In front of the door, Yang Kai glanced at the two Stone Lions crouching to his left and right, faintly feeling that these seemingly ordinary Stone Lions were not so simple. If they were really ordinary, how could they appear in this void?
Just as he was feeling curious, a voice suddenly came from inside the door, “Little friend, what brings you here? This old master apologizes for not coming out to greet you, please come inside.”
The voice was gentle, like a spring breeze, and Yang Kai felt a warm feeling from head to toe. Even though the voice came out of nowhere, it didn’t disturb him in the slightest and instead made him feel that it was reasonable.
However, Yang Kai was somewhat surprised. After all, there was only one door in front of him. Although there were two stone lions squatting outside the door, there was no sign of a house, so where was the speaker?
Listening to the slightly aged voice, the speaker should be quite old. Yang Kai thought about it for a moment and felt that it was better to take things as they came, so he cupped his hands and asked, “Where is Senior? How does Junior enter?”
The old voice laughed, “Just open the door.”
Yang Kai nodded and opened the door.
Reaching out, Yang Kai placed his hand on the door’s nose and gently pushed. The door opened, but the scene he imagined was still empty. The moment he opened the door, a colorful light flashed in front of him, followed by a massive suction force that sucked Yang Kai inside before he could react.
When he came back to his senses, he found himself standing atop a giant reef, the waves crashing against his ears as he looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, the waves crashing against the shore.
Yang Kai blinked and couldn’t help calling out, “Small Universe!”
The Open Heaven Stage has a world created by one’s own body, a world that existed between reality and illusion. This world was called Small Universe, and those who could have such Small Universe were all Open Heaven Stage masters.
A laugh came from the side, “Little Friend’s eyes are sharp, this place is this old master’s Small Universe!”
Yang Kai turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw a white-haired old man standing not far from him, with a kind smile on his face. The old man was slightly fat, and the wrinkles on his face showed signs of age.
The old man wore a long black robe that was spotlessly clean and gave off the feeling of an accomplished master. He held a round bowl in one hand while his other hand curled his fingers and tapped it rhythmically.
The strange thing was that every time he knocked, there was no sound, but Yang Kai could sense something.
Recalling the call that had guided him all the way here, Yang Kai suddenly understood, “Is it Old Sir calling for me?”
The old man smiled, “That’s right, where did little friend come from?”
Yang Kai replied, “My homeworld, I don’t know what to call it.” Although this old man in front of him seemed harmless, he was still a genuine Open Heaven Stage cultivator. If he really wanted to fight him, Yang Kai was afraid he wouldn’t be able to resist, especially since this was his Small Universe. Yang Kai didn’t expect that the first person he would meet in the Outer Universe world would be a Open Heaven Stage cultivator, so he had to be vigilant. It was best not to expose the name of the Star Boundary.
The old man didn’t mind and simply smiled, “So that’s how it is.” Unexpectedly, he didn’t ask any further.
“Why did Senior call me?” Yang Kai didn’t understand. If it weren’t for that mysterious pull, he wouldn’t have come here.
The old man smiled and said, “This old master isn’t calling you alone, I’m just picking up new disciples who have escaped from their shackles.” Saying so, he pointed to the side.
Yang Kai looked around and discovered that this Small Universe was not occupied by him and the old man, but rather, there were others on the surrounding reefs.
A chill ran down his spine. He hadn’t noticed anything when he entered just now, and he had clearly looked around but hadn’t seen anyone else. It seemed that if this old man in front of him hadn’t been willing, he wouldn’t have been able to see anyone else.
Four figures, three men and one woman.
A burly man, a dignified woman, a young child, and a Monster Race youth with two horns on the forehead.
Each of them sat on a nearby reef and stared at Yang Kai.
When Yang Kai’s eyes swept over them, other than the child who smiled at Yang Kai, the others were all expressionless. Yang Kai didn’t know what realm these four were at, but since they had appeared here, it meant that each of them was a Great Emperor level master in their own Small Worlds and had condensed their own Dao Seals, otherwise they wouldn’t have the qualifications to travel the Outer Universe world.
Seeing this scene, combined with what the old man had just said, Yang Kai asked in surprise, “These people were also summoned by Old Sir?”
The old man smiled and nodded, “The Universe is filled with many dangers, for new arrivals like you, it is not a good place. If you rashly venture out, it is highly likely you will encounter some kind of unpredictable danger. This old master will cast a Spirit Clearing Art here, and those who sense it will come to see this old master, just like little friend and the others.”
