Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Ashish

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Judging by Yue He's current behaviour, it looked as if she was about to face a deadly adversary. This caused Yang Kai to be extremely nervous as well. He might not have any idea as to what the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was, but he could guess that it was definitely something bad.

Everyone in the Star City immediately backed away before running to seek shelter.

When Yang Kai looked over his shoulders, his pupils immediately shrank. He saw that any cultivator who was unable to escape from the Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog disappeared into thin air. That pink mist was like an invisible beast, swallowing all the cultivators into its belly. No matter how high one's cultivation was, they were unable to resist at all.

Yang Kai even saw a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master helpless to save himself even after going all out.

Not only was this happening to people, but even the buildings in the Star City and even the Spirit Province itself where the Star City was located weren't spared. With the fog spreading around, the Spirit Province simply disappeared, buildings and all.

Three breaths, just three breaths had elapsed since Yang Kai noticed this Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, and yet most of Star City had already disappeared, including everything and everyone inside of it.

Yue He clutched Yang Kai's arm and desperately fled. As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she could be considered quite strong and her speed was astonishing when she went all out, but even then, she couldn't escape the chasing fog.

Seeing that the fog was about to catch up to them, Yang Kai shouted, extremely anxiously, "Let go!"

The Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was too fast, so at this point, only Instantaneous Moment could give them a chance to escape, but Yue He was tightly gripping him, making it impossible for Yang Kai to use Space Principles freely.

But where would Yue He have the time to care about his words? Yang Kai might not have any idea about how dangerous the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was, but she was very clear about it. When she sensed Yang Kai struggling, she injected a burst of energy straight into Yang Kai's body without speaking a word.

Yang Kai's body immediately went limp; he almost coughed up blood in anger!

And this momentary delay had denied them the best chance to escape. The pink Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog came sweeping from the rear, instantly enveloping the two inside.

The sight before Yang Kai's eyes instantly changed as a feeling of the sky and the earth spinning around hit him. He was surrounded by a pink fog and couldn't see anything, nor could he release his Divine Sense. Just when he was growing nervous and restless, he heard Yue He's voice by his ear as an orchid-like fragrance tickled his nose.

"Don't be afraid, the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog isn't lethal. We won't die."

Yang Kai furrowed his brow upon hearing this, [Since it's not lethal, why are so many cultivators in the Star City terrified at the sight of this Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, and escaping from it as if it was some deadly snake or scorpion?] What's more, he had witnessed with his own eyes countless cultivators being devoured by this Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog. Could it be that those people were still alive?

His body drifted through the darkness as if it was falling into an endless abyss.

A soft and tender figure pressed against his hard and robust body. Even though he couldn't see anything, Yang Kai still knew that it was Yue He and he secretly found it funny. A Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master was actually feeling insecure and needed to cling to him for comfort?

However, he was rather curious at this moment.

He might have no idea what exactly this Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was, and what would happen after being swallowed by it, but he wasn't unfamiliar with the sensation he was experiencing right now. It felt similar to when he crossed the Void to teleport extremely far away.

After a short time, the pink mist around him disappeared and his line of sight cleared up. As he looked around, he found himself having come to another world.

He was definitely not in the same Star City as before as he was now in a wide and endless plain. There were many cultivators scattered all around him; clearly, all of them were the unlucky folks that were just swallowed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog.

When he looked up at the sky, Yang Kai furrowed his brow. What he saw was akin to looking at the face of oblivion. It appeared as if the sky would collapse at any moment, giving the onlooker an extreme feeling of oppression.

Also, there were many ruins scattered all around him. Judging by their shapes and plaques, they should be the remains of the stores of the Star City.

It was the first time Yang Kai saw the strange sight of even buildings getting devoured. He couldn't help but be baffled by it.

All the cultivators, who had been swallowed here, showed different kinds of reactions; some were excited, some were depressed, and many were cursing the Heavens…

"The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!" Yue He, looking around, murmured, "I never expected the rumours to be true."

"Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?" Yang Kai looked over at her. Finally, he realized that she had been grabbing his arm all the while, causing him to unconsciously glance down slightly.

Yue He immediately let go of his hand with a laugh, "The Outer Universe is incredibly vast and inhabited by numerous great forces, but in addition to the known worlds, there are some hidden in the Void such as this one, the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary appears perhaps once in a millennium, and every time it does, it vanishes soon after. No one can find its traces no matter how much they try. The only way to enter is to chance upon the opportunity."

"Opportunity?" Yang Kai raised his brow.

"En, this is both an opportunity and a disaster." Yue He glanced at him, "The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary is extremely mysterious. It's very hard to find its traces as it's detached from the Outer Universe. It's not even among the 3,000 Worlds. If entering it is not an opportunity, then what is?"

Yang Kai sneered as he thought, [If it's really an opportunity, why did you flee in panic after seeing it? Why are some cultivators cursing while others are rejoicing? Why have so many faces gone completely pale?]

Yue He's face slowly became solemn as she continued in a heavy voice, "I have only heard the rumours, but supposedly, whenever the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary appears, the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog manifests, and everything in the area shrouded in the fog would be completely devoured. But one would only believe the rumours to be true when they have finally seen it with their own eyes."

