Chapter 260

: Zi Mo’s Crisis     Silavin: shorten True Yuan Qi to True Qi. Just for ease of use of the word.

What was flowing through his body now could no longer be called Yuan Qi, but True Qi!
These two forms of energy were simply not comparable!
Originally, Yang Kai had roughly seventy or eighty drops of the Yang Liquid in his dantian, but now he only had about twenty.
However, the energy stored within each of these was equivalent to the sum three or four of his previous drops!  The power and lethality of the Martial Skills Yang Kai could unleash when using this new Yang Liquid would undoubtedly be far stronger than before.
After reaching the True Element Boundary, the potency of a cultivator’s True Qi could also be divided into nine different grades. The first grade was the highest purity, while ninth grade represented the most common!  This division was not something which was coupled together with a cultivator’s realm, but was instead more akin to a measure of one’s innate constitution.
For a general cultivator, after their breakthrough to the True Element Boundary, if they did not have any auxiliary Precious Treasures to assist them in the formation of their True Qi, they would likely end up having a ninth grade rating.
Even if they had taken some kind of Precious Treasure to enhance the purity of their True Qi, normally the most they could hope for was for their evaluation to be raised to the eighth grade, but even this was enough to make most people smile from ear to ear.
As soon as one had acquired their True Qi, their combat strength would definitely be rise to a new level compared to when they were using Yuan Qi, but if they were to meet an opponent whose True Qi was of a higher grade than their own, even if their realm was slightly higher, they might not be their opponent.
One’s True Qi grade would also slowly increase as long as the cultivator continued to increase their overall strength.
But even if one cultivated to the Peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary, if they had no other special opportunities, their True Qi would only be able to reach the third or fourth grade, with a select few masters being able to reach the second grade.  As for reaching the first grade, that was something only legendary figures would possess.
It could be said that when a cultivator broke through to the True Element Boundary, the initial grade of their True Qi would be an indication about his or her future development, as this was the essential foundation of their life.
In order for a cultivator to be considered a true genius, when they broke through to the True Element Boundary the minimum requirement was to have seventh grade True Qi, with sixth grade True Qi being preferred.  The higher the grade was at the beginning, the more hope there would be for them to reach the apex in the future.
Right now, Yang Kai did not know the exact grade the True Qi in his body had achieved, but he was certain was at least the sixth or seventh grade. It was impossible for his True Qi to be any lower.
Both the Brilliant Flame Liquid and the Nine Yin Yuan Condensing Dew were Precious Treasures specifically used to quench one’s Yuan Qi.  Both of them were valuable and difficult to find existences, yet Yang Kai had used them both.
Coupled with his continued efforts in the Separation and Reunion Boundary to quench his Yuan Qi, when he finally formed his True Qi, naturally its grade would not be bad.
Looking up and checking his surroundings, Yang Kai couldn’t but be surprised for a moment.

Old Demon, what happened?
  Yang Kai asked in confusion.
He had suddenly found himself not surrounded by the white mist, and the stone that could form the Soul Cleansing Dew was also gone. All that was left around him was a barren landscape.  Looking around, in the distance there seemed to be a lush jungle with a tall mountain range further off into the horizon.

A few days ago there was suddenly a strange World Energy movement and then Young Master was suddenly here, but since Young Master was in the final moments of his breakthrough to the True Element Boundary, Old Servant did not dare to interrupt.

Yang Kai wrinkled his brow for a moment before suddenly understanding.
It seems like he had been sent out of the isolate world.
Ling Tai Xu had said that once one had entered the strange isolate world for life experience there was no need to look for a way out because there simply wasn’t one. Only after a certain amount of time would one naturally be expelled.  This period could be long or short, perhaps as long as two or three years or as quick as a few months.
Apparently this time it was about a year or so.
This life experience was now over.  The only thing Yang Kai regretted was being unable to acquire more Soul Cleansing Dew. Since it only took about ten days to form a drop, if he had been able to stay inside the isolate world for a long period he might he would have been able to collect more.
But in the end Yang Kai was still quite satisfied. After all, he had still managed to collect a dozen drops.
Right now he should be inside Nether Mountain, the Great Han Dynasty’s one and only Forbidden Zone.  When he had come together with Ling Tai Xu, they had met several ferocious and powerful Sixth-Order Monstrous Beasts along the way.
Now, in order to leave, he would only be able to rely on himself.
Looking around, he saw several trails lead left behind by other people as they had made their way out of Nether Mountain.
These survivors were elites within their Sects. Each of them possessed great strength.  If they encountered a Fifth-Order Monstrous Beast they would easily be able to handle them, and even if they ran into a Sixth-Order Monstrous Beast, as long as its strength was not overwhelming, they would have no problem escaping.

