Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Unfortunately, the same could be said for the Great Emperors. The joint attack they unleashed just now had basically exhausted the majority of their remaining strength. Nobody could tell how things would turn out until the battle actually ended. It was just that, based on the current situation, there was a heavy price to pay regardless of who won the battle in the end.

The world was on the brink of collapse and the World Energy itself churned chaotically. Several figures constantly threw themselves at Great Demon God, only to be knocked back. Then, they would struggle to get up and rush forward once more. The cycle repeated over and over again, causing the entire sky to be dyed red with blood.

…..

Yang Kai floated inside the Void, falling into a peculiar state. It felt as though he had broken free of an invisible shackle and his entire being was filled with a deeply profound sense of peace. He no longer experienced the pain from before nor any other senses for that matter. When he tried to clench his fist, he discovered that he could not move as he wished. When he tried to move his head, he found that he was similarly powerless in that regard. All of a sudden, he realised that his body was gone...

He suddenly recalled what had happened to him. He brought the severed palm into the Void Crack with him; then, he felt a violent shock slamming into him. After that, he found himself in this current situation.

[What is this? Was my physical body completely destroyed?] He was completely at a loss. [No way! I don't want to become the shortest-lived Great Emperor in the entire history of the Star Boundary! I only just became a Great Emperor not too long ago. Besides, I'm still so young, I still have a long future ahead of me!]

When he sensed the critical danger contained within that severed palm, his mind had blanked out completely. Only one thought remained in his head, [I have to get it away from here as soon as possible; otherwise, a huge catastrophe will befall the Star Boundary!]

Nevertheless, he couldn't help finding the result of his actions rather difficult to accept now that he was faced with the consequences.

[Do I regret my actions?] He asked himself. [Not really. If I had to do it all over again, I would have made the same choice even if I knew what was going to happen to me as a result.]

In the Star Boundary, there were many people who cared for him, loved him, and regarded him as the most important person in their lives. What was the loss of his physical body compared to the safety of those people?

[But... If I was blasted to pieces... Then, what is this situation? My physical body was destroyed, but my Soul remained intact? But, my physical body was turned to dust by the explosion of the severed palm. How is it that my Soul is fine?]

At this moment, he could clearly sense that his Soul was unharmed and perfectly intact. Next, he realised that his Soul was not floating aimlessly in the Void Crack. He was shielded within the petals of a seven-coloured lotus. The flower petals were wrapped around him, isolating him from the dangers in the surrounding.

[The Soul Warming Lotus!] Yang Kai immediately understood the situation. [So that's how it is! It was the Soul Warming Lotus that protected my Soul from that terrifying blast which had allowed me to survive.]

The Soul Warming Lotus was a Supreme Treasure that possessed unimaginable abilities and effects. He had obtained it when he was still very weak and placed it inside his Knowledge Sea. It had continuously nourished his Soul for many years, which allowed his Soul to grow at a steady pace without him intentionally cultivating it. It was not surprising that it could protect his Soul when he was in a pinch.

After figuring this out, Yang Kai calmed down. As long as his Soul was indestructible, it was not scary even if his physical body was smashed to bits. In the worst case, he could do what Great Demon God did and possess somebody else's body instead. He would still be able to start over anew.

It was just that this place was the Void Crack, and aside from him, very few people would venture into a place like this; hence, there was no hope of possessing somebody else's body.

[This is difficult... I don't have a physical body at the moment, so I can't exert much of my strength. I don't have the power to leave this Void Crack even if I wanted to. By the way, what happened to the situation in the Star Boundary? Great Demon God should be at his limits by now. I wonder if the rest of them can manage to kill him? What price would they have to pay to achieve that?]

Too many thoughts swirled about in his head, but he could not be bothered to think about it anymore. After losing the shackles of his physical body, leaving only his Soul behind, his entire being seemed to become lazy and carefree. Furthermore, the surroundings wrapped around him with a warmth that reminded him of home even though he had no physical body. It was an extremely comfortable feeling.

[Falling asleep here just like this doesn't seem like such a bad choice...] Whilst thinking like that, Yang Kai's cognitive processes gradually slowed, as though he was going to fall into eternal slumber. All of a sudden, the image of several tear-stricken women flashed across his mind and he jerked awake, a great sense of fear enveloping his heart.

[How are Su Yan and the others doing right now!? They probably saw what happened to me, so they must be heartbroken and in great despair! If I don't go back, how much grief would they be in!? I have to go back! Even if I don't have a physical body, I need to tell them that I'm fine! Besides, as long as I can return, I can get Wondrous Pill Great Emperor to refine a Flesh Incarnation Pill for me!]

Back then, Tian Yan did not have a physical body either, and it was precisely by relying on the Flesh Incarnation Pill that he could create a physical body for himself.

[If he can do it, then so can I!]

As for the Flesh Incarnation Fruit needed to refine a Flesh Incarnation Pill, Yang Kai currently did not have one; however, he had a fruit tree in the medicine garden of his Small Sealed World. He was the one who personally brought the fruit tree into the medicine garden back then; therefore, he only needed to wait and there would definitely come a day when the fruit tree would bear fruit.

After considering all this, Yang Kai froze in shock for a moment before gasping to himself, [Where is the Sealed World Bead!?]

All this while, the Sealed World Bead had been contained within his body, so now that his physical body had been torn to pieces, the Sealed World Bead might not be in good condition either. In the worst case, it might have shattered along with his physical body! The moment that thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai panicked and desperately began searching his surroundings.

