Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

"Is there a way to shorten the growth period?" Yang Kai frowned. Although he had already guessed that this might be the case, he still felt troubled when he actually heard the words coming out of Mu Zhu's mouth.

"I'll try!" After saying that, Mu Zhu turned around and flew into the depths of the medicine garden. Judging by her behaviour, she did not even want to delay matters for a single breath. She would surely do her best to shorten the growth cycle of the Flesh Incarnation Fruit.

Then, she suddenly turned back and smiled wryly, "Even if we do our best, we can only shorten the time by half at most."

"That will still take 1,500 years…" Yang Kai couldn't help gnashing his teeth in response. That was such a long time to wait. Although waiting for 1,500 years was nothing with his current cultivation, it had to be reiterated that he had only lived for over a hundred years but less than two hundred years so far. In comparison, 1,500 years was a little scary to imagine.

"Who did you encounter? A Demon Saint?" She was a little curious about the person who killed him.

"He is even stronger than a Demon Saint." Yang Kai smiled bitterly. That was Great Demon God, from whom the entire Demon Race in the Demon Realm was born. A single command from him was all it took for the Demon Saints to obey his orders regardless of their will. They even disregarded their lives and allowed him to devour them.

Mu Zhu exclaimed in surprise, "There's somebody like that in the world!?"

Yang Kai nodded, "En. I don't know how long he has lived, but his situation is somewhat similar to my current situation. His physical body was destroyed but his Soul remained until today. But, that guy does not have the Soul Warming Lotus. I wonder how a mere Soul could survive for tens of thousands of years. Could it be that his Soul is so powerful that it has become immortal and indestructible?"

"Tens of thousands of years…" Mu Zhu's shock increased with those words.

The Soul was a mysterious thing. Every single living creature had a Soul, but Souls were also extremely fragile. No matter how powerful the Soul was, it would not take long for it to be extinguished once exposed to the world without the protection of a physical body. Even somebody as powerful as Tian Yan had to form a physical body first before he could leave the Divine Ascension Mirror.

It was difficult for Mu Zhu to even imagine how a person could survive without a body for tens of thousands of years with their Soul alone. Not to mention, this person was even more powerful than a Demon Saint. Just what kind of existence was he?

She was just about to ask for more details when she saw that Yang Kai's eyes were practically shining with light. He was looking very pensive and muttering about something under his breath; thus, she listened carefully and heard what he was muttering to himself.

"Immortal and indestructible… Immortal and indestructible…" The light in his eyes was getting brighter and brighter. All of a sudden, he burst out laughing, "How did I forget about it!?"

"Master, what are you referring to?" Mu Zhu was puzzled. She did not know what was going through his head that would make him so ecstatic.

He looked at her with bright eyes and heavily emphasised his words, "Immortal and indestructible. Immortal and indestructible! Doesn't that remind you of something!?"

Mu Zhu was starting to grasp at what he meant; however, she saw his Soul Avatar floating over to the side before she could even react. He soon came to a stop in front of a small tree only as tall as a person and stared at it with a scorching gaze.

For some reason, there was not a single leaf on that small tree. It was so bare that it looked like it might die at any moment, but contrary to appearances, the small tree was overflowing with vitality. It could even be said that the vitality of all the plants in the medicine garden combined could not compare to the vitality within this small tree.

"The Immortal Tree!" Mu Zhu gave a surprised cry, instantly understanding why Yang Kai had been so excited just now. Legend claimed that a person who refined the Immortal Tree would gain an immortal and indestructible body. At that time, that person would be able to live for as long as the world.

The Wood Spirit Clan was a Race that had been dealing with all kinds of Spirit Flowers and exotic grasses since ancient times; thus, they were not unfamiliar with the legends surrounding the Immortal Tree. Nevertheless, that was just a legend and nobody knew whether it was true or false. It could even be said that both Mu Zhu and Mu Lu doubted whether there was such a thing as the Immortal Tree in the world until they came here.

"You want to refine it!?" Mu Zhu looked at Yang Kai.

"Of course." Yang Kai nodded, "Is there any other way?"

The Flesh Incarnation Fruit was certainly one way, but he would need to wait for at least 1,500 years before it was ready. He could not afford to linger that long.

"But, didn't you try refining it before?" She frowned.

Yang Kai grinned, "I did try once in the past, but not in this state. Who knows? I might just receive an unexpected but pleasant surprise this time!"

"In that case, be careful!"

Yang Kai did not say anything more. Seeing as he had already found a different method, then there was no reason to hesitate. The worst that could happen was that he would fail. It would still be better than sitting around and twiddling his thumbs. His Soul Avatar turned into a mass of pure Spiritual Energy that slowly wrapped around the Immortal Tree and soon, the entire Immortal Tree was enveloped in his Soul.

He had obtained the Immortal Tree from a peculiar Sealed World in the Lower Star Field, and even now, he could still remember that there was a Seven Coloured Divine Peacock guarding the tree inside that Sealed World. The Seven Coloured Divine Light that the Divine Bird unleashed had been devastating…

At the time, he felt that the Divine Peacock had been incomparably powerful, and looking back on his experience now that he was a Great Emperor, he still believed that the Divine Peacock might be unbeatable even from the perspective of a Great Emperor… That was definitely not a Divine Bird that should have existed in a Lower Star Field. It was a mystery as to why it appeared in such a place.

