Martial Peak
chapter-4777

The training among the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise had been extremely eventful. The final result might have been somewhat imperfect, but the outcome was acceptable to a certain extent.

Yang Kai had shone brightly during this training. As the target of this training, he had practically beaten up all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise!

It was true that many of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise had been resentful towards him during the training, but his immense strength had won the admiration of many as well.

With Lang Ya Paradise’s training, the disciples were not people who would lose their tempers after losing just once. Even if they lost this round, they would simply work harder and strive for victory next time. It was only natural for those walking the path of the Martial Dao to strive for improvement after experiencing setbacks.

That was why Yang Kai received many invitations after the training.

The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise scrambled to invite him to their respective secluded homes in order to exchange cultivation experiences among each other.

Such things were very commonplace. On the Martial Dao, it was easy to go down the wrong path if one only cultivated behind closed doors. On the contrary, they might experience a flash of inspiration or an epiphany while conversing with their peers.

There were at least dozens of these invitations, and they were all sent to Gu Pan’s residence.

Yang Kai had initially worried about how he could come into contact with those who had been corrupted by the Black Ink through natural means; therefore, the existence of these invitations was akin to receiving a pillow just as he was about to doze off.

The Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise who invited him over would also invite their friends. Only when everybody shared knowledge with each other could the meeting truly be considered an exchange.

For the next half month, Yang Kai’s schedule was extremely hectic. He went around to all the Spirit Provinces in Lang Ya Paradise to visit the secluded homes of the Open Heaven Realm Masters who sent him invitations.

It could be said that there was a small feast every single day and a banquet every three days. The smallest gatherings consisted of three to five people, while larger gatherings might consist of eight to ten people. They would either gather together to express their respective opinions or compare their knowledge with each other.

Both parties gained quite a lot from each other, and Yang Kai also witnessed the impressive heritage of Lang Ya Paradise.

During the training, he had attacked viciously in order to sound out the identities of those corrupted by the Black Ink. That was why almost every single Open Heaven Realm Master who encountered him would be defeated within a very short period of time.

However, that was not to say that the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise were merely embroidered pillows. As part of the 72 Paradises, Lang Ya Paradise boasted an inheritance of countless years and established a solid position for itself in the 3,000 Worlds. That would have been impossible to achieve if they were nothing more than embroidered pillows.

Despite having the same cultivation, Yang Kai could clearly sense that the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise were significantly stronger than the Open Heaven Realm Masters outside.

If somebody like Mao Zhe was thrown into the midst of Lang Ya Paradise, he might not even rank in the top 100 among the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.

Many of Lang Ya Paradise’s Secret Techniques broadened Yang Kai’s horizons and expanded his knowledge. Some of this new knowledge also benefited him greatly. Hence, he would happily attend these meetings and leave with satisfaction every single day.

One early morning half a month later, Yang Kai held up an elegant-looking invitation. The writing on the invitation was very beautiful, and a faint but pleasant fragrance wafted from it. He could tell that the invitation was written by a woman at first glance. More importantly, the invitation was signed off with the name ‘Gu Ling’er’!

Gu Ling’er’s invitation had been sent several days ago, and the appointment that he was attending today was none other than her invitation!

Would there be any discoveries or gains from this meeting? Yang Kai did not know. However, he had the vague feeling that he was not far from unearthing the core of those who had been corrupted by the Black Ink! As long as he could find the core of the Black Ink, then he would have the chance to uncover the hidden Black Ink Clansman.

He heard the sound of something slicing through the air. It was the sound of somebody flying towards him from the outside. A moment later, a figure landed in front of the building and Gu Ling’er’s gentle voice rang out, “Junior Brother Yang!”

Putting the invitation away, Yang Kai pushed open the door only to see Gu Ling’er standing gracefully outside. She smiled at him when their eyes met, and all the colours in the world seemed to fade for a moment.

Yang Kai asked in surprise, “Senior Sister Gu, why did you come here in person? I was just about to head over.”

