Martial Peak
chapter-4421-25052150

Chapter 44

Chapter 4421 – Return to Shattered Heaven’s Star City

Yang Kai had gained tremendous benefits by destroying those Wind Spirits and obtaining their World Force.

As he looked silently at the tornado, he couldn’t help but wonder how many more Wind Spirits there were inside it. The ones he had come across were certainly not all of them. If he rushed into the tornado and lured more Wind Spirits into his body, he could save a lot of time on cultivation.

In that case, he would be able to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm sooner.

Although there was only a difference of one Order between the Seventh-Order and the Sixth-Order, it was like the gap between the Heavens and Earth. The former was in the High-Rank while the latter was in the Mid-Rank, so they were not comparable at all.

Others might be wary of the Astral Wind, but Yang Kai was able to ward it off, and with his previous experiences, he could handle those Wind Spirits with ease.

Nevertheless, he soon gave up on that idea.

This couldn’t be helped as his strength had increased too quickly recently. Back then, he was forced to ascend to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then one month later, he made it to the Sixth-Order by consuming a World Fruit. If he still rushed into making an attempt to reach the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, it might cause his Small Universe to become unstable.

After all, the Open Heaven Realm was a process where one had to build up and manage their Small Universe gradually. Sometimes advancing too quickly was a bad thing.

He reckoned that when he was ready one day, he could still come back here and lure those Wind Spirits into his Small Universe in an attempt to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. At the thought of this, Yang Kai set his mind at ease.

“Where are we now?” Yang Kai asked.

The Proprietress replied, “We’re in the Shattered Heaven, but I don’t know our exact location.”

Yang Kai nodded gently, thinking that the Shattered Heaven indeed lived up to its bad reputation. Before coming here, he had heard that this place was paved with danger. He had previously seen some ferocious artifacts that had gained sentience, and now there was this Divine Ability that had persisted across countless eons. No one knew how much more danger they would bump into. If they were not careful enough, they would lose their lives here.

Yang Kai fished out a Universe Chart he had bought in the Shattered Heaven’s Star City, but he soon realised that he still couldn’t identify their location.

Left with no choice, he said, “I guess we’re lost for now. We can only play it by ear.”

No one objected to the suggestion. Regardless of where this was, it was better than staying in the Shadowless Cave Heaven. They had never expected that they would be able to leave the Shadowless Cave Heaven in their lifetime after all.

Yang Kai then fished out the Six Fated Paths Bag and released the 100 plus people he had previously kept inside it. After a brief discussion among the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they headed in a particular direction.

They came across a lot of danger on the road, most of which did not come with a warning. Although the 10 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been vigilant, they still suffered damage on several occasions.

More than 200 cultivators had left the Shadowless Cave Heaven with Yang Kai, 20 or so were killed by the Wind Spirits, and half a year later, only roughly 140 people were left. Other than the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were still fine, basically everyone else had suffered some degree of injury.

This just went to show how dangerous the Shattered Heaven was.

Over the past six months, the group did not just travel in the same direction. Instead, they would change course from time to time.

Unfortunately, after such a long time had passed, they still hadn’t encountered anyone, which made it impossible for them to identify their location.

Another six months later, Yang Kai, who was in the lead, suddenly looked in a particular direction for a moment. Then, he became elated and exclaimed, “There’s movement over there!”

Upon finishing his words, he charged forward.

The people behind him became energised as well and hurriedly followed after him.

A moment later, they saw some flashes of light in front of their eyes and felt some energy fluctuations coming from up ahead. Apparently, some people were fighting.

As they got closer, Yang Kai realised that there were two Open Heaven Realm Masters engaged in a life-and-death battle. It wasn’t certain why they got into a scuffle, but the battle was quite intense.

Both of these two were powerful Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. It wasn’t certain how long the battle had lasted, but their auras were pretty weak and they were practically covered in wounds and blood.

While they were trying to hack each other to death though, the two men sensed something and turned to look at Yang Kai. The next moment, their expressions changed drastically as they separated and drew back.

A short time later, Yang Kai stopped in a spot that wasn’t far away from them.

When the two men saw the group of people behind Yang Kai, they sported solemn expressions. As they exchanged glances, they subconsciously moved closer to one another.

Regardless of the cultivation of these people, they couldn’t possibly go up against so many on their own. Although they were just fighting a life-and-death battle earlier, they were at least familiar with one another. Compared to these strangers, they would rather trust the party they knew.

Noticing their vigilance and hostility, Yang Kai put on a friendly smile and cupped his fist, “Please excuse us. We just happened to pass by this place, and we mean no harm.”

The man on the left shot Yang Kai a glance with distrust, then asked with a frown, “What do you want?”

Yang Kai replied, “We were previously trapped inside a perilous place, and it took us years before we finally managed to escape. Unfortunately, we’ve become lost so we don’t know how to get to the Shattered Heaven’s Star City. Would you be so kind as to point the way for us?”

The two men were astounded as they were wondering why such a large group of people had approached them all of a sudden, but it turned out that these people were just looking for directions.

