Martial Peak
chapter-4630

Inside the Universe Temple, Yang Kai, who was squatting in an indecent manner, was studying the Grand Array on the ground when all of a sudden, he froze.

When he looked up, he realised that there was a figure at the edge of the Grand Array. It seemed that the person had always been there, but Yang Kai was completely unaware of it. It wasn’t until he realised that someone was watching him that he noticed the person.

He was unable to make out the person’s face since the figure was somewhere between illusion and reality and shrouded in a faint light.

Yang Kai turned around and realised that there were two more figures on each side of him.

They seemed to have formed into a triangular formation as Yang Kai was trapped in the middle.

Not daring to make a scene, he slowly got up. The auras of these three people were even ampler than that of Xu Ling Gong, so it was apparent that they were all Eighth-Order Masters.

As he recalled what Xu Ling Gong had said, he came to the realization that these were Ancestors of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.

“Void Land’s Yang Kai greets Seniors,” Yang Kai saluted them respectfully.

However, the three of them only examined him in silence, the invisible pressure causing Yang Kai to frown.

A moment later, the person that Yang Kai first saw finally spoke, “I’m sure Xu Ling Gong has told you everything.”

Yang Kai replied, “Martial Uncle Xu said that I would have to go through a test, but he didn’t specify what kind of test it would be. Please enlighten me, Seniors.”

The figure remained silent as he raised his hand and pointed one finger at Yang Kai.

Yang Kai didn’t move a muscle, not because he trusted these mysterious Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but because he believed that Xu Ling Gong wouldn’t bring him here to get him killed.

Moreover, if these Eighth-Order Masters really wanted to harm him, there was nothing he could do anyways.

The person’s finger suddenly started radiating a pure-looking white light. As the light expanded, it engulfed Yang Kai in it.

Yang Kai looked down to examine himself, but he couldn’t find anything unusual. The white light seemed to be just a means to inspect him without the ability to cause any harm.

Despite not knowing what they were trying to inspect, Yang Kai could only set his mind at ease.

A while later, the white light went out as the figure nodded gently. The pressures coming from the other two figures also subsided.

A curious Yang Kai asked, “Have I passed the test?”

The figure replied with what seemed to be a faint smile, “It hasn’t even started yet.”

A speechless Yang Kai calmed himself down and said, “What do I need to do?”

The figure didn’t seem one for small talk so he simply replied frankly, “We need to examine your Small Universe. So, you have to open it for us.”

Despite trying to prepare himself for whatever this test might have been, Yang Kai was still vexed upon hearing such an unreasonable demand, so he asked grimly, “You want to inspect my Small Universe?”

“Yes.” The figure nodded.

Yang Kai was so exasperated that he started laughing while the three figures remained dispassionate.

The Small Universe of an Open Heaven Realm Master was their foundation and contained all their secrets. There was no way he would easily let anyone else look at it, much less perform a thorough inspection.

One’s Small Universe was even more confidential than their Space Ring.

Usually, it would be a humiliation when a person was asked to hand over their Space Ring to be examined, let alone their Small Universe.

Yang Kai had never expected this to be the test. What did repairing the Universe Temple have anything to do with this? Why were they so cautious?

Since Yang Kai was unable to figure it out, he instinctively wanted to reject them, “What if I don’t agree to it?”

The figure replied impassively, “No one will force you. If you don’t agree to it, you may leave now.”

Yang Kai instantly cupped his fist, “Farewell, then.”

He then turned around and shuffled out of the Main Hall.

The three figures remained standing on the edge of the Grand Array without moving a muscle.

A moment later, Yang Kai nonchalantly returned with his hands behind his back. Upon taking a seat in the middle of the Grand Array, he made a concession and said, “Let’s start.”

Although he didn’t trust these Eighth-Order Masters who never showed their faces, he had faith in Xu Ling Gong. Since the old man had made such an arrangement, he didn’t want his efforts to go to waste simply because of his pride.

Furthermore, Yang Kai didn’t have any secrets that must not be exposed anyway. The only thing special about his Small Universe was that it had materialised. What’s more, the secrets of the Dao of Space in this ancient building were deathly attractive to him.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to give in.

The figure put on a smile, “Don’t worry. It’ll only take a while.”

As Yang Kai proactively opened his Small Universe and felt three auras streaming into it the next instant. Despite knowing what was about to happen, he still felt disgruntled as it was like three burglars had barged into his home.

Upon entering the Small Universe, the three figures were startled for a moment as they realised that Yang Kai’s Small Universe was different from ordinary.

Only when a cultivator ascended to the Seventh Order could their Small Universe transform from ethereal to corporeal; however, Yang Kai was only in the Sixth Order and had already achieved this, something thought exclusive to the High Rank.

Moreover, the heritage in the Small Universe of this Sixth-Order Master was amazingly ample.

The three of them were Eighth-Order Masters, so throughout the entire 3,000 Worlds, rarely was anyone a match for them when it came to experience and knowledge. However, they had never seen a Sixth-Order Master whose heritage was as strong as that of Yang Kai.