Yang Kai had tried many times to refine the Immortal Tree after obtaining it, but his efforts had all been to no avail. On the other hand, the leaves of the Immortal Tree had allowed him to save the lives of many people. The price of his actions was that the entire Immortal Tree had become as bare as it was today without a single leaf. It was precisely because of his repeated failed attempts and all the leaves were gone that Yang Kai no longer paid any attention to the Immortal Tree. He had also forgotten all about the legends surrounding it. If it wasn't for the fact that his body had been destroyed, he would not have recalled this matter either.

A person's physical body was not only just for the protection of the Soul, it was also a kind of shackle.

Immersing his mind, Yang Kai let go of the many distracting thoughts in his head. The destruction of his physical body was indeed a great loss, but it also allowed him to look at this problem from a completely new angle.

Everything in this world started without a form. Just like the moon reflected in a well and the flowers reflected on the surface of the pond, only the Heavens remain unchanging. The Heavenly Way was unchanging as it was neither living nor dead, neither pure nor defiled… The difference between life and death might be terrifying, but rebirth could only be achieved after death.

As his mind sank deep into his thoughts, Yang Kai gradually seemed to gain insight into some profound mystery.

Inside the medicine garden, Mu Zhu watched in amazement as Yang Kai wrapped his Soul around the Immortal Tree. His Spiritual Energy seeped into the small tree that was only as tall as a person at a rate that was visible to the naked eye. There was no resistance whatsoever and his entire being soon vanished from sight. It looked as though the Immortal Tree had completely devoured his Soul.

Shocked, she desperately called out, "Master! Master…"

How could she receive a response though? She could not even detect his aura with her perception anymore. At this point, she was truly panicking. He still had hope of recreating a new body for himself after his physical body was destroyed, but it would mean true death for him if even his Soul was gone. She never imagined that refining the Immortal Tree would result in this situation. If she had known earlier, she would have stopped him no matter what she had to say.

Mu Zhu's shouts alarmed Mu Lu, who had been in the depths of the medicine garden trying to stimulate the growth of the Flesh Incarnation Fruit Tree; thus, her small figure hurriedly rushed over. After asking about the situation, she too was frozen on the spot in shock. A long while later, the two sisters looked at each other, hugged each other, and wept.

Mu Lu cried, "What are we going to do now that Master is gone!?"

Mu Zhu was also weeping but she still did her best to console Mu Lu despite the tears flowing down her face, "Don't panic. Something probably happened to him. There's no reason for him to disappear just like that."

Mu Lu said, "We need to think of a way to rescue him quickly!"

"Right! We should think of a way! Think of a way!" Mu Zhu nodded repeatedly.

The two of them looked at each other, their minds churning in their small heads rapidly. After a while though, Mu Zhu finally said, "I can't think of anything."

Then, the two little people hugged each other and wept again…

Tired of crying. Mu Zhu gradually stopped weeping. She rubbed her red and swollen eyes, "Matriarch would know what to do if she were here."

Mu Lu mumbled, "But, Master isn't here. We don't have a way to leave this place. How can we look for her?"

The Small Sealed World was a world of its own. Only Yang Kai and the Embodiment could open this world, and although the two of them had lived inside here for many years, they did not possess the ability to open the world.

"Then, we can only work hard to cultivate. When we become stronger, we can tear the World Barrier open and escape; after that, we can search for Matriarch…"

While Mu Zhu was talking, Mu Lu suddenly reached out to tug at her sharply. She looked at Mu Lu and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Big Sister Mu Zhu, look!" Mu Lu pointed in the direction of the Immortal Tree.

Mu Zhu looked in that direction and couldn't help becoming surprised. It was because the branches of the Immortal Tree were swaying gently, as though somebody was stretching lazily. It was an amazing sight to see.

Her eyes lit up at the sight, "Master is fine!"

There was no wind in the medicine garden and the Immortal Tree had never moved before despite being here for so many years. For the branches to move now could only mean that it was related to the integration of Yang Kai's Soul.

Under the watch of the two little Wood Spirits, the bare branches danced more and more violently. It was as though the tree was throwing a tantrum, so much so that the branches were cutting through the air with whooshing sounds.

In the next moment, a familiar voice rang out in the minds of the two little people, "What the Hell is going on!? Why did I become a tree!? What is this!?"

That voice belonged to Yang Kai!

"Master?" Mu Zhu widened her eyes and stared at the Immortal Tree in front of her with disbelief.

"That's right! It's me!" Yang Kai responded as the branches of the Immortal Tree continued to flail wildly, his voice sounding rather gloomy.

There was no way he could not be depressed! He had felt a shackle binding him out of nowhere after he immersed his mind into the Immortal Tree. Immediately following that, he found himself in his current situation.

It was true that he wanted to refine the Immortal Tree so that he gained an immortal and indestructible body, but even so, he never expected to succeed in this way! He had literally turned into the Immortal Tree and become immortal and indestructible, but what could this body do? Was he supposed to use his branches to flail at his enemies when he was in danger? Not to mention, the tree was so bare that it did not have a single leaf. It made him feel as if he was naked. There was no need to say just how uncomfortable that felt.

Mu Zhu couldn't help laughing at the funny scene in front of her even though she knew that now was not the time to laugh. On the other hand, Mu Lu flew over and circled around the Immortal Tree, "Master, are you okay?"

"How can I be okay in this situation?" He replied with a stomach full of grievances.