Martial Peak

Chapter 3181, Stealing Stars

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Inside the Sealed World Bead, large chunks of land appeared out of thin air. Meanwhile, the invisible Principles and the World Energy that had been devoured flooded in and melded into the Principles and the World Energy belonging to the Small Sealed World, strengthening and perfecting them slowly.

With the emergence of these new lands, various living creatures, most of whom were Humans with some Monsters that had been swallowed by the black ball suddenly appeared, all of them looking shocked and confused.

All these living creatures had failed to avoid the black ball and were swallowed up as a result. They originally thought that they were doomed, only to find that they were safe and sound when they came back to their senses. They couldn't help finding the entire incident extremely inconceivable. Thus, they tried to leave this place to investigate the mysteries of this new world and figure out their current situation. However, they discovered that they were imprisoned here by an invisible force, with no way for them to leave.

On the other hand, the entire Netherworld Star was in a complete mess. As more time passed, everyone learned of the devilish existence that controlled an enormous black ball that could devour everything in its path. That person was wreaking havoc all over Netherworld Star and none could defy him. Even the famous Netherworld Sect had been obliterated cleanly.

For that reason, all the cultivators with the ability to escape from the Netherworld Star had quickly set off, one after another. They did not dare to remain on the Star for another moment more. Those that could not escape could only pray to the Heavens for mercy. Unfortunately, what was waiting for them was the frightening devourer.

Two months later, the entire Netherworld Star's appearance had changed completely. Looking down from the Starry Sky, the Star that had once been regarded as the Home Star of Netherworld Sect, a Star that was once rich in World Energy and beautiful scenery, a Star that had once given birth to countless living creatures, had turned into a dead and silent piece of land. The cities, both large and small, had vanished, while the Sects and Clans had all disappeared; even the many Spirit Mountains were gone… At this moment, the entire Netherworld Star looked like a gigantic asteroid. Moreover, this asteroid was covered in endless stretches of deep ravines. Even the volume of the Star had shrunk considerably compared to before.

If cultivators from the other Cultivation Stars in Grand Desolation Star Field came to check on the situation here, they would not be able to recognize that this was Netherworld Star at all and would definitely think that it was a silent Dead Star instead.

"How troublesome!" Yang Kai hovered over Netherworld Star, scanning the Sealed World Bead with his Divine Sense while muttering to himself.

[I can't believe how many residents have appeared inside the Sealed World Bead all of a sudden.] It was something he had not anticipated, but it was something that could not be helped either; after all, Netherworld Star was not a Dead Star, it was an extremely attractive and populous Cultivation Star. When he used the Sealed World Bead to devour the Star, the cultivators in the Saint King Realm and above had quickly fled at the first sign that the situation was dangerous. Unfortunately, the cultivators below the Saint King Realm had no way of escaping. Similarly, there were many ordinary mortals living here too. Yang Kai couldn't expect them all to leave the Netherworld Star and escape into the Star Field. That would be nothing more than courting death.

Therefore, Yang Kai decided to finish what he started and swallowed all these living creatures along with the lands into the Sealed World Bead, but now he was having trouble figuring out how he was going to deal with them.

[Do I bring them to another Cultivation Star and release them there? But, they number in the billions. I devoured more than 80% of the living creatures on Netherworld Star after all. Even if I wanted to release them somewhere, I don't have the time for that. Besides, what Cultivation Star can take in so many people all at once!?]

After considering it carefully, Yang Kai thought to himself, [Hmm… why should I release them in the first place? I have no intention of killing them so I might as well just let them live inside the Sealed World Bead and fend for themselves.]

In a complete world, a steady stream of vitality could only be produced when all the living things in it competed with each other. Perhaps these living creatures could bring unexpected changes to the Sealed World Bead in the future and make the World Principles of the Small Sealed World more perfect. Yang Kai could clearly sense that the Sealed World Bead did not reject the arrival of these living creatures. Rather, it seemed to be accepting them happily.

Another consideration was that he had founded High Heaven Palace in the Star Boundary. Such a large Sect needed to be injected with a steady stream of fresh blood, and the fresh blood in question was none other than recruiting new disciples. The only question was where could he recruit new disciples from? The Northern Territory might be full of talented people, but who could know the backgrounds of every new recruit?

It was different when it came to the beings in the Sealed World Bead. As the Master of the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai could control their lives and read their histories with just a thought. He could choose some disciples with good temperaments and excellent aptitudes from everyone in the Sealed World Bead and cultivate them from young. That way, he did not have to worry about the disciples' loyalty to High Heaven Palace.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was an excellent idea. It felt like he had accidentally stumbled upon a great fortune. When something troublesome turned into a good thing, it was only natural that his mood brightened up in response.

Upon a closer look at the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai discovered that it had indeed changed a lot. The entire outer layer of Netherworld Star that was devoured had been used to supplement the Sealed World Bead and the damaged areas had been almost completely repaired. Furthermore, the size of the Sealed World Bead had been expanded several times over.

Although the original size of the Sealed World Bead was not small, how could it be compared to Netherworld Star? They might both be independent Small Worlds, but the gap between them was still quite vast. If Netherworld Star was a Small World in the strictest sense, then the world within the Sealed World Bead could only be regarded as a Micro World. But now, the Sealed World Bead had grown tremendously after greedily devouring everything it was fed.

