Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

After a series of inspections, Yang Kai decided on a plan of action for this trip. He was going to kill as many Demon Race Half-Saints as possible while doing his best to compete for the Grand Dao! The latter was the main objective of course. Even if he was unlucky enough to let the one and only opportunity slip through his fingers though, he could not let it fall into the hands of the Demons; otherwise, the Star Boundary would become powerless to resist.

Once he decided on his goal, his mind became clear. He put away the jade slip and adjusted his condition. This was going to be a difficult mission where his life and death were uncertain. It was only natural that he welcomed the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple in his best condition.

The night Sheng Yu Zhu secretly invited Yang Kai out, she had told him that the Profound Heavens Temple would open within the month. In reality, the Profound Heavens Temple started showing signs just three days later.

Somewhere in the sky, a trace of a mysterious aura surged out of nowhere. The aura resonated with the Grand Dao of the world. People with lower cultivation might not notice anything, but those in the Emperor Realm and above could clearly perceive this aura. Furthermore, their understanding of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way seemed to become much more thorough under the influence of this aura. That was followed by an explosive increase in strength.

Under the influence of that mysterious aura, many Emperor Realm Masters and Demon Kings from the Demon Realm whose cultivation had been stagnant suddenly broke through the shackles that had troubled them for so many years in an extremely short time. They broke through their bottlenecks and advanced to a higher Realm.

The numbers were low at the beginning; however, the aura that leaked out of the void became more and more intense with the passing of time. This resulted in more and more Masters achieving a breakthrough. Every day, a rising storm would surge through the places where the Star Boundary armies were stationed and the Ten Primary Demon Strongholds occupied by the Demon Race. World Energy Baptisms boomed endlessly.

Even some of those in the peak of the Third-Order Emperor Realm seemed to receive enlightenment over the past few days and hurriedly entered retreat. If they successfully comprehended these new insights, then they would surely break through to become Pseudo-Great Emperors.

An omen of great prosperity had appeared when the world was in great chaos. Like a dying old man, the hidden potential of the Star Boundary burst out at a critical life-or-death moment. It thus blanketed the world without discriminating between Humans and Demons.

The Profound Heavens Temple had yet to open, but be that as it may, the effects of its impending advent were already miraculous. What kind of situation would arise if the Profound Heavens Temple were to open or if they went inside?

This abnormal phenomenon left many people bewildered. Meanwhile, those Pseudo-Great Emperors with a slight understanding of the situation became more and more confident in their conjectures; thus, they quietly made intensive preparations for the future.

Five days later, the illusory phantom of a large palace suddenly appeared in the sky. The palace appeared out of thin air without any warning beforehand, looking like a projection with no real substance. The appearance of the palace was simple, but it gave off a desolate aura, as though it passed through the river of time from an extremely ancient era. It appeared just like that in front of everybody's eyes.

Both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm sent people to investigate the situation; however, nobody could get close to that ethereal palace, regardless of who went or what methods they used. It wasn't as though the palace had a barrier around it that made it impossible to approach. It clearly looked like it was not far away, almost as though they would arrive if they flew for a little while longer. Even so, the distance remained the same an hour later. Yet another hour later, the distance still remained the same. Helpless, both sides gave up on investigating the phenomenon. Besides, the higher-ups on both sides knew that nobody would be able to obtain any useful information before the Profound Heavens Temple opened completely.

When the illusory phantom of Profound Heavens Temple appeared, the World Energy of the entire Star Boundary began gathering in its direction. It happened so fast that there was a frenzy of energy in every corner of the Star Boundary.

As the days passed, the palace became clearer and clearer. It also became more and more tangible. In comparison, the World Energy in the Star Boundary had reduced considerably. It would seem that the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple was not without a price. It needed the World Energy of the entire world as its foundation to reveal its true appearance.

At this point, the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple could no longer be hidden. It was not as if it was a top-secret matter. It was just that only a small number of Pseudo-Great Emperors knew about it. Most people were completely unaware since information regarding this matter had been contained among a handful of people in order to prevent a huge ruckus. But now, the matter regarding the Profound Heavens Temple was exposed. Anybody could see it as long as they were not blind. It was just that nobody knew when it would open.

At the place where the Star Boundary armies were stationed, the matter regarding the Grand Dao battle was gradually revealed with the appearance of the Profound Heavens Temple, more so when they connected the words 'Heavens' Revelations, Profound Heavens Manifestation' to this phenomenon. The hearts of the people surged. Some with more straightforward personalities went directly to Li Wu Yi to ask if it was the truth while others secretly planned to watch how the situation would unfold.

The matter relating to the Profound Heavens Temple could not be covered up any longer; thus, Li Wu Yi decided to gather all the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary in one place to disclose the matters regarding it and the Grand Dao battle. Everybody was in an uproar and the hall instantly became chaotic.

Li Wu Yi smiled bitterly. What he worried about the most had happened in the end. Now that the matter regarding the Profound Heavens Temple was known to all, the problem the Star Boundary faced was who would go and who would stay.

