Hearing Yang Kai’s question, everyone nodded, Yu Ying adding, “Although that old guy was somewhat hateful, the little girl who was accompanying him was another story entirely. Although we couldn’t see her true appearance, I don’t think she was any less beautiful than our Saintesses, and… her cultivation was also incredible, no worse than yours. Before meeting you, she was the greatest genius of the younger generation I’d ever seen.”
“That was two or three years ago, her current cultivation is probably higher than mine!” Yang Kai declared, his mood suddenly become somewhat complicated.
Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang!
There were not many people who the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land would treat with courtesy, but Meng Wu Ya was one of them. Coupled with the fact he was followed by a little girl similar to Xia Ning Chang… The people Xu Hui and the other Elders were talking about could only be them.
They had actually come to Nine Heavens Holy Land, a fact that surprised Yang Kai greatly.
“Does little brother know them?” Xu Hui and the others glanced around at each other after noticing Yang Kai’s unusual state, the meaningful smile on his face that was somewhat absentminded, as if he was lost in his memories, making them realize that this new Holy Master might be old friends with that pair.
“How should I put this…? I’m acquainted with them,” Yang Kai smiled.
Xu Hui’s mood brightened and was just about to ask but Yang Kai cut him off before he had the chance, “Unfortunately I haven’t seen them for a number of years and I don’t know where they are right now.”
“Ah…” Xu Hui showed a disappointing look, but quickly recovered, “Since we can’t find someone to help us, we can only rely on our own strength now. Fortunately, little brother has retrieved the Holy Master Spirit Ring so if those people dare to attack, they will certainly pay a heavy price!”
“Good!” The crowd nodded, continuing their discussion.
Yang Kai found an opportunity and sneak away.
Following his memories from earlier that day, he soon came to a certain spot on one of the nine peaks.
This mountain was not much different from the other eight, standing tens of thousands of meters high, towering up into the sky, a magnificent scene to behold.
However, halfway up the mountain, a frigid aura appeared. The higher one climbed, the more intense this aura became and close to the summit, countless icicles hung from the rocky ridges, like sharp spears.
During the day, when Yang Kai was reactivating the Nine Peaks Spirit Array, he had found this place somewhat odd, but had not given it much thought at the time.
Now he wanted to see just what his Little Senior Sister had set up and left behind here.
Flying upwards, it only took a moment to reach the summit where the chill in the air was so strong it seemed to penetrate into the depths of the soul and freeze one’s thoughts.
Yang Kai began probing the area but soon paled slightly. He found that even with his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, he had to exert his full strength in order to stop his Soul from being affected by the chill in the air.
As for his body, even circulating his True Qi at full speed Yang Kai couldn’t completely dispel the cold which penetrated his skin.
[How strange!]
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, but with great confidence in his ability still boldly went forward.
After a while, a clear and deep pond suddenly appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes, the chill seemingly emanating from its depths. Around its perimeter was small depression, which seemed to have been left by people. [It seemed that not everyone from the Nine Heavens Holy Land has completely avoided coming here.]
Around the deep pond, there were some subtle energy fluctuations, arranged in a mysterious and profound manner.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to probe these fluctuations and soon a smile of delight appeared on his face.
This was definitely his Little Senior Sister’s handiwork. Yang Kai could tell because the Spirit Arrays which were giving off the energy fluctuations contained many traces of the Spirit Arrays he had taught Xia Ning Chang.
Why had she done this though? From what Yang Kai heard from Xu Hui, Xian Ning Chang and Treasurer Meng did not take anything away from this place, probably because the time was not right, which also indicated that they’d likely return at some point.
What secrets were hidden in the depths of this frigid pond? Was it related to breaking the seal placed on Meng Wu Ya?
Yang Kai secretly guessed but couldn’t say for certain.
Chu Ling Xiao said that Meng Wu Ya had fought with the Demon Commander and was hit by the latter’s Profound Heavenly Seal, suppressing his cultivation to the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary. This led to Treasurer Meng to seek refuge in Yang Kai’s homeland. Searching for someone with a Sacred Spirit Medicine Body might also have been a reason Meng Wu Ya traveled to the other world.
Beneath the Central Capital, Meng Wu Ya managed to lift the first layer of the seal and restore his strength to the Second Order Transcendent Realm. After not seeing him for so many years though, Yang Kai couldn’t be sure what his current situation was.
Yang Kai had always been very curious about Treasurer Meng’s true cultivation.
That old man knew Chu Ling Xiao and was friends with Ice Sect’s Sect Master, Qing Ya, he even knew the old Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land…
Which one of these three was not a top level master? Being able to associate with such people must mean Treasurer Meng’s true strength couldn’t be much worse than theirs.
On top of that, everywhere he went, he seemed to leave behind a profound impression on others.
“Why did you come to see the Reflecting Moon Pond?” A voice suddenly called out from behind. Yang Kai was in deep thought and hadn’t even detected this newcomer’s approach, so when he heard these words he immediately condensed his True Qi, but in the next instant he calmed down and turned to look at An Ling’er and said, “I just wanted to take a look around. This place is called Reflecting Moon Pond?”
“En,” An Ling’er smiled as she looked up into the sky, “There’s no moon tonight, if there were, the view would have been even more beautiful. What kind of secret the Reflecting Moon Pond holds, no one knows, but it can show a near perfect reflection of the moon and stars above, indistinguishable from the real thing. I used to come here to play with Xiao Lian frequently…”
Seeming remembering about her three sisters who were killed by Saintess Nan, An Ling’er’s mood suddenly dampened.
