Chapter 2794, Intermediate Space
Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Yang Kai and Lan Xun landed together. Following that, Xiao Chen and Lei Ting immediately came forward to greet them.
“Princess!” Xiao Chen called out with a smile. On the contrary, Lei Ting, who was walking next to Xiao Chen, seemed uneasy and embarrassed, glancing around as if he felt extremely uncomfortable
“Senior Brother Xiao, Senior Brother Lei!” Lan Xun smiled brightly and glanced at the two of them.
“Um…” Lei Ting stammered. His face flushed suddenly, and he didn’t even dare to look her in the eyes.
A hint of surprise flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes. He looked at Lei Ting, then looked at Lan Xun; following that, a playful grin crept onto his face.
“Brother Yang!” Xiao Chen cupped his fists and greeted Yang Kai, his demeanour cordial and easy-going, a huge difference from the domineering attitude he carried during their previous meetings. It was almost as if he was a different person altogether.
“Brother Xiao, Brother Lei, we meet again.” Yang Kai replied.
Lei Ting snorted softly and turned his head away.
Yang Kai was not bothered in the least, “Are we the only four Emperor Realm cultivators entering the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time?”
Although there were many cultivators gathered here, it seemed as though the four of them were the only Emperors. The four Elders in the Third-Order Emperor Realm were here too, but they were obviously not entering the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
Lan Xun nodded, “Yes, we are the only four. The price of an Emperor entering the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is very high. Moreover, Emperor Realm Masters occupy more spaces in the quota. That’s why only a few Emperors are allowed to enter at a time.”
Yang Kai nodded in response.
She continued, “Senior Brother Yang, even though you entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda once before, the situation this time around will be different from your previous encounter. There are five layers to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and each layer contains many fragmented spaces. Some of these fragmented spaces may be connected while others may be sealed and isolated from the rest. The higher you go, the more obvious this becomes. The first layer is suitable for cultivators in the Origin Returning Realm, the second for Origin Kings, the third for Dao Source Realms, and the fourth for Emperors. As for the highest layer, the Fifth, it can only be entered by Emperor Realm Masters from the Fourth Stage.”
“Could it be that there are restrictions to this?” Yang Kai frowned.
Lan Xun nodded, “Yes, you cannot enter the next layer if you are not strong enough. Of course, the higher you go, the more dangerous it becomes. When the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was opened more than ten years ago, an ancient Wood Spirit appeared on the second layer and caused many people in Maplewood City to lose their lives. Senior Brother Yang, you experienced this personally, so I’m sure it is still fresh in your memory, right?”
(TL note: The Wood Spirit here is a different Wood Spirit from the ones in the Ancient Wild Lands, a different character that is… it’s confusing I know, just go with it.)
Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “How could I forget?”
The disaster the Wood Spirit caused in Maplewood City killed tens of thousands of people in a short time. Yang Kai had been involved in that ordeal, so it was only natural that he still remembered it.
Lan Xun sternly explained, “Although the experience in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is of great help to one’s cultivation, it is also fraught with dangers. Many Star Soul Palace disciples lose their lives each time the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is opened.”
“Is there no way to guarantee their safety?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow and asked.
Shaking her head, Lan Xun replied, “No. It is said that the shattered worlds sealed inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda are ancient battlefields, each world having been destroyed by war. Even though these worlds were destroyed, they still contain many shattered World Principles. For that reason, many ancient relics with tenacious vitality are able to find a way to survive in them. A mighty expert later collected those shattered worlds with shocking methods and refined the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda from them. The pagoda has gone through many vicissitudes and passed through several hands before my father acquired it. However, even my father cannot fully control the countless shattered worlds inside.” Pausing for a moment, she smiled, “Of course, even if he could control it, my father probably wouldn’t interfere; after all, what are experiences without any danger?”
Yang Kai deeply agreed with that sentiment, nodding as he said, “You’re right, Junior Sister Lan.”
She smilingly replied, “That’s why you have to be careful when you enter the pagoda later, Senior Brother Yang. Don’t get careless.”
“I understand.” He nodded seriously.
At the same time, the Star Soul Palace disciples participating in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda training this time had more or less arrived in full.
Great Elder Lei Hong cleared his throat lightly, causing all the noise in the square to die down as thousands of eyes turned to him.
“The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda opens today. You are all elites of Star Soul Palace and the future pillars of the Sect. The other Elders and I hope you can obtain great benefits from this experience. Of course, that is on the premise that you can protect your lives. As part of the same Sect, you should help and support each other inside the pagoda…”
Taking this opportunity, Lan Xun secretly sent a voice transmission to Yang Kai and told him some things about the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, all of which he kept in mind.
In the meantime, Lei Hong didn’t talk much. He simply said a few words before waving his hand for them to enter, “If you remember all of that, then prepare yourselves!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he and the three other Elders glanced at each other before they moved to stand at the four corners of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. They then executed a Secret Technique and activated the array. When their Emperor Qi surged, the four of them stretched out their hands and pointed downward.
With a loud rumble, the door of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, which had been tightly shut, opened suddenly. Although the actions of the four Elders had been swift, and they were sweating profusely at this moment. It was clear that opening the pagoda took a heavy toll on them.
