Two Innate Territory Lords stayed back to keep an eye on things while the other Masters from the Black Ink Clan left as quickly as they came.
Yang Kai, who was still in hiding, cocked his brow and transmitted to Wu Kuang, “What a… unique nickname you have there.”
“I interacted with the Royal Lords here a couple of times when I was bored,” Wu Kuang quipped, “I made a strong impression on them!”
Yang Kai had nothing to say to that.
Standing guard over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for thousands of years was indeed a lonely, monotonous task. Making contact with the Royal Lords would not only relieve some stress but would also be a chance to glean useful information.
“I’ll take you over to the Suppressing Black Ink Army. Don’t resist,” Wu Kuang’s voice rang out.
Yang Kai hummed in acknowledgement.
At the very next breath, he felt a strange energy enveloping him and whisking him through the endless Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai was moved silently and unnoticeably. Occasionally, he could sense strong auras flitting past him. These belonged to the Royal Lords, but somehow, with the help of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction’s power, he could move past them without being detected.
At last, Yang Kai felt as if he had broken through a layer of some sort and entered a different space.
The darkness disappeared at once.
This space was not filled with Black Ink Strength. It was a fairly small area where speckles of light could be seen.
Yang Kai followed the light and saw the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress. Glowing pearls hung atop the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress and gave off the soft light that Yang Kai saw.
A group of people was waiting expectantly on the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress. They had heard the news from Wu Kuang in advance and knew Yang Kai was coming.
Yang Kai moved over to the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress and soon, he landed in front of the group. He let out a small exhale of relief as his eyes took in the crowd; then, he bowed in greeting to the silver-haired man in front, “Senior.”
Wu Kuang borrowed the strength of the Grand Restriction to create this space. It was largely protected from the Black Ink Clan’s eyes, and that was why the Suppressing Black Ink Army was able to remain inside for so long without being annihilated.
As it was a small space, Fu Guang did not use his Dragon Form but remained in his Human Form instead.
Fu Guang raised his hand and said, “We can skip the formalities. It is unfortunate that you had to see us in this awkward predicament.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It is I who failed to plan properly. All of you have suffered greatly for the past few years, Senior.”
“We all share the responsibility of vanquishing the Black Ink Clan,” Fu Guang waved his hand before asking, “How are things out there?”
Wu Kuang had informed them that Yang Kai was coming, but he did not give them an update about the situation beyond the Grand Restriction, so Fu Guang could not help but feel a bit concerned.
The Suppressing Black Ink Army was in charge of standing guard over the opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. They had been sucked into the Grand Restriction during an earlier commotion, and without them, a large number of Masters from the Black Ink Clan had escaped from the breach. That would surely be a blow to the Humans in the 3,000 Worlds.
“We have reclaimed the 3,000 Worlds,” Yang Kai declared, “All of the Black Ink Clansmen there have been wiped out. The Human Race Army is currently making its way over and will arrive at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction in about a month.”
“Oh?” Fu Guang’s spirits soared at once, “We have reclaimed the 3,000 Worlds?”
Everyone else was thrilled by the news.
They had been positioned outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for years now and never got a chance to make contact with the others back home, so they were completely unaware of what was happening. The lack of information was torturous for the Suppressing Black Ink Army.
They did not know how much longer they had to stand watch here…
Now that they heard the 3,000 Worlds had been reclaimed, they felt a heavy burden lifted off their shoulders.
“A large number of Masters escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so we realised that something must’ve happened at the Grand Restriction, which is why I came over first to see what the situation was,” Yang Kai added.
Fu Guang nodded, “A few years ago, the Grand Restriction had a sudden burst of instability. The Suppressing Black Ink Army failed to withdraw in time so we were sucked inside. We’re only able to survive this long thanks to Wu Kuang’s protection.”
Nevertheless, even though Wu Kuang used the power of the Grand Restriction to hide the Suppressing Black Ink Army’s tracks to keep them out of sight from the Black Ink Clan, they were still doomed if they could not think of a way to escape this predicament.
Wu Kuang could keep them safe for now, but he could not do so forever.
This was Mo’s domain, and it was filled with its energy and creations. Now and then, the Suppressing Black Ink Army would inadvertently let out a trace of their existence and the Black Ink Clan would mount a siege.
In fact, it had happened just a while ago and Wu Kuang had to rush over to rescue them.
All of a sudden, Wu Kuang’s voice rang out, “Once the Human Race Army comes along to keep the Black Ink Clan occupied, I’ll find a chance to deliver all of you out of here.”
He could not make an attempt now. For one, there were over 10 million Black Ink Clansmen outside the Grand Restriction so the Suppressing Black Ink Army would be slaughtered the moment they showed up.
Furthermore, within the Grand Restriction, a large number of Masters from the Black Ink Clan were lying in wait near the opening as well.
The Black Ink Clan knew that there was a Human Race Army inside the Grand Restriction, and there was also only one opening that allowed passage out of the Grand Restriction. By guarding that spot, they made it impossible for the Humans to escape.
If the Suppressing Black Ink Army wanted to leave safely, they had to wait until the Human Race Army arrived. Once the battle broke out, they would get their chance to leave.
Before that, they would have to remain under Wu Kuang’s watchful protection.
After getting more information about the outside world from Yang Kai, Fu Guang began to feel more assured.
“Oh, right. I brought some resources, Senior.” Yang Kai took out a small pile of Space Rings from his Small Universe.
After seizing the No-Return Pass, the Humans managed to restock their supplies. The Black Ink Clan had gathered a great number of resources during their occupation and failed to destroy them in the hasty battle, so the resources naturally fell into the Humans’ hands.
Yang Kai had stored a lot of resources in his Small Universe for his own ease of use, so he could now pass them over to the Suppressing Black Ink Army.
Fu Guang accepted the Space Rings and nodded lightly, “Resources are indeed in short supply, so I’ll take these.”
Yang Kai felt ashamed, “I should’ve dealt with this issue sooner, but something unexpected happened a while back and I could no longer come over anytime I wanted.”
Fu Guang nodded once more. He then glanced at Yu Ru Meng at the others who were standing to the side and thoughtfully announced, “I’ll go and hand out the resources to the others first.”
“Many thanks, Senior.”
Soon, the only ones remaining were Yang Kai and his Family.
He looked at the women and saw Yu Ru Meng, Su Yan, Shan Qing Luo, Zhu Qing, Xue Yue, Ji Yao, Qu Hua Shang, and Tao Ling Wan.
Everyone was here apart from Xia Ning Chang, who had to remain in the Star Boundary as a Great Grandmaster Alchemist.
“You all must have had a hard time,” Yang Kai said, ashamed.
When the Suppressing Black Ink Army had been formed, Mi Jing Lun wanted these women to join it. At the time, intense fights were happening across the Great Territory Battlefields and the situation out there was incredibly dangerous. On the other hand, the Suppressing Black Ink Army was only in charge of standing guard over the Grand Restriction, so the risks were much lower.
Mi Jing Lun had done so as a favour to Yang Kai.
Alas, even Mi Jing Lun could not predict the changes that would happen many years later. He did not expect the Suppressing Black Ink Army would end up in such a crisis. He never would have thought that they would be sucked into the Grand Restriction and run the risk of being exterminated if they did not have Wu Kuang’s protection.
Mi Jing Lun had been under a lot of pressure when he heard that the situation at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had changed and the Suppressing Black Ink Army could be in a disastrous situation.
He did not know how he was going to face Yang Kai if the Suppressing Black Ink Army had been annihilated.
“Everyone is having a hard time right now, not just us,” Yu Ru Meng took Yang Kai’s hand and gently held it. Her voice was soft as she soothed, “You don’t need to worry about us. We’re all together and we can look out for one another. You just need to focus on what you have to do.”
Su Yan spoke up next, “That’s right. We are a part of the Army and doing our part to eradicate the Black Ink Clan. We’re not weak flowers that need constant protection. You don’t need to worry too much about us.”
Shan Qing Luo smiled, “As long as you don’t think that we’re a burden, Husband!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Why would I think you’re a burden? You’re all my most precious treasures!”
Ji Yao and the more reserved women immediately blushed at how frank Yang Kai was, but their gazes softened with affection.
Yang Kai’s three Legacy Disciples were gathered nearby as well. Xu Yi was looking at Yang Kai with a look of admiration as he exclaimed, “That’s our Honoured Master, alright! He’s indeed amazing. Looks like I’ll have to work hard to follow in his footsteps.”
A sharp hiss suddenly rang out.
Xu Yi hastily turned around, “What’s the matter, Eldest Senior Brother?”
Zhao Ye Bai had been the one who gasped.
Zhao Ye Bai was rubbing his waist as he stared innocently at Zhao Ya, “Why did you pinch me, Xiao Ya?”
“No reason. I just felt like pinching you!” Zhao Ya huffed.
“Oh…”
Xu Yi eyed Zhao Ye Bai pitifully, but in the end, he could not resist giving a reminder, “Eldest Senior Brother, as Honoured Master’s First Disciple, you should learn from him and live up to his expectations!”
Zhao Ye Bai gave it some serious thought and nodded, “You’re right. I’ve reached a bottleneck in my cultivation of the Dao of Space. This is a rare opportunity. I must ask Honoured Master for some guidance later.”
Xu Yi gaped and realised his Eldest Senior Brother was a hopeless case as he muttered, “The Grand Dao isn’t the only thing you can learn from Honoured Master, Eldest Senior Brother…”
“Why did you pinch me again, Xiao Ya?”
“It makes me happy!”
“En…”
There were endless thoughts and feelings of longing to express now that the long-awaited reunion had finally occurred.
Still, it was not the time or place to dwell on such things. The women were wise and sensible enough, so once they all had a brief chat with Yang Kai, Yu Ru Meng led them away.
Yang Kai fell into a reverie as he watched them leave.
“Big Brother,” Yang Xue’s voice called out next. She and others like Zhao Ye Bai had been waiting to the side the whole time and only came over once Yu Ru Meng and the other Wives left.
“A-Adoptive Father!” Yang Xiao called out as well.
Yang Kai turned around and smiled at Yang Xue. He stroked her head as he said, “Your Big Brother has spent all this time running around everywhere and rarely had a moment to stop to take a break. I’ve always considered it a pity that I couldn’t spend time with you when you were young. Please don’t hold it against me.”
Yang Xue grinned and said, “I wouldn’t, of course. Ever since I was a child, I knew that you were destined for great things, Big Brother. Mother and Father praised you all the time, and when I was young, I dreamed about becoming someone like you. Based on cultivation alone, I think I’ve done well enough,” then, she lifted her chin slightly and added, “You need to work harder, Big Brother. Don’t let your Little Sister surpass you.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I do need to work harder from now on.”
After the light-hearted chat, both Yang Kai and Yang Xue felt warm with familial love.
Yang Kai finally turned to Yang Xiao, who had been standing on the side all along.
“Adoptive Father!” Yang Xiao stood rigidly with sweat beading across his forehead.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Are you feeling extremely nervous?”
“Of course not! Never!” Yang Xiao denied it at once, “My heart is leaping with joy at the fact that I get to see you when we’re in such a challenging situation, Adoptive Father!”
Yang Kai scoffed.
Yang Xiao jumped a little.
“Spend more time on your cultivation so that you become a Divine Dragon as soon as possible,” Yang Kai instructed after eyeing Yang Xiao for a while.
“Yes! I won’t let you down!” Yang Xiao firmly declared.
“Go on,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Yang Xue began leading away a stiff Yang Xiao, but all of a sudden, she turned back around and reminded, “Make sure you be careful, Big Brother!”
Perhaps the connection they shared due to their Bloodline allowed her to sense that Yang Kai was about to do something dangerous, so she had a look of worry on her face.
Yang Kai nodded, “You both take good care of yourselves too.”
After watching Yang Xue and Yang Xiao leave, Yang Kai turned back to his three Disciples.
“Greetings, Honoured Master!” All three of them kneeled and bowed in greeting.
Yang Kai accepted the bow before lifting his hand, “You may rise.”
Zhao Ye Bai and the other two stood up.
Yang Kai had a faint smile as his eyes flitted over the three.
All of the disciples from the Void Dao Temple could be said to have inherited his mantle and were proficient in the cultivation of various Grand Daos. Thus, all of the cultivators from Void Dao Temple could be considered his Disciples.
However, only these three in front of him truly inherited his Legacy.
It was not that Yang Kai held back when he taught others his Daos, but Zhao Ye Bai and the other two were the only ones who formally underwent the ritual to become his Disciples.
They each inherited one of the Grand Daos that Yang Kai was most focused on, and all along, he had high hopes for them. Based on their achievement over the years, they did not let him down, nor did they waste their talents.
“Are you about to break through to the next Order?” Yang Kai suddenly realised there was something amiss about their aura. All three of them seemed to be suppressed by some kind of energy, and they were also doing their best to rein themselves in.
Zhao Ye Bai replied, “Reporting to Honoured Master, we will be breaking through soon, but Senior Wu Kuang said that as the Suppressing Black Ink Army is currently in hiding, we shouldn’t make too much of a commotion, so he had Senior Fu Guang put some seals on us to delay our breakthrough.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “That was wise.”
The Suppressing Black Ink Army was in a difficult spot right now and just covering their tracks alone took up a sizable amount of Wu Kuang’s attention. If Zhao Ye Bai and the others had their breakthroughs now, there was a high chance that the Humans would be exposed and they would be caught.
However, from the looks of it, their breakthrough was happening just as Yang Kai had predicted. They would have undoubtedly become Ninth-Order Masters by now if they had not been sucked into the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Both they and the Suppressing Black Ink Army would have received a great boost in power.
“Come. I do have some knowledge to share regarding the breakthrough to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Now’s my chance to share it with you,” Yang Kai took out a few futons from his Small Universe and tossed them onto the ground for him and his Disciples to sit on.
Zhao Ye Bai and the others quickly sat down to listen carefully to Yang Kai’s advice.
Although Yang Xue had shared some of her knowledge with them, every Master who ascended to the Ninth Order would encounter slightly different situations, so it was still beneficial for them to listen to their Honoured Master’s teachings.
After sharing some pointers and things to look out for when becoming a Ninth-Order Master, Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to confer with Wu Kuang. He was in a good mood as he asked, “It’s rare for us to have some spare time on our hands. Do any of you have any difficulties in your cultivation that you need assistance with?”
All three of them became spirited at once, but Zhao Ye Bai was the first to speak, “Honoured Master, this Disciple seems to have hit a bottleneck in the Dao of Space and wants to seek guidance from you.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Use some of your Space Principles. Let me take a look.”
Zhao Ye Bai immediately did as he was told. When Yang Kai sensed the movement of Space Principles, he raised his brow in pleasant surprise.
When it came to cultivation aptitude, Zhao Ye Bai was the weakest of Yang Kai’s three Disciples. In fact, he was weaker than most of the disciples from the Void Dao Temple.
There was only one reason why he was able to get this far in his Martial Dao, and that was because he had overwhelming compatibility with Space Principles, as if he had been born to cultivate the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai had taken Zhao Ye Bai as his Disciple because when the former had been wandering around in his Small Universe, he sensed that Zhao Ye Bai, who was still in his Mother’s womb at the time, had formed a connection with Yang Kai’s Space Dao Essence.
At the time, Zhao Ye Bai had not even been born yet!
A cultivator who had an innate connection with a Grand Dao would surely be able to cultivate that Grand Dao a lot more easily than others. The compatibility between this cultivator and the Grand Dao would be far above everyone else’s.
Zhao Ye Bai’s compatibility with the Dao of Space was able to make up for what he lacked in general cultivation aptitude.
Based on Yang Kai’s categorisation of Grand Dao Mastery, Zhao Ye Bai was currently at the peak of the Seventh Level, just one step away from the Eighth Level.
This was incredibly rare. Usually, only fully grown Phoenixes would be at this level, but those of the Phoenix Clan were born with a natural advantage as the Dao of Space was their Bloodline Talent, making it far easier for them to cultivate it.
Li Wu Yi was probably the only other Human to reach this level as well, but Li Wu Yi had been cultivating for much longer than Zhao Ye Bai.
Yang Kai even felt that if he cultivated normally, he would not be as proficient as Zhao Ye Bai was. His own elevated mastery of the Grand Daos was mainly due to the benefits he received from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon and the Infinite River. He had refined a lot of pure Dao Strengths from these two mysterious places and that had enabled his proficiency over the various Grand Daos to soar greatly.
When it came to higher levels of individual Grand Daos, words conveyed very little, so after a moment of silent thought, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles to elucidate some mysteries to Zhao Ye Bai.
Zhao Ye Bai watched attentively.
After a long silence, he declared, “You’re incredible, Honoured Master. This Disciple is in awe!”
Yang Kai’s display was akin to breaking the Dao of Space down into minute details and showing Zhao Ye Bai the deepest, innermost mysteries. Due to Zhao Ye Bai’s compatibility with the Dao of Space, he was able to learn a lot from this alone.
The new knowledge and understanding flooded Zhao Ye Bai’s mind and he was confident that a brief retreat of focused cultivation would be enough for him to break through his bottleneck and allow his mastery of this Grand Dao to ascend to a new level.
Though he was eager to do so immediately, he could not under these circumstances, so he had to quell his desire.
Now that Yang Kai was done with his Eldest Disciple, he turned to his Second Disciple, Zhao Ya.
She got to her feet at once and waved her hand in the air to produce a long spear, “Please instruct me, Honoured Master!”
The Spear Dao could not be taught the same way the Dao of Space had been. It could only be transmitted through battle.
Yang Kai smiled, “Attack me!”
Zhao Ye Bai and Xu Yi’s expressions changed as they quickly scrambled out of their seats in front of Yang Kai and hurried to the side.
Yang Kai was startled by their reaction, but soon, his gaze hardened. All at once, an alarming murderous intent loomed over him, and in the very next instant, the tip of a spear drew near.
He raised his hand and lightly flicked away Zhao Ya’s spear.
Nevertheless, Zhao Ya did not stop there. She kept attacking with her spear, time and time again with quick, relentless strikes.
Zhao Ya seemed like an entirely different person when she had her spear in hand. Her presence became incredibly dominating.
Her spear technique showed traces of the Supreme Limitless Spear, but most of it was a product of her many years of accumulation and practice. In fact, Yang Kai could sense that she could very well surpass him when it came to the Spear Dao, which left him feeling rather helpless.
Only an impossibly dangerous environment could produce such an alarming Spear Technique, which was not something to be pleased about.
Zhao Ya was afraid to cause too much of a commotion, so she did not use her World Force or her Dao Strength, she simply relied on pure technique.
Her murderous intent did not decrease though. It was as if she were going up against a hated enemy she could never be reconciled with instead of Yang Kai, her Honoured Master.
Yang Kai finally realised why Zhao Ye Bai and Xu Yi had reacted the way they did earlier. They must have experienced the imposing aura of Zhao Ya’s spear themselves and knew to stay clear.
“Xiao Ya, you do indeed have great mastery over the spear and its techniques, but your murderous intent is too strong.”
Zhao Ya continued to lunge and withdraw her spear as she flitted around Yang Kai. Her spear loomed over the small area as she asked, “The Spear Dao is focused on domination and slaughter, how am I supposed to kill the enemy if my murderous intent isn’t strong?”
“You do need strong murderous intent, but too much of it isn’t a good thing.”
“It’s good to strike fear in the enemy even before the battle. It makes it even easier to kill them off.”
“If you run into an enemy who’s either weaker or of similar strength to you, you can indeed use your murderous intent to intimidate them, but what will you do if you run into an enemy stronger than you?”
“I won’t give up until I kill them!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Xiao Ya, it’s true that Spear Dao is used offensively, but you need to get one thing clear. Are you using your spear to kill or to protect?!”
Zhao Ya did not understand, “Please enlighten me, Honoured Master.”
“One’s spear can be used to kill the enemy, but it can also be used to protect lives!” Yang Kai blocked Zhao Ya’s attack with his hand before reaching into the air. His voice continued, “The persistent focus on killing will only lead one’s heart astray. Everyone has something they wish to protect and that gives them strength to persist.”
Zhao Ya was confused, “How can I protect anyone if I don’t kill the enemy? Killing off all my enemies is the only way to protect what I am determined to protect!”
“And what do you want to protect?” Yang Kai asked as he brought out his Azure Dragon Spear.
“I want to protect…” Zhao Ya’s dazed eyes grew bright again as her gaze swept over the spot where Zhao Ye Bai was standing intently, she then shot a quick glance at Xu Yi as well.
Xu Yi keenly sensed this and grumbled, “Hey, Eldest Senior Brother, why do I feel like I’m just included as an afterthought?”
“Huh? What?” Zhao Ye Bai turned to ask. As he spoke though, he felt a sudden chill grip his heart as the aura of death swept over him.
Before he could react, he heard Zhao Ya’s heart-wrenching shriek, “No!”
Zhao Ye Bai turned around and saw his Honoured Master, enveloped by Black Ink Strength, a genuine Black Ink Disciple, flying over at him with his spear ready to strike.
Zhao Ye Bai was frozen stiff in a corner of the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, his sweat-drenched clothes clinging to his skin.
For a brief moment, he felt the aura of death deep within his bones and thought he had already tread upon the gates of Hell.
He was even more horrified by the fact that he could not move. He could not do anything to stop or block his Honoured Master’s sudden attack.
In other words, if his Honoured Master wanted to kill him, a single attack from his spear would suffice!
It was an awe-inspiring strength.
Zhao Ye Bai was at the peak of the Eighth Order, and once Yang Xue became a Ninth Order Master, Zhao Ye Bai sought her out for a friendly exchange. Even though neither one of them used their full strength in the battle, and Zhao Ye Bai had not been Yang Xue’s equal by any means, he had still been able to put up a fight for a few dozen blows.
He was also proficient in the Dao of Space, so if he wanted to escape, Yang Xue would not be able to stop him.
Out of all the current Eighth-Order Masters, he was one of the strongest.
Even so, his strength seemed inconsequential when he was up against his Honoured Master.
At the last moment, someone blocked the spear from striking Zhao Ye Bai. Zhao Ya stood in front of Zhao Ye Bai with her spear held horizontally in front of her to block the Azure Dragon Spear. The Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering dominance disappeared once the spears made contact.
Zhao Ya was still in the throes of lingering fear and shock, though she felt a little dazed as well. She did not know how she managed to unleash such formidable strength to protect her Eldest Senior Brother from her Honoured Master’s attack.
The Black Ink Strength surrounding Yang Kai vanished as he returned to normal. He eyed Zhao Ya, who looked terrified, and asked, “Do you understand now?”
Zhao Ya pursed her lips and hoarsely replied, “Disciple understands.”
Yang Kai nodded. Out of his three Disciples, Zhao Ye Bai’s aptitude was the poorest while Zhao Ya’s was the highest. In fact, her aptitude was stronger than anyone else Yang Kai had ever met.
Throughout the last few millennia, there were many fine young talents from the Star Boundary, Void World, and Myriad Monsters World. Many were able to ascend directly to Seventh Order, but when it came to their natural aptitude for cultivating, no one surpassed Zhao Ya.
She had strong comprehension, and though she had taken a few wrong turns in her cultivation of the Spear Dao, Yang Kai was certain this experience would be enough for her to have a decisive breakthrough in her mastery of this Grand Dao.
As Yang Kai withdrew the Azure Dragon Spear, Zhao Ya felt as if she had used up every bit of strength she had in her and crumpled weakly into Zhao Ye Bai’s arms.
Yang Kai turned to Xu Yi.
Xu Yi gulped and stepped forward, “Please teach me, Honoured Master.”
After seeing what his Second Senior Sister went through, he did not know what kind of guidance he would be receiving from his Honoured Master.
Thankfully, Yang Kai simply raised his hand and condensed Time Principles above it. The Time Principles solidified as Yang Kai demonstrated the mysteries of the Dao of Time the same way he did when he taught Zhao Ye Bai earlier.
Xu Yi was fully attentive and was able to learn a lot.
A half cup of tea’s time later, Xu Yi respectfully bowed and said, “Honoured Master, this Disciple has been enlightened.”
Yang Kai nodded.
He looked at his three Disciples and a thought occurred to him, “I once comprehended a Divine Ability that requires a combination of both the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time to work, and it is incredibly strong. Ye Bai, Xu Yi, when you’re free, you can try to comprehend it as well. Perhaps you will gain something from it.”
Yang Kai lifted his hand once more.
As Space Principles burst forth, a Great Sun rose and the Full Moon hung in the air. The Sun and Moon shone together.
He then made another flick with his hand and Time Principles began flowing.
The two Principles swirled and combined. Mysterious changes began occurring as the two vastly different Principles intertwined, causing the Sun and Moon to begin spinning about, forming a kind of spiral that severely warped both Space and Time.
Zhao Ye Bai and Xu Yi were engrossed in what they saw.
“This is the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel. If you wish to produce it, you two will need to join forces and work together to have even a shred of possibility of creating this effect.”
The Sun and Moon Divine Seal was the enhanced version of this Divine Ability, but Zhao Ye Bai and Xu Yi could not produce it at their current strength. In fact, Yang Kai was not even certain whether they could produce the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel.
Yang Kai was proficient in both Grand Daos, so it was easy enough for him to wield this Divine Ability. He did not know whether it was possible to achieve it if two Masters were to work together instead.
Nevertheless, there was no harm in trying. If Zhao Ye Bai and Xu Yi were able to produce the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel together, they would have an additional trump card whenever they joined forces.
After all, they were stuck in this place and could not cultivate or work towards their breakthroughs, so it was better for them to spend their time cultivating their Grand Daos. At least, they could still make some progress.
Zhao Ye Bai and Xu Yi both nodded, “We have taken your teachings to heart, Honoured Master. We won’t let you down.”
“En, I still have other matters to attend to,” Yang Kai declared, “Once the Human Race Army arrives, Wu Kuang will find the chance to send all of you out of here.”
As he spoke, his Divine Sense flashed.
Fu Guang appeared the next moment.
“I must go, Senior, so I’ll leave the Suppressing Black Ink Army in your care.”
“You’re heading over there?” Evidently, Fu Guang had picked up on something.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “It could be an opportunity for us. Either way, I must take a look and see for myself.”
Fu Guang was concerned, “You have to be careful. I’m not sure what the exact situation is like, but Wu Kuang told me some things and I know it’s probably not safe there. Don’t bite off more than you can chew and have the situation end up backfiring on you instead.”
“I’ll play it by ear and act accordingly,” Yang Kai assured.
He then turned towards the Void and called out, “Let’s start, Wu Kuang.”
“Are you sure you want to go there?” Wu Kuang asked to confirm.
“At a time like this, I can’t back away.”
“I can take you there, but I don’t have the power to do anything more. You’ll have to rely on yourself.”
“Of course!”
“Good.” Although Wu Kuang knew that Yang Kai had already made up his mind, he still felt the need to check once more; alas, it was as Yang Kai said, they could not back down now.
A cloud of fog began enveloping Yang Kai’s figure. It was Wu Kuang who was harnessing the power of the Grand Restriction.
All at once, Yang Kai felt the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress swiftly moving away from him. The earlier scene of Wu Kuang transporting him around repeated itself as he weaved through the sea of Black Ink Strength and headed towards a mysterious unknown land.
Wu Kuang told Yang Kai a few things about the unknown land, but he did not give many details as it was hard for him to unearth the mysteries of that place too.
As it was, if it had not been for the sudden explosion of Black Ink Strength a few years ago, Wu Kuang would not have known that such an unusual place existed inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
It was a hidden hand that Mu left behind!
Millennia ago, during the Humans’ first crusade, they suffered a devastating defeat and the Crusade Force endured catastrophic losses. Mo acted out and Cang was unable to stop it. When it looked as if the Grand Restriction was about to break open and Mo was about to escape, Mu’s silhouette appeared out of the blue.
She used some strange method to make Mo fall into a deep slumber and saved the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, which had been on the verge of collapse. In doing so, she saved the Human Race Army from the danger of being wiped out and the Humans were able to spend thousands of years building themselves back up.
Everyone thought that Mu’s hidden hand had been completely used up. Even Cang thought so as well before he died, which was why he did not hesitate to sacrifice himself and integrate with the Grand Restriction to strengthen it.
Before Cang passed on, he told Yang Kai about Shi and had him look for Shi’s reincarnation to let the latter stand guard over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
That led to Yang Kai bringing Wu Kuang over to this place. Although he was not the same as Shi himself, he could still wield some of the strength of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Sure enough, Wu Kuang had done a pretty good job over the past few thousand years.
However, it now seemed that during the Late Ancient Era, Mu had left another hidden hand behind.
Forcing Mo into a deep sleep was not the end of it.
There was more which was hidden inside that unknown land.
Wu Kuang could not figure out what it was precisely, but he had a vague feeling that a crucial piece to the puzzle was hidden there.
He thought about getting Fu Guang to make the trip, but the Suppressing Black Ink Army was deep within enemy territory and Fu Guang could not leave them.
Thankfully, Yang Kai came along and he was undoubtedly the best candidate to make this exploration.
When Wu Kuang filled Yang Kai in on the information regarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, they both knew that this trip had to be made.
No matter what Mu’s hidden hand was, someone needed to investigate; otherwise, once Mo truly woke up, the Human Race’s present heritage would not be enough to defeat it, and the entire Human Race would be exterminated.
Yang Kai kept traversing through the sea of Black Ink Strength. He had the protection of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction’s power; thus, Masters from the Black Ink Clan scattered along the way could not detect him.
“Nearly there,” At some point, Wu Kuang’s voice rang out in Yang Kai’s ear.
Yang Kai tensed up in alertness at once.
Soon, he felt his body hitting an invisible layer and sticking to it.
It happened too quickly, so Yang Kai felt sore all over.
“Wu Kuang, what’s going on?” Yang Kai took a step back and asked.
Wu Kuang innocently replied, “I don’t know. It seems to be preventing all living beings from entering.”
“How am I supposed to go in then?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Hang on. Let me take a look.”
While waiting, Yang Kai stretched his hand out and touched the barrier that was holding him back. It felt like a seal or restriction of some sort, but not quite either. Yang Kai got a very strange feeling from it.
He was about to take a closer look when he felt his palm warming up slightly. A strange kind of energy seemed to come off that invisible layer and washed over him.
Following that, Yang Kai’s palm went through the barrier.
Yang Kai was shocked and puzzled. He took a step forward and half his body went through.
“Huh? How did you do that?” Wu Kuang exclaimed.
“Some sort of power seemed to check my identity before allowing me to enter,” Yang Kai explained as he recalled what he experienced earlier.
