“Junior has his own plans for the Soul Devouring Insects,” Yang Kai told him with a serious face.
“Alright then,” Wen Zi Shan looked at him and said. “You don’t look like the type of person who would play around with his life. If there is anything you need, then just tell this King.”
“Many thanks, Temple Master Wen.”
For the next four hours, Wen Zi Shan asked him in detail about the many things that happened in the Divine Ascension Mirror World. Yang Kai told him everything without hiding too much either.
After four hours, Yang Kai stepped out of the main hall.
Gao Xue Ting seemed to have been waiting outside the whole time. When she saw him walk out, she glanced at him and said, “The Temple Master informed me that you require a secret room?”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “Yes.”
Before coming out from Wen Zi Shan’s place, Yang Kai did in fact request this from him. That is because he wanted to refine the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, so he needed a safe cultivation room to do so.
Wen Zi Shan naturally agreed to such a trifling request and told him to just ask Gao Xue Ting about it.
“Come with me.” As she said that, Gao Xue Ting turned around and flew out.
Yang Kai followed closely behind her.
After an hour, Gao Xue Ting landed on top of a mountain peak that was neither too tall nor too short. It wasn’t a very imposing mountain in the whole Azure Sun Mountain Range and looked rather ordinary, but this peak was obviously enriched by some Spirit Arrays, so the World Energy aura was much denser here than in other places.
There were no traces of any buildings on this peak, but there was a large forest of purple bamboo, adding a touch of exuberant colour that made the place look extremely elegant.
Gao Xue Ting led Yang Kai directly to a secluded cave mansion halfway up the mountain and opened the seal there with both hands, saying, “This Purple Bamboo Peak is where I live. I usually stay in the cave mansion at the top, so if there’s anything you need, just call me and I’ll be able to rush over in just a moment.”
Hearing her say so, Yang Kai felt a little flattered and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Elder Gao.”
He had originally just wanted to ask Wen Zi Shan for a quiet, safe, and secluded place, but he didn’t expect Gao Xue Ting to bring him to the Purple Bamboo Peak where she lived and even arrange for him to live in the cave mansion next door.
This was obviously to take care of him.
Gao Xue Ting nodded lightly and tossed Yang Kai an access token, saying, “Head in by yourself.”
Yang Kai accepted the token and scanned it over with his Divine Sense before thanking Gao Xue Ting once more and heading into the cave mansion.
Looking around, this cave mansion was neither big nor small and had several secret rooms available. Even though no one had lived in it for a long time, it looked neat as if it were new. Obviously, this cave mansion must be where Gao Xue Ting used to live, but he had no idea why she moved.
Naturally, Yang Kai felt at ease with a Master like Gao Xue Ting nearby, so he didn’t have to worry about anything while refining the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
Time was tight and Yang Kai did not delay. First, he familiarized himself with the token before opening all the barriers around the cave mansion. Only then did he sit cross-legged in a secret room and adjust his mind.
Refining an Emperor Artifact was not a simple task.
Emperor Artifacts were different from ordinary artifacts. Each Emperor Artifact contained Emperor Intent and Emperor Aura. If one’s cultivation was not high enough during the refinement process, then there was a chance that they may suffer a backlash from the Emperor Artifact.
So, when a cultivator without high enough cultivation tried to refine an Emperor Artifact, they needed to adjust their condition to the best they could.
After three days, Yang Kai felt that his Spiritual Essence had reached its peak state, so he heaved a small breath and took out the Insect Enslavement Bracelet which had been left in a corner of the Sealed World Bead and forgotten for a long time.
This thing had worked wonders during two dangerous incidents.
Once, when he and Xue Yue encountered a group of strange butterflies in the Severed World, the Insect Enslavement Bracelet managed to suppress them and allow them to escape. The other time was when Yang Kai encountered the Monster Insect Queen under the ice cliff in Blue Feather Sect. During that time, if not for the Insect Enslavement Bracelet stunning the Monster Insect Queen, Yang Kai would not have been able to subdue it.
Both times, Yang Kai’s life was saved thanks to the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
Right now, even though his cultivation was only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, his Soul had taken a half-step into the Emperor Realm, so it shouldn’t be a big problem for him to refine this Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
With that in mind, he placed the Emperor Artifact that looked similar to a palm-sized bracelet on his hand and covered it with his free palm before he began circulating his Spiritual Energy and Source Qi at the same time, pouring them into the bracelet.
There was no response. The Insect Enslavement Bracelet was just like a block of wood that did not accept any of his power.
But Yang Kai was in no hurry. This was only to be expected.
He slowly released his power, constantly pouring it into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, trying to get the Emperor Artifact to open up a gap so that he could carve his Soul Imprint into it.
…
At a dark underground chamber several dozen kilometres away from Myriad Saints Peak, Grandma You was currently acting like a madwoman inside. Even though an invisible power was imprisoning her cultivation, she was still yelling curses incessantly.
“Wen Zi Shan, you bastard! You’ll die a dog’s death! I won’t forgive you even if you turn into an evil spirit!”
She seemed to have been cursing for a while as her voice had become extremely hoarse, making her already unpleasant sound even more terrible.
A person’s voice suddenly sounded in this dark space.
