Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

This was a peculiar race that had almost gone extinct. Their clansmen were inherently weak and did not have much fighting ability, but they had a unique talent for cultivating plants.

It was rumoured that in ancient times, powerful cultivators liked to subdue one or two Wood Spirits to help take care of their medicine gardens. The quantity and quality of the harvested herbs in a medicine garden of 100,000 acres would increase by 30% as long as there was a Wood Spirit living in it. They were the darlings of nature and extremely rare existences.

As the years went by, the world continuously experienced changes. The topography of Stars in the Star Fields as well as the Star Boundary itself continued to evolve and develop. Similarly, changes among the species were common occurrences. Conversely, the Ancient Wild Lands had not changed since ancient times. That was why there were many rare creatures in this place that could not be found in the outside world.

The Wood Spirits were one such example, as were the Stone Spirits. These two races supported and depended on each other, forming a kind of symbiotic relationship. The Stone Spirit Clan provided the Wood Spirits with powerful protection while on the other hand, the Wood Spirit Clan granted the Stone Spirit Clan the ability to fly in battle. Without the help of the Wood Spirit Clan, the Stone Spirits could only fight on the ground, often resulting in them suffering heavy losses.

More than ten exquisite Wood Spirits flew towards Yang Kai and gathered around him like a bunch of curious butterflies.

"Hello," Yang Kai smiled.

Both the Wood Spirits and Stone Spirits were very cloistered races. Under normal circumstances, they refused to interact with the outside world. Many of the Monster Race living in the Ancient Wild Lands had never even seen them before, only hearing stories of their existence.

However, Yang Kai was different. He had been to the territory of the Stone Spirit Clan more than 10 years ago and was received as an Honoured Guest by both them and the Wood Spirits. With how much they interacted, they no longer found him unfamiliar upon meeting again.

A female Wood Spirit landed on Yang Kai's shoulders, leaned in close to his ears and said, "The Elders and our clansmen are waiting for you, please come this way."

Her voice was very soft, and her cheeks seemed faintly flushed. Wood Spirits became shy easily.

Yang Kai vaguely felt that this particular Wood Spirit looked familiar and soon recalled that she was probably the one who poured wine for him back then, but he couldn't be sure, so he simply smiled in response and nodded, "Good."

The Wood Spirits had an Innate Divine Ability that allowed them to make all the plants surrounding them for thousands of kilometres into their eyes and ears. Therefore, they immediately noticed his presence the moment he arrived. These Wood Spirits came here to meet him as a result.

The Wood Spirits led the way forward, and after walking for some time, Yang Kai arrived at the place where the Stone Spirits lived. The ancient trees in this area were far larger and taller than all the other trees anywhere else. Moreover, each and every tree had a natural Tree Cave that could be used as a house.

Nine huge Stone Spirits were standing in a line when Yang Kai arrived, with the one in the middle seemingly quite elderly. This figure was stooped and had a beard that looked like upside-down stone pillars hanging down to his chest; he had an appearance that was full of the vicissitudes of life. At this moment, he was looking in this direction with a smile.

Yang Kai walked over to it, cupped his fists, and bowed, "Elder!"

Then, he glanced at the palm-sized female Wood Spirit with a flower crown that was sitting on the Elder's shoulders, "Matriarch!"

"Honoured Guest, we meet again." The Stone Spirit Elder chuckled, his dull voice making the ground rumble slightly.

"Lower your voice." The Wood Spirit Matriarch, Mu Na, reached up to cover her ears.

"I am not worthy of the title 'Honoured Guest'. Elder, please call me by my name," Yang Kai said with a humble expression. A wise Elder deserved to receive the respect his age warranted. Besides, Yang Kai had a deep relationship with the Stone Spirit Clan. Be it Xiao Xiao or his Embodiment, both of them originated as Stone Spirits, "I came uninvited because I have something to ask of you, Elder."

The Stone Spirit Elder laughed, but his laughter was much more constrained now, seemingly afraid that Mu Na might complain again, "We can talk after we fill our bellies. The last time you came here was more than 10 years ago. It's rare for us to have any excitement here, so we cannot miss this opportunity to have some fun."

"Uh… Then let's do as you say, Elder."

Following that order, a banquet was held. Everyone sat down on the ground around a huge tree root just like before and used it as a table. With the Wood Spirits bustling back and forth, the table was soon filled with all sorts of fruit and wine.

As night fell, moonlight shone through the leaves. Strange fruits hung from the tree trunks all around them, glowing with colourful lights that illuminated the clearing.

The Stone Spirits were generally stiff and unresponsive, but some of them were going wild at this moment. They were shouting boisterously while holding wooden cups that were taller than a person. They drank heartily and enjoyed the fruits cultivated by the Wood Spirits. Meanwhile, the Wood Spirits danced by their sides.

A bright moon hung in the sky and the feast and wine made one reluctant to worry about other things.

The names of the Stone Spirits were very simple, ranging from Shi Yi to Shi Ba. Unfortunately, Yang Kai couldn't tell them apart because they all looked the same. Originally, there was another one by the name 'Shi Jiu', which was Xiao Xiao; however, there had been no news about him ever since he entered the Blood Gate with Zhang Ruo Xi.

The Stone Spirit Clan had great innate strength and there were few Humans or Monsters that could be their opponents, but the Heavens were fair in all things so there could not be more than ten among the Stone Spirit Clan at a time. If there were more than ten of them, they would surely die. In other words, the number of members in the Stone Spirit Clan would never exceed ten across the entire world.

