Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

The pond was not large, only having a radius of about 100 metres. However, the Dragon Souls ranging from several tens of metres long to a thousand metres long plunged into the pong and vanished. At the same time, the viscous amber liquid in the pool gradually increased. By the time the last of the thousand-metre-long Dragon Souls plunged into the pond, the pond was almost filled to the brim with that liquid.

"Dragon Rebirth Pond… This is the Dragon Rebirth Pond…" Zhu Yan murmured to himself under his breath, his visage flushed red with excitement. Even his body was trembling slightly from emotion.

The Dragon Clan's Dragon Rebirth Pond was different from the Dragon Rebirth Pond written in the legends of the outside world.

The rumours in the outside world claimed that there was a mysterious place located somewhere in the world that could help various beasts with Dragon Clan bloodlines flowing through their veins evolve so that they could transform into True Dragons and achieve success overnight. Be that as it may, the records left behind by the ancestors of the Dragon Clan indicated that the real Dragon Rebirth Pond was not like that at all; rather, what they were looking at right now was the real thing!

Even if Zhu Yan was initially clueless about the purpose of the pool hidden deep within the Dragon Temple, how could he not recall what he had read in the past after witnessing the Dragon Souls of the Great Elders across the generations merging into the pond and turning into pure Dragon Marrow with his own eyes?

It was rumoured that the Dragon God created the Dragon Rebirth Pond in ancient times, and so long as the Dragon Rebirth Pond remained, the Dragon Clan would never perish! Therefore, the importance of the Dragon Rebirth Pond to the Dragon Clan was self-evident. Zhu Yan had not understood the meaning behind these words in the past, and it wasn't until now that the meaning became clear to him. How could the Dragon Clan be annihilated while the Dragon Rebirth Pond continued to exist? The Dragon Clan might face a declining period, but the time for them to rise again would eventually come once there enough resources were accumulated.

"When else would you enter the pond if not now?" Yang Kai turned to look at the two Elders of Dragon Clan.

Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun glanced at each other before flying out in unison to stand in mid-air. Dragon Roars shook the skies as an Azure Dragon and an Ice Dragon revealed their true bodies. Then, they plunged straight into the Dragon Rebirth Pond.

The two Great Elders had Tenth-Order Dragon Veins, so their true bodies were very long. Nonetheless, the size of their current bodies could not be compared to Yang Kai's more than 1,000 metres long Half-Dragon Body or the First-Generation Dragon Clan Great Elder, who was of similar length. They were just that enormous.

Fortunately, the pond seemed to be infinitely large despite its apparent size. The enormous Dragon Form plunged into the pond and instantly vanished out of sight. Immediately afterwards, a muffled sound came from the Dragon Rebirth Pond, like the cries of someone suffering from great pain.

Yang Kai strode towards the Dragon Rebirth Pond. When he got closer, he looked down and saw two Dragons inside the pond. The two Dragons that had shrunk in size countless times were swimming and twisting about in the pond. Every twist or twitch that they made caused ripples to appear on the surface of the thick Dragon Marrow. Dragon Roars rang out incessantly; it appeared that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun were not in as good a condition as they seemed from the surface.

Needless to say, it was impossible to obtain greater power without paying a cost. The Dragon Marrow within Dragon Rebirth Pond might be an amazing tonic, but how could they become more powerful if they could not withstand the torturous process of remoulding their bodies?

Yang Kai sat cross-legged beside the Dragon Rebirth Pond, grinning at the two dragons in the pond, "Enjoy yourselves, you two."

That malicious smile made Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun shiver.

After that, Yang Kai began casting a Secret Technique. The mysterious Dragon Language resumed once more, giving Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun no time to think about anything else. An even louder Dragon Roar came from the pond. The two Dragons twitched constantly as countless small cuts appeared all over their Dragon Bodies. Then, the Dragon Marrow seeped into their figures through the open wounds and stimulated their Sources.

…..