If everybody decided to enter the Profound Heavens Temple, then the Star Boundary armies would immediately collapse. The Demon Race's Grand Array had been activated and the Demon Strongholds were continuously devouring the Star Boundary's territory. Without Pseudo-Great Emperors leading the armies, who could block the charge of the Demon Race army? Even the few territories left would be lost.

Even so, which Pseudo-Great Emperor would be willing to back down when the greatest opportunity and event in their lives appeared right in front of them? It wasn't that they were selfish, it was just that they had worked hard to cultivate until today. How many times had they wandered between life and death during this process? Was it not for this very moment? Even with the pressure of total annihilation bearing down on them, it could not stop their determination and desire to reach even greater heights in the Martial Dao.

Nobody could deprive them of this right. Not even the Great Emperors would have had the qualification to do so if they were still here. For that reason, it would surely cause the people's hearts to chill if this matter was not handled carefully. The Star Boundary could not withstand any more unrest at this point. Unfortunately, Li Wu Yi, who could calmly deal with matters in the face of the pressure from the Demon Race army, had no idea how to begin persuading the Pseudo-Great Emperors within the hall.

The commotion continued with everyone expressing their respective opinions, but their discussions led nowhere even after five days.

It was unrealistic for nobody to go in. The Profound Heavens Temple was right before them and judging by the speed it was solidifying, it wouldn't take long before it formed completely. The doors of the palace would open when that happened. Even if the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary did not enter, the Demon Race Half-Saints would not hold back. What else would remain for the Star Boundary if the Half-Saints got their hands on the World's Recognition? Similarly, it was unrealistic for everybody to go in together.

Fortunately, the Demon Race was most likely facing the same problem. It was just that their situation was slightly better in comparison as they did not have as many worries as the Star Boundary.

At this critical moment, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun appeared together. When their Dragon Pressure spread out, the entire hall fell silent and stopped bickering. In the end, it was decided that fate would decide.

They would draw lots.

Some had to enter the Profound Heavens Temple while others had to stay behind and guard the Star Boundary. They could only rely on their respective luck since nobody was willing to miss this opportunity.

According to the two Dragon Clan Elders, this method might be a little foolish, but it was still a matter of destiny. If a person could not even draw a winning lot, then that could only mean that fate was not on their side and things would probably end badly for them even if they entered the Profound Heavens Temple.

There was no logic behind these words, but the strength of the two Dragon Clan Elders was a powerful deterrent. Who would dare to object to their suggestion when they had already made it?

After some preparations, the final results came out. A total of 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors received the honour of entering the Profound Heavens Temple when the doors opened. Thus, they were both elated and worried at the prospect.

They had heard from Li Wu Yi that countless Pseudo-Great Emperors had fallen during every Grand Dao battle up until today. In the end, only about one-third would safely return from the Profound Heavens Temple. The rest would be buried there. In other words, only 10 out of these 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors with the qualifications to enter were expected to survive to the end. Looking around at each other, they wondered to themselves. [Who will be among those that will survive? Will it be you? Or me?]

With that, this matter was settled. The 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors immediately returned to their respective residences to undergo intensive cultivation in retreat while waiting for the day to arrive. Although the remaining Pseudo-Great Emperors were unhappy, they could only resign themselves to their fate. Under the watch of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun's Dragon Eyes, anybody who showed the slightest hint of disobedience would immediately be killed on the spot. At such a critical juncture, the two Dragon Clan Elders would not be the least bit merciful.

The Demon Strongholds expanded outward rapidly every single day, eroding large swaths of the Star Boundary's territory. Similarly, the Profound Heavens Temple devoured the World Energy from the world at a terrifying speed, solidifying its existence.

Day after day, the World Energy in the Star Boundary weakened. This weakening was not permanent of course and only needed time to recover; however, the time required would not be just three or five years but rather several dozen years or even several hundred years!

Half a month after Yang Kai's meeting with Sheng Yu Zhu, a humming sound rang out in the world. Yang Kai, who was in retreat, abruptly opened his eyes as though he could sense something and appeared outside with a slight flicker of his body. Lifting his head to look, he saw the huge palace shining with millions of points of light in the sky. It illuminated the entire world and even the most intense of darkness could not resist. The humming sound was naturally coming from the palace.

All the blood in his body began boiling uncontrollably and he could sense something calling out to him from the shadows to enter the palace. Yang Kai lightly pressed his hand against his chest, knowing that the World's Will in him was surging, surprising himself slightly. [I can't believe the Profound Heavens Temple opened at this time!]

Sheng Yu Zhu had said that the Profound Heavens Temple would open within the month, but even so, he had not expected it to happen so soon.

Yang Kai next frowned slightly as he could clearly sense that the World Energy in the surroundings had grown weaker by a considerable amount. Although he had been in retreat during this period, he had remained aware of what was going on outside. He also knew about the dispute over the qualifications to enter between the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary.

After sensing his surroundings at this moment, he immediately understood that the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple had, at the very least, consumed a hundred years' worth of World Energy from the Star Boundary.