There were nine of them before Yang Kai right now, and if Xiao Xiao was included, there were exactly ten of them. Although his Embodiment had the body of a Stone Spirit, it could no longer be regarded as a Stone Spirit as it had no sentience, so it wasn't included among them.

Eight of the Stone Spirits took turns to offer Yang Kai a toast. The wine glasses they used were twice as big as ordinary wine barrels and they seemed like they would not be satisfied unless they drank until he fell. Unable to refuse, Yang Kai could only do his best to match their drinking pace.

The spirit wine brewed by the Wood Spirit Clan was full of energy and medicinal efficacy, so even the Stone Spirits could not drink too much of it. How could he, even with his Half-Dragon Form, win in a consecutive battle against these silly Stone Spirits?

Thus, Yang Kai collapsed without warning in the middle of the night amidst the triumphant cheers of the Stone Spirits. Following that, a dozen or so Wood Spirits flew over, helped him up, and took him into a Tree Cave to rest.

By the time he woke up again, it was morning.

Yang Kai felt incredibly hungover and only felt slightly better after meditating and circulating his Emperor Qi for a while. He secretly made up his mind to never get into a drinking contest here again.

The female Wood Spirit who came to greet him yesterday was looking inside curiously from outside the door.

When she saw that he was awake, she timidly spoke up, "Honoured Guest, you're awake. The Elder and the Matriarch are waiting for you."

"En, thanks, I'll be right there." He smiled at her lightly, causing her to blush again.

[What a peculiar species…]

The Wood Spirit Clan not only had a unique talent in cultivating spirit flowers and exotic plants, but they themselves were also very valuable. It was said that the bodies of the Wood Spirits contained the mystery of immortality and indestructibility. If somebody was severely injured and on the verge of death, they could be brought back to life immediately and their injuries would heal completely as long as they consumed a Wood Spirit alive.

It was fortunate that they lived in the Ancient Wild Lands and had the protection of the Stone Spirit Clan; otherwise, they would have already gone extinct in the outside world. The greed of Humans knew no limits, and if any of these walking miracle cures was targeted by ill-intentioned people, they would never be able to escape from their evil clutches.

Yang Kai walked out of his Tree Cave and soon saw the Elder in another. Bowing, he took a seat and asked, "Is there still no news of Xiao Xiao?"

The Elder shook his head, "There has been no movement since the Blood Gate concealed itself. I don't know how Shi Jiu is doing right now."

Yang Kai smiled, "Ruo Xi is watching over him, so there's no need to worry too much, Elder."

There was a grand palace inside the Blood Gate where countless Divine Spirit Sources were sealed. They were obtained from the hunting of Divine Spirits by Heavens Order in the past. Xiao Xiao had followed Ruo Xi into the Blood Gate to inherit the Tai Yue Source.

Xiao Xiao would be fine with Ruo Xi watching out for him, and his future would be bright after he incarnated as the Divine Spirit Tai Yue.

There were countless Divine Spirits during the ancient times, but differences in strength also existed between them. If the Dragons and the Phoenixes were the apexes among the Divine Spirits, then familiar names such as the Black Tortoise, White Tiger, Qilin, and Qiong Qi were second only to those top existences. Similarly, Tai Yue also ranked fairly high among the Divine Spirits. It was no less than a Qilin or a Qiong Qi. For that reason, Yang Kai was looking forward to what Xiao Xiao would become after emerging from the Blood Gate.

Upon hearing those words, the Elder looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he changed the subject, "You mentioned you needed a favour from us yesterday. What is it about?"

"It's like this. I plan to set up a Cross-Territory Space Array here which will connect directly to High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory."

"Connect to the Northern Territory!?" The Elder was startled by his words.

"Boy, that cannot be allowed." Mu Na flew in from somewhere and landed on the Elder's shoulder. She looked at Yang Kai and shook her head, "This place is a pure land for the Wood Spirit Clan and Stone Spirit Clan. No Human, aside from you, has ever set foot here. If you set up a Cross-Territory Space Array here, our lives will definitely be affected by it. I cannot agree to your request."

Both the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirits were extremely vulnerable to becoming a coveted possession; hence, their existence itself was a secret. If this secret were to spread, it would surely bring a lot of trouble to them.

Yang Kai solemnly explained, "Matriarch, please rest assured, I promise that I will be the only one using the Space Array. Nobody else can come here through it."

His main reason for making this request was because the Space Array he arranged in Luan Feng's palace had been destroyed. This was the only feasible option if he wanted to connect the Northern Territory and the Eastern Territory. On a side note, the 'debt' he wanted to collect from Luan Feng was his revenge over the destruction of the Space Array.

"How can you guarantee this?" Mu Na clearly still disapproved of this matter.

Comforting her, Yang Kai replied, "Since I am the one arranging the Space Array, I can guarantee this. Additionally, if anybody else aside from me were to enter this place one day, you are free to eliminate them without holding back."

Mu Na looked like she was about to say something else, but the Elder ended the conversation by saying, "If you can guarantee that, then it's not a problem."

"Many thanks, Elder!"

Naturally, Mu Na couldn't say anything else since the Elder had agreed to the request.

"Where do you plan to set up the Array?"

"In Xiao Xiao's Tree Cave." Yang Kai had chosen the location in advance. The place he rested in before was none other than the Tree Cave Xiao Xiao had lived in back then. The Tree Cave was large enough and besides, it was located in the place where the Stone Spirit Clan lived, so it would receive their protection too.

"Good. Let us know if you need any help."

"En, then I'll get to work immediately." Yang Kai stood up and excused himself.

"Come and visit me once you're done with your work. I have something to discuss with you," Mu Na spoke up suddenly.

Glancing at her strangely, Yang Kai nodded in response.