All of a sudden, an idea struck Yang Kai as he had vaguely realized something. The Sealed World Bead was something that had been artificially refined. If others could refine an independent Small Sealed World, what was to say he couldn't upgrade and modify it?

The gains and perceptions of upgrading, modifying, and constructing a complete world was not something that could be obtained through cultivation in retreat. This would be very beneficial in helping Yang Kai understand World Force; after all, comprehending World Force was the key to becoming a Great Emperor!

At this point, he couldn't help scratching his head in excitement as he became more and more certain about the ideas in his heart.

After devouring the surface of Netherworld Star, the Devouring Domain of the Sealed World Bead had also expanded by many times. The black ball that had only been approximately one kilometre in diameter originally was now around 10 kilometres in diameter! The expansion of the Devouring Domain meant that the efficiency of engulfment had also increased. It also meant that the speed of Yang Kai's modification of the Sealed World Bead would become faster too.

The Netherworld Star was completely done for, but just as Yang Kai was preparing to set off to a nearby Star, he suddenly sensed something in his heart and looked back at the huge black ball with a strange expression.

[I can't believe I am actually feeling a sense of desire coming from it…] His brow twitched and he murmured incredulously, "No way…"

Yang Kai had acquired the Sealed World Bead many years ago, but it had always been just another artifact. Even though the inside was said to be a Sealed World, it was still an inanimate object. However, Yang Kai could clearly perceive something different about it at this moment. Thinking back on the happiness of the Sealed World Bead upon receiving those living creatures, he suddenly realized that he had received an even greater stroke of fortune.

"As you wish!" Yang Kai laughed loudly while directing the enormous black ball towards the remaining half of the Netherworld Star.

[If the Sealed World Bead isn't disgusted by this bald asteroid-like Star, then what right do I have to dislike it? In any case, it will only take some more time.]

The giant asteroid became a large asteroid soon after, and then a medium asteroid, then a small asteroid…

Yang Kai repeatedly flew round and round the Netherworld Star with the black ball. Every time they finished one circle around the Star, the Netherworld Star would shrink considerably. The entire situation seemed quite strange from the outside. It was as though a giant Divine being was treating Netherworld Star like food and taking bites out of it.

In the end, the entire Netherworld Star disappeared.

When the entire Netherworld Star was gone, the changes that occurred within the Sealed World Bead caught Yang Kai by surprise.

…

At the same time, the expression of Wu Heng, who was still at the edge of Grand Desolation Star Field, battling against the boundless darkness, changed abruptly. He quickly separated a part of his consciousness and immersed his Soul Avatar into his Knowledge Sea to observe the Star Chart.

Just now, he felt as though something had gone missing; however, he couldn't detect any changes even upon a closer inspection. Just as he was about to withdraw his Soul Avatar from his Knowledge Sea though, his eyes widened in shock as he stared at a certain spot on the Star Chart in disbelief and exclaimed. "That's impossible!"

He had been the Star Field Master of Grand Desolation Star Field for many years, so he knew the Star Field like the back of his hand. He knew exactly where each Star was located, but at this moment, he was certain that a Star had disappeared from his Star Chart. The name of that Star was none other than Netherworld Star!

Three months ago, he sent Yang Kai to Netherworld Star, originally planning to use this opportunity to kill Yang Kai but was caught in an unexpected dilemma instead. Not only did he fail to kill Yang Kai, but he was also being held up here by Yang Kai's strange methods. It left him stuck with no time for anything else.

For the past three months, Wu Heng had been fighting against the darkness that was trying to devour his Star Field, so he could not spare a single thought to investigate Yang Kai's movements.

Besides, it had been obvious that Yang Kai was going to Netherworld Star for no other reason than to vent his rage and massacre the people of Netherworld Sect. What else could he do aside from that?

For Wu Heng, those actions would not have harmed him much. It wasn't worth being upset over. Netherworld Sect was already in its twilight years anyway. Even if Yang Kai did nothing, it would not be able to survive for much longer. In any case, the exchange of power and the cycle of life and death were the very foundation of all life. Wu Heng's priority at the moment was to prevent the opposing Star Field from devouring his own Star Field.

Wu Heng could never have imagined that Yang Kai would give him such a huge shock in just three months! He did not know what methods Yang Kai had used to make the entire Netherworld Star disappear; nevertheless, it was gone. The entire Star had vanished without a trace!

[How in the world did he do that!? How is that possible!? How can he steal a Cultivation Star just like that!?] Wu Heng wouldn't have believed it himself if he had said it out loud. This was not something that could be casually placed inside a Space Ring! That was an actual Star! And if Yang Kai didn't steal it, then where did the Netherworld Star go?

Wu Heng was the Star Field Master; he controlled the Star Field Source, so as long as he wanted to, he could take notice of anything that was happening in any corner of Grand Desolation Star Field. The disappearance of the Netherworld Star was by no means an illusion.

Wu Heng's mood could not get any worse. When he diverted his attention away just now, the power he used to resist the darkness was inevitably reduced by quite a bit. It made the opposing Star Field's speed of engulfment speed up again. Panicking, Wu Heng quickly put aside any distracting thoughts and did not dare to lose focus again. Even so, the uneasy feeling in his heart was growing stronger. It was practically turning into a tangible substance that filled his core. He knew that he was in deep trouble. Moreover, he was suffering massive losses constantly. [I could have never imagined that I would cause my own downfall over a mere Lower Star Field!]