Chapter 2331 , Blast Translator: Silavin & frozenfire Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys Source Qi rapidly drained from Yang Kai at a speed faster than he had imagined. In the blink of an eye, he had already felt as though he had been completely drained. [I knew it would be like this!] Yang Kai’s face turned into one of bitterness. Every time he had used the Annihilation Thunder Bead, it would always end up with him becoming completely exhausted. This was the biggest reason why he chose not to use it at any given moment. Using it was a double-edged sword, as it would be his demise were it to fail. Therefore, it had become the last trump card in his arsenal. Perhaps, if his cultivation became stronger, he might be able to unleash the might of the Annihilation Thunder Bead as he wished without suffering its adverse effects. However, he was still unable to do so at this moment. After draining all of Yang Kai’s strength, the lightning arcs dancing on the surface of the Thunder Bead grew increasingly active. It was as if they possessed their own spirituality, creating an exceedingly mysterious sight to behold. Furthermore, a might that caused people’s hair to stand started to radiate from within those thin lightning arcs. “Let’s see if you’ll die from this!” Yang Kai growled between his clenched teeth. Sending his Divine Sense out, he unleashed the Annihilation Thunder Bead. *Chi...* A soft crackle rang out, before the thin-looking lightning arc jumped and struck the Corpse Puppet. *Kacha...* Incredibly loud booms began to ring out incessantly as the Corpse Puppet was struck by the lightning, until its body started to twitch violently. Lightning arcs covered the surface of its body, sparkling with radiance. A lightning field formed around it in the blink of an eye as countless lightning arcs travelled around its body, leaving destruction wherever they went. An exceedingly awful and gag-inducing smell began to appear in the surroundings. In a few short breaths, the lightning arcs dissipated away, before the Corpse Puppet collapsed face down onto the ground, smoke wafting from its entire body. Seeing this, Yang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief, his body turning wobbly as he staggered about. A soft body supported him from behind at that moment; it was Liu Yan. “I’m alright, just a little drained, so I need to recover for a while.” Not waiting for Liu Yan to speak, Yang Kai spoke before swaying slightly as he sat down, his entire body limp and devoid of strength. If anyone tried to ambush him right now, forget about a Dao Source Realm cultivator, he might even be helpless against an Origin Returning Realm cultivator. “I’ll stand guard for Master!” Liu Yan replied before her body suddenly turned stiff. “What’s wrong?” Sensing that something wasn’t right, Yang Kai hastily asked. However, before Liu Yan could reply, his eyes had already snapped wide open as a look of terror filled them. That was because he saw that the Corpse Puppet, which had collapsed onto the ground earlier, had started to stand back up. With a roar, an increasingly powerful and violent aura erupted from it. “It’s not dead yet?” Yang Kai’s face changed drastically as he was utterly incapable of believing his eyes. The Annihilation Thunder Bead was currently the most potent weapon in his arsenal. However, even that was incapable of taking down the Corpse Puppet. One could see how resilient it was. Despite the other trump cards Yang Kai had up his sleeves, how would he be able to unleash them with the current level of exhaustion he was facing right now? Across from him, the Corpse Puppet’s body was in an utter mess, and its withered body had become charred. The various array diagrams present on its body had turned dim, while the weak spot that Yang Kai had uncovered earlier had already been completely destroyed. [That should be the core of all of the Spirit Arrays supporting the Corpse Puppet’s body! It’s been destroyed! The Corpse Puppet should no longer be functioning! Why is it still able to stand up?] As he was wallowing in terror, Yang Kai noticed something strange in the chest area of the Corpse Puppet. Looking over, his eyes immediately shook as he let out a bitter laugh. That was because he had actually spotted another array core radiating with brilliance there! It was precisely due to this still-functioning array core that allowed the Corpse Puppet to continue displaying its combat might. “Master!” Liu Yan was scared out of her life. Without the aid of Yang Kai and the Embodiment, she couldn’t resist against an enemy of such might; however, she quickly calmed herself down and a resolute look appeared on her face, “Master, please leave first. I’ll hold him back for a while.” She felt that as long as she was able to buy Yang Kai a little bit of time, he should be able to repair the array base platform enough to allow him to leave this Sealed World. After saying that, she stepped in front of Yang Kai while making a stance of wanting to protect him even at the risk of her life. Yang Kai extended his hand to stop her, but before he could, turning around, Liu Yan gave him a sad smile, “It has been an amazing journey for this servant. My life has been blessed to be able to enjoy Master’s sincere care for these years. Please take care of yourself in the future.” “Don’t say such sad words,” Yang Kai felt something sour in his mouth, though he continued to maintain a faint smile, “It’s still uncertain who will live and who will die here today.” Liu Yan’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Does Master still have another trump card?” Yang Kai did not give a reply in words. Instead, flipping his wrist, he summoned a Spirit Pill like item into his grasp. Pressing this thing into Liu Yan’s hand, he said, “Unleash its strength. If even that fails, we’ll just hide in the Sealed World Bead to rest and wait.” “This is...” Liu Yan’s eyes lit up after seeing the pill-like object in her hand, before crying out softly, “An Emperor Authority Bead?” This Emperor Authority Bead was obtained by Yang Kai through an exchange with the Extraordinary Treasure Pill while in the Four Seasons Realm. Sealed within it was a full-power strike from the Flowing Time Great Emperor, though Yang Kai was not clear exactly how powerful this strike would be. Unlike an Emperor Artifact like the Annihilation Thunder Bead, this Emperor Authority Bead was a single-use item. Yang Kai had kept it for all this time, not willing to use it; however, it was hard for him not to use it in this current situation. With the Emperor Authority Bead in her hand, Liu Yan’s chaotic emotions turned calm. Exhaling softly, she