Martial Peak

Chapter 6099, Are You Willing To Go?

Author: Silavin

The showcase continued on for a few minutes before Wu Lun had enough and dispersed the illusions with a wave of his hands. He looked towards the Twins and asked once more, “Do you not see it already? This is merely fate, an inevitability. You two simply do not belong here.”

Seeing the two children still seemingly unconvinced, maybe because they refused to accept reality for what it was, or maybe because they refused to accept whatever Wu Lun says. Regardless, Wu Lun looked towards the empty sky and asked with a smile, “Well, regardless of their Will, I will be taking them away. Are you sure you do not wish to bid them farewell?”

At that moment, the space in front of Wu Lun warped and out came the very man who created this whole school.

As Yang Kai stepped out of the Void, he truly looked haggard. His eyes were sunken, with eye bags beneath more glaring than usual. It was obvious that this matter had dealt him considerable stress. After all, even if he did not sleep for a year, he would not feel physically tired. So, this exhaustion must be of the mind and Soul rather than anything physical.

Yang Kai looked towards the Twins and smiled. It was a weak smile, one they had never seen their Father display before. He had always been the strong and imposing figure, the man who towered over all others. However, at this moment, he truly looked to be like any ordinary man. No, he was just a Father at this moment.

However, this time, strangely, only he had turned up. Their Mothers did not appear.

When the Twins noticed this, they could not help but feel a deep pit in their stomachs.

“Come here.” Yang Kai gestured to them and bent down.

The two obediently came over, and Yang Kai used both arms to embrace them. There was no explanation. He just sporadically did it. The Twins then communicated to each other in a panic.

“Wait… are we really going to be sent off?”

“From how Father looks, it seems like he has made up his mind…”

“But Brother, aren’t you usually excited by being able to go somewhere new?”

“Yeah, But, we most likely won’t be able to return, you know? Trips that take a month or two are fine but this… isn’t this too much? I don’t really want to go.”

“Same here. Maybe we can plead to stay? Mother will definitely not allow Father to send us off like this.”

“Maybe that’s why she’s not here?”

The Twins both gave a tacit nod and they both pushed Yang Kai away.

They both asked in tandem, at the same time, in unison. “Father, what’s going on? Why are you the only one here?”

Yang Kai gave a sigh and then he looked towards Wu Lun.

The smiling man gave a gentle nod and then disappeared. Though, whether he was truly gone was questionable at best.

Yang Kai then put up a barrier, to seal this alleyway from the world, where no one would be able to listen in on their conversation. He then turned to the Twins and started explaining.

“Where should I start… right. I should start by explaining what kind of place you two are going to…”

Yang Kai soon sat the two down as he began elaborating on what he had found over the years.

“You two are well aware that we are building a large Artifact that functions as a ship which will cross over to other worlds, outside of the 3,000 Worlds. This will be a ship where your Mothers and I will board after all your children grow up. But, are you aware of why there is a need for us to do this?”

Yang Ji raised his hand and answered, “Father, isn’t it because you want to save your friend? The one trapped in a place you call the Taboo Realm?”

Yang Kai looked at a far off distance and reminisced. “Yes, but that is only part of the reason. The bigger reason is the existence of the Taboo Realm itself and the other mysteries plaguing this world. Mysteries that even those who stand at the peak of this world are unaware of.”

Yang Kai then closed his eyes for a moment and moved his hand. Soon, a majestic river formed between his hands, seemingly able to encapsulate the whole world. Naturally, this was the perfected Space-Time River, where all 3,000 Daos exists.

Yang Kai spread out the Space-Time River and covered not just the Twins but himself as well.

The river water completely drowned the Twins. However, they found that despite it rushing towards them like a torrent, when it struck, it was as gentle as the caress from the wind. There was no hard impact, only a soft embracing wrap.

The water was neither cold nor warm, neither wet nor dry. It felt like they were oddly standing in the air, with their surroundings now turned into the night. There were the gleams of stars all around them, but the supposed dark night was instead a golden-yellow hue, which made the world seem all brighter than possible.

