Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Raikov

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

The next morning, when Yang Kai and Xu Zhen left the residence, everyone came to see them off.

Yue He hid at the back of the crowd with a terrible look on her face. Yang Kai heard from Guo Zi Yan that this woman threw a huge tantrum last night, smashing the things in her room and scaring them so badly that they did not even dare to breathe too loudly.

Yang Kai looked at Guo Zi Yan and instructed, "This trip should not take too long. While I am away, watch over them and supervise their cultivation carefully. If you need any resources, ask Yue He."

Guo Zi Yan answered, "Yes."

Yue He pouted at the back, "Hmph..."

Yang Kai glanced at her, "Yue He, you know what to do if you encounter any danger that you cannot handle."

Yue He tilted her head to the other side, "Heh heh..."

Lu Xue felt guilty to hear her laugh like that and stepped forward, "Sir, should this Mistress follow you?"

"No need. Just stay here and help Yue He manage the Star City."

Lu Xue withdrew reluctantly and glanced quietly at Yue He, only to see this woman smiling coldly at her. That smile sent shivers down her spine and she knew that if this misunderstanding was not unravelled soon, she would not have an easy life in the future.

"You can all return now. Brother Xu, let us go," Yang Kai called out to Xu Zhen before rising to the sky.

Xu Zhen followed nimbly behind.

After the two of them left, Yue He finally put away the smile on her face and lifted her skirt in a huff, turning around and leaving. Lu Xue quickly followed her shouting, "Big Sister Yue He, there is something that I wish to speak with you about!"

Yue He shot her a brilliant smile, "What a coincidence. I also have something to say to Little Sister Lu. Let us go to my room." Saying so, she took Lu Xue's arm affectionately and brought her off with a big smile.

Guo Zi Yan and the others at the back could not help but shudder.

.....

The Sun, Moon, and Stars did not exist in the Grand Ancient Ruins, and without them, Yang Kai did not even know which direction he was flying in. Following behind Xu Zhen, they sped along for three days, passing by many cultivator strongholds, which Yang Kai looked at in amazement.

These strongholds came in all shapes and sizes. Some were grand, while others were extremely well hidden. The large ones could house tens of thousands while the small ones could hold no more than several hundred, eking out a living in the strange environment of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.

There were also crumbling strongholds that had quite obviously been destroyed by Beast Tides. Rotten corpses lay around in an upsetting manner.

The entire original Star City was swallowed up when the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened, and at least several hundred thousand people were sucked in. Now, after several years, it was likely less than half of them remained alive.

Nearly 50,000 perished in Sword Pavilion's Star City alone, so the number of lives lost since the opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary could be imagined.

Three days later, the pair could hear the sound of beating waves from afar, and they could also taste salt in the air.

Yang Kai was stunned, "There is a sea in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?"

Xu Zhen explained, "The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary covers such a vast area. The area we are familiar with is nothing more than one corner of this world, so what is so strange about there being a sea here?"

A few moments later, a huge sea with crashing waves entered their view. Waves curled up as high as 30 meters, making a huge noise as they crashed down.

Yang Kai suddenly had a realization. Xu Zhen said that they were seeking a Seventh-Order Water Element treasure, and the sea was filled with the Water Element Power, so it should come as no surprise for it to produce a Seventh-Order Water Element material.

After arriving at the sea, they flew for 6 more hours before Xu Zhen suddenly said, "We've arrived."

At the same time, Yang Kai discovered several unfamiliar auras. Looking over, he saw several scattered figures ahead, standing on a small island spanning no more than a kilometre across.

One of them stood on the beach with his hands behind his back. His stalwart figure was dressed in black robes and when he looked over, his sharp hawk-like eyes gleamed, as if he was staring into one's heart.

A short distance to the side of him was a young girl sitting on a rock. She kept her head down and Yang Kai had no idea what she was doing. Her hair was spread down over her shoulders, concealing most of her face.

Another figure was a young man, sitting down cross-legged on a treetop a thousand meters behind the young girl. He was silently cultivating and his figure bobbed along with the wind. Yang Kai could feel a profound aura from this man.

Yang Kai shivered faintly in his heart. Even though none of these people were in the Open Heaven Realm, they all gave him the feeling that they were not to be trifled with. Were these the friends that Xu Zhen talked about? Yang Kai had no idea which Cave-Heavens or Paradises they came from, but their heritage was clearly not ordinary.

Yang Kai and Xu Zhen landed, and the black-robed young man standing with his hands behind his back called out, "Fatty, you're late."

"No, no, I'm not late. There's still one day before the time limit." After a pause, he added, "Also, Brother Lin Feng... Stop calling me fatty or I'll have to fall out with you."

Xu Zhen was smiling even while saying such words, not showing any of his emotions. Lin Feng coldly snorted and turned to look at Yang Kai instead, raising his chin at him, "You made us wait this long for this guy? Which Cave-Heaven or Paradise does he come from? How come I've never seen him before?"

Xu Zhen explained, "This, I've never really asked." He turned to Yang Kai, "Brother Yang, where are you from?"

Yang Kai chuckled, "I don't come from a Paradise or Cave-Heaven. Just think of me as grass by the roadside that's not worth mentioning."

Xu Zhen was stunned.

He had seen Yang Kai bringing out a Divine Manifestation and he was even aspiring to break through to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm directly. He had a Master in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm such as Yue He following him around, calling him Young Master, so he really thought that he was either from a Cave-Heaven or a Paradise. It was surprising to hear from Yang Kai that he wasn't.

