’t figure out why it could survive after chugging down his Dragon Blood. Supposedly, there was no reason for such a weak living creature to survive, but the sea carp had achieved just that.
Yang Kai could only think that life was indeed full of mysteries. There were many seemingly impossible things in the world that had actually happened. It was exactly because of these things that shouldn’t have existed that brought about endless wonder and amazing changes to this expansive universe.
At this moment, the sea carp was holding a Dragon Scale the size of a dustpan in its mouth. The Dragon Scale radiated a golden glow and exuded a strong Dragon Clan aura.
Apparently, it was a Dragon Scale that fell off from Yang Kai’s figure.
Due to the expansion of his figure, a lot of Dragon Scales had fallen off.
After they stared at each other for a moment, Yang Kai closed his eyes. Although he was amazed by the survival of this small creature, it wasn’t worth too much of his attention.
The most pressing issue at hand for him was to familiarise himself with his increased strength; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to fully use his power when he was in a fight with his enemies.
The sea carp was initially an ordinary Sea Beast, but after consuming the golden Dragon Blood, it now had a faint Dragon Clan bloodline. Therefore, it could be considered a Dragonborn.
The Dragon Pressure from a 20,000 metres Grand Dragon should have a powerful suppression on the sea carp. Usually, a weak Dragonborn like the sea carp could only shiver and hang its head low in front of Yang Kai.
However, the little fish didn’t seem to be affected by this kind of bloodline suppression. Although it was afraid, its eyes were also filled with a sense of yearning.
The sea carp was supposed to have low sentience, but its emotions were now undulating in its heart.
When Yang Kai closed his eyes, the sea carp appeared to be disappointed. As its golden tail repeatedly tapped on the ocean, the sea carp caused the water to splash.
A moment later, it swam forward and crawled on the beach with difficulty before putting the huge Dragon Scale down in front of Yang Kai. Following that, it squirmed back into the ocean and leaped out of the water with joy before swimming towards the depths of the ocean.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes two months later, he saw that there were a lot of his own Dragon Scales in front of him while the sea carp was nowhere to be seen, causing him to wonder where it was.
Yang Kai tilted his head slightly and looked down at the Dragon Scales in silence.
While Dragon Blood was a treasure, Dragon Scales were equally valuable. When he was in Human form, Yang Kai could summon his Dragon Scales around his figure to protect himself.
Even just one piece of these fallen Dragon Scales could be used by a skillful Artifact Refiner to create a sturdy Artifact Armour of extraordinary quality.
There was an awkward expression on Yang Kai’s face when he realised that the things that he had literally shed from his body could well be the treasures in other people’s eyes.
There were about 1,000 Dragon Scales on the beach. It seemed the sea carp had patiently found them from the depths of the ocean and sent them to him.
Just then, a gurgling sound was heard as there seemed to be a ferocious beast in the ocean. The next instant, the sea water separated to the sides and revealed the sea carp’s figure.
When the sea carp previously appeared, it was only 10 metres long, but barely two months later, it had grown to be 100 metres in length. Moreover, the golden glow around it had become much more dazzling as its scales were starting to look less like fish scales and more like Dragon Scales.
There was no doubt that its aura had grown stronger as well. Even though the sea carp was still weak in Yang Kai’s eyes, it had actually experienced shocking growth in just two months’ time.
The sea carp’s eyes had become brighter and more intelligent as well.
Presently, there was a Dragon Scale in its mouth that it had found from the depths of the ocean. Since it had consumed Yang Kai’s Dragon Blood, it could easily locate those fallen Dragon Scales; otherwise, it couldn’t have found so many in just two months.
All the Dragon Scales that the sea carp had found from the ocean were sent to Yang Kai.
As their eyes met, the sea carp leaped into the air as though it was waiting for Yang Kai’s compliment. Then, it stared silently at him.
Faced with the gigantic and majestic Grand Dragon, the sea carp wasn’t frightened in the slightest. Instead, it was filled with joy.
Yang Kai extended his Dragon Claw and grabbed the sea carp alongside a large area of the ocean before pulling them closer to himself. After giving it a thought, he sent them into his Small Universe.
Since their fates were connected in a way, he decided to keep the sea carp.
As for the large amount of Dragon Scales on the ground, Yang Kai didn’t intend to give up on them. Although these things had fallen off from his body, they were all treasures. Sometime in the future, he could send them to Great Evolution Paradise and ask Grandmaster Ma Fan to make some Artifact Armours for him.
Although the sea carp had exerted itself to bring back the 1,000 or so Dragon Scales from the ocean over the past two months, a lot of them remained under the waves.
As a thought flashed through Yang Kai’s mind, all the Dragon Scales, which were scattered around the ocean, seemed to have been summoned as they leaped out of the ocean and turned into rays of light before coming to Yang Kai.
Strictly speaking, these Dragon Scales were left behind after his transformation, so he could easily summon them.
He then dispelled his Dragon Form and turned back into a Human. As he looked in a particular direction, he leaped into the air.
100 kilometres away in that direction, several figures saluted him and watched him leave respectfully.
They were the Great Emperors of this Universe World.
In fact, they had already detected it when Yang Kai broke through the barrier of this Universe World and arrived at this place; after all, they were the Great Emperors acknowledged by the Heavenly Way of this World, so they were fully aware of everything that was going on in it.
However, Yang Kai’s Dragon Pressure was far too intimidating; therefore, even though these Great Emperors had noticed the arrival of a powerful cultivator, they didn’t dare to disturb him. They could only watch over him from a distance.
Over the past two months, these Great Emperors had been on pins and needles; after all, they didn’t know whether Yang Kai was an ill-intentioned person who wanted to harm this Universe World.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai appeared in his Dragon Form and lay on the beach that they realised he was a legendary Dragon Clan member. At that moment, they were overwhelmed by a sense of admiration.
Wherever they were, Dragons were a symbol of the most powerful beings. This Universe World was no exception.
The Great Emperors could also finally set their minds at ease.
After all, they had never heard of Dragon Clan members committing acts of evil or slaughter without provocation, so they could stop worrying. On the other hand, it was their greatest honour to personally see a Dragon Clan member.
When Yang Kai left, they saluted him as it was a form of respect for a more powerful being.
In the meantime, a loud boom sent a shockwave across Seven Stars Sect in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. No one knew what had happened in the Sect as they just felt the ground shaking.
Sect Master Shang Guan Ji and the other Elders quickly came over to find out what was going on, and it didn’t take long before they were dumbfounded by the sight before them.
That was because there was initially a huge and beautiful mountain valley in the Sect, but now, it had turned into a lake.
The lake was filled with clear water that reflected the blue sky.
A doubtful Shang Guan Ji asked the other Elders, “Has there always been such a lake in our Sect?”
All of them shook their heads with Guan Qian Xing replying, “This should be Serene Light Valley. I visited this place yesterday. Why did it suddenly become a lake?”
It was inconceivable that a mountain valley had turned into a lake, and if not for the tremor just now, they wouldn’t have noticed anything at all.
With that said, they were certain that the loud boom had something to do with this transformation.
After giving it a thought, Shang Guan Ji hypothesized, “Perhaps it’s the Ancestor’s doing…”
No one knew how powerful the Ancestor truly was, not just the other great forces in the Void Continent, but even the people in Seven Stars Sect.
These people had tried to probe Xu Yi regarding this matter, but even this Legacy Disciple knew little about it. Yang Kai had never showcased his true power in front of Xu Yi, and even if he did, Xu Yi wouldn’t be able to comprehend it given his current vision.
If Shang Guan Ji were to describe the Ancestor’s power, the only word that came into his mind was ‘inscrutable’.
Everything could be explained if this was really the Ancestor’s doing; however, they still had to find out whether that was indeed the case.
Just when Shang Guan Ji was preparing to head to the Ancestor’s residence, a gigantic shadow suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake. The next moment, a dangerous aura swept out.
“Watch out!” Shang Guan Ji cried out in panic. He was now in the First-Order Emperor Realm, and other than the Ancestor, he was the only Emperor Realm Master in Seven Stars Sect. Therefore, he was the first one to detect the aura.
Before the group even came to their senses, a large golden carp suddenly leaped out of the lake. Under the brilliant Sun, the golden carp radiated a golden glow so bright that these people were almost unable to keep their eyes open.
All of them couldn’t help but narrow their gazes.
*Pfff…*
The next instant, the golden carp sprayed out a mouthful of water at all of them.
With a solemn expression, Shang Guan Ji activated his Emperor Qi and blocked off the water. Soon after though, he realised that the water sprayed out from the golden carp’s mouth wasn’t harmful at all. It was as though the Sea Beast was just playing a prank on them.
Certainly, the golden carp was puzzled by his action. After falling back into the lake, it stared at them for a moment before it became elated. As it flapped its tail, it took in a lot of water and leaped into the air before spraying it at Shang Guan Ji and the others again.
Shang Guan Ji raised his hand again, but this time, he could feel a bit of power from the water sprayed out of the golden carp’s mouth.
As he kept blocking the water, the golden carp increasingly exerted more force until he was unable to fend off the water.
In that instant, the leaders of Seven Stars Sect were all soaked in water, causing them to appear quite embarrassed.
Shang Guan Ji put on a helpless smile, thinking that it must be the Ancestor who placed the golden carp and lake here; otherwise, he couldn’t think of any other possible explanations.
He could clearly feel that this golden carp was significantly more powerful than him. The only reason he had persevered for such a long time just now was that the other party was teasing him.
When Xu Yi came over in a rush and saw Shang Guan Ji and the others in such a state, he was naturally shocked.
As though Xu Yi was their saviour, Shang Guan Ji hurriedly asked, “Martial Nephew, what’s going on with this fish and lake? Has the Ancestor said anything?”
Xu Yi quickly saluted all of them and replied, “Honoured Master was the one who placed the fish and lake here. He told me to take good care of it.”
Upon hearing that, all of them breathed a sigh of relief. Even though they had speculated that it was the Ancestor’s doing, it wasn’t until Xu Yi confirmed it that they could be certain.
Yang Kai had spent some 30 years in the Chaotic Dead Territory. During this period, roughly 100 years had passed in the Small Universe.
Presently, the flow of time in the Small Universe was four times faster than the outside world.
When Xu Yi ascended to the Saint Realm from the Transcendent Realm, the flow of time in Yang Kai’s Small Universe accelerated from two times to three times that of the outside world. Above the Saint Realm were the Saint King Realm, Origin Returning Realm, Origin King Realm, and so on.
When Xu Yi made it to the Saint King Realm and the Origin Returning Realm, the flow of time in the Small Universe didn’t change.
However, when he broke through to the Origin King Realm, the flow of time in Yang Kai’s Small Universe became four times faster.
Now, Xu Yi was already at the peak of the Origin King Realm. If Yang Kai hadn’t told him to suppress his cultivation, he would’ve made it to the Dao Source Realm already.
The growth of Xu Yi was neither slow nor fast. In just 100 years, he had grown from a mortal without any foundation to an Origin King Realm Master. The average person would have been proud of such an achievement, but Xu Yi was different. He was Yang Kai’s Third Disciple and was living in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Furthermore, he had cultivated a Secret Art named the Great Nothingness Scripture that had been passed down from ancient times.
It wasn’t surprising that he had made such an achievement.
The reason Yang Kai told him to suppress his cultivation was that he wanted him to get prepared for ascending to the Open Heaven Realm.
It was just like how he wanted Zhao Ya to suppress her cultivation in the past. The Star Boundary was now a cradle to nurture future Open Heaven Realm Masters, and the lower one’s cultivation, the more benefits they could gain by cultivating there.
Although Xu Yi didn’t have a chance to start his Martial Dao in the Star Boundary from childhood, which would allow him to gain the greatest benefits from the World Tree, he would still achieve great things in life if he started cultivating in the Star Boundary as an Origin King cultivation.
Above the Origin King Realm were the Dao Source Realm and the Emperor Realm. Once he made it to the Dao Source Realm, he wouldn’t gain a lot of benefits by simply heading to the Star Boundary at this point.
Yang Kai planned on making him ascend to the Dao Source Realm in the Star Boundary. In that case, his potential might be fully cultivated, which would allow him to stand a chance to be on par with the growth rate of his Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister.
However, Xu Yi would have to suffer a little because of that.
Over the years, he had mainly relied on his dreams to cultivate; hence, whenever he cultivated, he would doze off, and he was now used to going to sleep every night. Since Yang Kai wanted him to suppress his cultivation and not achieve a breakthrough, it meant that he couldn’t sleep.
Initially, he would always feel sleepy and there were times when he almost slumbered off. Fortunately, Yang Kai managed to awaken him in time so that the latter didn’t have to bear the consequences of ascending to the Dao Source Realm.
Gradually, Xu Yi became used to fighting against sleepiness. When Yang Kai told him to take care of the golden carp, he really felt that this fish had come at the perfect time; after all, there was nothing else he could do since he was not allowed to sleep or cultivate.
Nevertheless, Xu Yi soon realised that the golden carp was simply too naughty. Every day, the fish would soak him in water, which caused him to constantly look disheveled and embarrassed.
The news that there was now a Sect Protecting Divine Beast spread like wildfire. Many disciples came over to see the Sea Beast, and when they saw the golden carp revealing itself, they would all exclaim in amazement.
The idea of a Sect Protecting Divine Beast came from Shang Guan Ji. Regardless of where the golden carp came from, it had to be given the title of Sect Protecting Divine Beast since it was brought to this place by the Ancestor.
Those who saw the golden carp before knew that this Sect Protecting Divine Beast was naughty and mischievous. The golden carp always seemed joyful when there were a lot of people around; therefore, the disciples didn’t mind getting splashed with water as they would always come to the lake to play with the fish, which actually saved Xu Yi a lot of trouble.
While Seven Stars Sect in the Small Universe was bustling with noise, Yang Kai travelled across the void round the clock and finally arrived at Yin-Yang Territory.
Although he had benefited greatly from the gift given to him by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan before his departure, a lot of uncertainties remained. He had no idea when the two forces hidden in his Dragon Bead would act up again, so he constantly had to keep an eye on them.
He was still reeling from the shock after the first experience. Although his Dragon Form and Dragon Vein would grow exponentially when the two forces exploded, it would also put him in a precarious situation.
Fortunately, despite not knowing when they would explode again, Yang Kai had determined that it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai visited Yin-Yang Territory.
However, he had tagged along Su Ying Xue and Qing Kui previously, while this time, he was on his own.
Just like Lang Ya Paradise, those from Yin-Yang Territory wouldn’t restrict anyone from entering or leaving this Great Territory; after all, there was a First-Class Star City in Yin-Yang Territory that was hustling and bustling with activity. If they imposed any restrictions, the popularity of the Star City would be affected.
The reason the Territory Gates of Yin-Yang Territory were cordoned off previously was that some of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had worked together to make things difficult for Yin-Yang Heaven since the Dao Theory Assembly was just around the corner.
Nevertheless, it was obviously different now.
The core area of Yin-Yang Territory was where the Headquarters of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was located. Gazing at it from the void, one could see that the gigantic Spirit Province looked like two Yin-Yang fish with their heads and tails connected.
In the periphery of this Spirit Province that looked like Yin-Yang fish, there were other Spirit Provinces of different sizes. They were all considered part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
With his previous experience in Lang Ya Paradise, Yang Kai was now familiar with how to enter the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Now, he was no longer a nobody as he had become a household name across the entire 3,000 Worlds.
Furthermore, he was a Son-in-Law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. This identity alone warranted a serious treatment from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Yang Kai headed straight to the Star City and found the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was in charge of the Void Dock. After telling the person his name, he revealed his intention and asked him to send a message to Xu Ling Gong or Qu Hua Shang.
Certainly, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master knew who Yang Kai was. The reason the Dao Theory Assembly was held in the past was to look for a Husband for Qu Hua Shang. The incident sparked a commotion in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Qu Hua Shang was a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and her aptitude and beauty were among the top in the world. Some of the disciples in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven who were a match for her wanted to marry her. Unfortunately, she had violated the rule which stated that all the Cave Heavens and Paradises had to stay united. Faced with external pressure, those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven had no choice but to give an explanation.
The Dao Theory Assembly was the result.
It could be said that the popularity of Qu Hua Shang in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was on par with, if not greater than that of Gu Ling’er in Lang Ya Paradise. After all, Qu Hua Shang was a Core Disciple while Gu Ling’er was not; there was a difference between their statuses.
Initially, the Dao Theory Assembly was a plot devised by those Cave Heavens and Paradises. They were ready to let their Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters get married into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and become a partner of the Core Disciple.
However, a guy named Yang Kai came out of nowhere and forced the Cave Heavens and Paradises to change their strategy, which saved the reputation of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Eventually, Yang Kai defeated all other competitors and won first place, which was shocking for everyone.
After the event, he became a household name across the 3,000 Worlds.
The series of changes that took place during the Dao Theory Assembly caught everyone off guard, especially when the Core Disciple of Thousand Crane Disciple, Zhao Xing, was killed. The consequence of it was that his Honoured Master, Zuo Quan Hui partnered with Heavenly Sword Union to launch a war against Void Land.
On the other hand, many of the disciples from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven were grateful to Yang Kai for what he had done during the Dao Theory Assembly. If he hadn’t interfered, Qu Hua Shang would have been forced to marry a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from one of those great forces.
It would be an intolerable outcome for everyone in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
In comparison, Yang Kai didn’t come from one of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, nor did he have a powerful background. Furthermore, he only made it to the Fifth-Order when he ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, so his future was dimmer compared to Qu Hua Shang’s. It could be said that he was not an equal match for Qu Hua Shang; however, since he had killed Zhao Xing, it didn’t seem unacceptable to let him become a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law.
Cultivators always respected the strong.
After the Dao Theory Assembly, Qu Hua Shang had to be confined for 100 years as punishment for her actions.
Now that 100 years had passed, Qu Hua Shang had stepped out of confinement. Nevertheless, Yang Kai still hadn’t shown up at this point. Instead, they heard a lot of strange news from the outside world.
Therefore, when the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was in charge of the Star City’s Void Dock, saw Yang Kai, he was surprised and doubtful.
After confirming Yang Kai’s identity, he didn’t make things difficult for him as he told him to get some rest in a room and hurriedly sent a message to the Sect.
Certainly, Yang Kai had seen the surprise and doubt in that person’s eyes. He had a feeling that his visit to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven this time wouldn’t be smooth sailing as he had imagined.
With that said, he was here to meet up with Qu Hua Shang following the 100-year promise. With Xu Ling Gong around, he wouldn’t have to worry about anything as the latter would just solve any problems that were thrown at him.
He had come into contact with quite a number of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, including some of the Eighth-Order Ancestors; hence, the mystery and pressure surrounding the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters wouldn’t affect Yang Kai anymore.
Those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven reacted quickly. One hour after Yang Kai sat down, an elderly man, who was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, personally came over.
Upon opening the door, the elderly man looked smilingly at Yang Kai and nodded, “It’s said that the next generation will always be better than the previous one. It’s when I see young people like you that I realise I’m old.”
Yang Kai quickly saluted him, “Greetings, Martial Uncle. You’re still very strong.”
He was puzzled. Initially, he thought that either Qing Kui or Su Ying Xue would meet him and bring him to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven; however, none of them came to this place. Instead, there was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that he didn’t know.
Without reading too much into it, Yang Kai asked, “May I ask your name, Senior?”
The elderly man replied with a smile, “My name is Chen Xiu.”
“So it is Martial Uncle Chen.” Yang Kai saluted him again.
“This is not a suitable place to have a talk. Come to the Sect with me.”
“Yes.”
With Chen Xiu leading the way, it was easy for them to enter Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. When Yang Kai visited this place previously, he was told to stay on a certain Spirit Peak. He had also been to Qu Hua Shang’s residence, so he still remembered the route.
However, Chen Xiu didn’t intend to lead him to see Qu Hua Shang or Xu Ling Gong. Instead, he was heading to an unfamiliar Spirit Peak.
Yang Kai looked around with a calm expression.
Apparently, this Spirit Peak was where Chen Xiu cultivated. Upon arriving at the Spirit Peak, they entered a Grand Hall and each took a seat. Soon, an alluring and demure woman entered the hall. With her head hung low, she appeared to be quite bashful. The bit of redness on her cheeks was as beautiful as sunset.
What surprised Yang Kai was that the woman exuded a powerful aura which suggested that she was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Although her face was alluring, her eyes were as pure as spring water. Her clear eyes reflected everything that she could see. Charm and innocence perfectly integrated into her being, giving her a fascinating attraction.
The woman poured a cup of tea for Chen Xiu before elegantly walking up to Yang Kai.
In an instant, a pleasant fragrance tickled his nose.
“Please have some tea, Senior Brother,” the woman said in a small voice, which sounded as delightful as a silver bell. As she spoke, she took a quick glance at Yang Kai before lowering her gaze.
“Many thanks, Junior Sister.” Yang Kai nodded in response.
The woman started blushing and held the tray in her arms. Then, she strode towards Chen Xiu and stood obediently behind him.
Chen Xiu said with a smile, “She became my Disciple when she was a young child, and has never stepped out of the Sect before. She’s pretty bashful as she has rarely met outsiders. Please don’t laugh at her, Martial Nephew.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “Junior Sister is beautiful and innocent. It’s rare to find anyone with such a temperament in this world.”
When the woman behind Chen Xiu heard his compliment, she hung her head even lower as her chin almost came into contact with her plump chest.
“What happened to you, Martial Nephew?” Chen Xiu didn’t seem to have the intention of talking about his Disciple as he quickly changed the topic.
There was a helpless smile on Yang Kai’s face as he replied, “It’s a long story. After I left Lang Ya Paradise, something happened and held me up for quite some time. Has Senior Sister Qu been released from her confinement, Martial Uncle?”
Chen Xiu nodded, “She was released almost ten years ago, and she had been waiting for you. Unfortunately…”
As he spoke, he shook his head as though he felt sorry for Qu Hua Shang.
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “Did anything happen to Senior Sister?”
Chen Xiu waved his hand, “Not really. It’s just that since you never showed up after she waited for a long time, she decided to cultivate in seclusion. She hasn’t exited even now.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai set his mind at ease. When he saw Chen Xiu’s expression just now, he thought that something had happened to Qu Hua Shang. Now that he knew she was fine, there was nothing he had to worry about.
“Martial Uncle, where is Martial Uncle Xu? What about Senior Brother Qing Kui and Senior Sister Su Ying Xue? Why don’t I see them?” Yang Kai was curious about this point. He was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law on paper. As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Chen Xiu naturally had the right to receive him. However, this matter had something to do with Xu Ling Gong, so he should have been the one to show up.
Even if Xu Ling Gong wasn’t in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven at the moment, could Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue be busy as well?
Chen Xiu explained, “Senior Brother Xu and his Disciples were given an important task, so they left the Sect almost 100 years ago.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “100 years ago?”
It had been 100 years since Qu Hua Shang was confined, and Xu Ling Gong had left Yin-Yang Cave Heaven at around the same time. In other words, not long after the Dao Theory Assembly ended, Xu Ling Gong left the Sect with his two Disciples.
After making some calculations, Yang Kai reckoned that the incident happened after the matter regarding the World Tree in the Star Boundary was settled; after all, Xu Ling Gong was still in the Star Boundary at that time as he introduced the powerful cultivators from the Cave Heavens and Paradises to Yang Kai.
Then, he was also the one who helped persuade the higher-ups to let Yang Kai enter the Universe Temples to study the Universe Array.
Yang Kai had the urge to ask what kind of task Xu Ling Gong was given that the latter still hadn’t returned from after 100 years. However, as an outsider, it wasn’t his place to ask about such things. This task must be important and highly confidential; otherwise, they wouldn’t have asked a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Xu Ling Gong to do it. He had even brought his Disciples with him.
Yang Kai reckoned that if Qu Hua Shang hadn’t been confined, she would have been taken as well.
It was no wonder that he hadn’t seen Xu Ling Gong or any of his Disciples. Upon that realization, he set his mind at ease. Yang Kai was previously nervous as he thought that Xu Ling Gong was displeased with the fact that he hadn’t shown up on time. Perhaps the older man was hiding in the shadows somewhere, just waiting for a chance to hack at him with his sword.
“Martial Uncle, where is Senior Sister Qu now? I’d like to see her. Can you tell me?” Yang Kai asked politely.
