Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

For that reason, Yang Kai could only endure silently even if his mind was flooded with the thoughts of killing Cang Mo. He walked over to Yang Yan and asked in a whisper, "What happened here?"

The tragic situation in front of him undoubtedly indicated that both the Humans and Demons had gone through an unprecedented battle before his arrival. Unfortunately, the root cause of this battle was definitely related to the Grand Dao opportunity.

"The Illusionary Heavens Furnace is here!" Yang Yan gestured at something behind him.

Yang Kai turned around to look, his eyes narrowing at the sight. Behind him stood a quaint-looking Giant Furnace in the very centre of the hall. It was emanating an ancient and desolate aura as though it had just stepped out of the past to emerge from the river of history. There were countless peculiar patterns engraved around the Giant Furnace. At first glance, those patterns did not seem to mean anything; however, one would find that these patterns coincided with the Principles of the Grand Dao upon closer inspection…

Even though Yang Kai had seen the gigantic projection of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace from afar before, he couldn't help being stunned when he saw the real Illusionary Heavens Furnace for the first time. His mind seemed drawn towards the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, giving him a desperate impulse to delve into the mysteries contained in it.

At this moment, the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was not empty; there was actually a tree inside of it. It was small and not very tall, only about 10 metres or so. It had lush green leaves and a single fruit hanging from one of its branches. The fruit was about the size of a fist and crystal-clear with inexplicably colourful lights that kept changing inside.

A peculiar fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, penetrating directly into his mind. This fragrance was rather familiar. It was the same smell that he had noticed while on his way here. The realisation struck Yang Kai suddenly, this was the source of that fragrance.

"What is that?" Yang Kai furrowed his brow tightly. The information he received from Sheng Yu Zhu was only regarding the existence of the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, and yet, at this moment, there was a small tree inside the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, not to mention a fruit hanging on the tree…

He turned to glance at Sheng Yu Zhu, but the latter just shook her head slowly to indicate that she did not know either. Yang Kai did not know if she truly was clueless or if she was only pretending to be. In any case, he had the vague feeling that the key to becoming a Great Emperor was not the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, but this fruit from the small tree inside the Illusionary Heavens Furnace!

Yang Yan stood next to him and explained the situation. It turned out that after they parted with Yang Kai, they came directly to this place. Not long after their arrival, they discovered that everyone had been gathered in this place. There was nothing more to say when everybody encountered each other. A huge battle immediately broke out.

People dropped like flies in that battle. With the increasing numbers of deaths, the small tree gradually grew inside the Illusionary Heavens Furnace and a fruit gradually grew on the tree. That was what led to the scene they were currently looking at. Too many people had died on both sides, not to mention the rest were gravely injured. Death and pain finally made both sides calm down, leading to a stalemate between both the Humans and the Demons before Yang Kai's arrival.

"That's the Heavenly Source Fruit!" Jia Long's voice came from the opposite side. Yang Kai looked up to see Jia Long obsessively staring at the only fruit on the small tree. While speaking, Jia Long even licked his lips in temptation, "Whoever snatches that Heavenly Source Fruit and successfully refines it will obtain the opportunity for the Grand Dao." Narrowing his eyes, he glanced sideways at Yang Kai and provocatively asked, "Do you want it?"

"Heavenly Source Fruit?" Yang Kai raised his brow at those words, "Did Can Ye tell you about it?"

It had to be said that the Star Boundary was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of information in this Grand Dao battle. Many Great Emperors were currently trapped inside an inexplicable space that they could not escape, while on the other hand, the Demon Race had Can Ye on their side, who could give the Half-Saints some pointers in advance so that they knew what their goal was from the start during this expedition.

"Over the generations, those who entered this Source Sealed World were all Pseudo-Great Emperors. Which of these people was not a person blessed with luck and good fortune by the Heavens?" Jia Long did not answer Yang Kai's question and instead began monologuing, "It's not just the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary. The same goes for the Half-Saints from the Demon Realm. Who among us is any different?"

Even though they were enemies, Yang Kai could not refute Jia Long's words. Those who could cultivate until they became Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints were those born with great destinies. Each one of them had lived a wondrous and adventure filled life. Just take him for example. His cultivation journey had been blessed with countless opportunities. Which among those opportunities would not make ordinary people burn with jealousy? If not for those opportunities, how could he have reached this point in his life?

In this world, there would always be some who were born with great luck. These people would survive after falling off a cliff. Moreover, they would stumble upon a cave mansion only to inherit both the wealth and the Divine Secret Techniques left behind by an ancient Senior, which would allow them to escape their predicament and propel them to greater heights.

Who among all the Pseudo-Great Emperors and the Half-Saints standing here had not experienced such opportunities and good fortune?

"The Heavenly Source Fruit that can be found in the Source Sealed World grows by absorbing the luck and fated fortune we carry as nutrients. Without that luck and fortune, this fruit would not have appeared." Jia Long looked at Yang Kai calmly, a contemptuous smirk appearing at the corner of his lips.

Yang Kai frowned thoughtfully and said, "So, you are saying that the Source Sealed World took away the luck of those who died to produce this Heavenly Source Fruit."

"More or less!" Jia Long's expression became serious, "That is why most of the participants will die in each Grand Dao battle. There is no helping it. It won't work if there are no deaths. How would this fruit form if no deaths occurred? The Heavenly Source Fruit will only be born when enough people are dead and their luck and good fortune have returned to the world. After all, the total amount of luck and good fortune in the world is limited!"