“Senior, why are you doing this?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
“If this old master said it was to protect you newcomers, would you believe me?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head. After cultivating for so many years, Yang Kai didn’t dare say that he had already seen through human nature, but such a laborious and fruitless task shouldn’t have been done by anyone.
The old man laughed, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me, but this is indeed one of the reasons.”
“So there’s another reason?” Yang Kai asked.
“The other reason is that the forces behind this old master need to absorb fresh blood. This Outer Universe has countless great and small forces. Many of these forces will act in this way, receiving new disciples who have jump out of their world's shackles and bringing them back to replenish their own strength. This method is not rare, and I am not the only one doing it. Little friend, it is only because of fate that you heard this old master’s call and came here.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly, “May I ask what the force behind this old sir is?”
The old man said, “You’ll know in the future, there’s no point talking about it now.”
“What if I refuse to join your forces?” Yang Kai asked.
As soon as these words came out, Yang Kai could clearly feel the four people on the surrounding reef staring at him.
The old man said, “That’s up to you. This old master is only responsible for receiving you. When we return, someone will explain everything to you. At that time, whether or not you want to join will be up to you. If you want to join, you can stay. If not, no one will force you.”
Yang Kai nodded. He had encountered such a situation once before, when he had entered the Ancestral Domain. Many forces in the Ancestral Domain were also guarding a certain place, absorbing new disciples to replenish their strength.
However, in comparison, the old man’s method was undoubtedly a bit more brilliant. As long as one was curious, he should be able to attract their attention.
Yang Kai had nothing to ddo with the Outer Universe, and now that he had separated from Zhang Ruoxi, he didn’t even know where he should go. Since the old man in front of him had already said so much, Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t ask for trouble.
Yang Kai wouldn’t completely believe the other party’s words, but at the very least, it seemed that his own safety wasn’t a problem.
“Senior, this Junior has something else to ask,” Yang Kai cupped his hands and said.
“Tell me.”
“Junior jumped out of the universe world with another friend and entered this vast universe, but halfway there, I suddenly encountered a monster called the Myriad Sealed Insect. After being swallowed by it, I inexplicably went to another place…”
Saying so, the old man smiled and said, “Rest assured, your friend should be safe.”
“Please explain.”
“The Myriad Sealed Insect is a very special existence in the Outer Universe world. Its birth is unpredictable, but it’s harmless. When you look at it from afar, do you see many holes in its body?”
“Yes!”
“These holes are connected to a random corner of this vast universe, where you were swallowed by the Myriad Sealed Insects, and when you emerged from one of these holes, you went to a completely different place. Your friend also suffered the same fate as you, but now he doesn’t know where he is.”
“Is that so?” Yang Kai was stunned.
However, he instinctively felt that the old man’s words weren’t wrong. Now that he thought about it, it had only been a moment since he had been swallowed by the Myriad Sealed Insects, but when he had escaped, there had been an extremely obvious fluctuation of the Space Laws, as if he had been teleported far away, which was somewhat similar to the old man’s explanation.
However, after confirming that Zhang Ruoxi wasn’t in danger, Yang Kai also relaxed, though he didn’t know where she had been teleported to.
“Many thanks, Senior. Junior would like to ask…”
“Little friend must have had a hard time coming all the way here, so you should take a rest first,” The old man smiled as he looked at Yang Kai and gently tapped the bowl.
The doubts in Yang Kai’s heart immediately calmed down, as if this was a question he shouldn’t have asked. Immediately, a look of shame appeared on his face, “Senior is right, I won’t disturb Senior’s work.”
He respectfully retreated.
The old man nodded, closed his eyes, and continued to perform Spirit Clearing Art.
Yang Kai looked around for a moment before jumping onto an unoccupied reef and sitting down cross-legged, silently circulating his Profound Technique. In the next moment, an incomparably pure spiritual force poured into his body through his pores, causing his spirit to tremble.
Although this was the old man’s Small Universe World, it was also a place where Yin-Yang Five Elements were gathered, forming a world of their own. The spiritual force here was also a solid form of Spiritual Energy, allowing one to absorb it to increase their strength.
Moreover, this small universe Spiritual Energy was so rich and pure that no other place in the Star Boundary could compare to it. Yang Kai secretly opened his eyes and saw that the other four were all ravenously devouring this Spiritual Energy, so he decided not to worry about anything else and began greedily absorbing it.
However, he had split a portion of his attention to examine himself. When the old man had said those last words, he had clearly felt that he was powerless to resist. In other words, at that time, he had been completely obedient to the old man, which was why he had felt somewhat ashamed. But soon after, the Soul Warming Lotus had displayed its effects and allowed him to recover.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Martial Peak