Young Master, something is strange about this place!


What exactly is strange?


If you fly up into the air you’ll be able to see!
  Old Demon did not elaborate.
Yang Kai simply nodded and released his Divine Sense, and everything within a ten kilometer radius around him suddenly became clear in his mind.  While Yang Kai had been in closed retreat to break through to the True Element Boundary, apparently his Divine Sense had also inadvertently been enhanced a lot.
Not aware of any danger or even any life in his immediate vicinity, Yang Kai activated his Flaming Yang Wings, flew up into the air, and turned around to look beneath him, and his eyes couldn’t help but shrink.

Sure enough …
Old Demon sucked in a deep breath.

This place… why does it seem like it has been intentionally flattened?
  Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled.
Beneath Yang Kai was a several tens of kilometer radius barren wasteland that was completely devoid of anything living, and even the grass and trees had all been reduced to dust, and if one looked carefully, there were even traces of a palm print which extended kilometers in every direction marking the ground.

Well, someone or something must have launched an attack here.


Who or what could have such tyrannical strength?
  Yang Kai was clearly frightened by such a feat and such strength. It was simply unfathomable.
Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya were certainly amongst this world’s top masters, but Yang Kai estimated that even if they joined forces and used all their strength they would be unable to create such a devastating palm print.
Moreover, this palm strike was definitely not recently made. At the very least, half a year to a year had passed since it had appeared here, yet till this day, the land around it was still completely barren.  It was difficult to imagine just how powerful and devastating this attack had been.
Unable to contain his shock for a while, Yang Kai suddenly remembered something. When Ling Tai Xu, Ghost King Valley’s Gui Li, and the Ten Thousand Flower Palace’s old woman had brought them into Nether Mountain, Ling Tai Xu had asked the old woman a question. Her response was that some kind of great change must have recently occurred in Nether Mountain, which  caused many Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Monstrous Beasts to rush to the periphery.
The timing matched with what the old woman had said. Was the master who created this palm print and the change within Nether Mountain related?

We should not stay here!
Old Demon suddenly woke Yang Kai from his thoughts.

Yeah.
  Yang Kai nodded towards a direction, and began to flap his Flaming Yang Wings in order to fly outwards.
Before now he had not dared to use his wings in public because he had no way of efficiently investigating his surroundings, but now that he could utilise his Divine Sense everything was different.  With his Divine Sense spread out, it allowed him to observe everything with a dozen kilometers at a glance, so naturally Yang Kai was no longer afraid of being spied upon.
Half an hour later, Yang Kai flew out of Nether Mountain.
Landing on the ground, Yang Kai checked his surroundings for a moment before determining his next destination, and he slowly began to walk in its direction.

Young Master does not want to immediately return to High Heaven Pavilion?
  Old Demon saw some clues and determined the direction of Yang Kai was heading was not the way back to High Heaven Pavilion.

I’m not going to head back yet. First I’m going to visit Medicine King’s Valley!
Yang Kai said.
The Wordless Black Book’s fifth page had clearly instructed him to take a trip to Medicine King’s Valley, and though it had not given him much information on why he should.  When he had originally received these instructions he had wanted to enhance his strength first before making the trip and had ended up being brought to Nether Mountain by Ling Tai Xu for life experience.
Now that his cultivation had reached the True Element Boundary, naturally he wanted to go see Medicine King’s Valley.
After his promotion to the True Element Boundary, whenever Yang Kai activated his Movement Skill it was much faster, which allowed him to travel a few thousand meters in the blink of an eye.
However, after a few activations, Yang Kai stopped and no longer rushed to use his Movement Skill because doing so consumed a large amount of True Qi.
Two days later, Yang Kai had travelled thousands of kilometers away from Nether Mountain.
But as he was walking along an official road, an uneasy feeling suddenly welled up in his mind. This feeling was not his own but was instead being conveyed to him by someone else far away from him.
Yang Kai was surprised for a moment before he turned to look in the direction the feeling had come from.
Faintly, he felt there was something unusual happening several dozen kilometers away.
Frowning, Yang Kai was somewhat puzzled. His Divine Sense was now only capable of sensing things a dozen kilometers away, so how could details of a situation several dozen kilometers away be transmitted to him?

