Martial Peak
chapter-4915

“Profound Yin Spirit Fruit…” Yang Kai raised his brow slightly at the name. If the old man had not said anything, he would not have known anything about that Spirit Fruit. What could be certain was that the Spirit Fruit was something that could only be found in the Black Ink Battlefield as Yang Kai had never heard of such a Spirit Fruit in the 3,000 Worlds before.

The old man took out a wooden box, opened it, and explained, “This Spirit Fruit is extremely useful for mending one’s damaged Small Universe.”

Yang Kai immediately understood, “The Heavenly Way is indeed fair in all things!”

The old man nodded, “That’s right. A cultivator’s Small Universe is akin to an independent world, and this Spirit Fruit has the ability to mend broken Small Universes. The ancestors named it the ‘Profound Yin Spirit Fruit’ as it symbolized renewal and rebirth.”

This Spirit Fruit was useless to the average Open Heaven Realm Master, but it was a precious treasure for those with a damaged Small Universe like the old man. It had to be said that once a person’s Small Universe became incomplete, their Martial Dao would never improve again in the future. Moreover, their strength would also be greatly reduced.

It would be similar to this old man in front of Yang Kai. If his Small Universe had not been damaged, Yang Kai would not have been able to defeat him so easily. But, if he recovered with the help of the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit, then he would regain the strength he had at his peak.

It was true that the old man had noticed some abnormalities back when Yang Kai emerged from the Void Corridor, but his attention was quickly drawn towards the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit; hence, he did not bother to pursue the matter any further. In the first place, he only appeared at that spot because he had been attracted by the subtle fluctuations of Space Principles that spread out when the entrance of the Void Corridor opened for a moment.

“Even in the Black Ink Battlefield, this Spirit Fruit is probably a rare treasure, right?” Yang Kai asked.

The old man nodded, “Although there are many Sealed Worlds in the Black Ink Battlefield, not every Sealed World has a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit Tree. This Spirit Fruit is certainly rare.” Having said that, he smiled brightly, “If not for that, this Old Master would not have tried to silence the witness to the crime, lest you reveal the existence of the Spirit Fruit to the others. Who could have known…”

Who could have known that he would be no match for his opponent? The fact that he couldn’t even defeat a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master made him feel rather ashamed. At the same time, he finally understood why the Cave Heavens and Paradises entrusted the heavy responsibility of sealing the Void Corridor to a mere Sixth-Order Junior.

How could this Sixth-Order boy be compared to ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters? Despite having lived for so many years, the old man had never met a more ferocious Sixth-Order Master in his life. Not to mention, the mysterious Purifying Light that Yang Kai displayed could even dispel the Black Ink Strength that had corrupted his Small Universe for so many years. It was simply unbelievable.

Likewise, Yang Kai secretly rejoiced that the old man had taken the initiative to attack him; otherwise, he would not have been able to figure out the old man’s identity. Black Ink Disciples were no different from ordinary people under normal circumstances after all. There was no way to notice any abnormality from their external appearance alone.

“That pure white light… What is it?” The old man could not hold back his curiosity, “Do the Cave Heavens and Paradises have such a Secret Technique now?”

If that was truly the case, then it was truly fortuitous news for all those who had crossed the No-Return Pass. This Secret Technique evidently had strong restraining effects on the Black Ink Strength, so no matter who was corrupted by the Black Ink Clan in the future, they could still be saved.

Over the years, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had invested many people into the Black Ink Battlefield. Countless people had died in battle, but many others had been converted into Black Ink Disciples and became enemies instead. That was the biggest reason why the Cave Heavens and Paradises could never obtain victory on the Black Ink Battlefield. If not for that, their continuous investment of manpower would eventually have eroded away at the forces of the Black Ink Clan until nothing was left.

Yang Kai shook his head, “This is not a Secret Technique of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. It is something that this Junior obtained by chance, and only this Junior can use it.”

He did not mention the existence of the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer as there was no need to. It was enough to explain that he was the only person who could use this technique.