Still, those seeming stars were manifestations of worlds, condensed into what seemed like glowing rocks.

Yang Kai picked one from the seemingly infinite sky and held it in his hand. It was no different from a ball at this moment, yet when he released it, as the ball fell, it began to expand at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Yang Ji and Yang Xu thought that at this rate, it was going to hit them. However, contrary to their thoughts, this ball just expanded past them, engulfing them inside of it as they now stepped into the world Yang Kai wished for them to see.

The golden-yellow water was now replaced by an ever lasting darkness that refused to retreat.

This was naturally not a new world. Rather, Yang Kai’s memory of a place which they had all been to. Yes, this was none other than the world behind the Profound Source Gate, where darkness reigned.

The Twins looked around and were shocked as they saw themselves there, off in the distance. Their projections were currently in battle against that Royal Lord, while they were in the sky.

Obviously, they were standing where Yang Kai had been when he was monitoring them at the time. He was so distant that the Twins would never be able to notice him, despite their high attainment over the Dao of Space.

Yang Kai, who did not have a projected self here, appeared as himself and was standing next to Su Yan. Technically, standing behind her with his hand holding her arms as though she was ready to charge ahead and save them.

However, to say that this was a completely accurate replaying of that moment was wrong. After all, Su Yan just froze for a moment and disappeared. Obviously, Yang Kai did not want to show his children how their Father had to handle his Wife in this situation.

Yang Kai just coughing and pointed over at a distance. “*Ahem.* Despite being so deep in enemy territory, you two were still too far away to notice that the enemy was actually closing in on your two. Furthermore, it was not just that Royal Lord and Territory Lord. Those were just scouts. There was an even greater force brewing deep inside.”

With a wave, Yang Kai shifted their position to move away from where the Twins stood, to another far off location where the Twins could never reach. In fact, it was so distant that they would have taken days even if they travelled through the Void to quicken things up. However, it was only fortunate that with Yang Kai’s ridiculous Divine Sense, able to pierce through the mysterious multilayered space of the Source World, that he had managed to map out this area and recreate it.

At this location, there was a mass horde that would overwhelm any world. In fact, this might be enough to take half of the 3,000 Worlds if Yang Kai had not been around. Their numbers were so terrifying that the land beneath was only filled with insectoid heads.

This army was not standing on any structure. They built no buildings to house themselves. They seemed mindless, only filled with the desire to slaughter. Yet, they moved as though they were a single unit, like a swarm following a single order.

Yang Kai pointed to this swarm and asked, “Do you not notice the oddity here?”

Yang Xu gave a nod and pointed out. “There are too many of them.”

“Exactly. Without any resources, how is it possible for an army to be created?” Yang Kai stressed with a grim face, “In short, they must have plundered another world. And this army, this is most likely not even half of what they actually have.”

“But Father, if you knew about this, then why did you not wipe them out? It should be easy for you, no?” Yang Ji asked the most glaring question in his mind.

“I tried once, but I can only eliminate these creations. I can’t do much about the two free sources of trouble. They hide too well within this place, and they can retreat all the way to other worlds if they have to. Also, your Uncle Eleven had told me not to interfere too much with this world, that there are wider repercussions that I cannot bear. He did not explain much at the time, but it was obvious he couldn’t explain rather than he lacked the will to explain.” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed and he sighed. “Well, that’s the situation on this side. But, this is a matter for your Father and your Uncles to worry about. This is a matter that we will resolve before ever allowing children of your generation to have to step up to the plate.”

Yang Kai then pointed to another location, “This is what I truly want you two to focus on.”

There was a door, ancient as if born from the start of time itself. It laid well hidden within the veil of darkness. However, its existence was made noticeable by how a myriad of figures were moving through it. So, as it remained open, some light managed to pass through and it managed to show itself.

Still, when the Twins caught sight of this, their eyes naturally widened. Yang Ji exclaimed, “Isn’t this the Profound Source Gate we went through?”