The reason why only one Heavenly Source Fruit was produced this time was that only one Great Emperor was allowed to be born in this world today. If the World's Bottle still had more capacity to spare, then the tree would have borne more than one Heavenly Source Fruit by now.

"Putting it that way, it would mean that I am taking away all the luck and good fortune of those who died if I consume this Heavenly Source Fruit."

Yang Kai was secretly surprised. [It's no wonder the Heavenly Source Fruit has such a mysterious effect if all the luck and good fortune of so many Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints have been combined into one.]

"Of course," Jia Long said quickly, "Besides, the Grand Dao battle this time is unlike any other Grand Dao battles in the past. This time, my Demon Race is participating in it!"

Yang Kai looked solemn, "That truly is a lot of luck and good fortune from two Universe Worlds."

Jia Long spread his arms to the side with a look of madness on his face, "This Heavenly Source Fruit is stronger than all the other Heavenly Source Fruits across history! Whoever can get their hands on it will be able to stand above all the other Great Emperors and Demon Saints in the future!"

Yang Kai took a deep breath, "So, that's how it is." Then, he grinned, "It looks like not enough people have died yet."

Likewise, Jia Long smiled, "Good, the fruit has not ripened."

At this moment, the Heavenly Source Fruit on the small tree was already exuding a tempting fragrance and the lights flowing inside of it looked extremely extraordinary. However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Heavenly Source Fruit was not fully ripe yet. In addition, the invisible barrier around the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was still in place. Nobody could get close enough to snatch the fruit. Still, the fruit had already grown so much that although it had yet to fully ripen, it was clearly going to happen soon.

Jia Long suddenly raised three fingers and quickly declared, "Three. It will only take three more deaths at most for the Heavenly Source Fruit to ripen!"

Yang Kai rubbed his chin and nodded, "That is to say, our work is done as long as we kill another three of you."

Jia Long grinned, "Where do you get that much confidence? We have the advantage in numbers."

Yang Kai lifted his chin and looked down at Jia Long, "If you really have such a huge advantage, then why are you still wasting your time talking to me? You are all injured, but I am in peak condition. If it comes down to a fight, it's hard to say who will win and who will lose."

Jia Long said, "And, that's why I have a suggestion."

"Speak!"

"Three duals. The outcome will be decided by death. Nobody is allowed to intervene in those battles, so the survivor of those battles will lie in the hands of fate. The Heavenly Source Fruit will ripen after three battles, everybody will have to rely on their own abilities after that."

Yang Kai frowned when he heard those words as his gaze swept over the Demon Race Half-Saints standing behind Jia Long. He had the faint feeling that these Half-Saints' injuries were more serious than he originally thought. Otherwise, Jia Long would not have come up with that suggestion with such an advantage in numbers.

[But…] Yang Kai then turned his head to look at the people of the Star Boundary. [The situation on our side is no better.]

Jia Long added, "If this chaotic battle continues, nobody can guarantee that it will end. Regardless of which side, the losses for both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm are already too high. That is why this King wishes to use the smallest price in exchange for the greatest prize. What do you think?"

The people from the Demon Realm were led by Jia Long; therefore, no other Half-Saint would object to his decision.

On the contrary, there was no leader on the Star Boundary's side. It was only natural that Yang Kai could not rashly make a decision on behalf of the others. Thus, he fell silent for a moment before he said, "We will need to discuss this among ourselves."

Jia Long gestured for Yang Kai to proceed. Then, he turned to stare hungrily at the Heavenly Source Fruit. There was a look of greed in his eyes that could not be concealed.

It was impossible not to feel covetous. As long as he could get his hands on the Heavenly Source Fruit, he would instantly rise above all the other Demon Saints. It was a supreme glory! As Jia Long mentioned before, this Heavenly Source Fruit was different from all the other Heavenly Source Fruits throughout history. The formation of this fruit brought together the luck and good fortune from two Universe Worlds. Nobody knew what kind of mysterious effects it would have when consumed.

Yang Kai turned around and looked at the many Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary. At this point, only 12 survivors remained among the people from the Star Boundary, including himself. It had to be said that there were a total of 30 people when they first entered the Source Sealed World known as the Profound Heavens Temple.

In the short span of one month, 18 Pseudo-Great Emperors had died in this place to become the nutrients for the birth and ripening of the Heavenly Source Fruit. Even Gan Li, who had been travelling with Yang Kai before, was nowhere to be seen. It was most likely that he was already dead.

A touch of sorrow appeared in the depths of Yang Kai's eyes as he took a deep breath and said, "You must have heard what that guy said just now. What do you think?"

Yang Yan frowned, "Do you believe him?"

Yang Kai considered the question in silence for a bit, "I believe the part about the Heavenly Source Fruit. At this point in time, there is no reason for him to lie. Even if he did, it doesn't change anything. Besides, I can feel that the fruit is indeed the key to becoming a Great Emperor. As for the rest…" He slowly shook his head.

Bing Yun piped up, "The information about the Heavenly Source Fruit does not seem to be false. There was no fruit tree in the Illusionary Heavens Furnace when we first arrived here, but as more people died, the fruit tree and subsequently the fruit itself gradually appeared."

Another person said, "If that's the case, then it's okay to go along with his suggestion. In any case, it isn't disadvantageous to us in any way. Rather, they lose more than we do if we agree to this."

"There are only three battles. We need to carefully consider who will be sent to fight."