The old man was slightly disappointed, but he soon understood. If this Secret Technique had been developed by the Cave Heavens and Paradises, it would have been delivered to the Black Ink Battlefield a long time ago. There was no reason to hide it until today.

Looking at Yang Kai, he let out a long sigh, “The Heavens must be jealous!”

Yang Kai instantly burst out laughing. Somehow, those words sounded as though he was going to die at any moment.

The old man continued, “It is not easy for you to make such a sacrifice for the 3,000 Worlds. The Cave Heavens and Paradises have much to be grateful to you for.”

“This Junior only followed his own sense of justice. You praise me too much, Senior.” Yang Kai responded humbly.

The old man sighed once more, “But, since you are already here, then that means you can’t go back anymore. Do you have anything else that you wish to say before we begin?”

Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows slightly, “Senior, what do you mean…”

Something about the old man’s statement set off alarm bells in his head.

The old man said, “You are a hero of the 3,000 Worlds. From an emotional perspective, you should not have had to carry such a heavy fate. Unfortunately, the existence of the Void Corridor is too important. This information must never be allowed to leak to others.” Then, his expression became solemn and his voice became grim, “Only the dead will never reveal a secret. I hope you understand what I mean.”

When he was met with Yang Kai’s silence for an answer, he clearly misunderstood the situation and opened his mouth once more, “I believe you would not want your efforts to go to waste either. I also believe that you have prepared yourself for the worst when you chose to seal the Void Corridor alone.”

Yang Kai quickly raised his hand to interrupt the old man, “I understand what you mean, Senior.”

The old man was pleased, “You truly are a man who understands the bigger picture.”

“But, Senior, this Junior might not have to die.”

The old man frowned and reprimanded Yang Kai, “Fool! I know that you have the means to dispel and purify Black Ink Strength, so it won’t be easy for you to be corrupted by it; however, you are only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm! Once you exit this Sealed World, you will enter the true Black Ink Battlefield. There are countless Black Ink Disciples outside, not to mention there are Territory Lords overseeing this place. How will you resist them if you slip up? It’s only a matter of time before you become corrupted by Black Ink Strength and become a Black Ink Disciple. How will the existence of the Void Corridor remain concealed once you’ve been corrupted!? If you have the means to seal the Void Corridor, then I can only presume that you have the means to reopen it too! If you become a Black Ink Disciple, the first thing you will do will be to open that Void Corridor and lead chaos into the 3,000 Worlds! For that reason, you must die! Not only that, this Old Master will have to die too! This is the only way to ensure that this secret will remain completely hidden! If you cannot do it yourself, then this Old Master will help you. Don’t worry, you only need to wait a while on the road to the Yellow Springs. This Old Master will follow you shortly!”

Even though this old man kept telling him to die, Yang Kai could not bring himself to hate him.

Under normal circumstances, the old man’s suggestion would undoubtedly be the correct choice. Only the dead could keep secrets. Once they were corrupted by Black Ink Strength and became Black Ink Disciples, the existence of the Void Corridor would immediately be exposed. They would wholeheartedly devote themselves to the Black Ink Clan after becoming Black Ink Disciples.

In other words, even without the instructions of the Black Ink Clan, Yang Kai would willingly divulge the existence of the Void Corridor and take the initiative to open it for them.

What’s more, the old man even said that Yang Kai would only need to wait a while on the road to the Yellow Springs and he would follow soon after. At that time, they could travel together so that the journey would not be lonely.

The old man was staring at Yang Kai as though he was going to help send Yang Kai to the afterlife if Yang Kai refused to die; hence, Yang Kai quickly said, “Senior, I cannot be corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. This Junior was present during the battle against the Black Ink Royal Lord, and during that battle, the Black Ink Royal Lord used her Royal Lord Secret Technique to instantly corrupt five Eighth-Order Ancestors. However, this Junior remained safe and sound. One of them was even standing right beside this Junior when it happened.”

