The lake’s surface was sparkling clean and the water itself was crystal clear, a few fat fish could even be seen leisurely swimming about its depths.

Near the lakeside stood a young man who, at this moment, was smiling lightly towards Yun Xuan and Ruan Xin Yu who Liu Gui had brought here, raising his hand and waving as he casually called out, “Long time no see you two.”

Ruan Xin Yu and Yun Xuan didn’t immediately reply, both of them just standing there dumbstruck.

Seeing this, Yang Kai shook his head wryly and walked towards them.

When Yang Kai arrived in front of the trio, Liu Gui stepped forward and hastily bowed while letting out all kind of flattery, “Lord Holy Master, before, this lowly one had eyes but failed to see, I beg Lord Holy Master not to take offence.”

“It’s fine,” Yang Kai waved his hand lightly.

Liu Gui’s expression loosened as he respectfully said, “Sir, I have brought the two young ladies as you requested.”

“Good work,” Yang Kai patted the shoulder of the young man he had used the Great Heavenly Attraction on to control previous, causing the latter to feel quite flattered, “It is only what I should do.”

Hesitating for a moment, Liu Gui nervously continued, “Sir, you should be able to see I have no malicious intent towards you, so would it be possible for you to first return my Soul brand? Sir can rest a.s.sured, I, Liu Gui, will never reveal half a word about Sir Holy Master to another soul, lest Heavenly thunder strike me down!”

Seeing his begging appearance, Yang Kai simply smiled and said, “I cannot do what you request right now, but you can rest a.s.sured, so long as you obey me well, I will not harm you.”

“Does this lowly one dare not obey?” Liu Gui wore a bitter smile. The previous time Yang Kai left the nine peaks to go to the Beast Sea Jungle, Liu Gui’s team had been the ones to intercept him, but not only had they failed to capture Yang Kai, instead Liu Gui was forced to divulge everything he knew before having his Soul brand taken. If the Temple Master were to ever learn about this, even if he had nine lives Liu Gui wouldn’t be able to survive.

Considering all this, Liu Gui felt a deep bitterness in his heart.

“Obedience has its rewards,” Yang Kai was carefully observing and knew this youth was quite uncomfortable with the current situation. Knowing a willing p.a.w.n was more useful than an unwilling one, Yang Kai immediately threw Liu Gui a bottle of pills.

Liu Gui instinctively reached out and caught this bottle. After opening it and taking a sniff, a look of shock and joy filled his face as he unconsciously called out, “Spirit Grade pills?”

“Work hard and there will be more benefits in the future for you,” Yang Kai encouraged.

“Yes yes yes! Many thanks, Lord Holy Master!” Liu Gui gratefully exclaimed.

As an Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator with average apt.i.tude, Liu Gui’s status in War Spirit Temple was quite ordinary, so the pills he usually used were also ordinary goods. At best, by regularly performing tasks for the Sect, he could receive two or three Mysterious Grade pills a month, but now, after completing a trivial errand for Yang Kai, he had actually been rewarded with a bottle of Spirit Grade pills.

This was a ma.s.sive windfall which caused Liu Gui to become somewhat dazed, no longer even caring that Yang Kai had taken his Soul brand and he could not control whether he lived or died.

He even secretly thought to himself that being able to work for this new Holy Master was a great good fortune.

Seeing Liu Gui’s reaction, Yang Kai was quite satisfied, further confirming that this guy was a villain who would forget all honour at the sight of profit. Giving such a person some small benefits would be enough to make him sell you his life.

Waving his hand to undo the seals Ruan Xin Yu had placed on him, Yang Kai signaled to Liu Gui, “Go back, there’s nothing more for you to do here.”

“Yes! Lord Holy Master, if you have any need of subordinate in the future, please do not hesitate to ask!” Liu Gui struck his chest and declared.

“There will be opportunities,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.

Liu Gui turned around to leave, but just before taking off, he glanced over at Yun Xuan with a somewhat jealous look and muttered, “Young Lady’s good fortune is truly enviably.”