The brand!
  Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, as he finally understoodthe uneasy feeling that he had sensed.
When he had encountered Zi Mo and Leng Shan,he had placed a brand onto both of their Souls, so now several dozen kilometers from here, one of them must have encountered some kind of mortal danger, which had in turn been transmitted to him.
[Is it Zi Mo or Leng Shan?]
Thinking till here, Yang Kai’s expression sank as he rushed towards the other side.
Yang Kai’s assumption was not wrong. Several dozen kilometers away, Zi Mo was indeed suffering from the greatest danger she had ever experienced in her life.  When she had left Yang Kai’s side her cultivation was at the True Element Boundary Sixth Stage, but after such a long life experience in that isolated world, she had achieved a breakthrough to the Seventh Stage.
Coupled with her distinguished origin, Zi Mo could be said to be a leader amongst the younger generation.
But now, she had fallen into a worrying situation and scrambled to cope with the attacks from the enemy she was facing.
Her abdomen had received a long wound, and her clothes had long been stained blood red. Her breath was ragged, and her beautiful face was pale. She was clearly in a bad state, but she still grit her teeth and refused to cry out.
When she was exiting Nether Mountain, she was unlucky and had suffered an attack by multiple Monster Beasts. If she had not quickly used her Soul Controlling Insects to control one of the Monstrous Beasts, she would have long been dead.
In that battle she had sustained numerous wounds, and even the Monster Beast she had managed to control had died.
Finally managing to escape, she had not gone far before she encountered an ambush!
She even knew who her assailant was. It was the one Yang Kai had been looking for, Wu Cheng Yi.
Wu Cheng Yi’s cultivation had risen to the True Element Boundary Eighth Stage! Although there was only a difference of a Minor Realm, one of them was uninjured and prepared while the other had just suffered wounds in battle, so caught off guard by this sudden fight, Zi Mo soon found herself at a disadvantage, and accidentally received a sword strike, which made her state deteriorate further.
As a streak of sharp Sword Qi approached, Zi Mo’s expression became serious, and she quickly called out a bronze shield-type artifact, pushing her True Qi into it for defense.
Bang bang bang bang, the Sword Qi wave violently struck the shield, and although Zi Mo remained unhurt, she was still knocked back several steps as her breathing quickened.

As long as you hand over the method you use in order to enslave Monster Beasts, I’ll spare your life!
  Wu Cheng Yi said indifferently as he lifted the sword in his hand, pointing its tip towards Zi Mo.
In the isolate world, Wu Cheng Yi had witnessed the strength of the Tian Lang cultivator’s enslavement Martial Skill and had quickly made up his mind to get his hands on it, so he prepared an ambush for Zi Mo in order to extract this Sen Luo Temple technique.

In your dreams!
  Zi Mo ground her teeth fiercely.
Wu Cheng Yi sneered,
I’ll give you one last chance to surrender; if you force me to catch you, I’ll make sure you beg for death!  I think a lot of people would be interested in making a plaything of an exotic woman like you.

A cold chill briefly flashed across Zi Mo’s eyes before she suddenly wore a seductive smile,
Perhaps you’re also interested?

Unfortunately for her, Wu Cheng Yi’s expression remained cold as ice,
I cultivate the ruthless sword and shall not be tempted by cheap slut like you!  So discard any schemes you may be thinking of using against me.  Instead, I have a teacher who is quite lustful; I believe will be very willing to accept you!

Zi Mo’s beautiful smile suddenly went sour as she viciously cursed,
Bastard!