Martial Peak
chapter-4776

They were defeated by Yang Kai during the training because they were weaker. There was no reason to be resentful. Besides, Yang Kai had left a fig leaf for Lang Ya Paradise at the last moment. Although they were very grateful to him for that, that was not enough to stop them from wanting to beat him up.

Somebody abruptly took out a jade bottle and pushed it in front of Yang Kai’s face. He happily said, “Junior Brother Yang, this is Lang Ya Paradise’s special healing pill. Would you like to give it a try?”

*Shua shua shua…*

Countless jade bottles were taken out and shoved at Yang Kai. The entire space became densely packed with jade bottles!

Yang Kai yelled in grief and indignation, “Don’t you dare go too far!”

Senior Sister Zhou sneered coldly, “The tables have turned. We are simply returning to you what you gave us in the first place. Hurry up and stop wasting time. Each healing pill is worth a set of Sixth-Order materials.”

“Don’t even think about it!” He clutched at his Space Ring.

How could he possibly cough up the food he had already swallowed!? His biggest gains from the training were these resources. In total, everything was worth tens of billions of Open Heaven Pills!

Senior Sister Zhou’s pretty face darkened, “It looks like you don’t quite understand the situation that you’re in, Junior Brother!”

Yang Kai gnashed his teeth in frustration before roaring, “You are the ones who forced my hand… Dragon Transformation!”

…

Many weaker Lang Ya Paradise disciples witnessed an extremely bizarre scene today. A 10,000 metres long Grand Dragon that shone brilliantly with a golden light rose into the sky above Void Flower Spirit Province. Shaking its head and flicking its tail, the Dragon headed in some unknown direction.

A Dragon Clan member! Moreover, a Grand Dragon! This was a scene that many people would never witness in their lives. Who could have imagined that such a sight would appear in Lang Ya Paradise? The weaker disciples did not understand the situation or the reason why a Golden Grand Dragon appeared in Lang Ya Paradise out of nowhere. Could it be that the Master Sect had raised a Grand Dragon in secret all this time?

In the end, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise failed to retrieve the resources they lost. When Yang Kai transformed into a Grand Dragon, they were momentarily stunned by the terrifying Dragon Pressure that spread outward; thus, he had taken the opportunity to break free of the Sealing Array on Void Flower Spirit Province and escaped.

Looking at the departing Golden Grand Dragon, they finally understood the reason why their strength was so insignificant compared to Yang Kai even though they were all in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Even Eldest Senior Brother Le Mang, who had already comprehended the opportunity to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, was not his opponent.

That Bastard might seem like a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master on the surface, but he was actually a Grand Dragon! That was an existence that could rival a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master in terms of strength; hence, the Sixth-Order Masters in Lang Ya Paradise suddenly felt that their loss was not undeserved!

Inside the Main Hall, a bruised Yang Kai glared at Li Yuan Wang furiously. On the other hand, the latter acted as though nothing was wrong as he sipped on his tea

After a while, Li Yuan Wang finally spoke, “Know your limits. You gained a lot from this trip. Besides, this King does not expect you to return those resources. You only had to suffer a beating in return. It’s not like it’s a big deal.”

Yang Kai sneered coldly, “Sect Master Li, it’s easy for you to say. Why don’t you go and get beaten up as well?”

Li Yuan Wang’s neck stiffened, “Who would dare?”

Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I don’t care. In any case, Lang Ya Paradise has to pay me compensation for my losses.”

Li Yuan Wang was so angry that he laughed, “You want compensation for your losses? You robbed my people of resources worth several billions of Open Heaven Pills! What losses did you suffer?

Yang Kai tapped his fingers hard against the armrest of the chair and solemnly said, “Sect Master Li, I am contributing blood and tears to Lang Ya Paradise, risking my life in the process! It’s bad enough that you didn’t help me, but how could you stab me in the back at the last moment!? Is that something a person should do?”

Li Yuan Wang pondered seriously for a moment, then he suddenly came to stand in front of Yang Kai.

“What is it?” Yang Kai watched Li Yuan Wang warily.