Yang Kai found the issue to be thorny as Xu Ling Gong and his Disciples were not in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Other than Xu Ling Gong and his disciples, he basically knew no one else in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
With that said, the other issue he was worried about could be dealt with at a later time.
He was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law, so he supposedly had to get married into the Sect. Nevertheless, he naturally wouldn’t agree to this. It wouldn’t have mattered if he were on his own; however, he was the leader of Void Land and High Heaven Pavilion. He was tangled up in many issues, so it was unrealistic for him to get married into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
On the other hand, Qu Hua Shang was a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so there was no way they would let her go.
Initially, Yang Kai planned on having a discussion with Xu Ling Gong so that they could come up with a solution that was acceptable for both parties.
He had the intention to offer some compensation to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven since he had obtained immense rewards from the Chaotic Dead Territory. Just by taking out a small part of it he would be able to tempt the leaders of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to let Qu Hua Shang go.
However, since Xu Ling Gong wasn’t around, there was no one he could talk to about this issue. Having said that, this matter could be delayed for now.
Open Heaven Realm Masters enjoyed a very long life, so the matter between Qu Hua Shang and him didn’t have to be dealt with immediately.
Regardless, he had to meet Qu Hua Shang and find out what was on her mind. If she was willing to leave with him, he wouldn’t mind paying a hefty price for it. Nonetheless, if she wasn’t willing to do so, he wouldn’t force her.
Upon hearing this question though, Chen Xiu appeared hesitant, “There has not been any news about Martial Niece Qu since she started cultivating in seclusion, so it won’t be easy to see her. I’m sure you’re aware that a cultivator is most wary of external disturbance when he or she is cultivating in retreat. If that happens at a critical moment, they will suffer from cultivation dissonance. Or worse, lose their life.”
Yang Kai nodded as he was fully aware of this truth; thus, he cupped his fist and said, “Please tell me where she is, Martial Uncle. I’ll not disturb her as I’ll just wait outside. There will come a day when she steps out of it.”
After pondering on it with a frown, Chen Xiu nodded, “Good. Before Senior Brother Xu left, he told me to help handle the matter between you two. Since you’re here, there’s no way I’ll sit back and do nothing. I can gather some information on your behalf, but you mustn’t be overly anxious about it. Martial Niece Qu is now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it’s normal that she might spend decades in seclusion. During this period of time, you can just stay here. I’ll come to you if there’s any news.”
“Many thanks, Martial Uncle.” Yang Kai expressed his gratitude.
All of a sudden, Chen Xiu grabbed the Elder Token on his waist and probe it in silence for a while before rising from the chair, “Something has happened in the Sect. I have to take my leave now.”
He then turned to his Disciple, “Wan’er, you have to take good care of your Senior Brother Yang.”
The woman replied respectfully, “Yes.”
Following that, Chen Xiu flashed an apologetic smile at Yang Kai, “Martial Nephew, please wait here for a few days. I’ll inform you if there’s any news.”
Upon finishing his words, he strode out of the hall.
Presently, only Yang Kai and the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master named Wan’er were left in the Grand Hall. Just now, she had been hiding behind Chen Xiu. When Chen Xiu spoke to Yang Kai, she was too bashful to even lift her head.
The situation exacerbated since only the two of them were left now. Her face was as red as blood while she clenched the tray in her arms as though she was trying to seek a sense of security.
Yang Kai looked up at her and happened to see her stealing a glance at him. As their eyes met, the woman quickly looked away as though she was a frightened little animal. She appeared to be on pins and needles.
There was a helpless smile on Yang Kai’s face when he saw her behaving like this. If she wasn’t pretending, she must be very naïve and innocent. However, Yang Kai couldn’t see any traces of pretence, so he reckoned that the woman was indeed just sheepish.
“You are Junior Sister Wan’er, right?” Yang Kai asked in a gentle voice as he was worried that he would shock her if he spoke any louder.
With her head hung low, the woman nodded and replied in a small voice, “Tao Ling Wan…”
Yang Kai reckoned that it was her name; thus, he got up and said, “Please get me a room to stay, Junior Sister.”
Tao Ling Wan seemed to be in a dazed state and she didn’t seem to hear him. It wasn’t until Yang Kai repeated his words that she anxiously walked out of the hall, “P-Please come with me, Senior Brother.”
After a nod, Yang Kai followed her in a relaxed manner as he kept a distance of ten steps behind her.
The pleasant scent coming from the woman was like countless gentle hands that were tickling his heart.
Soon, they arrived at a room. Tao Ling Wan’s head remained low as she pushed the door open and stepped aside, “How do you find this room, Senior Brother?”
Yang Kai didn’t have any demands when it came to the room he had to stay in as he was just waiting for news from Chen Xiu, so he nodded, “Many thanks, Junior Sister.”
Upon entering the room, he realised that the place was small and there were barely any decorations. He then closed the door and took a seat.
He was surprised by the information he had heard from Chen Xiu on this day. It had been 100 years since Xu Ling Gong and his Disciples left Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. He wondered what kind of task they were assigned.
On the other hand, Qu Hua Shang started cultivating in seclusion several years ago. Was she furious at the fact that Yang Kai didn’t show up on time? He felt somewhat apprehensive. Although it was because he had been held up in the Chaotic Dead Territory, that was ultimately his own fault.
If not for his curiosity, he wouldn’t have followed the Giant Spirit God and barged into the Chaotic Dead Territory. He could have just returned to High Heaven Territory after leaving Lang Ya Paradise. In that case, he would have ample time to head to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
He reckoned that he had to sincerely apologise to Qu Hua Shang when they met again.
Fortunately, Qu Hua Shang wasn’t a small-minded woman, so he believed that she would understand after he explained everything to her.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly furrowed his brow.
After rising from the chair, he opened the door and looked out, “Why are you still here, Junior Sister?”
Just now, he could sense that Tao Ling Wan never moved away from the door. Even the tray was still firmly held in her arms.
“Is there anything you need to tell me?” Yang Kai asked with concern.
Tao Ling Wan quickly shook her head, “Nothing. It’s just that Honoured Master has told me to take good care of you.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “There’s no need for that. Just do your own things. I’m fine with being alone.”
With her head hung low, Tao Ling Wan said in a small voice, “It’s an order from Honoured Master.”
Yang Kai didn’t know what to say. After giving it a thought, he said, “Junior Sister, why don’t you get some rest first? I’ll call out to you if I need anything.”
Tao Ling Wan didn’t say anything, nor did she take any action.
It seemed that Yang Kai was unable to reason with her. He had no idea whether Chen Xiu had told her anything or it was just her nature.
However, it wasn’t like he could let her keep standing outside the room. She wasn’t a maidservant but a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
If the others from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven saw that Tao Ling Wan was standing outside his room as though she was ready to serve him, they would definitely chastise him.
Yang Kai had learned just how influential a popular woman was to the Fellow Brothers of the same Sect while he was in Lang Ya Paradise.
Although Tao Ling Wan was bashful, she was strong and charming. It was expected that she was popular in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
He then persuaded her for a bit, but she never replied to him. Faced with his persuasion, she only kept shaking her head.
This was giving Yang Kai a headache as he had never expected that Chen Xiu would leave behind such a difficult problem.
After giving it a thought, he walked out of the room, “I’ll take a stroll. Please tend to your own business, Junior Sister.”
Without waiting for her response, he directly left.
Instead of doing her own things though, Tao Ling Wan followed him, keeping a distance of several dozen metres. It was as though she was a maid who was ready to serve him at any moment.
The situation had only exacerbated. If those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven saw it, they would definitely misunderstand him; hence, Yang Kai only walked around for a bit before returning to his room. Seeing that Tao Ling Wan stood obediently by the door again, he decided to just ignore her.
After closing the door, he started cultivating.
He could feel that he was just a step away from the Seventh-Order; in fact, if not for the 100 year promise with Qu Hua Shang, he would have started cultivating in seclusion in an attempt to break through to the Seventh-Order.
However, just by looking at the Proprietress’ situation, Yang Kai knew that he couldn’t make it to the Seventh-Order in a short time. It had been over 100 years since she started cultivating in seclusion, but she hadn’t managed to achieve an ascension yet.
Therefore, he decided to settle the issue in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven before attempting to break through to the Seventh-Order.
With that said, even though Yang Kai had rarely cultivated in retreat over the years, his heritage continued to grow due to the uniqueness of his Small Universe.
Furthermore, with the help of Xu Yi, who cultivated the Great Nothingness Scripture, the flow of time in his Small Universe was now four times faster than the outside world. As a result, the growth of his heritage had also accelerated.
Nevertheless, he had spent quite some effort to nurture more stalks of Profound Yin Bamboo, which required the consumption of the World Force in his Small Universe. If not for this, he would have reached the threshold of the Seventh-Order sooner.
For the next half a month, there was no news from Chen Xiu at all, which made Yang Kai feel doubtful.
Before Chen Xiu left, he had said that he would help gather some information for him. A long time had passed, so he had should have finished such a simple task; after all, he was the Inner Elder of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Moreover, Qu Hua Shang was cultivating in seclusion, so it shouldn’t be hard to find out her whereabouts.
Hence, Yang Kai felt uneasy at the fact that Chen Xiu hadn’t shown up for a long time.
One day, when Yang Kai was cultivating, he suddenly heard someone groaning outside the room. The voice sounded suppressed and awkward.
At that, Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Tao Ling Wan had been standing outside the room, so there was no doubt that it was this sheepish woman who made the noise. Over the past half a month, just like a piece of wood, she had never made a noise or moved one step. Yang Kai felt guilty for that, but there was nothing he could do since she wouldn’t listen to him.
At this moment, something seemed to have happened to her.
Yang Kai listened attentively, but he could no longer hear anything. Just when he was about to use his Divine Sense to check the situation, he suddenly heard a thud, as though something had fallen to the ground.
He quickly got up and dashed towards the door. Upon opening it, he saw Tao Ling Wan curling up on the ground and shivering. Cold air could be seen billowing from her body as it froze the walls and ground around her.
Besides that, the aura coming from her body was clearly unstable.
[She’s suffering from cultivation dissonance!] Yang Kai was flabbergasted.
He couldn’t figure out why this woman was suffering from cultivation dissonance all of a sudden. Recently, she had only been standing outside his room. Yang Kai had never detected her cultivating, so this shouldn’t have happened.
Furthermore, she was now a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so why would such a thing even happen to her?
Could it be a hidden health concern she was left with when she just started out cultivating in the past?
Without any delay, Yang Kai crouched down and lifted her up. In an instant, he could feel that the woman was cold all over, as though he was carrying an ice block. On the other hand, her figure remained soft and supple, which gave off a contradictory feeling.
Upon feeling the man’s warmth, Tao Ling Wan, who was usually bashful, stuck closer to Yang Kai as though she was trying to merge with him in an attempt to seek his warmth.
Her actions made Yang Kai feel uneasy, so he quickly walked up to the bed and tried to set her down, but he was unable to do that because she had wrapped her arms around his neck and clung on to him like an octopus.
“Junior Sister Tao! Junior Sister Tao!” Yang Kai anxiously called out to her. It wasn’t certain whether Tao Ling Wan had heard him, but she opened her eyes and looked at him with a seductive gaze.
Yang Kai was most familiar with this kind of gaze, which suggested that this woman wanted to bed him. The enchantress Shan Qing Luo and the Charm Demon Yu Ru Meng would always seduce him in such a way.
He immediately realised that something was off.
Without any time to ponder on it, he apologised to her and pressed his palm against her forehead. The next moment, he activated the power of his Small Universe in an attempt to help restore the chaos in her body to order.
This was the most common way of assisting someone experiencing cultivation dissonance, and Yang Kai couldn’t think of anything else to do to help. Moreover, he wasn’t sure about what kind of Secret Art Tao Ling Wan had cultivated, so he was unable to give her the exact treatment she needed.
He was only doing all he could to help her, but it was up to the Heavens to decide whether she would recover. From the looks of it, she hadn’t completely lost her mind as she was seemingly trying to deal with the danger that came with cultivation dissonance.
Surprisingly, the treatment was working.
Yang Kai could feel that the power of his Small Universe could be perfectly absorbed by Tao Ling Wan, without a hint of conflict at all.
This revelation astounded him.
It had to be noted that the Dao every Open Heaven Realm Master was good at was different, so the powers of their Small Universes were never the same. He and Tao Ling Wan had cultivated Secret Arts that were not connected in any way, and they grew up in vastly different environments. Supposedly, even if there were no conflicts between the powers of their Small Universes, they wouldn’t have been perfectly matched.
Nevertheless, such a thing had actually happened.
Tao Ling Wan’s Small Universe had accepted his power without any repulsion. As time passed, she stopped shivering as her body regained some warmth.
It wasn’t until half a day later that Yang Kai retracted his hand.
At this moment, Tao Ling Wan was seated in front of him while breathing stably. Her face was slightly red, and her long eyelashes fluttered.
There was no doubt that she was fully conscious. Previously, she would start blushing just by taking a glance at Yang Kai, but after what she had done following the cultivation dissonance, it seemed she didn’t even have the nerve to open her eyes.
She could feel Yang Kai examining her, so she started trembling again as her face turned as red as blood.
After measuring his words, Yang Kai said, “If you feel any discomfort, you can tell me about it. If everything is well now, you don’t have to say anything.”
Tao Ling Wan remained silent.
Upon getting her hint, Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, you can get some rest here, and I’ll go to another room. Just call out to me if there’s anything you need help with.”
There was a room just beside this one. Previously, Yang Kai told her to stay in that room and stop standing outside his door, but she refused.
Now, Yang Kai had to stay in that room.
However, before he could make a move, he felt two powerful auras approaching from the distance. Upon sensing who they were, he became elated.
That was because he knew both of them. One of them was Chen Xiu, who hadn’t shown up for half a month now. It wasn’t surprising that he was coming, but the other one was Yu Xiang Die.
After Xu Ling Gong and his two older Disciples left the Star Boundary, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven sent Yu Xiang Die to be stationed in the Star Boundary. Yang Kai had frequently come into contact with her, and they had previously worked on the Lang Ya Paradise issue together.
It could be said that Yu Xiang Die had taken good care of him.
Yang Kai had never expected that she was in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven as he thought that she was still in the Star Boundary.
While he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard Chen Xiu say, “What are you doing, Junior Sister? Why did you come here without informing me? If you had told me earlier, I could have prepared a welcome party for you.”
Yu Xiang Die snorted, “Do you think I have no idea what you’re up to? Where’s Yang Kai? Brat, get out here now!”
Yang Kai, who was initially joyful, shrank his neck upon hearing that. He had no idea how he offended Yu Xiang Die that she suddenly became so aggressive towards him.
Certainly, he didn’t dare to be negligent. Chen Xiu didn’t seem like a reliable person. Other than telling a Sixth-Order female disciple to serve Yang Kai, he hadn’t even come back with any information after half a month. Since Yu Xiang Die was here, Yang Kai naturally had to see her.
Before Yang Kai could even respond though, Yu Xiang Die scanned the Spirit Peak with her Divine Sense and instantly found him. The next moment, a figure abruptly appeared in front of his room.
“Martial Aunt Yu,” Yang Kai saluted her.
When he was in the Star Boundary, he was the Great Emperor of the Universe World who was in control of the World Tree, thus allowing him to be on an equal footing with the envoys from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. However, in this place, he was just a Junior.
Yu Xiang Die nodded firmly, but when she caught a glimpse of Tao Ling Wan, who was seated cross-legged on the bed, her expressions changed drastically and she questioned, “W-What did the two of you do?”
An embarrassed Yang Kai quickly explained, “Don’t get us wrong, Martial Aunt Yu. Just now, Junior Sister Tao suddenly suffered from cultivation dissonance for some reason, so I just assisted her. Whatever it was, I was fortunately able to be of some use to Junior Sister Tao. We didn’t do anything else.”
Upon hearing that, Yu Xiang Die’s jaw dropped for a time before letting out an exasperated sigh, “What a disaster!”
Her expression seemed to suggest that Yang Kai had done something terribly wrong, which made his heart skip a beat, “What are you trying to say, Martial Aunt? We really didn’t do anything.”
Just then, Chen Xiu finally arrived. While standing outside the room, he took a glance inside and put on a smile, as though everything was going according to his plan.
Yu Xiang Die turned and glared at him, “Are you happy now?”
Chen Xiu shook his head, “What are you talking about, Junior Sister? I don’t understand.”
Yu Xiang Die delivered a swift kick, but the well-prepared Chen Xiu easily dodged it.
“What are you doing, Junior Sister?” Chen Xiu asked in shock.
Yu Xiang Die said through clenched teeth, “Despicable!”
Upon finishing her words, she ignored Chen Xiu entirely and glowered at Yang Kai before shouting, “Come with me!”
Chen Xiu didn’t intend to stop Yang Kai from leaving with Yu Xiang Die. He only gazed at Yang Kai with a meaningful smile as they departed.
Yang Kai had no idea why Yu Xiang Die was furious, but he wouldn’t dare to ask her about it as he followed her in silence. One hour later, they arrived at a different Spirit Peak.
He realised that the view around him looked familiar. After looking around, he recalled that he had been somewhere near this place before.
Xu Ling Gong’s Spirit Peak was in a nearby place. It seemed that he and Yu Xiang Die were neighbours.
There were many people on the Spirit Peak who should be Yu Xiang Die’s Disciples. She was an Inner Elder of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so she had the right to take on Disciples. Upon seeing her, all of them saluted her in a respectful manner. Yang Kai, who was behind her, grew curious.
Without looking at these Disciples, Yu Xiang Die directly passed through them in a manner that befitted her status as the leader of the Spirit Peak.
These Disciples wouldn’t dare to say anything. Yu Xiang Die was usually a mild-tempered person who wouldn’t put on airs and would respond to any disciple who said hello to her in normal times. Something seemed to have happened on this day as she sported a cold expression. That was the reason they were anxious.
Soon, they arrived at a room as Yu Xiang Die turned around and ordered, “Stay here for a few days. I need to gather some information.”
Yang Kai nodded without hesitation, “Yes.”
Yu Xiang Die glared at him before turning to leave, but she soon turned back and ordered, “Other than me, don’t meet anyone who comes to see you!”
[What’s going on here?] Yang Kai was puzzled. His experience in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven this time was very different from what he had imagined. First of all, he hadn’t even had the chance to meet Xu Ling Gong or Qu Hua Shang. Then, he was brought to Chen Xiu’s place and stayed there for half a month. Following that, Yu Xiang Die stormed in while feeling furious.
He had only lent Tao Ling Wan a hand when she was suffering from cultivation dissonance, which shouldn’t be a big deal. Given the situation, he couldn’t have turned a blind eye to her suffering.
Yang Kai suspected that Yu Xiang Die had misunderstood something, but he had already explained it clearly to her.
Previously, after Chen Xiu said that he had to gather some information, he went missing for half a month. Now, Yu Xiang Die has said the same thing. Yang Kai wondered what kind of information she had to find out; however, since she was infuriated at the time, he didn’t dare to say anything and simply agreed to her demands.
For the next three days, Yu Xiang Die didn’t show up.
It wasn’t until the fourth day that she appeared in front of Yang Kai.
“Martial Aunt Yu,” Yang Kai saluted her respectfully.
There was a conflicted expression on Yu Xiang Die’s face as she gazed at him. Her eyes seemed to suggest that she was heartbroken for what had happened with a hint of disgruntlement towards him.
A moment later, she let out a long sigh and extended her hand, “Have a seat.”
Yang Kai bowed his head. After she was seated, he did the same and waited for her to speak.
Then, Yu Xiang Die fell silent for quite some time. Just when Yang Kai was running out of patience, she suddenly asked, “How do you find Wan’er?”
“Wan’er?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at her, then came to his senses, “Are you talking about Junior Sister Tao Ling Wan? She’s a kind-hearted and innocent person. It’s just that… she can be a little obstinate.”
Yu Xiang Die glowered at him, “I didn’t tell you to remark on her temperament.”
A stunned Yang Kai asked, “What do you want me to say, then?”
Cutting to the chase, Yu Xiang Die asked, “Do you love her?”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “It’s only been a short time since we first met, and we have rarely spoken to one another. Why would I even have any feelings for her? Moreover, you know the reason I’m here…”
Before he could finish his words, Yu Xiang Die cut him off by raising her hand, “But Wan’er loves you!”
A dumbfounded Yang Kai asked, “Are you pulling my leg, Martial Aunt?”
Yu Xiang Die stared seriously at him, “Moreover, it has come to a point where she’ll can no longer love any other man in her lifetime.”
Yang Kai increasingly felt that she was just messing with him. Just like what he had said, it had only been a short time since he and Tao Ling Wan first met, and they had rarely talked to each other. Why would they even have any feelings for each other?
Even if she had really fallen in love with Yang Kai due to her inexperience in worldly affairs after Yang Kai lent her a hand while she was suffering from cultivation dissonance, it couldn’t have come to a point where she would no longer love any other man in her lifetime.
They hadn’t kept each other company for any significant period of time, nor had they experienced any life-or-death moments together. Why would she even develop such deep feelings for him?
However, Yu Xiang Die didn’t seem like she was pulling a prank. Following another sigh, she said slowly, “There are two major factions for the disciples in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. One of them is the Heartless Dao while the other is Heartfelt Dao. Although there are two different factions, they lead to the same goal.”
Yang Kai had no idea why she suddenly changed the topic, but he still listened attentively. He had heard Qu Hua Shang mention the Heartless Dao and Heartfelt Dao before. The Heartless Dao was the one she had cultivated. At that time, she had to fall in love with Yang Kai and then cut off those emotions to achieve a breakthrough and make it to the Open Heaven Realm.
Certainly, he didn’t understand the secrets behind this, nor did he know anything about Heartfelt Dao.
“Wan’er has cultivated Heartfelt Dao. You’ve come into contact with her before, so I’m sure you can feel that she’s bashful and timid.”
Yang Kai nodded.
Yu Xiang Die explained, “That is not a pretense. It’s mostly because of the Secret Art’s influence, and a small part of it is due to her natural temperament. She is inexperienced and as pure as a piece of white paper because of the Secret Art she has cultivated.”
“It’s hard to find women like her nowadays,” Yang Kai remarked. Tao Ling Wan was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all. She must have cultivated for a long time to achieve her current cultivation, but she remained pure and innocent.
Only the Cave Heavens and Paradises had the capital to nurture disciples like her. The Open Heaven Realm Masters of most ordinary Sects had experienced a lot of hardship during their cultivation journey. Such Masters were often the pillars of their Sects who carried great burdens on their shoulders, so they didn’t have the right to be innocent.
“But now…” Yu Xiang Die shot him a glare, “This piece of white paper has been marked with your brand!”
An aggrieved Yang Kai refuted, “Martial Aunt Yu, there was really nothing that happened between Junior Sister Tao and me. I only lent her a hand when she suffered from cultivation dissonance. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her about it.”
Yu Xiang Die slowly shook her head, “I know you’re telling the truth. Nothing more than what you said happened between the two of you. The problem is that you assisted her in the first place.”
A speechless Yang Kai said, “Are you saying that I shouldn’t have helped her? Should I have just watched her suffer and die?”
“She wouldn’t die. Even if you hadn’t helped her, she would have stabilized her condition on her own. Moreover, this isn’t the first time she has experienced such an incident. I also went through such episodes in the past.”
Yang Kai became dumbfounded for a while before asking, “Have you cultivated Heartfelt Dao as well, Martial Aunt?”
Yu Xiang Die nodded gently.
Although Yang Kai was still doubtful, he had somewhat figured out what had happened. Yu Xiang Die said that the white sheet had been left with his brand, and that Tao Ling Wan would never fall in love with another man in her lifetime. He reckoned that it had something to do with the Heartfelt Dao and the fact that he had helped her when she was suffering from cultivation dissonance.
After straightening his face, Yang Kai said, “Please enlighten me, Martial Aunt.”
Yu Xiang Die was pleased with his attitude. After measuring her words, she replied, “The Heartless Dao and Heartfelt Dao are two major factions of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven that have been existent since time immemorial. Although there is some competition between the two, we generally coexist harmoniously. With that said, we obviously have different cultivation methods from each other. I’m sure Qu’er has told you that she has cultivated the Heartless Dao. Only by falling in love and then cutting off that love could she ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.”