The old man shook his head, “The method of dispelling and purifying Black Ink Strength is extraordinary indeed, but on the Black Ink Battlefield, using this method to resist the Black Ink Strength will only attract the attention of Black Ink Clan!”

Explanations were clearly useless. At this point, only actual hard evidence would work, so Yang Kai simply stated, “Please see for yourself, Senior!”

As soon as those words left his mouth, a pitch-black aura seeped out from the surface of his body. Even his eyes were swiftly covered by the darkness.

The old man turned pale with shock. Activating his World Force, he nearly struck Yang Kai with his palm; however, his palm stopped right in front of Yang Kai. The reason was that the darkness had faded from Yang Kai’s eyes.

Yang Kai explained, “I will not conceal the truth from you, Senior. This Junior was lucky enough to obtain the World Spring through an opportunity a long time ago, so my Small Universe is impenetrable to external forces. I even have a large amount of Black Ink Essence suppressed and sealed inside my Small Universe, but it has not affected this Junior in any way.”

“A World Spring!?” The old man was astonished and delighted by those words, but he shouted, “Words are nothing without proof!”

Just as Yang Kai had prudently checked his Small Universe before, he had the same thoughts at this moment. Their situations were simply reversed.

Yang Kai gave a wry smile. Knowing that the old man would not be reassured if he did not allow the other party to check for himself, he immediately opened the portal to his Small Universe.

The old man poured his Divine Sense into Yang Kai’s Small Universe to investigate without any trace of politeness. In the next moment, he looked dumbfounded, “Are you really just a Sixth-Order Master?”

Under his investigation, he discovered that Yang Kai’s Small Universe had already transformed from immaterial to material! That was the capital that only High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could have! It was impossible for the Small Universe of a Sixth-Order Master to achieve something like that.

This old man was not the first person to be shocked by this. When Yu Xiang Die and the others had investigated Yang Kai’s Small Universe back then, they had the same reaction. The main reason was that nobody had ever seen something like this before, so it was very strange and novel.

“You’ve already checked my Small Universe, Senior. How can this Junior hide anything from you?”

The old man nodded. Under his investigation, he discovered that Yang Kai was indeed only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. That was not a lie. At the same time, he finally understood why a Sixth-Order Junior had such impressive combat power that even a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like himself was not an opponent.

Yang Kai had a fully materialized Small Universe, so it was only natural that ordinary Sixth-Order Masters could not compare to him.

Inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe, the Black Ink Strength was being suppressed and sealed, and there was also a small spring that seemed to flow without end, spreading out a kind of protective aura to the rest of the World.

The old man had never seen a World Spring before, but he clearly saw the area where the Black Ink Strength was being suppressed and sealed. When he retracted his Divine Sense, he nodded lightly, “No wonder you dared to take such risks, it was because you had something to rely upon! Good! Very good!”

With one of the Four Universe Pillars like the World Spring supporting Yang Kai’s Small Universe, there was certainly no need for him to worry about being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. That was the greatest guarantee for his own safety.

Observing Yang Kai carefully, the old man’s eyes slowly began to brighten.

Yang Kai did not need to die or worry about being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength, turning him into a Black Ink Disciple. In which case, his very existence was a huge blessing to the Black Ink Battlefield. Leaving aside his cultivation, just his ability to dispel and purify the Black Ink Strength alone would be a huge boost to the front lines.

The wheels turned in the old man’s head, and various thoughts crossed his mind at that moment. Soon though, his expression became firm and he said, “This Old Master is Meng Qi. I hailed from Exquisite Paradise! 4,000 years ago, I followed my Seniors from the Master Sect through the No-Return Pass and came to the Black Ink Battlefield.”

He had not bothered to introduce himself to Yang Kai before because he believed that they both needed to die in order to protect the secrets here, so introductions were redundant. Now that Yang Kai would live though, the situation was different. At the very least, if he told Yang Kai his origins, Yang Kai might be able to bring a message back to his Master Sect one day.

Yang Kai quickly cupped his fist, “So it is Senior Meng.”