Yang Kai immediately shook his head. “This is a different one, but it looks exactly like the one on our side.”

“Our side? Then, Father, you are saying that there are more of these?” Yang Ji exclaimed and then realised, “So that’s what you mean by ‘plundered another world’ this is the Profound Source Gate that leads to another world.”

“But, then, that’s strange. Father, if you knew about the existence of this other gate, why do you need to build that ship, which is prepared for a long voyage?” Yang Xu soon opened her mouth to question. “You could have just travelled here and entered the other world. I believe with how proficient you are in the Dao of Space, you would be able to move faster than any ship. At least, that would be how Brother and I would have done it”

Yang Kai gave a nod and answered, “I too would have done the same. Did Little Eleven not say that many years ago, I came here? I naturally found another of these gates but guess what, I could not open it. Even with all my strength I could not open a single door, and I had found quite a few.”

“Years later, when asked Little Eleven why that was, he could not answer. So, there must be some kind of mystery related to these gates which we are unaware of. But, from what I know, Mo or Little Eleven cannot open these gates themselves as well. At least not from the inside. Else, he would not be trapped here before Mu came and released him into our 3,000 Worlds.” Yang Kai theorised and the Twins naturally understood most of his thoughts, since they had learnt a ton of history from their Aunt Yang Xue before.

“So, the only way we can realistically travel to the other worlds is from the outside. That’s why we still need the ship, since most of the space beyond the 3,000 Worlds is just empty.” Yang Kai said and pointed back to the Profound Source Gate. “It is equally strange how we are able to open the gate on our side to enter and exit but not the other gates. So, it is a wonder how this gate is actually opened.”

“But Father, what does this have to do with needing us to be sent away?” Yang Xu questioned as so far, there was no link to the two topics.

“Of course it is related. Now, here is the question, do you think these gates are made naturally?” Yang Kai asked with a critical expression.

The Twins looked at each other and wondered for a while. It felt like a trick question, since from what they were told, the original Profound Source Gate had been made by Heaven and Earth. So, how could it be from the hands of man?

“No?” Yang Ji answered with uncertainty.

Yang Kai soon shook his head, “Initially, I too thought that it was naturally made, born from Heaven and Earth itself. But, when I look at things from a wider lens, I began to notice a flaw in this. The nature of Heaven and Earth is such that no two things are perfectly the same (天下没有两片相同的叶子). So. how is it that these gates all look perfectly identical to one another?”

“Then, Father, you are saying…”

“As what must have come to your mind as I said it. Someone must have created all these, and we do not know who nor what. A being that even I cannot fathom. Even if I spend years trying to comprehend how these gates are made, I could not make any headway. No matter how rare the material, what haven’t I seen? No matter how profound the Dao, what haven’t I mastered? Yet, how is it that even I cannot comprehend the creation of such Artifacts?” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed and there was a trace of fear inside.

When he was younger, this fear might not have appeared so easily. However, now that he had so many loved ones, it was inevitable for him to fear–not for himself, but for his loved ones. If he had to lay his life down to protect his children, then so be it. But if he was keenly aware he was not strong enough to protect them from this unknown entity, then how could he not start to worry?

“This material, it is not from our world. I’m certain that it can’t be. It can’t be from any world that exists on the same level as our world.” Yang Kai said and continued narrating in a softer tone as he spoke of his past. “Yang Ji, Yang Xu, as you both know, our Yang Family are not originally from the 3,000 Worlds. We were from the Tong Xuan Continent, or more precisely, the Great Han Dynasty within what we now call the Tong Xuan Realm, which cannot even be considered a Universe World. It is just a Cultivation Star, and an isolated one at that. Just some backwards place, where the top experts are only in the Immortal Ascension Realm.”