clenched the Emperor Authority Bead tightly and channelled her strength into it. On the other side, the Corpse Puppet appeared somewhat stiff after standing up, with its movements no longer as smooth as before. It was obvious that the strike from the Annihilation Thunder Bead had affected it quite a bit. Appearing to have discovered something, the Corpse Puppet gave a low roar before shooting over towards Liu Yan like an arrow. As it travelled along, that dense putrid smell had already wafted over as it aimed its seemingly visible cold, murderous intent towards Liu Yan. Liu Yan’s petite body shook slightly as a result, though she still continued to remain stationary as the power within her body gushed without restraint into the Emperor Authority Bead. As the distance between the two shrank, beads of cold sweat formed on Yang Kai’s forehead. He clenched the Sealed World Bead in his hands, preparing to bring himself and Liu Yan away from the impending danger. Right as the Corpse Puppet was about to reach Liu Yan, she finally started to move. With a flick of her wrist, the Emperor Authority Bead shot out like a beam of light towards the Corpse Puppet. The Corpse Puppet sent a punch out with enough destructive force present to shatter the Emperor Authority Bead into pieces. However... A mysterious Principle Strength rumbled as it expanded out in all directions. Within the mountain valley, all of the withered and dead vegetation as a result of the Corpse Poison seemed to have their life force replenished as they came back to life in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the entire mountain valley turned back into a full stretch of verdant green. Not only that, the mysterious strength continued to propagate even further, causing all of the vegetation that came into contact with it to sway gently in vibrancy and sending out notes of joy. Yang Kai and Liu Yan were enveloped by this power. This power flowed through their limbs and fused with their bodies, making the weak and exhausted Yang Kai feel as though he had been gorged with life force. In the next instant, his entire spirit started to tremble fervently, while the injuries he had sustained in his earlier exchange with the Corpse Puppet proceeded to heal in an exceedingly short amount of time “This is...” Liu Yan’s beautiful eyes turned round with shock as she cried out. “The Principle of Spring!” Yang Kai was utterly gobsmacked with shock, his eyes gleaming as he clearly understood the source of the phenomena happening to and around him. Not daring to waste any time, Yang Kai hastily expanded his senses to start comprehending what he was feeling right now. This was the Principle Strength that the Flowing Time Great Emperor had comprehended, which was exceedingly deep and profound. Unleashing the Emperor Authority Bead was the equivalent of the Flowing Time Great Emperor unleashing an all-out strike. If he was able to utilise this chance to comprehend it, it would definitely be a benefit for him. At this instant, Yang Kai had completely tossed the battle against the Corpse Puppet out of his mind and focused entirely on experiencing the mysterious Principle Strength that surrounded him. The Principle of Spring surged out without restraint, returning the mountain valley to its luscious and vibrant state. However, in the blink of an eye, an unbearable scorching aura descended, making it feel as though one had entered the hottest period of the year, with the faint sounds of cicadas chirping ringing about, the feeling of dryness and heat being unbearable under the scorching sun. The Principle of Summer! As he continued to comprehend, Yang Kai increasingly felt that this was an opportunity that he should not let go of. All of a sudden, a chilly breeze started whipping within the mountain valley, as the leaves on the surrounding trees turned yellow or red and dropped to the ground. Fruits and melons turned ripe, while a delightful aura of a bumper harvest came rushing out. The Principle of Autumn! A frigid wind began to howl about next, turning the surroundings abruptly into a bone-chilling cold. White snow blanketed everything within their field of view, just like being wrapped in a silvery blanket. Within the nail-biting cold, even the most resistant of ferocious beasts would retreat back to their caves, not daring to step out recklessly. The Principle of Winter! The four seasons followed each other in turn, fusing tightly together, throughout the times, continuing on and on, forming an exceedingly special energy that circulated within the mountain valley. This caused people to lose track of time, as though everything had happened in an instant, yet also appearing as though tens of thousands of years have passed... Yang Kai’s entire being had sunk into this mire so deep that he would be unable to extricate himself. Under the influence of the Principles of the four seasons, he continued to view the passing and intermingling of spring, summer, autumn and winter. This made him forget where he was, what he was doing, with the only thing he knew being that it would absolutely be his loss if he were to miss out on this. A cracking sound rang out after an unknown amount of time had elapsed. Yang Kai’s body suddenly shuddered, as the meridians and dantian in his body expanded substantially. Source Qi flowed torrentially like a gushing river, rapidly filling up his meridians. An exceedingly powerful aura started to radiate out from him! A breakthrough! He had actually broken through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm! The commotion of his promotion caused Yang Kai to regain his senses. He immediately spotted the Corpse Puppet, which was in a seated position, causing him to recall everything he was doing right before this. His expression changed drastically as he leapt up, all while keeping a vigilant gaze at the stationary Corpse Puppet. “Master!” Liu Yan hastily shouted out upon seeing the worrying look on his face. “How long has it been?” Yang Kai frowned as he asked in a doubtful tone. “What do you mean how long?” A blank look appeared on Liu Yan’s face. “Since you used the Emperor Authority Bead, how long has it been?” Liu Yan replied in a confused tone, “That just happened. After I used the Emperor Authority Bead, you proceeded to sit down, and... suddenly broke through.” “Just happened?” Yang Kai’s jaw dropped wide open. He clearly felt that he had spent a long, long time comprehending those Principle Strengths! However, from what Liu Yan was saying, it had all happened in an instant? He gasped in shock and immediately realized that this misconception was born due to the influence of the Principle of the four seasons.