Chapter 1023, Second-Order Saint Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶 The mountain where Gui Zu originally lived was lush and verdant, filled with beautiful scenery. But now, the whole mountain seemed like it had been incinerated, the forest burned to the ground and the earth covered in ash, retaining none of its previous splendour. Even the giant Spirit Array which had been arranged inside it to gather the surrounding World Energy aura seemed to have been destroyed. Inside the mountain, the stream of spirit liquid that had flown for so long had evaporated and disappeared. In one of the stone rooms, an invisible vortex continued drawing in massive quantities of World Energy and absorbing it. Gui Zu’s figure appeared leisurely and stood in front of Yang Kai, frowning at him while remaining motionless. Yang Kai didn’t seem to notice him, and only after a long time did he let out a soft breath and stopped circulating his Secret Art. Examining himself in silence, Yang Kai’s face filled with excitement. The Yang Liquid in his dantian and the evil energy in his Unyielding Golden Skeleton had both disappeared and were replaced with his newly fused strength that contained characteristics of both but with far greater power and lethality. A part of this new strength flowed through his meridians, constantly moisturizing every bit of his physique while the bulk of it was stored inside his Unyielding Golden Skeleton. Yang Kai felt that inside and out, he had been reborn, his body now filled with unparalleled explosive power. What was certain was that his strength had undergone an earth-shaking enhancement! He even felt that he could fight on par with a Saint King Realm master! His cultivation realm had also increased, reaching the Second-Order Saint-level without any hindrance. Yang Kai hadn’t even realized when he had broken through as his entire consciousness had been immersed in the process of fusing his two forces together. This was a pleasant surprise that only added to his happiness. With a thought, Yang Kai activated his Demon God Transformation. The Demon Crests that none could see appeared beneath Yang Kai’s skin and melded into his physique, and a moment later, his vitality, as well as the strength of his flesh, rose rapidly... It seemed that he could still use the Demon God Transformation, causing Yang Kai to put down one of his worries. This was what he expected though as the strength flowing through him now had the characteristics of both his Yang Qi and evil energy. “Good good, you’re very good!” Gui Zu’s voice suddenly came from in front, offering sincere praise. Yang Kai opened his eyes and dismissed his Demon God Transformation, quickly standing up and cupping his fists, “Senior, many thanks for your valuable guidance.” Gui Zu wore a strained look and coldly snorted, “This old master didn’t teach you anything, don’t offer your thanks!” Yang Kai smiled and said, “Senior may have just been speaking casually, but without those few words, Junior does not know when he might have achieved this step, it may have been many years, or possibly even longer, so regardless of Senior’s intentions, I must offer my thanks!” “Do whatever you want!” Gui Zu waved his hand impatiently, seemingly unwilling to have any kind of friendly relations with Yang Kai, solemnly saying, “This old master did not disturb you as you sat in retreat for an entire month, giving you the time you required to improve your strength, now that you’ve succeeded, shouldn’t you fulfil your part of our agreement?” He stared at Yang Kai coldly, seeming a little unhappy because he had been forced to wait so long. Yang Kai quickly nodded, “Junior can begin immediately, en, but before that, I’d like to take a look at that Space Array.” “Go ahead. As long as you can find a way to leave this place, this old master doesn’t care where you go, but remember, if you can’t find a way out of this cage, this old master will extract your Soul and torture it forever. Disappointing this old master will guarantee you the most miserable of ends!” As he issued this threat, he released a wisp of pitch-black energy that flew into Yang Kai’s body, disappearing in a flash. This dark energy shuttled through Yang Kai’s body before finally arriving at his right arm and transforming into an eerie mark. This mark contained a threat of Gui Zu’s Divine Sense, allowing him to constantly monitor Yang Kai’s every move. Yang Kai just smiled wryly and shook his head before walking out. A short time later, he left the mountain and came out to the flat area where the Space Array had been set up. This Space Array had been idle since the last time Gui Zu used it and the numerous Saint Crystals that were scattered about it were now quite dim, clearly having been almost completely drained of energy. The door which had been forged from broken Starship debris and covered in a thin layer of Space Spirit Crystal still stood where it had originally been. Yang Kai had secretly observed this Space Array more than once in an attempt to gain some inspiration and enhance his own understanding of the Dao of Space. It was only now that he was able to investigate it unscrupulously though that he discovered that even though Gui Zu’s aptitude in the Dao of Space was terrible, after a thousand of years of research, he did have some accomplishments. He had been able to come up with the idea of using Space Spirit Crystal as the key to opening and stabilizing a Void Corridor. Unfortunately, the door used to form the Void Corridor was made from broken scraps from a Saint King Grade Starship, which was somewhat insufficient. The Space Spirit Crystal that covered the door frame was also too thin, these two factors were the main cause of the instability of the Void Corridor which was formed. If he had enough materials, Gui Zu might very well have been able to arrange a stable Space Array. As for where that Space Array would transmit a person who entered it, that was still unknown. Yang Kai observed this Space Array while absorbing Gui Zu’s insights