Martial Peak
chapter-4720

Cheng Yang was about to ask what Yang Kai wanted to do with a fully-explored Universe Cave Heaven. It was no secret that these places were valuable when they remained hidden in the Void, but they quickly became of little value once somebody discovered them.

However, he suddenly noticed Xia Lin Lang sitting by the side and immediately understood the situation. He smiled and nodded, “Of course, that’s not a problem. Even if you want two or three of them, you can go ahead and take as many of them as you want, Little Brother. This Monarch will never give this information to anybody else.”

Likewise, Xia Lin Lang caught on to the situation and nodded at Yang Kai gratefully. Yang Kai was obviously asking for the Universe Cave Heaven for her sake.

At the same time, she couldn’t help feeling a little complicated. She was the one who kidnapped and brought him to Pear Flower Cave Heaven back then. It had not been many years since that incident, but now he was talking and laughing on friendly terms with Masters like Cheng Yang. Not to mention, he also had a close relationship with the Phoenix Clan of the Ancestral Land.

The negotiations were settled, and everybody was satisfied. When the banquet ended, Cheng Yang arranged accommodation for everybody and agreed to depart with Yang Kai after three days.

The reason for the delay was that Hong Hu needed three days to help him dispel the Ancestral Strength in his body. Moreover, Yang Kai had repeatedly stated that he had urgent matters to deal with and could not be delayed for too long. That was why they decided to proceed as soon as possible.

It was late at night when a knock on the door sounded. Yang Kai got up and opened the door. Xia Lin Lang was standing outside the door, so he smiled lightly when he saw her and said, “I was just about to look for you myself.”

While speaking, he stepped sideways and let her into the room.

Xia Lin Lang asked curiously, “Did you need me for something?”

“Take a seat.” Yang Kai gestured before he poured a cup of tea for her. Sitting down opposite her, he said, “Why don’t you speak first? Did you need me for something?”

“I came to thank you.” She gave a soft laugh, “I wanted to thank you for worrying about my living situation and even asking Bright Sun Divine Monarch for a Universe Cave Heaven.”

“It’s only proper; after all, I am partly responsible for the destruction of Pear Flower Cave Heaven.”

“But, the root cause lies with me. If I had not captured you back then, what happened afterward would not have taken place at all. It’s my own fault for falling into this situation. It would have been perfectly reasonable for you to ignore my circumstances; therefore, no matter what, I owe you my gratitude!”

Yang Kai waved his hand, “It’s no big deal.”

Xia Lin Lang fell silent for a moment before she looked up at him and asked, “Did you need me for something?”

“Yes. The thing is…” Yang Kai sat up straight and looked at her seriously, “I need you to do me a favour.”

“What do you need?” She was puzzled.

He explained, “You heard my negotiations with Cheng Yang during the day. If I cooperate with him, every Universe Cave Heaven or Universe Paradise we discover will mean large amounts of treasures falling into our hands. There might even be all sorts of rare or extinct items. Greed brings out the worst in people, and although Cheng Yang is an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, I cannot trust him on his word alone. I need somebody I trust to help me supervise the process, lest he engage in mischief without my knowledge. It is not convenient for me to stay in the Shattered Heaven for long, so after considering everything, I came to the conclusion that I can only ask you for help.”

Xia Lin Lang exclaimed in astonishment, “You don’t trust Cheng Yang, but you trust me?”

Yang Kai smiled, “You and I have faced life and death together multiple times. I have faith in you.”

Xia Lin Lang stared at him calmly for a moment before she burst into laughter, “You’ve already said so much, so I can only do my best to help you.”

Yang Kai nodded, “Of course, I will not ask you for help without giving you anything in return. My agreement with Cheng Yang is a 50/50 share. You can take 10% out of my share. How is that?”