“Through my journey, it was only later that we found out that the Tong Xuan Realm lies within the Heng Luo Star Field. Funnily enough, this situation repeats itself as the Heng Luo Star Field lies within Star Boundary, which lies within the 3,000 Worlds…”

“Each revelation or expansion was like we were all frogs at the bottom of the well. The world would enlarge each time I had to travel to a distant place, where my enemies would grow stronger with each turn, where treasures and Artifacts would grow more profound, and stronger Secret Techniques would replace my old ones. Each time, I grew and I would never have grown to this extent if I never left the Tong Xuan Realm. In fact, at the time, we did not even know that above the Immortal Ascension Realm, there was the Transcendent Realm. We used to call it the Above Immortal Ascension Realm, silly, right?” Yang Kai’s eyes seemed to carry a hint of joy at these nostalgic memories. 

However, those eyes soon turn resolute. “It is because I know the potential you two share that I cannot allow you two to be limited here. Even if I do not wish for you two to leave, I must push you two to.”

“If I had never stepped out of the Tong Xuan Realm, I would most likely be dead by now. Not due to the world ending, but my own limited lifespan. What’s more, the world around us would have been completely annihilated by Black Ink Strength, and I would have died none the wiser.”

“In short, I need to send you two out not only for your sake, but for the sake of everyone else here. In fact, I want to be the one to make this trip if possible, but I know I can’t. This place still needs me. Unlike last time, where I was a lone man wandering the cosmos, where my responsibilities lay solely on preserving my own life, this time, I have placed far too many matters on my shoulders that I can no longer walk away from.”

“I need to remain here, to protect this place. So, I can only count on the two of you to make the trip.” Yang Kai moved closer to the Twins, and with his hands, he gently placed them on their shoulders. “Besides, out of all the children, no, out of everyone here, you two are probably the closest to that place. The Cultivation Technique that you two use, it is definitely not of this world. Being stuck here is no different from chaining down your real potential.”

Yang Kai then tried to crack up a joke to lighten the mood. “Also, did you two think we did not notice how you two have been slacking off in cultivating, only focusing on gaining insights into the Daos or testing new power? If you two were really focused, with that strange Cultivation Technique of yours, one could play around while the other would cultivate. I believe that if you two wish, both of you would have touched the threshold of the Dao Seal Realm by now.”

“No, that’s not it… we just…” Yang Ji wanted to explain but Yang Kai just shook his head.

“I know. You did not want to leave your Siblings too far behind, right? Though, I guess studying the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time have been a lot more interesting to the two of you than just plain cultivating. Otherwise, how would you two have reached attainment comparable to even Open Heaven Realm Masters and manipulate Principles when still only in the Dao Source Realm. Honestly, what are we to do with the two of you?” Yang Kai chuckled, and then took a moment before reiterating, “This is something that I’ve failed in. Even after so many years, I could not help make a proper environment for the two of you to grow in. I could not find a proper Master for the two of you and I could not truly properly guide you two as well. That’s all the more reason why I need to send you out there. Learn, and get stronger. Who knows, maybe in the far off future, we might be able to cross blades with all our might and drink under the stars. What joy that would be.”

Yang Kai gave a more hopeful spin to it as his hand moved towards the top of their heads and he gave a gentle caress. “After listening to all this, are you two willing to go? If not, then as your Father, I will do everything in my might to make you stay. But if you are willing, then, this will be our parting, and I will await the time when you two will be old enough to be able to drink.”

The Twins looked at each other, one was worried while the other was resolute. When Yang Xu saw her Brother’s eyes, she already knew the answer.

Since he had already decided, then she would simply have to follow him. It was no different from usual.

So, the Twins gave each other a nod and spoke in unison, “Father, we will go.”

Yang Kai’s expression at that moment held his mixed feelings. He had hoped for them to refuse and had hoped for them to go. Realising the feelings rushing through him at the moment, he took back his hands and focused on his expression, controlling it to give a forced smile. 

He then closed his eyes for a short moment to take it all in.

“Understood.” With that one single word, the world around them shattered and the Space-Time River retreated back to its owner. It all happened in an instant, with the world returning back to normal… 

Silavin: 天下没有两片相同的叶子 – Under the Heaven, there are no two leaves that are the same. 

Another late chapter, but I can’t bear to break this chapter up TT^TT.