Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

During the Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea, Wu Kuang had killed four Great Emperors while he himself was torn to pieces in the battle. Although his Soul had escaped to hide deep within the Shattered Star Sea, as far as the Star Boundary was concerned, half of the ten Great Emperors had lost their lives in that battle, leaving exactly five behind.

The capacity of the World's Bottle was limited. The Demon Realm's limit was twelve while the Star Boundary's limit was ten. For that reason, only five would have a chance to rise even though there were many competitors who were qualified to become Great Emperors when the Profound Heavens Temple opened at the time.

Li Wu Yi smiled and nodded, "That's right. Five Great Emperors died in the Shattered Star Sea, so it was reasonable that another five were born in the Profound Heavens Temple at that time. And now, the Profound Heavens Temple is going to open again soon. Unfortunately, the situation this time will be unlike last time. There won't be as many Great Emperors being born again. I'm afraid… only one will be born."

Yang Kai understood immediately. Among the ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, Bustling World Great Emperor was missing while Night Shadow Great Emperor had defected to the Demon Realm. Nevertheless, they were still alive. Only Bright Moon Great Emperor had lost his life, so only one space had been freed up in the World's Bottle. Even if the Profound Heavens Temple opened and the day of the Grand Dao battle grew closer, only one person would succeed in becoming a Great Emperor in the end. So, the competition was going to be extremely fierce!

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai understood what Li Wu Yi meant previously. The Star Boundary was at a critical juncture where its survival was at stake. If the Profound Heavens Temple were to open, there was no saying whether it would be a blessing or a curse for the Star Boundary.

If somebody could finally obtain the only opportunity and fill in the missing spot among the Star Boundary's Ten Great Emperors, it would be very beneficial for the overall situation in the Star Boundary. At present, the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan were already capable of fending off the three Demon Saints if they joined forces. If another Great Emperor was added to the mix, then that person would be equivalent to an unrivalled existence. Unfortunately, there would be a bloody and cruel war before anybody could become a Great Emperor.

There weren't many Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, but their numbers were not that few either. Who would not strive to reach the peak of the Martial Dao? Who would not be tempted by such a great opportunity in front of them? If everybody was tempted by the opportunity and joined the Grand Dao battle at the Profound Heavens Temple, then what would happen to the fifty-five armies of the Star Boundary? Without these Pseudo-Great Emperors, the Demon Race army would obliterate the Star Boundary army in an instant.

Participating in the Grand Dao battle at the Profound Heavens Temple would surely lead to internal conflict. That was something the Star Boundary could not afford at present. For the sake of the Star Boundary's survival, the Army Commanders and the Pseudo-Great Emperors had been willing to obey Li Wu Yi's commands, lead the armies into battle, and kill their enemies. But, how effective would Li Wu Yi's commands be when it came to their own opportunities and lifelong cultivation goals?

Besides, Li Wu Yi would never order the Pseudo-Great Emperors to not participate in the Grand Dao battle. He could not bring himself to hinder a person's Martial Dao journey.

Thinking about it further, Yang Kai quickly understood the reason for Li Wu Yi's gloomy mood. The timing of the Profound Heavens Temple's opening was more than a little awkward, leaving them in an extremely passive situation.

The enthusiasm and excitement from before cooled as though he had been doused in cold water, and after a short period of silence, Yang Kai asked, "Sir, can we be sure that the Profound Heavens Temple will be opening?"

If all of this turned out to be a misunderstanding, then their current concerns were completely meaningless.

Li Wu Yi sighed softly, "From what I know, there has never been a precedent where Senior Heavens Revelations had made a mistake in his predictions. Since he left that message so many years ago, that must mean the Profound Heavens Temple will definitely reappear in this world."

He paused before continuing, "Leaving aside Senior Heavens Revelations' observances, it is only natural that the Profound Heavens Temple will open soon given the Star Boundary's current situation. Since you carry the World's Will in you, you can obviously sense it more acutely than others. The Star Boundary might be a world, but it is not dead."

Yang Kai nodded solemnly. It wasn't to say that the Star Boundary was a sentient, living creature, but rather that it was alive.

"Even ordinary birds and beasts have a self-defence mechanism to protect themselves when their lives are threatened, so what more need be said about an entire world? Now that the Star Boundary's survival is at stake, it is defending itself by urgently creating another Great Emperor to fight the invading enemies."

Yang Kai nodded again, "I understand what you mean, Sir."

"So, the Profound Heavens Temple is bound to open. Moreover, it will happen soon. The only thing is that nobody can be certain when it will start showing signs." Li Wu Yi sighed again. In all the years that they had known each other, Yang Kai had practically never heard him sighing. However, it seemed to be happening rather frequently today, "Although very few know about the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple, it is not a secret either. Many Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary are aware of this."

Yang Kai's expression changed, "If that's the case, why did everybody react that way back in the…" At this point, he suddenly understood and smiled wryly, "So that's how it is."

After Gao Zhan spoke those words back in the hall just now, the Pseudo-Great Emperors present had not shown any particular reaction; therefore, Yang Kai had assumed that they were unaware of the meaning behind those words. Now, however, it would seem that while a large number of people had not known what those words represented, there were definitely some who did. Keeping silent despite understanding the meaning behind those words could only mean that they had their own plans.

The Profound Heavens Temple had yet to reveal any signs of itself; even so, just one sentence from Heavens Revelations Great Emperor was enough to make the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, who had been through thick and thin together all this while, begin to have different agendas. It was easy to imagine how great an impact this news would be on the current situation once word got out completely.