Xia Lin Lang simply shook her head, “If you didn’t come here in person, I would have suffered a tragic fate. It was also you who brought me out of the shattered space back then. This Xia Lin Lang might not be a righteous woman, but I will never forget how you saved my life twice now. I will help you manage your earnings and hand them over to you untouched when you return to the Shattered Heaven in the future. As for my compensation… You’ve already paid me, haven’t you?”

Needless to say, she was referring to the fully explored Universe Cave Heaven that he previously requested from Cheng Yang. To the cultivators living in the Shattered Heaven, having a safe place to stay was their greatest refuge.

“But… in what capacity do I perform this task?” Xia Lin Lang asked.

Yang Kai briefly pondered before saying, “I am Void Land’s Lord. If you don’t mind, I can appoint you as Void Land’s High-Rank Guest Elder right here and now. What do you think?”

She pursed her lips into a smile, “I don’t mind. I’m just afraid of causing trouble for you.”

“That won’t be a problem.” Yang Kai shook his head. Raising his teacup, he gestured at her, “So, have we come to an agreement?”

“Yes, we have.” Xia Lin Lang raised her glass in a toast, and they drank to their agreement

After seeing Xia Lin Lang off, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged, immersed his mind in his Small Universe, and manifested his Soul Clone. He quickly figured out the situation in his Small Universe with a single thought.

Several years had passed since he left the shattered space, and during this period, he had been too busy to pay attention to what was happening inside his Small Universe, though he did try to keep an eye on his two Disciples, Zhao Ya and Zhao Ye Bai.

Over the years, Zhao Ya had advanced to the Transcendent Realm from the Immortal Ascension Realm and was on the verge of advancing into the Saint Realm even though her cultivation was constantly being suppressed. Her aptitude was simply Heaven-defying. Furthermore, the World Energy in his Small Universe World was so rich that her cultivation continued to improve slowly even if she did not cultivate.

What’s more, the flow of time in his Small Universe was twice that of the outside world, so the several years delay that he experienced in the outside world meant that nearly eight years had passed in his Small Universe.

On the other hand, Zhao Ye Bai, whom Yang Kai initially had high hopes for and expected to inherit his legacy one day, seemed like a worthless potato in comparison.

After returning from their training experience, Zhao Ya had advanced to the Immortal Ascension Boundary and after less than a decade was on the verge of breaking through to the Saint Realm. In contrast, Zhao Ye Bai had only just advanced from the Qi Transformation Realm, to the Separation and Reunion Boundary, and was about to reach the True Element Boundary!

Although they had both advanced by nearly two Great Realms, Zhao Ya was doing so in much higher Realms. Moreover, she had accomplished that feat whilst under suppression. Meanwhile, Zhao Ye Bai had spared no effort in his cultivation. The gap between them could be seen at a glance.

Despite Zhao Ye Bai’s slow advancement in cultivation, there was one aspect that satisfied Yang Kai immensely. The young boy had an unparalleled affinity for the Dao of Space. Every time Zhao Ye Bai cultivated, Yang Kai could more or less detect signs of the Space Dao Essence in his Small Universe being stimulated.

Yang Kai had never told them about the situation outside of his Small Universe, but now that they were on the way back to the Star Boundary, it was time to give them more information about the outside world lest they fail to adapt once he brought them back.

When he summoned the both of them, the two little ones were naturally surprised to see their Honoured Master and quickly bowed in greeting.

He briefly told them about the 3,000 Worlds, followed by information on Void Land. Lastly, he told them about the situation in the Star Boundary. He also told them that the Star Boundary was the best place for them to cultivate before they reached the Open Heaven Realm.

Zhao Ya and Zhao Ye Bai listened with great fascination, looking absolutely entranced by his tales. They never imagined that the world outside could be so vast and interesting.

After spending half a day explaining the situation in the outside world to them, he also answered some of their questions about their daily cultivation. Only then did he prepare to leave.

“Honoured Master!” Zhao Ye Bai suddenly called out to Yang Kai.

Yang Kai looked back.

