Martial Peak

Chapter 5463: Warning

Any cultivator who broke through directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was considered an invaluable asset by the Cave Heavens and Paradises; after all, the current Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were characters who had advanced directly to the Seventh-Order in the past.

Yang Kai had come into contact with many Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but even after meeting so many powerful cultivators, Luo Ting He of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was the only one he knew in the entire 3,000 Worlds who had broken through directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.

Wu Qing, the Southern Army’s Army Commander of Yin-Yang Pass, was also someone who had advanced directly to the Seventh Order. That was why he eventually advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and took over command of Yin-Yang Pass.

There were naturally others from the Cave Heavens and Paradises who had advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, but their numbers were small to say the least. It wasn’t until recently that a large number of cultivators who advanced directly to the Seventh Order emerged from the Star Boundary. Be that as it may, all of them were still in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm as not enough time had passed since their appearance for them to grow sufficiently.

This was only possible because it was the Star Boundary, which possessed a World Tree clone that constantly provided nourishment to its inhabitants, resulting in an abundance of peerless talents appearing.

[What is with the people Sect Master brought back!?] Mo Mei couldn’t help wondering, [Don’t tell me he went to the Star Boundary and kidnapped all the talented individuals there!?] 

Not only was there no need for Yang Kai to do something as drastic as kidnapping, but the Cave Heavens and Paradises would never allow that to happen either. It was not easy for them to nurture these budding talents, so how could they allow Yang Kai to just take their treasures away?

Besides, even the current Star Boundary could not gather such an impressive line-up out of nowhere. It was not 5 or 50 people, but a whole 5,000 people after all!

During the first few days, Mo Mei and the others still had their doubts. They speculated that the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were undergoing advancement first as their talents were superior, while Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Masters would probably appear later. However, the aura emanating from every single person who advanced into the Open Heaven Realm was either in the Sixth Order or the Seventh Order.

At this point, nobody had any more doubts. The 5,000 people Yang Kai brought back were all incredible talents who could advance directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm or the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!

The breakthroughs lasted for nearly three months. The fluctuation of breakthroughs would occur almost every day, ranging from dozens to even hundreds each day…

Various accommodations were prepared for all the people who advanced to the Open Heaven Realm. After questioning the first few of them, Mo Mei and the others finally understood the origins of these people.

Yang Kai’s Small Universe was unique. Mo Mei and the others knew about the countless living creatures flourishing inside his Small Universe; after all, they had known Yang Kai for many years and were privy to some of his secrets, what they could not figure out was what was so special about his Small Universe that produced so many extraordinary talents.

These people were not inferior to those who were nurtured by the Star Boundary for the past 1,000 years. Out of nearly 5,000 people, as many as 500 of them had advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.

On the other hand, how many Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had emerged from the Star Boundary over the years? Only 300 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been produced in the past 1,000 years. That number could not compare with the people Yang Kai brought back at all!

Unbeknownst to them, the number of Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were nurtured and produced by the Star Boundary for the past 1,000 years had all truly emerged within a 1,000-year timeframe.

On the contrary, tens of thousands of years had passed in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Even if his Small Universe could not compare with the Star Boundary in terms of size or population it held its own advantages that would be displayed over time. It was only natural to have such rich accumulation when so many years had gone by.

The fact that Void Land suddenly gained 5,000 Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters greatly pleased Mo Mei and others.

Void Land and the Star Boundary originally had several Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among their ranks. There were not many of them, only around 100 in total; nevertheless, such a line-up was absolutely impossible for ordinary Second Class great forces to achieve. Unfortunately, almost all of these Masters had been deployed to the Barren Territory battlefield after receiving conscription orders from the Cave Heavens and Paradises.

Only three Masters had remained behind to oversee Void Land, but today, Void Land suddenly experienced an extraordinary boost in strength. As long as these people had time to consolidate their cultivations properly, they could eventually head to the Barren Territory as reinforcements. With so many people, they might even be able to play a decisive role in certain aspects of the battlefield!