Li Yuan Wang bowed deeply, “This King failed to consider matters carefully. Forgive me, Martial Nephew. Please accept the apologies of this Li!”

Yang Kai’s mouth fell open in shock. [This guy… sure is shameless! He is a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and the Sect Master of Lang Ya Paradise. How can he just apologise so easily!?]

Nevertheless, how could Yang Kai continue to pursue the matter when a Senior like Li Yuan Wang had already gone so far as to bow and apologise? He had no choice but to swallow this loss!

Li Yuan Wang resumed his seat and asked with a much more solemn expression, “Did you gain anything else from this training, Martial Nephew?”

Needless to say, Yang Kai knew exactly what Li Yuan Wang was asking. He mulled over the question before he answered gravely, “Gu Ling’er, Chang An Yi, Liang Qiu Hong, and Jiang Yan!”

Li Yuan Wang’s eyes narrowed slightly. Although he had hoped that Yang Kai could discover further information from this training, he couldn’t help feeling saddened when he actually heard the results! These four were among the elite of all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise!

“Are you sure?” He asked grimly.

Yang Kai nodded in response, “I’m sure!”

These four had said the words ‘Black Ink Eternal’ to him. Only those corrupted by the Black Ink would do that.

Although Yang Kai did not sense the slightest hint of the Black Ink’s power from them, there was nothing abnormal about Shi Zheng before his identity was exposed either! The Black Ink’s power was extremely hidden and strange after all. Unless they checked the Small Universe of each individual or the people corrupted by the Black Ink proactively exposed themselves, it was very difficult for others to detect any anomalies!

“At present, I can confirm the identities of these four. I don’t know whether there are others who have been corrupted by the Black Ink hiding among the rest.”

Besides, not all the people corrupted by the Black Ink would say that phrase to him in the face of danger. Yang Kai had no means to confirm if there were others who remained in hiding.

Li Yuan Wang raised his head and looked at Gao Ting.

Gao Ting looked pensive, “Gu Ling’er is a gentle and kind-hearted disciple with a beautiful appearance. She is very popular among all the disciples and even the Elders in Lang Ya Paradise. Zong Yu Quan oversees the Star City Void Dock, so it can be said that he holds a high-ranking position. Chang An Yi is one of the Elders in charge of the Outer Disciples’ cultivation. His position is unique and allows him to come into contact with many of the lower disciples. Liang Qiu Hong oversees one of the Restricted Areas in Lang Ya Paradise, which also gives him an outstanding status. Lastly, Jiang Yan is in charge of Lang Ya Paradise’s business affairs and holds great authority!”

Li Yuan Wang’s eyes flashed as he asked, “Do you mean to say…”

He continued, “The hidden Black Ink Clansman is targeting certain demographics of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise. The people they choose are those who hold important positions.”

There were many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise, and based on their seniority and strength, they were considered to be Outer Elders. However, most of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise did not hold any specific post in the Sect. ‘Outer Elder’ was nothing more than an honorific title, one that did not actually hold any power.

It was not that Lang Ya Paradise treated them differently, it was just that most Open Heaven Realm Masters did not wish to be involved in such mundane matters. They only wanted to focus on pursuing the Martial Dao. This was the case for all the Cave Heavens and Paradises!

Be that as it may, the people named by Yang Kai were those who held important positions in Lang Ya Paradise!

Gao Ting added, “Moreover, they all share something in common!”

Li Yuan Wang nodded, “They are all expected to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm within the next 200 years!”

“That explains everything!” A look of realization appeared on Gao Ting’s face.

All this time, they had been wondering why the Black Ink Clan chose to corrupt the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. According to the ancient books in the Sect, the Black Ink Clan generally chose to corrupt Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as they were the most valuable targets.

It would now seem that these Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters corrupted by the Black Ink were expected to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm within the next 200 years. Comparing between corrupting a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was only natural that the former was much easier to accomplish. Not to mention, they were expected to advance into the next Order soon.

If they were the Black Ink Clansman, they would have done the same.

With this information in hand, it would be much easier to proceed with the investigation. They only needed to identify the disciples who were expected to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm in the near future and also held important positions in Lang Ya Paradise. Those who were corrupted by the Black Ink, but remained in hiding would have nowhere else to run.

