Martial Peak

Chapter 43

Chapter 4366 – Which Path to Follow

Translator: Silavin & Jon

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

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It wasn’t until they flew for a long time after leaving the Spirit Province that Yang Kai’s expression turned milder as he let out a breath.

To the side, Zhu Jiu Yin asked, “You wanted to join forces with him, but he didn’t seem interested one bit. What are you going to do now? Walk right into the trap like a fool?”

There was a faint smile on Yang Kai’s face, “He wasn’t interested? I don’t think so.”

Zhu Jiu Yin said with a frown, “Black Crow made his stance clear. Are you blind or what?”

Yang Kai explained, “It’s exactly because he made his stance clear so quickly that I’m sure he’s interested. As for whether he’ll make a move, it depends on our ability to deal with the trap they’ve set up. If my speculation is right, Black Crow will secretly follow us then play it by ear. If there’s a chance, he’ll gladly have a hand in this matter; however, if the difference in power between our enemies and us is too great, he’ll stay clear of it. He’s not the charitable sort. Since he has suffered such an immense setback, there’s no way he won’t want to get his revenge. The most important thing now is whether we can create a chance for him to make a move.”

Zhu Jiu Yin refuted, “That’s just your speculation.”

Yang Kai nodded, “That’s right. It’s just my speculation. Maybe Black Crow won’t make any move in the end.”

If they couldn’t use Black Crow’s power, they had no choice but to face the trap in the Shadowless Cave Heaven on their own. In any case, it was a surprise that they came across Black Crow in the Shattered Heaven. Yang Kai had never expected Black Crow to hide in that place, and the latter even had so many Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters working for him.

In fact, it never crossed his mind that Black Crow had actually fled from the Blood Monster Territory. Initially, he thought that the latter must have lost his life there; after all, every single Territory Gate of that place had been controlled by the Cave Heavens and Paradises at that time, and all the cultivators who passed through gates were carefully screened. It wasn’t certain what trick Black Crow had used, but not only had he managed to flee, he had even brought many people with him.

This kind of old fox who had lived for countless years must never be underestimated.

After giving it a thought, Yang Kai turned to look at Qu Hua Shang and asked, “Senior Sister Qu, since you’re a disciple from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, what kind of trap do you think those from Myriad Demons Heaven have set up in the Shadowless Cave Heaven?”

Following a moment of deliberation, she replied, “I know little about the information at the top level. Even though my great force did its best to gather information, we’re unable to do so as we’re not involved in this matter. However, High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters are all powerful figures with supreme identities, so they won’t easily make a move unless it’s absolutely necessary. Senior Zhu’s existence has been exposed, so if those from Myriad Demons Heaven want to set up a trap, they’ll specifically target her. Moreover, Senior Zhu showcased her power in the battle in Void Land a few years ago; therefore, I think at least three High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters will be waiting outside the Shadowless Cave Heaven.”

Upon hearing that, Yang Kai nodded gently. What Qu Hua Shang had said was the same as his speculations. Since they wanted to target Zhu Jiu Yin, they’d need three High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters at the very least. That was because two High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to defeat Zhu Jiu Yin previously.

Moreover, only Myriad Demons Heaven had exposed themselves in this matter so far. The other Cave Heavens and Paradises remained hidden. Yang Kai had no idea whether there were other players in this game apart from Myriad Demons Heaven.

However, Qu Hua Shang was right to say that High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were powerful figures with superb identities, so they wouldn’t easily make a move. Even if they did, they wouldn’t come in large numbers. That was because they had a reputation to preserve.

As the ship moved forward, Yang Kai stood on the deck and looked at the endless void while pondering on his future.

Before coming to the 3,000 Worlds, he would never have expected that a mere Emperor Realm Junior like himself would be able to raise such waves one day. Now, faced with an extremely difficult trial, he realised that he was still too weak after all.

When the Hundred Sects Alliance invaded Void Land, he was still able to use the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array to play some role. Since the Array Jade was in his possession, he could make use of the Grand Array to fend off his enemies.

However, he practically became useless after leaving Void Land.

Initially, he wanted to make use of the Star City’s development and wait for a chance to look for a High-Rank Yin Element treasure that suited him. Once he became a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, he would make a name for himself. However, those who had been paying attention to him thought that he was going to disrupt the order in the 3,000 Worlds, so they decided to take care of him before he had a chance and lured him out of Void Land.

Faced with the siege by Shen Liang, Jiang Yun Shan, and Luan Bai Feng, all Yang Kai could do was stay behind his companions’ protection as he watched Bai Qi and Yue He fend off the enemy while he looked for a chance to flee.

This ambush was just a probe to find out his true power, and the trap in the Shadowless Cave Heaven was the real deal. Given his current strength, there was nothing Yang Kai could do even if he reached the Shadowless Cave Heaven. Was he going to rely on Zhu Jiu Yin to save the Proprietress and then just run back to Void Land?

Since Zhu Jiu Yin’s existence had been exposed, it was expected that she’d be targeted. By then, she might not even be able to protect herself, let alone save the Proprietress.