Due to the appearance of 5,000 Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Void Land became very busy.

On the other hand, Yang Kai arrived at the Shattered Heaven with Ji Lao San after his short detour.

He had visited the Shattered Heaven twice in the past.

For his first trip here, he had received information about the Proprietress and came to save her. In the end, he had been forced to break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm outside the Shadowless Cave Heaven.

At the time, Yang Kai held great resentment towards the arrogant and domineering attitude of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Although he never complained to anyone about this resentment, he had secretly made a vow to himself that once he was powerful enough, he would definitely take revenge. They should never have looked down on him just because he was young and poor!

However, when he entered the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai slowly learned about the Black Ink Clan and the efforts of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. As a result, his resentment towards the Cave Heavens and Paradises gradually faded away.

What happened to him back then seemed like the result of certain people acting out of personal interest, but the truth was they had simply been following the rules and did not act too extreme.

He had only been at the peak of the Emperor Realm at the time. If an Open Heaven Realm Master like Ti Zheng of Myriad Demons Heaven had truly wanted to kill him, it would have taken nothing more than a flick of his finger. What’s more, the person who instigated everything died a long time ago.

One’s personal grudges were nothing compared to the survival of their entire Race. If Yang Kai stood in the shoes of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, he would not have hesitated to eliminate any possible future dangers.

His second trip to the Shattered Heaven was purely for cultivation purposes. Unfortunately, he encountered Blood Crow and experienced bad luck as a result. Blood Crow was eventually captured by the Fisherman Uncle of Bright King Cave Heaven and then held captive here, only to later be sent to the Black Ink Battlefield to kill the Black Ink Clan.

It was also during Yang Kai’s second trip to the Shattered Heaven that he fled to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land under the pursuit of the Cheng Yang. He experienced numerous opportunities during that trip to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land.

This could be considered his third trip to the Shattered Heaven.

Yang Kai had not known that the Shattered Heaven was connected to the entrance to the Black Ink Battlefield or that the disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would first need to travel through the Shattered Heaven to reach the No-Return Pass; after all, he had not entered the Black Ink Battlefield through the official route but through the Void Corridor in Black Territory instead.

Despite returning to a place he was familiar with, Yang Kai was in no mood to enjoy his surroundings and simply concentrated on travelling quickly.

A few days later however, the small Dragon that had been wrapped around Yang Kai’s wrist all this time suddenly called out, “I sense the aura of Black Ink Strength!”

During their travels, Ji Lao San had not bothered to transform back to his original form and simply remained wrapped around Yang Kai’s arm. Yang Kai’s speed was incredible after all, so it was more convenient for them to travel in this manner. Besides, Ji Lao San’s foundation had been badly damaged back in the No-Return Pass, so this was a good opportunity for him to recuperate from his wounds.

When Ji Lao San suddenly spoke up, Yang Kai was startled so badly that he almost tripped over his own feet. Coming to an abrupt halt, he muttered, “Why would there be traces of Black Ink Strength here?”

[This place is not the Black Ink Battlefield or the Barren Territory. Where did such traces of Black Ink Strength come from?]

His first thought was that the Barren Territory had been breached, and the Black Ink Clan had invaded the Shattered Heaven, but upon further consideration, Yang Kai knew that could not be the case. If the Black Ink Clan had broken through the defence line of the Barren Territory, then the Shattered Heaven would be ravaged by war. How could the situation in the Shattered Heaven remain so peaceful?

Immediately after that, he became puzzled, [Even I don’t sense any trace of Black Ink Strength here. How did Ji Lao San sense it?]