“Will my Mother and my Grandma also go to the Star Boundary?” Zhao Ye Bai asked.

Yang Kai shook his head, “Both your Mother and your Grandma are ordinary mortals who have never cultivated. If they are in my Small Universe, I can ensure that they remain alive and well so long as I do not perish; however, they will not live long once they leave my Small Universe.”

Zhao Ye Bai’s expression turned a little sad. He had guessed that the reason his Mother and his Grandma remained so young and beautiful was related to his Honoured Master. His Grandma was already well over 100 years old, but her body remained healthy and her hair even turned from white to black. Be that as it may, he could not help feeling a little depressed when he heard those words being spoken out loud.

“If you have time on your hands, you should go down the mountain to spend more time with your Mother and your Grandma. If you teach them some Breathing Techniques, they can use them to enhance their health even if they have passed the best age to cultivate. In addition, your Small Universe will change from ethereal to corporeal once your cultivation reaches the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. When you reach that stage one day, you can transfer your Mother and your Grandma into your own Small Universe. Then, you can meet them whenever you want.”

Zhao Ye Bai immediately shouted excitedly, “This Disciple will work hard to cultivate! I will not let you down, Honoured Master!”

Zhao Ya swiftly kicked him, “Honoured Master has already left!”

He scratched his head and chuckled in embarrassment, “I’m sure Honoured Master can hear me. We are inside his Small Universe after all. He knows everything.”

She glanced sideways at him, “Including how there was a Junior Sister who waited for you at the foot of the mountain and handed you a letter recently?”

Zhao Ye Bai turned pale with fright, “You saw that, Xiao Ya!?”

“Hmph!” She clasped her hands behind her back and turned her back towards him.

Three days later, a portal opened wide and a large number of people rushed out from within. Cheng Yang and Yang Kai stood side by side while Hong Hu stood close behind them. Further behind came Xia Lin Lang, Qin Fen, and the others. Bringing up the rear were dozens of Cheng Yang’s subordinates.

Yang Kai glanced behind him, “You sure have a mighty army with the finest of arms under you, Divine Monarch!”

Cheng Yang was in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and there were two Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters under his command. Furthermore, he had more than ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters while there were several dozen Fifth and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters below them. No one was below the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

Such a line-up was something that not even the current Void Land could compare to. Of course, these people were nothing if Zhu Jiu Yin and Old Man Bi Xi were included in Void Land’s forces.

Cheng Yang alone had such an impressive army under his command, so it was reasonable to assume the other two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Shattered Heaven had equivalent forces.

Just how many Open Heaven Realm Masters were hidden in the Shattered Heaven?

Needless to say, Yang Kai was the one to request for so many people to be mobilised at once. He could not afford to linger in the Shattered Heaven for too long, so he could only ask Cheng Yang to dispatch more people.

After hearing what Yang Kai said, Cheng Yang chuckled, “Everyone knows that the Cave Heavens and Paradises have as many Masters as there are clouds in the sky, but nobody knows that there are many capable people in the Shattered Heaven, too. It’s just that the existence of the people in the Shattered Heaven are secrets that can never be brought to light.”

Yang Kai’s heart trembled, “Do you know the reason why the Cave Heavens and Paradises make things so difficult for High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters like yourself?”

Cheng Yang burst into laughter, “Will you believe me if I say that I don’t know much either, Little Brother?”

Yang Kai nodded, “Of course, I believe you.”

Cheng Yang nodded, “There are rumours saying that the Cave Heavens and Paradises do this to strengthen their dominance over the 3,000 Worlds. That’s why all the cultivators who advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm but do not originate from the Cave Heavens and Paradises will be invited to join them. They either become part of the Cave Heavens and Paradises or they disappear without a trace. But, this Monarch does not believe that the Cave Heavens and Paradises, which have endured for countless eons and remained so powerful and prosperous, could be so spineless and underhanded.”