On top of one of the Spirit Peaks in High Heaven Palace stood a graceful figure on a stone platform, overlooking the south. The afterglow of the setting sun scattered across her beautiful face, adding a touch of loneliness and sadness to her expression. A breeze blew past her, causing her black hair to fly in the wind. When she breathed in the slightly cold air, she felt a chill in her chest.

A little girl the size of a palm stood at Lan Xun's feet. Pulling at Lan Xun's dress, the little girl scrambled and climbed until she finally climbed up to Lan Xun's shoulders with great difficulty. She panted heavily from the tiredness, then she sat down on Lan Xun's shoulder and accompanied Lan Xun in looking out into the distance.

"I'm useless, aren't I?" Lan Xun spoke up suddenly, her eyes reddened slightly. Her father was dead, the legacy he left behind for her was lost, and her lofty dream of reviving Star Soul Palace to its former glory was now nothing more than a fool's dream. Having lost her direction, she was at a loss for what to do in the future.

Unable to speak, the little girl let out a string of wordless babble instead for some time. She panicked slightly when tears suddenly rolled down Lan Xun's cheeks and raised her two little hands to catch the tears that were larger than her fist. She was so anxious that her face was flushed.

All of a sudden, Lan Xun abruptly lifted a hand to rub at her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her tumultuous emotions. Immediately following that, light footsteps came from behind and Xiao Chen's weak voice sounded, "Princess, you are here again."

Lan Xun stood with her back to him and replied softly, "The scenery at High Heaven Palace is beautiful."

Xiao Chen came to her side and stood side by side with her. Looking out at the scenery for a bit, he smiled slightly, "It's not quite as good as the Palace's."

As soon as he finished speaking, he realised his mistake and hurriedly added, "Princess, forgive me. I did not mean to…"

She waved her hand dismissively with a smile, "It's fine. The Demon Race is powerful. Besides, the outcome of one battle doesn't mean anything. The winner is the one who survives until the end."

He nodded in agreement, "It is good if that is what you think, Princess. Star Soul Palace… We will get it back one day."

"That's right. We will get it back." She agreed nonchalantly. [What won't I do to get it back? But, what can I do even if I managed to get it back? Who can survive for long in that land without first dispelling the Demon Essence corrupting it?]

"En!" The little girl gritted her teeth and clenched her fist as though cheering Lan Xun on.

Lan Xun smiled and reached out to touch the little girl's face. She was thankful for this little girl's company over the past few days. She did not know whether she could have remained strong and persevered otherwise. A ray of hope remained in the darkness as long as this little girl was here with her.

Xiao Chen turned his head and looked at the little girl with an intent stare. Even though he knew that she was the Spirit of the World Pagoda, he still found it extremely difficult to believe.

The little girl seemed uncomfortable receiving attention from others, so when Xiao Chen stared at her intently, her face flushed red and she flailed her hands wildly. The little body twisted and transformed into a mimosa plant, and after that, she sank into Lan Xun's body and vanished out of sight.

The afterglow of the setting sun draped against the side of Lan Xun's face as a deep melancholy practically covered her visage. Not so long ago, she was just a young girl herself. Why did she have to shoulder the heavy responsibilities that would make most people despair now? The once carefree Princess of the Southern Territory now had more perseverance on her pretty face than many other people have ever had.

Years ago, a little boy had met a little girl for the first time in Star Soul Palace. The little boy had shouted, "Come with me in the future. I will protect you!"

That little girl giggled non-stop in response.

"I will become stronger! I will definitely protect you!" The little boy's expression had been very serious.

Xiao Chen felt distressed. He wanted to pull her into his arms and shield her from the outside world! He wanted her to put down the heavy burden she carried on her shoulders!

"The sun has set. I'm heading back. Senior Brother, you should also head back soon. Your wounds… are not healed yet," Lan Xun smiled at Xiao Chen and turned to leave.

The hand that Xiao Chen had just lifted fell back down again. Looking at the darkness that gradually swallowed all light, he clenched his hands into fists. [I have to become stronger. I must become stronger! Only when I become stronger can I help solve her worries. Only then will I stop feeling so helpless!]

…..