“It checked your identity…” Wu Kuang repeated thoughtfully, “It’s probably Mu’s doing. This place is hidden inside the Grand Restriction, so she must’ve guarded it against the Black Ink Clan and made sure that only Humans can enter.”
Though they had no way of ascertaining whether this was indeed the case, it was the only plausible explanation they could think of right now.
“I’m going in,” Yang Kai announced.
“Take this.” As Wu Kuang’s voice rang out, an object suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s hand, but before he could see what it was, he fell into the unknown land.
All at once, Yang Kai froze in place.
He saw a great river cutting through the void, with neither its beginning nor end in sight.
The great river was longer and deeper than fathomable and waves full of Dao Strengths which kept ebbing and flowing; however, the auras of the Time Dao Strength and Space Dao Strength were the strongest.
[A Space-Time River!]
A Space-Time River was hidden deep inside that mysterious unknown land within the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction!
Yang Kai could not believe his eyes and was on the verge of thinking he was hallucinating; however, after studying it carefully, he concluded it was indeed a Space-Time River.
Amid his shock, a question popped into his mind.
[Whose Space-Time River is this?]
In a flash, he got his answer.
[Since this place is part of the hidden hand Mu left behind, the Space-Time River has to be hers.]
Was Mu able to create a Space-Time River too? Does that mean she mastered the use of all 10,000 Grand Daos?
Judging by the size of this Space-Time River, Mu’s mastery of the 10,000 Grand Daos far exceeded his own.
After a brief moment of shock, Yang Kai’s heart filled with awe.
Mu was indeed the strongest out of the 10 Martial Ancestors!
Yang Kai did not think much of it when he saw the respect Cang and Wu Kuang had for Mu, but after witnessing this Space-Time River, he finally realised just how incredible she was.
Initially, he thought that his Space-Time River was the only one of its kind, but now, he knew that he was not the first in history to achieve this feat.
Soon, Yang Kai grew puzzled again though.
He was able to form his Space-Time River from 10,000 Dao Strengths because he had been inspired by the Infinite River inside the Universe Furnace.
If Mu did likewise, did it mean she had once entered the Universe Furnace and saw the Infinite River as well?
Either way, Yang Kai felt a kind of joy at knowing that he walked the same path a Martial Ancestor once had despite being separated by millions of years.
Ever since Yang Kai heard about the mysteries of the Creation Realm from Cang, he had been pondering about it.
There were nine Orders to the Open Heaven Realm, but even if one became a Ninth-Order Master, what were they to do next? Mo came into existence alongside the Universe, so it was powerful beyond imagination. Being a Ninth-Order Master was not enough to kill Mo and remove its threat for good. To do that, one had to break past the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
But, how? How was one supposed to break through the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm? No one could provide any insight into this task.
It could be said that the Humans were reaching the end of the Martial Dao which the Martial Ancestors had left for them.
If they wanted to go even further, they had to clear the obstacles themselves to carve a new path starting from the end of what their Ancestors had paved before them.
Yang Kai did not have any ideas on how to do that until he created his Space-Time River inside the Universe Furnace. He had a vague feeling that the mysterious river created from 10,000 Dao Strengths was the key to the way forward.
However, there was no other Human he could discuss this with right now.
The discovery of another Space-Time River inside this mysterious unknown land changed everything!
This was the Space-Time River that Mu left behind. She was the strongest of the Martial Ancestors, and despite having died millions of years ago, the mere hidden hand she left behind was able to make Mo fall into a deep slumber. Her presence thus lingered on in this manner.
When she lived, Mu would have been trying to discover the mysteries of the realm above the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
If Yang Kai was only 10% certain that the Space-Time River was the key to breaking past the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then he was about 30% certain now!
He had inadvertently trod down the same path Mu had.
That being said, before arriving at his intended destination, Yang Kai did not know whether this path would take him to an even higher pinnacle of Martial Dao or turn out to be a dead end instead.
Many thoughts raced through Yang Kai’s mind, but he soon had his attention focused as he sensed that this Space-Time River differed from his not just in size, but in other ways too.
Strange images flickered each time the waves crashed. The images flew by at rapid speeds in such a bizarre fashion that even Yang Kai had a hard time picking them out.
He was about to use his Divine Sense to take a closer look when a huge wave burst out of the Space-Time River and came crashing down on him.
Yang Kai’s instinctive reaction was to back off, but a thought suddenly occurred to him and he stood his ground.
The wave swallowed Yang Kai up, and once it calmed down again, Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen.
…
Yang Kai felt everything turning upside down. He felt both weightless and as if he was falling off a cliff.
He quickly used his power to steady himself.
Immediately, his expression changed.
In a flash, he had suddenly become impossibly weak. Although his Small Universe was still there, he seemed to have lost contact with it and could not use his World Force.
There was also only a bit of Qi left in him.
Yang Kai had to scramble around before he could somewhat slow down the rate of his fall, but he could not steady himself at all.
He looked down and saw a lush, verdant forest below him, one that was quickly getting closer.
A melancholic thought flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, [Am I going to be the first Ninth-Order Master to die by falling to his death?]
He had been too careless; initially, he thought that Mu’s Space-Time River had to possess some kind of secret, so he did not try to dodge the wave that came at him. He wanted to enter the river and scout it out from the inside; however, he never thought he would end up in such a strange place after being swallowed up by the wave.
Soon, he fell into the forest. Numerous branches cushioned his fall and slowed him down a little, but they could not break his fall entirely.
Moments later, there was a loud thud as Yang Kai dropped to the ground, creating a small crater in the process.
The commotion scared off the birds and the critters, and soon, everything fell silent.
A little while later, Yang Kai was finally able to straighten himself up. He sat on the ground and shook his head.
There was nothing much wrong with him. He did feel a little dizzy, but it was most likely because he had been plunged into this unknown space rather than because of the fall.
He belatedly realised that he was still a Divine Dragon. Even though he could not use his Dragon Vein’s power right now, his thick skin and strong flesh meant that he would not die from such a fall, even if it had been from an even greater height.
Still, he was under a lot of pressure from the sudden turn of events and was a little dazed.
[What is this place?] Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he looked around, narrowing his eyes a moment later.
He was only certain that he was inside Mu’s Space-Time River right now, and he was astonished to find that such a World existed inside the Space-Time River.
His Space-Time River did not contain anything as profound as this.
[From the looks of it now, the images I saw in Mu’s Space-Time River when I was standing outside it earlier weren’t images at all, but reflections of this World…]
[The Infinite River… a Universe World…]
Yang Kai was beginning to get some ideas. He sorely wished he could enter retreat to digest the new information; however, now was not the time for that. The place he was in did not seem to be all that peaceful. His cultivation was being suppressed and his Divine Sense was suppressed to remain inside his Knowledge Sea, so it meant that he only possessed the barest hint of his powers right now. What’s more, after all his years of travels and experiences, Yang Kai could keenly sense that he was not alone in the forest right now!
A strange murderous intent hung thick in the air as unseen pairs of eyes were fixed on him.
Yang Kai lowered his gaze as he silently checked what strength he still had.
“One day, a crack will appear in the sky and a man will fall from it. He will spark the light and rip apart the shackles of darkness. He will defeat the ultimate enemy!”
Somewhere in the forest, a man was staring dazedly at Yang Kai. He muttered those words under his breath, and as he did so, an indescribable look of feverish passion filled his expression.
Two others beside him looked just as ecstatic when they heard what he said and saw the dishevelled Yang Kai.
“You two, get him out of here. I’ll bring up the rear!” The person who spoke first quickly came to a decision, and after giving this order, he gripped his sword and charged out of his hiding spot.
The other two people quickly followed close behind.
As the three of them started moving, the murderous intent that circled the forest grew even stronger as silhouettes fluttered in the shadows.
Yang Kai looked up and his brow rose slightly when he saw the man rushing over to him with a sword in hand.
After a quick check, Yang Kai confirmed what cultivation he had right now. He, a Ninth-Order Master, was only able to use True Element Boundary strength!
[What outrageous suppression!]
The journey of cultivation began with the Tempered Body Stage before continuing to the Initial Element, Qi Transformation, Separation and Reunion, True Element, Immortal Ascension…
Even back in the Great Han Dynasty, Yang Kai’s cultivation had surpassed the True Element Boundary; however, he was being suppressed to that exact Realm by an independent World now.
[That explains why I couldn’t use my Divine Sense. I’m not even in the Immortal Ascension Realm right now!]
Only cultivators who reached the Immortal Ascension Realm could use Divine Sense.
The young man who came charging over at Yang Kai with a sword in hand appeared to be less than 30 years old. He had a determined look on his scarred face and seemed like someone who had wrestled with death before.
His cultivation was also somewhere in the True Element Boundary, but his murderous aura was strong and he had a mysterious Movement Skill that allowed him to rush over to Yang Kai in just a few steps.
Yang Kai eyed him without moving.
He could sense that the young man’s murderous intent was not directed at him. Although he looked fierce when he came storming over, there was also a look of worry as well.
[Why’s this guy worried about me when we don’t know each other?]
Two younger men followed close behind the first one, seemingly part of the same group.
All at once, the scar-faced young man thrust his sword towards Yang Kai. The sword cry was followed by a clang as it flicked away an arrow that was aimed at Yang Kai’s back.
The scar-faced man leapt past Yang Kai and protected him from behind, his sword dancing through the air.
A series of clangs rang out as the young man blocked more arrows that were all directed at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had no idea what was going on!
[I’ve only just arrived in this damned place. How did I get caught up in a fight? One party is trying to protect me while the other one is trying to kill me.]
[Just how did I provoke them?]
[What is going on inside Mu’s Space-Time River?]
Yang Kai was bewildered in every way possible.
“Hurry up and leave! I can’t hold them back for long!” The growl from the scar-faced man interrupted Yang Kai’s thoughts.
Just then, the two men who rushed over with the first one hoisted Yang Kai up from the ground, and the one on his left quickly said, “Please come with us, Holy Son!”
Saying so, they lifted Yang Kai and ran away, without caring about whether he was willing or not.
“Holy Son?” Yang Kai’s confusion grew.
Although the cultivation of these two people was not as good as the scar-faced man, their strength and movement skills were still impressive for their Realm. As arrows rained down from behind, the two of them cooperated seamlessly, blocking attacks while carrying Yang Kai as they fled into the distance.
Soon, a furious roar came from behind them, “Zuo Wu You, you court death!”
“You all came for me, didn’t you? Well then, let’s fight to the death here!”
“I’ll hold him off, you guys run!”
“No one is leaving!” The scar-faced youth, Zuo Wu You, roared.
Immediately, a fierce battle broke out behind them.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, looking at the situation with confusion. He wanted to inquire about it, but this was clearly not a good time.
The title of ‘Holy Son’ also caught his attention.
He had only come to this mysterious and unknowable place to investigate the hidden hand left by Mu, but he never expected to be swept into Mu’s Space-Time River and end up in this independent World, where his strength was greatly suppressed.
As a Ninth-Order Master, he was not easily suppressed by the laws of any unfamiliar World; however, in this place, he could only exert the strength of a cultivator in the True Element Boundary.
This meant that a stronger force was acting in this place, surpassing his Ninth-Order power.
[This must be Mu’s doing!]
Swift as the wind, Yang Kai was dragged along by the two young men as they moved forward quickly. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he checked the item in his palm that Wu Kuang had given him before entering this mysterious place.
He hadn’t had a chance to look at it before, but now he noticed that it was a jade pendant, carved in the shape of a person that vaguely resembled Wu Kuang and carried a wisp of his aura.
[This is…] Yang Kai had a rough idea of what this item was for.
Then, he suddenly spoke up, “You two can put me down. I can walk on my own.”
Although he didn’t know where they were or what had happened, being chased was definitely not a pleasant experience. The two young men should be on his side as they were carrying him and running as fast as they could from the pursuers. Though their speed was somewhat affected, running faster would certainly help them shake off their pursuers.
As he spoke, Yang Kai shook lightly and broke free from their grasp.
The two youths were clearly surprised and pleased to see that Yang Kai had such strength.
Then, the youth on the left apologised, “We acted hastily and didn’t handle things appropriately. Please forgive us, Holy Son.”
“Uh…” Yang Kai waved his hand nonchalantly, “It’s fine.”
Later, the young man on the right said, “I didn’t expect Holy Son to be so powerful. It seems we can get away from them now.”
As they spoke, they continued to rush forward.
“What about the guy, Zuo… Wu You, should we not worry about him?” Yang Kai remembered the scar-faced young man who remained behind.
“Big Brother Zuo is very strong, and he has a divine sword bestowed by the Saintess. Without an Immortal Ascension Realm Master, those wastes can’t do anything to him.”
[Saintess?]
Yang Kai wondered what her role in all of this was.
But with just a few words, he confirmed that the Martial Dao of this World was not much different from what he knew, even the names were the same. Moreover, this World had Immortal Ascension Realm Masters! The only difference was that there were three Stages instead of nine.
As they fled for their lives, it was not convenient to say much. The two young men were initially worried that Yang Kai could not keep up with their speed, so they did not use their full strength at first. However, as time passed and they tested him, they found that no matter how profound their Movement Skills were, this Holy Son, who had descended from the sky, could keep up with them effortlessly.
So, they let loose and ran at full speed. After about an hour, they reached a mountain wall, where one of them took out a jade ornament and pressed it against the wall, which opened a kind of portal.
It seemed that this was their hiding place.
The three of them entered one after another, and the portal closed again.
There was a space that was just the right size inside the mountain, and the space had clearly been lived in before.
After everything was settled, the two young men who led Yang Kai here breathed a sigh of relief.
There was no need to worry about anything now that they were here.
Yang Kai stood with his hands behind his back, surveying his surroundings. Suddenly, the two young men fell to one knee and bowed, “Greetings, Holy Son!”
“En…” Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before reaching out to help the two young men up, “I still haven’t figured out what’s going on here, and I have no idea who this ‘Holy Son’ is that you speak of. Are you sure you haven’t mistaken me for someone else?”
The thin youth replied, “We have not made a mistake. You are indeed the Holy Son of the Spirit Religion; of course, the final determination will be made by the Saintess herself.”
Yang Kai was confused, “But we’ve never met before today. How can you be so sure?”
The two exchanged a glance before the thin one explained, “It is said that one day, a crack will appear in the sky and a man will fall from it. He will spark the light and rip apart the shackles of darkness to defeat the ultimate enemy.”
“And that person will be the one who leads the Spirit Religion into the light.”
“That person is the Holy Son of the Spirit Religion.”
[Descend from the sky…]
Yang Kai realised that they were probably talking about him; after all, he had indeed fallen from a crack in the sky in a rather undignified manner. It was surprising to find that their prophecy matched up with his own experience.
[To not only descend from the sky but also do so while the sky is split open.]
“Who made this prophecy?” He asked.
The other young man replied solemnly, “It is the guidance of the Saintess herself, passed down since the founding of the Spirit Religion.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, intrigued, “Oh? Can I meet this Saintess of yours?”
“Of course,” the thin youth said, “We’ll wait here for a while until Big Brother Zuo returns, and then we’ll take you to see the Saintess.”
“Good.”
Then, they rested in silence for a while.
The two youths had been running non-stop, which had taken a toll on them, but Yang Kai, on the other hand, was still full of energy. Despite being suppressed to the True Element Boundary, he still had the heritage of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so running didn’t tire him out.
Taking advantage of the moment, he gripped the jade pendant in his hand, intending to activate his Divine Sense, but he quickly remembered that he couldn’t do that right now.
As a last resort, he could only call out softly, “Wu Kuang…”
The jade pendant had been given to him by Wu Kuang before he entered this place, and it was even carved in Wu Kuang’s image and carried his aura. Obviously, it was meant for communication.
Yang Kai also sensed that Wu Kuang had left a thread of his consciousness in this jade pendant.
Wu Kuang seemed extremely curious about this mysterious and unknowable land, but because he was guarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and had no energy to spare, he could only send a thread of consciousness to see what was going on.
The jade pendant shook slightly in response…
Yang Kai became speechless. Even Wu Kuang’s thread of consciousness seemed to be heavily suppressed here.
He had originally wanted to communicate with him and see if he could find any useful clues, but now he had to give up. Moreover, just this shake caused the spirituality of the jade pendant to dim a bit.
[Hmm… I’ll have to nourish Wu Kuang’s thread of consciousness; otherwise, it will soon dissipate.]
Yang Kai reached out, only to remember another unfortunate truth. His Small Universe was currently sealed, causing him to not be able to take anything out. Now, he was practically empty-handed except for the clothes he was wearing.
It was quite an awkward situation.
“Do either of you have some thread?” Yang Kai asked, looking at them.
“Yes,” one of them responded quickly and handed him a carefully braided thread.
Then, Yang Kai tied Wu Kuang’s jade pendant into a kind of necklace, so he could nurture it with his own Spiritual Energy and communicate with Wu Kuang at any time.
After that, he began to familiarise himself with his current powers.
[True Element Boundary… how weak.] His great power had been stripped away, making him somewhat uncomfortable. But in the end, he had experienced this realm before, so he just needed to familiarise himself with it a little bit.
About an hour later, there was a sudden commotion.
The three of them were alerted, and when Yang Kai looked, he saw one of the two youths using a jade to investigate and then exclaimed with joy, “Big Brother Zuo is back!”
Saying so, he activated his power of the jade, and a light flashed by, opening the sealed portal.
In the next moment, Zuo Wu You, covered in blood, hurried in. He had clearly experienced a fierce battle, with many wounds on his body and a somewhat weakened aura, but his murderous intent remained extremely strong.
The figure that entered this place was like an ancient ominous beast entering a cave, chilling the atmosphere to the bone.
“Big Brother Zuo!” The two youths exclaimed and greeted him.
As Zuo Wu You glanced over and fixed his gaze on Yang Kai, he breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he wave his hand to his two companions, and went straight to Yang Kai, kneeling on one knee, “Zuo Wu You pays his respects to the Holy Son!”
[Here we go again…]
Yang Kai, a majestic Ninth-Order Master with the body of a Divine Dragon, didn’t mind being bowed to by a mere True Element Boundary cultivator; however, this Holy Son identity was somewhat strange to him.
He had only come to investigate what Mu’s hidden hand was, never expecting to get involved in the petty disputes of this inexplicable World.
Reaching out to help him up, Yang Kai spoke, “Let me greet your Saintess before we discuss this matter of the Holy Son.”
Upon hearing this, Zuo Wu You knew that the person before him had already heard of the Saintess’ prophecy, so he immediately spoke up, “The Saintess has never made a mistake. When the Holy Son appears, it is no doubt per her guidance; therefore, you must be the Holy Son of Spirit Religion!”
Yang Kai didn’t bother to argue and simply said, “You’re injured. You should focus on healing first. This time, I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
Even without Zuo Wu You and his companions, nothing would have happened to Yang Kai in the face of that group of attackers that hadn’t even reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary; however, they had still protected him and provided cover, so he should show his gratitude.
Zuo Wu You shook his head with a bitter smile, “This matter was aimed at me, but I have dragged the Holy Son into it. I am ashamed.”
In the midst of the jungle ambush that was aimed at Zuo Wu You himself, Yang Kai just so happened to be at the right place at the right time.
No one could have predicted that at that critical moment, the arrival of the Spirit Religion Holy Son, guided by fate, would cause all the undercurrents to erupt in an instant.
Upon reflection, Yang Kai realised that Zuo Wu You had indeed shouted to the attackers, “Aren’t you here for me?”
“Regardless, I still have to thank you,” Yang Kai said.
Zuo Wu You shook his head, “Holy Son, it’s nothing; however, we shouldn’t stay here for long. We need to leave as soon as possible.”
Although he had killed quite a number of enemies, he was ultimately alone and unable to completely wipe them out. Before the news of the appearance of the ‘Holy Son’ was spread, they had already taken Zuo Wu You seriously, but it was not to the point where they had to eliminate him at all costs. However, if news of the Holy Son’s appearance got out, it would surely lead to an all-out attack.
“But Brother Zuo, your injury…” The thin young man looked at Zuo Wu You with concern.
“It’s nothing serious. Escort the Holy Son…” Before Zuo Wu You could even finish his sentence, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his aura wilting to the extreme, and his face turning an ashen white.
“Big Brother Zuo!” The two young men exclaimed, rushing to support Zuo Wu You, who was now swaying on his feet.
Yang Kai looked at him and said, “It looks like we’ll have to hide here for a while.”
Zuo Wu You’s face was filled with bitterness as he nodded, “Please wait half a day for me, Holy Son.”
Yang Kai did not respond.
Zuo Wu You needed urgent treatment. The battle just now had taken a huge toll on him, but he forcibly suppressed his injuries out of concern for the Holy Son’s safety and the future of the Spirit Religion. Now that the backlash had acted up though, he was unable to move for a while.
Zuo Wu You quickly settled down and closed his eyes to meditate and heal.
The two young men who had brought Yang Kai here stood guard by his side, while Yang Kai himself seemed to have nothing to do.
Currently, he still had very little information at his disposal, but one thing was certain, this independent World was still inside Mu’s Space-Time River. When the waves of the Space-Time River crashed down on him, Yang Kai did not dodge, resulting in him being dragged into this place and fulfilling an unknown prophecy of some Spirit Religion Saintess who lived in this place.
The current situation required Yang Kai to see the Saintess if he wanted to know more.
Although he had some guesses in mind, he couldn’t confirm them until he met her; however, there were still some minor troubles to solve before that.
The hideout fell silent after that.
About four hours later, a commotion suddenly broke out. Zuo Wu You, who was meditating to heal, suddenly opened his eyes with a look of disbelief and exclaimed, “Impossible!”
As soon as the words fell, a tremor shook the ground, as if someone outside was using powerful means to attack the mountain wall where the secret chamber was located.
“Big Brother Zuo!” Cried the thin young man, “Our location has been exposed, and those guys have come after us!”
Upon hearing that, Zuo Wu You’s expression darkened.
This secret chamber was one of the Spirit Religion’s footholds outside, and when he returned earlier, he had carefully investigated the surroundings to ensure that he wasn’t being followed, so how did the enemy find them?
If he hadn’t been certain that this foothold was safe enough, he wouldn’t have stayed here to heal his injuries.
But in fact, the enemy had already found them.
“Hurry, activate the Array!” Zuo Wu You shouted.
Another young man immediately took out a control jade, infused it with power, and shielded the hideout.
The attacks became more ferocious, and the commotion grew much louder.
“Zuo Wu You, this King knows you’re in there! Hand over your Holy Son, and this King will spare your life!”
Zuo Wu You paled upon hearing the voice, “Yan Peng! That old dog really came here in person!”
He, who remained calm when he was being besieged in the jungle previously, panicked now, clearly facing a formidable foe at the moment. It was obvious that this ‘Yan Peng’ was not someone to be trifled with.
After waiting for half a moment without a response, Yan Peng outside coldly snorted, “Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a forfeit! Don’t blame this King for being ruthless!”
As he finished speaking, the violent attacks resumed, causing the entire secret chamber to shake violently.
The young man holding the control jade and stimulating the protective Array stumbled as well, nervously saying, “Big Brother Zuo, the Array can’t hold on for much longer.”
With that, Zuo Wu You immediately stood up and drew his sword before taking a deep breath and declaring, “Zheng Hai, Liu Ji, I’ll clear a path for you. Bring the Holy Son and run.”
“Big Brother Zuo, we can’t escape,” said the thin youth, Zheng Hai, full of sorrow and indignation, “We should fight together!”
Zuo Wu You’s eyes flickered with a hint of sadness. He knew very well that they couldn’t escape, but after so many years of persistence, how could he give up now that he had finally seen a glimmer of hope? He gritted his teeth and said, “Listen up, you two. No matter what happens, you must protect the Holy Son and bring him back safely. Don’t give up until the very end!”
*Hong Hong Hong…*
As rocks crumbled and fell, it was clear that this secret chamber couldn’t hold much longer.
Zuo Wu You held his sword up, his expression was resolute and determined.
Liu Ji continued to wield the power of the jade while Zheng Hai stood ready with all his strength, preparing to unleash his strongest move. Suddenly, Zheng Hai punched Liu Ji in the back and, at the same time, the hidden dagger in his other hand struck at Yang Kai’s vital point.
“What?”
“What?”
Two exclamations sounded almost simultaneously.
The situation in the secret chamber became confusing and chaotic.
Liu Ji, who was hit by the punch, spat out fresh blood and fell to the side. Zuo Wu You couldn’t help but turn his head in disbelief. He never expected to have a traitor on his side, especially one who would turn on them at such a critical moment.
Finally, he understood why their position had been exposed. The enemy had hidden Zheng Hai, a traitor, deep within the Spirit Religion for years without ever using him. Now that it involved the existence of the Holy Son though, it was time to activate this agent.
What surprised Zuo Wu You even more was what happened when Zheng Hai attacked Yang Kai.
He timed his attack perfectly, just as the Spirit Array was about to collapse and when everyone was highly focused due to the tension. Liu Ji was already injured by him and Yang Kai, standing not far from him without any defences, should have been directly killed by him.
However, when his dagger was about to reach Yang Kai, it was caught between two fingers that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Throughout the entire process, the Holy Son didn’t even turn his head, yet he seemed to have eyes on the back of his head.
*Hong…*
With no one to maintain the Array, it collapsed, and the secret chamber hidden in the mountain was completely exposed. Figures outside could be seen, and one of them, a white-haired old man with a ruddy complexion, stood with his hands behind his back while raising a gust of wind to clear away the dust to make the confusing situation clearer.
After scanning the scene, the white-haired old man snorted coldly.
Zuo Wu You’s roar resounded, “Zheng Hai!”
With a flick of the sword in his hand, he turned and thrust towards Zheng Hai, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and anger and his face twisted in a grimace of disappointment for his former comrade.
“Silence!” Yan Peng, the white-haired old man, waved his sleeves and sent Zuo Wu You flying through the air, smashing into the ground several paces away.
Already heavily injured and weakened, the impact of the throw left him nearly unconscious, with no strength left even to move a finger.
Desperately looking towards Yang Kai, he expected to see the Holy Son’s tragic state, but what he saw left him stunned instead…
Zheng Hai held a dagger close to the Holy Son’s waist, with a posture of attempting a sneak attack, but the Holy Son quickly countered by catching the dagger with two fingers and holding it in place.
Right now, Zheng Hai was struggling to pull the dagger out, but those two fingers were as steady as a rock, making his efforts futile.
[What is happening?] Zuo Wu You couldn’t make sense of it. From the looks of it, the Holy Son seemed to have anticipated this sneak attack.
While he was wondering how the Holy Son could have been prepared for this, the latter spoke up, “There really was an issue with you.”
Saying so, he turned to look at Zheng Hai behind him.
Perhaps feeling guilty, or perhaps intimidated by Yang Kai’s strength, Zheng Hai tried to put on a tough act and asked, “How did you figure it out?”
“During our ‘escape’, you were clearly leaving some things behind in secret. I thought they were meant to guide Zuo Wu You, but then I thought, if Zuo Wu You already knew about these places, who else could you be guiding?” The Holy Son replied.
“How is that possible? You noticed what I did on the way here?” Zheng Hai couldn’t believe it. He had been very careful, and even Liu Ji hadn’t noticed anything.
Yang Kai chuckled lightly without answering, instead, he looked down at Zheng Hai’s hand and said, “You’re still a bit weak compared to me.”
This whole time, Zheng Hai had been trying to retrieve his dagger, but he couldn’t overpower Holy Son’s grip. Upon hearing this, he immediately released the dagger and stepped back.
However, as soon as he regained his footing, his face became filled with horror as the Holy Son appeared to use some mysterious movement skill, clinging to him like maggots on rotting bones.
Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and all his strength rapidly drained from his body.
Yang Kai turned his head towards Zuo Wu You, who lay helpless on the ground and asked, “It doesn’t matter if we kill this traitor, does it?”
Zuo Wu You was dumbfounded by the series of events, but upon hearing this, he laughed heartily, “He’s just a beast. His death isn’t worth pitying!”
Amidst the hearty laughter, he was suddenly seized with a coughing fit that aggravated his injury.
Yang Kai nodded slightly and reached out to lightly tap Zheng Hai’s forehead, who then stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, gazing down at his chest.
A dagger was somehow thrust into his heart, the very same one he had used to ambush the Holy Son from before.
“Impossible…” Zheng Hai’s pupils contracted as he murmured to himself, “How is that possible that I’m… dying… here….”
His head tilted and he lost his aura.
Only then did Yang Kai turn to look at Yan Peng, who was observing him with a scrutinising gaze, looking somewhat surprised.
Yang Kai said, “Old man, aren’t you angry?”
“Angry about what?” He asked in confusion.
“I just killed one of your subordinates,” Yang Kai pointed to Zheng Hai, who lay dead next to them.
Yan Peng burst into laughter, “I have thousands of subordinates. If I were to get mad every time one dies, I’d have died from anger by now.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before nodding, “That makes sense!”
Yan Peng scrutinised Yang Kai and asked, “Are you the legendary Holy Son?”
“I’m not sure,” Yang Kai replied as he agilely manoeuvred through the rubble, quickly arriving before Zuo Wu You and looking down at him.
Zuo Wu You’s lips moved, and he appeared to be mouthing the word ‘run.’
Flashing a smile, Yang Kai reached out to grab the long sword in his hand, “Let me borrow this.”
Yan Peng didn’t stop him, but curiously asked, “What are you going to do?”
Yang Kai paid him no attention as he examined the sword in his hand. On their escape route, Zheng Hai mentioned that this sword was a Divine Weapon bestowed upon the Saintess, but in Yang Kai’s eyes, it was an ordinary weapon that didn’t even qualify to be called a proper artifact. This wasn’t surprising though as this was a World with a relatively low Martial Dao, so there were no truly powerful artifacts.
“I just asked what you were doing!” Yan Peng was starting to get annoyed by Yang Kai’s dismissive attitude.
Yang Kai flicked the sword with his finger to hear its clear and melodious cry. Only then did he turn his head to look at Yan Peng and smiled, “I’m getting ready to fight. With so many of you, I obviously need to find a suitable weapon.”
They were already surrounded by enemies in all directions. It was evident that Yan Peng took this matter seriously since he had brought over 30 people with him.
Yan Peng narrowed his eyes, “We don’t necessarily have to fight.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrow, “Are you willing to let us go?”
“You can’t go, but they can.”
“Because I’m the Holy Son?”
“Yes. The prophecy of the Light Spirit Religion has been circulating for many years. Everyone thinks it’s an unrealistic fantasy. Whether you are the real Holy Son or not, you still have to come with me. Rest assured, our Master may not necessarily take your life. Who knows, you might even benefit from this misfortune.”