Yang Kai nodded his head as he was aware of this; after all, Qu Hua Shang didn’t hide anything from him.
“As for the Heartfelt Dao… we don’t have to go to such lengths to make it to the Open Heaven Realm. Cultivators of this Dao won’t face any difficulty when ascending to the Open Heaven Realm. The problem starts when we want to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Cultivators of the Heartfelt Dao have to look for suitable partners when they are in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and obtain their Yin Qi or Yang Qi. Only when Yin and Yang are merged can they achieve completion and break through to the Seventh-Order. At the same time, their Small Universes would also materialise. However, before that, the more powerful a cultivator of the Heartfelt Dao is, the more hidden concerns she would be left with. I’m sure you understand that Yin or Yang cannot grow on their own, so these hidden concerns break out from time to time.”
“Cultivation dissonance!” Yang Kai finally understood what had happened.
Yu Xiang Die nodded, “Yes, cultivation dissonance, but different from ordinary cultivation dissonance. While the two look similar on the surface, even without any external aid, one who had cultivated the Heartfelt Dao can overcome these episodes with enough focus and effort. That wasn’t the first time Wan’er suffered from ‘cultivation dissonance’, but no one ever helped her in the past.”
An embarrassed Yang Kai scratched his head awkwardly, “I had no idea. She was suddenly struck with cultivation dissonance, so I just tried to…”
Yu Xiang Die sighed, “It’s not your fault. Any conscientious person wouldn’t have turned a blind eye to it in that situation, but that was where you made a mistake. Did you feel anything strange when you were helping her?”
Yang Kai nodded, “My strength perfectly merged with hers.”
“That’s the uniqueness of the Heartfelt Dao,” Yu Xiang Die explained, “She can perfectly accept the first power from the opposite sex and merge with it, thus becoming the life companion of that man.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he asked, “Martial Aunt, didn’t you say a cultivator of Heartfelt Dao has to look for a partner?”
Yu Xiang Die replied, “There are two ways of selecting a partner. One of them is to fall in love. If Wan’er had really fallen in love with anyone, that would be her choice. The other way is to merge her power with another party. This way is more forceful and dominating. One might fall out of love with their partner, but since their strength has already merged, it can never be untangled. Many disciples of Heartfelt Dao are unable to bear the pain of the cultivation dissonance, so they look for their partners using this method.”
There was an awkward expression on Yang Kai’s face, “Martial Aunt, are you saying that Junior Sister Tao and I…”
With a solemn expression, Yu Xiang Die nodded, “You are now the only man she can have in her life. Just like what I’ve said, she has been left with your brand. Other than you, she will never love anyone else.”
“No way!” Yang Kai quickly waved his hands, “You know what I came to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven for. I didn’t have a choice when I helped Junior Sister Tao. Moreover, we know nothing about each other, so how can we suddenly become a couple?”
“I’m afraid it’s not up to you to decide.” Yu Xiang Die slowly shook her head, “Although Wan’er is not a Core Disciple of the Sect, she has the highest hope of ascending to the Seventh-Order in the last hundreds of years. Without your help, her Martial Dao would end at the peak of the Sixth-Order.”
Yang Kai had never expected that his attempt to help someone would end up causing such a big problem.
He reckoned that the Secret Arts of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven were indeed abstruse.
If it was just like what Yu Xiang Die had said, Tao Ling Wan would never be able to accept another man’s Yang Qi as her Small Universe had absorbed Yang Kai’s strength. In that case, without Yang Kai’s help, she would never be able to make it to the Seventh-Order in her lifetime.
It wasn’t something those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wanted to see. A Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was valuable to every Cave Heaven or Paradise. Tao Ling Wan had high hopes of ascending to the Seventh-Order. If her future was ruined by Yang Kai, those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wouldn’t let him off.
Yang Kai felt helpless while his mind was a mess.
It had only been a short time since he and Tao Ling Wan first met, and they had barely even spoken to each other. However, if her future was destroyed because of him, he would feel guilty.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t bring himself to simply accept her. He had come all the way to this place for Qu Hua Shang. It wasn’t the right thing to do if he was tangled up with another woman while he hadn’t even met Qu Hua Shang.
“Chen Xiu!” Yang Kai suddenly cursed. He was puzzled previously, but upon hearing Yu Xiang Die’s explanation, he seemed to have realised something, “It was Chen Xiu’s doing, right?”
Tao Ling Wan was Chen Xiu’s Disciple, so he must be fully aware of her situation. Perhaps he knew that Tao Ling Wan would be struck with cultivation dissonance soon at that time, so he insisted on making her serve Yang Kai. After that, he went missing for half a month.
On the other hand, he never told Yang Kai anything.
Chen Xiu knew that once Tao Ling Wan suffered from cultivation dissonance in front of Yang Kai, the latter wouldn’t turn a blind eye to it. The moment Yang Kai decided to help, he would fall into the trap.
This probably wasn’t a well-thought-out plan; after all, Chen Xiu had no idea when Yang Kai would visit Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so he had most likely improvised it.
When Yang Kai arrived, it just so happened that Tao Ling Wan would be struck with cultivation dissonance soon.
Yu Xiang Die parted her lips for a moment before letting out a sigh, “You’ve figured it out, after all.”
With a frown, Yang Kai asked, “But, why?”
Regardless, Tao Ling Wan was a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was also strikingly beautiful. If such a beautiful woman got together with Yang Kai, outsiders would think that he had found a partner that was out of his league.
However, Yang Kai couldn’t figure out Chen Xiu’s intention for doing this. It wasn’t like he didn’t know that Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang were engaged.
The titles of Yang Kai, which included Star Boundary Great Emperor and Void Land’s Lord, were probably not prestigious enough to make him sacrifice a Legacy Disciple just to establish a connection.
“It’s for Qu’er!” Yu Xiang Die replied.
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai became even more doubtful.
Yu Xiang Die explained, “100 years ago, you won first place in the Dao Theory Assembly and became engaged with Qu’er. Supposedly, you should have come to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven a few years ago.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That was my plan, but I was held up by something.”
“It was the Chaotic Dead Territory, right?” Yu Xiang Die asked.
Yang Kai was shocked, “How do you know?”
“The Ancestor who is responsible for monitoring the Chaotic Dead Territory is from Luo Sheng Cave Heaven. When he saw that you entered the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside the Giant Spirit God, he asked around to find out about your identity. That was how all Cave Heavens and Paradises knew that you had entered the Chaotic Dead Territory.”
Yang Kai nodded gently. The appearance of a Giant Spirit God and someone entering the Chaotic Dead Territory were both major events. Since the Ancestor from Luo Sheng Cave Heaven had seen it, he would definitely inform everyone about it. The Cave Heavens and Paradises naturally had channels to communicate with each other; hence, it wasn’t a secret that Yang Kai had barged into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside the Giant Spirit God.
“The Chaotic Dead Territory is a dangerous place. Even the Eighth-Order Ancestor from Luo Sheng Cave Heaven could only stay in the periphery for a short moment before having to retreat. What do you think the outsiders would speculate when you had gone missing for decades?” Yu Xiang Die stared at him and asked.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “They must have believed that I was dead.”
Yu Xiang Die nodded, “Exactly. In fact, I just came back from the Star Boundary not long ago. I was also shocked when I heard that you had entered the Chaotic Dead Territory back then. I too believed that you were killed; however, when I asked the Head Manager of High Heaven Pavilion, she firmly declared that you were fine. If I hadn’t seen you with my bare eyes this time, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
At that time, she was puzzled by Hua Qing Si’s confidence. No one could survive after entering the Chaotic Dead Territory, but Hua Qing Si told her to rest assured and said that her Sect Master must be fine. As for when he would leave the Chaotic Dead Territory, she didn’t have a clue either.
Yu Xiang Die didn’t probe her further. Since Hua Qing Si had said so, she chose to believe her.
When she returned to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, she really met Yang Kai.
While Yu Xiang Die didn’t understand the reason behind it, Yang Kai knew why Hua Qing Si was so certain.
That was because he had the Loyalty List which had nine names written in it. The life or death of those nine hinged on Yang Kai. If something happened to him, Mao Zhe and the others would instantly lose their lives as well.
Since Mao Zhe and the others were still alive and kicking, it meant that Yang Kai was fine.
“But others wouldn’t think of it this way. All the Cave Heavens and Paradises believed that you were dead. This speculation was further verified since you didn’t show up after the 100 year promise was due.”
Yang Kai appeared worried, “Did Senior Sister Qu enter seclusion because of this?”
“Yes.” Yu Xiang Die nodded, “If you were still alive and had come to this place on time, those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wouldn’t have gone back on their word. You would still be a Son-in-Law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. However, since you were thought to be dead, the engagement became invalid as well. Qu’er is one of the Sect’s Core Disciples who has a bright future after all. Given the uniqueness of the Secret Art she has cultivated, those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven decided to look for a partner for her.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and asked calmly, “What did Senior Sister Qu think about the idea?”
Yu Xiang Die shook her head, “She naturally refused. It was because of this that she decided to cultivate in seclusion. Out of sight, out of mind. At the same time, she wanted to wait for you to appear.”
Yang Kai fell silent, thinking that he didn’t deserve Qu Hua Shang’s trust. If he had simply come on time, all this wouldn’t have happened.
“Qu’er’s stance was firm; however, since she is a Core Disciple, the Sect has the right to interfere in her affairs. She can’t change anything on her own. If Brother Xu were still around, he could have put in a word for her; however, since he’s gone, Qu’er was all by herself while I was far away in the Star Boundary. There was no one in the Sect who could speak up for her. She had tried her best by choosing to cultivate in seclusion to avoid this problem.”
“So… who is the partner that your noble Sect has selected for Senior Sister Qu?”
Yu Xiang Die shot him a glance, “Qu’er is a Core Disciple who has the hope to ascend to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm one day and become an Ancestor. There are not many people in the Sect who are a match for her. First of all, his aptitude must be similar, and his seniority comes next. With that said, there is a suitable person. He is Chen Xiu’s Disciple as well as Tao Ling Wan’s Junior Brother, Feng Cheng Si. He was the most recent Core Disciple before Qu’er who had directly ascended to the Sixth-Order. Although he’s much older than Qu’er, they are of the same seniority. In fact, the Sect’s Managers initially wanted Qu’er and Feng Cheng Si to get together. However, since she had violated the taboo, they had no choice but to hold the Dao Theory Assembly.”
Yang Kai frowned in puzzlement, “According to you, Feng Cheng Si is Chen Xiu’s Disciple, so why would he set me up to help Junior Sister Tao Ling Wan resolve her cultivation dissonance? He wouldn’t gain any benefits out of it, nor would it be beneficial to Junior Sister Tao.”
It would be terrible if they had to be tied up for life because of this as it had only been a short time since they first met. It probably wasn’t Tao Ling Wan’s intention either. She was just forced to obey her Master.
“He wouldn’t get any benefits out of it, but his plan could perfectly resolve the embarrassing situation that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is facing,” Yu Xiang Die explained, “Although I don’t agree with what he’s done, and I think that he’s too short-sighted, there’s no doubt that he’s doing it to protect the Sect’s interests. I hope you’ll understand that he didn’t have any ill intentions against you.”
Yang Kai nodded.
Yu Xiang Die went on to say, “Those from the Sect thought you were dead, so they had designated a partner for Qu’er; however, with you being alive now, the Sect would have to go back on their word. That’s the embarrassing situation the Sect is facing.”
Yang Kai could somewhat understand it. Following her explanation, he deduced, “So, Chen Xiu thought of a way to resolve this conundrum, which is to pair me with his Disciple as a form of compensation. He would probably force me to give up the engagement as well. In that case, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven could get away with it, and outsiders couldn’t blame your Sect.”
Yu Xiang Die nodded, “Yes, that’s exactly his plan. Strictly speaking, Wan’er is not bad. It’s just that her aptitude is not comparable to Qu’er’s. If you’re happy with her, it will be a win-win situation. Do not think that just anyone can make Chen Xiu sacrifice his Legacy Disciple. If not for your amazing achievements over the years, he wouldn’t have the heart to use Wan’er to set you up. Back then, Wan’er directly ascended to the Fifth-Order, and her cultivation journey has been smooth sailing over the years. If nothing unexpected happens, she’ll make it to the Seventh-Order within a few hundred years. You directly ascended to the Fifth-Order as well, so outsiders would think that you and Wan’er are a perfect match. On the other hand, Qu’er would be out of your league.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a while before letting out a sigh, “Junior Sister Tao has sacrificed the most in this matter.”
Yu Xiang Die sighed, “She must have thought of it when she decided to obey her Master. Although she’s innocent, she’s not a fool. No fool can ever attain her achievements. Since she didn’t reject it, it means that she’s at least fond of you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “But it’s different from becoming partners for life.”
“It’s indeed an embarrassing situation for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and it’s the same case for you. So, I have to ask you seriously. Are you willing to accept Tao Ling Wan and give up on Qu Hua Shang? In that case, everyone will be happy.”
“Everyone will be happy?” Yang Kai snorted, “I don’t think so. Has anyone asked what Senior Sister Qu thinks about it? What is really on Junior Sister Tao’s mind? What’s my stance on this matter? No one has bothered to ask. Only those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven will be happy with this!”
Yu Xiang Die breathed a sigh of relief, “Good. Those from the Sect told me to ask you about it. Since that’s what you think, you’ve given me an answer, and I have a reply to them. Although Brother Xu is not around, I won’t allow anyone to bully Qu’er as I had watched her grow up.”
An idea suddenly flashed through Yang Kai’s mind as he examined Yu Xiang Die. She had said that she had cultivated Heartfelt Dao, and she had gone through the same experience as Tao Ling Wan.
Now, she was already in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. In other words, her crisis was resolved when she suffered from cultivation dissonance in the past, which allowed her to break free from her chains. That was why her Small Universe had materialised, and she had ascended to the Seventh-Order.
So, who was the partner she had selected back then? Involuntarily, the image of Xu Ling Gong sprang into Yang Kai’s mind.
After Xu Ling Gong left the Star Boundary in the past, Yu Xiang Die came over to be stationed there, and she had taken good care of Yang Kai. Now, she seemed concerned about Qu Hua Shang.
The average Martial Aunt wouldn’t have gone to such lengths. It seemed to suggest that Yu Xiang Die was very close to Xu Ling Gong and his Disciples.
While Yang Kai was amazed by the revelation, he asked, “What do you plan on doing, Martial Aunt?”
Yu Xiang Die shook her head, “It’s about what you have to do, not what I plan on doing.”
A humble Yang Kai asked, “Please enlighten me, Martial Aunt.”
Yu Xiang Die replied, “The place where Qu’er is cultivating in seclusion is special. It’s a place in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven where a cultivator’s heart is trained. It’s called the Samsara Pavilion. Those who enter it will experience a number of reincarnations, but remain unaware of it. Only when one finds her true love would she be able to break through the fog and retrieve her true heart.”
Yang Kai frowned as he didn’t understand.
Yu Xiang Die went on to say, “The Samsara Pavilion is where many female disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would select their life partners. Any female disciple who enters the Samsara Pavilion will temporarily lose her memory. She will only remember the things in her current life after the reincarnation. During the rounds of reincarnation, she will come across many people and events while her heart is tempered. The male disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wouldn’t lose their memories after initially entering. If two people are destined to be together, they will find each other in the Samsara Pavilion. Those from the Sect insisted on getting Feng Cheng Si to be Qu’er’s partner. She’s on her own and powerless to resist it, and she couldn’t dodge the problem with the usual way of cultivating in seclusion. The Samsara Pavilion was the only place she could go. If no one pulls her out of it, she will fall into oblivion for her entire life.” When she finished her words, Yu Xiang Die appeared to be melancholic.
The outsiders thought that the female disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven were loose women who would just bed any man, but they had no idea that these women were actually the most loyal partners of all. That was because almost every female disciple who had found a partner had to go through the tests of the Samsara Pavilion. Only by not giving up on each other through several reincarnations would they remain together forever.
Since time immemorial, there had been countless female disciples who had fallen into oblivion in the Samsara Pavilion because they couldn’t find their partners inside. Yu Xiang Die had a Senior Sister who was just like her real Mother or Elder Sister; however, she had not appeared since entering the Samsara Pavilion.
It was certain that this Senior Sister wasn’t dead but she was still going through rounds of reincarnation in the Samsara Pavilion and would never see the outside world again in her lifetime.
“Has Feng Cheng Si gone to that place?” A glint flashed through Yang Kai’s eyes. It wasn’t hard to figure out. Since those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wanted these Core Disciples to get together, Feng Cheng Si would definitely be the next to enter the Samsara Pavilion after Qu Hua Shang. If he could pull her out of the Samsara Pavilion, that would be the outcome those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wanted to see.
“Good,” Yu Xiang Die nodded, “He entered the place not long after Qu’er started cultivating in seclusion.”
“That means he’s been inside for a few years already!” Yang Kai let out a sigh, thinking that he was too late to join the race.
Yu Xiang Die raised her hand to motion for him to calm down, “Even though he entered the Samsara Pavilion a few years earlier, it’s not really an advantage. Only with a sincere heart would one find their partner in the Samsara Pavilion. You are the one who occupies Qu’er’s heart, so that’s your biggest advantage. Feng Cheng Si is no match for you in this regard. Moreover… I suppose the Heart Barrier that Qu’er set when she entered the Samsara Pavilion wouldn’t be easy to break. Feng Cheng Si wouldn’t achieve his goal in a short time.”
“Heart Barrier?” Yang Kai asked doubtfully.
Yu Xiang Die explained, “Every female disciple who wishes to enter the Samsara Pavilion to wait for her partner will set a Heart Barrier before she loses her memory. Only by breaking this Heart Barrier can a male disciple bring back her memory and take her out of the Samsara Pavilion. The lowest level of a Heart Barrier is three lives while the highest is nine lives.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai asked, “In other words, I have to find her through a minimum of three reincarnations to a maximum of nine reincarnations and win her heart in order to break her Heart Barrier. Am I right?”
“Exactly.” Yu Xiang Die nodded, “Qu’er has temporarily lost her memory after entering the Samsara Pavilion. Others might take advantage of it if the Heart Barrier is too easy.”
Yang Kai nodded, “What level of Heart Barrier do you think Senior Sister Qu has set for herself, Martial Aunt?”
Yu Xiang Die replied, “Three lives would be too easy as others might take advantage of her while nine lives would be too difficult. To be honest with you, the Samsara Pavilion has been in existence for countless eons, but no disciples from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven have ever broken a Heart Barrier of nine lives before. That’s because the more rounds of reincarnation there are, the more difficult it becomes to obtain the other party’s acknowledgement and win her heart. Qu’er is waiting for you, but she doesn’t intend to make things difficult for you; hence, the Heart Barrier she has chosen wouldn’t be too easy or difficult. As for how many lives you must experience, you’ll only find out after you find her.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai grinned and revealed his white teeth, “That’s a pretty difficult challenge.”
Yu Xiang Die snorted, “I hope you’ll still be confident when the time comes. I’ll tell you this, if you can’t bring Qu’er out of there, you should just stay inside forever.”
Yang Kai bowed his head, “Don’t worry, Martial Aunt. I’ll bring Senior Sister Qu out of the Samsara Pavilion safely. However… as an outsider, do I have a right to enter the Samsara Pavilion? I’m afraid Chen Xiu wouldn’t agree to it.”
Yu Xiang Die scoffed, “I’ll handle it. That shameless old fart has used such a dirty trick. I’ll let him know what it means to go for wool but come back shorn.”
Upon finishing her words, she suddenly appeared dejected, “It’s just that Wan’er will have to suffer.”
Yang Kai remained silent as he felt helpless about this point as well. He had been dragged into an improvised plot while he was unsuspecting. Regardless of what the outcome would be, Tao Ling Wan would be hurt.
Yu Xiang Die soon left as she had to get prepared to help Yang Kai enter the Samsara Pavilion.
Not long after she was gone, Chen Xiu arrived with Tao Ling Wan. Upon seeing Yang Kai, he sported a smile and took a seat, “Nephew, it’s thanks to you that my Disciple wasn’t harmed during cultivation dissonance. I initially wanted to thank you, but Junior Sister Yu brought you away in a rush. The only reason we’ve come all the way here this time is that Wan’er wants to personally express her gratitude. I’m sure you’re aware that she’s pretty timid, so I have to come with her.”
Previously, he called Yang Kai ‘Martial Nephew’, but it was ‘Nephew’ now. It seemed that he now regarded the young man to be his family member.
Yang Kai remained calm as he nodded, “Don’t mention it, Martial Uncle. It was the least I could do.”
Chen Xiu waved his hand, “It might be the least you could do, but you have saved Wan’er’s life. Wan’er, you should express your gratitude to your Senior Brother now.”
After taking a step forward, Tao Ling Wan saluted Yang Kai in an elegant manner and said in a hushed voice, “Many thanks for lending me a hand, Senior Brother Yang.”
Strictly speaking, Tao Ling Wan was older than Yang Kai, and she had started cultivating much earlier. She was supposed to be his Senior Sister, but Chen Xiu told her to call him Senior Brother, so his intention was pretty conspicuous.
Yang Kai gazed at her and replied gently, “You don’t have to be overly polite with me, Junior Sister Wan’er.”
He then turned his head and stared at Chen Xiu, “Martial Uncle, to be honest with you, I’m preparing to enter the Samsara Pavilion to look for Senior Sister Qu.”
Upon hearing that, Tao Ling Wan shook a little while the smile on Chen Xiu’s face froze. A moment later, he nodded, “It seems that Junior Sister Yu has told you everything.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai didn’t deny it.
Chen Xiu grunted and ran his fingers through his beard. After giving it a thought, he said, “Nephew, this King didn’t mean any harm by doing this. I had no other choice, so I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Tao Ling Wan was supposed to be the one to decide whether she would forgive Chen Xiu, not Yang Kai; hence, he didn’t respond to him.
“However, Wan’er’s future now hinges on you. I don’t object to you looking for Martial Niece Qu, but what about Wan’er? Are you going to abandon her?”
Yang Kai replied, “There’s a solution to every problem in the world.” He then turned to Tao Ling Wan and spoke gently, “Junior Sister, we didn’t know each other in the past as we just met half a month ago, and you know nothing about me. Are you resigned to being tied to me forever just because of the Secret Art’s influence?”
Faced with his question, Tao Ling Wan hung her head low. A while later, she replied in a small voice, “I’ll obey my Master.”
Yang Kai felt sorry for her as he shook her head, “Junior Sister, you’re an adult who is in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so you’re supposed to have your own opinions. To put it bluntly, there will come a day when Martial Uncle Chen passes away. If you only listen to him all the time, what will you do when that day comes? Will you be unable to keep on living?”
Chen Xiu was infuriated upon hearing that. Although he was old, he still had many years to live as a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Yang Kai was practically cursing him and hoping he would die sooner.
[This brat is so resentful of me, but he just doesn’t show it on his face!] Chen Xiu thought.
Yang Kai then turned to look at Chen Xiu, “Martial Uncle, you’ve raised your Disciple wrongly, and you’ll suffer a setback because of it sooner or later.”
Faced with a Junior’s criticism, an embarrassed Chen Xiu flicked his sleeve and rose from the chair, “I don’t agree with what you’ve said, Martial Nephew. I do everything with a clear conscience.”
From his point of view, if Yang Kai could just follow along with his plan, not only would Yin-Yang Cave Heaven be saved from the embarrassing situation, but he could also find a suitable partner for his Disciple. Therefore, there wasn’t a hint of guilt in his tone when he said that.
After Chen Xiu left in a huff, Tao Ling Wan followed him closely. Before that, she looked apologetically at Yang Kai, who put on a smile and waved his hand to motion for her not to mind it.
For the next half a month, Yu Xiang Die was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn’t until twenty days later that she appeared while looking fatigued. When she found Yang Kai, she said, “Everything is ready. I’ll bring you to the Samsara Pavilion with me in three days.”
“Many thanks for your help, Martial Aunt,” Yang Kai expressed his gratitude. Although he was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law on paper, he wasn’t from the Sect after all. Since the Samsara Pavilion was the place where the disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven train their hearts, it must be a top-secret Restricted Area. Only their disciples would be allowed to enter.
It took Yu Xiang Die a long time to come back, so it was apparent that she had put in a lot of effort to persuade the Sect’s management to let Yang Kai enter the Samsara Pavilion.
