Chapter 44 Chapter 4451 – Many Powerful Opponents Translator: Silavin & Jon Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys The Dao Theory Assembly officially commenced a few days later. As a loud bell tolled, the cultivators, who had been cultivating on their respective Spirit Peaks, stepped out of their residences. On Intertwining Fate Peak, as soon as Yang Kai left his room, he saw many people looking at him with fearful eyes. Although a few days had passed, the sight of Kong Tian Yu’s head being blown up by Yang Kai’s spear attack remained vivid in their minds. Kong Tian Yu was the strongest Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master among them, but he was unable to survive a single move from Yang Kai. Certainly, as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai stood out among them. They were previously worried that Yang Kai would kill all of them on Intertwining Fate Peak so that he would have fewer opponents; however, after he dealt with Kong Tian Yu, he went on to cultivate in seclusion and didn’t bother anyone else, allowing the others to have some peaceful days to live. Honestly speaking, if it weren’t because they couldn’t back down halfway, everyone on Intertwining Fate Peak would have fled already. None of them would be a match for a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the Dao Theory Assembly, so rather than staying there and getting humiliated, they could save themselves some time and embarrassment by backing down. However, the Dao Theory Assembly was held by Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and no one had the guts to leave halfway. The consequences would be dreadful if their backing down was taken as a sign of disrespect towards Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Just then, Lu Jing approached Yang Kai in a friendly manner. Yang Kai nodded gently at him and looked up. There was a slim woman clad in revealing clothes who was hovering in mid-air. Her short skirt could barely cover her alluring bottom, and as the wind whisked through her skirt, one could almost catch a glimpse of the spring scenery hidden below. The woman was weak as she was only in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm; however, her skin was delicate, and her eyes were extremely enchanting. “Since all of you are ready, please come with me,” the woman stated in a sweet voice. As she turned around and flew forward, the men were aroused when they saw her bare back. None of them moved a muscle as they gazed at Yang Kai. It wasn’t until Yang Kai flew up that the others followed him. More than a dozen people left the Spirit Peak and they soon reached the endless void. They had no idea where the woman was leading them to, but they could only follow her as it wasn’t appropriate to ask her about it. One hour later, they finally saw a huge Universe World in the distance. The Universe World was much larger than average, and looking from afar, they could see that the terrain was pretty complex with the environment quite hostile. There was also a layer of grey mist around the Universe World, seemingly shielding it from complete view. Yang Kai couldn’t help but study the Universe World in puzzlement. Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was one of the 36 Cave Heavens, so why was there such a strange Universe World in their territory? Given their strength, it wasn’t hard for them to change the environment of this Universe World, so there must be a reason for them to keep it as it was. Outside the Universe World, there was a gigantic palace hovering in the void, in front of which was a square that was filled with many people. The Third-Order woman from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven led the group from Intertwining Fate Peak to land on the square. After stabilising herself, she performed a salute in a particular direction, “Greetings, Elder Xu. The participants from Intertwining Fate Peak are all here.” Xu Ling Gong was seated on a chair in that direction while Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue were standing behind him. Seeing Yang Kai, Qing Kui nodded at him. Xu Ling Gong swept a glance over them as his gaze eventually fell on Yang Kai. He seemed to be in a jovial mood as he said amicably, “Good, you may leave now.” “Yes.” The Third-Order Open Heaven Realm woman bowed and departed, leaving Yang Kai and the others where they stood. Yang Kai scanned his surroundings and realised that many cultivators had gathered together in groups in the square. There were somewhere between 300 to 400 of them in total. It seemed that they were also participants in the Dao Theory Assembly. The weakest ones were in the Fourth-Order while there were many Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Just like those from Intertwining Fate Peak, these cultivators were supposed to be staying on their respective Spirit Peaks previously, but they were now all brought to this place. Soon, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state as he stared fixedly in a particular direction, a hint of shock on his face. That was because a petite woman was standing over there. Many of the participants around her were also examining her in shock. The existence of such a woman among a large group of men was like the bright moon in the dark night sky. It was expected that their attention was drawn to her. After all, the Dao Theory Assembly was meant to help Qu Hua Shang select a Husband. Although those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven hadn’t set any strict rules, the participants were basically all men. Why would a woman take part in such an assembly? However, there really was a woman standing right on the square. Moreover, Yang Kai actually knew her. She was none other than Gu Pan from Lang Ya Paradise. Yang Kai could barely suppress his laughter. It wasn’t surprising that Gu Pan was in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven because she and Qu Hua Shang were close friends. Since this matter was about Qu Hua Shang’s future happiness, it was only to be expected that she had tagged along with her Master to this place. Nevertheless, it was quite awkward for her to appear in this square. When Yang Kai came across Gu Pan and Qu Hua Shang in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary in the past, they were also Emperor Realm cultivators just like himself. After such a long time though, everyone from back then had ascended to the Open Heaven Realm. [Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan both ascended to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. In that case…] Yang Kai kept darting his gaze around and soon found two other familiar faces. One of them was Lin Feng from True Martial Cave Heaven, and the other was Ning Dao Ran from Free and Unfettered Paradise. Of the friends he got to know in Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, only little fatty Xu Zhen wasn’t around. It wasn’t certain whether he didn’t come or he hadn’t ascended to the Open Heaven Realm yet. When their eyes met, Lin Feng snorted as he seemed to be displeased with Yang Kai. On the other hand, Ning Dao Ran just nodded at Yang Kai as a polite gesture. There were also some other unfriendly gazes that were examining Yang Kai. As Yang Kai swept a glance over them and soon saw Pei Wen Xuan from Myriad Demons Heaven and Yin Xin Zhao from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. These two guys had formed grudges against Yang Kai in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. At that time, Yin Xin Zhao relentlessly tried to kill Yang Kai. Fortunately, Qu Hua Shang never gave up on Yang Kai as she carried him on her back and eventually escaped from danger. There were some other people that Yang Kai didn’t know, but he had a feeling that they were also Core Disciples from the various Cave Heavens and Paradises just like Qu Hua Shang. There seemed to be a lot of powerful opponents in this Dao Theory Assembly. The disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven continuously led more participants to this place from various Spirit Peaks where they formed into different groups and waited patiently. On a platform overlooking the square, Xu Ling Gong sat in the centre seat among the other High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, all of whom sported dark expressions. This couldn’t be helped, as Xu Ling Gong had suddenly changed the content in the Dao Theory Assembly. According to the original plan, the participants would just have to go on stage and fight against one another until the final winner emerged. It was a brutal but simple way as the stronger cultivators would be at an advantage. Nevertheless, Xu Ling Gong informed them at the last moment that the rules had been changed, which infuriated the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from more than a dozen Cave Heavens and Paradises. They didn’t mind changing the content of the assembly, but Xu Ling Gong had crossed the line by changing it at the last possible moment, leaving them unprepared. Presently, Zhuo Bu Qun from Myriad Demons Heaven was seated to the left of Xu Ling Gong. He turned to look at him and asked impassively, “Brother Xu, what are you trying to do?” “What do you mean?” Xu Ling Gong glanced over at him. Zhuo Bu Qun asked, “Have you changed the rules at the last moment for a particular person?” “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Xu Ling Gong appeared innocent, “If you think there’s something wrong with the assembly, you can leave now. I don’t mind.” Zhuo Bu Qun snorted, “Is it really so easy, Brother Xu? Since we’ve joined the assembly, why would we leave halfway? If news spread, Myriad Demons Heaven would become a laughing stock.” “Stop spouting nonsense if you’re not going to leave then. I’m in charge of the Dao Theory Assembly, and I can do whatever I want!” Xu Ling Gong seemed ready to fight it out if need be. Seeing that both of them were incensed, the people beside them hurriedly calmed them down. ... Xu Ling Gong looked smilingly at the square, but he secretly felt bitter in his heart. If Qu Hua Shang hadn’t pestered him, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to change the rules of the Dao Theory Assembly. If they carried out the original plan and let the participants simply go on stage to fight, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would have a distinct advantage. The winner would be one of those disciples from the aforementioned great forces, not Yang Kai. Although Yang Kai was also a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it had only been two years since his ascension. Be it his heritage or foundation, he wasn’t comparable to the disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Only when the rules were changed would he stand a chance to become the winner. Xu Ling Gong knew that Qu Hua Shang was trying to help Yang Kai, but despite that, the young man would have to rely on his own power if he wanted to win first place. Now, they could only hope that this brat wouldn’t disappoint them. As time passed, all the participants of the assembly were brought to this place. Yang Kai looked around and realised that there were about 500 or 600 people who were taking part in the assembly; however, he reckoned that there were originally more who were now buried on the various Spirit Peaks, just like what had happened to Kong Tian Yu. Therefore, there were probably about 1,000 people who had registered to join the assembly. It had to be noted that all 1,000 of these people were in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm and above. None of them were minor characters. There was no doubt that the Dao Theory Assembly was a major event in the 3,000 Worlds. It seemed that Lu Jing was right to say that many of the people who joined the assembly didn’t intend to become the winner as they had to be fully aware that they were not powerful enough to win. The reason they still participated in the event was to give themselves some training. Certainly, if they were lucky enough to be the winner, it would be life-changing for them. ... Previously, more than a dozen Cave Heavens and Paradises had cordoned off the Territory Gates around Yin-Yang Territory and chased off all the foreign Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, which allowed the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to have some hope. However, following the participation of more than a dozen Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters now, their hope was thoroughly crushed.