Yang Kai looked at him curiously and asked, “If I’m not mistaken, you should be in the Immortal Ascension Boundary, right? An elite like you actually has a Master?”
Upon hearing that, Yan Peng’s eyes were suddenly filled with fanaticism, “Of course, the divine might of our Master is not something that you ordinary mortals can imagine. I am not even one-tenth of his greatness!”
Watching the fervent expression on Yan Peng’s face, Yang Kai suddenly felt a sense of familiarity…
Yang Kai still wanted to say more, but Yan Peng had already lost his patience. The fanaticism in his eyes subsided, replaced by coldness and cruelty, “Boy, you better come with me obediently to avoid suffering!”
“That’s not going to happen,” Yang Kai shook his head like a rattle drum, “I’m curious about that prophecy, so I intend to meet their Saintess and ask about it.”
Yan Peng coldly snorted, “Foolish obstinance!”
With a wave of his hand, he shouted, “Take him down!”
Yang Kai lifted the sword up as he muttered, “It’s a pity it’s not a spear, but oh well, it’s all the same!”
With those words, he flicked his wrist, and blood spurted forth as one of the Masters who charged towards him was inexplicably pierced, clutching his throat while he stumbled backwards.
Yang Kai thrust his sword again, and another person was killed with one swift blow.
Masters came from all directions, but Yang Kai moved like a graceful butterfly amid their dense attacks.
Within just a few breaths, the ground was covered with corpses, and more than half of Yan Peng’s men were dead.
The remaining people were filled with horror and no longer dared to approach.
Zuo Wu You, who had collapsed on a pile of rubble, stared straight ahead, momentarily forgetting to breathe. On the other side, Liu Ji also widened his eyes and almost thought that he was dreaming.
Yan Peng was equally astonished and asked, “What kind of Sword Secret Technique is this?”
Under his observation, this Holy Son of the Light Spirit Religion did not even use any kind of great force. The sword in his hand seemed to have a mind of its own, piercing with precision every time and always hitting its target.
After just a dozen or so strikes, half of his men were already dead.
However, the sword remained unsullied by blood!
“Sword Secret Technique?” Yang Kai shook his sword and said, “No, no, no, this is not a Secret Technique.”
“Not a Secret Technique? Then what is it?”
“It’s just an application of the Sword Dao.”
Although Yang Kai mainly cultivated the Dao of Space, Time, and Spear, he had delved into the Sword Dao before. In his earlier years, when he wasn’t powerful enough, he roamed around with only a sword; however, since the war in the Star Boundary, after receiving the Azure Dragon Spear from Ah Da, he had switched to Spear Dao.
Now, with the gains he had obtained from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon and Infinite River, compared to ordinary Masters, Yang Kai was still much stronger, despite his Mastery over the Sword Dao being lower than the three Grand Daos he primarily cultivated.
In Yang Kai’s Small Universe, many people benefited from his unusual accumulation and embarked on the Sword Dao, making it among the most popular Grand Daos in the entire Void World. Although his power was severely suppressed in this independent World, which made it difficult to use his Dao Strengths, his Mastery of the Sword Dao remained. With just a flick of his wrist, he could perform an extremely exquisite move with any kind of sword.
Yan Peng and Zuo Wu You found this all hard to comprehend.
“Now, who wants to die next?” Yang Kai looked around at the Masters who were now at a loss.
No one dared to step forward!
“A mere True Element Boundary Junior dares to act insolent in front of this Old Master? Even if your Sword Secret Techniques are exquisite, you are not my match!” Yan Peng bellowed with rage as his Divine Sense surged, sending his Spiritual Energy charging towards Yang Kai.
Zuo Wu You’s expression changed drastically as he shouted, “Holy Son, be careful!”
While the Holy Son’s Sword Secret Techniques were truly transcendent, his cultivation realm was still a fatal weakness! There was an insurmountable gap between the True Element Boundary and the Immortal Ascension Boundary – one’s Divine Sense and Knowledge Sea. The latter had given birth to a Divine Sense and opened their Knowledge Sea, but the former had not.
Therefore, an Immortal Ascension Masters who wanted to make a move against a True Element cultivator were basically unstoppable, unless they wore some artifact that protected their Soul!
After Yan Peng witnessed Yang Kai’s skills and realized he could not understand his Sword Secret Techniques, he understood that if he wanted to take him down, he could only use Soul Secret Techniques.
In an instant, Yan Peng’s Spiritual Energy rushed into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and manifested as a Soul Avatar.
He stood proudly above the ocean, his arrogance and disdain quickly turning to shock and doubt.
[This is a Knowledge Sea!]
How could a True Element Boundary cultivator have a Knowledge Sea? Moreover, the vast power hidden within this Knowledge Sea was beyond his ability to comprehend. The Soul of the Immortal Ascension Master was like a firefly under the bright moonlight in front of such power!
[What was going on?]
The prophecy predicting the Holy Son’s existence did not seem to be unfounded. Putting aside his bizarre Sword Secret Techniques, this vast and boundless Knowledge Sea was even more astonishing.
Yan Peng quickly discovered a seven-colour island, which stood out among the vast and misty multicoloured lights of the Knowledge Sea.
Yan Peng could feel his Soul Avatar trembling just from looking at it!
He instinctively knew that the seven-coloured island was an incredible treasure. Just being bathed by the seven-coloured glow gave his Soul Avatar an extremely pleasant feeling.
[I must obtain this seven-coloured island!]
With greed in his heart, Yan Peng flew towards the island and landed on it easily as there was no hindrance on the way. In an instant, Yan Peng felt an indescribable surge of power nourishing his Soul, giving him a feeling of returning to the womb. He wished he could stay here forever.
Suddenly, a voice rang out, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone so weak.”
Yan Peng was startled.
[Someone’s here?]
He spun around to see a young man standing beside a leopard that had lightning dancing around it.
[Was it the leopard who spoke earlier?]
The young man commented, “We all start weak and work our way up through cultivation.”
The leopard just sneered, “This old man’s aptitude is so poor that even if he were placed in the wider World, he would only be able to reach the First Order at best.”
“Fair enough. In any case, let’s get this over with.”
“What do you think, Second Brother?”
“Hm, instead of just killing him, we should probably try to gather some more information.”
“Good, then you do it. I’m not good at delicate work so I’m afraid I might kill him by accident.”
“En,” the young man nodded and turned to Yan Peng, smiling, “Old man, if you don’t want to suffer, you’d better tell us everything you know. The Heavens reward those who are kind, so I might spare you if you cooperate.”
Yan Peng’s expression turned grave.
…
Meanwhile, amidst the rubble, Zuo Wu You yelled out in worry, but in the next instant, the Holy Son’s sword flickered again as he began killing all the enemies who surrounded them.
Blood splattered, and screams filled the air.
No one expected that after Yan Peng attacked, Yang Kai could still fight. Normally, at this point, Yang Kai’s Soul should have been crushed by Yan Peng, leaving him either dead or severely limited. But in reality, Yang Kai remained unfazed.
A moment of carelessness resulted in even greater casualties.
It wasn’t until only a few people were left alive that they realised what was happening.
“Kill him!”
“Kill him now!”
The few people exclaimed in shock as a layer of faint mist suddenly filled their bodies. As the mist spread, their strength noticeably improved.
Yang Kai, who was in the midst of wielding his sword and killing, suddenly raised his brow, revealing a look of astonishment.
The sword in his hand continued to deliver death, and within moments, only the last Master remained gasping for breath while the rest lay dead on the ground.
By the time Yang Kai cut the tendons in the last Master’s shoulders with his sword and captured him with one hand, the several dozen people brought by Yan Peng were already all dead.
“Be careful, Holy Son, don’t touch that mist!” Zuo Wu You’s worried voice rang out once again.
Yang Kai, however, seemed not to have heard him. He continued to pressure the Master he had captured, forcing him to activate the power of the mist.
After a while, Yang Kai finally stopped, and the captive Master’s aura extinguished at the same time.
Standing in place, Yang Kai showed a pensive expression.
[That mist… was Black Ink Strength. Though incredibly faint and weak, unlike those outside, it was still undoubtedly Black Ink Strength.]
Recalling Yan Peng’s previously fanatical expression, Yang Kai suddenly realised why it seemed familiar.
“Do all of these people possess this power?” Yang Kai turned to Zuo Wu You and asked.
Zuo Wu You replied, “Those in the Black Ink Cult all possess it. It’s called Black Ink Strength.”
Yang Kai nodded, finally obtaining a few answers after experiencing this series of inexplicable events.
In this world, Black Ink Strength existed, as did the Black Ink Cult, an opposing force to the Light Spirit Religion.
“Holy Son, Black Ink Strength is highly corruptive and can warp a Human’s nature. Please check whether you have been affected!” Zuo Wu You anxiously warned.
Yang Kai merely shrugged. Even Black Ink Strength wielded by a Royal Lord couldn’t harm him, let alone the extremely diluted power possessed by someone from the Black Ink Cult.
Although his Small Universe was currently suppressed and sealed, making it impossible for him to use his World Force, the World Tree clone was still there. Moreover, with the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, he was essentially immune to the effects of Black Ink Strength.
Still, it was a thoughtful warning, so Yang Kai went through the motions of checking himself before saying, “It’s fine. This Black Ink Strength seems to have no effect on me.”
Upon hearing that, Zuo Wu You and Liu Ji breathe a sigh of relief.
Their attention then turned to Yan Peng, who stood motionless to the side. Ever since this Immortal Ascension Boundary Master had used his Soul Avatar earlier, he became frozen in place, and even the death of a large number of his subordinates aroused no reaction from him, as if he had lost his Soul.
It made Zuo Wu You and Liu Ji puzzled.
“Holy Son, what’s happening to Yan Peng?” Zuo Wu You asked, uncertain but with a suspicion forming in his mind.
“His Soul has been shattered. He’s basically a living corpse now,” Yang Kai explained.
Zuo Wu You was shocked, “Holy Son, do you possess one of those Special Constitutions that are immune to all evil?”
The fact that Yan Peng’s Soul shattered as a result of his using his Soul Avatar against Yang Kai, coupled with his resistance to Black Ink Strength, left Zuo Wu You at a loss for words with no explanation of what just happened.
“Something like that,” as Yang Kai was thinking about how to explain it, Zuo Wu You was thoughtful enough to come up with an explanation for him.
Seeing him admit to it, Zuo Wu You and Liu Ji exchanged a glance, both thrilled beyond measure.
The Holy Son was impervious to all evil, born to counteract the means of the Black Ink Cult. He was truly the future hope of the Spirit Religion; the Saintess’ prophecy was right on the mark!
Furthermore, his strength was unfathomable. He didn’t even need to use much power in his previous killing spree, only employing the most basic Sword Secret Techniques. Yet, the Black Ink Cult Masters were unable to block even a single strike.
At this moment, the gloom in their hearts was illuminated by the dawn’s light.
“We shouldn’t stay here for long,” Zuo Wu You said, struggling to stand up before falling back down. His injuries were still severe.
It was the same for Liu Ji. He was caught off guard by Zheng Hai and took a direct punch to the back. If Zheng Hai hadn’t reserved some strength to attack Yang Kai, that punch would have ended Liu Ji’s life.
“You should both rest and recover for a while,” said Yang Kai.
Zuo Wu You looked bitter. Although he wanted to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible, he was strong in will but weak in strength. After exchanging a glance with Liu Ji, he decided to heal his injuries on the spot and try to restore some strength for now.
Inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, on the seven-coloured island, Yan Peng’s Soul Avatar became respectful and forthcoming before the young man and the thunder leopard; he would answer any questions they had without holding anything back.
This couldn’t be helped. Yan Peng initially thought this seven-coloured island was his great opportunity, never expecting to find two Masters here whose strengths were both beyond his imagination.
Yan Peng did not doubt that either of these two could extinguish his Soul with a single thought.
How could people under the eaves not lower their heads?
Fortunately, the young man was kind enough not to harm him, only asking for some basic information.
So, Yan Peng cooperated obediently.
After a brief exchange, Feng Tian Ci uncovered some secrets of this World, which he naturally shared with the others.
In the Primordial World, two Great Forces, the Light Spirit Religion and the Black Ink Cult, had vied for dominance since ancient times, each claiming half of this independent World.
Even after years of unending conflict, neither side could gain the upper hand.
Within the Black Ink Cult, there was a Black Ink Master who could bestow Black Ink Strength upon all living beings, corrupting their hearts and minds, making them obedient servants of the cult.
Meanwhile, the Light Spirit Religion was the only force that could stand against the Black Ink Cult. They had been battling them for countless years. Without them, the entire World would have fallen into the hands of the cult long ago.
The first-generation Saintess of the Light Spirit Religion left behind a prophecy, which was the same one that Yang Kai heard from Liu Ji. Over the years, the followers of the Light Spirit Religion had been searching for the whereabouts of the Holy Son while fighting against the Black Ink Cult, because according to the guidance of the first-generation Saintess, the only way to completely defeat the Black Ink Cult was for the Holy Son to appear.
Likewise, the Black Ink Cult was also searching for the whereabouts of the Holy Son of the Light Spirit Religion.
Unfortunately, neither side had made any progress.
Until today, during the Black Ink Cult’s hunt for Zuo Wu You, Yang Kai suddenly descended from the sky…
When the news reached Yan Peng, he personally led his men to capture Yang Kai, but things took an unexpected turn as they were all slaughtered and Yan Peng found himself trapped.
On the small island, Fang Tian Ci continued to question Yan Peng for more information.
Meanwhile, in front of the ruins, Yang Kai fell into deep thought.
The information he had was not extensive, but he now had a general understanding of the situation; however, there were two things that were different from what he had initially thought.
The first was the impact of Black Ink Strength on living creatures.
In the outside world, Black Ink Strength was extremely potent. Any Master who was contaminated by it and failed to deal with it in time would inevitably become a Black Ink Disciple. These beings had long since abandoned their humanity and identities and became loyal only to Mo. It could be said that any Black Ink Disciple would willingly sacrifice everything they had for Mo.
However, Yan Peng was different.
Though his Soul Avatar was trapped on the Seven Colour Island, he had a strong will to survive; otherwise, he wouldn’t have cooperated with Fang Tian Ci and provided so much information about the Black Ink Cult.
In other words, he wasn’t a true Black Ink Disciple!
[Is it because of how weak the Black Ink Strength is here?]
When Yang Kai killed those Black Ink Cult members before, the last few activated their Black Ink Strength to enhance their abilities; however, their Black Ink Strength was extremely thin and clearly abnormal.
It seemed that Black Ink Strength in the Primordial World could distort someone’s nature to a certain extent, but it wasn’t potent enough to transform them into true Black Ink Disciples.
The second point of curiosity was the Saintess of the Light Spirit Religion.
Yang Kai had a suspicion about the Saintess before, but after learning some information about her from Yan Peng, he began thinking he might have been wrong.
The prophecy was left behind by the first generation Saintess of the Light Spirit Religion; since then, the Light Spirit Religion had gone through many generations of Saintesses.
Among the past Saintesses, some were assassinated by the Black Ink Cult, some experienced cultivation dissonance, and some naturally died when their predestined time arrived.
If that was the case, then this Light Spirit Religion’s current Saintess was not the person he wanted to meet…
Another thing that caught Yang Kai’s attention was the name of this World – Primordial World.
The name of this World seemed to imply something.
Yang Kai felt helpless. Although Mu had left a hidden hand in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, it was still elusive; he had to clear the fog in front of him before he could glimpse the truth.
“It’s time to go,” he said after half a day.
Since Yan Peng personally took action, the Black Ink Cult would certainly send more Masters to investigate the situation once there was no news from him for long enough.
In fact, according to the information revealed by Yan Peng, he was able to arrive so quickly only because he happened to be nearby.
The other Black Ink Cult Masters should also have set out and were on their way.
The appearance of the Holy Son of the Light Spirit Religion, even if it was only a possibility, was a matter that the Black Ink Cult would not take lightly.
Together, Zuo Wu You and Liu Ji opened their eyes. Half a day of rest was not enough to completely heal, but they had gained enough strength to move at the very least.
Yang Kai raised his hand and threw the long sword back to Zuo Wu You.
Zuo Wu You caught the sword and spoke, “Only in the hands of the Holy Son can this sword unleash its true power.”
Yang Kai’s swift and efficient movements were all observed by him, which left him in awe and realised that if he could enter retreat and comprehend these Secret Techniques, he would surely bring his Sword Techniques to the next level.
Yang Kai shook his head casually, “No need, I’ll use this.”
With a flick of his foot, a long spear lying on the ground flew into his hand. He wasn’t sure which dead Black Ink Cultist it belonged to, but after giving it a quick shake, he was satisfied with how it felt in his hand, despite it being not the best of quality.
Without saying anything more, Zuo Wu You approached Yan Peng and swiftly beheaded him with his sword.
Then, the three of them set off in a certain direction under Zuo Wu You’s guidance.
When they left, all that remained were dead bodies and destruction.
An hour later, a group of beasts attracted by the scent of blood arrived, but soon became alert and fled after a brief hesitation. Suddenly, a blood-red line shot through the air and pierced one of the beasts, causing it to cry out in agony and turn into a lifeless husk.
The blood-red line transformed into a blood-red light, from which a figure strolled out.
The figure was a woman in tight red robes, her stunning physique accentuated by the vivid colour of her clothes. Her nails were long and sharp as blades, and she licked her lips with satisfaction after the recent kill, her eyes curved with pleasure.
Dozens of people had already gathered around, examining the remnants of the battle.
After a while, the woman spoke up casually, still filing her nails as if sharpening a blade for herself, “Anything noteworthy?”
Someone quickly knelt down and respectfully replied, “Chapter Master, all of them died from sword injuries, killed by a single strike. Even Yan Peng seemed to have put up no resistance before he died.”
“Oh?” The woman showed a hint of surprise, “So Yan Peng didn’t even try to fight back? Looks like there were some extremely powerful swordsmen among them. Was it Zuo Wu You?”
“It couldn’t have been Zuo Wu You. He’s only in the True Element Boundary, while Yan Peng is in the Immortal Ascension Boundary. With a difference of a Major Realm, Zuo Wu You couldn’t have been responsible,” the Black Ink Cult disciple explained.
“So it must have been their newfound Holy Son,” the woman raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know, Chapter Master.”
“Which way did they go?”
“It should be that way,” the man pointed in a direction.
Immediately, the woman’s body flickered, turning into a blood beam, which shot towards that direction. Her voice echoed in the distance, “I’ll go on ahead. You guys catch up as soon as possible.”
As the three of them passed through a small town, Zuo Wu You and Yang Kai waited outside in concealment while Liu Ji entered and drove out in a carriage moments later.
All three of them were in the True Element Boundary and were technically capable of flying; however, doing so would consume too much energy and be unsustainable for long periods. Besides, with Zuo Wu You and Liu Ji still recovering from their injuries, the natural choice was to use a carriage as transportation.
Once they regrouped, Liu Ji nodded lightly to Zuo Wu You, “It’s arranged, Big Brother Zuo.”
Zuo Wu You nodded in response before turning to Yang Kai, “Please get on, Holy Son.”
Yang Kai went along with them and got on the carriage with Zuo Wu You while Liu Ji continued to drive, the carriage rattling away from the small town.
Inside the carriage, Yang Kai asked, “Where are we going now?”
“Dawn City!” Zuo Wu You replied.
Yang Kai understood why they were going there. According to Yan Peng’s information, Dawn City was the foundation of the Light Spirit Religion, with countless Masters and high-ranking officials of the Light Spirit Religion gathered there.
Now that the Holy Son had appeared, it was imperative to send him to Dawn City as soon as possible.
However, the name of the city brought a sense of familiarity to Yang Kai, reminding him of the days when he fought side by side with his Squad members on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Today, many of those familiar names and figures had vanished into the river of history…
They were still quite far away from Dawn City, and judging by their current pace, it would take them five or six days to arrive even if they travelled day and night without rest.
What’s more, this long journey was highly unlikely to be peaceful.
Zuo Wu You clearly knew this, so he quickly focused on healing his injuries.
Shortly after the three of them left the small town, a blood light arrived. Moments later, the blood light rushed out and turned into the figure of the red-robed woman. She stood in the void, gazing in the direction of the departing carriage as she coldly snorted, “I wonder what the legendary Holy Son tastes like?”
With those murmured words, she turned into a bloody beam of light again and chased after Yang Kai and the others.
Behind them, the small town lay eerily silent…
Half a day later, Yang Kai in the carriage suddenly heard a commotion. Zuo Wu You, who was meditating, was also alarmed and quickly opened his eyes, lifting the carriage curtain to ask, “What’s going on?”
When he looked out, he clearly saw that someone was being assaulted by a strong man on the side of the road ahead; a burly man was pressing a woman underneath him, emitting a lewd laugh as he tore the woman’s clothes.
A large expanse of snow-white skin was exposed, causing the woman to scream and shout in distress, which only further fuelled the man’s savagery.
“Big Brother Zuo…” Liu Ji, who was driving the carriage, couldn’t bear to watch. Due to his naturally kind personality, coupled with the Light Spirit Religion’s teachings to help the weak, he couldn’t just ignore such a wicked act.
However, Zuo Wu You’s face flashed a look of vigilance as he said in a low tone, “Carry on!”
Upon hearing the command, Liu Ji gritted his teeth and quickly drove the carriage past them.
Under normal circumstances, the two of them would not sit idly by in the face of such an incident, but now there was only one priority, which was to escort the Holy Son to Dawn City. Everything else was unimportant.
When the carriage approached, the burly man had already stopped his actions and looked warily at Liu Ji. It was only after the carriage passed that he breathed a sigh of relief.
The woman who was pinned down by him screamed, “Help! Help me!”
Aggravated, the burly man slapped her and sneered, “No one will come to save you. Give up!”
But just as he finished speaking, his body suddenly shook, and he looked down to see a spear piercing through his chest.
The burly man’s eyes widened as his strength quickly ebbed away.
Yang Kai flicked his spear and tossed the burly man to the side. He then smiled and reached out to the beautiful but pale-faced woman, “Miss, you’re safe now.”
The woman clearly hadn’t fully realised what had happened until she saw the corpse of the burly man next to her, which caused her to completely break down and throw herself into Yang Kai’s arms, crying bitterly.
A little while later, Yang Kai sat in the carriage, holding a warm and soft woman in his arms. She seemed to be so frightened that she held onto his neck with all her might, like an octopus clinging to him.
On the other hand, Zuo Wu You didn’t know where to look, mainly because the woman’s clothes were torn and her snow-white skin was a little too dazzling.
“Sir, you…” Zuo Wu You didn’t know what to say. He never expected that the Holy Son would suddenly jump off the carriage and play the hero to save the damsel in distress.
But he had to admit that the woman was quite attractive. Even with her hair dishevelled and her face covered in dirt, it couldn’t conceal her charm. On the contrary, it accentuated her pitiful appearance, causing people to sympathise with her at a glance.
Such looks easily attracted unwanted attention in these troubled times.
With outsiders present, Zuo Wu You couldn’t address Yang Kai as ‘Holy Son’, so he simply referred to him as ‘Sir’.
Yang Kai chuckled, “It’s our duty to lend a helping hand when we see injustice. If we ignore something that we can easily help with just because it is inconvenient, then why bother cultivating at all? Besides, this carriage has plenty of space. Having one more person won’t make a difference.”
Zuo Wu You could only nod and say, “As Sir says.”
Yang Kai ignored Zuo Wu You and instead lowered his head to look at the woman in his arms, speaking in a gentle and soothing voice, “Little Beauty, what’s your name? Where are you from? Are you married?”
Zuo Wu You couldn’t help but feel speechless at what he was witnessing. He never imagined that the Holy Son had such an interest in beauties. Of course, it was natural for men to appreciate beautiful women, but there was a time and place for everything.
Originally, Zuo Wu You admired the Holy Son’s ability to dispatch Yan Peng and his dozens of followers with a single sword, and he believed that the Spirit Religion had a bright future. But now, those expectations had taken a hit.
Could such a Holy Son really achieve great things? Zuo Wu You couldn’t help but worry about the future of the Spirit Religion.
As the woman in Yang Kai’s arms slowly calmed down and seemed to realise that their position was not appropriate, she blushed, burying her head in Yang Kai’s chest instead of answering his questions.
Yang Kai laughed heartily at her response, feeling quite pleased with himself; however, the woman suddenly raised her head and looked at him with a bewildered expression.
Yang Kai hugged her tightly and looked down at her, “What’s wrong?”
“Why did you try and kill me?” The woman’s coquettishness and shyness disappeared out of nowhere, replaced by an expression of disbelief.
“Hmmm, you’re not dead?”
The woman cursed loudly, “Are you even Human?”
Their conversation made no sense, leaving not only the driver Liu Ji puzzled but also Zuo Wu You, who was in the same carriage.
However, the odd atmosphere made him feel a great sense of danger, and he quickly tightened his grip on his long sword… only to find that it was gone!
Zuo Wu You was shocked. He didn’t even know when he had lost his sword.
Next, the carriage became filled with a strong, metallic smell. The woman in Yang Kai’s arms started bleeding fresh blood, whereas Zuo Wu You’s lost sword was pierced through her, the hilt gripped in Yang Kai’s hand.
With a loud bang, violent waves of energy swept through the carriage, lifting the roof off. The woman, who had been in Yang Kai’s embrace, suddenly turned into a blood mist, breaking free from his grasp.
The sudden turn of events frightened the horses pulling the carriage, resulting in them neighing in panic. Liu Ji had to quickly calm them down or they would have bolted.
Zuo Wu You was also thrown off balance by the shockwave, almost being blown away, but luckily was grabbed by Yang Kai just in time.
The carriage continued forward, and in the shabby compartment, Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You looked behind together. In the half-empty air, a twisting, writhing mass of blood gradually transformed into the alluring figure of a red-robed woman. She clutched her chest, her face twisted with hatred and resentment, her beautiful eyes fixated on Yang Kai, overflowing with intense malice, as if she wished to devour his flesh and drink his blood right then.
“Night Chapter Master, Xue Ji!” Zuo Wu You was shocked and terrified.
Though they knew that the Black Ink Cult would soon have pursuers on their heels, he never expected it to be her. They were in trouble now.
Yang Kai’s brow raised slightly as he thought to himself, [As I suspected!]
Thanks to the information he had gleaned from Yan Peng, Yang Kai was no longer completely ignorant about the Primordial World.
The Black Ink Cult, under the command of Mo, was divided into the Eight Chapters, each with their own structure and hierarchy. The Night Chapter, though the smallest in number, was made up entirely of elite assassins.
Everyone in the Night Chapter of the Black Ink Cult was a Master of their craft, especially Night Chapter Master, Xue Ji, who was said to possess the ability to transform into thousands of different forms, making her an almost invincible opponent.
Throughout the history of the Light Spirit Religion, countless high-ranking members had died under the Night Chapter’s assassinations, including several Saintesses.
Among the Black Ink Cult’s Eight Chapters, the Light Spirit Religion was most wary of the Night Chapter, as nobody knew where they hid or when they would strike a deadly blow. Zuo Wu You shivered at the thought of facing the Night Chapter Master himself, realising that he and his companions were in grave danger.
But this only made him admire the Holy Son even more. Though he had been cautious before, Zuo Wu You had failed to notice any flaws. Little did he know, the seemingly lustful and carefree Holy Son was already aware and prepared to strike, displaying a level of cunning and decisiveness that left others in awe.
“You shouldn’t be alive,” Yang Kai looked at Xue Ji in confusion.
He could sense that Xue Ji was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Master, but even so, there was no way she should have survived being stabbed through the heart with his sword. However, she only seemed to have suffered some damage to her foundation, with no threat to her life.
All his actions really accomplished was making her angry. Her mastery over blood was unlike any he had seen before.
“How dare you wound me! I’ll devour—” Xue Ji’s face twisted with rage, but before she could finish her sentence, another figure appeared before her.
It was none other than Yang Kai, who should have been standing in the carriage. He wielded a long spear without hesitation and used his formidable Supreme Limitless Secret Art on Xue Ji.
His spear strikes rained down on her without mercy, creating countless holes in her body. Zuo Wu You wasted no time too and joined the attack, brandishing his sword with skill and unleashing a flurry of strikes upon Xue Ji.
With their combined efforts, Xue Ji was quickly reduced to a mist of blood, vanishing from sight in an instant.
As the bloody mist condensed and converged, it surged towards the two of them.
Yang Kai’s face changed slightly as he grabbed Zuo Wu You and jumped back onto the carriage.
In the sky, the blood mist seemed to possess a sense of spirituality, quickly fleeing into the distance as Xue Ji’s voice echoed, “I will rip your corpse into 10,000 sooner or later!”
The infamous Night Chapter Master escaped in such a pathetic state just like that.
Watching her depart, Yang Kai wore a troubled expression as he muttered, “So difficult to deal with!”
Ordinary people would have died from such a surprise attack, or from the follow-up assault, but Xue Ji was able to keep her life intact. Her skills were truly remarkable, making Yang Kai feel a sense of admiration for her talent.
Through their brief exchange just now, Yang Kai noticed something. Xue Ji’s Mastery over the Blood Dao was indeed extremely high, leaving her with no fatal weakness. Even if her heart was pierced through, she would still be alive, only suffering some damage to her foundation.
But since she was severely injured just now, it would surely cause serious damage to her foundation and she probably would not dare to come again in a short time.
“No wonder so many experts from the Spirit Religion can’t deal with her. It turns out that her methods are so insidious!” Zuo Wu You’s face was filled with fear as he recalled what happened earlier. If the Holy Son hadn’t noticed anything, they might have already died without even realising how.
Turning to look at Yang Kai, Zuo Wu You became even more respectful of this Holy Son.
On the other hand, Liu Ji was still driving the carriage without its roof while desperately fleeing forward, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
“I’m afraid this journey won’t be peaceful,” Yang Kai muttered casually.
Zuo Wu You replied, “Rest assured, Holy Son, I have already sent out a coded message. The Spirit Religion will soon send experts to assist us.”
“That’s good,” Yang Kai nodded. Zuo Wu You was also a thorough person, and it seemed that he had made arrangements when they picked up the carriage at that small town earlier.
Suddenly, a piercing scream sounded, and the horses pulling the carriage fell down. The carriage, hurtling forward at full speed, crashed into the horses and flew into the air.
As soon as they sensed that something was wrong, Yang Kai, Zuo Wu You, and Liu Ji jumped off the carriage.
The three of them stood in mid-air and looked closely. The horses were surrounded by a red light, and in a mournful fit, they turned into a pool of blood, leaving only white skeletons behind.