“However, there’s one thing I have to make clear to you.” Yu Xiang Die stared solemnly at him, “Although the higher-ups have agreed to let you enter the Samsara Pavilion, they have a condition.”
Yang Kai replied, “Please go ahead, Martial Aunt.”
“It will all be fine if you’re able to bring Qu’er out and your engagement will still be valid. However, if you fail, you have to get married to Wan’er.”
“Was this Chen Xiu’s idea?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
Yu Xiang Die shook her head, “It’s the managers’ idea.”
Tao Ling Wan was most likely able to make it to the Seventh-Order, but Yang Kai was an indispensable part of that. There was no way those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would give up on Tao Ling Wan, so it was expected that they had come up with this condition.
“Understood.” Yang Kai nodded, “I won’t fail.”
“I’m glad that you’re confident.” Yu Xiang Die slightly set her mind at ease.
“There’s something I need to ask you about, though. What is the situation inside the Samsara Pavilion? Since Senior Sister Qu has set up a Heart Barrier and lost her memory, how should I find her? Would her appearance change?”
“No one can be certain whether her appearance has changed. You’ll only find out about the wonders of the Samsara Pavilion after entering it. As for how you’ll find Qu’er, you’ll meet each other if you’re fated to be together. If your destinies are not connected, you’ll not recognise her even if she’s right in front of you. There are no techniques you can use during the heart training session in the Samsara Pavilion. Sincerity is of utmost importance.”
Yang Kai fell into his thoughts. Although he could fully understand what she meant, sincerity was an elusive thing. It was too abstruse.
With that said, he and Qu Hua Shang had experienced life-and-death moments together before. In the past, they were hunted down in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and they both helped each other to survive. That was when they developed feelings for each other.
For the next three days, Yang Kai focused on cultivating in his own room as demanded by Yu Xiang Die.
Three days later, she brought him to the Samsara Pavilion.
Yang Kai initially thought that the Samsara Pavilion was somewhere like a Grand Hall or a Sealed World, but it wasn’t until he arrived at this place that he realised it was very different from his imagination.
It was a Spirit Province that was densely covered with huge trees. The World Energy that flowed through the entire Spirit Province like a fog was rich and ample.
Even from a bird’s-eye view, one was unable to make out what the Spirit Province looked like.
It was an important place in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so it was expected that there was an Open Heaven Realm Master who guarded this place. Moreover, the person was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. There was no doubt that this guard and Yu Xiang Die knew each other, and he was aware that she would bring Yang Kai to the Samsara Pavilion on this day. Therefore, after a bit of small talk with Yu Xiang Die, he allowed them to pass.
Upon entering the Spirit Province, they arrived at the edge of the dense forest. Yang Kai could instantly see a large-scale shopping district where many disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven moved around together.
Some of them were unwilling to part ways as they bid each other farewell with loving words. After that, the female disciples would steadfastly enter the forest and disappear while hoping that their partners would find them.
The male disciples would wait for a moment before entering the forest as well.
There were also some men and women who entered the forest on their own.
On the other hand, there was a loving couple who just stepped out of the forest. The woman’s smile was as sweet as honey while the man looked lovingly at her. It was as though she was the entire universe and there was no one else in the world in his eyes.
However, there were also some dejected men and women whose faces were covered in tears.
Looking at the young disciples who entered and left the forest, Yu Xiang Die sighed, “Many couples who think that their love for each other would never change are unable to pass the tests in the Samsara Pavilion, and they have to part ways as a result. This place is where the disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven look for their partners, but it’s also the source of suffering for many of us.”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Martial Aunt, didn’t you say that a female disciple would fall into oblivion in the Samsara Pavilion if her Heart Barrier is not broken? Why do I see some female disciples leaving the forest while sobbing? I suppose their male partners didn’t manage to break their Heart Barriers.”
Yu Xiang Die explained, “A female disciple will indeed fall into oblivion if her Heart Barrier is not broken. However, if she has only set up a Heart Barrier of three lives for herself, she’ll still be able to retrieve her memory after three reincarnations even if the male disciple is useless. However, this wouldn’t happen if there are more than three incarnations. The more rounds of reincarnations there are in the Samsara Pavilion, the more difficult it would be for the female disciple to recognise herself.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Got it.”
“Go in now. There’s nothing you need to do. Just allow nature to take its course.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai replied and stepped forward and his figure was soon engulfed by the fog.
Yu Xiang Die stayed on the same spot for a while before deciding to leave; however, as soon as she turned around, she saw two people walking towards her.
She frowned and looked doubtfully at them, “What are you doing in the Samsara Pavilion, Senior Brother Chen?”
These two were none other than Chen Xiu and Tao Ling Wan. While Chen Xiu was walking at the front, Tao Ling Wan followed closely behind.
Chen Xiu shot her a dispassionate glance and replied, “What else can we do here?”
Yu Xiang Die took a glance at Tao Ling Wan, who was behind him, and instantly realised what was going on. Her expression changed drastically as she snapped, “Are you out of your mind!? Do you not care about her life or death just because you want to let your other Disciple get all the benefits? Are you even Human!?”
There was an impassive expression on Chen Xiu’s face as he was unfazed by her accusation. He simply turned to Tao Ling Wan and said, “Go in now. Be careful.”
Tao Ling Wan nodded and stepped forward. All of a sudden, she turned around and fell on her knees before gently pressing her forehead against the ground three times in front of Chen Xiu.
After she got to her feet in silence though, Yu Xiang Die blocked her way and persuaded her by saying, “Wan’er, don’t be so foolish. Just tell me if anyone has forced you to do this. I’ll stand up for you.”
Tao Ling Wan hung her head low and shook her head.
“Listen to me. Go back with me, and we’ll have a talk,” Yu Xiang Die said and extended her hand.
Nevertheless, Tao Ling Wan dodged it and replied in a hushed voice, “Please let me go in, Martial Aunt.”
“No!” Yu Xiang Die directly rejected her, “Even if the Ancestors were here to persuade me, I’ll not let you enter the Samsara Pavilion. That’s not a place you should go!”
She then glowered at Chen Xiu, “You’re really a good Master to her, aren’t you? What has Wan’er done to be unlucky enough to become your Disciple?”
Chen Xiu stared calmly at her without any intention to refute her.
Just when Yu Xiang Die wanted to speak further, Tao Ling Wan suddenly looked up and gazed at her, “Please don’t blame my Master, Martial Aunt. This is my decision.”
Yu Xiang Die sneered, “I’m fully aware of your temperament. There’s no way this is your decision. It’s obvious that this old fart has forced you to enter the Samsara Pavilion to achieve his goal.”
Faced with her fierce accusation, Chen Xiu never explained anything and just looked down.
Tao Ling Wan spoke in a firmer tone, “Martial Aunt, this is the first decision I’ve made for myself after all these years. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Yu Xiang Die frowned as she darted her gaze between Tao Ling Wan and Chen Xiu. At that moment, she doubted herself.
Furthermore, she had never seen Tao Ling Wan speaking in such a loud voice with a determined gaze before.
She stared fixedly at Chen Xiu in an attempt to find the answer, but he only nodded in silence.
At that instant, Yu Xiang Die was in a dilemma. It took one a lot of courage to decide to enter the Samsara Pavilion. She initially thought that it was Chen Xiu’s order, but it didn’t seem to be the case now.
After giving it a thought, she said, “Wan’er, why do you want to enter the Samsara Pavilion? Yang Boy is looking for Qu’er. Even if you go in, you might not be able to come out again. In that case, you’ll be trapped inside forever.”
Tao Ling Wan spoke in a small voice again, “I’ll be careful.”
“No!” Yu Xiang Die shook her head, “It’s not like you’ll be safe just by being careful. I can’t let you go in. If you enter that place, you’ll end up in a horrible state.”
“Even if I can’t go in today, I’ll do it tomorrow. Even if I can’t go in tomorrow, I’ll do it the day after tomorrow, unless you can stay here forever.” Tao Ling Wan looked into her eyes without the intention to back down.
Yu Xiang Die was lost for words. Every disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven had the right to enter the Samsara Pavilion. It wasn’t like she could stay here forever to block her path. She wasn’t supposed to stop her from entering the place to begin with.
If she was doubtful just now, she was now 100% certain that Chen Xiu hadn’t forced Tao Ling Wan into this. It was indeed her own decision to enter the Samsara Pavilion.
While she was in a dazed state, Tao Ling Wan suddenly dashed forward. When Yu Xiang Die came to her senses, she quickly extended her hand.
Chen Xiu instantly appeared in front of her and pushed out his palm. Both of them were sent flying away for several dozen metres.
Yu Xiang Die glowered at him, “Do you want her to die?”
Chen Xiu replied in a grim voice, “She wants to go in to find her own answer. Do you think I didn’t intend to stop her? None of you actually know what she’s like. Once she has made a decision, no one can change her mind. I took her on as a Disciple when she was just a baby and raised her all by myself. She may be my Disciple, but she’s also like a Daughter to me!”
Yu Xiang Die was rendered speechless.
She now recalled that Chen Xiu had indeed always treated Tao Ling Wan like a precious treasure. If not for him overly doting on her, she wouldn’t have grown up to be such a timid and inexperienced person despite being a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Certainly, such a Master who loved his Disciple so much wouldn’t sacrifice her one day for the sake of another Disciple.
“Yang Kai is a talented young man who is a good match for Wan’er. She’s an adult now, and it’s impossible for me to stay by her side forever. Over the years, I found quite a few potential partners for her, but none of them were to my liking. Yang Kai is not bad. It will be perfect if Wan’er can marry him. However, it seems that I’ve done something wrong.”
There were countless ancient trees in the Samsara Pavilion. Every tree was covered with leaves, and each was so huge that it would take several people to hug it. A white fog flowed through the entire forest. While walking through it, one might think that he was lost in a dream.
Yang Kai sauntered through the forest in silence.
Millions of branches hung low from the ancient trees. Although there was no wind, they swayed gently as though they were welcoming the guests who visited this place.
Most of the trunks were fully sealed. Only some of the trunks had gaps in them, which looked like tree caves that could accommodate people.
There were two types of trees that corresponded to different genders. Other than the ancient trees with sealed trunks, some of the trees had gaps that were near the roots while some of the gaps were in the middle of the trunks.
All of the disciples who entered this place had to enter a tree cave and stay inside the tree of their choice. With the help of the forest’s mysterious power, they could enter the real Samsara Pavilion and go through reincarnations to train their hearts.
Previously, Yu Xiang Die had told Yang Kai about the things he had to take note of in the Samsara Pavilion.
Hence, he knew that the gaps that appeared in the middle of the trunks were for the female disciples while the tree caves near the roots were for the male disciples.
Although they appeared similar on the outside, they were starkly different inside. If one had selected the wrong tree cave, they were unable to enter the real Samsara Pavilion.
The difficulty of the Heart Barriers that the female disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven setup had something to do with the locations of the ancient trees. The further they went, the more difficult the Heart Barrier they would be able to set up.
Those who just wanted a Heart Barrier of three lives could just find an ancient tree in the periphery. They didn’t have to go further into the forest.
However, the Heart Barrier that Qu Hua Shang had established must be more than three lives, so Yang Kai reckoned that he should travel deeper.
For the male disciples, the locations of the ancient trees didn’t matter, but Yang Kai wanted to get closer to Qu Hua Shang, though he had no idea which ancient tree she was in.
One hour later, Yang Kai arrived at the depths of the forest where he was blocked by a certain ancient tree. There was a gap near the roots of the ancient tree that had formed a tree cave that could accommodate a person. The branches that hung low kept swaying back and forth. Just when Yang Kai was ready to go further, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his own shoulder.
Above his shoulder, there was a curly branch that seemed to have turned into a petite hand and hooked his clothes at some point.
Yang Kai decided to stop moving forward; instead, he turned around and shuffled towards a nearby tree cave.
The Samsara Pavilion was a place where hearts were trained, and sincerity was of utmost importance. Yu Xiang Die had told him to let nature take its course, and he was ready to follow her advice.
Upon entering the tree cave, Yang Kai sat down with his legs crossed.
The tree cave was pretty big, so he didn’t feel cramped while sitting inside. After he emptied his mind for a bit, the tree cave suddenly started squirming and closing until he was fully covered by it.
From the outside, there didn’t seem to be any traces that suggested there was once a tree cave here.
Upon realising that his thoughts were running wild, Yang Kai quickly pulled himself together and stopped resisting.
There came a moment when his Soul seemed to have left his body as it passed through a colourful passage and reached for an unknown place.
Everything was going just like what Yu Xiang Die had described, so Yang Kai just waited patiently.
A moment seemed to have passed, but it also felt as if millions of years had gone by. Finally, a glimmer of light came into sight at the end of the colourful passageway.
The light rapidly expanded until Yang Kai could no longer see anything else.
In the meantime, he realised that his Soul finally landed on the ground, and he was equipped with a new body.
He could hear the sounds of weapons clanging with each other. The place was bustling with noise, and the people around him were clearly cheering.
Yang Kai looked around and realised that he was standing close to an arena. He was basically sandwiched among a group of people. On the stage, two figures were locked in an intense battle as they wielded their weapons.
After a moment of observation, Yang Kai realised that even though their techniques appeared sophisticated, they were really just flashy without much power.
With a frown, he examined himself and realised that there was a special power flowing through his meridians. This was not World Energy, though it was similar.
What he found unsatisfactory was that the power was far too weak, equivalent to maybe an Initial Element Realm Third Stage cultivator.
Before he could familiarise himself with the situation, the crowd was heard cheering again as there was a winner on the stage.
This didn’t seem to be a life-or-death battle. One person was obviously more powerful. While the loser cupped his fist and conceded defeat, the winner responded to him with respect. The atmosphere was harmonious.
This was the real Samsara Pavilion, which could also be called the Samsara World.
There were innumerable Samsara Worlds in the Samsara Pavilion. The Samsara World every person entered could be different. Only two people whose hearts were connected had a chance to enter the same Samsara World and go through reincarnations together.
From the looks of it, Yang Kai reckoned that the Martial Dao of the Samsara World he had entered was quite low, but that didn’t matter. The reason he was here was to look for Qu Hua Shang, unlike his previous experience in the Small Source World where he had to rise to become an overlord of that world.
Hence, the low Martial Dao wasn’t a big deal.
He was certain that Qu Hua Shang was also in this Samsara World. As for where to look for her, he was clueless.
Certainly, he wasn’t interested in the battles on the stage. The most pressing issue at hand for him was to find out more about this world and look for Qu Hua Shang.
Just when he turned around and was ready to leave, an old man with a goatee appeared on the stage with a piece of yellow silk cloth. After sweeping a glance over the people around the stage, he announced, “The next fight. Yang Kai versus Luo An Guo!”
Yang Kai turned to look at the stage and arched his brow.
A burly figure emerged from the crowd and walked up the stage in a few steps. His heavy build caused the stage to shake a little. The man, who looked like a bear, swept a condescending glance over the crowd and ripped his top apart, which revealed his hairy chest. He then demanded provokingly, “Where’s Yang Kai? Come out so I can destroy you!”
Yang Kai put on a smile, thinking that this was what Yu Xiang Die meant by allowing nature to take its course.
The way a cultivator was trained in the Samsara Pavilion was similar to that of the Small Source World. After he entered this Samsara World, he was given a new identity, it was just that his name was never changed as he was still ‘Yang Kai’.
Just now, he had no idea where to look for clues that would help him find Qu Hua Shang. Now, it seemed that the fight on the stage might help him with it.
He turned around and ambled towards the stage.
The crowd took the initiative to separate to the sides.
When he reached the stage that was around waist height, he pressed his hands against it and leaped up. Seeing that, the crowd broke into laughter.
Everyone who went on stage would do their best to show off their prowess. The different skills and movements would elicit applause from the crowd. It was the first time they saw someone clumsily climb up onto the stage like what Yang Kai had done.
On the stage, Luo An Guo gaped at the frail Yang Kai, whose limbs seemed as thin as twigs, and put on a grin, “Are you Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai placed his left hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. He had just discovered that there was a sword hanging there. It was then he realised that he was supposed to be a swordsman in this Samsara World.
As such, he decided to play along. Even though he had never cultivated the Sword Dao before, with his vast experiences and high cultivation, he could just use any weapon fairly well.
With his left hand on the sword, he put on a gentle smile and nodded, “Yes.”
A ferocious glint flashed through Luo An Guo’s eyes as he bellowed, “I’ll destroy you with just one move!”
The moment he started speaking, his burly figure dashed forward. By the time he finished his last word, his huge fist was already coming right at Yang Kai’s face.
It was the first time Yang Kai arrived in this Samsara World, so he knew nothing about this place. He had the intention to find out the difference between his own Martial Dao and the other man’s, so he didn’t attempt to dodge the attack.
To the onlookers, he seemed to be stunned and rooted to the spot.
Following a loud boom, the entire stage shook a little.
Luo An Guo’s devastating attack didn’t destroy his opponent though. Faced with the fist that could kill a tiger, Yang Kai rapidly extended his fist and directly met the attack.
As a result, Yang Kai couldn’t help but stagger backward until he reached the edge of the stage. He quickly stomped his foot on the ground to stabilize himself. Upon impact, cracks started appearing on the wooden floor around his foot.
On the other hand, Luo An Guo only staggered backwards for a bit before he managed to stabilize himself. He then gazed at Yang Kai with surprise.
In the meantime, the onlookers broke out into a clamour. Those who laughed at Yang Kai earlier were staring at him in shock.
The two people on the stage were starkly different when it came to their builds. The onlookers initially thought that the winner would be revealed with just one move, and the loser might even lose his life. Unexpectedly though, Yang Kai, who appeared thin and frail, managed to fend off Luo An Guo’s attack. Although he appeared a bit discomforted, he had still managed to succeed.
To the onlookers, only when two opponents were equally matched would the fight be interesting. It was boring to watch a battle where one could easily defeat the other party. Seeing that Yang Kai was defiant, they immediately cheered for him to keep him motivated.
Luo An Guo frowned as he was embarrassed at the fact that he was unable to smash Yang Kai with only one move just like what he had boasted. He then snorted, “You’re indeed something, brat. You’ve successfully fended off my attack once. Let’s see whether you’ll be able to ward off my second and third attacks!”
The next moment, he dashed towards Yang Kai with his feet thudding on the ground.
After the exchange of moves, Yang Kai had a better understanding of his own strength. There wasn’t a huge gap between his power and Luo An Guo’s. The only difference was that his physical strength was weaker than the other party’s, which was why he suffered a setback just now.
At that instant, he was torn between laughter and tears. Over the years, he had never suffered a setback when it came to his raw physical strength. It was a new experience for him in this Samsara World.
He was already on the edge of the stage, so if he kept moving backwards, he would fall off. Therefore, faced with Luo An Guo’s strike, he bolted forward and met him head on.
With his left hand on the hilt, he unsheathed the sword as a glint flashed through the weapon and dazzled the onlookers. After the two figures brushed past each other, Yang Kai slowly sheathed his sword.
The boisterous crowd abruptly fell silent as they looked dazedly at the two figures on the stage.
Most of them didn’t have a sharp vision, so they were unable to make out the abstrusity of the exchange of moves just now.
Only a small number of the onlookers narrowed their eyes and gazed at Yang Kai with serious expressions.
There was now a winner on the stage!
There were no restrictions when it came to the battles today. It didn’t matter whether one would like to use a weapon or fight with his bare hands as long as he could win the battle; hence, Yang Kai didn’t break the rules by using his sword.
Luo An Guo didn’t collapse, but when he touched his throat, he realised that it was wet. When he looked down, he saw that his hand was covered with blood.
It wasn’t until this moment that he felt a pain coming from his neck.
A myriad of expressions came over him. He knew that the other party didn’t intend to kill him; otherwise, he would have been beheaded instead of getting cut slightly. Despite that, this kind of outcome was still unacceptable for him.
During the exchange of moves just now, he didn’t even manage to make out how Yang Kai unsheathed his sword.
He didn’t have a chance to counterattack as the other party’s attack was too fast for him to even perceive.
The old man with a goatee seemed to have received an instruction as he quickly went on stage and announced, “The winner is Yang Kai!”
Following that, he told the two of them to leave the stage and spoke no further.
For the next half a day, more people jumped on stage to fight. Some of them were weak cultivators with only flashy moves while some of them were truly powerful.
As Yang Kai observed it, he realised that there seemed to be a selection process going on here, though he wasn’t sure what it was for.
Fortunately, the people around him were talking among themselves, so he could deduce what was going on from the chatter.
The Meng Family ran one of the largest businesses in White Jade City, so it was expected that they were extremely wealthy; however, their wealth was coveted by many people as a result. Just a few days ago, the mountain bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak demanded that the Meng Family give them 100,000 silver coins and 10 beautiful maidservants every month; otherwise, they would destroy the Meng Family.
Hidden Treasure Peak was initially occupied by a small group of mountain bandits, and they didn’t pose any real threat at all. Some time ago though, a lot of fugitives came over and joined Hidden Treasure Peak, which significantly strengthened their ranks. In order to make a name for themselves, these new members of Hidden Treasure Peak decided to target the wealthy Meng Family in the nearby city.
Although there was a City Lord in White Jade City, who had his own soldiers, the Meng Family wouldn’t dare to entirely rely on others. Hence, they decided to set up an arena on this day and offered attractive salaries to hire some powerful private guards to protect them.
As Yang Kai listened to the people around him, he soon realised the situation he was in. Supposedly, he was there to apply for a job.
[Is Senior Sister Qu in the Meng Family?] Yang Kai couldn’t help but have this speculation; otherwise, he couldn’t explain why he had to take part in a selection battle right after entering this Samsara World.
Considering all this, he started looking forward to what was ahead of him.
It wasn’t until evening that the competition ended.
There were some powerful cultivators from the Meng Family who were hidden from the crowd here to watch the battles on the stage and make their judgments. Those who were qualified would be brought back to the Meng Family Manor while those who were not good enough would be given some money and told to go home.
Yang Kai had performed pretty well, so at the end of the day, the old man with a goatee called out to him and announced that he had passed the test.
Luo An Guo, who was defeated by Yang Kai, was also accepted. Although he had lost the battle, his power could not be underestimated. It was just that he had come across a stronger opponent named Yang Kai.
The powerful cultivators from the Meng Family had acute eyesight, so they didn’t accept the candidates solely based on the results of the battles; instead, they made their own judgments.
Those who were knocked out didn’t have any complaints as they were fully aware of their true strength. The reason they even took part in the competition was to get some money from the Meng Family. Now that they had achieved their goal, they were more than thankful.
There were many people left as there were forty to fifty of them. With a servant clad in green clothes leading the way, they entered the Meng Manor through a side door and arrived at a courtyard.
They would receive some training in this place for half a month. The Captain of the private guards would tell them where they could and could not go in the Meng Manor. He would also tell them the rules they had to follow and the consequences of breaking them.
On the first day, someone broke the rules. Perhaps he had lost his way while looking for the restroom, so he wandered into the nearby inner court. Seeing that, the personal bodyguards in that place immediately captured him.
The Captain had the intention of punishing this man to serve as a warning to everyone else. After this person was brought to him, he crippled him and threw him out of the manor right in front of everyone’s eyes.
The new batch of private guards were horrified. It wasn’t until this moment that they realised it wasn’t so easy to earn the attractive salaries the Meng Family offered. In this place, rules were everything, and one would end up in a horrible state by not following them.
The Meng Family was wealthy, so it was expected that their manor was huge; however, Yang Kai and the others could only stay in the same courtyard. Since the incident on the first day, no one dared to walk about as they pleased.
There was a test three days later, and more than ten people were eliminated.
After familiarising himself with this place for three days, Yang Kai decided to take action. He wasn’t interested in becoming a private guard in the Meng Manor. Since he had speculated that Qu Hua Shang might be in the Meng Family, he had to look for her.
Qu Hua Shang was likely a female member of the Meng Family. Although Yang Kai had no idea about her identity in the Meng Manor, she must be living in the inner court as she was a woman.
When darkness descended, he walked out in silence and headed to the inner court.
There were many private guards who were hidden in different corners of Meng Manor; however, Yang Kai could easily detect them and avoid getting caught.
