Chapter 1222, Hostility
Everyone knew that Li You Nan was talking nonsense. If he really was confident in persuading all these great forces to give up on the Red Candle Fruit and allow Medicine Pill Sect to take sole possession of this Heaven defying treasure, that would truly be strange.
Only the things that were held in one’s own hands really belong to them. Li You Nan’s remarks held no sincerity or weight at all so obviously they couldn’t be believed.
What’s more, how could such an important matter be decided upon by mere Juniors? When Li You Nan brought the Red Candle Fruit back, his Elders would clearly choose death first before recognizing this agreement. Even if all the other Sects at that point jointly destroy Medicine Pill Sect, the Red Candle Fruit would surely already be gone.
Wei Gu Chang understood all this perfectly well and knew that once he agreed he would become the sole target of everyone’s anger, this was precisely why Qu Chang Feng, Fang Tian Zhong, Yin Su Die and Qu Ming Hai, and Tang Yong had not rashly agreed to such an unreasonable proposal.
However, Wei Gu Chang was also not stupid enough to openly offend Medicine Pill Sect, so after pretending to think seriously on the matter for a moment, he nodded slightly and asked, “If Brother Qu, Brother Fang, and everyone else all agrees, then my Shadow Moon Hall will naturally collaborate, but Brother Li… heh, have you spoken to that guy yet?”
Saying so, he quietly motioned towards a nearby mountain.
Li You Nan’s face twitched slightly. Of course, he knew who it was Wei Gu Chang was referring to and smiled shamelessly, “This Li wanted to communicate with everyone else before discussing things carefully with him.”
Wei Gu Chang smiled lightly and shook his head, “This matter cannot be treated so simply. If it were just the few of us here, it would be fine to join forces, but with such a huge variable present, this Wei thinks it best for Brother Li to obtain his agreement first. After achieving that, it won’t be too late to discuss things with everyone else.”
Li You Nan adjusted his expression before cupping his fists and nodding, “What Brother Wei says also makes sense, this Li will take your advice into consideration.”
Saying so, he turned around and returned back to Medicine Pill Sect’s occupied mountain.
After he left, Wei Gu Chang snorted coldly and muttered, “Does he really think I’m an idiot?”
Dai Yuan chuckled to the side and said, “The people from Medicine Pill Sect aren’t ignorant, Senior Brother doesn’t need to pay it any mind. This time, not complying with Li You Nan was the right choice, if you had complied with his request, that would have brought you great trouble.”
“I know that,” Wei Gu Chang nodded seriously, “Enough about that though, this kind of spirit fruit maturing at this time, I don’t know if it is an opportunity or calamity.”
Saying so, he swept his eyes around the surrounding mountains, secretly wondering how many of these people would die in the subsequent fight for the mature Red Candle Fruit.
“Let’s think about that for now. For now, we should cultivate, just breathing the air here feels like it is benefiting me. In any case, there is still some time before the Three Suns Grand Risings Phenomenon Big Sister Dai Yuan told us about finishes, we might as well take advantage of this calm while we can,” Dong Xuan’er proposed.
The other three nodded in agreement before finding spots on the small mountain to sit down cross-legged and immerse themselves in the wondrous fragrance filling the air.
Yang Kai quickly realized that this Red Candle Fruit really was a Heaven defying treasure. It was just as the ancient records described, a few days before it matured, it would exude a rich fruity aroma that could relax one’s mind and body while also promoting a cultivator’s mastery over their power and the comprehension of their realm.
Currently, one a single red sun had risen, yet there was already such a wondrous effect. Once all three red suns finished rising, the effects would surely become several times more potent.
Because he was together with Wei Gu Chang and the others, Yang Kai wasn’t worried about being attacked here, so he only left a small portion of his awareness to monitor surroundings while immersing the rest of his consciousness in this wonderful feeling.
Yang Kai was an Alchemist himself, and Alchemy required a very high degree of control over one’s Saint Qi, so he already had a better starting point than most cultivators present. Now, under the stimulation of the Red Candle Fruit’s fragrance, all kinds of subtle yet novel ideas came to him about how to further enhance his Saint Qi control, something Yang Kai greatly enjoyed. It was as if he had entered a new world, one in which he could perform the most perfect communication with the power in his body and manipulate it with a never before.
While Yang Kai sank into a meditative state to explore this new method of Saint Qi’s control, the other three, Wei Gu Chang, Dong Xuan’er, and Dai Yuan, also fell into different states of enlightenment.
After experiencing the initial wait-and-see period, the cultivators atop the various big and small hills also began sitting down and inhaling the aroma of the Red Candle Fruit, no longer wasting time.
Half a day after Yang Kai’s group arrived, a tense but peaceful situation had developed, with everyone focusing on absorbing the benefits of the Red Candle Fruit’s fragrance.
More people arrived over time, but although most of them were confused when they saw everyone else sitting in meditation, none of them acted rashly and instead quickly found a spot to sit down as well. After inhaling the rich fragrance, the surprise on their faces quickly gave way to a kind of tranquility.
At some point, a young-looking cultivator wearing azure robes arrived here alone. This man was the man who tried to go deeper into the third layer, but having arrived a little late, he found that all the peaks near the mountain valley had been occupied. Glancing around coldly, he secretly considered whether he should try to s.n.a.t.c.h a spot but he soon dismissed this idea.
