Martial Peak
chapter-4952

No matter who was faced with such a situation, it would be difficult for them to remain calm; therefore, Zhong Liang was quite impressed by Yang Kai’s reaction.

It was true that Yang Kai did not feel any resentment; he could understand that Tian Xiu Zhu’s actions were not aimed at him. Rather, Tian Xiu Zhu’s actions and words came from a place of righteousness.

In order to protect the secret of the Void Corridor, Meng Qi was willing to sacrifice his own life. In comparison, how could Yang Kai not endure such insignificant grievance?

“Yang Kai, this is for the greater good of the Human Race!” Tian Xiu Zhu earnestly persuaded.

Seeing that Yang Kai remained silent, he thought that the former was unwilling to compromise. Ultimately though, the willingness of the other party did not matter. This was how such matters had been handled since ancient times. It was a given that those who stepped foot into the Black Ink Battlefield had to put their individual lives aside; therefore, he believed that Yang Kai would eventually come around.

Yang Kai shook his head, “Senior, you have misunderstood. This Junior is not an unreasonable person. You have made yourself very clear, so how can this Junior not understand?”

Tian Xiu Zhu nodded in relief, “It’s good that you understand.”

“But…” Yang Kai changed the subject, “From what you mentioned earlier, Senior, this Junior will not need to offer up the World Spring if I can advance to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future, correct?”

For him, offering up the World Spring would definitely cause some damage to his Small Universe. Although a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit could repair his Small Universe, he would no longer be able to ignore the corrosion of Black Ink Strength. That would be extremely dangerous on the Black Ink Battlefield.

It was not that he was unwilling to sacrifice himself for the Human Race. Had the Cave Heavens and Paradises not made far more sacrifices for the Human Race throughout the ages? They had silently waged war against the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless aeons and invested unimaginable amounts of manpower and resources into the effort. It could be said that the stability of the 3,000 Worlds was inseparable from the contributions of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.

In the safe and stable environment behind them were Yang Kai’s subordinates and disciples in Void Land, as well as his friends and relatives in the Star Boundary. If he were an ordinary Open Heaven Realm Master, he would not have hesitated to give up the World Spring.

However, Yang Kai was confident in himself. He had always been able to crush opponents in the same realm as himself. In other words, if he could advance into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future, the role he could play and the strength he could exert would definitely be greater than any of the Ancestors in front of him right now.

Tian Xiu Zhu was stunned for a moment, but he nodded anyway, “That’s how it is. If you can advance into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then there is no need for you to give up the World Spring. The Inner Sanctum will also spare no effort to help you advance to the Eighth Order as soon as possible so that you can contribute to the Human Race.”

Yang Kai cupped his fist, “This Junior can advance to the Eighth Order!”

Everybody else was startled by his words and somebody scowled and pointed out, “Brat, didn’t you say that your initial breakthrough was to the Fifth Order? How can you advance to the Eighth-Order? Don’t tell me you have an Innate Open Heaven Pill from the Universe Furnace on hand!”

Innate Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace were natural products of the World that contained the mysteries of the universe. They could help a person break through the shackles of their limits and ignore the bottleneck of the Open Heaven Realm. As long as they had enough of such Spirit Pills, they could even advance into the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, regardless of their starting point.

Unfortunately, one could only encounter such treasures serendipitously. The Universe Furnace was one of the most profound and mysterious treasures in existence. Not only was it extremely elusive, but its occasional appearance in the world was also very short-lived; therefore, it was no easy task to obtain Innate Open Heaven Pills.

What’s more, even if such treasures were on hand, Yang Kai would not have the chance to consume them. They would be given to an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master instead so that he could advance into the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. It would always be highly beneficial for the Human Race to gain an additional Ninth-Order Master.

Yang Kai calmly explained, “It is true that this Junior only broke through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm initially; however, this Junior was later fortunate enough to consume a Mid-Rank World Fruit and advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”

“A Mid-Rank World Fruit!?” Somebody exclaimed in surprise while the others looked on in shock.

As Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, how could they not know about the existence of the World Fruit? That was an even rarer treasure than an Innate Open Heaven Pill!

Somebody said, “It is rumoured that there is a World Tree that grows in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary is extremely difficult for ordinary people to enter. Could that be where you obtained your World Fruit?”

Yang Kai nodded affirmatively, “I accidentally became involved with the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and spent some time inside that place. It was also inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that I obtained the World Fruit.”

A series of gasps rang out throughout the Conference Hall. That was an incredible opportunity indeed! A Mid-Rank World Fruit could not only increase one’s cultivation by an entire Order, but it also increased the limit that they could achieve in the future.

Lu An probed further, “Does that mean that even though you were only in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm when you first advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, you actually have the opportunity to advance to the Eighth-Order in the future?”

The Four Universe Pillars had a huge appeal to Open Heaven Realm Masters, especially Eighth-Order Masters like themselves. Possessing one of the Four Universe Pillars would allow them to fight with greater efficiency on the battlefield.

Lu An was truly reluctant to snatch the belongings of a Junior, but in light of the bigger picture, Yang Kai was powerless to protect the World Spring. Leaving this matter alone would only result in a huge loss for the Human Race. That was why he had remained silent all this while.

He had silently considered this matter in his heart. If Yang Kai was made to offer up the World Spring, he would definitely have to compensate Yang Kai for the gesture. At the very least, he had to protect Yang Kai as much as possible within the scope of his ability. Nevertheless, he did not expect to learn that Yang Kai had consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit before.

“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded firmly, “That is why this Junior has the confidence to advance to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm!”

Lu An nodded lightly, “You should put in more effort in the future then. If you need anything, please let this Old Master know.”

Since Yang Kai could be considered part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, it was only natural that Lu An would pay more attention to him when they resided at the same great pass. Although there was no strong sense of factionalism in the great passes, it stood to reason that most people would be closer to others of the same Sect.

“Many thanks, Elder,” Yang Kai bowed.

On the other side, Tian Xiu Zhu fell silent for a moment before he said, “If that’s the case, then the matter regarding the World Spring is settled. However, this Old Master would like to say something.”

Yang Kai looked at Tian Xiu Zhu, “Please enlighten me, Elder.”

“The Black Ink Battlefield is extremely dangerous. You need to be very careful. If anything were to happen to you, it would be a huge loss to the Human Race.”

“This Junior will bear that in mind!” Yang Kai bowed.

Zhong Liang, however, just snickered at those words, “Brother Tian, if you knew what this brat did in the past, you would not bother to warn him about such things.”

Tian Xiu Zhu asked curiously, “What did he do?”

Zhong Liang glanced at Yang Kai, “This brat is the boldest one I’ve ever seen. He disguised himself as a Black Ink Disciple and spent several years in the Black Ink Clan’s territory. It was all thanks to this brat that Feng Ying and the others managed to come back safely.”

Everybody in the Conference Hall immediately became speechless, too dumbfounded to say anything.

The corners of Lu An’s face twitched, and he was filled with lingering fear, “You disguised yourself as a Black Ink Disciple and spent several years among the Black Ink Clan!?”

[That’s not bold! That’s reckless!]

Tian Xiu Zhu’s mouth quivered in anger, “What if your identity was discovered and something happened to you!?”

He had tried his best to protect the World Spring. Not only did he not hesitate to use his authority to coerce the other party, but he even demanded that Yang Kai offer up the World Spring without any regard for his pride. Who could have known that Yang Kai had done such a terrifying thing!?

Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “I had no choice.”

He had not wanted to do something so risky either; unfortunately, the place connected to the Void Corridor was located inside a Sealed World in the Black Ink Clan’s domain. Having found himself in the Black Ink Clan hinterland as soon as he arrived, what else could he have done?

Lu An scolded, “Don’t be so reckless again in the future.”

Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “Yes!”