Just when he was ready to enter the inner court, he realised there was a problem. The security in the inner court was obviously much tighter. He could detect that there were many pairs of eyes in the periphery of the inner court that were paying close attention to the surroundings. It was impossible for him to sneak into the inner court without getting caught given his current power.
He waited patiently for two hours but still couldn’t find a chance, so eventually, he decided to take it slow and come up with a plan first.
Just when he was preparing to leave, he caught a glimpse of a figure flashing past in the darkness. The person seemed to have the same intention as him. Since there was no chance for him to get into the inner court, he had no choice but to give up.
However, this man gave up earlier than Yang Kai did, which was why Yang Kai noticed him.
Although it was pitch-black in this place, it still couldn’t conceal his burly figure.
Yang Kai frowned as he recognised this person and he wondered, [What is he doing here? When did he come?]
Yang Kai was careful with every movement he made, so he was certain that this other intruder didn’t notice him.
After the person was gone, he silently left.
When Yang Kai returned to his place, he jumped through the window and entered the room. His roommates were still sound asleep and no one realised that he had left and returned.
In the morning, they still had to receive training. The Captain of the private guards became even more demanding; as a result, some of the arrogant candidates were beaten up and thrown out of Meng Manor.
There were initially forty to fifty people, but presently, only about thirty were left.
At night, Yang Kai pretended to be sound asleep as he waited patiently. Last night, regardless of what the intention of that person was, he hadn’t achieved his goal, so he would definitely take action again tonight.
As expected, in the middle of the night, Yang Kai heard a faint noise. If he hadn’t paid close attention to the surroundings, he wouldn’t have heard it.
Upon making sure that his roommates were still fast asleep, Yang Kai got up in silence.
After leaving the courtyard, he saw the burly figure dexterously navigating the darkness and heading straight to the inner court.
Yang Kai followed him closely; however, he still couldn’t figure out the person’s intention tonight. Just like last night, the person remained hidden and observed the surroundings for two hours before leaving.
For the next half a month, other than receiving training every day, Yang Kai couldn’t discover anything. He hadn’t even managed to sneak into the inner court.
After this period of time, only twenty people remained, which was less than half of the initial number.
On the other hand, the Captain was pleased with that. Standing in front of these twenty people, he swept a stern glance over them and said, “Since all of you are still here, it means that you’re pretty strong. Those who are weak have all been chased away. Moreover, we’ve looked into your backgrounds, and no problems have been found. Since you’ve passed the test, you are now members of the Meng Manor. As long as you’re loyal to the Meng Family, you’ll not be mistreated. As private guards, we have to always be ready to protect the Meng Family even if we have to lose our lives. Those who don’t have the determination to do so can leave now. I won’t blame you.”
Certainly, no one left.
Regardless of their reasons for wanting to become private guards, the salaries offered by Meng Manor were attractive. They couldn’t get a better job elsewhere.
As expected, the Captain was satisfied while he nodded lightly, “It seems that none of you are willing to leave. Good. I have one last question. Does any one of you have any ill intentions against Meng Manor? Just be honest with me. I promise not to kill you.”
When the Captain saw that no one responded to him a moment later, he went on to say with a smile, “It seems that you’re not willing to admit it.”
He then turned his head and gazed at a stern-looking young man, “Lin Xiao Shan, how are the Managers on the mountain doing?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the private guards, who were behind him, instantly surrounded Lin Xiao Shan.
A sense of fluster flashed through Lin Xiao Shan’s face as he stared at the Captain, “What are you doing?”
The Captain replied impassively, “You know what we’re doing.”
Lin Xiao Shan frowned, but he soon put on a relieved smile, “How did you find out?”
The Captain slowly shook his head, “We have our own ways.”
Lin Xiao Shan nodded, “It seems that the Managers have underestimated the Meng Manor. Since you’ve found out about it, you can just kill me as you please.”
The Captain replied, “I certainly hope to kill you and send your head to those on the mountain; however, Master doesn’t like to shed blood unnecessarily, so he has ordered that you be allowed to leave this place alive. However, you have to pass on his words to the Managers.”
“Go ahead,” Lin Xiao Shan said in a calm and collected manner.
The Captain replied, “Master has said that the Meng Manor is a business entity, and he doesn’t want to offend the people on the mountain. So, let us be friends instead.”
Lin Xiao Shan grinned, “What can you offer, then?”
The Captain clapped his hands, then someone came over with a package. He took the package and tossed it at Lin Xiao Shan, “This is what the Master can offer, and the same amount of money will be sent to you all every month.”
Without hesitation, Lin Xiao Shan opened the package and saw a lot of banknotes. After some calculations, he realised that they were worth about 20,000 silver coins.
After examining the banknotes in the package, Lin Xiao Shan frowned, “It’s too little. The Managers want 100,000 silver coins, and there’s a lack of women on the mountain.”
The Captain of the private guards shook his head, “This is what Meng Manor can offer. We won’t give you any more or any less.”
Lin Xiao Shan stored the package, “Got it. I’ll bring this back to the Managers. However, as for what decision they’ll make, I have no right to interfere.”
Upon finishing his words, he leaped onto the roof and stepped on the tiles in light steps. He soon left the place.
The personal bodyguards of Meng Manor didn’t intend to stop him as they watched him leave.
In fact, Meng Manor had offered them a lot of money; nevertheless, if those from Hidden Treasure Peak were not satisfied with it, the conflict would still be irresolvable. Therefore, they didn’t dare to fire any more personal bodyguards.
After half a month of training, new private guards that included Yang Kai were given some tasks.
Yang Kai hoped to be stationed inside the inner court. In that case, it would be easier for him to gather information in the inner court and look for Qu Hua Shang.
With that said, he knew that it was an unrealistic idea. Regardless of anything else, they were new private guards whose loyalty was not time-tested. They would be given some tasks, but they would not be stationed in important places.
As expected, Yang Kai was told to watch over some courtyards in the outer court, and he had a veteran private guard named Yin Zhi Yong as his partner. Another four people were going to work with them. There were three shifts in a day, and two of them would respectively guard the place for eight hours.
The task was neither difficult nor simple.
They familiarised themselves with each other and came up with a passcode for changing shifts, after which Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong hid in a corner and monitored their surroundings to prevent any ill-intentioned people from barging in.
It would be peaceful for the next three days.
When they were not on duty, Yang Kai would buy some wine and food to share with Yin Zhi Yong. Certainly, Yin Zhi Yong was pleased with Yang Kai’s tactfulness, so he became more amiable to him.
Therefore, barely three days later, Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong became good friends.
One day, Yang Kai brought back some wine and food again. They were seated across from each other while drinking and chatting.
Thinking that it was about time, Yang Kai pretended to be drunk as he said, “Brother Yin, I know nothing about the Meng Manor since I’m new. You’ve been a private guard here for more than ten years. Do you have any advice for me?”
Yin Zhi Yong stuffed some peanuts into his mouth and looked smilingly at him, “Of course I have a lot of advice for you, but it’s not like I can say it all at once. Just stay here for a few more years, and you’ll get the hang of it. The Meng Manor is a good place. There’s practically no risk we have to face as private guards, and the salaries are attractive. Countless people scramble to get in here every year.”
Yang Kai filled the cup with wine for him, “Just tell me anything, Brother Yin. I’m all ears. It’s just between you and me.”
Over the past few days, Yang Kai had bought him a lot of delicious food and wine, so it was hard for Yin Zhi Yong to turn him down. After giving it a thought, Yin Zhi Yong decided to tell him some basic information.
According to him, the Meng Family started out as salt sellers, and they gradually branched out into different businesses. Their properties were all over the world, and their revenue was counted in the millions of silver coins every year.
Presently, the Meng Family Patriarch, Meng De Ye, was fifty years old. He had more than ten Wives, four Sons, and three Daughters. The family businesses were practically managed by the Sons while two out of three Daughters were married to men who were equal matches in terms of their statuses.
“Only the Eldest Young Lady has been giving the Patriarch a headache.” Yin Zhi Yong frowned at the mention of the Eldest Young Lady.
A sensitive Yang Kai asked, “What’s going on with the Eldest Young Lady?”
All of a sudden, Yin Zhi Yong looked around. Still feeling worried, he rose from the chair and opened the door. Upon making sure that no one else was around, he took a seat and said to Yang Kai in a small voice, “In the Meng Manor, the Eldest Young Lady’s affairs are a taboo. You must not mention it as you please.”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai nodded, “Don’t worry, Brother Yin. I won’t.”
Yin Zhi Yong took a sip of the wine and said, “In the Meng Manor, the Fourth Young Lady and the Fifth Young Lady are married, but the Eldest Young Lady is still single. Don’t you think it’s weird?”
Appearing to be shocked, Yang Kai asked, “The Eldest Young Lady is still single? How old is she now?”
Yin Zhi Yong shook his head, “I’m not sure, but I suppose she’s twenty-six or twenty-seven years old.”
[Twenty-six or twenty-seven years old?] A thought flashed through Yang Kai’s mind.
He asked in a hushed voice, “Is no one interested in the Eldest Young Lady because she’s… ugly?”
A flabbergasted Yin Zhi Yong quickly placed a finger on his own lips and anxiously looked around, “Are you sick of living? How dare you slander the Eldest Young Lady? Don’t drag me into this!”
Yang Kai hurriedly patted his own mouth.
After pulling himself together, Yin Zhi Yong went on to say, “I’m telling you, the Eldest Young Lady is not ugly. Rather, she’s incredibly beautiful.”
A curious Yang Kai asked, “How do you know, Brother Yin?”
Yin Zhi Yong replied with a smile, “I’ve been a private guard in the Meng Manor for more than ten years, after all. When I was still a rookie here, the Eldest Young Lady was just a teenager, and she was already beautiful at that time. There’s no way she’d be ugly after maturing fully. Since many years ago, the Eldest Young Lady has rarely stepped out of the inner court. Even when she does, she’d be wearing a veil and a hat. However, three years ago… Yes, it was exactly three years ago when I caught a glimpse of the Eldest Young Lady’s face. She was truly stunning. This Yin can be considered an experienced person and I once spent a lot of money to bed the most beautiful woman in a famous brothel in this city. She could be considered alluring, but she was in no way comparable to the Eldest Young Lady.”
Yang Kai didn’t seem to believe him, “Are you serious, Brother Yin? It sounds unbelievable.”
Yin Zhi Yong seemed to be thinking back to that time with fondness when he heard what Yang Kai said. He impatiently waved his hand and snapped, “It’s fine even if you don’t believe me. It’s the truth regardless.” He wasn’t willing to keep talking about the Eldest Young Lady’s beauty, as though it would be blasphemy to do so.
Yang Kai thus took the initiative by asking, “Since the Eldest Young Lady is so beautiful, why is she still single? Could it be that she had extremely high standards when it comes to men?”
Yin Zhi Yong shook his head, “Who knows? Maybe. In any case, the Meng Manor is wealthy, so even if she really was ugly, many men would still propose to her. Moreover, the Patriarch has been looking for suitable men for her since she came of age. Over the years, he has found a lot of talented young men who are from wealthy families as well, but the Eldest Young Lady wasn’t interested in any of them.”
Yang Kai nodded, “She must be demanding when it comes to men, then.”
Yin Zhi Yong chuckled, “Rumour has it that the Eldest Young Lady once told a maidservant the reason she’s not married up until now isn’t that she thinks those talented young men are not good enough; instead, she’s been waiting for a man who is destined to be with her. Pfft, destiny, what nonsense.”
Since he was tipsy, Yin Zhi Yong began spouting nonsense. He lamented that life was unfair to him. Despite being powerful, he wasn’t given any important tasks. He had been loyal to the Meng Manor for more than ten years, but he was still a mere guard.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
It was very likely that the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor was Qu Hua Shang.
In this Samsara World, the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor was already twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. The Patriarch had been looking for potential partners for her since she came of age, which was about ten years ago. Qu Hua Shang had entered the Samsara Pavilion at around the same time.
Furthermore, she had been waiting for a man who was destined to be with her.
After entering the Samsara Pavilion, Qu Hua Shang set up a Heart Barrier and reincarnated into this Samsara World. Although she had lost her memory, the Heart Barrier was real. Under the influence of the Heart Barrier, she would do things that were true to her heart.
Yang Kai reckoned that he had to go to the inner court and see the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor. Only by doing so could he be certain whether she was the real Qu Hua Shang.
While he was lost in his thoughts, a flustered voice was heard shouting from somewhere in the Meng Manor, “Fire! There’s a fire!”
Yang Kai looked out the window and indeed saw a tinge of redness.
A shocked Yang Kai quickly got up and opened the door before leaping onto the roof. As he looked around intently, he saw that a particular place in the Meng Manor was on fire while everyone was flustered and in a panic. A lot of servants rushed over with buckets of water in an attempt to put out the blaze.
A tipsy Yin Zhi Yong appeared beside him and frowned as he had a bad feeling.
“Brother Yin…” Yang Kai turned to look at him.
“Don’t make any rash moves without orders.” Although Yin Zhi Yong was slightly drunk, he was still clear-headed. As a person who had worked for the Meng Manor for a long time, he knew that it was a taboo to be absent from one’s duties without permission during a crisis. The best way to deal with the situation was to stay where they were supposed to be.
Just when Yang Kai was about to nod his head though, he suddenly felt his chest tightening. When he turned his head, he saw that over ten people had appeared on a higher roof with bows in their hands.
Under the night sky, cold glints flashed off the arrows from the fire in the distance.
“Enemy attack!” Yang Kai growled and tackled Yin Zhi Yong down from the roof.
The next moment, several arrows struck the place where they were standing just now. The violent force directly broke the roof.
Yin Zhi Yong instantly sobered up as he got to his feet and nodded at Yang Kai as a form of gratitude.
Nevertheless, before they could compose themselves, they felt gusts of wind coming from both left and right sides.
Instinctually, Yang Kai unsheathed his sword with his left hand and slashed it across the person behind him.
A short shriek was heard as the attacker behind him was killed. Another sword brushed past his chest and cut his clothes open.
An agile Yang Kai stepped forward and wielded his sword as shrieks were continuously heard.
When he finally stopped, six people had already collapsed to the ground behind him. All of them were respectively killed with a single stroke. Blood could be seen dripping from the sword and dyeing the ground crimson.
A dumbfounded Yin Zhi Yong gazed at Yang Kai. Just now, by the time he unsheathed his sword, the enemies had all fallen to the ground. A moment later, he praised the young man by saying, “Little Brother, you’re incredible!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Kai came right at him with the sword as murderous intent was written all over his face.
Yin Zhi Yong felt his legs trembling as he instinctively raised his sword. Yang Kai dodged it and pressed his hand against the older man’s shoulder. Upon impact, Yin Zhi Yong was forced to whirl around. It just so happened that he dodged an arrow that was coming from behind as a result.
Yin Zhi Yong was drenched in cold sweat. He knew that Yang Kai had saved him once again.
In just a few breaths’ time, Yang Kai had saved his life twice. Feeling embarrassed, he quickly raised his sword and fought against the enemies alongside Yang Kai.
Since he had been a private guard in the Meng Manor for more than ten years, he was naturally strong. The experiences just now made him feel furious, so he was especially ruthless when dealing with the enemies.
The attackers were mostly weak, but there were a lot of them, and they had hidden themselves in darkness earlier. Now that they had been exposed, there was no way they could defeat the two of them.
A moment later, all the attackers were either killed or running for their lives. Soon, the courtyard fell into silence.
Despite that, they could hear the sounds of intense battles coming from other parts of the manor.
Just then, a high-pitched whistle was heard. The Captain of the private guards was trying to gather his subordinates together.
Yin Zhi Yong shouted at Yang Kai, “Come with me!” With blood still dripping from his sword, he leaped over the wall and led Yang Kai to another courtyard.
More than thirty private guards had gathered together in this place. All of them were covered in blood while some people were badly injured.
Since they were in a perilous situation, the Captain didn’t have time to explain anything in detail as he said, “Those from Hidden Treasure Peak are here, and there are a lot of them. However, all of you don’t have to worry. I’m sure those from the City Lord’s Mansion have gotten wind of this and will send some people to help soon. We just have to persevere for a while, and we’ll all be safe. Now, we’re on the same boat. If we can’t fend off the enemies, all of us will be killed.”
He then started giving orders.
Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong were still partners. They were told to guard a route that the attackers must pass through if they wanted to leave the Meng Manor. The bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak had snuck into the Meng Manor. Regardless of what their goal was, they definitely had to leave after achieving their objective. It was a chance to weaken the power of those from Hidden Treasure Peak, so the Meng Manor would never want to miss it. Other than fending off the enemies, they also wanted to work with the City Lord’s Mansion to destroy the bandits.
The others were also given some tasks.
Upon receiving the order, Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong left the courtyard.
On the roof of a tall building, they crouched down and waited patiently. They were like the shadows in the darkness. No one could detect their presence without taking a closer look.
Some of the bandits passed by this place from time to time, but before they even realized it, they had already lost their lives.
Yin Zhi Yong increasingly admired the strength that Yang Kai had showcased.
The chaos in the Meng Manor continued. Yang Kai stared intently at the inner court. Noises of intense battles could be heard coming from over there, but they were all in the periphery.
The core area of the inner court was serene, and all the lights were off.
A moment later, a large group of bandits tried to escape out of the Meng Manor. The private guards, who had been waiting at the important routes, appeared and hacked them to death.
The place Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong were in was especially bustling with noises. While Yang Kai was still fine, Yin Zhi Yong felt immensely pressured. His thigh was injured as it was now covered in blood.
However, with Yang Kai around, he seemed able to easily ward off the attackers. As long as it wasn’t dozens of bandits coming at him all at once, he could effortlessly kill three to five people at the same time.
Presently, more than twenty corpses had been piled up on the roof.
Meanwhile, the anxiety in Yang Kai’s heart intensified as he felt that something was off.
After killing another bandit, he suddenly realised what was amiss.
When they had gathered together just now, he didn’t see Luo An Guo’s burly figure. Luo An Guo was also a new private guard. Unless he was already killed, he was supposed to have joined them earlier. Nevertheless, he was nowhere to be seen.
Yang Kai instantly looked at a particular spot in the inner court where Luo An Guo had been hiding for several nights in the past.
As the fire flickered in the distance, he saw a burly figure leaping over the wall from the inner court and heading to a place where security was weak.
There seemed to be some helpers over there as they quickly left the place with the burly figure.
Yang Kai immediately jumped off the roof. An astounded Yin Zhi Yong called out in alarm, “Where are you going, Little Brother?”
He didn’t get any response from the young man. On the other hand, some bandits came at him from the side as they intended to flee.
Yin Zhi Yong couldn’t help but shudder. His thigh was injured. Without Yang Kai working with him, he would be killed by those bandits.
However, he would be considered to be absent from his duties if he left just like that. After the dust settled, he would be punished by those from the Meng Manor.
Between death and punishment though, Yin Zhi Yong steadfastly chose the latter. He quickly leaped off the roof and followed Yang Kai.
At the front, Yang Kai ran after the burly figure on the roof and soon left the Meng Manor.
A large group of people could be heard coming from behind. Supposedly, the support from the City Lord’s Mansion had arrived.
On the other hand, Yang Kai stared fixedly at the burly figure ahead. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised there was something on the sturdy figure’s shoulder. Despite that, it didn’t affect his agility as the towering figure remained as dextrous as a rabbit.
Around him, his companions were seen charging forward.
Sensing that there was someone running after him, Luo An Guo turned his head to take a look without stopping in his tracks. Meanwhile, two of his companions turned around and dashed towards Yang Kai.
Their gap soon shortened. Barely thirty metres away, those two people lifted their weapons and came at Yang Kai from both sides.
Yang Kai directly brushed past the two of them as a glint flashed from his sword.
When Yin Zhi Yong arrived at this place, he saw two corpses lying on the roof.
Although the gates of White Jade City were closed, it couldn’t stop a powerful cultivator like Luo An Guo from fleeing as he was well prepared. With the help of a claw hook, he climbed up the wall and soon jumped off to the other side under the night sky.
When Yang Kai arrived, two of Luo An Guo’s companions were still climbing up the wall.
He leaped into the air like a bird and hovered above the two of them for a moment before landing a kick on the one nearest to him. The person crashed into his companion as they fell to the ground together.
Upon landing on the top of the wall, Yang Kai sported a dark expression, for he could hear the sound of a horse neighing. Looking down, he saw that Luo An Guo was mounting up.
Luo An Guo looked up at Yang Kai and grinned. Then, he made the horse turn around and gallop off.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and leaped off the wall before rushing forward. However, even though he was fairly powerful in this Samsara World, with such low cultivation, he could never be as quick as a horse.
Despite seeing that Luo An Guo was getting further away from him, Yang Kai didn’t give up. Instead, he raced after him following the horse’s hoofprints.
About a cup of tea’s time later, Luo An Guo was nowhere to be seen while Yang Kai was feeling extremely anxious.
Just then, a horse could be heard galloping towards him from behind.
He turned his head and saw Yin Zhi Yong rushing towards him on horseback. The horse stopped in front of Yang Kai as Yin Zhi Yong panted and said, “The Eldest Young Lady was captured!”
When he saw Yang Kai leaving the Meng Manor to chase after someone just now, he still had no idea what was going on. But soon, the Meng Manor descended into chaos because while they were locked in an intense battle with the bandits, someone snuck into the inner court and abducted the Eldest Young Lady.
Yin Zhi Yong immediately thought of the person that Yang Kai was running after. With no time to report the matter to the higher-ups, he took a horse from the stable and dashed off in the direction of Hidden Treasure Peak. He faced an obstacle when trying to pass through the city gates, for they were already closed. The people guarding the gates were from the City Lord’s Mansion, and a mere private guard from the Meng Manor had no authority to make them open the gates.
Fortunately, Yin Zhi Yong was friends with the leader of the guards on duty, and he told him what was going on. He also promised a reward from the Meng Family before he was allowed to pass through the gates.
He believed that if his speculation was right, Yang Kai was just in front of him.
Just as he had expected, he soon found Yang Kai.
Following that, he leaped off the horse and said grimly, “Only you can save the Eldest Young Lady, Little Brother. If you’re able to do it, we won’t have to worry about money ever again.”
He had seen Yang Kai’s true strength just now, so he had confidence in him. Moreover, there was only one horse, and he was injured; therefore, he wasn’t willing to follow him to slow him down.
“Don’t worry,” Yang Kai nodded and jumped onto the horse. After clenching his thighs, he galloped off in a hurry.
Yang Kai wasn’t sure where Hidden Treasure Peak was exactly, but fortunately, Luo An Guo had left behind some traces while escaping.
Furthermore, Luo An Guo was a burly man, and he had to carry the Eldest Young Lady with him; therefore, it was expected that Yang Kai could outpace him on his horse.
At the break of dawn, Yang Kai had a feeling that he was getting closer to his target.
After galloping a few more kilometres, he indeed saw Luo An Guo.
The noise from behind alerted Luo An Guo, and when he turned his head and saw someone chasing after him, he was astounded.
The distance between them was getting shorter. Luo An Guo turned his head several times and finally made out Yang Kai’s face. Instantly, he burned with murderous intent.
He could never forget about the humiliation inflicted upon him by Yang Kai, who defeated him with his sword on the selection stage. Nevertheless, he didn’t show it on his face over the past few days; after all, he was on a mission in the Meng Manor, so he didn’t have time to settle the score with Yang Kai.
However, when he saw Yang Kai relentlessly pursuing him at this moment, he was infuriated.
Since Yang Kai’s horse could apparently run faster, there was no way he could flee. After giving it a thought, Luo An Guo slowed his horse down and turned around, choosing to wait on the same spot in silence.
A moment later, Yang Kai stopped at a spot a few dozen metres away from him.
As their eyes met, Luo An Guo put on a grin while Yang Kai remained calm and collected.
“Brat, you’re pretty bold. How did you have the gall to chase after me on your own?” Luo An Guo cracked his neck.
Yang Kai took a glance at the horse and saw a black cloth bag. There seemed to be a person who was squirming in the cloth bag. Perhaps her mouth had been sealed, so she could only grunt.
“Do you want to save the damsel in distress?” Luo An Guo sneered.
“Release her!” Yang Kai placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword with a cold expression.
Luo An Guo scoffed, “You just joined the Meng Manor recently, why are you pretending to be loyal? Brat, you’re pretty strong. Why don’t you follow me to the mountain? You can get all the money and women that you want. It’s better than working as a private guard in the Meng Family.”