They were amazed and thought that it was no wonder this person was able to kill Zuo Quan Hui. Even though he wasn’t alone at that time, he would need to have strength far above average to even stand before a Seventh-Order Master when he was only in the Sixth-Order.

After they recovered from their shock a moment later, they split up and began wandering around Yang Kai’s Small Universe.

Yang Kai had a feeling that they were looking for something specific as they carefully examined every plant and piece of land in his Small Universe.

His entire Small Universe was inspected by three auras repeatedly as they never seemed to run out of patience.

They went through his Small Universe three times in total, and it was already half a month later when they finally left.

Yang Kai reckoned that they must be exhausted. While he just had to open up his Small Universe and remain seated, the three of them had to meticulously examine every area three times, which had certainly taken quite some effort on their part.

The three of them exchanged glances and nodded.

Yang Kai sealed off the portal that led to his Small Universe and asked, “Have I passed the test, then?”

The figure right in front of him replied, “Yes.”

“May I know what you were looking for, Seniors?” Yang Kai asked.

Without answering his question, the figure went on to say, “The Grand Array in a Universe Temple is divided into the Outer Array and the Inner Array. The average person can only see the Outer Array, which is used to transfer people to the Universe Temple. On the other hand, the Inner Array is a top secret that most people are never allowed to see. From now on, the Inner Array of the Universe Temple is open to you as you can try to comprehend it. If there’s anything you need, just inform the disciple of Great Battle Heaven in this place.”

Following that, a piece of jade gently flew towards him.

Yang Kai took it, and just when he wanted to ask something, he realised that all the figures had vanished. As he looked around, he felt somewhat dejected that he was left alone in the Main Hall.

The three Eighth-Order Masters were extremely elusive. Up until this moment, Yang Kai still wasn’t sure if those were their real bodies or just projections. He also hadn’t figured out how they appeared and disappeared.

After he examined the Main Hall and realised that there was nothing unusual, he reached for the door and stuck out his head.

Before he could scan his surroundings, he saw a golden light approaching him rapidly and then standing in front of him. The person was none other than the Golden Armour Great General he and Xu Ling Gong had come across earlier.

The Golden Armour Great General never said a word as he stared at him through the gap of his golden helmet.

Yang Kai batted his eyes and said, “Please ask Xu Ling Gong to come over.”

The Golden Armour Great General didn’t respond to him or move a muscle.

Yang Kai called out to him again, and upon seeing that the person remained unmoving, he walked out on his own impatiently.

A moment later, Yang Kai knitted his brows because he couldn’t find Xu Ling Gong, Qing Kui, and Su Ying Xue. It was apparent that they had left.

Yang Kai couldn’t help but criticize them for leaving without informing him. He initially wanted to ask Xu Ling Gong what the test was about, but he was unable to do that now.

The Golden Armour Great General followed him closely as his armour clanged. If it weren’t because the person’s aura could be felt coming from the golden armour, Yang Kai would’ve thought they were some kind of corpse or puppet.

Xu Ling Gong had left, and this Golden Armour Great General didn’t seem like someone he could have a heart-to-heart talk with. Since Yang Kai was eager to find out the secrets of the Universe Temple though, he directly flew to the Main Hall.

With the jade in his hand, Yang Kai infused his power into it and instantly realised it was an Array Jade that was used to control this Universe Temple, just like how there was a jade that could be used to control the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array in Void Land.

However, in order to control the Grand Array, he’d first have to refine the jade.

It took him half a month to finish the refinement, and it was then that he was able to access the Inner Array of this Universe Temple. A buzzing sound was heard permeating the Universe Temple as the pattern on the ground started flickering. The array charts of the Inner Array that were usually hidden started appearing in the Main Hall.

An elated Yang Kai became engrossed in studying it tirelessly.

When he came into contact with a Universe Temple for the first time, he realised that this thing worked in a similar way to his Space Beacons. Both things could serve as locators in the Void and allow the cultivators to move to them.

The difference was that Space Beacons worked in pairs and were bidirectional while a Universe Temple was a singular entity and unidirectional. A Universe Temple wasn’t comparable to Space Beacons in this regard.

With that said, a Universe Temple had its own advantages. After a person left behind his Imprint in a Universe Temple, they could return to it by using the Universe Transference Law as long as they were in the same Great Territory.

Additionally, a Universe Temple was vastly superior to Space Beacons when it came to the distance the user could travel across.

Certainly, the further the distance, the more pressure a cultivator would bear while they were teleporting to the Universe Temple; therefore, a cultivator would usually be careful about the limits they could bear and wouldn’t choose a Universe Temple that was too far away. Otherwise, before they even reached the Universe Temple, they would lose their life.

Moreover, it took some time to execute the Universe Transference Law, so it wasn’t as swift as using Space Beacons. Therefore, a person could be easily disrupted before they were successfully sent to the Universe Temple.

All in all, Universe Temples and Space Beacons had their own advantages and disadvantages. Yang Kai had always wanted to merge the two by eliminating their drawbacks and only retaining their benefits. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had a chance to study the Universe Temple in the past. Now, he could finally fulfil his wish.

However, the most pressing issue for him now was to figure out the secrets of the Universe Temple.