He had only taken over this body a short while ago and had yet to even see the blue sky again, he didn’t want to draw too much attention for the time being.
However, when his eyes landed on Yang Kai, who was sitting cross-legged nearby, his eyes suddenly flashed with a look of pleasant surprise. He hadn’t expected to see Yang Kai in this place.
But soon, his expression became cold and gloomy.
He was certain that it was this First-Order Saint King that had taken away his most precious treasure, but even after getting this close, he wasn’t able to feel any of its aura from this boy.
Did he actually manage to absorb it? But that should be impossible. The kind of power hidden inside that thing was something he knew better than anyone. Let alone a cultivator of First-Order Saint King strength, even an Origin King would not be able to refine it within a day or two; moreover, there was a good chance of suffering a ma.s.sive backlash for even trying.
Such a strange reality was staring him right in the face. This young First-Order Saint King had obtained his treasure, left the stalact.i.te cave, and in less than an hour later, its aura had disappeared without a trace, and no matter how he urged his tracking method, he was unable to find any clues about its location.
But, if he really were to have fused with it, it would be impossible for this boy to still be alive.
This incomprehensible situation frustrated this young-looking man greatly. He simply couldn’t have imagined that it wasn’t Yang Kai himself who had merged with that thing but the Soul Warming Lotus that had swallowed it to evolve from six colours to seven colours.
As he was immersed in his confusion, the young First-Order Saint King suddenly opened his eyes and locked his gaze precisely on him across the distance. After the briefest of glances, this man set aside his eyes casually before searching for a not too far away spot and sitting down in meditation like everyone else.
Atop a nearby mountain, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as a disgruntled look appeared on his face.
He had been deeply immersed in that strange sensibility when suddenly he felt someone’s gaze upon him as well as a hint of hostility and murderous intent. He thought that it was Qu Chang Feng, but after seeing the man’s face, he couldn’t help feeling stunned.
The source of this hostility wasn’t Qu Chang Feng, but it was someone Yang Kai had seen before, a man who had entered the Soul Cleansing Divine Water pool back in the stalact.i.te cave.
Having his meditation interrupted, Yang Kai was naturally a little unhappy.
This man’s strength wasn’t bad, a peak Third-Order Saint King, and Yang Kai vaguely remembered that he came from a Sect called Flowing Cloud Valley.
However, there was an old man and another younger man with him at that time. But now, he appeared to be all alone. It was impossible to tell what had happened to the other two from Flowing Cloud Valley.
Why would this person have hostile and murderous intent towards him though? Yang Kai didn’t remember doing anything to provoke the other party nor had he exposed any of his secrets in front of him. Being stared at for no apparent reason made Yang Kai somewhat annoyed.
“Did Junior Brother Yang discover something?” Dai Yuan seemed to perceive that Yang Kai’s aura had changed and opened her eyes. Seeing his thoughtful expression, she couldn’t help herself from asking.
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head before looking over in a certain direction and asking, “Do you recognize that man?”
Dai Yuan followed his gaze and immediately explained his ident.i.ty, “He’s a Core Disciple from Flowing Cloud Valley named Lu Ye. Why? Does Brother Yang have some kind of grievance with him?”
[Lu Ye!] Yang Kai silently remembered the name before shaking his head, “No, I only encountered him briefly some time ago, but for some reason, he seems to be hostile towards me. It’s really quite strange.”
Dai Yuan’s eyes flashed, also feeling the situation was strange, “This Lu Ye isn’t the type to go around provoking others. Although I have no deep friends.h.i.+p with him, I have spoken a few words with him. His reputation in Flowing Cloud Valley is also quite good, why would he be hostile to you?”
“That’s what I want to know too,” Yang Kai grinned.
Perhaps Dai Yuan misunderstood something, thinking that there really was some kind of grudge between Yang Kai and Lu Ye, frowned, and reminded softly, “Lu Ye is the son of Lu Xiang Dong, the Sect Master of Flow Cloud Valley. Although Flowing Cloud Valley isn’t a top force, it’s strength isn’t bad. If it’s just some minor matter, I can help you to say a few words to Lu Ye, with his temperament, it shouldn’t be difficult to resolve the situation.”
“No need,” Yang Kai shook his head. Without mentioning he really didn’t have any grudge with this Lu Ye, even if he did, he had no need for others to resolve it. If the other party didn’t find trouble with him, Yang Kai wouldn’t find trouble with them, but if he did, Yang Kai didn’t mind solving the issue by cutting weeds and pulling out roots.
Seeing Yang Kai refuse her proposal, Dai Yuan naturally didn’t say anything more and was about to continue her meditation when Yang Kai suddenly gestured with his eyes again and asked, “What about that person?”
Dai Yuan followed his gaze again and saw the lone stern-faced man occupying a nearby small mountain. When she saw this man, Dai Yuan couldn’t help shuddering slightly and immediately retracted her gaze, whispering in a tone filled with the meaning of warning, “Junior Brother Yang shouldn’t inquire about this person too much, I only know that he’s probably from Star Emperor Sect; however, as for his name or details, I have no idea.”