“Ah–” Zuo Wu You paled slightly as he had no idea at all when Xue Ji attacked the horse.
Even Yang Kai had not noticed it this time. Looking back now, it was likely that it happened when Xue Ji was stabbed by himself and turned into a blood mist while breaking free from him.
“Big Brother Zuo!” Liu Ji suddenly panicked.
Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You turned their heads to look, and the both of them paled in shock upon the sight.
Liu Ji was now emitting a bloody red light, and within that light, his power became chaotic to the extreme, his physique melting away like a candle in high heat.
“Liu Ji!” Zuo Wu You cried out.
Liu Ji clearly knew what was about to happen too, so after a brief moment of panic, his expression suddenly became resolute as he shouted, “Brother Zuo, you must send Holy Son back!”
As soon as he finished the sentence, he flew away, with pieces of his body dissolving into blood, leaving behind only scattered bones that fell from the sky in a matter of moments.
Staring blankly at the scene, Zuo Wu You went silent for a long time, his anger and grief beyond words.
Yang Kai’s expression turned grave too. Xue Ji’s methods were truly insidious and unpredictable. When he noticed something wrong with Liu Ji earlier, he had wanted to help, but it was already too late. In just a few breaths, Liu Ji had been killed.
He turned his head to look at Zuo Wu You, confirming that he was unharmed and that he himself had not fallen prey to Xue Ji’s attack without him realising. If he had, it would have been impossible to remain oblivious.
It seemed that Xue Ji did not intend to kill him; otherwise, she would have used such means from the start.
Finally, Zuo Wu You regained his composure, despite his red eyes and throbbing veins on his forehead. He longed to fight Xue Ji, but his priority was to escort the Holy Son back to Dawn City.
“Holy Son, let’s go,” Zuo Wu You called out, leading the way.
Since the carriage was gone, the two of them could only fly; however, not having a means of transportation was inconvenient, especially since Zuo Wu You was still injured and had to push himself to keep going.
When night fell, they found a place to rest in the wilderness. Zuo Wu You meditated and adjusted his breathing while Yang Kai stood guard beside him.
The cold moonlight poured down, and Yang Kai looked up at the full moon with many thoughts flooding his mind.
From the information he had gathered, he determined that the Primitive World was a real World, where all living beings, including the three members of the Light Spirit Religion and the Black Ink Cult members they encountered, were truly alive!
This was quite different from what Yang Kai had originally thought. He initially believed that everything here was an illusion in Mu’s Space-Time River, but it seemed that he had greatly underestimated her.
The Black Ink Cult and Light Spirit Religion were opposed to each other. The Black Ink Cult members could use Black Ink Strength, while the first Saintess of Light Spirit Religion left a prophecy.
Everything was still vague and unclear, so Yang Kai could not fathom what the hidden hand Mu left in this World was. It would only be after he greeted the Saintess that he would be able to know everything.
The journey ahead was slow, difficult, and obstructed.
Under the moonlight, Yang Kai saw a shadow twist and writhe slightly.
Flicking his wrist, Yang Kai sent out a crescent-shaped black strike, hitting the shadow. Then, blood started flowing from the shadow, filling the air with a metallic tinge.
Despite being suppressed by this independent World, his foundation was still intact, and he could still invoke some of his Space Secret Techniques. Moreover, Yang Kai could sense that the suppression of his strength in this World was not absolute. His strength could still be improved, and given time, he could at least restore his cultivation to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
However, this was probably the limit that this World could accommodate.
Although Yang Kai could only increase his cultivation by a Major Realm, the power he could exert by then would increase by a lot.
As dawn broke over the horizon, Zuo Wu You finally awoke from his meditative state, having spent the night adjusting his breathing and restoring his energy. But what he saw upon opening his eyes left him startled – a field of corpses strewn haphazardly across the ground, their blood painting the earth a deep shade of red. These bodies showed no signs of resistance, having been cleanly sliced in two by some incredibly sharp weapon.
Zuo Wu You couldn’t even begin to guess when these people had come or how they died, but one thing was clear;they were all assassins from the Black Ink Cult’s Night Chapter. Feeling ashamed, he rose to his feet and addressed his companion, “Holy Son…”
Yang Kai merely glanced at him and nodded in response, “Prepare for a breakout.”
“Oh?” Zuo Wu You was taken aback by this sudden directive, but he soon understood what Yang Kai meant. Though he was only in the True Element Boundary and lacked a Divine Sense, his regular senses were sharp enough to detect the danger around them.
This realization left him pale, but Yang Kai remained unperturbed, dusting himself off and pointing in the direction they had been travelling, “Yesterday, we were heading towards Dawn City in that direction, right?”
“Yes!” Zuo Wu You nodded.
“Then, let’s go,” Yang Kai declared, lifting his long spear.
“We’re just going off like this…?” Zuo Wu You was taken aback once again. The Black Ink Cult surely knew that they were heading towards Dawn City, and the interception in this direction would definitely be the strongest. The safest course of action would be to test the enemy’s strength and choose a weaker defensive position to break through.
But, Yang Kai replied confidently, “We’re going to Dawn City, and it’s closest in this direction. We’ll go this way.” Saying so, he strode forward.
Zuo Wu You had no choice but to follow.
*Chi–*
Suddenly, a loud clanging sound echoed in all directions as a barrage of arrows flew towards them.
Zuo Wu You quickly raised his sword to deflect them, all the while shouting a warning to Yang Kai, “Holy Son, be careful!” But when he turned his head, he only saw Yang Kai strolling leisurely through the rain of arrows, with no effort to dodge or resist them, yet the dense barrage of arrows couldn’t even touch his clothes.
[How is that possible!?] Zuo Wu You couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, he witnessed Yang Kai flicking his fingers and launching a barrage of black Moon Blades in all directions. These blades seemed to cut through space itself, effortlessly breaking through the blockade.
In the next instant, screams echoed throughout the area.
Zuo Wu You couldn’t help but remember the gruesome scene of the corpses from before, realising how Yang Kai had managed to defeat the enemies last night.
The two figures continued to fly forward, killing their opponents without mercy.
It was only a moment later when the rain of arrows from the shadows became sparse, eventually stopping completely. Perhaps the enemy had realised that this tactic was futile against Yang Kai, though the temporary pause didn’t mean they had given up their siege, but rather prepared for an even stronger attack.
After flying forward for a while longer, several figures suddenly flew towards them from the front. Each of these people was a peak True Element Boundary Master, radiating a strong aura. They also seemed to maintain a unique Battle Formation as they moved forward.
They all carried longswords, exuding a chilling Sword Intent.
Zuo Wu You’s expression turned grave, “They’re from the Earth Chapter of the Black Ink Cult. They usually handle small-scale battles. I didn’t expect them to show up this time.”
What worried Zuo Wu You more was the possibility that the Earth Chapter Master might also be among them. If that were the case, it would be a bigger problem.
That person wasn’t as sneaky as Xue Ji, and although he had an impulsive character, his strength was second to none among the Eight Chapter Masters of the Black Ink Cult.
“Be careful, Holy Son. They have the North Star Sword Formation, which can combine the strength of seven people to unleash a power far beyond their individual cultivation realm,” Zuo Wu You warned.
As soon as he finished speaking, the enemy had already made their move. Their Battle Formation was impressive, converging the strength of seven people into one. The leader of the group waved their longsword and a massive sword wave came crashing down on Yang Kai, instantly splitting him in half.
Zuo Wu You’s previous boiling blood ran cold all of a sudden.
The seven swordsmen in the Formation had no idea their target would be so weak, easily slain with just one sword strike; however, the severed body that lay before them didn’t spill fresh blood and instead quickly faded into nothingness.
It was merely an afterimage!
The seven of them were shocked and were about to launch another sword attack when they heard a voice in their ears, “A good sword, but it still lacks a certain substance.”
In the next instant, a single spear shadow filled their vision before blood burst forth. The Sword Formation was instantly broken, and the seven swordsmen who comprised it either died or became seriously wounded.
Zuo Wu You flew over, using his Secret Techniques to kill any survivors. He then turned to Yang Kai, “Holy Son!”
He was filled with disbelief. For a moment, he thought the Holy Son had been killed, but it turned out to be just an afterimage. He hadn’t even seen how the Holy Son moved, which meant his Movement Skill was beyond his comprehension.
“Quick, let’s go,” Zuo Wu You said in a low voice. He had a sense of unease in his heart as if a great danger was approaching.
Before he could do anything though, a strange voice sounded, “Do you think you can kill so many of us and just walk away?”
“He’s here!” Zuo Wu You’s face changed drastically, apparently realising what was happening.
Yang Kai’s expression also became serious as he sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching them. He looked in that direction and saw a figure quickly running towards them like lightning.
He immediately pushed Zuo Wu You aside and lifted his spear and thrust it out.
The figure quickly approached, revealing a towering man with a fierce and evil expression, giving off a genuine Immortal Ascension Boundary aura.
Not only was this man a Master from the Black Ink Cult’s Earth Chapter, but he was also one of the strongest among the Eight Chapter Masters.
Facing Yang Kai’s spear strike, he didn’t dodge or evade; instead, he smirked and met the strike with a punch.
The long spear shattered as the punch’s force swept forward, causing Yang Kai to grunt and retreat a dozen steps before stabilising his footing. Suddenly, his clothes burst apart at the back, pierced by the force of the punch.
The long spear was now turned to dust because it was only a common item that couldn’t withstand a full-force attack from an Immortal Ascension Realm Master.
“Oh?” The Earth Chapter Master threw only one punch and didn’t pursue further, looking surprised when he saw Yang Kai’s state, “You’re not dead yet?”
He could sense that the young man before him was only in the True Element Boundary, yet he could withstand his punch without dying, which was quite strange.
“Forget it, it’s your misfortune that I didn’t kill you with one punch. The next one will do the job.” Saying so, the Earth Chapter Master strode towards Yang Kai till he was close enough, and then, he struck again.
With a loud boom, a violent shockwave swept out as the ground cracked open.
The Earth Chapter Master’s eyes narrowed with amazement, for his surefire punch had been blocked by the other party’s fist.
To the side, Zuo Wu You had just regained his footing and witnessed a scene he would never forget.
He saw the Holy Son slightly hunched over, raising his fist to meet the Earth Chapter Master’s punch. Under the intense collision, the scene froze.
Looking up at the Earth Chapter Master, Yang Kai snickered, “With such a soft punch, who are you trying to kill?”
Both Zuo Wu You and Earth Chapter Master were taken aback!
Of the Eight Chapter Masters of the Black Ink Cult, each of them had their own unique skills, except for the Earth Chapter Master who wasn’t specialised in Secret Techniques or used any kind of weapon. Despite having no defining trait, the Earth Chapter Master was still ranked among the top three strongest Chapter Masters for his physical strength alone, having refined his body to the point of being as strong as an artifact, with fists that could destroy anything in the World.
In terms of physical strength and power alone, the Earth Chapter Master was undoubtedly the best in the entire Primordial World.
Even Masters in the same realm as him couldn’t withstand his punches. Once, a Master of the Spirit Religion who was also in the Immortal Ascension Boundary fought him in close combat relying on a protective artifact, but he was killed with a single punch, and even the protective artifact was shattered by that punch.
Zuo Wu You could not conceive of anyone who could directly withstand such a terrifying Master and his fists alone, not until he witnessed this scene with his own eyes!
Despite the Holy Son’s physique not being as robust as the Earth Chapter Master’s, with his build being at best half as bulky, the difference between them only highlighted the incredible nature of this frozen moment.
The Earth Chapter Master was clearly angered by Yang Kai’s words and let out a low growl, “I haven’t seen such a bold person in a long time. I hope your fists will be as strong as your mouth!”
He swung his fist and attacked again.
Yang Kai faced the incoming fist with casual indifference and replied, “I was just about to say the same thing!”
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The violent impact of their fists created deafening noise, and the visible shockwaves rippled outwards from where their fists met.
The disdain on Earth Chapter Master’s face gradually dissipated, replaced by a look of seriousness and confusion. He couldn’t fathom how such a frail body could contain such immense power. He even had a vague suspicion that Yang Kai wasn’t even using his full strength yet!
This thought frightened him, which he dared not dwell on any further.
As for Yang Kai, he was also equally frustrated. The suppression from this independent World was too great; not only had his strength fallen from the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm to the True Element Boundary, but even his Dragon Vein couldn’t be fully accessed. To paint a clearer picture, if the power from his Dragon Vein were to be described as a lake, the amount of power he could currently access would only be equivalent to a mere drop of water.
If not for this, he could easily crush an Immortal Ascension Master with just one finger.
At present, his strength was slightly greater than Earth Chapter Master’s, but not by much.
Their fists collided again and again, gradually covering them in bloody wounds with fresh blood splattering every time they clashed.
Suddenly, Yang Kai taunted the Earth Chapter Master by tilting his chin up, “You and your Black Ink Cult’s endless pursuit. I wonder, if I kill you, will the rest of our path become peaceful?”
The Earth Chapter Master felt insulted and roared, “If you can kill me, then you’ll get what you want!” His expression then turned ferocious, “But are you capable?”
As he spoke, a pitch-black mist enveloped him, and his body swelled up, his muscles bulging as an even greater power erupted from within. Following this, he unleashed a punch that was far more powerful than his previous ones.
This punch was almost equal to Yang Kai’s current limit.
However, facing this attack, Yang Kai remained calm as he used his fist to meet the punch head-on!
A loud explosion resounded.
Yang Kai’s body shook slightly while the Earth Chapter Master stumbled. His previously determined expression became uncertain.
Without giving him a chance to catch his breath, Yang Kai’s attacks suddenly became even more intense.
The Earth Chapter Master also roared continuously, shifting from offence to defence as he tried to fend off Yang Kai’s relentless assault.
After a moment, his eyes trembled violently as he shouted, “What kind of monster are you?!”
He had always been the one to overwhelm others with his physique and strength, dominating the entire Primordial World without anyone in this domain surpassing him. Yet today, even with the help of his Black Ink Strength, he found himself falling behind.
It was simply unbearable.
What made it worse was the strange power of his opponent’s punches, each strike penetrating through his physical defence and hammering his body from the inside out, causing damage to his five viscera and six organs.
Amidst his roar of anger, a sharp Divine Sense suddenly erupted towards Yang Kai’s mind, followed by the voice of a woman saying, “I told you this guy was not easy to deal with, but you had to be careless. Now you’re in trouble.”
Xue Ji!
She had also arrived, and she had been concealing herself nearby. A crimson blood mist suddenly manifested and rushed straight at Yang Kai, wrapping him up completely.
Xue Ji’s insidious voice rang out from within the blood mist, “Bastard, it’s your honour to die under the combined efforts of us two mighty Chapter Masters! Now, offer up your physical essence. With a vigorous man like you, the taste would certainly be heavenly!”
As she spoke, fresh blood gushed out of the wounds on Yang Kai’s fists, seemingly drawn out by some unknown force, and merged into the blood mist.
When Yang Kai saw this, he just smirked mockingly and said, “You want to eat me? Be careful not to burst your stomach!”
A faint Dragon Roar was then heard.
The blood mist surrounding Yang Kai writhed and twisted as if struck by lightning.
“What is this!?” Xue Ji’s voice became frantic as she seemed to encounter something she couldn’t understand. During her speech, Xue Ji screamed again and hurriedly withdrew from Yang Kai’s body, transforming back into her own body in mid-air.
However, it was difficult for her to maintain her body’s stability, like a storm was rampaging inside her, causing her flesh to suddenly expand like a ball and then twist like a rope.
Xue Ji let out a mournful cry, her entire body bursting into a ball of blood mist.
Even though Yang Kai’s Dragon Vein had been suppressed, it was still fundamentally powered by a Divine Dragon. Xue Ji, unaware of the truth, had swallowed and tried to refine the blood of the Divine Dragon. Even if it was just a tiny drop, it was not something that a cultivator of her calibre could endure.
The burst blood mist once again gathered into Xue Ji’s figure, only to burst again in her agonising screams.
This endless cycle of torment seemed as if it would carry on forever.
On the other hand, the Earth Chapter Master, who was fighting Yang Kai, couldn’t help but shudder with fear.
Yang Kai was already beyond him in terms of physicality and strength, a fact that he struggled to accept. But now, Xue Ji’s mere act of devouring a bit of his blood had left her in such agony that he couldn’t fathom what trick Yang Kai had played on her.
At that moment, he finally understood the fear and unease that his enemies must have felt before they died at his hand.
And to make matters worse… the Holy Son of the Light Spirit Religion before him seemed to be immune to Spiritual Energy attacks.
Moments ago, Xue Ji had used her Divine Sense to strike him, yet her opponent seemed completely unfazed, as if nothing had happened.
He wasn’t even wearing any Soul-type artifacts, so how could he withstand Soul Attacks?
*Kacha…* With a loud cracking sound, the Earth Chapter Master was horrified to discover that his arm had been broken.
After exchanging so many punches, it seemed his physical body had exceeded its limits.
Yang Kai landed another blow and mocked, “So much for your strength!”
The Earth Chapter Master desperately blocked the incoming punch and retreated backwards, but quickly changed direction and fled as fast as he could. Along the way, he took several more punches from Yang Kai, spewing fresh blood from his mouth and looking pathetic.
Yang Kai dashed forward relentlessly, determined to capture the Earth Chapter Master; however, he was intercepted by a group of Black Ink Cult members mid-way, forcing him to deal with them first. And by the time he was done, the Earth Chapter Master had already vanished into thin air, leaving him with no choice but to backtrack.
Zuo Wu You was still there, having fought against some Earth Chapter members during Yang Kai’s battle with the Earth Chapter Master. He now appeared worn out, his body slumped against a pile of rubble, his breath ragged, and his body covered in blood.
“Where’s Xue Ji?” Yang Kai glanced around but saw no trace of the seductive woman.
“She escaped when you went after the Earth Chapter Master,” Zuo Wu You replied.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and said, “Never mind, she won’t live much longer anyway.”
To think that the Night Chapter Master dared to covet a Divine Dragon’s blood, she was bound to die by her own hand, so Yang Kai had no interest in tracking her down either.
“Can you still move?” Yang Kai asked Zuo Wu You.
Zuo Wu You replied, “Please, Holy Son, go ahead first.” Then, he pointed in a certain direction and continued, “When you see a large city with tall walls, that would be Dawn City.”
Although Yang Kai had demonstrated formidable Sword Secret Techniques and great physical strength, he was still True Element Boundary. Zuo Wu You had not expected him to turn the tables against the joint attack of two of the Black Ink Cult’s top combatants.
It was a victory across realms, a miracle that had never been achieved before.
With a Holy Son of such strength, it was best for him to travel to Dawn City alone as Zuo Wu You didn’t want to be a burden to him.
Yang Kai understood his intention with just a moment’s thought. He walked over to help Zuo Wu You up and said, “My sense of direction has always been poor. I will need your guidance along the way.”
Zuo Wu You was about to say something more when Yang Kai interrupted, “The Night Chapter and Earth Chapter have failed consecutively. The Black Ink Cult won’t be able to spare any more forces to pursue us in the short term; therefore, the road ahead should not be too dangerous.”
Zuo Wu You thought for a moment before feeling it was reasonable. Although the Black Ink Cult was a mighty army with the finest weapons and the Eight Chapters’ heritage was magnificent, the sudden emergence of a Holy Son who was not previously known made it difficult for Black Ink Cult to prepare appropriately. The fact that they could mobilise so many Night Chapter and Earth Chapter cultists, even having the personal presence of the two Chapter Masters, was already the limit of what Black Ink Cult could do in the short term.
Now that the two Chapter Masters had been defeated, and many of their troops were either killed or injured, they were unlikely to have the strength to cause any more trouble.
Finally gaining a sense of relief, Zuo Wu You said, “Then I will travel with you, Holy Son.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded and enveloped him with his power before flying off.
…..
In the depths of a damp and dark underground cavern, within a natural cave, the sound of agonising screams echoed through a cluster of crimson mist, as if someone was enduring unbearable torture.
The mist contorted and expanded randomly, desperately trying to take on a humanoid shape, but each time it did, it would explode uncontrollably, the screams growing louder with each cycle.
This scene repeated itself again and again, the mist becoming thinner and the screams gradually becoming less audible. Finally, at a certain moment, the thinning mist condensed once more into a graceful figure who curled up on the damp ground like a wounded rabbit. Her fair body was covered in dried-up blood, motionless, like she was devoid of vitality.
However, after a while, the owner of that body suddenly took in a deep breath as if her Soul had returned. When she opened her eyes, they were filled with a look of horror.
“Such power…” she whispered softly, almost inaudible.
Madness then overtook her as she murmured it several times, her voice gradually becoming more resounding, “…brings me such joy!”
Trembling with excitement, her eyes became filled with anticipation and glee.
She forced herself to stand up despite her weakened body and retrieved a blood-red robe from her Space Ring. After putting it on and restoring herself for a moment, she turned into a bloody mist and vanished into the dark underground.
Moments later, she reappeared on the previous battlefield, searching earnestly among the pieces of broken limbs and flesh. Finally, she made a discovery which caused her to turn ecstatic. Then, she activated her Blood Secret Technique, sending a burst of scarlet mist deep into the ground. Later when she retrieved it again, the mist glimmered with a golden light.
She merged it into her body and immediately felt the terrifying power expanding within her body, causing her expression to contort and a mournful cry to erupt, frightening countless beasts and birds in the nearby wilderness.
…..
“Zuo Wu You, is this the Holy Son you spoke of?” Outside a small town, a group of people blocked the way of Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You.
The leader, an Immortal Ascension Boundary Master, looked at Yang Kai from top to bottom and asked.
Zuo Wu You cupped his fists, replying, “Senior Chu, when the Holy Son descended, he fulfilled the prophecy passed down by the Spirit Religion, there is no mistake!”
The cultivator surnamed Chu nodded, “The Spirit Religion’s prophecy has been circulating for countless years. In the past, there have been several instances of suspected Holy Sons, but they were all proven to be misunderstandings or the schemes of people with ulterior motives.”
Zuo Wu You was suddenly confused by his words as he asked, “Sir, there have been several Holy Sons in the past?” Though he possessed quite a high status in the Spirit Religion, he was only in the True Element Boundary, so he wasn’t qualified enough to know about some top secrets.
The Master surnamed Chu nodded, “As I said, the prophecy of the Spirit Religion has been passed down for countless years, and the Black Ink Cult is also aware of it. They had previously attempted to use this method to infiltrate us.”
Upon hearing that, Zuo Wu You became anxious, “Sir, this Holy Son is definitely not a member of the Black Ink Cult.” He had seen how the Holy Son had fought with the Black Ink Cult’s two Chapter Masters and how he had killed those Black Ink Cultists along the way. How could such a person be a spy sent by the Black Ink Cult?
The Master surnamed Chu raised his hand to stop him, “Your loyalty to the Spirit Religion is clear to me, but the matter of the Holy Son still needs to be decided by the many Order Lords. We only need to do our part, understand?”
Zuo Wu You pursed his lips, “I understand.”
The Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator finally looked at Yang Kai and introduced himself, “Old Master Chu An He, how should we address this young friend?”
Yang Kai smiled and bowed respectfully, “Yang Kai.”
He couldn’t help but find the old man interesting. By saying all of those to Zuo Wu You in front of him, Chu An He was clearly warning Yang Kai, but he understood that it was a necessary action, so he held no grudges.
Besides, Yang Kai was never really concerned about his status as the Holy Son, it was only Zuo Wu You and his comrades who persistently addressed him as so throughout their journey. All he wanted was to go to Dawn City and meet the Saintess of the Light Spirit Religion to verify his suspicions.
Only one thing puzzled him.
After his identity as the Holy Son was exposed, the Black Ink Cult swiftly organised three high-level attacks, but there had been no response from the Light Spirit Religion. Zuo Wu You had sent a message ahead when they were getting the carriage at a small town a while back, so logically, whether or not his identity as the Holy Son was real, the Light Spirit Religion should have given him enough attention and quickly arranged for people to assist them. But in fact, it had already been four days since Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You began their trek.
After another one or two days, the two would have arrived at Dawn City on their own.
It wasn’t until now that the Light Spirit Religion finally dispatched a group of people to meet them.
In terms of efficiency, the Light Spirit Religion was far worse than the Black Ink Cult. Their attitude towards Yang Kai, as the Holy Son, were also completely different.
“I shall address you as such, then,” Chu An He showed a warm smile, “After Zuo Wu You’s message was received, the Spirit Religion made the corresponding arrangements and deployment. There are enough people ahead to receive you. Follow me. The Saintess and the Order Lords are already waiting in the Holy City.”
The Black Ink Cult had Eight Chapters: the Heaven, Earth, Profound, Dawn, Night, Space, Flood and Barren Chapters.
Likewise, the Light Spirit Religion also had Eight Orders: Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Wind, Fire, Water, Mountain, and Lake Valley Orders.
The Eight Chapter Masters and Eight Order Lords were the most powerful Masters in the World.
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Follow me this way,” Chu An He beckoned, walking with Yang Kai towards the small town ahead.
“You must have encountered many hardships on your way here, little friend,” Chu An He said with a smile, “Seeing how dusty and tired you look, you must have been attacked by the Black Ink Cult?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “En, but it was just a bunch of small fry that Brother Zuo and I easily took care of.”
Behind them, Zuo Wu You couldn’t help but glance at Yang Kai with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“So that’s how it is!” Chu An He also smiled, “The Black Ink Cult has always been vile and treacherous. If you encounter them again in the future, don’t underestimate them.”
“Of course,” Yang Kai replied casually.
As they walked and chatted, the group soon entered the small town and Yang Kai looked around and asked in curiosity, “Why is this place so desolate? I don’t see anyone around.”
“It’s a matter about the Holy Son… well, though it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s better to be cautious. So, before your arrival, this Old Master cleared out all the people in the town, lest they give Black Ink Cultists an opportunity.”
Yang Kai praised, “Sir Chu’s actions are quite thorough.”
Saying so, he suddenly stopped and turned around, reaching out to grab Zuo Wu You’s shoulder while smiling, “Brother Zuo, you must learn from Sir Chu.”
Zuo Wu You was in a daze at the sudden instruction. Though he felt something was off during their journey, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. When Yang Kai pulled him over, he instinctively nodded and said, “As the Holy Son instructs.”
Chu An He, on the other hand, stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word.
The group passed a corner of the small town.
Suddenly, Zuo Wu You froze in place and looked around, “Senior Chu?”
Yang Kai stood beside him with a smile.
“Be careful, Holy Son!” Zuo Wu You was suddenly as nervous as a startled rabbit, pulling out his sword to guard Yang Kai in front of him.
Because at the moment they turned the corner, Chu An He and the others who had been travelling with them disappeared without a trace, leaving only the two of them.
There were obvious traces of a Spirit Array being activated all around them!
In other words, they had fallen into a trap. No one knew when it was set up or what kind of mystery it held.
But entering such an Array recklessly would surely bring about great danger.
Yang Kai suddenly spoke up, “Brother Zuo, does your Spirit Religion often root out lurking members of the Black Ink Cult?”
“What?” Zuo Wu You instinctively responded, but quickly realised, “Holy Son, you mean…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Chu An He’s voice sounded in their ears, hidden by the Spirit Array. No one knew where he was, but his previous gentle and warm demeanour was now replaced by brutality and ferocity, “Zuo Wu You, after all these years of nurture and trust from Spirit Religion, you dare to collude with the Black Ink Cult and bring disaster to the foundation of our Spirit Religion? Do you know your crime!?”
Zuo Wu You shouted in response, “Senior Chu, I was born and raised in the Spirit Religion. The Spirit Religion has given me everything I have, and without its protection over the years, how could I have achieved my current glory? I am loyal to the Spirit Religion with all my heart and Soul. Sir, how can you accuse me of colluding with the Black Ink Cult?”
Chu An He coldly snorted, “You still dare to argue? That person by your side, isn’t he a member of the Black Ink Cult?”
Zuo Wu You frowned and quickly retorted, “Senior Chu, are you referring to the Holy Son…?”
“Tsk!” Chu An He burst out, “He is a spy of the Black Ink Cult! How dare you call him Holy Son!”
Zuo Wu You immediately changed the way he addressed Yang Kai, “Brother Yang and I have been travelling together, killing many members of the Black Ink Cult. We even defeated the Night Chapter Master and injured the Earth Chapter Master. Without Brother Yang’s protection, I would have been a dead man long ago. Brother Yang cannot possibly be a member of the Black Ink Cult.”
Chu An He became silent for a moment before he slowly spoke, “You said he defeated the Night Chapter Master and injured the Earth Chapter Master?”
“Yes, I saw it with my own eyes,” replied Zuo Wu You.
“Hahaha!” Chu An He burst into laughter.
“Why are you laughing, Senior Chu?” Zuo Wu You asked in a deep voice.
Chu An He roared, “You fools! This person by your side is only a trivial True Element cultivator while the Night Chapter Master and Earth Chapter Master are both Masters renowned throughout the World. Even this King at the Immortal Ascension Boundary can only admit defeat before them, so how could he possibly defeat them? Zuo Wu You, how can you not see through such a simple trick?”
Zuo Wu You suddenly became suspicious and couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at Yang Kai.
Zuo Wu You was in a daze, reminiscing on the events that had transpired. He was once amazed by Yang Kai’s impressive strength, being able to fight beyond his realm and even take down two Chapter Masters of the Black Ink Cult, but what if all of this was just a part of the enemy’s plan to gain his trust?
As he thought back on it now, the timing and location of the appearance of the supposed Holy Son seemed questionable…
He was now momentarily lost in thought.
Yang Kai simply smiled faintly in response to his gaze and said, “Old Sir, to be honest, I’m not very interested in being your Holy Son. Brother Zuo seems to have misunderstood something all this time, hence calling me by that title. Whether or not you call me that doesn’t really matter. The reason why I have come this far is simply to meet your Saintess. Could you facilitate that for me, Old Sir?”
Chu An He coldly snorted, “Even at death’s door, you dare to speak such honeyed words? The Saintess is a noble figure, not someone a Black Ink Cult spy can simply meet!”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became displeased, “You keep calling me a Black Ink Cult spy, but how can you be so sure that I am one?”
After a moment of silence, Chu An He finally spoke, “It doesn’t matter now that things have come to this. I’ll tell you the truth. Spirit Religion’s true Holy Son was found 10 years ago. If you’re not part of the Black Ink Cult, why pretend to be the Holy Son?”
“What?” Zuo Wu You was shocked at the news.
