The bone shield wasn't large — roughly the size of a millstone. It was unclear what kind of demon beast's bones it had been forged from, but its design was bizarre, with an ivory-white luster shimmering both inside and out. Along the shield's edge, sharp bone ridges jutted upward, razor-sharp, and on the front face there was a fearsome beast's head with its maw gaping wide.
The beast had a green face and bared fangs, utterly terrifying, with furious eyes staring wide as if it wanted to devour anyone in sight.
The moment Yang Kai picked it up, he felt a wave of bloody, sinister aura wash over him, and his heart tightened immediately.
Its grade wasn't as high as the mirror he'd just examined — only Mysterious Grade Low Quality — but the bone shield was clearly a defensive Artifact, so its value wasn't much less than the mirror's.
Artifacts came in many varieties, but as a rule, defensive ones were rarer than offensive ones, which drove their value even higher.
These three Artifacts were each more precious than the last. If he could refine all three, Yang Kai estimated his overall strength would increase dramatically.
So far, he only had three usable Artifacts.
The Shura Sword, the Thousand-Petal Blood Begonia, and the Demon Locking Chain.
The first two were Heaven Grade, and after using them for so long, Yang Kai could confirm they were Heaven Grade High Quality — after all, they were the treasured guardian artifacts of a top-tier overseas sect, so their grade wouldn't be anything less.
A top-tier sect would certainly possess Mysterious Grade Artifacts, at least one, but the Shura Sword and the Thousand-Petal Blood Begonia remained the sect's guardian treasures, which meant these two Artifacts must have held some special significance.
As for the Demon Locking Chain, its grade was unknown. Ever since it had sealed the demon lord's split consciousness in the Fierce Fiend Evil Cave, its spiritual awareness had been severely diminished, and even now Yang Kai was still using his True Yuan to nurture it, with no sign of recovery yet.
Having obtained three high-quality Artifacts this time, Yang Kai naturally wanted to refine them as quickly as possible and put them to use.
After careful consideration, he set aside the soul Artifact and the mirror, gripping the bone shield in his hand as he circulated his True Yuan. He cultivated while refining simultaneously.
Pure and torrential True Yang Energy poured into the bone shield without restraint, greatly accelerating the refinement process.
Time passed. Ever since returning from the treasure battle that day, Yang Kai had remained sequestered in his room. His Eldest Junior Sister came back once a day, but never disturbed him — she would simply tiptoe to the side and rest quietly, her expression serene.
In the manor, the grief that had arisen from the loss of manpower gradually dissipated entirely. The Blood Battle Gang and Wind and Rain Tower members quickly assimilated into Yang Kai's estate, which had become one large family. The Hu sisters settled in comfortably as well, gradually becoming familiar with the young leaders of the various factions.
The only thing that depressed them was that they hadn't caught a glimpse of Yang Kai for days.
Not only them — even Qiu Yimeng, the second most important person in the manor, found it extremely difficult to see Yang Kai.
But everyone knew that Yang Kai must be refining his newly acquired Artifacts.
Two days later, Qu Gaoyi, who was standing guard in front of the central hall with his eyes closed in meditation, suddenly felt a faint breeze brush past him.
He opened his eyes to find Ying Jiu gazing at him expectantly.
"Why aren't you by the young master's side? What are you doing here?" Qu Gaoyi asked with suspicion.
Yang Kai's safety had always been Ying Jiu's responsibility — he followed him everywhere, never once leaving his shadow.
"The young master is in seclusion, and his safety... is definitely not a concern," Ying Jiu said, thinking of the old man next door to Yang Kai's room, without a trace of worry.
"Even so, you can't be careless," Qu Gaoyi began to lecture him.
"Never mind that." Ying Jiu's face was filled with awe as he said in a grave voice, "Old Qu, I've run into an extraordinary person."
"How extraordinary?" Qu Gaoyi was startled. The Blood Servants were already formidable — not only had they been born into the Yang Family, but they also possessed the Proud Blood Frenzy Art. As a result, Blood Servants were always a group who looked down on most people, and very few could earn their respect.
"Very extraordinary," Ying Jiu said, as succinct as ever.
"How very is that?" Qu Gaoyi rolled his eyes. Among brothers, they could speak casually, but if Ying Jiu had given someone that kind of evaluation, that person's strength must be truly remarkable.
Qu Gaoyi's interest was piqued. He couldn't imagine who Ying Jiu had encountered that would leave him looking so shaken.
"I'd estimate that if we actually fought, either of us would be put down in three moves!" Ying Jiu said, his face dead serious.
Qu Gaoyi's jaw dropped. He couldn't recall ever hearing such high praise from Ying Jiu. After a long pause, he asked solemnly, "What about using the Proud Blood Frenzy Art?"
"Still wouldn't be enough. Ten moves at best!"
"Above Shenyou Realm?"
"At the peak of Shenyou!"
"Bullshit!" Qu Gaoyi sprayed a fine mist of saliva across Ying Jiu's face.
Ying Jiu wiped his face nonchalantly and said earnestly, "I'm serious."
Qu Gaoyi's expression grew strange as he looked Ying Jiu up and down, unwilling to believe it no matter what.
Peak of the Shenyou Realm — it wasn't as though they'd never encountered one. The top-tier factions had experts at the peak of the Shenyou Realm, and after activating the Proud Blood Frenzy Art, both Qu Gaoyi and Ying Jiu had previously defeated Shenyou Realm peak warriors.