In the Ancient Wild Lands located in the Eastern Territory, the 3 Monster Race Divine Venerables were leading 3 Monster Race armies. Most of the soldiers were from the Monster Race or had Monster Race blood in them. In contrast, there were very few people from the Human Race among them.

The Stone Spirit Clan and the Wood Spirit Clan that used to live in the Ancient Wild Lands were also serving under Luan Feng and the others. The Stone Spirit Clan played a huge role in many of their battles against the Demon Race. The 9 Stone Spirits had slaughtered countless enemies while the healing abilities of the little Wood Spirits of the Wood Spirit Clan were highly valued by Luan Feng and the others. Many soldiers had been rescued by the Wood Spirit Clan's medical treatment.

For the 3 Divine Venerables, both the Stone Spirit Clan and the Wood Spirit Clan were existences akin to precious treasures. In particular, the Wood Spirits would never be placed in danger and were generally given priority to receive protection instead. For that reason, neither the Stone Spirit Clan nor the Wood Spirit Clan had suffered any casualties no matter how the tragic battles had been in the past.

At this moment, Luan Feng, Fan Wu, and Cang Gou were all gathered in the Phoenix Nest Palace while a Monster General knelt before them and seemed to be saying something.

When the Monster General finished making his report, Luan Feng stood up abruptly and quickly asked, "Are you certain!?"

The Monster General hurriedly replied, "Yes, Divine Venerable. I'm certain I did not make a mistake. I have been watching the Blood Gate for all these years. Not long ago, I noticed some changes that occurred where the Blood Gate was located. Although it was not obvious, I dare say that my words are true."

"Give us a detailed explanation."

Not daring to disobey, he quickly recounted what he had seen. He had been instructed to monitor the situation at the Blood Gate for all these years, so nobody knew the situation there better than him. Nearly 30 years had gone by since the Blood Gate vanished and things had been unusually quiet all this time. To his surprise, he recently felt a strange force abruptly leak out from the place where the Blood Gate once stood. When he noticed the anomaly, he verified his findings several times to confirm that it was not just his imagination before hurriedly coming to report his findings. Unfortunately, he only knew so much. Anything else aside from that was unclear to him.

After listening to the report, Luan Feng glanced at Fan Wu only to see that Fan Wu was also looking at her. Their gazes met and there was no need for further communication. Fan Wu stood up and declared, "Let's go have a look."

In any case, any changes in the Blood Gate could be classified as a major incident to the Monster Race living in the Ancient Wild Lands. Since ancient times, there had been a saying in the Ancient Lands that went 'Enter the Blood Gate and experience rebirth; stimulate the ancestral bloodline and become a Divine Spirit'. Hence, the Blood Gate was a Holy Land for all Monsters in the Ancient Wild Lands.

It was all because of the Heavens Order Palace located there. The Sources of countless Ancient Divine Spirits were sealed inside the Heavens Order Palace. Although the Monster Race living in the Ancient Wild Lands had more or less inherited the bloodlines of Ancient Divine Spirits, those bloodlines were buried deep within their bodies. Not only was it usually unnoticeable, but there was also no way to awaken their bloodline. However, if they could obtain a Divine Spirit Source sealed in the Heavens Order Palace, they could integrate with it perfectly and be reborn as a Divine Spirit to restore the glory of their ancestors.

That saying had been passed down through countless generations. It was just that nobody had ever managed to enter the Blood Gate after so many millennia. It wasn't until several dozen years ago that a girl named Zhang Ruo Xi managed to enter Blood Gate with a small Stone Spirit. After that, the Blood Gate had vanished.

Thinking back to that day, Zhang Ruo Xi had only been in the Origin Returning Realm and was completely vulnerable in front of Luan Feng and the other Divine Venerables. Even so, she unexpectedly experienced a breakthrough and awakened her bloodline when Yang Kai was forced into a desperate situation. She had summoned the Heavens Order Sword, beheaded Shi Huo, and taken away Shi Huo's Source. A Divine Spirit, who was also one of the four Great Divine Venerables that stood at the top of the Monster Race in the Ancient Wild Lands, had been completely powerless in front of her.