Martial Peak
chapter-4950

“Martial Uncle Zhao!” Feng Ying faced the person who just arrived and bowed in greeting. Yang Kai also bowed slightly from where he stood behind her.

On the other hand, Martial Uncle Zhao stared at Feng Ying in surprise, “Feng Girl, you’re back! Didn’t they say that you were left behind in Black Ink Clan territory? How did you manage to return?”

She replied, “I was lucky to survive.”

As for how she managed to return, she did not explain in detail.

He nodded lightly, “You will surely receive a great blessing after surviving such a difficult ordeal. Don’t squander your opportunity. I hope that you can slaughter even more Black Ink Clansmen on the battlefield from now on.”

She responded affirmatively.

After that, he stuck his head into the hall and looked around before he frowningly asked, “Brother Zhong summoned us here, so why isn’t he here? Did something happen?”

She respectfully answered, “Martial Uncle Zhong has something important to announce. Unfortunately, this Disciple does not know the exact details. Please enter first, Martial Uncle Zhao. Martial Uncle Zhong will be here soon.”

“En,” Martial Uncle Zhao nodded. Then, he strode into the Conference Hall and randomly found a place to sit and wait.

Martial Uncle Zhao had only just entered the hall when numerous streams of lights came flying over from all directions. Every one of them was an Eighth-Order Master. They were clearly the people in charge of the various front lines on the battlefield. In other words, they had the same status as Zhong Liang.

Feng Ying and Yang Kai stood outside the hall, greeting each arrival in succession. As the guests entered, Feng Ying told Yang Kai who was from which Cave Heaven or Paradise.

Although there were tens of thousands of Masters in Blue Sky Pass, there were only a handful of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among them. In fact, there were only several dozen in total. Feng Ying had been living here for thousands of years, so it was only natural for her to know them all.

These Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could be said to be the pillars of every great pass. Every one of them was an incredibly valuable asset and they basically held important positions that placed them in charge of commanding the Human army and protecting the various defence lines.

As expected, there was also an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. It was just that he did not know Yang Kai’s origins, so he did not pay much attention to him. Besides, this was not a place where people made connections to climb up the social ladder.

Yang Kai simply memorised the name and appearance of this Eighth-Order Master without saying too much to the other party.

Most of the Eighth-Order Masters who came here were acquainted with Feng Ying. Some of them glanced at Yang Kai but did not pay much attention to him; however, Yang Kai felt as though the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Xi He Paradise had been observing him closely. The other party even seemed to have a look of doubt on his face when he entered the Conference Hall. Nevertheless, he did not say anything to Yang Kai.

In the end, Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering whether it was simply his own misunderstanding.

Everybody waited in the hall for some time, but there was still no sign of Zhong Liang anywhere. It didn’t take long before somebody lost their patience and complained, “What the Hell is that old fart Zhong doing!? I have an ongoing battle at the moment. Why did he send an urgent message to summon us here!? Is he playing a joke on us!? Where is that old fart Zhong!?”

“Brother Zhang, please don’t be so impatient. Since we received an urgent message from Brother Zhong, then it must be something important. Although you have an ongoing battle, the outcome will not be determined for some time yet. It’s time to let the subordinates under our command rest for a while.” Somebody earnestly responded. It would seem that this person was quite open-minded.

“Speaking of which, have you visited the Old Ancestor? Are his injuries severe?”

“I’ve sent a message and received a response claiming that Old Ancestor is in the middle of recovery, so I didn’t dare to disturb him. I don’t think it’s very serious. It’s not the first time something like this has happened after all. Old Ancestor is treating his wounds, as is the Royal Lord. It’s the same for both sides.”

“If I had to say, we should find an opportunity to charge forward. Once we find the place where the Royal Lord is recuperating, we can vanquish him. In that way, the war will go smoothly for us.”

“Brother, you’re not a child anymore. Why are you spewing such nonsensical words? The place where the Royal Lord is recuperating will surely be under strict guard! We might be able to charge forward, but we won’t be able to return alive! You should think before you speak!”