Which path should he follow as he stepped into the unknown? Yang Kai was a resolute man who made decisions firmly. Even if the road ahead was paved with thorns, he had to charge forward despite knowing that he’d be injured. However, at this moment, he was at a loss.

As the ship sailed forward, Yue He and Bai Qi remained silent. They worriedly exchanged glances as they could sense that Yang Kai was feeling conflicted.

The Shattered Heaven was indeed a dangerous place. As they moved forward, they would come across unknown dangers from time to time. A series of mighty fluctuations could be felt spreading from seemingly ordinary Spirit Provinces, and some of these fluctuations were as strong as a strike from someone in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.

If they accidentally triggered these fluctuations, they would be turned into dust.

These hidden dangers were left behind from the ancient war. Due to that great battle, countless restrictions and Spirit Arrays were left behind in the Shattered Heaven. Other than the Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques that might explode at any moment, there were also many Open Heaven artifacts that had gained spirituality.

Fortunately, as a Divine Spirit, Zhu Jiu Yin had sharp perception. It was thanks to her warnings that they were able to stay away from many of the dangers. With that said, she wasn’t able to detect all of them.

On the third day since they entered the Shattered Heaven, a ray of light suddenly came at their ship when they were passing by a Spirit Province.

The ray of light contained a horrifying power. The expressions of Yue He and Bai Qi changed drastically as they stood in front of Yang Kai while Qu Hua Shang quickly drove the ship forward. At the same time, Zhu Jiu Yin roared and spat out a snow-white spider web to intercept the ray of light.

The ray of light was soon covered in the spider web, but just one breath of time later, it broke free and continued shooting towards the ship.

Zhu Hiu Yin’s expression changed as she took Yang Kai’s arm and flew away for several dozen kilometres.

At the same time, Qu Hua Shang and the others also dispersed.

When they looked back, they realised that the ship had already turned into dust after coming into contact with the ray of light. Meanwhile, the ray of light exposed itself. It turned out to be a blue wolf that stood in the void and stared at them.

The wolf’s figure flickered, so it was apparent that it wasn’t a real beast. Moreover, one could see an arm-long jade scepter floating inside its body.

Without stopping, the wolf turned into a ray of light again and disappeared into the depths of the Shattered Heaven.

After they regrouped, Yue He and the others all had pale faces. Zhu Jiu Yin sported a solemn expression as she gazed at Bai Qi and asked, “Was it also this dangerous the last time you were here?”

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Bai Qi replied, “We didn’t come across that wolf previously; however, it’s a well-known fact that the Shattered Heaven is full of dangers. We bumped into different kinds of attacks from time to time.”

“What was that?” Yang Kai asked. He was the weakest among all of them, so just now, he couldn’t clearly see what was going on. All he saw was the wolf’s figure.

“It was an artifact that gained sentience,” Yue He said seriously, “It was likely the manifestation of the jade scepter’s Artifact Spirit. The jade scepter’s owner was probably an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master before his death. No ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could wield such a weapon.”

Yang Kai was stunned as he finally understood why the ray of light easily broke through Zhu Jiu Yin’s Secret Technique. No ordinary person could resist this kind of attack. If Zhu Jiu Yin hadn’t made a move, all of them would’ve been severely wounded.

Obviously, the jade scepter had been hidden in that Spirit Province. It was triggered when Yang Kai and the others passed by this place.

The Shattered Heaven was indeed a place full of danger, but at the same time, it was also a treasure trove. If anyone could obtain the artifact they had seen earlier, even a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would also see their power increase significantly. However, in order to obtain it, the person had to be in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm at the very least.

After pulling themselves together, they continued moving forward.

Wherever they went, they could see that some people had gotten into fights for one reason or another. Those who could make a living in the Shattered Heaven were all Open Heaven Realm Masters who were ruthless; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to survive in this lawless place.

They had no reservation when fighting and constantly used fatal blows.

Zhu Jiu Yin would spread her aura from time to time to intimidate the people who passed by or were fighting nearby, reducing the number of people who dared confront them greatly.

Even so, they were still only at the periphery of the Shattered Heaven. What would the core of the place look like?

According to Bai Qi, the core area of the Shattered Heaven was a place where only High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had a right to step into. Despite that, there was no guarantee that they would come out alive. That was the reason so many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had lost their lives here over the years.

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When Bai Qi and Proprietress were looking for a High-Rank Yin Element treasure, they never went near the core area. She was indeed searching for the resource for Yang Kai, but she wasn’t so foolish as to take such a risk.

As they flew forward carefully, they were relieved that the following journey was much safer. Half a month later, they arrived at their destination following the instructions in the jade slip given to them by Ti Zheng.

This was a quiet place in the void as Spirit Provinces of different sizes hovered around them. Yang Kai scanned his surroundings with the jade slip in his hand, and upon making sure that there was no mistake, he asked Bai Qi, “Is it here?”

After looking around, Bai Qi nodded with a solemn expression, “That’s right. It’s here.”