When Yang Kai voiced his question, Ji Lao San answered, “As you know, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans have been responsible for guarding the No-Return Pass since it was first established. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to do there all day long, and our only options were either to sleep or to cultivate. We couldn’t even leave the No-Return Pass, so it was extremely boring. The Dragon Clan Seniors from several generations ago were so bored that they began experimenting with creating a brand-new Secret Technique. The Secret Technique allows us to detect Black Ink Strength by activating our powers as Divine Spirits, but its use is quite limited. The Dragon Clan couldn’t be bothered to cultivate this Secret Technique and simply stored it away to collect dust. It wasn’t until the Black Ink Clan attacked the No-Return Pass that I began cultivating this Secret Technique.”

“And now you sense the existence of Black Ink Strength here?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.

Ji Lao San nodded, “Yes, but it’s only a slight reaction.”

Yang Kai was tempted to ask whether Ji Lao San had made a mistake, but he did not dare to be careless when Ji Lao San was so serious.

Other people might not understand the dangers of Black Ink Strength, but Yang Kai was all too familiar with the danger it posed. It could be said that Black Ink Strength was the perfect manifestation of how a single spark could cause an entire field to burn up. As long as the slightest bit of Black Ink Strength existed, then the entire Great Territory could be in danger.

“Which direction?” Yang Kai asked.

Ji Lao San used his Dragon Tail and pointed ahead. Yang Kai immediately headed in that direction.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive on a Universe Fragment. They could tell at a glance that there were traces of a battle here, and judging by the traces left behind, the gap in strength between both parties involved in the fight was not small. One of them had clearly been subdued quickly.

Yang Kai circled the Universe Fragment several times but did not find anything.

Nevertheless, Ji Lao San confidently said, “There are traces of Black Ink Strength here. They’ve intentionally been wiped away, but it was definitely less than half a day ago at most.”

Yang Kai closed his eyes and his Divine Sense surged as he carefully inspected his surroundings. A short while later, his expression changed and became extremely grim.

It was just as Ji Lao San had said; he discovered slight traces indicating the presence of Black Ink Strength in the surrounding Void. It was a very slight signature, almost impossible to perceive; however, he could not be more familiar with Black Ink Strength after fighting the Black Ink Clan for so many years.

Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a chill shoot up his back. Why was there Black Ink Strength in the Shattered Heaven? Was there a Black Ink Clansman here? Or, could it be a Black Ink Disciple instead of a Black Ink Clansman?

The Black Ink Strength here had already dissipated, clearly indicating that somebody had activated Black Ink Strength before erasing traces of it. Combined with the traces of battle that could be found on the Universe Fragment, there was a high probability that a Black Ink Clansman or a Black Ink Disciple had corrupted another person with Black Ink Strength here.

If it was something that took place half a day ago, the Black Ink Clansman or Black Ink Disciple could not have gone far, so Yang Kai hurriedly searched his surroundings.

Another half a day passed. Standing above a Spirit Province, Yang Kai observed what was happening below.

There was no shortage of Spirit Provinces where many cultivators gathered in the Shattered Heaven. The environment in the Shattered Heaven might be harsh, but this unique environment also contained many opportunities. That was why the Shattered Heaven often attracted adventurous cultivators to explore its depths. What’s more, criminals from various Great Territories and traitors who turned their backs on their Master Sects would seek shelter in the Shattered Heaven.

Over countless years of accumulation, the prosperity and liveliness of certain areas in the Shattered Heaven would not lose to any other Great Territory. Be that as it may, the Shattered Heaven was different from the other Great Territories. The balance of power here was not based on various Sects or Clans but instead divided among countless great forces. Needless to say, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Divine Monarchs like Cheng Yang stood above them all.

The Spirit Province ahead was the territory of one of these great forces. It was just that Yang Kai was not very familiar with the Shattered Heaven, so he did not know which great force this Spirit Province belonged to.

However, Ji Lao San immediately gave another warning as soon as they arrived here. He told Yang Kai that he could sense the aura of the Black Ink Strength coming from the Spirit Province, so it was obvious that somebody here had activated their Black Ink Strength recently.

After observing silently for some time, Yang Kai took a step forward and descended towards the Spirit Province.