Many of the Eighth-Order Masters in the hall were staring at Yang Kai with strange expressions now. Nobody had ever done such a thing throughout all of history. If it was said that they had only paid attention to him earlier because of the World Spring, then they were now paying attention to him because of his conduct.

Somebody suddenly turned to look at Zhong Liang, “Brother Zhong, you mentioned that Feng Ying and that group of people only returned thanks to Yang Kai. What did you mean?”

Zhong Liang did not bother to explain; instead, he turned to look at Yang Kai and instructed, “Show them.”

Seeing was always better than listening in terms of clarity. That was why he had gone out of his way to capture a Black Ink Disciple. It was so that Yang Kai could easily demonstrate his ability.

Outside the palace where the Old Ancestor was in retreat, Yang Kai had used the Black Ink Strength suppressed inside his Small Universe to demonstrate the effects of the Purifying Light. It was just that Zhong Liang was reluctant to reveal the fact that Yang Kai possessed a World Spring, so he had gone to the trouble of preparing in advance.

Who could have known that Tian Xiu Zhu had already inferred the truth? He couldn’t keep the secret hidden at all. If he had known earlier, Zhong Liang could have saved himself the trouble of capturing a Black Ink Disciple.

Yang Kai responded affirmatively and strode towards the captured Black Ink Disciple.

The Eighth-Order Masters watched curiously, wondering what Zhong Liang was selling in his bottle gourd.

A seal had been placed on the Black Ink Disciple, so he could not circulate any strength and he had not dared to act rashly after being thrown here by Zhong Liang. Of course, he had been observing his surroundings vigilantly in hopes of finding an opportunity to escape, so when he saw Yang Kai walking towards him at this moment, he stepped back defensively. But, where could he go in his condition? Furthermore, it only took Zhong Liang a casual wave of his hand to completely lock the Black Ink Disciple in place.

A yellow and blue light suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s hands, which immediately attracted everybody’s attention to him.

Zhong Liang also paid close attention. Even though he had witnessed this sight before, he could not tear his eyes away at this moment.

A distinct Yin and Yang Element Power radiated from the blue and yellow lights respectively. Then, in front of everybody’s eyes, Yang Kai clapped his hands together. A pure white light bloomed into existence when the yellow and blue lights merged together.

The white light immediately cascaded down on the Black Ink Disciple. In the next moment, the Black Ink Disciple revealed a look of pain on his face. A thick layer of Black Ink Strength simultaneously seeped out from his body, accompanied by a series of sizzling sounds.

To the onlookers’ astonishment, the Black Ink Strength was then purified by the white light and vanished into nothingness.

The Eighth-Order Ancestors who were watching closely widened their eyes instantly at the sight. There was a loud clatter as most of them knocked over their chairs and involuntarily jumped to their feet in astonishment. Their expressions were filled with shock, and their widened eyes overflowed with disbelief. Even though they were worldly Masters, they had never seen such an incredulous situation before.

The Black Ink Disciple’s pain only lasted for a moment, and his expression soon calmed down. Under the shroud of the white light, both his figure and his expression appeared hazy.

Yang Kai withdrew his hand and nodded lightly at Zhong Liang. Only then did Zhong Liang dispel his power around Black Ink Disciple and take a step back.

The entire hall was deathly silent. Everybody was staring at the Black Ink Disciple in stunned silence and it was only a long while later that the sound of people nervously gulping echoed throughout the room. Somebody finally asked, “B-Brother Zhong… W-W-What is this?”

He had a guess in his heart, but he could not be certain. That was because what he saw with his eyes might not be what he was thinking in his heart.

There were many people with similar thoughts. All of them turned to look at Zhong Liang with an inquiring gaze, hoping to gain a more definite answer from him.

Zhong Liang smiled slightly, “Don’t tell me you don’t understand what just happened.”

Tian Xiu Zhu’s expression was grim and cold, “Brother Zhong, this is an important matter. Now is not the time for jokes. Could it really be the same as what we are thinking?”