Without the deep heritage and cultivational resources of a Cave-Heaven or Paradise, how could he come this far?

"Brother Yang must be joking," Xu Zhen's mouth twitched. He clearly did not believe him, but since Yang Kai was unwilling to tell him, he did not pry.

The black-robed young man coldly snorted, "Fatty, this guy isn't a disciple of any Cave-Heaven or Paradise, and you're just going to casually let him join us?"

Xu Zhen answered, "Brother Lin, I have seen Brother Yang's skills before. In terms of ability, even you are weaker than him."

Lin Feng's eyes narrowed, "Truly?" When those words left his mouth, his battle intent was instantly heightened, and his aura was suddenly pushed to its limit. A burning gaze was locked onto Yang Kai, as if he wanted to fight him here and now. Obviously, he was unconvinced by Xu Zhen's words.

He was a Cave-Heaven disciple with a phenomenal foundation. Even though he had yet to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, he was still strong enough to fight a few rounds with a Master in the First-Order Open Heaven Realm. What could this guy be capable of?

"Stop it." Xu Zhen eyed him speechlessly, "You will naturally see his abilities later."

He then turned to Yang Kai and said, "Brother Yang, let me introduce you. This guy is Lin Feng, a Core Disciple of True Martial Cave Heaven."

Yang Kai cupped his fists courteously, "Greetings Brother Lin."

[He really is a Cave-Heaven disciple.]

When he met Xu Zhen and that guy surnamed Yin, Yang Kai wondered whether other Cave-Heaven or Paradise disciples had been sucked into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but he didn't expect to meet them today, and there were more than one here.

Yang Kai had no idea why these few happened to be in that Star City at that time and got dragged into that unexpected disaster.

But there were also opportunities to be discovered in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. For them, favoured sons and daughters of the Heavens, being dragged into this place may not be a bad thing.

Lin Feng coldly snorted, pointing his nose to the sky.

"This here is Gu Pan from Lang Ya Paradise!" Xu Zhen pointed to the girl who seemed to be busy doing something on the rock.

The girl got up in a hurry and her cheeks seemed to be puffed. She greeted softly, "Greetings, Senior Brother Yang!"

Her voice was very soft, just like a kitten, so Yang Kai could tell she was a gentle girl.

But Yang Kai was amazed by something else.

This girl called Gu Pan actually came from Lang Ya Paradise!

That was where Zhang Ruo Xi's ancestor came from. After awakening her Heavens Order bloodline, Zhang Ruo Xi inherited a part of her ancestor's memory, and she also intended to head to Lang Ya Paradise after leaving the Star Boundary. In the end, they were devoured by the Myriad Facets Insect and separated halfway there.

Later, Yang Kai ended up stranded in Seven Wonders Land while Zhang Ruo Xi was nowhere to be seen. Yang Kai figured that she must have gone to Lang Ya Paradise; after all, that was her ancestor's homeland. If she went there, it would be like returning to her homeland, so she would surely not be rejected.

Yang Kai wanted to look for Zhang Ruo Xi at Lang Ya Paradise after he entered the Open Heaven Realm, but who knew he would actually run into a Lang Ya Paradise disciple here?

He was pleasantly surprised and almost wanted to ask about Zhang Ruo Xi, but held back.

This matter could not be rushed. He would first see Gu Pan's character before deciding later.

"Greetings, Junior Sister Gu!" Yang Kai returned the greeting after suppressing his impulses. The girl then sat back down and lowered her head again, going back to what she was doing.

"And that over there... That is Ning Dao Ran. He is from Free and Unfettered Paradise."

Xu Zhen pointed to the young man bobbing up and down on the tree branch.

Even though this young man did not look old, he had an ethereal air about him, an immortal temperament only found in old Masters. If Yang Kai were to judge him based merely on his aura and not his appearance, then he really would not be able to guess how long this man had lived.

Ning Dao Ran did not get up. He just erected a single palm towards Yang Kai, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Brother!"

"Senior Brother Ning!" Yang Kai returned the greeting.

Xu Zhen looked left and right and scratched his head, "Where did that seductress Qu Hua Shang go?"

As soon as he said that, a figure appeared behind him from the middle of the sea. She had a delicate figure dressed in translucent fabrics. Water vapour still lingered around her body when she emerged, attracting infinite imagination.

Yang Kai looked over to see an enchanting woman standing behind Xu Zhen. She was half a head taller than him and leaned over Xu Zhen's ear, exhaling an orchid scent, "Who are you calling a seductress, you fatty?"

Xu Zhen looked down and lowered his head. The look on his face was as if he was thinking that form was emptiness, and emptiness was form. He raised a thumb and pointed behind him, "This seductress is from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Her name is Qu Hua Shang. Be careful, Brother Yang. She is most adept at seducing men. Don't fall for her tricks or you'll have the Yang Qi sucked out of you until you die... Aiya, why are you twisting my ear! Hurry and let me go! I'll beat you if you don't let go!"

"Who's seducing who? Who's sucking whose Yang Qi?" Qu Hua Shang gritted her teeth while twisting Xu Zhen's ear harder, "Our Yin-Yang Cave Heaven cultivates the path of Yin-Yang Union, not those dirty and underhanded tactics of harvesting that you speak of. Do not slander me in front of outsiders."

Xu Zhen's face distorted in pain, but he dutifully kept an eye on Yang Kai and warned, "Just be careful of this woman, Brother Yang."

Yang Kai smiled, "Brother Xu is exaggerating. Yin alone does not form life, Yang alone does not provide growth. The Yin-Yang Union is one of the world's Grand Daos and is not as impure as you think it is."