He could sense that this girl shared a not simple friends.h.i.+p with this new Holy Master.

Yun Xuan’s pretty face immediately blushed bright red while Ruan Xin Yu gave him a sharp glare and shouted, “You talk too much!”

Liu Gui let out a hollow laugh as he quickly scurried away.

After Liu Gui left, Yang Kai smiled and turned his attention to the two young women in front of him, “It’s been several years since we last met yet you two are still as graceful and charming as before.”

“Glib tongued brat!” Ruan Xin Yu snorted disdainfully, “You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, since you didn’t die, why did you not send Yun Xuan a message to let her know. Do you have any idea how much sadness you made her endure?”

“Xin Yu…” Yun Xuan cried out, biting her lip in the next instant as she directed her beautiful eyes towards Yang Kai, suddenly feeling like the young man in front of her had become incredibly tall and distant, as if she could only gaze up towards him from afar.

When she had first met him, his cultivation was actually below her own and his appearance was somewhat distressed. He was like a young, ignorant boy who had just wandered out from a deep forest.

However, just a few years later, he had now become the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land and his strength had soared far beyond hers.

Currently, she was a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator while he had actually become a Second Order Transcendent…

With such a gap between them, even if she were to work tirelessly for a dozen years she might not be able to catch up.

Standing in front of Yang Kai, Yun Xuan couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of inferiority, causing a pungent bitterness to fill her heart.

Perceiving Yun Xuan’s abnormal mood, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly, but not knowing what she was actually thinking or feeling, all he could do was laugh and try to crack a joke, “Could it be you don’t recognize me?”

“Even if you were reduced to ashes I’d be able to recognize you,” Yun Xuan said with a forced smile.

“Then why are you looking at me like you’ve just met a stranger?” Yang Kai scratched his cheek awkwardly, “If you’re angry because I didn’t let you know I was safe, then I sincerely apologize, these past few years have been incredibly busy; moreover, there are certain things about me I don’t what to expose to the public.”

“Hmph, I think you’re just a shameless b.a.s.t.a.r.d,” Ruan Xin Yu snorted indignantly, “You clearly just want to play around and then run away so you can avoid taking any responsibility.”

“What responsibility do you want me to bear? Wasn’t everything that happened back then an unavoidable accident?” Yang Kai argued back somewhat awkwardly.

These past few years, Yang Kai really hadn’t thought about Yun Xuan much; although he felt somewhat embarra.s.sed about what had happened, in his heart, she just couldn’t compare to Su Yan or his Little Senior Sister.

If it weren’t for the Charm Monster’s Spiritual Energy toxin, the two of them would never have become anything more than acquaintances.

“So you don’t want to take any responsibility, I really misjudged you!” Ruan Xin Yu shouted contemptuously, her gaze filled with scorn.

Helpless to argue back, Yang Kai could only shake his head wryly.

Yun Xuan, who had remained silent through this argument, finally let out a long breath and smiled slightly, “Xin Yu, don’t say any more, there’s no meaning to it. Some people, some encounters are just that fleeting, there’s no need to try to force things not meant to be.”

“You’re quite laissez faire,” Ruan Xin Yu stared at Yun Xuan with amazement.

“How did you make a disciple of War Spirit Temple bring us here? Why does he listen to your orders?” Yun Xuan turned a curiously look towards Yang Kai as she changed the subject.

“Heh, we had a slight conflict half a month ago and at that time, I placed a little seal on which allowed me to communicate directly with him. When I saw you two earlier today, I sent him a message telling him to lead you here,” Yang Kai explained, following up with a question is his own, “Is your Bold Independent Union also involved in this incident?”