“This was originally top secret, only known by the Saintess, the Eight Order Lords, and a few select others. But the Spirit Religion has already decided to have the Holy Son appear to stabilize the people’s hearts, so it’s no longer a secret!”
Zuo Wu You stood rooted to the spot, the impact of this news weighing heavily on him.
So, the Holy Son of the Spirit Religion was already found 10 years ago!
If that were the case, who was this person standing beside him? When he appeared, he did fit the prophecy left behind by the first-generation Saintess.
It was no wonder why the Spirit Religion had not sent anyone to assist him on his journey. While the Black Ink Cult had already dispatched two Chapter Masters, the Spirit Religion had been slow to react, sending only a single Elder in the end. At that moment, Zuo Wu You understood many things.
It wasn’t that the Spirit Religion didn’t value their Holy Son, but it was because the true Holy Son had been found 10 years ago already.
“Zuo Wu You!” Chu An He’s voice softened, “No one doubts your loyalty to the Spirit Religion, but you’re the one who has caused all this trouble, so it’s up to you to solve it.”
Zuo Wu You cupped his fist and said, “Please give me your orders, Sir.”
“It’s simple! Kill this imposter who dares to impersonate the Holy Son. Cut off his head, and show it to everyone!”
Zuo Wu You was taken aback and turned to look at Yang Kai again, struggling with conflicting emotions in his eyes.
Yang Kai paid no attention to Chu An He’s words, not even glancing over at Zuo Wu You; instead, a golden vertical cross appeared in his left eye, displaying a strange expression as he kept gazing into the air.
Beside him, Zuo Wu You struggled for a while before pointing his long sword at Yang Kai, slowly gathering murderous intent.
Only then did Yang Kai give him a glance and asked, “Brother Zuo, are you going to make a move?”
Zuo Wu You nodded and then slowly shook his head as he asked, “Brother Yang, I only have one question for you. Are you a spy for the Black Ink Cult?”
“I’ve said I’m not, do you believe me?” Yang Kai smiled at him.
“Although I may not be the strongest, I have a keen eye for judging people,” Zuo Wu You replied, “If Brother Yang says he’s not a spy, then I believe it. However…”
“What?”
“There’s another thing I would like Brother Yang to explain.”
“Say it.”
“During the siege of the cave, you were contaminated with Black Ink Strength, so why were you unscathed?”
[Do you know anything about the World Tree clone? Or the Four Universe Pillars?] Yang Kai thought to himself. He couldn’t explain it to Zuo Wu You, so he could only say, “If I tell you I have a natural resistance to Black Ink Strength due to my innate talent, would you believe me? That thing can’t affect me at all.”
Zuo Wu You slowly lowered his sword and gave a bitter smile, “I’ve encountered too many unbelievable things on this journey. Brother Yang, what you said will be verified by me in the future.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, “At this point, shouldn’t you trust the people of the Spirit Religion, rather than someone you only met a few days ago?”
Zuo Wu You shook his head bitterly.
“Are you not going to make a move? Have you been contaminated with Black Ink Strength that twisted your nature and become a member of the Black Ink Cult?” Chu An He couldn’t help but shout when he saw Zuo Wu You still hadn’t attacked.
Zuo Wu You suddenly raised his head, “Sir, whether or not I have been contaminated with Black Ink Strength, I only need to meet with the Saintess and have her use the Purifying Heart Secret Technique on me to know for sure. However, there is one thing that I don’t understand at the moment. Please enlighten me!”
“What is it?” Chu An He asked impatiently.
“Sir thinks that Brother Yang is a spy of the Black Ink Cult, and this operation is aimed at him. I can understand that; however, why was I also included in this Array then? Sir, this Array is very dangerous. Although I only have some faint knowledge of Spirit Arrays, I can still see some of this one’s mysteries. Are you trying to kill both me and Brother Yang with this Array?”
Yang Kai raised his brow and couldn’t help but pat Zuo Wu You’s shoulder, “You have a sharp eye, indeed!”
He had used the Demon Eye of Annihilation to penetrate the illusion and could see all the mysteries of this Array. It was a Killing Array, and once fully activated, anyone inside would undoubtedly die without burial unless they had the ability to break out on their own.
Zuo Wu You had keenly perceived this, which was why he couldn’t fully trust Chu An He. Of course, since the matter involved the Holy Son of the Spirit Religion, it was impossible for him to easily believe in Yang Kai either.
“Ignorant fool!” Chu An He didn’t explain anything, “It seems you have been twisted by Black Ink Strength. It’s a pity that my Spirit Religion will now lose another good man! Kill them!”
As soon as the words fell, both Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You sensed a change in the atmosphere. A fierce murderous intent emerged out of nowhere, surging in all directions!
Zuo Wu You shouted, “Chu An He, I want to see the Saintess!”
“You will never see her!”
Zuo Wu You suddenly realised, “So you guys are the spies of the Black Ink Cult!”
“The Black Ink Cult is nothing. Are they worthy enough for this Old Master to serve them? Zuo Wu You, nothing in this world is as simple as black and white. Unfortunately, you won’t have a chance to see it anymore!” Chu An He coldly snorted.
“You old fart!” Zuo Wu You muttered under his breath and then reminded Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, be careful. This Array is powerful and not easy to deal with. We may both die here.”
The Dao of Spirit Arrays was not something any ordinary person could study. Although Zuo Wu You had seen Yang Kai’s strength, he feared that it would be difficult to display that strength once he fell into this trap.
However, Yang Kai simply smiled lightly and sat down on a nearby stone pillar, as calm as ever, “Rest assured, we will not die here today.”
Zuo Wu You was stunned and could not understand how this man could be so calm at a time like this.
While he was still puzzled, a sharp and miserable scream came from outside, one that was abruptly cut off.
Zuo Wu You was no stranger to such screams. That was the cry of a person just before their death.
The screams continued one after another until finally Chu An He’s voice rang out in utter panic, “It’s you! No, please spare me! I am willing to serve the Black Ink Cult! Please spare my life!”
Zuo Wu You was horrified when he heard those words; after all, Chu An He was also an elite in the Immortal Ascension Boundary. He did not know what he had encountered at this moment to be begging for mercy so desperately.
But obviously, it was in vain. The next moment, his screams echoed once again.
After a while, everything fell silent.
The people from the Spirit Religion outside were probably all dead. With the absence of their control over the Spirit Array, the illusion that had enveloped Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You disappeared along with the breaking of the Array. A graceful figure, carrying a shrivelled-up body, then lightly floated down in front of Yang Kai. Her beautiful eyes were filled with an unusual light as she stared at him without moving, her crimson tongue licking her lips, as if the man before her was some kind of delicious delicacy.
Zuo Wu You was horrified as he lifted his sword, “Xue Ji!”
The intruder was none other than the Night Chapter Master of the Black Ink Cult, Xue Ji, who had crossed paths with them twice before.
Zuo Wu You’s eyes scanned back and forth between Xue Ji and Yang Kai. His mind was in disarray, feeling as though the situation had taken a sudden turn and the truth was shrouded in a fog that made it impossible to see clearly.
He couldn’t decide whether Yang Kai, the person sitting beside him, was a member of the Black Ink Cult or not. If he wasn’t, then why did Xue Ji suddenly appear in the middle of a life-or-death crisis and break the Array to save them?
But if he was, then many things couldn’t be explained.
At this point, Zuo Wu You had completely lost his ability to think and felt that there was no one trustworthy in this world.
While he was on high alert, Yang Kai and Xue Ji ignored him completely. The two of them locked eyes, one full of interest and the other filled with longing.
“You dare to show up in front of me?” Yang Kai sat casually on the stone pillar, arms folded, not at all flustered by the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary Master standing in front of him. He didn’t even show any signs of guarding himself as he spoke, leaning forward with an oppressive aura, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you?”
Xue Ji giggled, “Are you willing to?”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “I’ve already done it before, I just didn’t finish the job.”
Xue Ji’s expression froze for a moment before she huffed, “What a boring man.”
She then tossed the shrivelled body in her hand to the ground and continued, “This person wanted to kill you, but I left him with a thread of vitality. It’s up to you how to deal with him.”
Laying on the ground was Chu An He who was gasping for air, his Blood Essence having already disappeared. He looked like a dried-up corpse, not dead but not much different from being dead. When he heard Xue Ji’s words, his dry eyes turned to Yang Kai, filled with pleading.
However, Yang Kai ignored him and chuckled lightly, “You suddenly show up to save me and flatter me so much. What do you want?”
“I want you!” Xue Ji’s seductive eyes gleamed as a burst of blood mist suddenly enveloped Zuo Wu You. Despite Zuo Wu You’s constant vigilance since Xue Ji’s appearance, he was unable to dodge the mist. The huge gap in their strength made his vigilance seem like a joke.
At the same time, Xue Ji’s eyes turned icy, and a powerful surge of Spiritual Energy burst forth, transforming into a sharp attack that surged into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai’s expression turned extremely strange in an instant…
He suddenly realised how wonderful a trap appearing to be in the True Element Boundary was. These Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters would come to suppress him with their Divine Sense at the slightest provocation, even using their Soul Avatars to determine victory or defeat.
He then turned to Zuo Wu You, only to see him stiff as a board and covered in a thin layer of blood mist that flowed around him like water.
“Don’t move,” Yang Kai told him. Xue Ji’s Secret Technique clearly did not intend to take Zuo Wu You’s life, but if he made any unusual movements, he would surely be devoured by that blood mist.
Zuo Wu You’s forehead began dripping with sweat as he spoke hoarsely, “Brother Yang, what’s going on?”
When Xue Ji appeared to rescue them, he almost believed that Yang Kai was a spy for the Black Ink Cult, but then Xue Ji clearly used her Soul Secret Technique on Yang Kai, sending her Soul Avatar to enter his Knowledge Sea. This meant that Yang Kai could not possibly be on the same side as Xue Ji!
Zuo Wu You was now completely confused.
“It’s probably because she has taken a liking to me and wants to capture me. As you know, her Blood Secret Technique requires her to devour Blood Essence from others, so my body is a great supplement for her.”
“But, what about her now?”
“What happened to Yan Peng, will happen to her.”
Zuo Wu You suddenly felt relieved…
Before this, Yan Peng had also used his Soul Avatar on Yang Kai, but he died without a word. He never thought that Xue Ji would be so foolish to do the same.
No, to be exact, it was not foolish; rather. it was because there had never been such a being like Yang Kai in this World.
In the battle with the Earth Chapter Master, Xue Ji had hidden nearby and used Soul attacks on Yang Kai, but they had no effect.
Xue Ji probably thought that Yang Kai had some special method of resisting those Soul attacks, so this time she decided to use her Soul Avatar to go all out!
She achieved her goal of rushing into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and swiftly landed on the seven-coloured island. Immediately afterwards, she witnessed a scene that she would never forget.
“Greetings, Chapter Master Xue Ji!” A figure stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Xue Ji looked at the figure in surprise, confirming that it was also a Soul Avatar and one that she knew. She couldn’t help but ask, “Yan Peng? What are you doing here? Aren’t you dead?”
“Am I already dead?” Yan Peng asked with a heavy heart.
“You were beheaded by a sword…” Xue Ji responded with a dazed look.
“So, I am already dead…” Yan Peng’s face was now filled with sorrow and grief. Although he had anticipated that he wouldn’t end up well, it was still hard to accept the truth. He had been a brilliant leader, cultivating hard to reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary, and subsequently held a high status in the Black Ink Cult. Yet, he died in such an unclear and meaningless way.
“What is this place? Who are these… Divine Beings?” Xue Ji looked at the young man and the panther next to him.
Yan Peng sighed, “It’s a long story.”
“Enough nonsense!” The panther suddenly spoke, “Big Brother said you aren’t being obedient and asked me to educate you on how to show proper respect.”
Saying so, the leopard’s body flickered with lightning as it pounced towards Xue Ji.
“Wait!” Xue Ji hurriedly stepped back, but the lightning came so fast that it immediately wrapped her up. On the small, seven-coloured island, her screams echoed.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai still sat on the stone pillar, while Zuo Wu You remained motionless in a stiff posture, with beads of sweat dripping down his face.
Opposite Yang Kai, Xue Ji also stood like a statue.
After about a cup of tea’s worth of time, Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly. At the same time, Zuo Wu You also sensed a burst of Spiritual Energy emerge.
The next moment, Xue Ji gasped for breath and fell to the ground, her body drenched in sweat.
Yang Kai propped up his cheeks and looked down at her.
As if sensing Yang Kai’s gaze, Xue Ji struggled and crawled on the ground, her tender body trembling while she begged, “This Servant was overconfident and offended Master’s dignity! I beg Master to spare my life!”
She, who was once one of the greatest Masters in this World, now looked like a whipped dog, begging for mercy.
Zuo Wu You glanced at this scene from the corner of his eye, feeling like the World had gone crazy.
Yang Kai replied calmly, “First, retract your Secret Technique to avoid accidentally injuring Brother Zuo.”
“Yes!” Xue Ji quickly responded and gestured at the direction of Zuo Wu You. Then, the blood mist surrounding him immediately flew back into her body like it had a life of its own.
Once she was done, she prostrated herself on the ground again.
Zuo Wu You was finally free, but the bizarre events of the day had left him dazed, so he didn’t know what to do next.
Yang Kai spoke in a calm tone, “It seems that you understand your situation now.”
Xue Ji hurriedly responded, “Master, your words are the Heavens’ command which this Servant will never disobey!”
“Good!” Yang Kai jumped off the stone stool and walked leisurely towards Xue Ji as he commanded, “Stand up.”
Xue Ji slowly rose to her feet, with her head down and hands clasped at her side. She looked like a noble lady, not at all like the arrogant and wanton woman he had met twice before.
“You’re quite lucky to be alive. I thought you were doomed to die,” Yang Kai suddenly said something that Zuo Wu You couldn’t understand.
Xue Ji responded with her head still down, “This Servant indeed had a close brush with death. It was pure coincidence that I survived.”
“And afterwards, you came to me to try and control me?” Yang Kai joked.
Xue Ji’s expression froze, and she almost fell to her knees again, “This Servant wouldn’t dare to dream of such a thing! This Servant understands your greatness and will not dare to overstep her bounds!”
Yang Kai snorted lightly in response.
Having been dealt with by Thunder Shadow naturally caused a huge change in Xue Ji’s mentality; after all, the power possessed by him and Fang Tian Ci was far beyond that of this World.
“Well, relax for now,” Yang Kai patted Xue Ji’s shoulder lightly, “I am not a vicious person, nor do I like to kill the innocent, but when you came looking for trouble, I couldn’t just sit and wait for death. Just think of it as having bad luck today.”
“Yes, Master,” Xue Ji replied, “I now understand that the World is so much bigger than I thought.”
Yang Kai felt a connection to Chu An He’s last words and said, “This World isn’t as simple as you think.”
Xue Ji didn’t understand.
“You are the Chapter Master of the Black Ink Cult’s Night Chapter, aren’t you?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
“Yes, Master. Do you need me to do something?” Xue Ji looked up at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “No need to do anything special. Just do what you need to do.” He had never intended to subdue this woman, but when she suddenly used her Soul Secret Technique on him, he casually accepted it as a move in his game.
As they travelled along the way here, he had a sense that their journey to the Spirit Religion would not be smooth sailing. No matter what the future held, the Black Ink Cult’s Chapter Masters could still play a role.
Xue Ji was taken aback but quickly responded, “Understood, this Servant will comply.”
“Then go ahead.” Yang Kai waved his hand to dismiss her.
However, Xue Ji remained motionless, looking hesitant.
“Is there anything else?” Yang Kai asked.
Xue Ji suddenly knelt down again, pleading, “This Servant asks for a little bit of Blood from Master.” Worried that Yang Kai might refuse, she added, “Just a little bit, please.”
“Are you not afraid of being overwhelmed?” Yang Kai asked.
Xue Ji lifted her head, a charming smile on her face, “As a woman who has made it this far in life, I don’t know how many times I have passed through the gates of Hell.”
Yang Kai looked at her momentarily, until her expression became anxious before he snorted lightly, “As you wish, but don’t blame me if you die!”
With a flick of his finger, he drew a small wound on his own hand, “You can’t handle too much of my blood, so this should be enough for you… Hey, what are you doing?”
Yang Kai was shocked as the woman in front of him suddenly pounced on him and sucked hard on his finger.
Zuo Wu You, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but frown at the sight, not sure where to look.
Xue Ji left in the form of a twisting blood mist that quickly vanished into the distance, accompanied by heart-wrenching screams.
Zuo Wu You watched the scene unfold and, while he didn’t know the exact details, he had a hunch about it; Yang Kai’s blood seemed to harbour a terrifying power that even an elite like Xue Ji, incredibly proficient in the Blood Dao, couldn’t withstand.
That was why Xue Ji had such a peculiar reaction after devouring Yang Kai’s fresh blood.
“Is it alright to let her go like that?” Zuo Wu You looked at Yang Kai, “All the members of the Black Ink Cult are cunning and deceitful. Brother Yang, don’t let her fool you.”
“It doesn’t matter. She can’t deceive me even if she wanted to.”
Even if Xue Ji could break the Soul Imprint planted on her by Fang Tian Ci, which was frankly impossible, she was now obsessed and addicted to Yang Kai’s blood, so she would never betray him no matter what.
Seeing Yang Kai’s confident expression, Zuo Wu You stopped talking and looked down at the withered corpse on the ground.
After being attacked by Xue Ji, Chu An He had only been barely breathing. With so much time passing without anyone attending to him, it was only natural that he died.
Zuo Wu You’s expression was somewhat desolate, and his tone conveyed a sense of confusion, “What exactly is going on?”
Chu An He had set up an Array in this small town ahead of time, and after drawing him and Yang Kai into it, his murderous intent was revealed. Despite constantly accusing Yang Kai of being a spy for the Black Ink Cult, Zuo Wu You was not stupid and could naturally sense something wrong with the situation.
Whether or not Yang Kai was a spy for the Black Ink Cult, Chu An He clearly intended to kill him and Yang Kai together.
But… why?
If Chu An He was a member of the Black Ink Cult, that didn’t make sense, especially since he was killed by Xue Ji.
“Brother Yang, I suspect that the message I sent earlier was intercepted by someone with ulterior motives,” Zuo Wu You suddenly spoke up.
“Why do you say that?” Yang Kai asked with interest.
“In the message I sent back, I explicitly stated that the Holy Son had emerged, and I was heading to Dawn City with him while being pursued by Black Ink Cult elites. I requested that the reinforcements from our side come to meet us. If this message had truly been delivered, the Spirit Religion would have taken it seriously and sent people to help us. In addition to that, they wouldn’t have just sent someone at Chu An He’s level; there would undoubtedly be Order Lords as well.”
Yang Kai spoke, “But according to Chu An He, your Holy Son emerged 10 years ago and was kept secret for some reason. Perhaps, due to this, the message you brought back was not taken seriously?”
“Even so, we should not have been targeted here. We should have been brought back to Spirit Religion for investigation!” Zuo Wu You said with his head lowered, his thoughts gradually becoming clear, “But in reality, Chu An He had already set up a Killing Array here, waiting for us to enter. If it weren’t for Xue Ji’s sudden appearance and the subsequent destruction of the Array, we would have been doomed here today.”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “En.”
The Array was indeed enough to deal with ordinary Masters, but not him. When Yang Kai opened the Demon Eye of Annihilation, he had already seen through the flaws in the Array. The reason he didn’t just break it then and there was because he saw Xue Ji’s figure and wanted to see how things played out.
He never expected that Xue Ji would kill Chu An He and others so decisively, saving him the trouble.
Zuo Wu You spoke again, “Although Chu An He is a high-ranking member of the Religion, with his identity, he is not qualified to act so boldly. There must be someone else instructing him.”
“Chu An He was an Immortal Ascension Master and already highly regarded within your Spirit Religion. There are probably not many people who can command him,” Yang Kai said.
Zuo Wu You’s forehead was sweating at this point as he said, “He belongs to the Earth Order and is under the direct command of the Order Lord of the Earth Order.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, indicating that he understood.
“Chu An He said that the Holy Son of the Spirit Religion was already found 10 years ago and kept hidden ever since. If that’s true, then Brother Yang, you can’t be the Holy Son,” Zuo Wu You said.
“I never said I was your Holy Son…” Yang Kai was not interested in the identity of the Holy Son; all he wanted was to meet the Light Spirit Religion’s Saintess.
“If Brother Yang is not the Holy Son, then why do they have to kill so ruthlessly?”
“What are you trying to say?”
Zuo Wu You clenched his fists, “Although Chu An He had ulterior motives, he wouldn’t lie about the Holy Son. So, the Holy Son of the Spirit Religion should have really been found 10 years ago and kept secret. But… I only believe what I’ve seen with my own eyes. I witnessed Brother Yang descend from the sky out of nowhere, fulfilling the prophecy that has been circulating in the Spirit Religion for many years. I also witnessed Brother Yang defeating many members of the Black Ink Cult, even Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters were no match for you. I don’t know what the ‘true’ Holy Son of the Spirit Religion looks like, but I think that the Holy Son who can lead Spirit Religion to defeat the Black Ink Cult must be someone like Brother Yang!”
With that, he solemnly bowed to Yang Kai, “So Brother Yang, please forgive my boldness. I want to invite you to come with me to Dawn City!”
Yang Kai smiled, “I intended to go there in the first place.”
Zuo Wu You suddenly realised, “Of course, you want to see the Saintess. But Brother Yang, let me remind you that the road ahead will not be peaceful.”
Yang Kai replied, “Since when has our journey been peaceful?”
Zuo Wu You took a deep breath, “I also have to ask Brother Yang to confront the Holy Son who has secretly emerged.”
“That is not a simple matter. If someone is truly obstructing us in secret, we cannot simply stand by and watch. Do you have a plan?” Yang Kai asked.
Zuo Wu You froze for a moment before slowly shaking his head. In the end, he was just filled with hot blood and wanted to get to the bottom of things, but he had no actual strategy to accomplish that.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked in the direction of Dawn City, “It’s more than a day’s journey from here to Dawn City. News of what happened here won’t reach there for a while. If we hurry, we might be able to enter the city before the person behind the scenes reacts.”
Zuo Wu You replied, “After we enter the city, we’ll act in secret. Brother Yang, I am under the Thunder Order. When the time comes, I will seek an opportunity to meet the Order Lords!”
Yang Kai looked at him and shook his head, “No, I have a better idea.”
Zuo Wu You immediately became interested, “Brother Yang, please say it.”
Yang Kai immediately explained his idea in detail, and Zuo Wu You nodded repeatedly after listening to it, “Brother Yang, you really have thought it through. Let’s do it that way.”
“Then, let’s go.”
The two set off right after.
There were no more twists and turns along the way, probably because the person behind Chu An He didn’t expect their thorough arrangements to fail to have any effect at all.
One day later, the two arrived at a mansion 30 kilometres outside of Dawn City.
The mansion should be the residence of a wealthy family, with a vast expanse of land and a small bridge over running water, nestled amidst lush greenery.
In a hidden chamber, people began to secretly arrive in small groups, until nearly 100 had gathered there.
Although not particularly strong, every single one was a member of the Light Spirit Religion and were also all subordinates of Zuo Wu You.
Despite Zuo Wu You reaching only the Peak True Element Boundary, he held some degree of status within the Spirit Religion and thus had access to a pool of useful subordinates.
He and Yang Kai appeared together, briefly explaining the situation and assigning various tasks to the gathered members.
As Zuo Wu You spoke, the others couldn’t help but stare in surprise at Yang Kai, their eyes filled with wonder.
The prophecy of the Holy Son had circulated throughout the Spirit Religion for many years, and they had been searching for the legendary Holy Son without any results all that time. Now, Zuo Wu You suddenly told them that the Holy Son was before their very eyes, and would be entering the city the next day, leaving everyone curious and eager for more information.
Fortunately, these people were well-trained, so they refrained from asking too many questions even though Zuo Wu You didn’t provide any specific details.
In the end, the others dispersed, leaving only Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You alone.
In the secret chamber, Yang Kai appeared calm and composed, while Zuo Wu You struggled with his emotions.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai said, beckoning him.
Zuo Wu You asked, “Brother Yang, are you sure that one of the people I brought here is that person’s hidden pawn? I know every one of them, and they are all loyal to the Spirit Religion. There shouldn’t be any problems.”
“I don’t know if there are any hidden pawns among them, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Even if there aren’t any, we will be waiting for death if we stay here. Besides… loyalty to the Spirit Religion doesn’t mean they don’t have their own motives. You knew Chu An He well, correct? Was he loyal to the Spirit Religion?”
Zuo Wu You thought for a moment before reluctantly nodding.
“Then that settles it,” Yang Kai said, patting his shoulder, “You can never be too cautious. Let’s go.”
With that, he activated Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, and in an instant, the two of them vanished without a trace.
Although the suppression in this independent world was significant for both his physical body and Soul, Thunder Shadow’s Concealment Technique was Innate, and it could still be activated despite being affected to a certain extent.
Even the senses of the strongest Immortal Ascension Boundary Master in this independent world had no way to uncover his whereabouts.
Under the dim night sky, Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You hid on a small hill near the mansion, concealing their auras as they quietly observed from above.
They stopped using Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability for the moment, primarily because activating it consumed a lot of energy. At present, Yang Kai was only in the True Element Boundary, making it difficult to maintain his power for an extended period.
This was something he hadn’t foreseen.
Under the moonlight, Yang Kai sat cross-legged and cultivated. Since this World had Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters, it didn’t make sense for his cultivation to be suppressed to the True Element Boundary. So, he wanted to test whether he could elevate his strength to the next realm.
Although he wasn’t afraid of any Immortal Ascension Masters with his current power, more strength was always beneficial.
Yang Kai initially thought that breaking through wouldn’t be a difficult task, but once he started cultivating, he discovered an invisible shackle in his body that restricted his cultivation and made it difficult to progress.
[There’s no way to break through this…] Yang Kai felt disheartened upon reaching this conclusion.
“Brother Yang!” Suddenly, Zuo Wu You’s anxious cry echoed in his ear, “Someone’s coming!”
Yang Kai immediately opened his eyes and looked towards the estate at the foot of the mountain, where he saw a dark figure silently hovering in mid-air.
Almost at the moment when Zuo Wu You shouted out those words, the dark figure hovering above the mansion seemed to sense something as he abruptly turned his head towards their direction.
In an instant, the figure darted towards them, his figure flickering soundlessly like a ghost until he landed directly in front of Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You, a mere 30 metres away.
The newcomer stared fixedly at the spot where Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You stood, his dark eyes scrutinising them with a hint of suspicion in the shadows.
Under the blessing of Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You too stared at the newcomer.
Unfortunately, his face was obscured by a black robe and hood, shrouding him in mystery.
After a moment of gazing, the man found nothing and vanished again, returning to the skies above the mansion.
Without hesitation, he threw a punch towards the ground, unleashing a barrage of fist shadows that, along with his Immortal Ascension Boundary power, turned the entire mansion into dust instantly.
However, he soon noticed something was amiss because, according to his perception, the entire manor was completely lifeless, devoid of any vitality.
He withdrew his fist and landed to investigate, but found nothing.
Moments later, he disappeared once again with a cold snort.
An hour later, Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You appeared in a forest 50 kilometres away from the mansion, feeling that this location was safe enough.
Maintaining Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability for a long time had taken a toll on Yang Kai, whose face had turned slightly pale. Zuo Wu You, on the other hand, seemed to have lost his Soul, his eyes going blank.
The situation was unfolding exactly as Yang Kai had feared, heading towards the worst possible outcome.
After restoring himself for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Did you recognise who it was?”
Zuo Wu You turned to look at him, shaking his head slowly, “I couldn’t see his face clearly, but with that kind of power, he must be an Order Lord.”
“He was cautious, though, never activating his Divine Sense.” Divine Sense was an extremely unique power, and each person’s Divine Sense fluctuations were unique. If that person had activated his Divine Sense just now, Zuo Wu You would have been able to recognise him.
Unfortunately, their attacker had not done so throughout the entire process.
“One’s facial features can be concealed by Divine Sense, but not their physique. Among the Eight Orders, which Order Lord do you think resembles our target the most?” Yang Kai asked again.
Zuo Wu You thought for a moment and said, “The Order Lords of the Fire and Lake Valley Orders are the only women among the eight. The Mountain Order Lord is obese, and Wind Order Lord is old and hunched. It shouldn’t be any of them. As for the remaining four Order Lords, they are similar in build. If the person we are looking for intends to conceal their tracks, their physique will also be disguised.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Very good. Our target is now reduced by half.”
Zuo Wu You said hesitantly, “But it is still difficult to determine which one of them it is.”
“Everything happens for a reason. When you sent the message that the Holy Son had been found, we were then plotted against. From a different perspective, what was the purpose of their actions? What benefits do they gain?” Yang Kai questioned.
“Purpose? Benefits?” Zuo Wu You followed Yang Kai’s train of thought and fell into deep contemplation.
Yang Kai asked, “Chu An He did not appear to have already joined the Black Ink Cult. Before Xue Ji killed him, he shouted that he was willing to join. If he was already a member of the Black Ink Cult, he would not have reacted that way. Could it be that one of the Order Lords has already been tainted by Black Ink Strength and secretly joined the Black Ink Cult?”
“That’s impossible!” Zuo Wu You firmly rejected the idea, “Brother Yang, you are not aware that the first-generation Saintess of the Spirit Religion not only passed down the prophecy of the Holy Son, but also left behind a Secret Technique. This Secret Technique has no other purpose but to identify whether someone has been contaminated by Black Ink Strength and to dispel it from them. Every time an upper-echelon member of the religion at the Immortal Ascension Boundary returns from outside, the current Saintess will use that Secret Technique to check them. Over the years, there have indeed been some spies from the Black Ink Cult trying to infiltrate Dawn City, but no problems have ever arisen among the upper echelons, who are in the Immortal Ascension Boundary.”
Yang Kai suddenly realised, “You mean the Purifying Heart Secret Technique you mentioned before?”
When Chu An He was slandering them as spies from the Black Ink Cult, Zuo Wu You claimed that he could face their Saintess directly and prove his innocence by having her perform the Purifying Heart Secret Technique on him.
At that time, Yang Kai didn’t take it seriously, but now it seemed that the Purifying Heart Secret Technique passed down by the first-generation Saintess of Spirit Religion was indeed profound and mysterious. If this Secret Technique could only identify whether someone had been contaminated by Black Ink Strength, it wouldn’t be that surprising; however, the fact that it could also dispel Black Ink Strength was truly astonishing.