Gao Ting sighed, “The training was only aimed at Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so we still don’t know who among the Seventh-Order Masters have been corrupted by the Black Ink. The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who have been corrupted are the greatest hidden dangers to Lang Ya Paradise!”

Every single Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was an Inner Elder that held great power. Take Shi Zheng for example; Shi Zheng was the foreign affairs envoy of Lang Ya Paradise, so losing him to the Black Ink was a huge loss to Lang Ya Paradise.

Yang Kai smiled, “There’s a chance that the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters corrupted by the Black Ink will soon expose their whereabouts.”

Li Yuan Wang and Gao Ting turned to look at Yang Kai in unison. The former asked, “Do you have any clues?”

Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t have any clues, but there’s a certain saying that applies here. ‘Rustle the grass to lure out the snakes’! Now that we have rustled the grass, the snakes won’t stay quiet for much longer!”

Li Yuan Wang and Gao Ting first showed puzzled expressions, then they showed understanding.

Gao Ting asked, “Is that why you transformed into your Dragon Form?”

Yang Kai replied, “It was just how things turned out!”

Under those circumstances, it was impossible for him to escape the siege of hundreds of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters without transforming into his Grand Dragon Form.

The Dragon Clan was the leader of all Divine Spirits! Furthermore, the Divine Spirits had a natural resistance towards the Black Ink. If not for that, the Dragon and Phoenix Clan would not have chosen to sacrifice half the Ancestral Strength in the Ancestral Land in ancient times to suppress and seal the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.

Under the erosion of the Ancestral Strength over countless aeons, even the Giant Spirit God corrupted by the Black Ink had been killed. That only served to showcase the tyrannical power of the Divine Spirits.

Yang Kai’s transformation into his Grand Dragon Form had been witnessed by hundreds of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Even the weaker disciples on the nearby Spirit Provinces had witnessed this scene. This information was bound to reach the ears of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters corrupted by the Black Ink. That being the case, they would surely become suspicious.

If Yang Kai was a Grand Dragon, then was he actually corrupted by the Black Ink? It was possible for Divine Spirits to become corrupted by the Black Ink, but it was much harder to accomplish.

Nevertheless, as long as this suspicion existed, the people hiding behind the scenes would surely do their best to verify the truth!

Li Yuan Wang suddenly spoke up, “Check what Jiang Yan is doing right now.”

Gao Ting understood and quickly sent out a message.

A short while later, he looked up, “Jiang Yan just led some people out of the Sect in the name of conducting business. He also brought many resources with him, claiming that he wanted to deliver them to the Star Boundary for the disciples there!”

Li Yuan Wang’s eyes narrowed slightly, “As expected, they can’t stay quiet any longer!”

The training had only just ended, but not only was Jiang Yan travelling even though he had yet to recover from injuries, but he was also heading towards the Star Boundary. It was obvious that he wanted to ask Shi Zheng for confirmation regarding Yang Kai’s true identity.

Gao Ting asked, “Should we stop him?”

Li Yuan Wang waved his hand, “No need. Travelling to and back from the Star Boundary will take at least several months. If we stop Jiang Yan now, Yang Kai’s identity will be revealed immediately! If we let him go, we will at least have a buffer of several months.”

Gao Ting frowned, “Then, what should we do?”

Li Yuan Wang lightly tapped his fingers against the table, “We wait. If somebody sent Jiang Yan to inquire for more information from Shi Zheng, then they might not be able to wait patiently. There’s a possibility that they might reveal something soon.” Turning to look at Yang Kai, he added, “Nephew Yang, this Li thanks you in advance for everything you’ve done for Lang Ya Paradise.”

Yang Kai waved his hand casually, “Matters regarding the Black Ink Clan involve more than just Lang Ya Paradise.”

Li Yuan Wang sounded emotional, “You are righteous indeed, Nephew Yang. But, you will face some dangers after this. If you think it’s dangerous, you can leave now. We will do something about Lang Ya Paradise ourselves.”

Yang Kai laughed, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained!”