“Release her!” Yang Kai repeated his words dispassionately.
The smile on Luo An Guo’s face disappeared, “I wanted to offer you an opportunity since you’re quite talented. However, since you refuse a toast, you must drink a forfeit. Don’t blame me for being rough with you!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped into the air. The horse was unable to bear the impact as all its legs broke while it neighed in pain.
While in mid-air, Luo An Guo bellowed, “Do you seriously think you’re more powerful than me just because you beat me back then? I’ll show you my true power!”
In the next instant, his fists turned into countless shadows that rained down on Yang Kai.
Like an eagle descending towards a rabbit, Luo An Guo came right at Yang Kai from above. His towering figure gave off immense pressure to his opponent. If a timid person was faced with such a violent attack, he would be scared out of his wits before even making a move. In that case, he wouldn’t be able to defeat him even if they were equally matched.
Nevertheless, Luo An Guo was surprised at the fact that Yang Kai remained calm and collected. Yang Kai leaped into the air and unsheathed his sword with his left hand as a glint flashed through his weapon.
As the two figures brushed past each other, they landed on the ground with a thud and grunted.
Luo An Guo widened his eyes and covered his neck with his hands. Blood could be seen spurting out through the gaps of his fingers. Disbelief was written all over his face.
In the past, he had hidden his true power on the stage, so he was unresigned after he was defeated by Yang Kai with a sword. Therefore, when he saw Yang Kai racing after him just now, he intended to show his true power to the other man.
Nevertheless, he never expected that this would be the outcome.
Just like what had happened on the stage, he was defeated by Yang Kai with a single slash once more.
However, the attack was even quicker this time, and he was completely unable to ward it off.
The difference was that Yang Kai didn’t intend to kill him on the stage back then, but this time, he had sent him to Hell.
Luo An Guo still hadn’t figured out how Yang Kai managed to defeat him. It was supposedly impossible for Yang Kai to unsheathe his sword from that angle, and the timing at that moment was beyond a Human’s control. However, he really did it.
As a result, Luo An Guo’s blood was rapidly leaving him as he felt cold all over his body. He didn’t understand why Yang Kai wanted to be a private guard in the Meng Manor since the latter was such an expert in martial arts.
Regardless of how hard he tried, Luo An Guo was unable to stop his blood from spurting out as he gasped in pain. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t die so soon. He fell on one knee with a thud as he was engulfed in the fear and pain of death.
Yang Kai put his sword back into the sheath and shuffled forward without sparing him a glance.
However, after just taking a few steps forward, he staggered and almost fell to the ground.
He wasn’t sure about the level of Luo An Guo’s power according to the standards in this Samsara World, but he reckoned that the latter couldn’t be considered weak.
In comparison, his current cultivation was weaker than that of Luo An Guo. The battle on the stage some time ago had proven it.
A cultivator with Yang Kai’s current strength, born and bred in this place, would undoubtedly be defeated by a powerful cultivator like Luo An Guo.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai reincarnated into this world as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so his skill and vision were far greater than the limits of this world. The chance that was impossible to grasp in Luo An Guo’s eyes could easily be captured by Yang Kai. That was why he could defeat the other party despite being weaker.
With that said, it wasn’t without a price to pay.
Three of Yang Kia’s ribs must have been broken after his chest was struck by Luo An Guo. He could even feel that his throat was filled with blood.
Yang Kai forcefully choked down the sweet liquid and stabilised himself before walking up to Luo An Guo’s horse.
The horse’s limbs were broken after it bore the impact of Luo An Guo leaping into the air. Presently, it was lying on the ground and wailing. The person in the cloth bag was still squirming on the horseback as she groaned and grunted.
Yang Kai opened the bag and revealed an alluring face that was covered in tears. The bumpy ride had caused her hair to become a mess and she must have cried for a long time as her eyes were all red, which could easily arouse a man’s sympathy.
Looking at this familiar face, Yang Kai smiled.
[I’ve finally found you, Senior Sister Qu!]
Her current identity was the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor.
The Eldest Young Lady was originally flustered and horrified, but upon seeing the man’s soothing smile, she instantly calmed down. She stared fixedly at Yang Kai while a sense of confusion flashed through her eyes.
She found the man before her eyes familiar, but she was sure she had never seen him before. This feeling made her doubtful.
Yang Kai took out the cloth from her mouth and drew a deep breath, “Don’t be afraid, Eldest Young Lady. I’m a private guard from the Meng Manor. I’m here to save you. The bandit who captured you is dead.”
It was only then that the Eldest Young Lady saw the corpse kneeling on the ground up ahead. The puddle of blood horrified her as the colour drained from her alluring face. She exclaimed and instinctively crashed into the oddly familiar guard’s arms.
Yang Kai grunted as blood leaked out of his mouth.
Some of his ribs were broken to begin with, and this impact exacerbated his injuries.
Upon hearing his groan, the Eldest Young Lady looked up and saw that her rescuer seemed to be in pain, so she asked caringly, “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.” Yang Kai helped her up, “We shouldn’t stay here any longer. We have to get back to the Meng Manor as quickly as possible.”
The Eldest Young Lady nodded repeatedly.
Yang Kai led her to his own horse and helped her get on. Just when they were preparing to leave though, he heard some noises coming from the distance.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw some dust rising in the air. There seemed to be some horses coming right at them.
Quickly making a decision, Yang Kai pointed in a particular direction and shouted, “Eldest Young Lady, ride in that direction. Don’t ever stop!”
The Eldest Young Lady looked down at him, “What about you?”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “I’ll get some rest before leaving.” Upon finishing his words, he unsheathed his sword and slapped the horse’s bottom with the back of the weapon.
The horse then neighed and galloped off with the Eldest Young Lady on its back.
Following that, Yang Kai turned around and took the sword with his right hand as he waited in silence.
Luo An Guo’s helpers from Hidden Treasure Peak had arrived. The dust rising in the distance was surely caused by those bandits.
Perhaps they had agreed to meet up in a particular place, but since Luo An Guo hadn’t shown up after a long time, they decided to look for him.
More than 100 horses came into Yang Kai’s sight as he licked the blood around his mouth while feeling excited and high-spirited.
In this place, he couldn’t rely on Space Principles or his powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation. All he had was the powers given to him in this Samsara World and his own experiences.
Despite his profound skill, it was impossible for him to deal with more than 100 people in his current condition. Although he supposedly didn’t have a chance to survive, it had ignited his fighting spirit and fierce nature.
What would happen if he was killed in this Samsara World? Yu Xiang Die never told him about it.
However, Yang Kai knew that he must not die. Before the Heart Barrier of Senior Sister Qu was broken, she wouldn’t be able to move into the next reincarnation.
Just then, Yang Kai heard the sound of a horse galloping towards him from behind. With a frown, he turned around and saw that the Eldest Young Lady had returned.
Her beautiful face was pale as she was terrified to see that more than 100 horses were coming at them. Despite that, she still summoned her courage and didn’t hesitate to come back.
The Eldest Young Lady apparently had some excellent riding skills as she accurately stopped the horse in front of Yang Kai. With a furious expression, she snapped, “Liar!”
This was giving Yang Kai a headache as he asked, “Why did you come back?”
“I-I don’t know…” the Eldest Young Lady stammered. She had no idea why she decided to come back just now, but she instinctively turned around when she heard the noises from behind.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and took the reins before leaping onto the horse. He said beside her ear, “Hold on tight!” He then turned the horse around and rushed towards White Jade City.
It was unrealistic to tell the Eldest Young Lady to leave on her own now, for the other party had seen her already. If they separated to chase after her, she would be in a perilous situation.
In that case, Yang Kai reckoned that he had to take matters into his own hands and protect her personally.
On the horse, the Eldest Young Lady hung her head low while blushing.
She had never come into such close contact with a man before. The bumpy ride caused her back to rub against the man’s chest from time to time. The panting she heard from the man made her feel flustered while she felt as if there were butterflies in her stomach.
More than 100 horses arrived at the place where Luo An Guo was killed soon after. Someone examined the figure that was kneeling on the ground, and upon confirming that Luo An Guo was dead, all of them were agitated as they chased after Yang Kai and the Eldest Young Lady.
The reason Yang Kai was able to catch up to Luo An Guo earlier was that his horse could run faster. After all, Luo An Guo had a heavy build, and he had to bring the Eldest Young Lady with him. On the other hand, Yang Kai was on his own.
That was the reason he could reach Luo An Guo.
Nevertheless, it was the opposite now. While Yang Kai had to bring the Eldest Young Lady to safety on a single horse, more than 100 bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak riding down on them.
The distance between them was shortening while the sounds of hooves thudding on the ground became louder.
The Eldest Young Lady was no longer in the mood to let her thoughts run wild. For a moment, a sense of anxiety flashed through her face; however, she seemed to recall something all of a sudden as she soon calmed herself down.
Right then, the sound of something breaking through the air was heard. The distance between both parties was short enough, so an expert in archery among the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak shot an arrow at Yang Kai. However, he missed his target as the arrow landed on a spot that was ten metres away from the left of Yang Kai.
More arrows came from behind as the sounds of breaking through the air were continuously heard.
Most of the arrows were not threatening at all, and for the ones that posed a risk, Yang Kai turned his head and accurately slashed across them.
Behind him, a person with a hooked nose at the front of those bandits was dumbfounded by this sight, for he had never expected Yang Kai to be so strong and skillful. It was only then that he realised it wasn’t just bad luck that Luo An Guo was killed.
Yang Kai was apparently an expert in martial arts given his dexterity and eyesight.
The hooked nosed man had his interest piqued as he didn’t know that there was such a powerful cultivator in the Meng Manor. Since Luo An Guo was dead, the losses could be made up for if they could make Yang Kai join them.
The prerequisite was that they had to capture him alive.
As the gap shortened, more arrows were seen flying. Although Yang Kai had tried his best to ward them off, his defence wasn’t impenetrable.
An arrow jabbed right into the horse’s thigh and almost caused it to collapse, but a nimble Yang Kai quickly tightened the reins and used his force to help the horse stabilize.
It was obvious that they were unable to flee.
They couldn’t run as fast as the other party to begin with, and the fact that the horse was injured exacerbated the situation.
Nevertheless, it would still take them four to five hours before they could return to White Jade City.
Yang Kai initially hoped that those from the Meng Manor or City Lord’s Mansion could send some people to help so that the two of them could stand a chance to survive, but they were still nowhere to be seen.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai could only save himself and the Eldest Young Lady. He went through the route he had taken to reach this place in his mind in an attempt to find a useful place.
The sounds of breaking through the air were heard again. Although Yang Kai warded off some of the arrows, one of them still jabbed into the horse’s stomach.
The horse that had helped Yang Kai flee for the entire night collapsed to the ground after running for another kilometre.
The Eldest Young Lady, who was seated at the front, exclaimed while Yang Kai promptly wrapped his arm around her waist and stomped his feet on the horseback. They leaped into the air and then stably landed on the ground.
“Wrap your arms around me!” Yang Kai ordered.
A flustered Eldest Young Lady nodded and quickly draped her arms around the young man’s neck to stabilize herself.
While holding his sword with one hand, Yang Kai placed his other hand on the Eldest Young Lady’s body to support her weight before rushing forward in a particular direction with all the speed he could muster.
The Eldest Young Lady’s vision shook. As she looked over the shoulder of this young private guard, she could see more than 100 horses chasing after them. The faces of the horsemen were hideous and gave off a horrifying feeling.
Nevertheless, she had never been calmer than at this moment.
The scene and the feeling were somehow familiar to her, as though she had experienced it before.
However, she had always lived in the Meng Manor, and she had never stepped out of White Jade City before. When had she ever experienced getting hunted down while she was protected by a man?
Did it happen in a dream? Was it an experience from her previous life?
She was supposed to feel uncomfortable in such close contact with a man she didn’t know, but at this moment she was drowned in happiness as she exerted more force with her arms around the young private guard’s neck. It was as though she was trying to merge into his body.
She knew that this man wouldn’t abandon her even if he had to lose his life.
When she saw more than ten arrows coming right at them, she exclaimed, “Watch out!”
Then, her eyes were dazzled by the glint from a sword. Yang Kai didn’t whirl around as the Eldest Young Lady was in front of him. If he turned around, she would be struck by the arrows. Instead, he accurately slashed across the arrows without turning at all, as though there were eyes on the back of his head.
Most of the arrows were warded off, but one of them pierced right into his shoulder.
The Eldest Young Lady stared fixedly at that arrow, which was about the length of an arm. While it was deep in the man’s flesh, not much blood had streamed out. Nevertheless, she felt her chest tightening at the sight of it.
She reckoned that the young private guard must be in pain, but he never even grunted.
More arrows were coming at them while Yang Kai zigzagged to dodge them. The gap between both parties was shortening rapidly, and it was expected that they would be surrounded by their enemies in no time.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai turned left and rushed forward as there was a col over there. Perhaps he could make use of the terrain.
Soon, he dashed past the col with the Eldest Young Lady in his arms. It was a lucky day for him as he soon saw that there was a cave at the bottom of a mountain wall.
The cave wasn’t big as it could accommodate one person.
Yang Kai rushed over and put the Eldest Young Lady down, “Get inside, now!”
The Eldest Young Lady nodded and climbed into the cave on all fours and tried her best to curl up inside it.
When she looked up, she saw the young private guard standing in front of her like a mountain that could fend off all storms.
“What’s your name?” She asked.
“Yang Kai!” He raised his hand to grab the arrow stuck in his shoulder and snapped the shaft off, leaving the tip inside his flesh. He then turned his head and flashed a smile at her, “My name is Yang Kai.”
The Eldest Young Lady repeated it as though she was trying to imprint the name in the deepest part of her mind. She extended her hand to adjust her messy hair and put on a charming smile, “My name is Meng Ru.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “A beautiful name!”
The sounds of hooves stepping on the ground were heard as more than 100 horses arrived at this place. The man with a hooked nose raised his hand, after which all of the horses stopped in their tracks. These bandits then stared fixedly at Yang Kai.
As their eyes met, the man with a hooked nose could barely contain his admiration for Yang Kai as he sized him up, “Brat, did you kill Luo An Guo?”
Yang Kai replied grimly, “Yes.”
With a gloomy expression, the man with a hooked nose said, “Luo An Guo was the Second Manager of Hidden Treasure Peak. You’ve formed a grudge with us by killing him.”
“He shouldn’t have kidnapped the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor then,” Yang Kai shook his head, “Anyone who dares to harm her must die.”
The man with a hooked nose sneered, “You’re indeed loyal, but you’re also extremely foolish. Luo An Guo was weaker than you, so he only had himself to blame for getting killed. However, he was still the Second Manager of Hidden Treasure Peak. Since you have killed him, I have to avenge his death as the Head Manager.”
“How are you going to do that?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
The man with a hooked nose grinned, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. How do you think I’m going to avenge his death?”
Yang Kai replied impassively, “If you want my life, you’re welcome to try to take it. Let’s see if you’re capable of doing that.”
The man with a hooked nose scoffed, “Compared to your life, I’m more interested in you. Why don’t you give the woman behind you to us as a gesture of sincerity and follow me back to the mountain? Our grudges will be resolved then.”
Yang Kai frowned and lowered his gaze. After giving it a thought, he replied, “I can follow you back to the mountain, but I can’t pass the Eldest Young Lady to you. Let her go back to White Jade City, and I will agree to your demand.”
The man with a hooked nose shook his head, “No. We have spent a lot of effort to get her. Many of our Brothers were killed, including the Second Manager. It was so hard for us to get this woman out of the Meng Manor, so how could we let her go? Don’t worry. After you follow me back to the mountain, this woman will belong to you.”
Yang Kai said steadfastly, “I only have one request. The Eldest Young Lady must safely return to White Jade City!”
The expression of the man with a hooked nose darkened. He had paid Yang Kai due respect and expressed his willingness to let him join Hidden Treasure Peak, but the other party rudely turned him down.
“I’ll go to the mountain!” The voice of the Eldest Young Lady Meng Ru was suddenly heard coming from behind.
“Don’t speak nonsense!” Yang Kai snapped.
“En,” Meng Ru obediently shrunk back into the hole.
“It seems that there’s no room for discussion, then.” The hooked nosed man found it to be a pity as he waved his hand and ordered, “Kill!”
Upon realising that he was unable to make Yang Kai join them, he immediately ordered his death. There was no doubt that he was a decisive person.
More than ten archers were already well prepared as they pulled the bows taut. The next moment, a dozen or so arrows came at Yang Kai from different angles.
However, everyone soon became dumbfounded.
That was because Yang Kai wielded his sword and easily fended off all of the arrows. He didn’t even seem to have moved as he stood in front of the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor like a wooden stake.
The man with a hooked nose was stunned.
He knew that Yang Kai was an expert in martial arts since the latter could kill Luo An Guo. Yang Kai’s performance during their pursuit also confirmed his speculation.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t until this moment that the Head Manager realised that he had still underestimated Yang Kai.
If he were faced with the same situation, he could have warded off those arrows as well, but he could never have done it so effortlessly. It was also impossible for him not to move a single step.
These archers were flushing as they felt embarrassed. Before the Head Manager even gave the order, they started shooting arrows at Yang Kai again.
Just like before, Yang Kai easily fended off all the attacks.
The archers became furious. Instead of shooting arrows at the same time, they did it intermittently so that they could find a chance to impale him.
An incense stick later, these archers helplessly lowered their bows as their faces were all red. The mockery from their companions made them hang their heads low.
There were more than ten archers, but after twenty rounds of shooting at Yang Kai, the man still wasn’t harmed one bit. On the other hand, they had no more arrows left.
The Head Manager sported a gloomy expression as well. He reprimanded the people who were laughing and pointed at Yang Kai before giving the order, “You guys over there, go kill him.”
The smiles of those who were ordered to kill Yang Kai froze as they sported bitter expressions; however, they could not disobey the Head Manager, so they had no choice but to drive their horses forward.
At the very least, they knew that they had to work together. They separated and surrounded Yang Kai from different directions.
As they exchanged glances, one of them suddenly charged towards Yang Kai and hacked at him with a sword while the others seized the chance and dashed forward.
Yang Kai lowered his figure to dodge the attack and unsheathed his sword as a glint flashed across his weapon.
The second person extended his sword while the third person, who had excellent riding skills, leaned far off his horse and swept his sword at Yang Kai’s legs while brushing past him.
The others showcased their skills and launched fatal attacks on Yang Kai.
With Yang Kai as the centre, several horses criss-crossed each other.
However, many fell off their horses and collapsed to the ground, apparently dead. Only two of them survived, and when they turned their heads, their faces instantly paled.
Yang Kai remained on the same spot. His top had been cut open as the flesh around his wounds rolled up. His figure was already covered in blood.
Nevertheless, he didn’t seem to care about it one bit.
Blood dripped from his sword and made some pattering sounds on the blood puddle, which was piercing to the ears.
The Head Manager had never been more embarrassed in his life as he growled, “Wastes! You can’t even kill a single person?! All of you, go get him! You don’t have to follow me back to the mountain if you can’t kill him!”
The death of their companions left the others fuming with fury. Although Yang Kai appeared powerful, he was all alone after all. There was no way they were unable to kill him when there were more than 100 of them.
They drew their weapons at the same time and drove the horses forward. They appeared as intimidating as a storm.
Yang Kai tried his best to stabilise his breathing and pulled off his tattered top from his body. He then fastened it around his sword-holding hand so he wouldn’t drop it.
As soon as he was done with that, 100 or so horses came charging towards him from all directions and engulfed him.
Following a guttural roar, Yang Kai slashed his sword as blood was seen spurting out from his enemies. Shrieks were continuously heard.
There was an upside as well as a downside when he told the Eldest Young Lady to hide inside the cave. The upside was that he didn’t have to worry about her safety. As long as he stood steadfastly in front of her, he could ensure that she wouldn’t be harmed.
The downside was that he was unable to move around freely. Once he revealed the woman behind him, those from Hidden Treasure Peak might be able to capture her. Once that happened, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to save her despite being stronger than these bandits.
It was the same case for those from Hidden Treasure Peak.
While they were pleased to see that the Eldest Young Lady was confined to a spot by Yang Kai, they were unable to freely deal with him in such a small place.
Yang Kai only had to face seven or eight of them at the same time while the others could only circle around in the periphery. There was nothing they could do.
As more people were killed, the spot in front of the cave began running red with blood. The smell of blood was nauseating; however, the Eldest Young Lady, who was hiding in the hole, realised in shock that she wasn’t afraid of such a situation.
She couldn’t figure out what was going on as it was the first time she saw dead people. Any other Young Lady would have passed out in this situation, but she remained clear-headed while she was still able to monitor the young private guard’s condition.
All of a sudden, a corpse collapsed in front of her. It was a bandit who tried to capture Meng Ru while Yang Kai wasn’t paying attention. As soon as he reached this place though, Yang Kai directly killed him with his sword.
It was apparent that the bandit was horrified before his death. Presently, the corpse was right in front of the Eldest Young Lady.
She shot a glance at the corpse before snatching the sword from his hand. While clenching the hilt with both hands, she pressed the tip against her chest.
This young private guard named Yang Kai was indeed powerful. Despite being an ordinary person, the Eldest Young Lady could see that.
With that said, she was also aware that there was no way he could defeat so many enemies all on his own.
She had no idea how much longer this young private guard could persevere, nor did she understand why he still steadfastly stood in front of her in the face of death; after all, they had never even met each other before today.
There was one thing she knew, though. If this young private guard collapsed, she would end up in a more horrible state than death; therefore, she had to be prepared.
The sharp tip of the sword pressed against her chest and formed a cut on her skin, which made her feel a slight tinge of pain. She stared fixedly at the young private guard from behind to monitor his condition.
In the worst-case scenario, they would probably perish together here. While she was in her wild thoughts, she felt a sense of longing, as though she was almost looking forward to it.
The Head Manager of Hidden Treasure Peak never stopped cursing. As more of his subordinates collapsed, his voice became louder while his saliva spouted out of his mouth. As the bandits were continuously reprimanded, they were furious while they became increasingly ruthless with their moves.
Although their ruthlessness had inflicted a lot of injuries on this private guard from the Meng Manor, they could not make him fall.
Presently, the private guard from the Meng Manor was covered in blood while his clothes were all tattered. There was a long cut on his forehead from which blood slid down his face and dyed his eyes scarlet, which made him look like a mad Ominous Beast.
His sword had become crooked from all the hacking and slashing, so he randomly took up the blade of a nearby dead bandit so he could wield two weapons at once. Nevertheless, the cutlass was also badly chipped, so there was no way it could last for a long time.
About twenty to thirty corpses had been piled up in front of him. Blood streamed past his feet and made him look extremely terrifying.
The bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak were horrified. They knew that as long as they persevered, there would come a moment when this private guard from the Meng Manor collapsed to the ground, but before that, many of their lives would be sacrificed. They were afraid that they would be the ones who died uselessly here.
The bandits, who were initially high-spirited following the order from the Head Manager, started becoming timid as they launched attacks less frequently.
An infuriated Head Manager killed a bandit who was trying to flee. He then drove his horse forward as he apparently planned to enter the battlefield personally.
Just then, the ground started shaking as the sounds of hooves could be heard rapidly approaching from a distance.
The Head Manager felt his chest tightening. When he turned his head, he saw that the dust was rising in the distance as a lot of people were rushing towards them on horses.
Reinforcements from White Jade City had arrived.
Upon that realisation, the bandits became flustered as they instinctively moved backwards. Many of them turned to the Head Manager and awaited his order.
The Head Manager stared at the private guard from the Meng Manor, who had been standing resolutely in front of the cave all this time. After a moment of hesitation though, he shouted through clenched teeth, “Retreat!”
A lot of soldiers from White Jade City were approaching, so there was no way their weakened group could ward them off. They might even lose their lives by staying here. It would be an unwise decision to do so just because they were not willing to give up their prize.
The bandits were already frightened by Yang Kai’s actions to begin with, so upon hearing the Head Manager’s order, they turned their horses around and ran for their lives without hesitation.
A moment later, more than 100 knights clad in sturdy armour arrived at this place with a young man leading the way. The young man looked in the direction the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak were fleeing with narrowed eyes, but he didn’t have the intention to chase after them.
