Martial Peak
chapter-4868

No one else dared to come to this particular area in the void that Luan Bai Feng had brought Yang Kai to visit.

A lot of shattered Spirit Provinces were scattered around this area. It was apparent that these shattered Spirit Provinces were parts of the destroyed Ore Stars.

Yang Kai looked around and realised in shock that there were cultivators standing on these shattered Spirit Provinces. Without fail, they were all engulfed in dark fog. They were obviously Black Ink Disciples.

It seemed that they were cultivating.

A strange energy fluctuation was felt coming from a particular direction, which prompted Yang Kai to turn his head and have a look.

Luan Bai Feng noticed it as well. She then said with a smile, “What a coincidence. Something is about to happen. Let’s go take a look.”

Without saying anything, Yang Kai followed her.

A moment later, they arrived at a spot that was 30 kilometres away from a shattered Spirit Province. There was a Black Ink Disciple on the shattered Spirit Province who was performing a set of hand seals. Black Ink Strength weltered around his figure.

Yang Kai found the Black Ink Disciple familiar, so he reckoned that the person was Luan Bai Feng’s former subordinate. He had been to Black Territory twice prior to this, so he should have seen him before.

At this moment, the illusory phantom of the Small Universe behind the person was flickering, and his World Force was undulating. It was apparent that he was on the brink of achieving an ascension.

“Is he going to break through?” Yang Kai arched his brow.

Luan Bai Feng nodded, “En. Fan Xiu Qi has been stuck in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm for 2,000 years.”

Fan Xiu Qi was the name of this Black Ink Disciple. Luan Bai Feng was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so her subordinates were all below the Sixth-Order. She especially regarded Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters highly. Fan Xiu Qi was one of them and he had been her subordinate for 1,000 years.

He was a ruthless man who was originally from a small Sect. Since he was displeased with the Sect Master for distributing materials unfairly, he decided to kill him and fled from the Sect. As he had nowhere else to go, he eventually arrived at Black Territory and became Luan Bai Feng’s subordinate.

He had been stuck in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm for the past 2,000 years, so it was obvious that his aptitude was ordinary.

Yang Kai had a speculation about what Luan Bai Feng wanted him to see.

“You know, Fan Xiu Qi only managed to break through to the Third Order initially.” Luan Bai Feng looked in that direction with a fervent expression.

There were countless Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the 3,000 Worlds, making it the starting point for most Open Heaven Realm Masters.

The limits of their own aptitudes, the difficulty of acquiring materials, and their finances made it impossible for most cultivators to have a better choice when ascending to the Open Heaven Realm. Moreover, even ascending to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was a dream that a lot of people could never achieve in their lifetimes.

Fan Xiu Qi was just one of those many people. Although he was ordinary, he was the epitome of those who could never achieve anything great in life.

If one directly ascended to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm, the end of their Martial Dao would be the Fifth-Order. In other words, if nothing unexpected happened, the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm was the best Fan Xiu Qi could achieve in his life. That was the reason he had been stuck in this Order for 2,000 years.

Nevertheless, he was showing signs of achieving a breakthrough at this moment.

This had nothing to do with his own aptitude or the materials provided to him from Black Territory. It was entirely because of the Black Ink Strength.

Black Ink Strength was able to shatter the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm and allow Fan Xiu Qi to have a chance of achieving greater heights after he reached his supposed Fifth-Order limit.

This was the other benefit of the Black Ink Strength that Luan Bai Feng wanted to show Yang Kai.

The wonders of the Black Ink Strength were manifested right before their eyes.

Yang Kai pretended to be fervent as well, but inside he was truly flabbergasted. He had never witnessed this before, so even though he understood the allure of Black Ink Strength to cultivators, it had never felt more obvious than now.

Those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises were right to stop the news from spreading. If the wonders of the Black Ink Strength became known to the public, a lot of people wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation. In order to seek a greater power, they would willingly side with the Black Ink Clan.

It wasn’t easy for a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to ascend to the Sixth-Order. With that said, Fan Xiu Qi had stayed in the Fifth Order for 2,000 years, so he had accumulated enough heritage. He was already at the peak of the Fifth Order, so even though the process was challenging, he managed to persevere.

A few days later, the noise gradually died down and Fan Xiu Qi successfully broke through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

Luan Bai Feng was evidently pleased.

Even though there were a lot of Black Ink Disciples presently, she and Yang Kai were the only Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters due to various reasons. With Fan Xiu Qi ascending to the Sixth Order, their collective power was now strengthened greatly.

Fan Xiu Qi didn’t immediately stop cultivating, for he still had to solidify his cultivation after the breakthrough. However, upon realising that Luan Bai Feng and Yang Kai were observing him, he opened his eyes and nodded at them.

However, Yang Kai had a feeling that something was off.

Although the Black Ink Strength was wondrous, it seemed it wasn’t as miraculous as he had imagined.

Before the ascension, Fan Xiu Qi had a short and frail-looking figure, but at this moment, his body had swollen up and become quite bulky, even a bit disfigured in fact. It was as though he had transformed into an entirely different person.

Even those who were familiar with him would no longer be able to recognise him.

The transformation in his body after the breakthrough was obviously a hidden danger of the Black Ink Strength. Although Yang Kai had no idea what consequences that the hidden danger would lead to, he reckoned that they wouldn’t be good.