A sweep of his Divine Sense revealed that the Void was filled with mashed pieces of flesh. There were also large patches of Golden Blood... [The appearance of my shattered physical body sure is an ugly sight.]

On the other hand, his mood brightened and he felt relieved. He did not see any traces of a shattered Sealed World Bead. The interior space inside the Sealed World Bead was extremely large, so if it had truly been shattered, then this Void Crack would surely contain a large portion of the Sealed World Bead's remains. Since he did not see any such traces, that could only mean that the Sealed World Bead was safe.

[Everything will be fine as long as the Sealed World Bead is safe. It can even be considered a blessing amidst all the misfortunes.]

Relying on the invisible connection in his mind, Yang Kai soon found the Sealed World Bead among the messy Void. It was not too far away from him, so he locked his mind onto it and with a flash of his thoughts, the Sealed World Bead responded, flew over to him, and dropped into the Soul Warming Lotus.

Afterward, Yang Kai transformed into his Soul Avatar, picked up the Sealed World Bead, kissed it fiercely and repeatedly, and heaved an emotional sigh. It was not a fluke that the Sealed World Bead was safe. It had always been hidden within his body, and when the severed palm self-detonated, the blast caused his body to explode into little pieces. That had to have cushioned most of the impact, so not much force would remain to affect the Sealed World Bead.

The Soul Warming Lotus and the Sealed World Bead were the two treasures that had accompanied Yang Kai the longest on his cultivation journey, so he could not bear to lose either of them.

At this moment, he did not know the situation in the outside world and he was powerless to affect it; therefore, he decided to abandon that thought and focus on his own future.

His top priority right now was to check on the condition of the Flesh Incarnation Fruit Tree. The growth cycle of the fruit was extremely long, but he could not wait for tens of thousands of years for the fruit to grow. If everything else did not work, then he could only ask the two little Wood Spirits to find a way to hasten the growth. With their abilities, that should be something they were capable of doing.

His thoughts flashed and his Soul Avatar slipped into the Small Sealed World and appeared directly within the medicine garden. Mu Zhu and Mu Lu came to greet him when they heard his arrival, "Master!"

Nothing about the situation was strange to them as Yang Kai constantly entered the medicine garden with his Soul Avatar, so they were used to this sight. They could never have imagined that, this time around, he could not come in the flesh even if he wanted to.

Yang Kai nodded lightly, then, he continued with a solemn expression, "I ran into a little trouble. No, it's a very big problem. As the saying goes, 'A King nurtures his army to use when necessary'. The time has come for the two of you to help me."

Mu Zhu and Mu Lu exchanged a glance with each other before the former retorted wryly, "Master, you have never nurtured us..."

It had always been the two of them slaving away in the medicine garden and unless Yang Kai needed their help, he basically never came to visit them. The two little Wood Spirits were no different from two hard labourers ever since they started serving under him. Not to mention, they had to help heal him every time he got hurt.

Shamelessly as always, his Soul Avatar did not even blush at those words as he raised his hand and said, "Only the two of you can help me with this."

"Master, what do you want us to do? Don't hesitate to ask!" His words kindled a spark of enthusiasm in the innocent Mu Lu. She clenched her fists tightly, looking as though she would devote her best efforts even if she died for the cause.

In contrast, Mu Zhu stretched out a hand, covered her forehead in exasperation, and shook her head with a sigh.

"I died!" He looked at them with a stern expression.

Mu Zhu blinked in astonishment.

On the other hand, Mu Lu's eyes immediately reddened and she anxiously cried out, "What!? What do we do now!? Are you alright, Master!?"

Mu Zhu slapped her in the back of her head and chastised her, "Why do you believe everything he says!? Can't you use your brain a little!?"

"But... But... Master has been killed!" Her tears flowed uncontrollably.

Mu Zhu snapped in frustration, "If he was truly dead, then how did he enter this place to talk to you!?"

Mu Lu was a little stunned, but she soon came back to her senses and cried out excitedly, "That's right!" Turning back to look at Yang Kai, she asked, "Master, you're joking, right?"

"I wish I were joking with you, but I'm not in the mood for that right now." He shrugged, "I'll say it again in all seriousness. I was beaten to death."

Mu Zhu frowned, looking him up and down, "Are you serious?"

"It's not a lie."

"Then, you..."

"I have the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, so even if my physical body is gone, my Soul survives!" He gave a wave of his hand and an image appeared beside them. It was an image of the Void Crack.

After looking at the pieces of flesh and puddles of blood scattered throughout the Void, the two little Wood Spirits turned pale as they finally realised that he was not playing a joke on them. The body of the person in front of them had really been shattered to pieces!

"Master... Does it hurt?" Mu Lu's tears began to flow again. That terrible scene made her heart go cold with fear. What more for him, the one who actually experienced it?

"What do you want us to do?" Mu Zhu's expression became serious. The destruction of a person's physical body was an extremely serious matter. If it were anybody else, they would really be dead right now. It was only thanks to the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai was in fairly good shape despite being in such terrible condition.

"The Flesh Incarnation Fruit!" He looked her in the eye, "I need to find somebody to help me refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill."

Mu Zhu's expression sank as she replied, "It takes a thousand years to flower, a thousand years to fruit, and a thousand years to ripen. Since it has not been long since the last fruit was picked, you will need to wait for at least three thousand years..."