Yang Kai ponderingly asked after hearing this, "You mean to say that we can leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?"

Yue He replied, "Of course. If there was no way out, how would rumours about the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary spread? It's just that one can't escape from this place by force. As long as one remains here for a certain duration, he or she can naturally leave this place."

"And how long is that?" Yang Kai furrowed his brow.

After knowing that he could leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he wasn't so worried anymore. At least he wasn't afraid of being trapped in this damned place for a lifetime.

"I'm not sure either. Some say that it's ten years, some say it's twenty, and some even say that it's fifty to a hundred years. I guess that the time limit for each opening is different."

Yang Kai's face turned serious. He might be able to take it if it was just a decade or two, but if he was trapped for more than half a century, it would be really bad.

"The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary isn't safe either. You must be very careful here." Yue He continued, staring at him, "If twenty percent of those who enter this place leave alive, it's considered quite good."

"It's that dangerous here?" Yang Kai asked, frowning.

Yue He agreed, nodding, "There are many Ancient Exotic Beasts living here, each and every one of them extremely strong. They can slaughter an entire city quite easily. Moreover… human greed is the most dangerous threat of all." While speaking, she glanced at the cultivators around them, who had all kinds of expressions hanging on their faces.

Yang Kai slightly nodded before asking, "You said that it was an opportunity and a disaster. I understand the disaster, but where is the opportunity?"

Yue He chuckled, "The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opens once every thousand years or so, and the number of people who can enter it varies greatly each time. If the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog swept through the void, perhaps no one would be able to enter even if it opened. As far as I know, the last time someone entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was several millennia ago. No one has been here for several millennia, so all the treasures and precious herbs have had several millennia to mature. So tell me, is this a treasure trove or not?"

Yang Kai's eyes lit up after hearing this.

Yue He continued, "Some people found enough resources here that by the time they left, they were able to break through to the Open Heaven Realm and found great forces of their own. Others found the Grand Ancient Ruins Fruit which helped them advance by an Order. Some even managed to tame a powerful Ancient Exotic Beast, allowing them to freely roamed across the 3,000 Worlds. There are countless examples of people finding something here which helped them ascend to the sky in a single bound. Rumour has it that the Sect Masters of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, True Martial Cave Heaven, and Primordial Cave Heaven all once entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!"

Yang Kai was stupefied after hearing this. He had never heard of something called the Grand Ancient Ruins Fruit, but the fact that it could help someone to advance by an Order was simply incredible and Yang Kai couldn't help but wonder if such a treasure really existed.

Furthermore, Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, True Martial Cave Heaven, and Primordial Cave Heaven were all top-ranked Cave-Heavens among the 36. Their Sect Masters were also Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. [If such figures had once entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, then does that mean that their strength and success had something to do with their experience here?]

Nothing could be said for certain, but after observing everyone's expression and demeanour, Yang Kai was certain that the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was indeed a treasure trove of opportunities, and the opportunities weren't small either; otherwise, many cultivators wouldn't be looking so excited.

Yue He suddenly frowned once again and muttered, "Too many people have entered this time though. I'm afraid there has never been so many people entering the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary like this ever before."

It was just a coincidence that the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog swept over a heavily populated Star City. Yang Kai reckoned that not a single person could make a getaway from the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog and all of them were swallowed by it.

A few hundred thousand cultivators from the Star City were now gathered inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. It could be said that this would go down in history. But Yang Kai felt that not that many people were gathered nearby. Presumably, everyone was scattered across the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary when they entered, so there were probably just a few tens of thousands of people nearby, that's all.

Just as Yang Kai was immersed in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a sharp, miserable scream.

Yang Kai was startled, but when he turned to look, he saw a group of men crowded around a burly man with a sabre, confronting another group. And at the forefront of the other group stood a cultivator dressed as a shop boy. He appeared to be in pain and was covering his stomach with a frightened look on his face. There was a huge gaping wound across his body and he was profusely bleeding from it. Clearly, he had been injured by the burly man.

The burly man angrily shouted with a condescending look on his face, "I'll say it again, get out of my way or die!"

The leader of the other group looked like the shopkeeper of a certain store. Hearing that, his expression changed and he cupped his fists and entreated, "All of us have landed in trouble together here. We should be supporting each other, not fighting amongst ourselves. My Spring Meadows Hall is not without a backer either. Aren't you afraid of retribution in the future?"

The burly man sneered after hearing this, "Retribution? We'll see if this retribution could do anything to this Old Master."

Saying so, he slashed ahead. The shopkeeper's face turned pale. He was just about to retreat but the burly man was stronger than him. As the burly man swung the blade down, the sabre aura shot from it directly split the shopkeeper into two and his two halves fell left and right.

When the shop boys standing behind the shopkeeper saw this, they screamed in horror before fleeing randomly.

The sabre-wielding burly man burst into wild laughter before instructing his subordinates, "Bring me all the pills in the store! Don't leave even a single one behind."

The group behind him then rushed out one after another, charging towards the collapsed store, whereupon they lifted the collapsed walls and stuffed the bottles of pills into their pockets.