After all, the Human Race of this era only had one way to dispel Black Ink Strength, which was with Purifying Light. Purifying Black Ink Pills could only prevent corruption when still effective, but they could not dispel Black Ink Strength once it had taken hold.
“Indeed,” Zuo Wu You nodded, “It is the highest secret of our Religion, and only the Saintesses of past generations have the ability to perform it.”
“If they did not join the Black Ink Cult, then there must be some other reason,” Yang Kai pondered, “Although I don’t know the specific reason, my appearance must have affected the interests of some people. But how could I, an unknown nobody, affect the interests of those people… Only being the Holy Son could explain it.”
Zuo Wu You understood and asked, “But Brother Yang, the Holy Son of our Spirit Religion emerged in secret 10 years ago, which is apparently a known fact among the high-ranking members. Even if I informed them about you, they would only think that someone is impersonating the Holy Son and at most send someone to bring you back to investigate. Why would they intercept the message and try to kill you in secret?”
Yang Kai looked at him with deep meaning, “What do you think?”
Zuo Wu You met his gaze, and suddenly a horrifying thought surged in his heart, causing sweat to break out on his forehead, “Brother Yang, are you saying… that the Holy Son is fake?”
“I didn’t say that,” Yang Kai replied sarcastically.
Zuo Wu You seemed to not have heard him, his face suddenly showing a look of enlightenment, “So that’s how it is. If that’s really the case, then everything makes sense. Someone arranged a fake Holy Son 10 years ago, keeping it secret and hidden from all the higher-ups of the Spirit Religion, obtaining their approval and making everyone believe that he was the real Holy Son. But only the Mastermind knew he was a fake. So, when I reported your news back to Spirit Religion, it aroused their murderous intent, and they even went so far as to personally take action to kill you!”
At this point, Zuo Wu You was quite excited, “Brother Yang, does that mean you are the real Holy Son?”
Yang Kai sighed, “I just want to meet your Saintess. As for anything else, I have no other thoughts.”
“No, you are the Holy Son, the one prophesied by the first-generation Saintess. There’s no doubt about it!” Zuo Wu You insisted, and then added eagerly, “But someone has planted a fake Holy Son in the Spirit Religion, even deceiving all the higher-ups. This matter concerns the foundation of Spirit Religion and must be exposed!”
“Do you have any evidence?” Yang Kai asked him.
Zuo Wu You shook his head.
“If there’s no evidence, no one would believe you even if you had the opportunity to meet the Saintess and those Order Lords to inform them about this,” he said.
“But someone has to make them aware of this, whether they believe it or not! The Order Lords are all shrewd strategists; once they become suspicious, the truth will eventually come to light. I’m just worried about our current situation. We’ve already caught the attention of the person behind the scenes. It’s probably wishful thinking to try to enter the city.”
“Entering the city won’t be a problem,” Yang Kai said calmly, “Have you forgotten what you arranged before?”
Zuo Wu You was stunned, only then remembering the orders he had given to his subordinates earlier. He suddenly realised, “So Brother Yang planned this all along.”
At this moment, he understood why Yang Kai instructed him to give those orders. It seemed that he had anticipated the current situation from the start.
“We’ll enter the city at dawn. Let’s rest for a while first,” Yang Kai said.
“En.”
Dawn City was still bustling under the cover of the night; it was the headquarters of the Light Spirit Religion and the most prosperous city in this independent World. Even at midnight, pedestrians were still streaming through the streets.
Beneath the glamour and bustle though, a message spread like a wildfire throughout the city.
The Holy Son had appeared and would enter the city tomorrow!
The prophecy left by the first-generation Saintess had been circulating for countless years. All the members of the Light Spirit Religion were looking forward to the arrival of the Holy Son who could save the World and end the war.
But, for countless years, the Holy Son had not appeared, and no one knew when or if he would ever reveal himself.
Until tonight, when the news began to spread from tea houses and taverns, quickly spreading in all directions at an uncontrollable speed.
Within half a night, everyone in Dawn City had heard the news.
Countless followers were filled with joy and excitement.
At the centre of the city, the bright Holy Temple, the foundation of the Spirit Religion, was the largest and tallest building.
After midnight, countless Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters were summoned, and many high-ranking members of the Light Spirit Religion gathered together!
In the centre of the Main Hall, a veiled woman with a stunning figure sat upon a throne, holding a white jade sceptre.
This woman was none other than the Saintess of the Light Spirit Religion!
Below the Saintess, the Eight Order Lords were arranged on both sides, while beneath them were the various Protectors and Elders.
More than 100 people had been gathered, all of them Immortal Ascension Masters. Despite the large number of people, the hall was silent.
After a long while, the Saintess finally spoke, “You have all heard about the news, haven’t you?”
Everyone responded in agreement, “We have heard.”
“We have gathered here tonight to discuss how to handle this situation!” The Saintess continued.
A Protector stepped forward immediately and exclaimed in excitement, “The Holy Son has appeared, fulfilling the prophecy passed down by the first-generation Saintess! This is a blessing for our Spirit Religion! I believe that we should immediately arrange for people to receive him and prevent the Black Ink Cult from taking advantage of the situation!”
A large group of people immediately echoed their agreement, saying that this was the correct course of action.
The Saintess raised her hand, and the noisy hall immediately became quiet. She then gently spoke, “Unfortunately, some things have been kept secret for many years that must now come to light. Only the Eight Order Lords present here know about this secret, which is related to the Holy Son. Listen first before making any plans.”
She then turned to the oldest of the eight Order Lords, saying, “Lord Si Kong, please inform everyone.”
The Saintess called upon someone, and from among the Eight Order Lords, an old man with a hunched back stepped forward. He turned and looked down, coughed into his fist, and spoke, “Let it be known to all that Spirit Religion’s Holy Son has secretly emerged 10 years ago. He has been cultivating and honing himself in the Holy Temple ever since!”
The entire hall fell into silence, followed by a huge uproar.
Everyone gazed at the Wind Order Lord in disbelief. Many were trying to digest this sudden revelation, while others raised their voices in inquiry.
“Order Lord Si Kong, how could we not have known that the Holy Son had already been born?”
“Holy Saintess, is it true that the Holy Son appeared 10 years ago?”
“Who is the Holy Son? What is his cultivation now?”
…..
Among those present in the Grand Hall at this moment were the high-ranking members of the Spirit Religion, all of whom were elites in the Immortal Ascension Boundary with qualifications to know many of the Religion’s secrets. Yet, it was only now that they were learning there were things within the Spirit Religion that they were completely unaware of.
Si Kong Nan raised his hand slightly to quiet down the clamour, and then continued, “10 years ago, this Old Master went out on a mission and was besieged by the Masters of the Black Ink Cult. I had no choice but to hide under a cliff to heal my injuries. During that time, a young man fell from the sky and landed in front of me. The young man’s cultivation was still shallow at that time, but he survived the fall from the cliff. So, after I healed, I brought him back to the Spirit Religion.”
Then, Si Kong Nan paused briefly, allowing the crowd to digest what he had just said.
Someone murmured softly, “There will come a day when the sky cracks open, and a person descends from above, igniting the brilliance of light and tearing through the darkness to defeat the ultimate enemy!” He looked around and raised his voice, filled with excitement, “Isn’t this fulfilling the prophecy left by the first Saintess?”
“Indeed, indeed. Surviving a fall from a towering cliff must mean this child has great blessings!”
“He must be the Holy Son!”
“No, wait. The falling of the young man from the sky does align with the prophecy, but the prophecy also mentions the sky cracking open. How do we interpret that?”
Si Kong Nan seemed to have anticipated this question and explained slowly, “You all may not know this, but I was hiding in a location known as Heaven’s Border at that time!”
The person who asked the question suddenly realised, “So that’s how it is.”
If one were to look up while standing in the depths of Heaven’s Border, the gap formed by the cliffs on both sides did indeed resemble a crack in the sky.
All had fallen into place!
The scene of the young man descending from the sky matched the prophecy left behind by the first-generation Saintess. It was truly the sign of the Holy Son’s birth!
Si Kong Nan continued, “As you all suspected, when I saved that young man and brought him back to Spirit Religion, Saintess gathered a few Order Lords and opened the sealed land.”
“What happened next?” Someone asked, though they already knew the outcome would surely be good, they couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.
Si Kong Nan replied, “He passed the test left by the first-generation Saintess!”
“He is undoubtedly the Holy Son!”
“Hahaha, so the Holy Son has already emerged 10 years ago! After waiting for so many years, we finally have him!”
“Now those bastards from the Black Ink Cult shall suffer!”
…..
Allowing the crowd to express their excitement for a moment, Si Kong Nan continued, “After 10 years of cultivation, the Holy Son has shown unparalleled talent and potential. When I saved him, he had just begun his cultivation not long ago; however, now his strength surpasses any of the Order Lords.”
Upon hearing this, the people in the Grand Hall were all shocked.
The Eight Order Lords of Spirit Religion, as well as the Eight Chapter Masters of the Black Ink Cult, were all the most outstanding elites in this World; however, they had been cultivating for many years, ranging from dozens to over 100 years to reach their current height.
Yet, the Holy Son achieved this in just 10 years. He truly was the legendary saviour!
Such a person might be able to break the limits of the Martial Dao in this independent World and sweep away the demons of the Black Ink Cult with his great strength.
“The Holy Son’s cultivation has reached a bottleneck, though. Originally, we planned to announce the matter of the Holy Son and officially introduce him to the World after some time, but we didn’t expect such an incident to happen at this critical moment,” Si Kong Nan furrowed his brow.
Immediately, someone indignantly shouted, “Since the Holy Son has already emerged and passed the test left by the first-generation Saintess, his identity is undoubtedly confirmed. Therefore, the one who claims to be the Holy Son and has not yet entered the city must be a fake!”
“The Black Ink Cult’s methods are as despicable as ever! Over the years, they have repeatedly tried to infiltrate our Spirit Religion using signs of the prophecy, but they have never succeeded! It seems like they haven’t learned their lesson!”
Someone stepped forward and cupped his fist, “Holy Saintess, Order Lords, please allow me to lead my men out of the city to slay the imposter who dares to insult our Spirit Religion. Let his death serve as a warning!”
Not only did multiple people speak in that manner, but several others also stepped forward, demanding to lead troops out of the city and intercept the impostor pretending to be the Holy Son.
The Fire Order Lord, however, snorted disdainfully, “If the news hadn’t leaked, we could have just killed him, but now that it has spread throughout the entire city, all the followers are eagerly anticipating his arrival. How do we explain it to the followers if you murder him now?”
A Protector immediately objected, “But that Holy Son is a fake!”
The Fire Order Lord replied, “Those present may know that he is a fake, but what about the ordinary followers? They know nothing. All they know is the legendary saviour is supposed to arrive in the city tomorrow!”
The Mountain Order Lord patted his plump belly and chuckled, “Indeed, we can’t kill him just like that, or it will have a huge negative impact.” He paused for a moment and squinted his eyes slightly, “Have any of you ever thought about how this news was leaked?”
He turned his head to look at a woman among the Eight Order Lords, “Lake Order’s Sister Guan, you are in charge of intelligence inside and outside the Spirit Religion. Have you investigated this matter?”
The Lake Order Lord, Guan Miao Zhu, nodded, “As soon as the news spread, I sent people to investigate. The source of this news came from Zuo Wu You, a Deacon from the Thunder Order. It seems that he discovered the Holy Son while performing a mission outside and brought him back. He then gathered a group of people outside the city and had them spread the news, which caused the whole city to know about it.”
“Thunder Order’s Zuo Wu You!” The Mountain Order Lord pondered for a moment, “I vaguely recall hearing that name before.” He turned to the Thunder Order Lord and continued, “If I’m not mistaken, Zuo Wu You has a good aptitude and was likely to ascend to the Immortal Ascension Boundary sooner or later.”
The Thunder Order Lord replied indifferently, “Why do you care so much about the people under my command, fatty?”
The Mountain Order Lord chuckled, “We are all adherents of the Spirit Religion. As the Order Lord of one of the Orders, shouldn’t I show some concern about budding talents?”
“Enough, haven’t you poached enough elite disciples from my Order in recent years? I warn you, don’t even think about laying a hand on my disciples.”
The Mountain Order Lord wore a distressed expression, “I have no choice. Mountain Order is responsible for charging into the fray, and we always suffer losses whenever we clash with the Black Ink Cult. We need to find a way to constantly replenish our manpower.”
Thunder Order Lord snorted, “Zuo Wu You is indeed under my Thunder Order. He is an orphan who grew up in the Spirit Religion and has always been loyal to it. Plus, he is a straightforward and bold person. I was planning to promote him to the rank of Protector after he broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary. He shouldn’t have any problems unless he’s been tainted by Black Ink Strength and had his nature twisted.”
The Fire Order Lord added, “I also have some impression of Zuo Wu You. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would engage in schemes and tricks.”
“So, it must be the fake Holy Son who had Zuo Wu You gather those people and spread the news.”
“Why would he do that?”
Everyone looked puzzled. If he was a fake, why would he have the audacity to make this matter widely known? Wasn’t he afraid of being confronted?
Suddenly, a man rushed in from outside, greeting the Saintess and the various Order Lords before approaching the Fire Order Lord’s side and whispering a few words in her ear.
The Fire Order Lord’s face turned cold as she asked, “Are you sure?”
The man cupped his fists and replied, “I saw it with my own eyes!”
The Fire Order Lord then nodded lightly in response and waved her hand, dismissing the man.
“What’s going on?” Asked the Mountain Order Lord.
The Fire Order Lord turned around to bow to the Saintess who was seated above and said, “Saintess, upon receiving the news, I sent someone to the mansion outside the city where Zuo Wu You was rumoured to be staying to capture him and the fake Holy Son before they could escape; however, it seems that someone has beaten us to it, and the mansion has already been destroyed.”
The Mountain Order Lord raised his brow, greatly surprised, “Someone attacked them in secret?”
Above, the Saintess asked, “What about Zuo Wu You and the fake Holy Son?”
“That estate is now a ruin, but there was no blood or signs of a struggle. It seems that Zuo Wu You and the fake Holy Son moved to a different location in advance,” the Fire Order Lord replied.
“Oh?” The Earth Order Lord, who had been silent all this time, slowly opened his eyes and a playful smile appeared on his face, “This is interesting. A fake Holy Son not only spread the news of his arrival in the city tomorrow but also anticipated danger and moved to a new hiding place. This fellow is not simple.”
“But who tried to kill him?” Someone asked.
“Regardless of who it was, it seems that the fake Holy Son’s understood his current circumstances are not safe. That’s why he spread the news and made his situation known to everyone, so that those who wanted to act against him had to do so cautiously to avoid harming the innocent! Since that’s the case, he will definitely enter the city tomorrow! No matter who he is or why he is impersonating the Holy Son, as long as he enters the city, we can capture him and interrogate him!”
The Order Lords discussed back and forth and quickly came to a conclusion.
However, it was puzzling why Zuo Wu You and the fake Holy Son had aroused the inexplicable murderous intent of an unknown Master outside the city. It was unclear who they had offended.
“How much time is left until dawn?” The Saintess asked from her throne.
“Less than an hour, Lady Saintess,” someone replied.
The Saintess nodded and said, “In that case, Order Lord Li, Order Lord Ma.”
Fire Order Lord Li Fei Yu and Mountain Order Lord Ma Cheng Ze immediately stepped forward and said in unison, “Reporting.”
The Saintess then commanded, “You two go to the city gate and wait for Zuo Wu You and the fake Holy Son to show up. Then bring them to me.”
“Yes!” The two of them responded simultaneously and quickly left the Grand Hall.
In the vast Dawn City, there were 16 city gates. Although there were rumours that the Holy Son would enter the city tomorrow, nobody knew which gate he would come through.
Before dawn, countless disciples gathered outside the 16 city gates, eagerly waiting for the arrival of the Holy Son.
The Fire and Mountain Orders dispatched their top Masters and laid out an inescapable net within a radius of 50 kilometres centred on Dawn City, so any slight disturbance would be detected immediately.
Inside a teahouse, Ma Cheng Ze and Li Fei Yu sat across from each other, sipping fragrant tea.
Ma Cheng Ze was a plump man with a rotund belly, always smiling and appearing amiable. Even strangers found it difficult to harbour any ill feelings towards him, but those who knew him well were aware that his friendly exterior was just a front.
Among the Eight Orders of the Light Spirit Religion, the Mountain Order was responsible for leading the charge in battle, always at the forefront when attacking the Black Ink Cult’s strongholds. It could be said that the Mountain Order was made up of a group of fearless warriors, willing to give their lives for the cause.
So how would it be possible that their Order Lord was a simple and amiable person?
Ma Cheng Ze held a teacup in his hand, squinting his eyes as he watched the pretty women strolling down the street. Sometimes, he even whistled at them, drawing angry glares from the women.
Li Fei Yu sat calmly across from him, her icy expression resembling a statue and her eyes closed in meditation.
“Junior Sister Yu,” Ma Cheng Ze suddenly said, “Where do you think this fake Holy Son will enter the city from?”
Li Fei Yu kept her eyes closed as she replied calmly, “It doesn’t matter which direction he enters from. As long as he shows himself, he won’t be able to leave.”
Ma Cheng Ze questioned, “With such thorough arrangements, he certainly won’t be able to do so, but why would a fake Holy Son dare to act so boldly? Who has he offended to attract an assassination attempt from an Order Lord?”
Suddenly, Li Fei Yu snapped her eyes open, sharply staring at him.
Ma Cheng Ze shrugged, “Did I say something wrong?”
“Where did you get this information?” Li Fei Yu asked coldly.
She had never mentioned anything about an Order Lord making a move in the Grand Hall.
Ma Cheng Ze replied with a chuckle, “I can’t tell you that. Haha, I have my own ways.”
Upon hearing that, Li Fei Yu coldly snorted, “Damn fatty, all you need to do is charge ahead. How dare you plant your people in my Fire Order?”
The information about the mansion outside the city was obtained by the Fire Order, all of which had been blocked off. Everyone now only knew what Li Fei Yu said in the Grand Hall, but Ma Cheng Ze knew some of the hidden details. Obviously, these were leaked to him by someone else.
Ma Cheng Ze immediately clarified, “I didn’t do that. Don’t make unfounded claims. I, Old Ma, always recruit people openly from various Orders, I never act in the shadows.”
Li Fei Yu only stared at him for a while before saying, “I hope so.”
Ma Cheng Ze continued to ask, “There are only eight Order Lords. Who do you think it could be?”
Li Fei Yu turned her head and looked out the window, casually changing the subject, “I think he will enter the city from one of the three gates in the east.”
“Oh?” Ma Cheng Ze raised an eyebrow, “Just because the mansion is in the east? If that fake Holy Son chose to spread the news throughout the city to avoid potential risks, it means that he is wary of the high-ranking members of the Religion. How is it possible for such a cautious person like him to enter the city from the gates in the east? He must have already moved in another direction.”
Li Fei Yu couldn’t be bothered to explain her thinking.
Ma Cheng Ze talked to himself for a while, then continued to whistle at the pretty girls passing by outside the window.
Li Fei Yu’s expression abruptly changed and she took out a communication bead.
At the same time, Ma Cheng Ze also took out his own communication bead.
The two of them checked the message that was transmitted, followed by Ma Cheng Ze’s expression darkening, “He really came from the east! How bold is this person?”
Li Fei Yu stood up and said calmly, “If he wasn’t bold, he wouldn’t have chosen to enter the city at all.”
Ma Cheng Ze was slightly startled, but nodded after he gave it some thought, “You’re right.”
“Let’s go.”
The two of them flew out of the teahouse, heading towards the east of the city.
The Holy Son had already appeared in the direction of the second gate in the east, escorted by Immortal Ascension Realm Masters from the Mountain and Fire Orders.
He was about to enter the city!
This news quickly spread. The disciples gathered at the east gate were extremely excited, and after receiving the news, those gathered at the other gates began rushing over as fast as they could, wanting to catch a glimpse of the Holy Son’s glory. For a while, all of Dawn City was like a giant beast awakening from its slumber, causing great commotion.
The number of disciples gathering at the eastern gates continued to grow, and even with the help of the two Orders, it was difficult to control the situation.
It wasn’t until the arrival of the two Order Lords, Ma Cheng Ze and Li Fei Yu, that the commotion barely calmed down.
Fatty Ma wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Li Fei Yu, “Junior Sister Yu, this situation is getting out of control.”
He had led his people into battle countless times without so much as a frown, even when faced with mountains of swords and seas of fire. Killing or being killed was all there was to it.
However, they were not facing an enemy now, but the disciples of their own Spirit Religion, which made things much trickier.
The prophecy left by the first-generation Saintess had been passed down for countless years and was deeply ingrained in the hearts of every disciple; everyone knew that the day the Holy Son was born would signal the end of all suffering.
The lower disciples and common folk all wanted to catch a glimpse of this saviour, and now with the current situation, everyone was rushing over. The eastern gate was already overcrowded and was only becoming more congested.
The Spirit Religion could certainly take some tough measures to disperse the crowds, but with so many onlookers, doing so might just cause more chaos.
This would not be good for the foundation of the Spirit Religion.
Ma Cheng Ze had a headache and felt that he had been given a difficult task. He said through clenched teeth, “If only we could spread the news that the real Holy Son had already emerged and let the people know this one is a fake.”
Li Fei Yu also looked serious as she murmured, “No one thought the situation would develop like this.”
There were two reasons why the news of the true Holy Son’s appearance was not revealed. Firstly, by entering the city, the fake Holy Son had effectively handed over the initiative to the Spirit Religion. Once he was in the city, they could decide whether to kill him or keep him with a single thought, so there was no need to leak such important information in advance.
Secondly, keeping the true Holy Son a secret for so many years made it difficult to persuade the disciples at this critical moment.
In addition, the authorities were also deeply concerned about the events that had befallen the imposter.
Who would show murderous intent towards a fake and secretly take action against him?
They had originally intended to let nature take its course, but they never expected the disciples to be this enthusiastic about it.
“Do you think he planned this all along?” Ma Cheng Ze suddenly asked.
Li Fei Yu seemed to not hear him as she remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “We can only find a way to resolve the situation now; otherwise, if all of the disciples gathered here and someone took advantage of them, there will surely be chaos!”
“Just look at these people. Each and every one of them is devout to the extreme. If you drive them away now, not allowing them to see the Holy Son’s appearance, they will probably fight you to the death!”
“Who said we won’t let them see him?” Li Fei Yu scoffed, “Since they want to see him so badly, let them. He’s just a fake anyway. Letting the disciples gather to observe him won’t damage the reputation of our Spirit Religion.”
“Do you have a plan?” Ma Cheng Ze’s eyes lit up.
Li Fei Yu didn’t respond but instead waved to a cultivator from the Lake Order who came over immediately. She gave him some instructions, and he nodded repeatedly before leaving quickly.
Ma Cheng Ze listened to the instructions and gave Li Fei Yu a big thumbs up, “What a great plan! I admire you, Junior Sister Li. The ones in charge of gathering information sure are quick-witted.”
…
30 kilometres outside the Eastern Second Gate, Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You flew straight towards Dawn City’s direction. Surrounding them were numerous elites from the Light Spirit Religion that were ‘protecting’ them from all sides, not leaving their side at all.
These people were part of the search team sent out to look for these two, so after finding them, they stuck with them all the way.
More and more people joined the group as they went.
When he saw this, Zuo Wu You became completely relieved and had nothing but admiration for Yang Kai.
With the protection of so many Spirit Religion elites, the person behind the scenes could no longer act recklessly, and all it took was the release of some information, which could almost be said to have been effortless.
They quickly arrived at the city. From afar, Zuo Wu You and Yang Kai could see the crowded people outside the city.
“Why are there so many people?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but be surprised.
Zuo Wu You pondered for a moment before sighing, “The people of the world have suffered for a long time under the threat of Black Ink Strength. With the emergence of the Holy Son, hope has arrived. They probably all came to witness the glory of the Holy Son.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
After a moment, under the gaze of many eyes, Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You landed outside the city gate.
A cold-looking woman and a friendly-faced fatty walked towards them. Zuo Wu You’s expression changed slightly when he saw them and quickly transmitted their identities to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded imperceptibly in response.
As they approached, the fatty smiled and said, “Little Friend, you’ve been through a lot on the way.”
Yang Kai smiled and responded, “Thanks to Brother Zuo’s care, it has been a smooth journey.”
Ma Cheng Ze raised an eyebrow slightly and praised, “Zuo Wu You is indeed remarkable.”
Meanwhile, Zuo Wu You stepped forward to pay his respects, “Greetings, Order Lord Ma, Order Lord Li!”
Ma Cheng Ze patted him on the shoulder, “You’ve done a great job this time. The appearance of the Holy Son is a great joy for my Spirit Religion. After the matter is settled, it will ultimately be your credit.”
Zuo Wu You bowed his head low, “It is my duty, and I dare not take credit.”
“Good,” Ma Cheng Ze nodded, “Go with Order Lord Li, she has something to ask you.”
Zuo Wu You looked up at Yang Kai and replied after seeing him nod, “Yes!”
Then, Li Fei Yu led Zuo Wu You to one side.
Ma Cheng Ze waved his hand and immediately someone brought two spirited horses forward. He gestured, “Little Friend, please. There is still a journey to the Holy Temple.”
Although Yang Kai was a little puzzled, he went along with it and mounted the horse.
Ma Cheng Ze rode on the other horse, leading him towards the city. On the way, the bustling crowd automatically parted to make way for them.
Dawn City was the holy city of the Light Spirit Religion, and every street was wide and spacious; however, these thoroughfares, which could normally allow four to five carriages to pass by simultaneously, were filled with people today.
Two horses entered the city through one of the eastern gates, followed by many Masters from the Spirit Religion, but all eyes were on a particular young man on horseback.
Their gazes were filled with sincerity and admiration.
Meanwhile, Ma Cheng Ze and Yang Kai chatted while riding side-by-side.
“Whose idea was it?” Asked Yang Kai all of a sudden.
“What do you mean?” Ma Cheng Ze didn’t understand the other man.
Yang Kai pointed at the people on both sides.
Only then did Ma Cheng Ze realise what Yang Kai meant. He looked around and leaned close to him before whispering, “They’re the Order Lord’s disciples from the Fire Order. Please be patient, Little Friend. They just want to know what you look like. Everything will be fine after this.”
“Alright,” Yang Kai nodded.
He could feel that these people were looking expectantly at him.
Although it had been several days since he arrived in this World, he had only been wandering around the wilderness with Zuo Wu You. He had heard about the current affairs, but he hadn’t had a chance to see much for himself.
It wasn’t until he looked at these gazes that he realised what Zuo Wu You meant by the people in this World having suffered a long time because of the Black Ink Cult.
After the news of the Holy Son entering the city spread, all the disciples in Dawn City came over to take a look at him. To prevent any turmoil, Li Fei Yu had planned a route so that Ma Cheng Ze could lead Yang Kai to head straight to the Holy Temple.
The disciples who wanted to have a look at the Holy Son could wait patiently on both sides of the road; that way, not only could they prevent any potential danger, but they could also fulfil the disciples’ wishes. It was like killing two birds with one stone.
Ma Cheng Ze stayed by Yang Kai’s side so that he could escort the man to the Holy Temple and find out more about his background; however, he didn’t want to ask any questions at that moment. Regardless of whether the Holy Son beside him was fake, the fervent gazes around him were real.
“Please save us, Holy Son…” someone all of a sudden said.
It was nothing more than a murmur at first, but the words spread like wildfire among the crowd.
In just several breaths of time, all of them started shouting, “Please save us, Holy Son!”
Wherever Yang Kai went, all the disciples fell to their knees and pressed their heads against the ground.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling sorrowful, for the sight before his eyes reminded him of the situation the Human Race was facing.
The first-generation Saintess had left behind a prophecy that a Holy Son would save all of them one day, but who knows how long they would have to wait? After all, none of the Humans from the 3,000 Worlds was able to save them.
Ma Cheng Ze turned to look at Yang Kai. For some reason, he seemed to detect a form of invisible power descending upon this young man.
As he recalled some ancient rumours, his expression changed.
Li Fei Yu let the Holy Son enter the city on horseback so that the disciples could take a look at him, but it seemed to have caused some unexpected consequences.
At the thought of this, Ma Cheng Ze quickly fished out a communication bead and sent a message to the Holy Temple.
Meanwhile, the Order Lords of the Spirit Religion were waiting in the Holy Temple. The Order Lord of the Heaven Order fished out his communication bead and had a look, his expression soon turning solemn.
“What happened?” Asked the Saintess upon noticing his anomaly.
The Heaven Order Lord stepped forward and narrated to her about Li Fei Yu’s arrangements and the disciples gathering around the eastern ward.
Upon hearing this, the Saintess nodded, “Order Lord Li has done a good job. Is there anything wrong?”
The Heaven Order Lord then explained, “We seem to have underestimated the influence of the first Saintess’ prophecy on the disciples. Now, the fake Holy Son has gathered popular support among the people, and he seems to have acquired the blessing of the World’s Will.”
Upon hearing that, everyone in the room was shocked.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Where did you get the news from?”
“Does it even need explaining? Since Fatty Ma is by his side, he’s certainly the one who sent me the message.”
“What should we do, then?”
All of them descended into chaos, not knowing how to proceed.
The Order Lords were naturally not sincere about welcoming the fake Holy Son to the city. They planned to find out the purpose of his visit and look into his background after they secured him in the Grand Hall.
They didn’t need to make a fuss just because someone pretended to be the Holy Son.
However, none of them had expected that they were lifting a rock only to drop it on their foot. If the fake Holy Son gained popular support and the blessing of the World’s Will, that would be problematic, for that honour belonged to the real Holy Son.
Some of them didn’t believe the Heaven Order Lord, so they released their Divine Senses and looked into the matter. Upon closer inspection though, they realised it was indeed the case. For some reason, the fake Holy Son was shrouded in a layer of invisible and mysterious power, which seemed to be a manifestation of the World itself.
Many of them started sweating, thinking that the incident was preposterous.
“Our plan isn’t working,” announced the Heaven Order Lord with a solemn expression. Since this person had obtained the blessing of the World’s Will, regardless of whether he was a fake Holy Son, those from the Spirit Religion could no longer handle him as they pleased.
“We can only play it by ear and find out his background first,” suggested an Order Lord.
“The real Holy Son has already appeared. Other than the authority figures, the rest are not aware of it. In that case, we’d better not expose him first.”
“That’s the only thing we can do.”
After a quick discussion, the Order Lords soon came up with a solution and turned to look at the Saintess, who nodded, “It’s agreed on, then.”
Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Ma Cheng Ze were moving forward on horseback through the holy city.
