Martial Peak
chapter-4991

In the centre of Blue Sky Pass, there was a tall solitary mountain, and on top of the solitary mountain stood a majestic palace.

For the tens of thousands of members of Blue Sky Pass, this solitary mountain was both a Restricted Area and a mental support. That was the place where the Old Ancestor would enter retreat, and no one was to disturb him without being summoned.

A stream of light swept in from below and soon arrived in front of the palace. The figure that landed was none other than the Western Army Commander, Zhong Liang.

He took a quick glance at the surroundings, but only saw a few familiar figures standing guard, with no traces of Yang Kai.

[Is he not here?] Zhong Liang was a bit stunned.

He had just turned almost the entire Blue Sky Pass upside down but still could not find Yang Kai’s whereabouts. The only exception was this solitary mountain, which he did not dare to pry into because it was not a place he could simply search at will.

If there was any place Yang Kai could hide, it was definitely here.

Who would have thought he still couldn’t find Yang Kai’s whereabouts after coming here?

The situation made his head spin. If Yang Kai was not hiding here, where else could he be?

After greeting Senior Brother Sun, who was guarding the front door, Zhong Liang turned around and was about to leave.

It was then that Senior Brother Sun suddenly said, “Junior Brother, are you here to find Yang Kai?”

Zhong Liang stopped and nodded, “Yes!”

Senior Brother Sun smiled wryly and said, “If that is the case, you can wait here.”

Zhong Liang was puzzled, “Huh?”

Senior Brother Sun said, “Yang Kai has been summoned by the Old Ancestor and is in the inner room. He will be out in a moment.”

The news made Zhong Liang’s jaw drop in shock as he was astonished and speechless.

The Old Ancestor summoned Yang Kai into the palace. How could he continue his search for Yang Kai? It was impossible for him to rush inside and catch Yang Kai now. In other words, as long as Yang Kai hid inside the palace until the time limit was up, he would definitely lose the bet.

[That Brat! He’s too shameless!]

But when Zhong Liang thought back on the act of him spreading out his Small Universe, he couldn’t help feeling he was just as shameless.

“Why did Old Ancestor suddenly summon him?” Zhong Liang asked with a bitter smile.

Senior Brother Sun laughed and said, “I don’t know. That brat suddenly came here in a hurry like he had some urgent business, and as soon as he landed, the Old Ancestor summoned him inside to talk.”

Those words made Zhong Liang gnash his teeth and secretly curse him for being so sneaky. [He must have run all the way here after cutting off my Divine Sense, which was locked onto him.]

Still, Zhong Liang had not expected that the Old Ancestor would summon Yang Kai at such a moment. The boy’s original intention should only have been to use the uniqueness of this place to hide for some time.

As for Senior Brother Sun’s description of Yang Kai being in a hurry, as if he had something urgent, Senior Brother Sun might have already learned the reason for that matter. Although his duty was to guard the Old Ancestor’s place of retreat, he must have known about what just happened because they had caused such a huge commotion; otherwise, he wouldn’t have laughed so mockingly.

Zhong Liang suddenly remembered one more thing and asked urgently, “Have Old Ancestor’s wounds fully healed?”

It had been eight years since the Black Ink Clan Army was defeated, and the Old Ancestor had been in retreat since then to heal his injuries, so there might be a chance that his injuries were all healed.

Senior Brother Sun unfortunately shook his head and said, “I don’t know, but this is the first time in recent years that Old Ancestor has sent a message to the outside world.”

After hearing those words, Zhong Liang immediately understood the situation. It seemed like the Old Ancestor had yet to make a full recovery; after all, it wasn’t easy for a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to heal his injuries. However, the Old Ancestor’s situation must have turned for the better, or else he wouldn’t have called for Yang Kai to head inside.

After taking a look at the big incense in front of the Western Army Headquarters, Zhong Liang noticed there was still about a fifth of it left, so there was still some time.

He didn’t want to leave just like that, and since there was still some time left, Zhong Liang could only stay here and wait to see if Yang Kai would come out before time was up.

Silence fell in front of the palace.

Meanwhile, inside, Yang Kai sat cross-legged in front of an old man with an all-white beard and hair.

The old man was thin and full of wrinkles. He wore a plain robe and was currently barefooted, not giving off the air of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master at all. Yang Kai did not even feel any energy fluctuations from this old man. If they met without knowing each other’s identities, Yang Kai would definitely treat him like an ordinary old man and not a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor who stood at the very peak of the Martial Dao.

The Old Ancestor’s cultivation had probably achieved a state of serenity in the extraordinary; otherwise, he would never have given Yang Kai such an impression.

Yang Kai was very surprised to be summoned by the Old Ancestor. When he first came here, he had intended to meet the Old Ancestor, but since the latter was in the process of healing from his injuries, Yang Kai wasn’t able to meet him.

At this moment, Yang Kai was demonstrating the creation of Purifying Light in front of the Old Ancestor, which was naturally something the latter requested of him.

During the process, the Old Ancestor watched carefully and even reached out his hand to take the Purifying Light after it was formed to have a better look at it.

Yang Kai did not dare to say much and just quietly waited.

After a few moments, the Old Ancestor nodded lightly and instructed Yang Kai to stretch out his hands so that he could check the two marks.

Though Yang Kai couldn’t tell what the Old Ancestor had seen from the marks on the backs of his hands, the latter was clearly meticulously investigating them with an extremely serious expression.

Moments later, the Old Ancestor nodded lightly and suddenly smiled, “This Purifying Light is indeed profound and mysterious. The Burning Light and Serene Glimmer are truly worthy of being called ancient Great Experts. Their strength is far beyond my reach.”