He turned his head and took a glance at Yang Kai, who was covered in blood. Despite being an experienced man, he was still astounded at the sight.
The attention of the knights behind the young man was also attracted to Yang Kai.
He was standing there like a statue, as though he was trying to protect something. His figure was covered in cuts of different sizes, and his clothes were in tatters. The corpses of the bandits had been piled up in front of him, and his feet were drenched in a puddle of blood. His murderous intent seemed to have materialised and the horses beneath the knights were unable to bear it. They neighed and instinctively stepped backwards.
None of them had seen such a sight before, but they could imagine how intense the situation had been. A lot of bandits must have continuously launched attacks on this young man in an attempt to defeat him; however, like a rock amidst the storm, he was still standing strong in the end.
It was obvious that after his sword became bent, he picked up a cutlass that was also chipped. Even with such broken weapons, he wielded them to kill these bandits.
“Is it him?” The young man asked.
The person beside the young man was Yin Zhi Yong, who was also a private guard from the Meng Manor. Upon hearing that, he quickly nodded, “Yes, it’s him.”
After he finished speaking, he leaped off the horse and bolted towards Yang Kai, shouting, “Little Brother! Little Brother!”
Before he could get close though, he saw a sword slashing at him. He exclaimed in fright and fell on his bottom, his Soul almost leaving his body.
When he came to his senses, he quickly examined himself. Upon confirming that he wasn’t injured, he breathed a sigh of relief. While reeling from the shock, he called out, “Little Brother, it’s me, Yin Zhi Yong. Don’t you recognise me?”
He had no idea why Yang Kai would suddenly hack at him. If he were killed just like that, he would have passed away full of grief.
“He has already passed out!” The leading young man suddenly said.
Yin Zhi Yong was dumbfounded, “He has?”
How could Yang Kai still attack him when he was unconscious?
Upon closer look though, Yin Zhi Yong realised that there was indeed something off about Yang Kai. He was glowering at the front, but never batted his eyes. The blood from his forehead streamed down his face, which made him look horrifying, but his eyes seemed to have lost focus as he looked hollowly in no particular direction.
Nevertheless, he remained unmoving with the weapons in his hands.
“Don’t go near him. He will only react on instinct now,” the young man ordered.
A dazed Yin Zhi Yong nodded. Despite his age, it was the first time he saw someone who was still able to react out of reflex while unconscious. How resolute must one be in order to achieve that?
“He’s really something.” The young man stared at Yang Kai with admiration written all over his face. He turned to Yin Zhi Yong, “What’s his name?”
Yin Zhi Yong quickly replied, “Young City Lord, his name is Yang Kai. He’s a new private guard in the Meng Manor.”
“Yang Kai?” The Young City Lord narrowed his eyes as his expression became conflicted.
Yin Zhi Yong didn’t notice it as he looked worriedly at Yang Kai, “Little Brother Yang is badly injured, Young City Lord. We can’t go near him now; however, if we don’t help stop his bleeding, he’ll surely lose his life.”
The Young City Lord fell silent.
Just then, some noises could be heard coming from behind Yang Kai.
Yin Zhi Yong bellowed, “Who goes there!”
After he finished speaking, he saw a curvy woman whose hair was a mess crawling out of the small cave behind Yang Kai. There was a sword in her hands as she appeared vigilant.
“Eldest Young Lady!” Yin Zhi Yong was flabbergasted.
He only saw Yang Kai when he arrived at this place, and never paid attention to anything behind him. It wasn’t until the Eldest Young Lady crawled out that he realised that there even was a cave behind Yang Kai.
All of them finally realised who the person was that Yang Kai was protecting.
The Young City Lord became startled as he examined the Eldest Young Lady’s face. All of a sudden, he put on a wry smile.
He thought that life was truly full of surprises. Over the past few years, he had been looking for a particular person, but he still hadn’t managed to achieve his goal. Nevertheless, he had never expected to come across her today.
Fate was really a strange thing in this Samsara World. Despite having entered this world much earlier, he still hadn’t gained any advantage. On the other hand, the one who came at a later time had a chance to get close to the person he had been looking for almost immediately.
“Greetings, Eldest Young Lady. My name is Yin Zhi Yong, a private guard from the Meng Manor.” He cupped his fist, then quickly added, “Be careful. Please don’t go near Yang Kai.”
The Eldest Young Lady pressed her lips together and tossed the sword away. After making up her mind, despite the warning, she still shuffled towards Yang Kai.
She had heard the conversation between Yin Zhi Yong and the Young City Lord while she was hiding inside the cave, so she was aware of Yang Kai’s current condition.
But, so what? This man was willing to protect her with his very life. She didn’t believe that he would harm her in any way.
Upon seeing that, Yin Zhi Yong turned pale.
Since the Eldest Young Lady was fine, he and Yang Kai would be given handsome rewards after returning to the Meng Manor; however, if Yang Kai harmed her in any way, he would be doomed.
Before Yin Zhi Yong could stop her, the Eldest Young Lady was already standing in front of Yang Kai.
To everyone’s surprise, Yang Kai didn’t even try to harm her. Instead, his expression became more hideous as though he was trying to suppress something.
Yin Zhi Yong felt his heart leaping to his throat as he was worried that Yang Kai would hack his sword at her in the next instant. When that happened, the alluring Eldest Young Lady would surely lose her life.
Tears could be seen sliding down the Eldest Young Lady’s face. She covered her mouth with her hands as her shoulders uncontrollably trembled.
The person in front of her didn’t have any part of his skin intact. He was soaked in blood, and through his tattered clothes, she could see that he was covered in deep cuts with his flesh rolling up around his wounds.
Every wound and every drop of his blood was proof that he had resolutely protected her from harm.
While suppressing her tears, she extended her hands and took the weapons from Yang Kai.
Yang Kai didn’t resist. Just now, the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak were unable to make him lose grip of his weapons no matter what they tried, but at this moment, the frail Eldest Young Lady easily took them from his hands.
She tossed the blood-covered weapons to the ground. When she looked up, she realised that his eyes had closed, and faint breathing could be heard coming from his nostrils.
“Does anyone have medicine? Help treat him, now!” The Eldest Young Lady turned her head and sought help from them.
Given his injuries, he would surely journey to the Yellow Springs if he wasn’t treated in time. Although the Eldest Young Lady had rarely stepped out of the manor, she was aware of such common knowledge.
The Young City Lord motioned to one of his subordinates.
The subordinate quickly leaped off the horse and bolted towards Yang Kai. Upon making sure that the man posed no threat, he helped him lie down on the ground.
Yin Zhi Yong hurriedly came over to help out. Seeing that the Eldest Young Lady was still standing nearby, he encouraged, “Please go somewhere else, Eldest Young Lady. I’m worried that you’ll feel nauseated at the sight.”
The Eldest Young Lady nodded and stepped back.
The Young City Lord walked up to her and examined her before saying, “Eldest Young Lady Meng, I am the Young City Lord of White Jade City, Feng Cheng Si. I just returned from my studies abroad. I’m sorry that I didn’t n’t manage to save you earlier.”
The Eldest Young Lady shook her head, “I’m fine.”
Her eyes never looked away from Yang Kai though as she was apparently full of worry.
When Feng Cheng Si saw that, he secretly cursed, thinking fate was really a bitch.
Those from Hidden Treasure Peak had launched a night attack on the Meng Manor. The Second Manager, Luo An Guo, personally made a move and kidnapped the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Family amidst the chaos. A new private guard from the Meng Manor chased after him and intercepted him in a place that was over 100 kilometres from the city. He fought against the enemies on his own and killed many of them. Eventually, he successfully saved the Eldest Young Lady.
Everyone in White Jade City was shocked when the news spread.
Rumour had it that the power of the new private guard from the Meng Manor was inscrutable. Faced with over 100 bandits, he never backed down as he beheaded them with a saber and a sword like he was cutting fruits or vegetables.
It was also rumoured that he was ten metres tall with three heads and six arms! The hearts of the bandits were dug out and eaten by him!
By relying on his ferocity, he persevered until the Young City Lord of White Jade City arrived with the knights to end the calamity. They eventually destroyed the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak and returned victorious.
While everyone who heard this news was shocked by the power of this private guard from the Meng Manor, they also admired him for his loyalty.
Hidden Treasure Peak was a nest of bandits; had someone like the Eldest Young Lady from the Meng Manor been captured by them, everyone could imagine what would have happened to her.
It was thanks to this loyal private guard that the Eldest Young Lady’s modesty was saved. They also found out this private guard was hired at the arena that the Meng Family had set up some time ago. Many families secretly felt envious and thought that the Meng Manor had found a treasure.
Nowadays, it was hard to find a loyal guard like him.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was still unconscious in the Meng Manor. He had exhausted himself from battling against the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak. If not for his determination to save the Eldest Young Lady, he would have collapsed much earlier.
Had the soldiers from City Lord’s Mansion come any later, he would not have been able to persevere.
After Yin Zhi Yong and the others treated his wounds, the Young City Lord, Feng Cheng Si, escorted the Eldest Young Lady back to the Meng Manor. Yang Kai, who had made the biggest contribution in this matter, was given special care.
Before he even regained consciousness, the Patriarch of the Meng Manor had already rewarded him with a lot of money and his own private residence. There was also high-quality healing medicine that the maidservants would use to apply on his wounds every day.
It was unprecedented that an outer court’s private guard be given such rewards.
The steward of the Meng Manor personally visited Yang Kai and told Yin Zhi Yong to inform him as soon as Yang Kai awakened.
Certainly, Yin Zhi Yong directly agreed to it.
Many private guards also came to visit Yang Kai. Although it had only been a short time since Yang Kai joined the Meng Manor, and they were not close to each other, he had risked his life to save the reputation of these private guards; after all, the Eldest Young Lady was kidnapped on their watch. Had Yang Kai not promptly decided to chase after the bandits, these private guards would have been punished by the Meng Manor by now. Some of them might even have lost their lives.
When everyone who visited Yang Kai saw his injuries, they fell silent.
That was because he was horrendously wounded. There was no part of his body that was intact. His entire figure was covered in bandages, which had been dyed crimson by his blood.
No one knew how he was still alive given his injuries.
The crooked saber and the chipped sword were brought back by Yin Zhi Yong following the Eldest Young Lady’s order. They were the best proof that Yang Kai had used these weapons to kill those bandits.
Every day, the Eldest Young Lady would send a maidservant named Qian Qian to visit Yang Kai. She would then go back and report to her on Yang Kai’s condition.
If possible, the Eldest Young Lady was more than willing to personally visit him; however, she was an unmarried woman as well as the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor. It would be inappropriate for her to visit Yang Kai given her status.
Even though Yang Kai had made a significant contribution, the Patriarch of the Meng Manor had never visited him. He only told his most trusted steward to come here once.
After all, their statuses were too different, and it was the private guards’ duty to risk their lives to protect the Meng Family members.
Seven days later, Yang Kai finally regained consciousness.
When he opened his eyes, he realised he was in excruciating pain. His entire figure was aching and his throat felt like it was burning. This was the first time he had been so horribly injured since he began cultivating.
Although he was in a Samsara World, everything felt so real.
He darted his gaze around and saw Yin Zhi Yong sitting at the table. He was holding a maid servant’s hand as he seemed to be reading her palm.
The maidservant hung her head low with a flushing face. She wanted to retract her hand, but it seemed she didn’t have the strength to do so, and she wouldn’t dare to call for help. She was on the brink of breaking into tears.
Yin Zhi Yong pretended to not see it as he spouted nonsense by saying that her life wouldn’t be smooth sailing, but she would eventually meet a person who would extricate her from her suffering.
Unable to take it anymore, Yang Kai knocked on the bedside.
Hearing the noise, the maidservant became shocked and quickly retracted her hand. Yin Zhi Yong turned to look at Yang Kai and became elated, “You’re finally awake, Little Brother Yang!”
He walked up to Yang Kai and asked caringly, “How are you? Do you feel any discomfort?”
“Water…” Yang Kai said as he felt his throat burning.
“Oh, water! Water!” Yin Zhi Yong quickly beckoned to the maidservant, who picked up a jug of water and took a seat beside the bed before helping Yang Kai drink it.
After Yang Kai finished the water, he finally felt much better.
Yin Zhi Yong said smilingly, “Did you know how worried I was? I was worried that you would never wake up!”
Yang Kai didn’t think the older man looked worried at all.
Yin Zhi Yong went on to say, “Since you’re awake, you’ll be fine. Just stay here and recuperate. I’m sure you’ll enjoy plenty of good luck after surviving this disaster.”
“How is… the Eldest Young Lady?” Yang Kai asked in a hoarse voice.
In fact, he was already muddle-headed at the last moments of protecting the Eldest Young Lady. He faintly remembered that there seemed to be reinforcements approaching, and those from Hidden Treasure Peak were forced to flee. Supposedly, the Eldest Young Lady was safe.
Yin Zhi Yong replied, “The Eldest Young Lady is well, just a bit frightened. She now sends someone to visit you every day. Since you’re awake, I believe she’ll set her mind at ease as well.”
He then said to the maidservant, “It’s time to help Little Brother Yang reapply his medicine.”
The maidservant nodded in agreement and put down the jug before getting busy with a red face.
Yin Zhi Yong then went on to talk to Yang Kai about the incident on that day and expressed his admiration for him.
If he were in the same situation, he would have surrendered and begged for mercy. It wasn’t that he was disloyal to the Meng Manor; however, loyalty no longer mattered in the face of certain death.
It was during a life-and-death moment that a person’s temperament was put to the test.
While the maidservant was busy, Yin Zhi Yong left the place to inform the steward of the Meng Manor.
One hour later, the old man with a goatee, who appeared on the selection stage previously, stepped into the room and gave Yang Kai some words of praise. He said that the Patriarch was pleased with his loyalty and had rewarded him with many good things, including his current residence and a lot of money.
All the new private guards would go through a probation period of a few years; however, since Yang Kai had risked his life to save the Eldest Young Lady, the probation ended earlier, and he was now an official private guard of the Meng Manor.
The steward didn’t stay for a long. After finishing his words, he left the place in a hurry. Before that, he told Yang Kai to recuperate with peace of mind, saying that the Meng Manor wouldn’t mistreat people who had made contributions.
Yin Zhi Yong was also rewarded.
In fact, he didn’t spend much effort in the fight against the bandits; however, without him, Yang Kai wouldn’t have successfully saved the Eldest Young Lady.
At that time, Yang Kai was chasing after Luo An Guo on foot. It was Yin Zhi Yong who sent him a horse and then ran back to White Jade City to inform the soldiers about what was going on. In the end, they arrived in time and forced the bandits from Hidden Treasure Peak to retreat.
While Yang Kai had made the most significant contribution in saving the Eldest Young Lady, Yin Zhi Yong was the second greatest contributor. Therefore, he had also obtained a lot of rewards. The money that was given to him was enough to let him buy a lot of delicious food and wine for the next three years.
With that said, he had no idea why he followed Yang Kai on a whim at that time as it was no different from deserting his duties; however, it was thanks to this rash move that he made a contribution.
From his perspective, Yang Kai was his lucky Star. It had only been half a month since Yang Kai joined the Meng Manor, but Yin Zhi Yong managed to get the attention and honour he had never enjoyed even after ten years of service.
These days, the Captain of the private guards and some younger stewards had been amiable to him, which made him feel elated.
Therefore, he was more than willing to take care of Yang Kai every day.
The speed Yang Kai recuperated made Yin Zhi Yong doubt whether the younger man was really Human.
He regained consciousness barely seven days after he passed out, and was able to get out of the bed and start walking three days after that. Another three days later, he was clearly on the mend.
It only took him twenty days to almost fully recover.
While Yin Zhi Yong was dumbfounded, he persuaded Yang Kai to lie on the bed for a few days more.
That was because he was responsible for taking care of Yang Kai. As long as Yang Kai was still lying on the bed, he could get some rest for a few days more lest he was exposed to the sun or rain.
Fortunately, the steward didn’t immediately assign any tasks to them; so, for the time being, they had nothing else to do.
Every day, Yin Zhi Yong would pester the maidservant while Yang Kai refused to stay idle. He would practise martial arts in the courtyard and let his clothes soak in sweat.
The Martial Dao in this Samsara World was very low, but he could still slowly get stronger. Strength would be necessary in this world, so he reckoned that he had to quickly get stronger.
Yin Zhi Yong had tried exchanging moves with him once, but he would never want to do that again, for it was utterly humiliating. There was an overwhelming difference between their powers and it only took Yang Kai one move to defeat the him.
While cultivating, Yang Kai pondered on how to approach the Eldest Young Lady.
It was confirmed that Qu Hua Shang had reincarnated into this world as the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor, Meng Ru. Before she reincarnated, she had set up a Heart Barrier. Only by breaking this Heart Barrier would her memory be restored.
In order to break the Heart Barrier, he had to win her heart.
Certainly, Yang Kai didn’t care about the difference between their statuses as he was a private guard while she was the Eldest Young Lady; however, he didn’t know how to win a woman’s heart.
Although he had a lot of Wives, he had rarely wooed a woman before. There was not much he could do when it came to pursuing a woman romantically.
The most important thing for him now was to approach the Eldest Young Lady so that they would familiarise themselves with each other. If he couldn’t even get close to her, how was he going to break the Heart Barrier?
Fortunately, the fact that he had saved her life must have left a good impression. The proof was that she would send her trusted maidservant, Qian Qian, to visit him every day.
While Yang Kai was lost in his thoughts, a chance presented itself.
One day, Yang Kai was wielding a sword and a saber in the courtyard when the Captain of the private guards entered the place.
Upon hearing the noise, Yin Zhi Yong quickly got out of the room and asked passionately, “Big Brother Chu, why are you here?”
The Captain was surnamed Chu, so the private guards would call him Big Brother Chu in private.
Big Brother Chu replied with a smile, “What’s wrong? Can’t I visit you two without any important matter? Have you forgotten about us just because you’ve made some contributions now? Are you looking down on us?”
Yin Zhi Yong put on a bitter expression as he said, “What are you talking about, Big Brother Chu? It’s thanks to your guidance over the years that I’ve had a chance to make a contribution. I would never dare to look down on you all.”
Big Brother Chu extended his hand and poked him, “You’re such a smooth talker, aren’t you?” All of a sudden, he put on a solemn expression and changed the topic, “Anyways, there’s indeed an important matter now.”
Yin Zhi Yong quickly said, “Please tell us right away, Big Brother Chu.”
Big Brother Chu turned to look at Yang Kai, “How are you feeling?”
Yang Kai moved his shoulders a little, “I’m fine.”
“Good. I was worried that you wouldn’t be able to take on this task.”
Yin Zhi Yong asked with concern, “What kind of task is that?”
Big Brother Chu put on a mysterious smile, “It’s not bad news. Something good awaits you. Come with me.”
After exchanging glances with Yin Zhi Yong, Yang Kai sheathed his weapons as they followed the Captain.
As they navigated through the Meng Manor behind Big Brother Chu, they soon arrived at a Grand Hall. In front of the Grand Hall stood an old man with a goatee. He was the chief steward of the Meng Manor. Seeing Captain Chu, he nodded gently.
Yin Zhi Yong suddenly felt his legs trembling slightly, for he finally recognised this Grand Hall.
Although he had been working in the Meng Manor for more than ten years, he had never had the right to come to such an important place as he was just an outer court’s private guard.
“Captain…” Yin Zhi Yong looked inquisitively at the Captain in the hope that he would be given a hint.
Big Brother Chu muttered quietly, “Don’t say anything unnecessary after going in.”
Yin Zhi Yong nodded repeatedly.
After having a small talk with Big Brother Chu, the steward with a goatee turned to Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong, “Come with me.” Upon finishing his words, he shuffled into the Grand Hall.
Yin Zhi Yong stuck close to Yang Kai and said in a small voice, “Little Brother, I believe we’re going to meet the Patriarch. You have to be cautious.”
The Grand Hall was where the Patriarch dealt with his daily business. No one could go near this place without his permission.
Yang Kai nodded gently to show that he understood.
After entering the Grand Hall with the chief steward, Yang Kai looked up and saw a man who was going through some documents behind a desk.
There was nothing special about the man, who was about fifty years old. Nevertheless, since he had taken good care of himself, he looked slightly younger than his age.
He was supposed to be the Patriarch of the Meng Family, Meng De Ye.
The chief steward told the two of them to stop, then walked up to Meng De Ye in light steps and said, “Sir, I’ve brought them.”
Meng De Ye grunted and continued handling his business.
Since he never said anything, Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong could only remain standing there.
About a cup of tea later, Meng De Ye put the documents aside and stamped them with a seal before falling into his thoughts with a frown. He seemed to have finally recalled the presence of these two private guards as he looked up at them, “Who is Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai cupped his fist and said solemnly, “Yang Kai greets the Patriarch.”
Yin Zhi Yong saluted him as well, “Outer court guard Yin Zhi Yong greets the Patriarch.”
Meng De Ye stared fixedly at Yang Kai and said impassively, “I heard that you were badly injured.”
Yang Kai replied in a firm voice, “As a guard of the Meng Manor, it is my duty to ensure the Eldest Young Lady’s safety even if it costs me my life.”
Admiration was written all over Yin Zhi Yong’s face as he thought that Yang Kai was usually taciturn, but the latter could tactfully fawn over someone in power when it was necessary.
“Good.” There was no doubt that Meng De Ye was pleased with his reply. Others might not be sincere when they said such a thing, but Yang Kai had proven his loyalty in the previous incident as he was willing to protect the Eldest Young Lady even with his life on the line.
Meng De Ye had heard others talk about the incident, so he knew that Yang Kai really almost died that day.
Although he had no idea why this new private guard was so bold and loyal, he reckoned that no more tests were needed.
“The inner court is supposed to be the place where the security is the strictest in the Meng Manor, but Ru’er was almost harmed this time. It’s because of this incident that she doesn’t trust the personal bodyguards in the inner court anymore.” Meng De Ye didn’t intend to beat around the bush as it wasn’t necessary to do so in front of his own private guards. Therefore, he directly told them the reason he had summoned them, “However, since you’ve saved Ru’er’s life, she has total trust in you. It could be said that she only trusts you of all the private guards in the Meng Manor.”
Yang Kai hung his head low, “It is my honour to have gained the Eldest Young Lady’s trust.”
“I want you to go to Ru’er’s side and be her personal bodyguard. Are you willing to take on this task?” Meng De Ye asked.
Yang Kai became startled for a moment before cupping his fist, “Rest assured, Patriarch. I am willing to be punished if the Eldest Young Lady loses even a single strand of hair.”
Meng De Ye nodded, “I have faith in your loyalty and capabilities. I’ll not mistreat you if you work hard.” He paused for a moment, “Do you have any requests?”
[He can even make a request?] Yin Zhi Yong was shocked, thinking that the Patriarch truly regarded Yang Kai as important.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “I want a good saber and sword.”
The sword previously given to him by those from the Meng Manor was mass-produced, so it couldn’t be considered a good weapon. It soon became bent and chipped, making it all but unusable. The saber he randomly took from a dead bandit from Hidden Treasure Peak was just an ordinary weapon as well.
In a world where the Martial Dao was so low, one’s power would be enhanced greatly by having a good weapon. If Yang Kai had an incredible weapon in his hands at that time, he wouldn’t have become so battered.
Meng De Ye nodded lightly, “You may leave now. Someone will get the weapons ready.”
“Many thanks, Patriarch.”
To the side, the steward with a goatee saluted Meng De Ye before leading Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong to leave the hall.
An elated Yin Zhi Yong still had no idea what was going on. Just now, the Patriarch told Yang Kai to be the personal bodyguard of the Eldest Young Lady, but he never mentioned anything about Yin Zhi Yong.
If he didn’t also become a personal bodyguard, why was he summoned to this place?
While leading the way at the front, the steward with a goatee said, “Congratulations, both of you. Only the most powerful and loyal private guards have a right to enter the inner court of the Meng Manor. Most private guards are not allowed to even approach the inner court.”
Instantly, Yin Zhi Yong became ecstatic as the steward’s words suggested that he was also a part of the inner court now, which allowed him to set his mind at ease. It had been more than ten years since he joined the Meng Manor, but he had always been an insignificant private guard in the outer court. Now that he could enter the inner court, he found it to be surreal while feeling excited.