“En,” Yun Xuan nodded, “Your Holy Land’s previous generation Saintess pa.s.sed by my Bold Independent Union’s territory some time ago and killed a few of our disciples. That Zhang Ao of Shattering Mystical Palace somehow found out about this and sent an invitation to my father to come here. Thinking it would be an opportunity to discuss some matters with Nine Heavens Holy Land, my father decided to accept Zhang Ao’s invitation. Never had we expected that Zhang Ao’s purpose was not to reconcile with you but to launch an all-out fight.”

“Them inviting you to join them was simply for them to increase their numbers,” Yang Kai sneered.

“En, that should be the case. In fact, many forces that gathered here have similar experiences to my Bold Independent Union. Before we came here to see you, two small forces actually tried to leave, but before they could, they were ruthlessly slaughtered by Zhang Ao.”

Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, “They’ve certain played a strong hand.”

“After that demonstration, I don’t think anyone will dare to leave. Zhang Ao also declared that next time they attack they will certainly flatten you Nine Heavens Holy Land; can you resist them?”

Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “If it really comes down to a fight, the end result will be a mutual loss. The Holy Land will definitely suffer heavy casualties, but your side won’t feel any better.”

“Then what are you going to do? You should leave here quickly; it’s far too dangerous to stay.”

“Don’t worry; I have a way to handle the situation. On the other hand, it’s you who should avoid getting involved here,” Yang Kai’s expression became serious, “If you continue to partic.i.p.ate in this, your Bold Independent Union will definitely suffer greatly.”

“What do you mean?” Yun Xuan couldn’t help feeling startled.

“I can’t tell you any more right now. In any case, after you go back, do whatever you can to persuade your father to leave here as soon as possible. There will be a big change in the situation which will make it very dangerous to stay here soon.”

Yun Xuan frowned but nodded lightly, not asking Yang Kai to explain any further, choosing to believe in him.

Ruan Xin Yu on the other hand couldn’t help scoffing, “Aren’t you acting a bit too confident? Although your Nine Heavens Holy Land has a strong barrier and a number of powerful masters, as far as I know, along with the ones from those three sects, the number of Saint Realm powerhouses your facing is twice the number your Holy Land currently has.”

“And so?” Yang Kai snickered, “If they dare to come, they’ll pay a heavy price.”

“I can’t understand you at all…” Ruan Xin Yu slowly shook her head, “For that matter, how did someone like you become the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land anyways?”

“Everyone has their own opportunities,” Yang Kai chuckled, “I’d rather not have become the new Holy Master of this place but… things happened.”

Ruan Xin Yu spat disdainfully, obviously not believing a word Yang Kai said. In her opinion, any man who managed to obtain such an opportunity would be beside themselves with joy, how could Yang Kai be any different?

This little brat was clearly trying to act aloof and mysterious! Ruan Xin Yu increasingly looked down on Yang Kai, secretly feeling that the rapid growth of his strength was entirely because he had received the cultivation of Nine Heavens Holy Land.

If Nine Heavens Holy Land was willing to train her, she could reach such a height.

“Is there anything else you want to say?” Yun Xuan asked Yang Kai.

Yang Kai was stunned by her forwardness but soon shook his head, “No.”

“Then we’ll head back first. If we stay out too long, it will cause people to become suspicious,” Yun Xuan said, directing a complicated expression towards Yang Kai in the next instant as she whispered, “No matter what, thank you for your reminder this time, I will speak with my father and let him know what you’ve told me, as for you… you must be careful, I know you’re much fiercer than you were when we first met and your status is also quite high, but your true strength is still quite limited. If you find you can’t solve this problem, please don’t force yourself.”

“Good, I’ll remember,” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.

“Then we’ll take our leave. If you can overcome these difficulties, you’re welcome to visit Bold Independent City at any time,” Yun Xuan smiled before grabbing Ruan Xin Yu’s hand and flying off.

Standing in place and gazing at their quickly fading backs, Yang Kai’s mood fluctuated quite a bit; he hadn’t expected this woman to act in such a composed manner, handling things calmly and then leaving without showing much hesitancy.

Originally, Yang Kai was still thinking about how he should comfort her but now it appeared that wouldn’t be necessary.