The moment the door opened, a gently whirling and pitch-black vortex emerged from the door. It looked like the gaping maw of a gigantic beast that wanted to devour the selected participants. When the vortex first appeared, it was not very stable, twisting and churning randomly, giving off stray energy fluctuations that made one uneasy. However, the vortex gradually stabilized as the four Elders continued to pour their power into it. Following that, the disturbing fluctuations gradually disappeared.
This situation lasted for about a quarter of an hour before the four Elders stopped in unison. They were pale-faced and breathing heavily by then; moreover, their auras were extremely weak. If a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master were to attack any of them at this moment, they wouldn’t even be able to put up a fight.
“When are you going to enter, if not now?” Great Elder Lei Hong suddenly shouted.
The Star Soul Palace disciples had been waiting eagerly for this moment, so how could they hesitate after hearing those words? All of them moved swiftly, rushing into the vortex and disappearing out of sight, one after the other,
The discipline and pride of top Sects were immediately reflected in its disciples’ behaviour. Thousands of people were entering the pagoda now, but there was no crowding or shoving despite everyone moving swiftly. Rather, everything appeared to be extremely orderly.
First, those cultivators in the Origin Returning Realm entered, then those in the Origin King Realm, followed by those in the Dao Source Realm… It didn’t take long for most of the one thousand participants to disappear. Soon, only Yang Kai and the other three young Emperors were left.
“Let’s go,” Lan Xun called out and took the lead to fly forward. Before rushing into the vortex, she urged, “Take care, Senior Brothers.”
“You too, your Highness!” Xiao Chen smiled slightly, showing concern in a timely manner.
“X-Xun…” Lei Ting stammered. Unfortunately, Lan Xun disappeared before he could finish speaking. For a moment, he looked upset and depressed at the same time.
“I’m going on ahead,” While laughing, Xiao Chen entered the vortex.
Then, Lei Ting turned and glared at Yang Kai fiercely.
“What?” Yang Kai glared back.
“You’d best pray we don’t meet each other inside, or else, you’re dead!” Lei Ting coldly snorted.
Yang Kai sneered and rushed into the vortex before Lei Ting.
The moment Yang Kai crossed the threshold, his vision blurred. Unlike what he imagined, he was not greeted by the sight of various shattered worlds. Instead, when he entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, a strange wave of power suddenly blocked his path for a moment and he subconsciously exerted his full strength in case of any unexpected events. The moment Yang Kai released his Space Principles to guard himself, he felt as if he ran into a ball of cotton and was repelled backwards.
What entered his vision next shocked him greatly. Yang Kai found himself suspended in the Void. Looking around him, he saw what seemed like clouds stretching out in all directions. It all felt ethereal and illusionary. Moreover, the clouds were in all sorts of different colours; some were vibrant and bright while others were dark and dull like a cluster of Death Qi. There was also a pitch-black patch that made him very uncomfortable just looking at it. At this very moment, Yang Kai was surrounded by countless cloud-like existences.
Feeling dizzy, he wondered what was going on. This was very different from what Lan Xun told him to expect.
The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was divided into five layers, each one containing many fragmented spaces, some that were connected to one another, others that were isolated. Upon entering the pagoda, a cultivator would be automatically placed in one of the layers, one that most suited their cultivation realm. For example, a cultivator in the Origin Returning Realm would enter one of the shattered worlds in the second layer, while a First-Order Emperor Realm Master like Yang Kai would certainly enter the fourth layer. Only the fifth layer could not be entered directly from the entrance of the pagoda. One had to find the corridor leading to the fifth layer from the fourth layer.
Yang Kai originally assumed that he would appear in one of the shattered worlds in the fourth layer as Lan Xun had said that would be the case; however, it now seemed as though something was not quite right. This was definitely not a shattered world in the fourth layer because he couldn’t sense any Principle Strength here, and instead there was a large number of strange, colourful clouds.
Expanding his Divine Sense out to investigate his surroundings, Yang Kai was both shocked and horrified. That was because he discovered that those cloud-like existences were similar to the entrances of a Void Corridor and he did not know where he would be sent to if he passed through any of these entrances.
Yang Kai stood in place with a frown on his face for a time before all of a sudden, he snapped back to his senses and turned to look behind him. A gigantic and pitch-black vortex was slowly spinning behind him.
[Isn’t this the entrance to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda? Why did it appear behind me? If the entrance is behind me, then is the way forward what lies in front of me? Am I in an intermediate space within the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda?] Hundreds of thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s head before a sudden flash of inspiration struck him. [Could these cloud-like entrances to the Void Corridors be…]
Turning to look around him, Yang Kai spotted a cloud emitting a dazzling golden light and rushed into it. His field of vision flashed and everything spun dizzyingly. At the same time, a peculiar Principle Strength lingered around him, and by the time he recovered, he was standing on a vast plain.
Not a single blade of grass grew on the plain that was seemingly covered in gravel and stones, looking extremely desolated. Moreover, there were no sun, moon, or stars in the sky, yet it was still as bright as day.
“What rich Metal Attribute Energy!” Yang Kai spread out his senses and looked stunned by his findings. The World Energy in this place was extremely strange, not only extremely dense, but also containing only a single elemental attribute, the Metal Attribute.