The man who spoke earlier pointed in a particular direction and said, “If you want to head to the Star City, move in that direction. You’ll reach it in half a month.”

Yang Kai looked in the same direction and nodded gently, “Many thanks. Sorry for disturbing you.”

Following that, he flew off in the direction the man had pointed out, followed by the rest of the group which soon disappeared into the distance.

The two men, who were engaged in an intense battle just a moment ago, traded glances, feeling at a loss.

After this farce, they were no longer determined to kill each other. Furthermore, they were equally matched to begin with, so if they kept on fighting, both parties would end up severely wounded at best.

Now that they had been interrupted, they no longer had the heart to keep fighting. After cursing at one another, they turned into rays of light and charged into different directions.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai and the others were moving in the direction they were pointed at full speed. As expected, the further they went, the more cultivators they came across. These people had obviously just left the Shattered Heaven’s Star City.

Regardless of who they were though, these people would always run away when they saw such a large group of Open Heaven Realm Masters approaching. Countless people were killed or robbed in Shattered Heaven every day. If a person was killed in this place, no one would seek justice for them.

Half a month later, the Shattered Heaven’s Star City came into sight.

The people behind Yang Kai started cheering; the Shi Brothers were especially loud. When these cultivators saw the Star City, their eyes became reddened and moist, as though they had just been reborn.

Previously, they had accidentally fallen into the Shadowless Cave Heaven, and they thought that they would never be able to leave. It never crossed their minds that they would have a chance to return to the 3,000 Worlds one day.

Many of their companions had lost their lives along the way here, so it felt amazing to have come back alive.

Soon, they charged into the Star City. As they watched the cultivators who were moving around, the stalls on the streets, and the disorderly buildings, they felt a sense of cordiality. The sight before their eyes was never seen in the Shadowless Cave Heaven after all.

Even Mao Zhe and the other Mountain Lords were moved.

Then, they checked into an inn and had a bath to wash away the dirt on their bodies.

...

Following that, Hua Yong took out some money to hold a banquet for the companions who had left the Shadowless Cave Heaven together. At that instant, the inn’s lobby was crammed with people.

Over 140 people were divided among more than ten tables. Yang Kai and the other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were seated together while the rest of them crowded around with their friends as they chatted and drank. The place was bustling with noise.

Meanwhile, many Open Heaven Realm Masters, in groups or as individuals, came over and proposed a toast to Yang Kai, thanking him for helping them to escape the Shadowless Cave Heaven and return to the 3,000 Worlds.

An easy-going Yang Kai didn’t turn down anyone and soon became tipsy.

A while later, Hua Yong asked the Shi Brothers, “What are your future plans?”

Presently, Shi Shan was gnawing on the thigh of some kind of roast beast, and his lips were covered in grease, so upon hearing Hua Yong’s question, he took a large swig of alcohol and asked back, “What do you mean?”

Hua Yong said with a helpless smile, “Since you’ve left the Shadowless Cave Heaven, you’ll need to look for a place to stay. It’s not like you’ll just keep wandering around, right?”

The Shi Brothers were astounded upon hearing that as they traded glances for a moment. Then, Shi Shan scratched his head and said, “That’s right. What should we do next?”

Shi Qiu said in a muffled voice, “You’re the Big Brother, so I’ll listen to you.”

On the side, Shi Yue nodded repeatedly.

Shi Shan batted his eyes, then looked smilingly at Hua Yong, “What about you two? What are your plans?”

...

Hua Yong replied with a smile, “My Wife and I joined Void Land, and thanks to the Sect Master Yang, we’ve been promoted to the position of Elders.” Then, he took a glance at Mao Zhe, “Brother Mao and should have done the same.”

“You decided to join Void Land?” Shi Shan stared at Mao Zhe in shock.

A silent Mao Zhe sported a wry smile.

As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he wouldn’t have joined Void Land if he wasn’t restricted by the Loyalty List. Even if he willingly decided to join, he was supposed to be an Elder just like Hua Yong, but now, they were just Yang Kai’s subordinates and couldn’t even control whether they lived or died. They were practically servants.

Hua Yong promptly said to the Shi Brothers, “We all owe the Sect Master a life-saving grace. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have a chance to leave the Shadowless Cave Heaven. Since we’ve now gained a second chance at life, we should repay his favour. We all occupied different territories in the Shadowless Cave Heaven; however, since we’ve left, why don’t you also join Void Land? Given our friendship over the years, we can take care of each other in the future. What do you think?”

The Shi Brothers fell silent upon hearing that.

A moment later, Shi Qiu said in a small voice, “Big Brother, why don’t we join Void Land as well?”

Shi Shan furrowed his brow, “If we join Sect Master Yang’s great force, we’ll be under his control. What if he doesn’t allow us to drink wine and eat meat? It certainly doesn’t feel as great as having our own territory.”

Shi Yue dipped his head, “Big Brother is right.”

Shi Shan said, “We can join forces and venture into the outside world. I don’t believe we’ll fare poorly. It’s better than getting bossed around by someone else. When we manage to make a name for ourselves, we can do whatever we want.”