“Many thanks, steward.” With a smile, Yin Zhi Yong walked up to the steward and stuffed a money pouch into his hands. Fully aware of what was going on, the steward discreetly took it as he was pleased with Yin Zhi Yong’s gesture.
Yin Zhi Yong then asked, “Are there any taboos in the inner court, Sir? Although I’ve been working in the Meng Manor for more than ten years, I’ve never stepped into the inner court before. Please grant us some instruction.”
The steward replied with a smile, “There’s indeed some taboos, but the most important thing is that men and women understand their stations. Both of you are men after all, and most of the people living in the inner court are women. Hence, when you’re in the inner court, don’t listen to anything you shouldn’t listen to, and don’t look at things you’re not supposed to see. Also, don’t go to any places as you please without the Patriarch’s permission. You’ll be fine as long as you fulfill your duties.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Yin Zhi Yong nodded repeatedly, “Little Brother Yang and I will protect the Eldest Young Lady regardless of what happens. We’ll do whatever she tells us to do, and we won’t make any mistakes.”
“I’m glad that’s what you think, and you’d better remember what you’ve said. Although you’ve made significant contributions this time, the Patriarch will not forgive you if you make any mistakes in the inner court.”
As they spoke, they finally arrived at the inner court. A maidservant with a bun was already waiting in front of the courtyard.
Yin Zhi Yong walked up to her and cupped his fist, “Lady Qian Qian!”
She was none other than the maidservant who worked for the Eldest Young Lady, Qian Qian. When Yang Kai was recuperating in the past, the Eldest Young Lady would send her to visit him every day; hence, Yin Zhi Yong recognised her.
Qian Qian seemed to be a timid woman. Although she had come into contact with Yin Zhi Yong and Yang Kai many times before, she still started blushing at this moment. She couldn’t help but take a step back and fall silent with her lips pressed together.
The steward stepped forward and said, “Lead the way for them. The Eldest Young Lady will make some arrangements.”
“Yes,” Qian Qian replied. After taking a glance at Yang Kai, she quickly hung her head low and turned around to lead the way.
Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong followed her closely.
The inner court was vast and beautiful. A lot of small bridges, ponds and rockery gardens were built among the various courtyards.
Yin Zhi Yong looked around and tutted in amazement. It had been more than ten years since he joined the Meng Manor, but it was the first time he came to the inner court, so he was curious about everything here. He was especially enamoured of the pleasant fragrance that lingered in the air that reminded him of the times when he was on a woman’s bed.
When he came across any women in the inner court, he quickly hung his head low as he would never forget that he was just a guard.
Of Meng De Ye’s three daughters, two of them were already married. Only the eldest Daughter, Meng Ru, was still single. The Patriarch had more than ten Wives though, so there were a lot of women in the inner court.
If Yin Zhi Yong caught a glimpse of anything he was not supposed to see, his eyes would probably be dug out.
After making many turns, they finally arrived at the Eldest Young Lady’s residence. Qian Qian went inside to inform the Eldest Young Lady about their arrival while Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong waited outside the building.
It was a building with three storeys. Many busy servants continuously entered and left the place. Perhaps they had heard the news, so they would look curiously at Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong when passing them by. Seeing that these two men appeared anxious, they covered their mouths and giggled while whispering among themselves.
A moment later, Qian Qian stepped out and said to them gently, “Come in. The Eldest Young Lady is waiting for you.”
Yin Zhi Yong replied in a fawning manner, “Many thanks, Lady Qian Qian!”
They entered and arrived at the lobby on the ground floor. It was supposed to be the place where the Eldest Young Lady received her guests as it was lavishly decorated. At this moment, the Eldest Young Lady, Meng Ru, was seated by a round table as she stared fixedly at Yang Kai with a pair of bright eyes.
The Eldest Young Lady appeared flustered when she saw the young private guard, who steadfastly stood in front of her to fend off all the danger for her previously. Although there was no part of his body that was left intact, he still never moved away.
Behind her stood a pretty woman, who was supposed to be Meng Ru’s maidservant. She looked curiously at Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong, though most of her attention was drawn to Yang Kai. Yin Zhi Yong was older and not very handsome, so there was nothing worth seeing about him.
“Greetings, Eldest Young Lady.”
Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong saluted her at the same time.
Meng Ru nodded and gazed at Yang Kai with concern, “How are you feeling? Did you use the healing medicine I told Cui’er to send to you?”
Yang Kai lowered his head and replied, “I am well. Many thanks for your concern, Eldest Young Lady. It is thanks to your medicine that I have recovered sooner than expected.”
“That’s good.” Meng Ru put on a smile, “I didn’t know what medicine would work for you, and they didn’t allow me to visit you. I wish I could have done so …”
Yang Kai quickly said, “Eldest Young Lady, you are a noblewoman, so it is not appropriate for you to step into the outer court where the men live. Your reputation would be tarnished if word got out.”
Meng Ru sighed, “That is what they all said.” She appeared dejected.
However, she soon put on a bright smile, “I can be at ease now since you’re fine. I was frightened when I saw you looking so horrible. I thought you would die.”
Yang Kai lifted his head and flashed a smile at her, “Well, it is not so easy to kill me.”
Seeing that he was so impudent, the maidservant, who was standing behind Meng Ru, frowned with displeasure and shot him a glare. She interrupted their conversation by saying, “Since you two have made a contribution, the Eldest Young Lady has asked the Patriarch to transfer you to this place. You must fulfil your duties and ensure the Eldest Young Lady’s safety at all costs.”
“We will remember,” Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong cupped their fists.
The maidservant then whispered to Meng Ru, “Eldest Young Lady, it’s getting late. You must take your medicine now.”
“Isn’t it still being prepared? Just wait a while longer,” Meng Ru replied.
The maidservant shook her head, “The medicine is indeed being prepared, but you were quite frightened previously. The doctor has said that you must recuperate without being disturbed for the time being.”
A helpless Eldest Young Lady let out a sigh, “Fine.”
With the help of the maidservant, she rose from the chair and spoke to Qian Qian, who had led Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong to this place, “Show them around the inner court and find a place for them to live.”
“Yes,” Qian Qian saluted her in an elegant manner.
The maidservant then helped the Eldest Young Lady Meng Ru walk up the stairs while Qian Qian said to the two of them in a small voice, “Please come with me.”
Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong thanked her before taking a stroll around the surrounding area with Qian Qian leading the way.
The place where the Eldest Young Lady lived wasn’t large, but there were still some places that they had to pay attention to lest they failed to discover some ill-intentioned people who hid there when the enemies struck again.
While following the maidservant, Yang Kai looked around and memorised the terrain. Since he was now responsible for protecting Meng Ru in the inner court, he had to put in his best effort.
Furthermore, he had to find a way to win the Eldest Young Lady’s heart in order to break the Heart Barrier that Qu Hua Shang had set up before this reincarnation.
A moment later, Qian Qian brought them to a tile-roofed house, “This is where you will be living, as it is not far away from the Eldest Young Lady’s room. When you’re not on duty, you can just remain here and be ready for any emergencies.”
“Many thanks, Lady Qian Qian,” Yin Zhi Yong thanked her and passed her a package as a gesture of friendliness.
Qian Qian apparently had no idea what was going on as she took the package. When she realised what was inside, she quickly passed it back to him and waved her hands, “There’s no need for that.”
Yin Zhi Yong said with a smile, “We’ll need your advice in many areas in the future. Please don’t turn me down as it’s just a small gift.”
“There’s really no need for that.” Qian Qian was flushing, “I-I just joined the Meng Manor not long ago, so there’s no advice I could give you.”
Yin Zhi Yong was startled, “You just joined the Meng Manor not long ago?”
“Yes,” Qian Qian nodded repeatedly as she appeared uneasy.
Yin Zhi Yong’s interest had been piqued. Supposedly, the maidservants by the Eldest Young Lady’s side must have passed a lot of tests and proven their loyalty to the Meng Manor. The new servants didn’t even have the right to enter the inner court, let alone serve the Eldest Young Lady.
“When did you join?” Yin Zhi Yong asked curiously.
“About a month ago…” Qian Qian replied in a small voice.
Yin Zhi Yong was dumbfounded as he gave her a thumbs-up, “You’re truly lucky to have the right to serve the Eldest Young Lady after only a month.”
Qian Qian hung her head low, “I don’t understand either. After the previous incident, I was told to send some medicine to the Eldest Young Lady. When she saw me, she decided to make me stay.”
“I see,” Yin Zhi Yong thought that she was extremely lucky. He was a private guard while Qian Qian was a maidservant. In the past over ten years, he had always been an insignificant private guard in the outer court. If not for the contribution he had inadvertently made, he wouldn’t have been transferred to the inner court. On the other hand, Qian Qian had only been working here for a month, but she could get into the inner court just because the Eldest Young Lady was fond of her. In comparison, his journey was much tougher, which made him feel a bit bitter.
With that said, Qian Qian was indeed beautiful and innocent-looking, so it was no wonder that the Eldest Young Lady was fond of her.
Upon learning that Qian Qian wasn’t a long-time maidservant of the Eldest Young Lady, Yin Zhi Yong became much more at ease. At the very least, he didn’t have to fawn over her.
Yang Kai, who had remained silent all along, suddenly asked, “The woman beside the Eldest Young Lady is named Cui’er?”
Qian Qian’s figure shook a little, as though Yang Kai had scared her by talking suddenly. With a blushing face, she replied, “Yes, she’s Big Sister Cui’er. She has been serving the Eldest Young Lady since she was a child. They grew up together.”
Yang Kai nodded his head then fell silent.
A short while later, Qian Qian left.
Yin Zhi Yong closed the door and asked in a small voice, “Little Brother Yang, is there anything wrong the Eldest Young Lady’s maidservant, Cui’er?”
He thought that Yang Kai had discovered something when the latter asked that question suddenly. He couldn’t help but speculate that Cui’er might be a mole sent to this place by those from Hidden Treasure Peak. Would they make another contribution not long after coming to the inner court?
“There’s nothing wrong with her.” Yang Kai didn’t know what was on his mind, “It’s just that the Eldest Young Lady said she had told Cui’er to send some healing medicine to me.”
After giving it a thought, Yin Zhi Yong replied, “Yes, that’s what she said.”
“Had you ever met Cui’er before that?” Yang Kai asked.
Yin Zhi Yong shook his head, “No…”
He suddenly realised something, “You’ve saved the Eldest Young Lady, and judging from her reaction today, there’s no doubt that she’s grateful to you. In that case, she would definitely send the most important maidservant to visit you; however, it was Lady Qian Qian who had been visiting you every day when you were recuperating.”
He initially thought that Qian Qian was someone important to the Eldest Young Lady, but it was apparently not the case. It had only been a month since she joined the Meng Manor, and she had only begun serving the Eldest Young Lady’s side after the incident.
The most important maidservant to the Eldest Young Lady should be Cui’er, who grew up with her.
“Why was that?” Yin Zhi Yong was puzzled.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I suppose Lady Cui’er received the Eldest Young Lady’s order, but she was too lazy or frightened to visit a person who was horribly injured, so she told Lady Qian Qian to visit me instead. After Lady Qian Qian reported everything to her, she would then report to the Eldest Young Lady.”
Upon learning what had happened, Yin Zhi Yong gave Yang Kai a thumbs-up, “You’re indeed clever since you’re able to figure out so many things from what the Eldest Young Lady had said. It was no wonder that you decisively ran after the bandits that night. To be honest, when I saw you leaving, I thought that you were escaping.”
Yang Kai put on a smile without responding to him.
Yin Zhi Yong asked curiously, “Little Brother, how did you know that the Eldest Young Lady was kidnapped?”
Yang Kai replied, “I didn’t know. I just speculated that someone was taken away from the inner court. I had no idea she was the Eldest Young Lady.”
“That’s incredible enough.” Admiration was written all over Yin Zhi Yong’s face as he chuckled, “I am incredible as well. I followed you as soon as I saw you running after the bandits.”
In fact, he didn’t have the confidence to ward off the enemies on his own after Yang Kai left the place, so he had no choice but to follow him.
With a frown though, he said, “This incident shows us that it’s not easy to deal with Lady Cui’er. We’d better be cautious so that she won’t be able to find fault with us.”
Yang Kai nodded. He had a feeling that if he wanted to win the Eldest Young Lady’s heart, Cui’er would be an obstacle.
Certainly, Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong were not the only private guards in the inner court. In fact, there were a lot of private guards, and they were significantly more powerful than the ones in the outer court.
After the previous incident, the Eldest Young Lady no longer trusted the personal bodyguards in the inner court though. It wasn’t that she was willful, but she was taken away by the bandit under the watch of so many personal bodyguards, so trust had indeed been lost.
That was the reason she wanted Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong by her side. Patriarch Meng doted on his eldest Daughter, so he directly agreed to this request.
Despite that, he had still told some personal bodyguards to hide around the Eldest Young Lady’s residence. All of them had profound auras; however, the Eldest Young Lady and the maidservants were unaware of their presence as they had never cultivated before.
When Yang Kai came over from the building earlier, he detected some people who secretly examined him. Of course, he didn’t react despite knowing what was going on.
When Yang Kai agreed to become the Eldest Young Lady’s personal bodyguard, he also made a request to the Patriarch, and it seemed the Meng Family was as efficient as they were wealthy.
They entered the inner court in the morning, and by the afternoon a sword and a sabre were presented to Yang Kai.
The sabre was similar to the ones given to the private guards in the Meng Manor. The characters ‘Stirring Clouds’ were engraved on the hilt. When he pulled out the weapon, a dazzling glint flashed through the blade.
The simple-looking sword was about one metre long, but the blade was shiny and sharp. When he flicked at the blade, a sword cry rang out for quite some time. The characters ‘Covering Rain’ were engraved on its hilt.
Yin Zhi Yong was dumbstruck when he saw these two blades.
“The Stirring Clouds Saber and Covering Rain Sword are real treasures. They’re said to have been left behind by a powerful cultivator several hundred years ago. They last appeared thirty years ago when they were obtained by a rogue cultivator. I didn’t expect that they were in the Meng Manor!” With a fervent expression, Yin Zhi Yong fiddled with the sabre and sword. He was also a cultivator, so he loved treasures like these.
The average cultivator would see his power increase by 30% by wielding these exquisite weapons, not to mention that Yang Kai was a very powerful cultivator.
Moreover, given Yin Zhi Yong’s eyesight, he was certain that the Stirring Clouds Saber and Covering Rain Sword before his eyes were genuine, not counterfeits one could easily find on the streets.
He reluctantly put the weapons back into their sheaths and said with envy, “Little Brother Yang, the Patriarch must regard you highly if he gave you such treasures. I suppose only someone like you deserves such an incredible sword and sabre though.”
In the battle to protect the Eldest Young Lady Meng Ru, Yang Kai did not only prove his loyalty but also his incredible strength and skill. In fact, Meng De Ye had sent his trusted aide to examine the battlefield, and the conclusion was that there were fewer than ten people in the world who could fight against 100 bandits on their own and cause such casualties.
Since Yang Kai was both loyal and powerful, it was expected that Meng De Ye regarded him highly. Yang Kai’s power would increase significantly as he now possessed the Stirring Clouds Saber and Covering Rain Sword.
It was not tiring to work in the inner court because Meng Ru stayed in her residence most of the time. She would rarely step out of the building.
It wasn’t certain whether it was because she loved staying indoors or she was still frightened following the previous incident.
Therefore, Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong just had to remain hidden when they were on duty and paid close attention to her to prevent any accidents from happening.
With that said, rarely would any accidents happen in the inner court. Other than the two of them, there were a lot of personal bodyguards hiding in different places. Those who were untrustworthy would never be allowed to enter the inner court.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai now faced a conundrum as he was unable to get into any close contact with the Eldest Young Lady. This was giving him a headache.
There was no doubt that he had left a lasting impression on her, and he was now lucky enough to become her personal bodyguard in the inner court; however, if he was unable to strike while the iron was hot, his efforts might all go to waste.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai was just a personal bodyguard in the inner court while Meng Ru was the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor. There was a huge difference between their statuses. If he crossed the line, he would only invite trouble to himself.
Yang Kai reckoned that he had to come up with a plan to get closer to the Eldest Young Lady.
One day, Meng Ru was in a good mood as she led her two maidservants to take a stroll around the garden.
Although it had only been a short time since Qian Qian entered the inner court, she had gained the Eldest Young Lady’s favour for some reason. Only one month had passed, but she was now one of her trusted maidservants.
Despite the fact that she was on an equal footing with Cui’er, she wasn’t as close to the Eldest Young Lady as the latter; after all, Cui’er and the Eldest Young Lady grew up together.
Having said that, many of the maidservants in the inner court were envious of Qian Qian’s luck. No one knew why the Eldest Young Lady was fond of this new maidservant.
Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong followed them without revealing themselves. The Eldest Young Lady and the maidservants had no idea where they were.
However, Meng Ru knew that Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong were not far away from her in order to prevent any accidents from happening. That was because she had given it a try before. Regardless of where she was, she just had to call out to Yang Kai, and he would appear from a random corner and stand in front of her, as though he was her shadow.
For a few days, she never got tired of this little game. As soon as she found a reason, she would call out to Yang Kai.
As a result, Cui’er’s displeasure with Yang Kai increasingly intensified whenever she saw him.
On this day, the Eldest Young Lady was in a jovial mood; in fact, she had been cheerful recently as she was no longer traumatised by the kidnapping incident. She would always keep an alluring smile on her face.
Nevertheless, she was just a young woman who rarely stepped out of her residence, so after about two hours, she started panting and declared, “I’m tired.”
Cui’er said, “In that case, we should go back and get some rest. It’s pretty windy here, so you might catch a cold if you stay here any longer.”
The Eldest Young Lady tilted her head and fell into her thoughts. Suddenly thinking of something, she giggled and called out, “Guard Yang!”
The next moment, footsteps could be heard approaching from behind. Yang Kai appeared like a phantom and stopped in his tracks in a spot that was ten paces away from Meng Ru before cupping his fist, “Eldest Young Lady!”
“Oh, you’re here.” Meng Ru turned around and pouted with disappointment, “I thought you would appear from over there. I didn’t expect that you were behind me.”
When Cui’er saw that the Eldest Young Lady was acting so happily, she asked gently, “Eldest Young Lady, why did you call out to Guard Yang again? He has to stay hidden to protect you.”
She then glowered at Yang Kai, “You may go now.”
The Eldest Young Lady, however, interjected, “There’s not really any danger in the inner court. Moreover, Guard Yang is strong. Even if there’s any danger, he can protect me regardless of whether he is hidden or not. Am I right, Guard Yang?”
Yang Kai hung his head low, “It’s my duty to protect you, Eldest Young Lady.”
“Alright, the Eldest Young Lady knows that you’re loyal. You may go,” Cui’er waved her hand.
Instead of leaving though, Yang Kai asked, “Do you have anything to tell me, Eldest Young Lady?”
“Yes.” Meng Ru nodded happily, “I want to learn martial arts. Why don’t you teach me?”
Cui’er was astounded and asked, “You want to learn martial arts, Eldest Young Lady? You’ve never been interested in them since you were a child.”
Meng Ru replied with a smile, “That was in the past. Preferences can change over time.”
Cui’er dissuaded her by saying, “I’m worried that it’s too late for you to start learning martial arts. You won’t become a powerful cultivator. Furthermore…”
Meng Ru cut her off by saying, “It’s not like I want to become a powerful cultivator. I just want to strengthen my body. Isn’t that one of the benefits of learning martial arts? I feel tired after just walking for a short time, which must be because I’m weak. Moreover, I found it difficult to hold a sword previously as I almost couldn’t lift it. If I had learned martial arts, that wouldn’t have happened. Even if I come across any danger again, I’ll have the strength to protect myself.”
Seeing that the Eldest Young Lady was insistent, Cui’er wouldn’t dare to refute her. After giving it a thought, she offered a suggestion, “If you want to learn martial arts, you can ask a martial arts instructor in the manor to teach you. Guard Yang has his own duties, so it might not be convenient for him.”
Meng Ru snorted, “The martial arts instructors in the manor are not as strong as Guard Yang. You have no idea how bold he was. At that time, he easily killed those bandits with the sword and sabre in his hands. The blood formed into a puddle and dyed my shoes red.”
Cui’er had never heard of anything so ruthless before, so she turned pale in an instant and wouldn’t dare to say anything.
Meng Ru then turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Will you teach me, Guard Yang?”
Certainly, Yang Kai was more than willing to do that as he would have a chance to come into close contact with the Eldest Young Lady repeatedly, so after pretending to ponder for a moment, he nodded, “I am your subordinate, so I will definitely obey your orders.”
Meng Ru clapped her hands with joy, “Let’s start now, then.”
“Here?” Yang Kai asked.
“Oh, en, let’s go back first,” Meng Ru came to her senses and shuffled forward.
Yang Kai followed her closely.
Cui’er snapped back to reality and frowned. After telling Qian Qian something, she pulled up her dress and dashed out of the inner court.
The Eldest Young Lady wanted to learn martial arts, and she insisted that Yang Kai had to teach her. This matter had to be reported to the Patriarch. Since Cui’er was powerless to stop her, she reckoned that she would ask the Patriarch to intervene.
Upon leaving the inner court, Cui’er arrived at the Grand Hall where the Patriarch dealt with his daily business. After waiting for a bit, she was allowed to see him.
Cui’er quickly told him what was going on. With his back leaning against his chair, Meng De Ye placed his hands on his belly and gave it a thought, “If Ru’er wants to learn martial arts, just let her be. I suppose she just wants to learn it for fun. She won’t persevere for long. Tell Yang Kai that he must not let Ru’er get injured. If she loses a strand of hair, I’ll not spare him.”
Cui’er had never expected that the Patriarch would agree to it. Although it was obvious to everyone that he had been doting on the Eldest Young Lady over the years, she thought he would stop her this time.
She had the urge to say that after the previous incident, there was something wrong with the way the Eldest Young Lady looked at Yang Kai. She had been by her side for many years, but she had never seen Meng Ru looking at a man with such a gaze before.
That was a gaze with a sense of longing.
However, she wouldn’t dare to say such a thing out loud. First of all, she was worried that she was mistaken. Secondly, it might ruin the Eldest Young Lady’s reputation.
“You may leave now,” Meng De Ye waved his hand.
Left with no choice, Cui’er left the hall.
Upon returning to the inner court, she realised that the Eldest Young Lady had changed into some tight-fitting clothes. There was a wooden sword in her hand as she wielded it following Yang Kai’s instructions.
The move was monotonous, but the Eldest Young Lady seemed joyful and serious as she kept asking Yang Kai whether she was doing it right. Yang Kai was just standing in a spot not far away from her as he gave her instructions from time to time.
Meanwhile, Qian Qian was standing silently to the side. Cui’er walked up to her and complained, “Why didn’t you stop her?”
A flustered Qian Qian lowered her head and remained silent.
Cui’er snapped, “You’re so useless! I’ll chase you out of here sooner or later!”
Qian Qian hung her head even lower.
Just a quarter-hour later, the Eldest Young Lady was drenched in sweat.
A well-prepared Cui’er walked up to her with a wet towel and helped her wipe herself off.
With a hopeful gaze, Meng Ru asked, “How was I doing, Guard Yang?”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “As a beginner, you are doing very well. You have the talent to learn martial arts.”
That was to be expected; after all, she was Qu Hua Shang’s reincarnation. Although she had lost her memory, her instincts were ingrained in the deepest part of her Soul. It wasn’t surprising that she had shown exceptional aptitude in learning martial arts.
Meng Ru was elated, “Really? You’d better not lie to me. If you do, I’ll…” As she spoke, she balled up her fist and shook it as though she was going to punch him.
However, she soon realised that she was acting rather coquettishly, so she quickly retracted her hand and wiped her face to conceal her embarrassment.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai replied, “I would never dare to lie to you. It’s the truth.”
Upon hearing that, Meng Ru put on a bright smile.
Cui’er pressed her lips together, “You’d better be cautious, Eldest Young Lady. Men’s words cannot be trusted.”
“What are you talking about? It’s not like you’ve had a man before,” Meng Ru pinched the other woman’s nose.
A blushing Cui’er stomped her foot on the ground, “How could you even say such a thing? I have to tell the Patriarch about it.”
“No, don’t do that! I’ll keep my mouth shut, Cui’er,” Meng Ru quickly pleaded with her.