All of a sudden, a petite figure dashed out from the crowd. An agile Ma Cheng Ze tightened the reins and stopped the person with his other hand.
Upon closer look, he realised the person was a young kid, perhaps five or six years old.
Although the person was a young kid, he was quite bold. He ignored Ma Cheng Ze and stared fixedly at Yang Kai as he asked in a clear voice, “Are you the Holy Son?”
Seeing that the young kid was adorable, Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I don’t know if I’m the Holy Son. We will only find out after the Order Lords and the Saintess examine me.”
Ma Cheng Ze was initially worried that Yang Kai would claim to be the Holy Son, so upon hearing these words, he was relieved.
“You must not be the Holy Son, then,” said the young kid.
“Oh? Why?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
The young kid pulled a face and said, “Because I hated you the moment I saw you.”
Upon finishing his words, he dashed back into the crowd. In that direction, a woman snapped, “Smelly brat, stop causing trouble! What nonsense did you just say?”
The young kid snorted and replied, “I just hate him!”
Yang Kai traced the voice and saw a woman running after the naughty child.
Beside him, Ma Cheng Ze guffawed, “Young kids like him can be mischievous. Please don’t mind it.”
Yang Kai nodded and looked in that direction again, but the woman and the young kid were nowhere to be seen.
As they moved along the 30-kilometre street, the disciples on both sides knelt and offered their prayers. All of them in the holy city were hoping for the Holy Son to save them from their suffering.
The loud voices were the will of many thousands of people. Although the Holy Temple was protected by a Spirit Array, the Order Lords of the Spirit Religion could still hear the people clearly.
The procession soon arrived at the Holy Temple, and after they were given permission to enter, Ma Cheng Ze led Yang Kai to head to the Grand Hall that represented the Light Spirit Religion’s foundation.
Many people had gathered on both sides of the hall as they studied Yang Kai.
Without sparing them a glance, Yang Kai stepped forward and stared fixedly at the woman in front of him.
He had come to this place to meet this woman; after all.
Since the woman was veiled, he was unable to see her face, so he secretly activated the Demon Eye of Annihilation to see through all the pretence, but his attempt was actually futile.
The veil was just an ordinary accessory without any mysterious power, so the Demon Eye of Annihilation proved useless in this situation.
“I’ve brought him here, Holy Saintess.”
Ma Cheng Ze saluted the woman before proceeding to his spot.
The Saintess nodded, then frowned at Yang Kai.
She could feel that since the young man entered the hall, he had been staring fixedly at her, as though he was examining her, which made her displeased.
Since she became the Saintess, no one had ever dared to look at her like this.
Just as she parted her lips to say something, the young man spoke all of a sudden, “I have a request to ask of you, Holy Saintess. Please agree to it.”
Yang Kai stood there confidently and said those words nonchalantly, as though he had come all the way to this place for that request.
Many people in the hall furrowed their brows, thinking that even though the fake Holy Son was weak, he was quite arrogant. Not only did he not salute the Saintess, but he even had the guts to come up with a demand.
Fortunately, the Saintess was a mild-tempered person. Although she was displeased with Yang Kai’s attitude and actions, she still nodded and asked gently, “What’s the matter?”
Yang Kai replied, “Please take off your veil.”
Upon hearing that, the hall broke into a commotion.
Someone roared, “How dare you be so rude to the Saintess!”
Not just anyone could see the Saintess’ face. Only a small number of the Spirit Religion’s Order Lords had seen the Saintess’ face before, so it was inconceivable that a nobody like Yang Kai even had the audacity to make such a request.
“Are you here to humiliate us, you Brat?”
All of them started criticizing Yang Kai as they activated their Divine Senses and mounted pressure on him.
No True Element Boundary Master could ever bear such pressure; however, they were soon shocked by what was going on. The young man, who was supposed to be taught a lesson by them, just stood there in silence. The pressure of the Divine Senses didn’t seem to affect him one bit, as though it was merely a breeze that had been whisked by him.
He only stared fixedly at the Saintess.
On the other hand, the Saintess felt slightly at ease, for she didn’t see any malicious intent or promiscuity behind the young man’s gaze. She raised her hand to appease the angry crowd and asked puzzledly, “Why do you want me to take off my veil?”
Yang Kai replied seriously, “I’d like to verify a speculation I have.”
“Is the speculation very important?”
“It will affect the happiness of the people and the safety of the World.”
While the Saintess was speechless, everyone in the hall broke into laughter.
“Although you’re young, you’re pretty arrogant.”
“We’ve been trying to save the World, but there hasn’t been much progress over the years. How dare a True Element Boundary brat like you boast shamelessly?”
“Let him speak. I haven’t heard a joke that is funnier than this for a long time.”
Yang Kai ignored the commotion in the Grand Hall and looked at the Saintess, awaiting her reply in silence.
After a long time, the veiled woman said, “I don’t mind taking off my veil, but…”
The commotion stopped abruptly as all of their necks seemed to have been grabbed by invisible hands as they looked dazedly at the woman.
None of them expected the Saintess to agree to this kind of ridiculous request.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “It seems that there’s a condition.”
“Indeed,” the Saintess nodded matter-of-factly, “Since you’ve brought forward a demand, I naturally have to come up with one as well.”
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “Please tell me.”
The Saintess went on to say softly, “Zuo Wu You has reported that you are the Holy Son, and the timing and circumstances of your appearance matches the prophecy; however, it is hard to tell whether you are indeed the Holy Son. When the first Saintess made her prophecy, she also left behind a test for the Holy Son.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he realised the woman’s intentions, “Do you want me to go through the test?”
“Yes.”
His expression turned awkward at that instant.
According to Chu An He, the true Holy Son had actually appeared 10 years ago. All the Spirit Religion’s higher-ups had acknowledged the incident. In other words, the Holy Son must’ve passed the test, and his identity had been verified.
Therefore, from the Spirit Religion’s perspective, Yang Kai must be a fake for claiming to be the Holy Son.
Despite that, the Saintess still wanted him to go through the test, which was a perplexing idea.
Yang Kai swept a glance over the Order Lords in the front row and realised that they appeared shocked. Apparently, they didn’t expect the Saintess to come up with such a demand.
[How interesting. They obviously didn’t discuss it before. The Saintess must’ve improvised.]
In that case, Yang Kai could only think of one possibility.
The Saintess must be certain that he couldn’t pass the test, and when that happened, she naturally wouldn’t have to fulfil his request as well.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai said, “No problem. Do we start now?”
The Saintess shook her head, “The test is in a sealed land, and it takes some time to open it. You can go and get some rest. When we are ready, we will inform you about it.”
Following that, she said to Ma Cheng Ze, “Order Lord Ma, please help settle him down.”
Ma Cheng Ze stepped forward and replied, “Yes.”
Then, he beckoned to Yang Kai, “Please come with me, Little Friend.”
Yang Kai took another look at the Saintess and cupped his fist before leaving the place.
After he was gone, an Order Lord asked, “Holy Saintess, why did you ask him to head to the sealed land and go through the test?”
The Saintess explained, “Since he has the people’s support and the blessing of the World’s Will, we can’t handle him as we please, nor can we expose him. In that case, I’ve decided to let him go to the sealed land where the first Saintess had left behind the test. Only the real Holy Son can pass the test.”
Someone finally realised the Saintess’ intentions as he said, “Since he’s a sham, there’s no way he can pass the test. By then, we’ll have a reason for dealing with him.”
The Saintess nodded, “That’s indeed my plan.”
“Holy Saintess is wise!”
…..
While moving forward alongside Ma Cheng Ze in the Holy Temple, Yang Kai suddenly asked, “Old Ma, since I’m a person who appeared out of nowhere, shouldn’t you all be looking into my background first? Why did the Saintess ask me to head to the sealed land?”
“What did you just call me!?” Ma Cheng Ze stopped in his tracks and looked at him in shock.
“Old Ma. What’s wrong with that?”
Ma Cheng Ze was so exasperated that he laughed, “What’s wrong with that!? This King is an Order Lord as well as a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary Master. Even if you don’t want to call me Senior, you’re supposed to call me Order Lord Ma at the very least.”
“I’ll call you Order Lord Ma, then,” Yang Kai decided to oblige. Since he was significantly more powerful, he couldn’t bring himself to call the other man ‘Senior’, but calling him by his title wasn’t an issue.
Ma Cheng Ze shot him a glare and continued walking forward, “I’m not supposed to tell you anything, but for some reason, this King is fond of you, so I’ll let you know a few things. We don’t have to look into your background. If you can pass the test, you’ll be the Holy Son; however, if you fail the test, you’ll die. In that case, your background no longer matters.”
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai said, “You have a point.” Then, he changed the topic all of a sudden, “Have you seen the Saintess’ face before?”
Ma Cheng Ze shook his head, “Brat, you don’t look like a licentious man, so why are you curious about the Saintess’ appearance?”
Yang Kai replied seriously, “I already explained back in the Grand Hall earlier.”
“Your speculation that has something to do with the people’s happiness and the world’s safety?” Asked Ma Cheng Ze while turning to look at him.
In response, Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Ma Cheng Ze decided to ignore him as he stopped in his tracks and pointed at the building in front of him, “You’ll stay here. When we’re ready, we’ll summon you to the sealed land. Call out to the servants if you need anything; otherwise, just stay in your room.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and left.
After the man was gone, Yang Kai stepped into the courtyard and saw that some servants were already waiting. After making a few arrangements, he entered his room and got some rest.
Although those from the Spirit Religion believed that he was a fake, they didn’t mistreat him. The place he stayed had a terrific environment, and there were more than 10 servants to serve him.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t in the mood to enjoy anything. In his room, he sat down with his legs crossed and started cultivating.
After he acquired the people’s support and the blessing of the World’s Will while moving along the 30-kilometre street, he felt that he had a vague connection with this independent World.
His suppressed power began to stir as well.
There were Immortal Ascension Masters in this World, but for some reason, after his arrival, he was reduced to the True Element Boundary.
He wanted to try whether he could break through the suppression. Even if he couldn’t fully restore his power, it would be wonderful if he could make it to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
After some hard work though, his attempt still failed.
He felt that there was a layer of invisible shackles that stopped him from fully activating his power.
“Where is this place?” Asked a voice all of a sudden.
“You finally connected?” An elated Yang Kai grabbed the jade pendant around his neck.
This thing was given to him by Wu Kuang when he entered the Space-Time River. The jade pendant contained a wisp of Wu Kuang’s Soul; however, it fell silent after entering this place. Over the past few days, Yang Kai had been nurturing the jade pendant with his Spiritual Energy and finally, he was able to connect with Wu Kuang.
“This place is strange,” Wu Kuang said.
“Yeah,” Yang Kai replied, “I still haven’t figured out the mystery behind this world. Why is there such a place in Mu’s Space-Time River? Do you know anything?”
“Nope. Mu left behind something in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, but I never managed to figure out what that is. I doubt even Cang and the others have any idea.”
Just like what Wu Kuang said, if not for the fact that Black Ink Strength in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction surged all of a sudden, he wouldn’t have noticed the trump card that Mu had left behind.
Despite that, he had no idea what it was; therefore, he left a thread of his consciousness by Yang Kai’s side to explore the mystery.
“That will be troublesome, then,” Yang Kai knitted his brows together.
“Wait a bit,” Wu Kuang sounded surprised, as though he had discovered something, “Something’s happening!”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai appeared excited.
“I have no idea, but whatever it is, it’s like a faint guidance,” Wu Kuang replied.
Yang Kai realised something at that moment. Wu Kuang was in charge of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Supposedly, he was able to detect everything inside the restriction. It was thanks to this advantage that he was able to protect the Suppressing Black Ink Army.
Presently, he had detected something; however, with the Space-Time River getting in the way, it was difficult to interpret it clearly.
“Where’s the direction pointing at?” Yang Kai asked.
“Somewhere in the city, but not this place.”
“Let’s go and have a look.” Saying so, Yang Kai activated Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability to conceal his figure and aura.
…..
In the deepest part of the Holy Temple, a beautiful woman was waiting in a Grand Hall.
Just then, someone was heard saying from outside, “Order Lord Li would like to see you, Holy Saintess.”
The woman lifted her head and said, “Let her in.”
“Yes.”
A while later, the Order Lord of the Fire Order entered the place and saluted the woman, “Greetings, Holy Saintess.”
The Saintess raised her hand with a smile, “Please drop the formalities, Order Lord Li. Have you found anything?”
“Yes, Holy Saintess.”
Just as Li Fei Yu was ready to report, the Saintess stopped her by saying, “Wait a moment.”
She fished out a piece of jade and infused her energy into it. In an instant, the Grand Hall was covered in a Spirit Array, ensuring that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.
After the Grand Array was activated, the Saintess stopped pretending to be serious as she took Li Fei Yu’s hands and sat down. Then, she said with a smile, “You’ve worked hard, Big Sister Li. What have you found?”
Li Fei Yu put on a helpless smile. Although the Saintess was a mild-tempered person, she had to appear authoritative in front of others. Only she knew what the Saintess was like in private.
“I’ve discovered many things,” as Li Fei Yu recalled the information she had gathered, she fell into a dazed state.
After they entered the city, Ma Cheng Ze stayed by Yang Kai’s side while she left with Zuo Wu You. As the Fire Order Lord, she was responsible for gathering information; therefore, she had many things to ask Zuo Wu You.
That was the reason she didn’t show up in the Grand Hall earlier.
“I’m all ears,” the Saintess seemed interested.
Li Fei Yu replied, “According to Zuo Wu You, he came across Yang Kai by chance. At that time, their whereabouts had been exposed as they were hunted down by the Black Ink Cult…”
She related to the Saintess the information she had learned from Zuo Wu You. When the Saintess heard that despite being a True Element Boundary Master, Yang Kai was able to kill Yan Peng, injure Xue Ji, and even repel the Earth Chapter Master, a myriad of expressions came over her.
“Are you sure about that, Big Sister Li? How is he so powerful when he’s only a True Element Boundary cultivator?” Asked the Saintess.
“There’s no problem with Zuo Wu You, so everything he has said must be true. All of those things happened,” Li Fei Yu let out a sigh. When she heard about those incidents at that time, she couldn’t believe her ears either.
“There’s another thing that’s worth our attention,” Li Fei Yu said.
“What is it?”
“Several days ago, Zuo Wu You sent a message back to the Spirit Religion to ask for some Masters to assist him, but someone managed to intercept it. As such, we were not aware of the incident until recently. When they reached a town where it would take a person one day to reach the Holy City, they were besieged by Chu An He and some others.”
“Chu An He?” The Saintess squinted her eyes, “If my memory serves me right, he’s under the Earth Order.”
“Yes.”
“No ordinary person could intercept Zuo Wu You’s message that was meant to ask for emergency assistance.”
“I can do that, as can the other Order Lords.”
“Has ‘that’ person finally revealed their true colours?” The Saintess snorted, “That would explain why Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You were forced to announce that the Holy Son would be entering the city the next day. They wanted to protect themselves by making everything public.”
“Indeed.”
“If we look at the outcome, they succeeded. Zuo Wu You isn’t that clever, so it must be Yang Kai’s idea,” the Saintess speculated.
“I heard that he acquired the people’s support and the blessing of the World’s Will while heading to the Holy Temple,” said Li Fei Yu suddenly. As the Fire Order Lord, she had a natural advantage when it came to gathering information. Although she wasn’t there to witness Yang Kai entering the city, her subordinates constantly updated her about what was going on.
“En,” the Saintess nodded, “That’s what I find most inconceivable.”
“Holy Saintess, is he…”
Without answering her question, the Saintess rose from her chair and said, “Big Sister Li, I have to leave the temple.”
Hearing that, Li Fei Yu put on a helpless expression.
The Saintess took her hands, “I’m not going out to have fun. There’s a serious matter I have to attend to.”
“That’s the excuse you use every time,” Li Fei Yu shot her a glare, but she still agreed to it, “You have to come back before the break of dawn.”
“Don’t worry,” the Saintess nodded. Saying so, she fished out something from her Space Ring. It was a mask that was as thin as a cicada’s wings.
Li Fei Yu took the mask and carefully placed it over the Saintess’ face. Her movements were skilful, so it was obviously not her first time doing this.
A moment later, two identical faces exchanged glances. Even the moles on the corners of their mouths were in the exact same spot. It was as though one of them was the other’s reflection in the mirror.
Following that, they traded their clothes.
Li Fei Yu took the Saintess’ white jade sceptre and let out a sigh before having a seat.
Across from her, the Saintess sported the same face as hers and smiled cheekily.
Li Fei Yu then activated the sceptre and dispelled the Grand Array.
After that, the Saintess said, “Holy Saintess, I’ll take my leave.” Her voice sounded just like Li Fei Yu’s too.
Then, she went on to say in her own voice, “Good work, Order Lord Li. Since it’s late now, you’d best get some rest.”
Following that, she turned around and stepped out of the Grand Hall before leaving the Holy Temple.
…..
Dawn City was even lovelier tonight than it was during the daytime. All the people in the restaurants were talking about the Holy Son entering the city that day and the prophecy that the first Saintess had left behind. They all looked joyful, as though they were in the midst of a huge festival.
Yang Kai moved around the city following Wu Kuang’s directions.
As he walked along the crowded streets, he soon arrived somewhere quieter.
Even in a Holy City like Dawn City, there was inequality. The rich lived in luxurious houses in the city centre with servants at their beck-and-call and bottles of wine to drink all day while the poor were forced to live in the periphery of the city.
With that said, it was still the Spirit Religion’s Holy City. Even though there was inequality, the poor wouldn’t be starving or have no clothes to wear. With the Spirit Religion’s help, they were able to put food on the table despite their hardship.
Presently, Yang Kai sported a different face.
He had many artifacts in his Space Ring that he could use to disguise himself. He had collected such items when he was weak in the past. Many people had seen his face in the morning, so if he showed up with his real face, everyone in the city would be aware of his presence.
At that moment, he looked like an innocent young man. It was the kind of face commonly seen in the city.
As he looked around, he realised many low-rise houses were neatly built in the Holy City’s periphery where many people lived.
Some kids were seen having fun.
Someone was praying to a statue in front of his house. The statue was made from wood, and it was roughly 25 centimetres tall; however, the face wasn’t carved.
Yang Kai listened to the person and heard him praying for the Holy Son to save them.
The Holy Son’s statues were in front of many houses, with incense sticks’ traces showing that they were frequently prayed to.
“Are you sure it’s here?” Yang Kai frowned as he whispered to Wu Kuang.
“I think so,” Wu Kuang replied.
“You think so?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
Wu Kuang explained, “My connection with my main body is fuzzy thanks to the Space-Time River, so the guidance I’m feeling isn’t clear. Let’s look around.”
A helpless Yang Kai could only walk around the place.
He had no idea what Wu Kuang had detected, but since it was from his main body, it must be very important.
However, his actions soon alerted others.
This wasn’t a prosperous place, so there were rarely new faces. The neighbours were familiar with each other, so a stranger’s arrival would naturally catch many people’s attention, especially when this person kept looking around.
As such, Yang Kai had to stay away from the crowd.
Under a banyan tree in a certain corner, many people gathered together to unwind.
When Yang Kai walked past them, he suddenly detected something and looked at them. A figure emerged from the crowd and beckoned to him, “You’re finally here.”
When Yang Kai made out the person’s face, he was rooted to the spot.
Wu Kuang also called out in surprise as he said, “I didn’t expect to see her here!”
“Do you know this guy, Lady Sixth?” Asked an old man curiously.
The woman called Lady Sixth nodded with a smile, “He’s an old acquaintance.”
Saying so, she moved away from the crowd and walked up to Yang Kai before dipping her head, “Please come with me. It must’ve been tiring for you.”
Although she looked like an ordinary person, her clear gaze seemed able to see through all illusions and make out Yang Kai’s real face.
Yang Kai bowed his head, “Good.”
Lady Sixth then led him to head in a particular direction.
After they were gone, the people under the banyan tree started talking among themselves.
A person sighed, “It must’ve been difficult for Lady Sixth. Although she’s pretty mature, she still isn’t married.”
Another person said, “It can’t be helped. There’s someone she has to take care of, so it’s hard for her to get married.”
“She just can’t leave Little Eleventh behind,” said someone who knew a thing or two, “Two years ago, a matchmaker introduced her to a man. That guy was rich and handsome; moreover, he was from the Spirit Religion. He said that as long as she was willing to give Little Eleventh to another family, he would marry her. However, Lady Sixth refused.”
“Little Eleventh is truly pitiful. His parents perished after he was born. After Lady Sixth discovered him, she brought him back and raised him. Although they call each other Sister and Brother, they’re more like Mother and Son. No Mother in the world would have the heart to dump her child.”
They sighed at the same time, feeling sorry for what Lady Sixth had gone through.
“It’s all the Black Ink Cult’s fault. They’re the reason that many families are destroyed. If not for them, Little Eleventh wouldn’t have been an orphan, and Lady Sixth would’ve gotten married.”
“Since we’ve found the Holy Son, he’ll bring an end to our suffering sooner or later!”
All of them then started praying with sincere expressions.
Yang Kai followed ‘Lady Sixth’ to somewhere remote while feeling astonished deep within.
He didn’t expect that the guidance Wu Kuang felt from his body would lead to this.
“Lady Sixth…” Wu Kuang’s voice sounded in Yang Kai’s mind, “Oh, she’s the sixth oldest among the 10. No wonder she calls herself Lady Sixth.”
“What about you?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Wu Kuang explained, “Shi and I are different. In Shi’s case, he’s ranked eighth.”
“Then, what’s going on with this ‘Little Eleventh’?”
“I have no idea,” Wu Kuang replied, “The Soul Shi left behind wasn’t complete when it reached the 3,000 Worlds, so I didn’t inherit everything.”
Yang Kai nodded and fell silent.
Soon, they arrived at a simple-looking house. Despite that, there was still a yard surrounded by fences. In the yard, clothes that belonged to a woman and a child were hung there to dry.
Lady Sixth pushed the door open and entered the house, followed by Yang Kai as he looked around.
The decorations inside the house were simple. The place looked just like any house that a poor family would live in.
Lady Sixth lit up the oil lamp and told Yang Kai to have a seat. As the lamplight swayed, she poured a cup of tea for him, “I only have some tea in the house. Please don’t mind it.”
Yang Kai rose from the chair and took the cup before saluting the woman, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Mu!”
The Lady Sixth before his eyes was none other than Mu.
Yang Kai had seen Mu before. It was when the Human Army first crusaded to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. They were in a perilous situation, and Mo was about to break free, but at the last moment, the hidden hand that Mu had left behind was activated. At that time, a burst of energy was released and transformed into a sacred figure that embraced the Black Ink Ocean and eventually made Mo fall asleep.
At that time, all the Humans on the battlefield bore witness to the legendary woman.
She was so stunning that no one would forget about her after setting their eyes on her once; therefore, when the woman called out to Yang Kai after he arrived at this place, he instantly recognised her.
She was Mu, one of the 10 Martial Ancestors, the strongest among them.
It was thanks to her that the Humans were still safe for now.
The hidden hand she had activated back then hadn’t been used up yet. It was a gargantuan Space-Time River hovering in the void that was hidden in the deepest part of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Anyone would be awestruck when they saw that Space-Time River.
The guidance that Wu Kuang’s body was indicating must’ve come from Mu. Due to the Space-Time River, the message wasn’t clear; therefore, the thread of consciousness by Yang Kai’s side had no idea what was going on as well. Wu Kuang could only lead Yang Kai to this place, and he finally realised everything upon seeing Mu.
“No need for formalities,” Mu raised her hand as she looked at Yang Kai’s chest and smiled, “We haven’t met for ages, Little Eighth.”
It seemed that not only could she see through Yang Kai’s disguise, but she could also detect Wu Kuang’s thread of consciousness in the jade pendant.
Wu Kuang’s voice sounded in Yang Kai’s mind just then, “Tell her I’m not Shi.”
Before Yang Kai could even say anything, Mu nodded, “I know. I already expected this kind of outcome the moment you made that decision back then. If I was present, I would have dissuaded you from doing that; but now, it seems that the outcome isn’t too terrible.”
In the past, to break through the Open Heaven Realm and explore a higher Martial Dao, Shi was willing to sacrifice himself to strengthen the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. He only left behind a trace of his Soul so that he could escape from the restriction and be reborn. After so many years, Yang Kai brought him back to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to protect the place.
Fortunately, his reincarnation was successful. He was now Wu Kuang, but sadly, he still hadn’t achieved the goal that he had set in his previous life.
“Can you hear my voice?” Wu Kuang was astounded. Now, he was just a thread of consciousness that stayed in the jade pendant. Apart from talking to Yang Kai, he couldn’t do much of anything else; therefore, it surprised him that Mu could hear his voice.
“Yes,” Mu replied with a smile, “By the way, I’m Mu, but I’m also not Mu.”
A puzzled Yang Kai said, “I don’t understand, Senior.”
Mu took a seat and motioned for Yang Kai to sit down as well.
After giving it some thought, she said, “I know you have many questions. Let me think where I should begin.”
Yang Kai suggested, “Senior, why don’t you start with this World and yourself?”
Mu glanced at him and said with a smile, “It seems like you’ve noticed something.”
“Hey, what have you found?” Wu Kuang asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s just some unfounded speculation.”
Hearing that, Wu Kuang fell silent.
After a moment of silence, Mu said, “Since you’re able to enter this place, it shows that you’ve condensed your Space-Time River. I call it the Space-Time River, but I’m not sure about you.”
Yang Kai replied, “Just like you, I call it the Space-Time River too. It seems that you’ve also been inspired by the Infinite River in the Universe Furnace, Senior.”
“En,” Mu nodded, “The Infinite River in the Universe Furnace has many secrets. I had the chance to explore it back then. Fortunately, I managed to condense all the necessary Dao Strengths and nurture my own Space-Time River.”
“Before arriving at this place, I was stopped by an invisible barrier, but I was allowed to pass very soon. Was it a test you had left behind?”
“Yes. Only when a person who has condensed their Space-Time River appears will they have the right to enter this place. Otherwise, it’ll be pointless.”
Only now did Yang Kai realise what happened. Previously, he was stopped by the invisible barrier, but he was soon allowed to pass. He initially thought that the barrier had acknowledged his identity as a Human; but now, it seemed that it had nothing to do with his Race. Instead, it was because of his Space-Time River.
After all, even though he was born to be a Human, he was now a Pureblood Dragon.
“When Heaven and Earth split apart, Chaos was divided into Yin and Yang, which transformed into Five Elements, which then gave rise to 10,000 Grand Daos. Eventually, everything returns to Chaos. That is the Grand Daos’ greatest truth, but also its biggest secret. It is where everything belongs. Chaos is eternal,” Mu explained gently.
Several kids ran past the house just then, and someone was heard bawling his eyes out. It seemed that he had been bullied.
“I used all my cultivation and left behind my Space-Time River in the deepest part of the Grand Restriction to protect the Universe Worlds here, so that they could live their lives peacefully. Many years have passed since then.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “Senior, do you mean that the Primordial World and all the living creatures in here are real?”
“Of course,” Mu nodded. “This world was born when Heaven and Earth split apart. It took many years for this World to become what it is today; however, due to the weak World Principles, the cultivators here are not very powerful.”
“Why is this World inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction? Moreover, there seems to be a deeper meaning behind this World’s name,” Yang Kai asked, perplexedly.
Mu looked at him and smiled, “It’s called the Primordial World because it was the first Universe World to appear when Heaven and Earth split apart. This is also where Mo was born.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai was astonished.
Just then, Wu Kuang said, “Oh, I finally recall it now. The reason they set up the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction in this place back then was because the Primordial World was here. The core of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction is the Primordial World!”
“Because a powerful existence like Mo was born here, all the resources were used up. As a result, the Martial Dao in this World became very weak,” Mu explained, “In fact, when Heaven and Earth split apart, Mo wasn’t the only one who was born here.”
Yang Kai said, “Both the Primordial Darkness and Light appeared together.”
“Did Little Eighth tell you this?” Mu glanced at him.
Yang Kai replied, “I met Senior Cang before. When your trump card was activated back then, you must’ve seen him as well.”
Mu shook her head, “Like I said, Mu and I are different.”
She repeated what she had said before, but Yang Kai still didn’t understand her.
“The Primordial World gave birth to the Primordial Light as well as the Primordial Darkness. The Primordial Light was the very first light as well as the congregation of all things wonderful, but it left this Universe World as soon as it was born, and no one knows where it went. Nevertheless, the Darkness remained in this place and bore the loneliness and coldness over the years. Eventually, Mo was born; therefore, we had thought about looking for the Primordial Light to destroy its dark power. Unfortunately, by all accounts, it is simply a light, so how are we supposed to find it? Left with no choice, we decided to build the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction here to suppress Mo.”
In truth, the original Primordial Light no longer existed.
After it left the Primordial World, it split off the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer; then, it crashed into a primitive Universe World and turned into countless Divine Spirits. That was how the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land was born.
As for the essence of the Primordial Light’s true body, it transformed into a Human woman, and her Bloodline was then passed down over the generations.
Regardless of how powerful these descendants became though, they could never truly restore the Primordial Light.
Mu went on to say, “However, the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction can’t resolve the problem. Mo’s Black Ink Strength is growing stronger by the breath. There will come a day when the restriction will no longer be able to suppress it; therefore, Mu left behind some trump cards in the restriction, and I am one of them.”
After a pause, she continued, “The fact that I’ve awakened shows that Mu’s hidden hand has been activated, and things have reached the most critical point. As such, I founded Light Spirit Religion in this Universe World and left behind a prophecy.”
Yang Kai realised something, “I see, you’re the first-generation Saintess of the Light Spirit Religion.”
Previously, he speculated that Light Spirit Religion must have something to do with Mu’s trump card; therefore, he followed Zuo Wu You to Dawn City, and when he saw the Saintess, he requested to see her face. Although he knew that it was unlikely to be the case, he had to verify it. Much to his surprise, instead of agreeing to his request, the Saintess asked him to go through a test.
As such, the whole thing had been put off.
In the end, Yang Kai came across Mu in the outskirts of the city.
Since the Martial Dao in this World was weak, the cultivators didn’t enjoy a long life; therefore, it was impossible for Mu to remain the Saintess forever. She had to step down from her position and ‘disappear’.
Countless years had passed, and there were many Saintesses before the current one.
Yang Kai said, “Senior, you keep saying that you’re not Mu. Who are you, then? There’s nothing wrong with your aura, vitality, or sentience, nor do you look like a Soul Avatar or a Soul Clone. You appear to be a real Human.”