“Who did you just call brainless!?”

“Of course, I’m referring to the person who answered!”

…

For a time, the quarrel became very fierce. There was no saying whether these two quarrelling Eighth-Order Masters did not get along with each other in the first place, but as soon as they started arguing, they started to roll up their sleeves to get physical. Consequently, the people around them panicked and quickly stepped in to calm them down.

Outside the hall, Feng Ying and Yang Kai glanced at each other with speechless expressions.

Eighth-Order Masters held highly revered positions, so most people had the impression that they were all stern-looking and dignified people. Who could have imagined that these Eighth-Order Ancestors would be squabbling inside the Conference Hall like hawkers at the market? If news were to spread out to the public, nobody would believe the truth.

A stream of light suddenly sped over from a distance and landed in front of the two. It was Zhong Liang.

Feng Ying and Yang Kai bowed in unison and looked up only to see Zhong Liang holding a person in his grasp. That person was clearly a Black Ink Disciple. His eyes were filled with inky darkness, and although there was a seal placed on his body that suppressed his strength and prevented him from circulating his power, he continued to struggle endlessly against his restraints.

Upon seeing this Black Ink Disciple, Yang Kai immediately had a vague understanding of Zhong Liang’s intentions. No matter how beautiful his words were, nobody would believe them without proof; therefore, Zhong Liang had obviously rushed to the battlefield outside the great pass and captured a Black Ink Disciple so that Yang Kai could use Purifying Light in front of everyone.

Zhong Liang nodded and directed his words at Yang Kai, “Come with me.”

“Yes!” Yang Kai responded affirmatively; then, he followed Zhong Liang into the hall.

The noise inside the hall died down abruptly. Many people turned to stare at them in astonishment, wondering why Zhong Liang had captured and brought a Black Ink Disciple here.

“Brother Zhong, you’re finally here!” Somebody remarked.

“I’ve made you wait,” Zhong Liang cupped his fist apologetically, “It’s just that this is a very important matter, so I had to take some time to prepare.”

While speaking, he threw the Black Ink Disciple in his grasp to the ground. The Black Ink Disciple might have been placed under a seal, but his movements were unimpeded. Thus, he quickly stood up and looked around cautiously.

Everybody in the room was also scrutinising the Black Ink Disciple. All the people present in this room were Eighth-Order Masters, so this Black Ink Disciple did not pose any threat to them. Be that as it may, they had a vague guess that Zhong Liang’s announcement had something to do with the Black Ink Disciples. There was no need for him to capture one otherwise.

“What is going on, Brother Zhong? Can’t you tell us now? The front lines are still fighting. It will be a problem if we remain here for too long,” somebody urged.

Zhong Liang nodded. Just as he was about to speak, somebody else suddenly interrupted the conversation, “Brother Zhong, before you begin, there is something I want to confirm.”

Zhong Liang turned to look in that direction and nodded, “Please speak, Brother Tian.”

Likewise, Yang Kai glanced in that direction and discovered that the person who spoke earlier was the same person who was staring intently at him earlier. At the time, he had the feeling that this person’s gaze contained some sort of deeper meaning, but could not be sure. It would now seem that his guess was correct. He recalled that Feng Ying had introduced this person as Tian Xiu Zhu of Xi He Paradise.

Tian Xiu Zhu said, “I heard a message from a disciple under my command claiming that the Revealing Black Ink Array had reacted to a certain individual when a group of people entered the Inner Sanctum earlier; however, you insisted on bringing him into the Inner Sanctum. Is that true, Brother Zhong?”

Zhong Liang frowned slightly. He knew that the person who sent the message was most likely one of the people guarding the Revealing Black Ink Array. Even so, he could not blame the other party. They were simply carrying out their duties. Unable to prevent him from bringing Yang Kai into the Inner Sanctum when he insisted, they could only send a message to the Ancestors of their respective Cave Heavens and Paradises to ask them to investigate and determine the truth of the incident.

[It looks like I won’t be able to keep this matter hidden anymore.] Zhong Liang smacked his lips. [I had hoped to avoid attracting trouble, but it looks like I won’t be able to avoid this issue.]