into the Dao of Space, enhancing his own comprehension of its mysteries. After a while, several sets of footstep suddenly sounded behind him. Yang Kai lifted his head and turned around to discover that everyone who was still alive on this continent, with the exception of Gui Zu of course, had come over. They seemed to have realized Yang Kai had exited his retreat and had come to see him. “Master...” Bi Ya, not caring about the scornful eyes which stared at her, shouted intimately before walking up to Yang Kai with a smile, sincerely saying, “Congratulations on your great increase in strength, Master.” This time, when she shouted Master to Yang Kai, she really meant it, not like before where it was mere flattery and platitudes, her smile much more dazzling than before. Yang Kai gently nodded. “Brother, it’s good that you’re alright. In the future, you should really refrain from acting so recklessly,” Shen Tu laughed happily, but in the depths of his eyes, a hint of doubt arose. He had never been clear about what Yang Kai’s true strength was. Though back in the Purple Star Starship, Yang Kai had suddenly and violently killed a Third-Order Saint, that was partially due to catching the enemy off guard with a sneak attack so it couldn’t be used as an accurate assessment. Shen Tu had frequently speculated about the true depths of Yang Kai’s strength. Before Yang Kai entered this latest retreat, he hadn’t felt any pressure from Yang Kai, but every time he was with him, a voice in his heart would constantly sound. If he were to really fight with Yang Kai, the person who would die would undoubtedly be him! This was Shen Tu’s intuition as a cultivator, so he had always felt that Yang Kai had hidden his own cultivation and strength. But now, meeting him again, Shen Tu found that the sense of danger he felt from Yang Kai had disappeared and the uneasy voice in his heart had gone silent. Shen Tu was greatly puzzled, not knowing what Yang Kai’s retreat had been about. Had he succeeded or had he failed? However, his cultivation has improved a Minor Realm, a fact that was obvious to all. “I’ll be careful later,” Yang Kai chuckled. (PewPewLazerGun: He LIES!!!) (Silavin: SPOILERZ!!!!) The He sisters also ran up to Yang Kai with smiling faces. Yue Xi naturally stood behind her two Disciples, a cold look on her pretty face. Nearby, Lu Gui Chen squeezed out an ugly smile and nodded before reluctantly asking, “Little brother, there is one thing we have not understood. If it is convenient, could little brother enlighten us?” Yang Kai glanced at him and asked lightly, “What?” Lu Gui Chen looked around for a moment before calming his breathing and whispering, “You said that Senior Gui Zu needed something from you, what exactly was it?” As soon as this statement came out, everyone looked towards Yang Kai with expectant gazes, clearly interested in his response. They really couldn’t understand how Yang Kai, a trivial Saint Realm cultivator, could actually reach an agreement with a master like Gui Zu. Given Gui Zu’s great strength, what could he possibly want from him? “You might as well ask Senior Gui Zu. If he is willing to tell you, he’ll tell you,” Yang Kai smiled lightly. Lu Gui Chen’s expression cramped and he immediately shut up. Whenever he saw Gui Zu, his first thought would be to escape. How could he possibly ask him about this kind of thing, if doing so made the other party the slightest bit displeased, Lu Gui Chen’s life would probably come to an abrupt end. “Little brat, if you keep wasting time with them, this old master will teach you a lesson!” Gui Zu’s voice, filled with intolerance, suddenly sounded in Yang Kai’s ear, causing his face to change greatly. Cupping his fists, Yang Kai hurriedly apologized, “Excuse me, Senior is urging me to continue my work. I cannot chat with you any longer.” Saying so, Yang Kai summoned his Star Shuttle and disappeared in a blue streak of light. Ten thousand kilometres away from the mountain peak, Yang Kai came to a stop. Only Gui Zu knew that Yang Kai possessed the ability to tear space. This was one of Yang Kai’s greatest cards, so he was naturally unwilling to expose it, at least not to people like Lu Gui Chen. Checking his surroundings, Yang Kai began circulating his strength, gathering it at his fingertips in the next moment and making a slicing motion. Immediately, the space in front of him was torn open and a portal to the cold, black Void appeared, a strange strength leaking out from it. Yang Kai didn’t rush into this tear though and instead stared at it fixedly. In the past, when he had torn space, the crack he had formed seemed as if it was cut by a sword, its edges smooth and flat. But now, the edges of this tear were actually lined by a layer of black Demonic Flame that simultaneously emitted a hot and cold aura, making it impossible to understand. It seemed that it was even capable of burning space, making it so the torn crack could not instantly repair itself. Yang Kai’s expression became stern. He hadn’t expected that the Demonic Flame that had been born from the fusion of his two strengths would be so strange. It seems it was necessary for him to re-examine it carefully. After a brief pause, Yang Kai stepped into this tear, then used his Divine Sense to extinguish the Demonic Flames, allowing the crack in space to seal. Inside the turbulent flow of The Void, Yang Kai didn’t panic or rush, turning his eyes to the black mark Gui Zu had left on his arm and chuckling. What Gui Zu was thinking, Yang Kai knew better than anyone. The reason why Gui Zu had not killed him, and instead was constantly urging him to look for a way to escape this place, was because he wanted to use this opportunity to enhance his own understanding of the Dao of Space by monitoring Yang Kai’s movements, spying on how he tore space and on the turbulent flow inside The Void. In short, he wanted to steal this method for himself. For someone like Gui Zu, he would never place all his hopes on a single person. He will always make an alternative to his own plans!