“Is it really so mysterious?” Yang Kai quickly changed the subject to avoid An Ling’er dwelling on her sadness, “Even though it’s inside your territory, your Nine Heavens Holy Land doesn’t know what’s hidden here?”
An Ling’er shook her head slowly, “Great Elder and the other Elders don’t dare explore its depths. No one knows how deep this Reflecting Moon Pond is. The old Holy Master once went down to try to uncover its mysteries but returned empty handed; after he came out, he forbade anyone else from entering though, so what is hidden inside, no one knows. Moreover, originally, this peak didn’t have this pervasive chill, only when one dove into the Reflecting Moon Pond would they feel cold. I don’t know how it became like this but it should be related to the Spirit Array that little girl arranged here.”
After she finished explaining, An Ling’er apparently couldn’t take it anymore, shivering as she hastily said, “Let’s go back, it’s too cold here.”
Yang Kai nodded, not insisting on staying any longer, and flew down with her.
Yang Kai spent the rest of the night in contemplation and reflection, eventually coming to a decision about his next course of action.
The next day, he went to find Xu Hui and directly said, “Great Elder, I want to meet that Monster Race Great Senior!”
Upon hearing this, Xu Hui couldn’t help doing a double-take, hurriedly asking, “Why does little brother want to see him? Do you still want to ask him for help?”
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “He might have had a relationship with the old Holy Master but no friendship exists between him and I, even if I ask him for help, the answer will obviously be no.”
“Then why do you…” Xu Hui somewhat couldn’t understand.
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became solemn and he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Great Elder, have you ever thought about abandoning the Holy Land’s territory?”
“You mean escaping?” Xu Hui frowned.
“Yes, escaping, of course, only temporarily,” Yang Kai nodded firmly, “As the saying goes, by staying in the azure mountains, one need not fear having wood to burn. Now, surrounded by foreign enemies, the Holy Land has no way to resist. If the situation really breaks down and turns into a fight, I’m afraid Nine Heavens Holy Land will really be destroyed in your generation. When things reach that point, how many of you will be able to escape? Perhaps you Elders and Protectors with your profound strength and deep cultivation will be able to flee, but what about the remaining disciples?”
Xu Hui expression became gloomy as he sighed deeply, “this is something we all understand, but the Holy Land’s disciples number between six and seven thousand, where could we possible go with so many people? Shattering Mystical Palace, War Spirit Temple, and Netherworld Sect have all chosen to thoroughly offend my Holy Land; naturally they won’t give up easily now. They also understand the concept of beating a snake to death to avoid future calamities. I’m afraid that if we try to stage a mass evacuation, they will immediately chase after and attack us. Since that’s the case, we might as well stay and fight where we have the territorial advantage.”
“So, you have considered it?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed.
Xu Hui nodded somewhat awkwardly, “Although doing so is a great humiliation to our ancestors, right now what’s most important is to preserve the blood of the Holy Land. When we have accumulated enough strength, we can stage a comeback and make those who desecrated the Holy Land pay a steep price!”
As he spoke these words, Xu Hui’s face filled with determination and anger.
“Good good, since you’ve already thought about it, I don’t need to worry about convincing you,” Yang Kai laughed sinisterly, continuing a moment later, “I have a place to safely house all the Holy Land’s people. As long as we move there, no one will have any way of harming you.”
“Oh?” Xu Hui’s eyes lit up, asking somewhat curiously, “Little brother is referring to…”
“It’s not convenient to tell you now; just wait, when the time comes I’ll inform you. Of course, the premise is that you believe me!” Yang Kai said vaguely.
“I believe, naturally I believe!” Xu Hui nodded repeatedly, soon becoming confused though, “What does any of this have to do with you going to see that Monster Race Great Senior?”
“These two matters really have nothing to do with each other, at least not directly, but if you really agree to give up the Holy Land’s territory for a while, I think seeing that Monster Race Great Senior is a necessary,” Yang Kai grinned fiercely, “The Holy Land’s foundation can’t simply be handed over to those three forces freely; in that case… if that Monster Race Great Senior learned that Holy Land was now empty, what do you think he would do?”
Xu Hui knit his brow slightly and quickly muttered, “The World Energy aura inside the Monster Race’s territory isn’t nearly as rich as my Holy Land’s. They have also coveted this place for a long time. If they were to learn that the Holy Land had been deserted, I’m afraid they would immediately invade and occupy the nine peaks…”
As he spoke, Xu Hui suddenly understood what Yang Kai wanted to do, a look of shock filling his eyes as his face twitched slightly. He had never expected that this new, young Holy Master actually had such a sinister and devious side.
Yang Kai smiled villainously as he spoke in a frightful tone, “My mother taught me, those who respect me one step, I should respect ten steps, but those who wrong me, I should beat three times over!”
Xu Hui couldn’t help feeling a chill run up his spine, as if he had just been thrown out into a frigid blizzard, only able to mutter somewhat haltingly after a long time, “Your mother is a true hero…”
“Good, I know that you can’t take responsibility for such a decision alone, go discuss it with the other Elders now, if they all agree, let me know.”
Xu Hui’s eyes flashed as he cupped his fists and said, “Although I can’t take responsibility for such a decision by myself, if little brother were to promise to inherit…”
“Scram!” Yang Kai didn’t wait for Xu Hui to finish before bluntly cutting him off.
The corner of Xu Hui’s lips twitched for a moment before he let out a sigh and flew off.