Mu replied with a smile, “I’m certainly a Human, but I’m just a shadow of a part of Mu’s life.”
“A shadow?” Yang Kai asked puzzledly.
Mu looked seriously at him and nodded, “It seems that even though you’ve condensed your Space-Time River, you haven’t discovered the river’s true secrets.”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai said, “Please enlighten me, Senior.”
The person before his eyes had condensed her Space-Time River much earlier than Yang Kai did, and her mastery over the Grand Daos was also significantly better. Moreover, her Space-Time River was colossal. If their Space-Time Rivers were put together, it was like the difference between a strand of grass and a tree.
Mu continued, “Although the Space-Time River is condensed from Dao Strengths, it’s mainly composed of the Time and Space Dao Strengths. Time and Space are the biggest secrets of the Universe and govern over everything. Everyone has their own Space-Time River, but rarely can anyone condense it.”
Following a pause, she continued, “The moment a person is born, their Space-Time River begins to flow and continues to do so until the end of their life. In the end, the river returns to Chaos. Their strength and duration of their life is determined by their Space-Time River, and therefore, everyone’s Space-Time River is different. This is Mu’s Space-Time River!”
Saying so, she gently waved her hand. Even though she didn’t have any cultivation, a mini version of Mu’s Space-Time River appeared following her movements, swirling around in the air like a water snake.
Then, she lifted her hand and grabbed something from the river, after which she spread her palm and said, “This is a particular part of her life.”
There was a vague figure that resembled Mu standing on her palm.
A flabbergasted Yang Kai looked at Mu in disbelief, “Is this what you meant when you said you are a shadow of Mu?”
Mu nodded, “It seems that you understand now.” She waved her hand as the figure and the Space-Time River disappeared at the same time.
“Therefore, I am not Mu. I am just the shadow of a part of her life.”
At that moment, Yang Kai was too stunned to speak. What he had just witnessed was beyond his imagination, and he wasn’t able to come to his senses for a long time.
If Mu had not demonstrated it before his eyes, Yang Kai would never have expected this to be the Space-Time River’s real secret.
Although he was astounded, his gaze was filled with excitement as he asked, “Senior, are Space and Time the river’s biggest secrets?”
Mu nodded with a smile, “Given your aptitude, you’d have figured it out sooner or later; however, since Mu’s hidden hand has been activated, there’s no time for you to sit and contemplate it.”
The person before Yang Kai’s eyes was just the shadow of a part of Mu’s long life, hence why she repeatedly said that she was Mu, but also not her.
Yang Kai had never expected that someone in the Universe could pull off such an amazing feat. He was still trying to make sense of everything.
He felt that Mu indeed lived up to her name as the strongest Martial Ancestor. Her cultivation and mastery over the Grand Daos were probably significantly better than the rest.
At this point, Mu’s identity was clear, and the Primordial World’s secret was right before Yang Kai’s eyes. This was where Mo was born as well as the Core of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction; therefore, it was critically important.
Yang Kai suppressed the undulating emotions in his heart and asked, “Given your power, were you not able to destroy Mo in the past?”
Although Mu was powerful, she could only suppress and seal Mo in this place using the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. That was why Yang Kai was astounded.
In other words, Mo was tremendously powerful.
Without answering his question, Mu said, “In truth, Mo isn’t fundamentally evil.”
Yang Kai responded, “Yes, I know.”
Mu seemed to be walking down memory lane as she continued, “Since you’ve met Cang before, you must’ve heard him talking about Mo.”
“Senior Cang did tell me some things back then. I know that the 10 of you and Mo were friends, but you fell out at a later time.”
Mu replied with a smile, “That’s not entirely true. It’s just that we’re on opposing sides. When the Primordial Light was born, Darkness was as well, which gradually nurtured some sentience and gave birth to Mo. Although it had gone through years of loneliness, it wasn’t bitter after it was born. Its understanding was blank, just like a newborn baby. At that time, the other nine and I had long comprehended the Open Heaven Realm Method under the World Tree’s enlightenment. Following the rise of the Human Race, we defeated the Monster Race and earned our glory in that era. However, Mo’s appearance made that glory short-lived.”
She then explained, “Living beings are inherently curious. After Mo gained sentience, it had the desire to explore the unknown. When it arrived at any Universe World, the originally peaceful World would fall under its rule; after all, Black Ink Strength was irresistibly corruptive for weaker living beings, and Mo was unable to restrain its power. It didn’t even realise that it was supposed to restrain itself. When all the living creatures in any Universe World submitted to it, it no longer felt lonely and helpless. That was already a horrendous start for a child. It started spreading its power to more Universe Worlds, just like a naughty kid trying to show off its talent to gain attention and acknowledgement.”
Following a long pause, seemingly a little hesitant, she continued, “Then… it came across us one day. With the 10 of us being so powerful, we were naturally immune to Black Ink Strength. That made Mo even more curious about us, and we started coming into contact with each other. Although we knew it wasn’t fundamentally malicious, its power was a disaster to the Universe. Eventually, we decided to make a move; however, at that time, Mo was already significantly more powerful than when it had just been born. Even if the 10 of us had joined forces, we would still be unable to destroy it; as such, we could only build the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to suppress and seal it. Mo realised our intentions, so it summoned all of its followers to counterattack at the end. That is the origin of the war that has lasted for millions of years, continuing to this day.”
Upon hearing Mu’s narration, Yang Kai was left sighing; after all, the feud between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan that had been ongoing since the Late Ancient Era was nothing more than a farce caused by a naughty child.
Unfortunately, that ‘farce’ had lasted for millions of years when everything was accounted for, and countless Humans had lost their lives fighting it.
A long time later, Yang Kai sighed again, “Its very existence is a sin.”
“Although it’s cruel to say that, it’s true,” Mu agreed with him.
“You said that Mo’s Black Ink Strength increases as time passes. Does it know how to cultivate?” Yang Kai asked.
Mu shook her head, “It was born when Heaven and Earth split apart, so it doesn’t need to cultivate. The darkness of all living beings is its source of energy; therefore, after it acquired sentience and left the Primordial World, it was able to occupy many Universe Worlds and increase its power.”
Yang Kai was shocked, “The darkness of living beings?”
“Craftiness, betrayal, bloodthirstiness, cruelty, malevolence, resentment, slaughter… All forms of negativity strengthen its power.”
“How does that work?” Yang Kai asked perplexedly.
“No one can explain it,” Mu replied grimly, “The Primordial Light left immediately after it was born, leaving the darkness to bear the loneliness and coldness on its own. People love the light and loathe the dark; however, darkness is born because there is light. Therefore, the darkness can derive energy from the people’s dark side and grow.”
All this was giving Yang Kai a headache. Just as he was ready to say something, he suddenly realised a problem, “Since the Primordial World is the Core of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the people’s dark side in this independent world…”
Mu nodded, “Just like what you think, even though Mo has been suppressed and sealed, it is still growing by the breath. As such, there will come a day when the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction will shatter. In truth, if not for the fact that Mu’s trump card has been activated, the restriction would’ve been destroyed by now.”
Yang Kai took a deep breath, “So, we mustn’t delay any further. If we want to settle Mo, we have to deal with it quickly.”
Wu Kuang’s voice sounded just then, “But it’s an extremely difficult thing to do.”
Even when the 10 Martial Ancestors were still alive, they were unable to destroy Mo. Could the Humans in present times achieve that goal? The Humans had been fighting against the Black Ink Clan for countless years and had finally regained control of the 3,000 Worlds before mounting a second crusade to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. If they failed again this time though, they would be doomed.
Yang Kai glanced at Mu and asked seriously, “What’s the hidden hand you’ve left behind? Please make it clear to me, Senior!”
The trump card wasn’t just about making Mo fall asleep; otherwise, Mu wouldn’t have left behind her Space-Time River and the shadow of herself to lead Wu Kuang and him to this place.
Perhaps Mu still had other arrangements, which were the hope for the Human Race.
She had just said that by the time she awakened in this World, Mu’s trump card must’ve been activated, and things had reached the most critical moment.
As expected, Mu went on to explain, “Back then, the 10 built the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and suppressed and sealed Mo in this place. Only Mu then entered the deepest part of the restriction to look at what was going on before leaving behind some arrangements. This is one of them. There’s no doubt it’s hard to destroy Mo, but the existence of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction shows that it can be sealed; therefore, when the hidden hand was activated, putting Mo to sleep, Mu cut apart its Source into 3,000 pieces and sealed them up inside her Space-Time River.”
After a moment of silence, she continued, “This World is where the suppression started. You must head to the Profound Source Gate which is where Mo’s Source piece is sealed. It is also the place where Mo was born. You just have to refine the gate and suppress the Source piece sealed there. That way, the crisis in this World will be solved, and Mo will be weakened.”
“This World?” Yang Kai sensitively detected something.
“Just like what I said, when Mo was put to sleep, Mu cut up its Source into 3,000 pieces and sealed them up in her Space-Time River. She did so by separating them among 3,000 Universe Worlds in her Space-Time River. As long as you can suppress and seal all the pieces, Mo will fall into a state of deep sleep for all eternity.”
“Such an amazing method!” Yang Kai exclaimed, “But there are too many Universe Worlds!”
Mu let out a sigh, “It can’t be helped, for no single Universe World is powerful enough to suppress Mo. Additionally, Mo has hidden the Profound Source Gates in secret locations. When the ten of us were still alive, we were not aware of it. It wasn’t until Mu looked into the Grand Restriction at the most critical moment that she realised it. With that as the foundation, she left behind some arrangements in a hurry.”
She then instructed, “Once you begin, you must act quickly. That’s because every time you suppress and seal a piece of its Source, you’ll be alerting Mo. The more times you do it, the greater the chances are of Mo waking up. Once it awakens, it will immediately retrieve all the available pieces, and Mu’s arrangements won’t be able to stop it. When that happens, you’ll have to directly deal with Mo.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai said, “In other words, as long as I’m swift enough to seal as many pieces as possible, it will have less power to retrieve.”
“That’s right.”
“But it will awaken eventually, so it’s impossible for me to make use of the Profound Source Gates to suppress and seal Mo completely.”
“You can do that by defeating it!” Mu gave him some encouragement.
Yang Kai responded with a helpless smile. Even if he was able to seal many Source pieces and significantly weaken Mo, the latter was still a powerful being, not to mention that Mo had countless Black Ink Clan soldiers.
As such, how was he supposed to defeat Mo?
All the same, he now had a clear direction at the very least.
It was a good start; after all, even when the Humans went on their second crusade, they had no idea how to defeat Mo.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Profound Source Gate in this World must be in the Black Ink Cult’s control,” Yang Kai said.
Mu nodded, “There are countless people in this World, and their darkness has led Black Ink Strength to stream out from the Profound Source Gate. That’s how the Black Ink Cult was born. The Black Ink Cult is indeed in control of the Profound Source Gate, and it is their most important Restricted Area.”
Yang Kai said meditatively, “In other words, if I want to refine the gate, I have to deal with the Black Ink Cult first…” He looked at Mu with a frustrated expression, “Senior, since you made such impeccable arrangements, why didn’t you take control of the Profound Source Gate instead of letting other people have it?”
Mu shook her head, “Due to some reasons, I’m unable to go near the gate.”
“You could’ve asked those from Light Spirit Religion to protect the gate.”
Mu explained, “Whoever is sent to protect the gate will be corrupted by Black Ink Strength; therefore, the birth of the Black Ink Cult was inevitable. Apart from the Primordial World, all the Universe Worlds you’re going to visit will have Mo’s lackeys. If you want to suppress and seal the Source pieces, you have to deal with those lackeys first.”
“Every Universe World has different Principles, so the obstacles you face will be different too. With acquiring the World’s Will as the prerequisite, you have to defeat the enemies present and suppress Mo’s Source pieces. Mu has left behind her shadows in all the Universe Worlds where Mo’s Source pieces have been sealed, so you won’t be completely on your own.”
“That’s indeed some good news,” Yang Kai said joyfully, “All the same, I have to settle the Source piece in the Primordial World first; however, since I’m only a True Element Boundary Master now, I don’t have sufficient power to deal with this.”
Mu nodded, “Yes, you need an increase in your power. Also, you need a helper. Oh, she’s here.”
Saying so, Mu turned to look at the door.
Yang Kai noticed someone approaching them under the moonlight.
A moment later, a slender figure stepped into the house. As they exchanged glances, the person was shocked, clearly not expecting a stranger to be there. What was more, the stranger was a man. She was rooted to the spot.
Yang Kai was surprised as well, for the person was the Fire Order Lord from Light Spirit Religion, Li Fei Yu.
Although he had some speculations, he turned to look inquisitively at Mu.
“Come on in,” Mu beckoned to the woman.
Li Fei Yu stepped forward and saluted Mu, “Greetings, Madam.”
Then, she glanced at Yang Kai, “Who is this?”
Mu said with a smile, “No disguises are needed here. Let’s show each other your real faces.”
Yang Kai and Li Fei Yu were astounded, clearly not expecting that both of them had put on some disguise.
Since Mu had said so though, they had to oblige.
Yang Kai ran his hand across his face and revealed himself. Across from him, Li Fei Yu also took off the mask that was as thin as a cicada’s wings.
As they exchanged glances, Yang Kai appeared doubtful, for he had never met this woman before. Although he had no idea who she was, he found her image somewhat familiar.
“It’s you!” On the other hand, the woman appeared excited, “I didn’t expect this!”
Realising something, she turned to look at Mu with a pleasantly surprised expression, “Madam, is he the real Holy Son?” She spoke in her real voice this time.
Mu nodded, “Yes, he’s the real Holy Son.”
At that instant, Yang Kai put on a helpless smile. Although he had never seen the woman’s face before, he had heard her voice some time ago; therefore, he could immediately recognise her.
He cupped his fist and said, “Greetings, Holy Saintess!”
It surprised him that the person pretending to be Li Fei Yu was the Light Spirit Religion’s Saintess whom he had met in the morning.
He didn’t expect the woman to disguise herself as Li Fei Yu and come to this place in secret, which was interesting in and of itself.
The Saintess explained, “I formed some speculations when I heard that he had the people’s support and the blessing of the World’s Will; therefore, I wanted to verify it with you, Madam. Now, there’s no need for that.”
If anyone else had said Yang Kai was the Holy Son, she would’ve looked into the matter; however, since the woman before her eyes had said so, she wouldn’t doubt her.
That was because this woman had founded the Light Spirit Religion and left behind the prophecy. She was the first-generation Saintess.
“Does the Saintess work for you, Senior?” Yang Kai asked while looking at Mu.
Hearing that, Mu nodded, “I’ve been secretly nurturing and supporting every Saintess over the generations; after all, this position is very important, so I can’t let outsiders take over it.”
Since the Martial Dao in this World was weak, the cultivators generally didn’t enjoy a long life; therefore, Mu had to feign her death and step down from her position as the first Saintess. Otherwise, she could’ve been the Saintess until now.
“What about the Eight Order Lords?” Yang Kai asked.
The Saintess explained, “Big Sister Li is one of us. Both of us were candidates to be the next Saintess back then. In the end, Madam let me become the Saintess while Big Sister Li took over the Fire Order. No one interferes in the process of selecting the other Order Lords.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai said, “In that case, are you aware that the Holy Son you are currently nurturing is a sham?”
With Mu behind the Saintess, the existence of the Holy Son shouldn’t be a mystery; however, before Yang Kai’s arrival, there was already a Holy Son that the Spirit Religion had been hiding from the public. Although the so-called Holy Son had passed the ‘test’, his identity was still up in the air.
As expected, the Saintess nodded, “Yes, but the matter is slightly complicated. Moreover, that person might not be aware that he’s a fake Holy Son. He’s most likely being used.”
“What do you mean?”
The Saintess explained, “Madam left behind a prophecy and a test back then. When the chosen one was discovered, the circumstances really did match the prophecy, and he also passed the test; therefore, the others believed that he was the true Holy Son. Although I knew he wasn’t, I couldn’t expose it at that time.”
“Is someone behind all of this?” Yang Kai realised the crux of the matter.
In response, the Saintess nodded.
“Do you know who the person is?” Yang Kai asked.
The Saintess shook her head, “Big Sister Li and I have been looking into the matter for years; although we have some clues, we’re not certain who the mastermind is.”
Yang Kai said, “This person is quite good at concealing himself. It’s no wonder that when Zuo Wu You and I were on our way to the Holy City, we were besieged by those from the Spirit Religion. An Order Lord even tried killing us back at the manor.”
“The person who plotted against the two of you is undoubtedly the hidden mastermind,” remarked the Saintess.
“Has that person sided with Black Ink Cult?”
“I don’t think so,” replied the Saintess, “Every time an Order Lord comes back from the outside, I inspect them with the Purifying Heart Secret Technique to ensure that they haven’t been corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Therefore, the person is probably not part of the Black Ink Cult.”
“Why has this person done such a thing, then?” Yang Kai was perplexed.
“It’s because the person craves greater power,” the Saintess smiled helplessly, “He must be an important figure, but ultimately, I am the leader. As such, he probably wants more influence; after all, in the Spirit Religion’s doctrine, the Holy Son is the true saviour. As long as he can control the Holy Son, he’ll effectively be in charge of the Spirit Religion.”
After hearing her explanation, Yang Kai recalled what Mu had said earlier and muttered under his breath, “Crafitness, malevolence, greed… The dark side of Human nature.”
The darkness in living beings could help increase Black Ink Strength and strengthen Mo’s power.
As long as Humans were Humans, things wouldn’t always be positive. Where light existed, so did darkness.
The Saintess continued, “In the past, I didn’t expose the lie to prevent the Spirit Religion from splintering; however, since the real Holy Son is here, the phoney no longer has to exist.”
“What do you plan on doing?”
The Saintess replied, “That person is still cultivating, and such a matter cannot be rushed. It’s common for an impatient person to suffer from cultivation dissonance and pass away.”
Despite her soft voice, her words were merciless. Yang Kai couldn’t help but take a second look at her. Certainly, a person who could be the Saintess wouldn’t be a naïve pushover.
After giving it some thought though, Yang Kai shook his head, “You just said that the person might not be aware that he’s a fake Holy Son and has probably been fooled. Since he’s innocent, there’s no reason for us to kill him. The mastermind is at fault.”
The Saintess nodded, “In that case, we should get to the mastermind. Big Sister Li and I have some suspects on our list. The fake Holy Son was brought back by Si Kong Nan from the Wind Order in the past, but the person who tried to kill you, Chu An He, worked for Luo Yun Gong of the Earth Order. On the other hand, the Lake Order Lord, Guan Miao Zhu, is also a suspect. These are just our suspicions, and we don’t have any evidence.”
Yang Kai raised his hand and said, “To me, the mastermind behind all this isn’t important either. It is inevitable for Humans to harbour a dark side. As long as the mastermind hasn’t been corrupted by Black Ink Strength or sided with the Black Ink Cult, everything he’s been doing is simply to gain more power and influence, not to assist the enemy. Even if he is in control of the Holy Son and the Spirit Religion, he’ll still oppose the Black Ink Cult.”
“You have a point,” the Saintess nodded in agreement, “No Order Lord would ever be willing to side with Black Ink Cult and become their slave.”
“That’s right; therefore, we don’t have to find out who the mastermind is. Just let them be. We also don’t have to expose the fake Holy Son.”
The Saintess appeared surprised, “You mean…”
Yang Kai explained with a smile, “A while back, the reason I claimed to be the Holy Son and tried to enter the city was to verify some suspicions I had. Now that I’ve seen the person I need to see and found out everything I need to know, the Holy Son’s identity no longer matters to me. It can even be said that it will be easier for me to take action by hiding in the dark.”
The Saintess realised his intentions, “Do you want to remain in the shadows to monitor both the Spirit Religion and the Black Ink Cult?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Indeed.”
Suddenly, his expression turned solemn, “Time is running out, Holy Saintess. The fight against Black Ink isn’t just about the survival of this World, it will affect the wider Universe as well. As such, we have to destroy the Black Ink Cult as soon as we can.”
Hearing that, the Saintess put on a helpless smile, “The Spirit Religion and Black Ink Cult have been fighting each other for countless years; however, we’re equally matched. Although I’m the current Saintess, I can’t initiate a full-scale war against the Black Ink Cult on my own. I have to discuss it with the Eight Order Lords, and I need a reason to persuade them.”
“A reason…” Yang Kai muttered. As an idea sprang to mind, he clapped his hands, “Maybe we can make use of this incident.”
The Saintess’ interest was piqued, “What is it?”
Yang Kai said, “Didn’t you tell me to go through the test when we were in the Grand Hall?”
“Yes,” the Saintess nodded. At that time, she was doubtful, so she asked Yang Kai to take part in the test; after all, he had gained the people’s support and the blessing of the World’s Will, so they couldn’t deal with him as they pleased. However, if he couldn’t pass the test, he naturally wasn’t the real Holy Son. By then, they could do whatever they wanted.
To those who were not aware of the truth, since the real Holy Son had been discovered, there was no doubt Yang Kai was a phoney. As such, he couldn’t possibly pass the test.
In truth, the Saintess wanted to know if Yang Kai could pass the test as well; after all, she knew that the Holy Son that the Spirit Religion had been hiding from the public was fake.
Nevertheless, she was puzzled as to why Yang Kai brought up the test all of a sudden.
“Regardless of what the test is, I’ll fail eventually,” Yang Kai said solemnly, “In that case, I’ll be a phoney, and you’ll have to kill me; however, when I was entering the city, countless disciples came to welcome me, and I gained the people’s support. When everyone finds out that I’m not the Holy Son, the city will descend into chaos. By then, the Spirit Religion can introduce the Holy Son they’ve been hiding from the public to appease everyone. The disciples need a Holy Son, who that person is doesn’t matter.”
The Saintess nodded, “The Order Lords have been wanting to make that person known to the public, but I haven’t agreed to it since I was always doubtful.”
Yang Kai continued, “The Holy Son’s appearance is a big event, so the Spirit Religion can make use of this incident to launch a war against the Black Ink Cult. It also matches the prophecy.”
The Saintess soon realised his intentions, “That’s a good idea. It’s decided, then.”
The two of them then discussed some details, after which the Saintess put on her mask and left in a hurry.
Mu had only been listening to them in silence the entire time.
After the Saintess was gone, she finally spoke up, “As a True Element Boundary Master, you’re indeed not powerful enough to play a decisive role in the fight against the Black Ink Cult.”
Yang Kai said helplessly, “I’ve tried to break through, but there seems to be an invisible shackle stopping me from doing that. It must have something to do with the Principles here. Is this also a part of your trump card?”
Mu replied with a smile, “You’re the saviour, after all. Your existence in this independent World will easily arouse the hostility of Mo’s Source pieces; therefore, you’re not supposed to be too powerful when entering this world. However, it will be easier for you to take action at this point by having increased power.”
Saying so, she raised her hand and pointed at Yang Kai’s forehead.
Following that, Yang Kai’s figure shook all of a sudden. He felt that the shackle that had been restraining his cultivation shattered in an instant. His cultivation rapidly rose from the True Element Boundary to the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Soon, it reached the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary before stabilising.
Since he was a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Master before, being at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary still felt quite weak to Yang Kai; nevertheless, it was the limit in this World. If his power continued to increase, it would cause an unwanted response from the World Principles.
Yang Kai felt the increased power and soon adapted to it. He then looked at Mu and asked, “Senior, can you lend me a helping hand as I deal with the Black Ink Cult?”
He initially thought that Mu would agree to it, but she shook her head, “There’s only so much I can do. You only have yourself to rely on from here.”
A perplexed Yang Kai asked, “Why is that?”
Although Mu’s shadow looked like an ordinary person, Yang Kai knew that she was pretty powerful as she was able to use such amazing methods. If he could get her help, it would be easy to destroy the Black Ink Cult and settle the problems in this independent World.
Much to his surprise, Mu rejected his request.
She simply explained, “I’m only a shadow, after all. There isn’t much power I can use, and after waiting and planning for so many years, the power in this shadow is about to run out.”
“I see,” Yang Kai didn’t doubt her, “I’m sorry for making such a request.”
He rose from the chair and cupped his fist, “I’ll take my leave now, Senior.”
Mu got up and saw him off.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled something when he reached the door, so he asked, “Senior, what’s the Spirit Religion’s test about?”
Mu replied with a smile, “Well, it’s just a simple thing. I had collected some Black Ink Strength and sealed it in that place back then. Anyone who isn’t the Holy Son will be corrupted by Black Ink Strength and turned into a Black Ink Disciple after entering that place, so whoever is acting as the current Holy Son naturally couldn’t have passed. Only the person I’ve acknowledged will get a Secret Technique before entering, so he’ll be immune to Black Ink Strength and be able to leave safely.”
Only then did Yang Kai understand what the test was about.
Mu was fully aware of who the real Holy Son was. As soon as the Holy Son appeared, she would contact him and let the current Saintess teach him the Secret Technique. By then, they could put on an act in front of the Spirit Religion’s Order Lords and get their acknowledgement.
“What about the fake, then? How did he pass the test?” Yang Kai frowned. Since one would need the Saintess to teach the Secret Technique to pass the test, how did that person manage to resist the invasion of Black Ink Strength?
Mu knew what was on his mind, so she shook her head, “It’s not like what you think.”
Yang Kai asked meditatively, “Have you been hiding something, Senior?”
After hesitating for a bit, Mu said, “The previous Saintess got together with the Thunder Order Lord and gave birth to a daughter in secret. Before her death, she passed down the Secret Technique to the Thunder Order Lord!”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was astounded, “Have you always been aware that the Thunder Order Lord is the mastermind?”
Mu nodded gently, “Although I stay here most of the time, I’ve been paying close attention to the Spirit Religion’s affairs since I founded it. Just as you suspected, the Thunder Order Lord didn’t side with the Black Ink Cult, he did everything to gain greater power. Even if he manages to take control of the Spirit Religion, he’ll still oppose the Black Ink Cult. Of course, there’s also another reason that makes me reluctant to expose him.”
“What puts you in a tight spot, Senior?”
Mu glanced at him and replied, “The child that the previous Saintess gave birth to is the current Saintess!”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before shaking his head, “Does her father want to take the power from her? That’s truly cruel.”
“No, he has no idea,” Mu said gently, “He doesn’t even know that he has a daughter. Of course, the current Saintess has no idea that the Thunder Order Lord is her father either.”
Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “Why is that? Didn’t the previous Saintess tell him about it?”
Mu explained, “I founded the Spirit Religion as the first Saintess. Although there isn’t any doctrine to speak of, they’ve developed many rules over the years. One of them is that the Saintess has to abstain from all forms of intimacy with men. The fact that the previous Saintess fell in love with the Thunder Order Lord was against the rules, and therefore, she was supposed to be executed. Even her child shouldn’t have been allowed to live. As such, she didn’t dare to let anyone find out about it, including that man.”
“I see,” Yang Kai put on a helpless expression, “Many people really have nothing better to do with themselves, so they like to set up a bunch of rules to show how important they are.”
Since the Thunder Order Lord was the current Saintess’ father as well as the mastermind behind the scenes, Mu wasn’t willing to expose him. Once he was exposed, the current Saintess would be put in a tight spot, and she might even have to step down from her position.
“So, after the previous Saintess passed down the Secret Technique to the Thunder Order Lord, he found a young man to pretend to be the Holy Son and let him appear in front of the Wind Order Lord, Si Kong Nan, at the right place and time. Then, Si Kong Nan brought the young man back to the Spirit Religion, and the Thunder Order Lord taught him the Secret Technique so that he could pass the test and become the Holy Son.”
“That’s not what happened,” Mu shook her head, “As far as I know, Si Kong Nan came across that young man by chance, it wasn’t the Thunder Order Lord’s doing. However, after the young man arrived at the Spirit Religion, they realised that he had excellent aptitude; therefore, Yu Dao Chi decided to teach him the Secret Technique. The young man was weak at that time, so he wasn’t aware of anything.”
After a pause, she continued, “Yu Dao Chi didn’t act solely for his own vested interests of course. Even though the prophecy has been around for many years, the Holy Son still hadn’t appeared. The people were starting to lose hope; therefore, he did such a thing to create a false sense of hope for the people.”
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead, “That’s ridiculous.”
He initially thought that it was a plot, but it turned out to be a series of coincidences mixed with some calculations and greed.
“Human nature has always been complicated, which is why Mo can grow so rapidly. If we had allowed it to derive power from the darkness in all Humans’ hearts instead of suppressing it with the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction over the years, Black Ink Strength would’ve filled the entire void by now.”
Mu then warned, “Now that you’re aware of this secret, you mustn’t tell anyone else about it.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I understand.”
He wasn’t interested in the petty conflicts and plots in this independent World. Now, he just wanted to find the Profound Source Gate and refine it so that he could suppress and seal Mo’s Source piece permanently.
“Good, I will take my leave,” Yang Kai cupped his fist and turned around to leave.
Just then, a young boy around the age of five or six years old ran towards him.
Yang Kai didn’t pay any attention to him; after all, when he was talking with Mu inside the house earlier, there were already many kids playing around outside.
Just as he was ready to step aside, the kid charged towards him with a furious expression.
Yang Kai raised a hand to stop the kid from crashing into him with his head. He then said with a smile, “Watch where you’re going, kid.”
The kid clenched his teeth and exerted more force, but he was unable to move forward. He then glared up at Yang Kai and yelled, “Let go of me!”
Yang Kai took a look at him and exclaimed, “It’s you!”
The kid was the one who blocked his way when he entered the city earlier today. He said that Yang Kai must not be the Holy Son because he loathed him.
Yang Kai was already aware of the kid’s audacity in the morning, and he experienced it again tonight.
“Let go of me!” Growled the kid. Due to his short arms though, he was unable to even reach Yang Kai, so he snapped, “Why are you in my house instead of sleeping in the middle of the night!?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai was shocked, “Do you live here?”
He turned to look at Mu, who smiled helplessly, “He’s an orphan, so I brought him back and took care of him.”
Yang Kai coughed and released him.
The kid immediately crashed into Yang Kai’s abdomen with his head before fleeing to hide behind Mu. Finding a reliable protector, he stuck out his head confidently and pulled a face at the evil intruder.
Yang Kai rubbed his abdomen and recalled what happened when he saw the kid in the morning.
At that time, the kid said something to him and ran away, after which a woman was heard chiding him.
In truth, Mu had seen Yang Kai from afar in the morning, but he didn’t pay attention to her.
It was at that moment that Mu became certain about Yang Kai’s identity, so she sent a faint guidance to Wu Kuang, who was in charge of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, leading Yang Kai here.