As the Supreme Commander of the fifty-five Star Boundary armies, Li Wu Yi had to be under unimaginable pressure right now. Figuring out how to mitigate the impact of the Profound Heavens Temple's opening would most likely be his biggest headache in the coming days.

Yang Kai exhaled softly, "Sir, if it can help to lessen your worries, I am willing to help share your burdens by commanding the Star Boundary's armies in your stead!"

"You?" Li Wu Yi turned to look at Yang Kai and chuckled, "You are already a well-known arm-flinging shopkeeper with the Sixty-First Army, pushing all your management responsibilities onto Yao Si. If you were put in command of all fifty-five armies, it won't take longer than three months before the Demon Race wipes us out."

Yang Kai was naturally unconvinced, "Sir, don't you think you're looking down on me a little too much? How do you know I'm incompetent without even giving me a chance? There's probably still some time until the Profound Heavens Temple opens. Why don't you let me try? We can think of a different solution if it really doesn't work out."

Li Wu Yi said, "Let you try doing what? What am I supposed to do in the meantime if I give you a chance to try?"

Yang Kai was confused by this response and asked the obvious question, "Sir, do you not plan to compete for the Grand Dao?"

It was precisely for this reason that Yang Kai proposed this idea. It was not as if he had nothing better to do than to seize power from Li Wu Yi and take over command of the fifty-five armies. Just as Li Wu Yi had said, he was an arm-flinging shopkeeper with the Sixty-First Army. In fact, the whole reason he even made Yao Si his Adjutant was because he was afraid of being tied down by troublesome matters.

If the Profound Heavens Temple opened, it was certain that Li Wu Yi would enter, given his level of strength. Moreover, he was the strongest Master beneath the Great Emperors and was definitely the best candidate to compete for the one and only empty spot. The situation in the Star Boundary might change for the better if he became a Great Emperor.

Contrary to Yang Kai's expectations, however, Li Wu Yi slowly shook his head and declared, "I won't go. I can't go."

Yang Kai looked shocked, but before he could say anything, Li Wu Yi raised a hand to interrupt him and solemnly added, "The army will panic if I leave. It will be over for the Star Boundary if that happens, so... Regardless of whether everybody else goes, I absolutely cannot."

Yang Kai wanted to persuade him otherwise, but upon seeing the solemn expression on Li Wu Yi's face, he knew that it was useless to say anything.

Just as Li Wu Yi himself had said, he was the Supreme Commander of the Star Boundary's armies. If he left, the army would literally be without a leader. All the armies that had finally united would collapse again. Who could soothe the hearts of the people when that happened? More importantly, if Li Wu Yi set such a precedent, then the other Pseudo-Great Emperors with some scruples would also head towards the Profound Heavens Temple without reserve.

Thus, Yang Kai sighed bitterly, "Sir is indeed righteous. I hope everyone will one day understand how great your sacrifice today is."

He deeply understood what kind of resolution Li Wu Yi needed to come to this decision.

Li Wu Yi had spent a lifetime cultivating just for this day, but now that the opportunity was in front of him, he had to harden his heart and abandon it without even trying. That was equivalent to giving up on the possibility of further progress in his cultivation. It was probably more painful for him than dying.

The Profound Heavens Temple was not an ordinary place. Its opening was entirely dependent on whether a Great Emperor fell. The last time the Profound Heavens Temple had opened was more than twenty thousand years ago. If Li Wu Yi missed this opportunity, he might have to wait tens of thousands more years, or even longer for the next one.

There was no saying whether he could even live that long. Even if he could, there was a high probability that he would no longer have the same vigour and vitality to engage in such an intense competition. Therefore, giving up on this opportunity was equivalent to giving up on the goal that he had been chasing all his life and the possibility of improving himself in the Martial Dao. How large a sacrifice was that? How noble was that? And, what had prompted him to make this decision was the current turbulent world and the hundreds of millions of living creatures struggling to survive within that world?

Yang Kai was in awe of that resolve.

Li Wu Yi chuckled lightly, "It doesn't matter whether the others understand. It's enough if you understand."

Yang Kai clenched his fists tightly and quickly said, "This Junior understands..."

Li Wu Yi nodded, "It's good if you understand. You better prepare yourself well during this period. Don't do anything else; just wait for the Profound Heavens Temple to open!"

Yang Kai looked up with a puzzled expression and saw Li Wu Yi smiling at him, "You need to go to the Profound Heavens Temple and seize that one and only opportunity!"

"Me?" Yang Kai pointed to himself. If he had to be honest, it wasn't as if he had not thought about it when Li Wu Yi first mentioned the Profound Heavens Temple and the Grand Dao battle. It was just that he was only a High-Rank Demon King, equivalent to a Third-Order Emperor. He had yet to even reach the Pseudo-Great Emperor Realm, so how could he have the qualifications to enter? Hence, he quickly rejected the thought after it came up.

Who could have known that Li Wu Yi would suggest it instead?

"Don't look down on yourself. You carry Senior Bright Moon's legacy with you. Anybody else with your level of strength would not have the qualifications to enter the Profound Heavens Temple; however, you have the World's Will in your body, so the Profound Heavens Temple will not reject you. It can even be said that the World's Will in your body will be your greatest advantage when competing for this opportunity. Your cultivation might be lacking, but your chance of success is higher than anybody else."

He paused, then looked at Yang Kai with a smile, "Besides, are you willing to watch as this opportunity passes you by? Or, are you hoping to wait until the next time the Profound Heavens Temple opens?"

Silavin: Li Wu Yi best man. I just have to give him the prize. Maybe once everything ends, he will get an after story? That would sound nice. What do you think PewPew?