Gu Ling’er pursed her lips into a smile, “Aren’t you unfamiliar with Lang Ya Paradise, Junior Brother? I heard that you even took the wrong path on the way to visit Junior Brother Wang several days ago. In the end, they waited a long time for you to arrive.”

“Hahaha…” Yang Kai looked embarrassed, “That was an accident. There are too many Spirit Provinces in Lang Ya Paradise, so I got a little confused.”

She teased in a meaningful manner, “You must be feeling down because Junior Sister Gu entered the Five Lights World for training, Junior Brother.”

After the training, Gu Pan immediately entered the Five Lights World for training under Li Yuan Wang’s orders. For that reason, Yang Kai had been living alone on Gu Pan’s Spirit Province recently.

The reason for Li Yuan Wang’s actions was clearly out of consideration for Gu Pan’s safety. There was a Supreme Elder guarding the Five Lights World. Even if a disturbance broke out in Lang Ya Paradise, the effects would not spread that far. It was a fool-proof plan.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Senior Sister,” Yang Kai replied seriously, “There is nothing going on between Junior Sister Gu and I.”

She covered her mouth, “Say that to the other Fellow Brothers and see if they believe you!”

Those words gave him a toothache. Lang Ya Paradise had concluded that the relationship between Gu Pan and him was ambiguous, and all the explaining in the world could not change their perception.

[Just where did things go wrong?] Even though Yang Kai agonised over the question, he could not figure out how the misunderstanding started in the first place. Nevertheless, he could not be bothered to argue with them. His innocence would be proven with time.

“Senior Sister, shall we go?” Yang Kai asked.

Gu Ling’er nodded, “Please follow me, Junior Brother.”

After saying that, she took the lead and showed the way.

His figure flashed in response. Coming to stand beside Gu Ling’er, he proceeded to walk side-by-side with her. Their flying speed was not very fast, and they chatted casually as they moved. Her voice was as gentle as water, sounding very pleasant and comfortable to the ear.

Yang Kai couldn’t help sighing in his heart, [I can’t believe such a person has been corrupted by the Black Ink. I can only say that fate is truly toying with us.]

In the past, he once asked Li Yuan Wang whether there was hope of returning to normal after being corrupted by the Black Ink, but his answer contained only one word, ‘Impossible’.

In other words, the other party would completely turn into their enemy once corrupted by the Black Ink! Regardless of how normal they looked on the outside or how normal they behaved in public, somebody that had been corrupted by the Black Ink could not be saved.

Thinking about it again, it made sense. The root cause of a cultivator becoming corrupted by the Black Ink was their Small Universe being contaminated by the power of the Black Ink. Yang Kai could not think of a solution to remove the power of the Black Ink from someone’s Small Universe. That power was simply too strange.

When Gu Ling’er drew nearer to the Spirit Province where she lived, she suddenly spoke up, “Junior Brother, there will be an extremely important guest later. Please refrain from being disrespectful!”

Her expression was unnaturally solemn when she said that. It made her seem almost like another person altogether compared to her usual gentle demeanour.

Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged on the surface, but his heart was filled with anticipation.

[Are they finally going to reveal themselves?] He answered, “Rest assured, Senior Sister. I will be mindful!”

In the eyes of the people corrupted by the Black Ink in Lang Ya Paradise, he had already been recognised as a companion; therefore, he did not need to worry about being exposed when talking to people like Gu Ling’er and Zong Yu Quan.

Nonetheless, how should he act after meeting this so-called ‘extremely important guest’? More importantly, was this guest the true Black Ink Clansman or was it just someone corrupted by the Black Ink?

A Spirit Province in the distance entered his field of view. It was neither too big nor too small. There were hundreds of similar Spirit Provinces scattered across the entire Lang Ya Paradise. Furthermore, there was a certain palace on the Spirit Province that stood out conspicuously.

Gu Ling’er guided Yang Kai to land directly on the Spirit Province and spoke with a smile, “This is where I live.”