In the end, he nodded, “It’s true!”

Seeing his admission, somebody exclaimed in astonishment, “If the Revealing Black Ink Array reacted, that can only mean that they have Black Ink Strength in their body. That person is a Black Ink Disciple! How can you bring such a person into the Inner Sanctum, Brother Zhong? Could it be this person?”

That person glanced at the Black Ink Disciple that Zhong Liang had just brought in.

Tian Xiu Zhu shook his head, “It’s not this Black Ink Disciple. If my guess is correct, that person should have been him. Am I right?”

While speaking, he glanced towards Yang Kai, who was standing next to Zhong Liang.

Yang Kai bowed politely, “Junior Yang Kai greets Seniors!”

Many people studied Yang Kai curiously. Some people seemed confused while others seemed thoughtful. Zhong Liang sighed softly and looked at Tian Xiu Zhu, “Brother Tian, what are you trying to say?”

Tian Xiu Zhu said, “Brother Zhong, you insisted on bringing this boy into the Inner Sanctum without even placing a restriction on him. That can only mean that you are not worried about him in the slightest; however, the Revealing Black Ink Array could not have been mistaken. In other words, he most likely has Black Ink Strength in his body. But, judging by his appearance and actions, he does not seem like a Black Ink Disciple. Despite having Black Ink Strength in his body, he is not being corrupted by it. Looking at this situation, doesn’t anything come to mind?”

Somebody suddenly understood and shouted, “A Four Universe Pillar!?”

A series of gasps rang out, and many pairs of eyes flashed with interest at those words. Another person asked excitedly, “Does the boy really possess one of the Four Universe Pillars!?”

Only those who possessed one of the Four Universe Pillars would not be converted into a Black Ink Disciple despite having Black Ink Strength in their body. It was not as if something similar had never happened before; after all, Yang Kai was not the only person with a Four Universe Pillar among the Human Race.

With a Four Universe Pillar protecting their Small Universe, it stood to reason that Black Ink Strength could not invade one’s body regardless of the circumstances. However, it was a different case altogether if they took the initiative to open the portal to their Small Universe and accept Black Ink Strength into their Small Universe.

In the past, many Human Masters with the Four Universe Pillars had carried out various experiments to accept Black Ink Strength into their Small Universe. They wanted to see if the corrosion of Black Ink Strength was stronger or the power of the Four Universe Pillars was greater. The results naturally spoke for themselves. Those who possessed the Four Universe Pillars would not be affected in any way even if they opened the portal to their Small Universe and drew in Black Ink Strength.

Although this matter could be considered a secret, all the people present in this room were Eighth-Order Masters who had heard about this matter to some extent. That was why some of them immediately guessed the truth once they heard Tian Xiu Zhu’s statement.

Zhong Liang scowled deeply. Faced with so many inquiring eyes, he knew that he could not keep the secret hidden any longer even though he wanted to for Yang Kai. He had repeatedly reminded Feng Ying and the Senior Brother standing guard for the Old Ancestor not to reveal the secret that Yang Kai possessed a World Spring. His actions were to prevent these exact kinds of situations from happening.

Unfortunately, he failed to prevent such a situation in the end. The disciples guarding the Revealing Black Ink Array had sent a message to Tian Xiu Zhu, and the quick-witted Tian Xiu Zhu managed to deduce the truth based on such meagre information.

Hence, Zhong Liang nodded with a sullen expression, “Brother Tian is correct. Yang Kai does indeed possess one of the Four Universe Pillars, the World Spring.”

Despite having some guesses, the crowd could barely conceal the joy on their faces when they heard him confirming their speculations.

Somebody then asked, “Which Cave Heaven or Paradise does this boy come from?”

Zhong Liang turned to the side and looked at Yang Kai, indicating for him to explain the situation himself.

Yang Kai glanced at one of the elderly men and cupped his fist, “This Disciple married two Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples and became a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Son-in-Law. Greetings, Elder Lu!”