"Greetings, Venerable Elder!" Xu Linggong bowed respectfully.
Yang Kai, standing behind him, hurried to bow as well. Hearing Xu Linggong's form of address, how could he not realize this was a Supreme Elder of the Yin Yang Heaven? And anyone who held the title of Supreme Elder in a Cave Heaven or Blessed Land was at minimum an Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator!
This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on a warrior of the Eighth-Order. The true form of the Bixi divine beast should have been equivalent to an Eighth-Order, but the Bixi was a Sacred Spirit after all—not quite the same as a genuine Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator.
Stealing a glance, he saw that the old man's bare torso was covered in a dense web of scars, crisscrossing one another like hideous centipedes crawling across his entire body. The longest one ran from his left shoulder all the way down to his right kidney.
Yang Kai was secretly startled. An Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator was inconceivably powerful—who could have wounded this Supreme Elder of the Yin Yang Heaven to such a degree? At the Eighth-Order level, one's vitality was exuberant and recovery extraordinary; ordinary wounds would leave no trace whatsoever. Yet the scars on this old man remained this shocking. One could only imagine how grievous those injuries must have been at the time.
"What is it?" the Supreme Elder asked mildly.
Xu Linggong replied, "Your Eminence, this disciple wishes to send a junior into the Divine Weapon World. I humbly request that you open the boundary gate and establish the passage."
The Supreme Elder glanced at Yang Kai, his brow furrowing slightly. "This boy… is not a disciple of our Yin Yang Heaven, is he?"
His discernment was sharp—he had seen at a glance that Yang Kai was not of the Yin Yang Heaven.
Xu Linggong said, "He is not a disciple of our Yin Yang Heaven, but he could be considered our Yin Yang Heaven's son-in-law."
"Is that so!" The old man nodded. "If he is the Yin Yang Heaven's son-in-law, then he does have the qualifications to enter the Divine Weapon World. Do you have the Sect Master's written decree?"
"The decree is here—please inspect it!" Xu Linggong raised his hand and sent a streak of light hurtling forward.
The old man caught it, took one look, and nodded. "No issues then!" As he spoke, he suddenly pointed to the side, and without a sound, a massive vortex materialized in the void. From within the vortex came the unmistakable aura of a Small Source World.
"Go on. The Small Source World is a fascinating place. Once inside, no matter what you encounter, do not panic. Explore thoroughly, and you'll find your rewards." Xu Linggong patted Yang Kai on the shoulder.
"Thank you, Elder Xu. Thank you, Venerable One." Yang Kai bowed, then plunged headfirst into the vortex. An immediate sensation of weightlessness washed over him.
After Yang Kai's figure vanished, the vortex slowly dissipated.
The Supreme Elder glanced at Xu Linggong. "You didn't leave him an escape talisman. If he dies in there?"
Xu Linggong smiled. "If he dies in there, then he was nothing more than mediocre—hardly worthy of being our Yin Yang Heaven's son-in-law."
"Very well." The Supreme Elder said nothing more, closing his eyes once again as his figure gradually faded from view.
……
"Eldest Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother, wake up!"
In a hazy fog, someone seemed to be shaking him, and an urgent voice called out beside his ear.
Yang Kai slowly came to, opening his eyes to find the world spinning and his vision blurred.
"Mmm…" He propped himself up with one hand against his forehead and groaned in pain.
"Eldest Senior Brother, stop drinking! You'll kill yourself at this rate." The voice that had roused him spoke again.
The thick scent of wine hung heavy in his nostrils. Yang Kai instinctively felt as though he were drunk, which confused him—he was no drunkard, and at the Sixth-Order Open Heaven level, how could he possibly become intoxicated?
He was about to channel his energy to dispel the alcohol when he suddenly froze, his eyes snapping wide open.
There was almost no power in his body. Only a faint trickle of energy circulated through his meridians and flesh. Compared to his true Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivation, this wisp of power was so feeble it was virtually imperceptible.
The shock jolted him sober in an instant.
Before he could even begin to figure out what had happened, a splitting headache struck. Countless fragmented memories flooded into his mind, forcing a pained roar from his throat—like a wounded beast.
The person in front of him jumped in fright, crying out, "Eldest Senior Brother, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"
It took a long while before Yang Kai gradually calmed down, sitting in a daze and staring blankly at the tabletop.
His name was Yang Kai—that much was correct. But he turned out to be a disciple of something called the Void Spirit Sword Sect. The Void Spirit Sword Sect was a tiny school—only a few dozen members from top to bottom—and counted for nothing in the broader Divine Weapon World. Throughout the entire Divine Weapon World, sects like this were beyond numbering. Because he had joined early, Yang Kai held the position of Eldest Senior Brother among the current generation of disciples.
This Eldest Senior Brother was mild-mannered and generous in temperament, with cultivation aptitude that was considered decent within the sect. The elders had placed great hopes in him, believing him to be the only person in a hundred years with a chance of breaking through to the Earth Rank.
Human, Earth, Heaven, Spirit—the four great tiers, each divided into nine sub-levels. This was how warriors in the Divine Weapon World were classified, and Yang Kai had only reached the fourth level of the Human Rank.
In truth, Yang Kai had once lived up to the expectations of the sect's elders, training diligently and studying hard. But about a year ago, after encountering a woman during an errand outside, he had fallen head over heels, his soul thoroughly captivated.