Yang Kai nodded, “It’s a beautiful place with wonderful scenery. No wonder an excellent person like you was produced, Senior Sister.”

She gave him a meaningful look and smiled slightly. With a wave of her hand, she activated the Grand Array around her Spirit Province and isolated the inside from the outside.

Afterwards, she took the lead to walk towards the palace. He quickly followed closely behind.

A short while later, they entered the palace and came to a courtyard after some twists and turns. Four others were already waiting in the courtyard.

Yang Kai had previously given Li Yuan Wang the names of four people. These four were Gu Ling’er, Chang An Yi, Liang Qiu Hong, and Jiang Yan. They were also the ones who said the words ‘Black Ink Eternal’ to him during the training and were subsequently identified as people corrupted by the Black Ink.

Among the people present in this place, aside from Jiang Yan who left on an errand, the other two were here. Zong Yu Quan was also here. On the other hand, the remaining person was not on his name list.

However, this person looked very familiar to him. It could be certain that he had seen the other party during the training, but he did not know the other party’s name. [Looks like I missed a few when trying to sound them out during the training!]

When Gu Ling’er and Yang Kai arrived, all four of those people turned to look in unison.

Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged as he stepped forward in greeting, “Yang Kai greets Senior Brothers!”

Zong Yu Quan burst out laughing, “You are too polite, Junior Brother Yang. During the training, your performance was absolutely brilliant. We certainly admired your skill.”

Yang Kai looked slightly embarrassed, “It’s enough as long as you don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

The people present here had been horribly beaten up by him and subsequently forced to buy a healing pill. Even Zong Yu Quan was no exception.

Chang An Yi waved his hand, “Things were out of your control during the training. There’s no reason for us to blame you for anything.”

“That’s great!” Gu Ling’er said, “Junior Brother Yang, I’m sure you already know Senior Brother Zong, Senior Brother Chang, and Senior Brother Liang. This person is Senior Brother Gong Wen Shan. You probably met him during the training.”

Yang Kai nodded, “Of course! It’s just I never imagined Senior Brother Gong to be one of us too.”

Gong Wen Shan laughed, “I’ve never revealed myself, so it’s only natural that you didn’t know, Junior Brother Yang. On the contrary, we knew about you as soon as you arrived at Lang Ya Paradise.”

Zong Yu Quan exclaimed, “Now that we have somebody like Junior Brother Yang among the Black Ink Disciples, our future is bright!”

[Black Ink Disciple…] Yang Kai memorised those words. Whenever he spoke to Li Yuan Wang and the others, they called these people ‘those corrupted by the Black Ink’. Conversely, the people corrupted by the Black Ink seemed to call themselves ‘Black Ink Disciples’.

“You praise me too highly, Senior Brother.” He responded humbly, “If not for Elder Shi Zheng’s guidance to the right path, this Junior Brother would still be lost and unable to extricate myself. I am extremely grateful to Elder Shi Zheng!” After that, his expression turned serious. He placed one hand over his heart and quickly said, “Black Ink Eternal!”

The rest of them were taken aback for a moment, but they quickly lowered their voices and responded in unison, “Black Ink Eternal!”

Yang Kai once again confirmed that this phrase seemed to hold some sort of irresistible power over the Black Ink Disciples. As long as this phrase was mentioned in front of them, they would surely respond.

He couldn’t help wondering whether doing so would bring about any effects in the middle of battle.

Unfortunately, the possibility was not very high. The Black Ink Disciples might have been corrupted by the Black Ink, but their reasoning was no different from usual. It was just that their deepest beliefs had been completely changed, almost making them into another person altogether.

What’s more, they would consider the Black Ink to be supreme over everything! That was the most dangerous aspect of the Black Ink. Not only could the Black Ink Clan make one bend to their will with it, but they could also instil unwavering faith and force them to give up everything for their sake. Nothing else in the world could compare with the Black Ink.