Yang Kai was astonished by his words, “You’re too modest, Old Ancestor.”

According to the Old Ancestor’s words, he seemed to be admitting that he was inferior to the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. How could Yang Kai not be surprised by that? The Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm was already the peak a Human could achieve, and Yang Kai had always thought that such a Master could compete with the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.

The Old Ancestor, however, shook his head, “I’m not being modest. I speak only the truth. When this Old Master first advanced to the Ninth Order, I went to the Chaotic Dead Territory to exchange moves with those two. I remember that experience well.”

He did not say what the result of the sparring match was, but Yang Kai had a vague feeling that the Old Ancestor had suffered some kind of loss.

“I know about what happened in the Inner Sanctum. This Purifying Light is a method to remove Black Ink Strength, so since you have gotten this opportunity, you should work hard to safeguard others well.”

Yang Kai said respectfully, “Junior will abide by your orders, Old Ancestor.”

After a pause, he added, “Old Ancestor, I have one more thing to report.”

“Go ahead.” Old Ancestor nodded lightly.

“This Junior did not enter the Black Ink Battlefield through the No-Return Pass. Instead, I came here through a Void Corridor!”

Once he said those words, the Old Ancestor’s eyes narrowed, “Tell me more.”

Yang Kai then went on to explain what happened in the Black Prison. He began his story after the death of the Royal Lord, then described how the Void Corridor was formed, how he went in alone and sealed the Void Corridor with Space Principles, and then found himself in a Sealed World which existed on the Black Ink Battlefield.

“I have sealed the corridor with my Secret Technique, and that Sealed World has probably ruptured by now, but the Void Corridor might still exist.”

“How many people know about this?” Old Ancestor asked in a deep voice.

Yang Kai answered, “I met a Black Ink Disciple named Meng Qi in that Sealed World, and after saving him with Purifying Light, he told me the importance of this matter, and that I must report it to you and no one else, so I haven’t told anyone else about it.”

“And Meng Qi?” Old Ancestor asked.

After sighing, Yang Kai explained, “I wanted to bring him with me, but he refused and immediately sacrificed his life after I left.”

The Old Ancestor was slightly stunned, but soon understood and sighed, “His loyalty to the Human Race is praiseworthy. His name will be recorded on my Blue Sky Pass Heroic Souls Monument.”

The Heroic Souls Monument was something Yang Kai knew about. One such monument was located in every one of the Great Passes and it recorded the names of all those who died in the war against the Black Ink Clan.

The Heroic Souls Monument in Blue Sky Pass, which was 1,000 meters high, had recorded countless names, each one representing a human life.

“The matter of the Void Corridor ends here. Do not mention it to anyone else,” The Old Ancestor declared.

“Junior understands.”

The Old Ancestor nodded before suddenly giving him a deep look, “You have done a great service to the Human Race by sealing the Void Corridor, saving the 3,000 Worlds from a catastrophe.”

Shaking his head, Yang Kai said, “Those who have been battling to the death with the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield are the real heroes. Countless ancestors gave their lives in exchange for peace in the 3,000 Worlds while this Junior is still alive and well. The names on the Heroic Souls Monument are the ones who deserved the credit.”

“The dead have merit, but so do the living,” as the Old Ancestor spoke, he suddenly lifted his hand and extended his finger towards Yang Kai’s forehead.

His movement was obviously very slow, but in Yang Kai’s eyes, it seemed incredibly fast. Before he could react, the finger was already on his forehead.

As soon as Old Ancestor’s finger touched his forehead, he smiled and said, “The incense outside has burned out, you can leave now.”

Yang Kai was stunned to realize that although the Old Ancestor was in retreat, nothing in Blue Sky Pass could escape his gaze. He must have known about his bet with Zhong Liang, or else he would not have said these words.

Perhaps the Old Ancestor had summoned him inside with the intention of helping him.

Yang Kai got up and said respectfully, “Many thanks, Old Ancestor.”

The Old Ancestor closed his eyes and said nothing while Yang Kai bowed and exited the palace.

After leaving the inner room, Yang Kai touched his forehead and fell into deep thought.

Just now, when the Old Ancestor’s finger touched him, he did not notice anything unusual. Though he didn’t know what that action meant, as an Old Ancestor, whatever he did must have a purpose. That was why Yang Kai was confused.

Outside the hall, Zhong Liang looked resigned as Yang Kai walked out. Just now, the incense in front of the Western Army Headquarters had completely burned out. According to his bet with Yang Kai, he had lost.

His heart was full of discontent. If the Old Ancestor had not intervened and summoned Yang Kai inside, he wouldn’t have lost. However, he did not dare to say this out loud because it was not his place to complain about the Old Ancestor’s actions.

Yang Kai first went to greet the Senior surnamed Sun before looking at Zhong Liang. With his nostrils pointing high up to the sky, he arrogantly declared, “Army Commander, I am going to gather my men and head out of the Great Pass. You have no objections, right?”

Feeling his face twitch, Zhang Liang wanted to slap Yang Kai half to death and force him to stay in the Inner Sanctum.

But that was impossible now.

Suddenly putting on a smile, Zhong Liang made another attempt at negotiation, “Oh, Yang Boy. Let’s sit down and have a good chat about this. Why do you want to head outside the Great Pass? What’s so good about the outside world anyway? Isn’t it more free-and-easy inside the Inner Sanctum?”

Hearing that, Yang Kai cracked his neck and retorted, “No, I want to go outside the Great Pass. Army Commander, you’re not going to go back on your word, are you?”