He then turned to look at another shattered Spirit Province.

Over the past few days when Fan Xiu Qi was trying to achieve an ascension, the Black Ink Disciple in this particular Spirit Province was showing signs of achieving a breakthrough as well. Perhaps Fan Xiu Qi’s ascension had caused this person’s Internal Qi to surge as well.

This person was also Luan Bai Feng’s former subordinate, but he was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. According to Luan Bai Feng, his name was Shu Yuan Si.

Shu Yuan Si only started out as a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so the Fourth-Order was his limit. However, under the influence of the Black Ink Strength, that limit no longer mattered as he was now able to make it to the Fifth Order.

After witnessing Fan Xiu Qi’s experience, Luan Bai Feng became even more excited.

Just like Yang Kai, she had initially broken through to the Fifth Order, so the Seventh Order would be her limit.

Now, she was only a step away from the Seventh Order, and when she finally achieved a breakthrough one day, there wouldn’t be any goal she could work towards.

However, the Black Ink Strength had given her the hope of possibly making it to the Eighth Order and even the Ninth Order. Even those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would have to look up to her by then.

Unfortunately, Shu Yuan Si’s ascension wasn’t as smooth as that of Fan Xiu Qi. The turn of events surprised everyone.

As Luan Bai Feng and Yang Kai observed him, his aura rose from the Fourth Order to the Fifth Order. The moment it hit the Fifth Order though, the Black Ink Strength that had been swirling around Shu Yuan Si suddenly surged, as though it had gone out of control. A shriek was heard coming from that direction.

Luan Bai Feng’s expression changed, but she didn’t intend to interfere. The reason she was here was to observe her companions who would break through their limits so that she could get prepared for her future ascension. She didn’t know how to deal with this anomaly, nor was she willing to intervene.

As she and Yang Kai watched Shu Yuan Si attentively, his cultivation and strength fluctuated wildly. Sometimes he would be in a perilous situation, but sometimes he would be as calm as still water.

The dust finally settled more than ten days later.

In the Spirit Province, Shu Yuan Si was lying on the ground and gasping for breath.

Luan Bai Feng and Yang Kai came over and landed in front of him. Upon seeing his condition, they couldn’t help but frown.

Presently, Shu Yuan Si was in a terrible state. His power was undulating uncontrollably as his aura dropped to the Fourth Order, then rose to the Fifth Order in a seemingly random manner.

What concerned the two of them was that Shu Yuan Si’s appearance had changed drastically. His clothes were all tattered, and his body was covered with sarcomas. Some of them were as big as a head while some of them were as small as a fist. A dark power was seen flowing within these cysts.

Some cracks started appearing on some of the sarcomas as Black Ink Strength flowed out of them like pus.

At this moment, Shu Yuan Si could very well be described as hideous.

Realising that he was in critical danger, he pleaded with Luan Bai Feng, saying, “Save me!”

Luan Bai Feng dispassionately looked down at him. A moment later, she shook her head and pressed her hand against her chest before saying in a solemn manner, “Black Ink Eternal!”

Instantly, Shu Yuan Si turned from flustered to calm as he realised something. Without feeling resentful, he thumped his fist against his chest and shouted resolutely, “Black Ink Eternal!”

The next moment, Luan Bai Feng made a move by engulfing Shu Yuan Si with her Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm power and reduced him to dust.

Shu Yuan Si had no hope of survival. Even if she never made a move, he would have exploded sooner or later given his condition.

His Small Universe collapsed while his World Force dissipated.

Rich Black Ink Strength had also streamed out.

Just then, Luan Bai Feng took a deep breath. Instead of drifting away, all of the Black Ink Strength was sucked into her mouth.

She appeared elated and closed her eyes to enjoy it, as though she had just had a taste of the most delicious dish in the world.

Yang Kai felt all his bodily hair standing on end.

A moment later, he said, “It seems that there’s a risk of using Master’s power to shatter our shackles.”

Shu Yuan Si’s death was the best proof of it. On the other hand, even though Fan Xiu Qi had successfully broken through, his appearance had changed drastically. It was obvious that he would be faced with some hidden danger in the future.

Luan Bai Feng suddenly opened her eyes and shot him a piercing glare, “Are you doubting Master?”

An alerted Yang Kai hung his head low, “I wouldn’t dare.”

Luan Bai Feng stared fixedly at him for a moment before saying, “Master is omnipotent and all-powerful. Shu Yuan Si failed because he was incompetent. The reason Fan Xiu Qi has succeeded is that he is truly loyal to Master!”

“Indeed,” Yang Kai nodded in agreement.

“I don’t want to hear any of that again. Any disrespect to Master is blasphemy!” Luan Bai Feng sternly warned, “Even if Master won’t settle the score with you, I’ll not let you off.”

“I will never speak so again,” Yang Kai assured her with a solemn expression. In the meantime, he secretly warned himself to be careful when dealing with Luan Bai Feng before the powerful cultivators from the Cave Heavens and Paradises arrived. He had to pretend that he was a loyal Black Ink Disciple until then.

When Luan Bai Feng saw that Yang Kai had shown enough sincerity, her expression turned milder. She nodded and said, “You’re already familiar with the situation here, and you had the experience of transforming a cultivator into a companion some time ago. It’s time you began actively helping the cause.”