“Grandma, you’ve been cursing the same thing over and over again, no creativity at all. I’m already sick of hearing the same insult again and again.”
Grandma You’s cursing voice suddenly stopped for a moment, but soon, she roared hysterically, “Wen Zi Shan!”
“Hah!” Temple Master Wen let out a laugh and snapped his fingers. Suddenly a light appeared in the space, illuminating the darkness with its dim glow. Grandma You’s hair was a mess and she looked like an evil ghost. It was a terrible sight.
But it was as if Wen Zi Shan didn’t see that at all as he just stared at Grandma You lightly and said, “Grandma, why don’t you take a rest if you’re tired from cursing? I’ll bring you something to eat and drink to moisten your throat with!”
While speaking, he actually took out a plate of delicious and fragrant spirit fruits from his Space Ring. With a slight flick from his wrist, the plate of spirit fruit flew right in front of Grandma You.
The latter was glaring fiercely at him, her eyes bloodshot and filled with endless hatred.
Perhaps she really needed to moisten her throat though, so after a moment of silence, Grandma You reached out to the spirit fruit and began eating it in big bites.
But her poisonous gaze never left Wen Zi Shan for a moment during the process. From her loud chewing and actions, it almost seemed as if what she was eating was not spirit fruit, but rather Wen Zi Shan’s heart.
In just a quarter of an hour, the plate of spirit fruit had been cleaned off by Grandma You.
“You actually didn’t poison the fruit, you little bastard?” Grandma You wiped the corners of her mouth and said to Wen Zi Shan with a mocking look on her face.
Temple Master Wen looked hurt and replied, “Grandma You, we’ve known each other for hundreds of years, do you still have to judge me with such malice?”
“Hmph! It is because we have known each other for hundreds of years that I can see through your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys!” Grandma You said coldly.
Wen Zi Shan laughed bitterly, “It seems that you still harbour a lot of ill feelings for me, Grandma.”
“Ill feelings?” Grandma You laughed coldly, “That is the greatest understatement I have ever heard! You think it’s just ill feelings between you and me? I would want nothing more than to drink your blood, eat your flesh, and gnaw on your bones!”
“I can see that.” Wen Zi Shan looked helpless, “No need to put it so bluntly…”
Grandma You suddenly changed the topic and sneered, “How is that Yang Boy doing right now?”
Wen Zi Shan looked at her in amazement and said, “Grandma, you’re in a difficult position to protect yourself right now, yet you still have the effort to spare to care about someone else? I didn’t know you had such a caring heart.”
“Of course!” Grandma You raised her voice, “I’m sure you’ve already killed that boy, have you not?”
“Why would I kill him?” Wen Zi Shan sneered.
“For the Soul Warming Lotus, of course!” Grandma You said, “If you could obtain the Soul Warming Lotus…”
“So what if I obtain the Soul Warming Lotus?” This time, Wen Zi Shan interrupted her before she could finish, “I am already a Third-Order Emperor. Above that, there is only the Great Emperor realm. Do you think you can rely on the Soul Warming Lotus alone to achieve that realm? Or do you think I should take his Soul Warming Lotus and do the same thing you plan to do?”
Grandma You looked coldly at Wen Zi Shan and said, “Seems you’ve already talked to Yang Boy and found out what I need the Soul Warming Lotus for.”
Wen Zi Shan nodded and said bluntly, “I hate to admit it, but I have to say, you had come up with an excellent idea, Grandma. The Soul Warming Lotus is a precious treasure and is indeed capable of carrying the Divine Ascension Mirror’s Mirror Soul. If you use it as a foundation, it may really be possible to refine that world!”
“Hmph!”
“But Grandma…” Wen Zi Shan’s expression suddenly became serious and he said, “Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Mirror Soul does not respond to you once you obtain the Soul Warming Lotus? How would you refine it then?”
“Why would the Mirror Soul not respond to me?” Grandma You screamed. “I have been guarding the Divine Ascension Mirror for two thousand years! I understand it more than any of you do. As long as I can get my hands on the Soul Warming Lotus, then I have full confidence that I can fuse the Mirror Soul into it!”
“Are you sure?” Wen Zi Shan gazed at her meaningfully, “Are you sure it’s going to be that simple?” He paused for a moment and his tone became sharp, “Or are you just deceiving yourself, Grandma? Isn’t this just part of your obsession to defeat me?”
Grandma You suddenly froze.
Wen Zi Shan continued, “Grandma, do you know why your cultivation has stagnated at the First-Order Emperor Realm for two thousand years? What have you done in the past two thousand years? And what have you seen?”
Grandma You’s face gradually changed, her bloodshot eyes that were filled with hatred gradually became shaken, hollow, then confused.
Wen Zi Shan’s words seemed to have touched something buried deep inside her heart.
“You know very well that you may not be able to subdue the Mirror Soul even if you obtained the Soul Warming Lotus,” Wen Zi Shan sighed faintly.
“Bullshit!” Grandma You cursed.
“Then let me ask you. If it was so easy to subdue the Mirror Soul, then why didn’t that Great Emperor who took Yang Boy away do it? He should have that power.”
When he said this, Grandma You became speechless.
