Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Jon

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Since the Old Ancestor had given the order, they wouldn’t dare to disobey him despite the fact that they were puzzled. The Second Elder offered to do it and left the team before heading towards Golden Rainbow Province.

The other party might not believe them if the messenger wasn’t of some importance and since Great Elder Ling Chun Qiu had lost his life in Void Land, the Second Elder was the best suited to do this job.

After taking a look in the direction of the Sect’s foundation, the Old Ancestor heaved a sigh. If he’d known such a calamity would befall Boundless Altar, he would’ve broken through to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm sooner in order to save their inheritance; however, it was too late now.

Everyone from Boundless Altar was now gone, leaving only the dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters that came with Yang Kai behind in the spacious Spirit Province.

They hadn’t been able to detect any movements coming from Yang Kai since he went over to meet with Boundless Altar’s Old Ancestor; however, these Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could sense that his aura was stable, and he didn’t show any signs of injuries, so there was nothing to worry about. They reckoned that they could settle down in Boundless Altar for now since this place was beautiful and full of World Energy. Although all the valuable items were gone, the buildings were naturally immovable, so they found some places to stay as they cultivated and waited patiently.

Two months later, a roar was heard coming from the deepest part of Boundless Altar, one so thunderous that the entire sky shook.

All of them turned to look in that direction.

Mao Zhe narrowed his eyes as he could clearly sense the joy in Yang Kai’s heart through the resounding roar, as though the latter had gained some kind of immense enlightenment. More importantly, Yang Kai’s cultivation seemed to have improved.

That revelation stunned Mao Zhe. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master himself, he knew that it was extremely difficult to take a step forward in this Order, so how was it possible that Yang Kai had grown significantly in such a short time? Was he really a monster?

Mao Zhe wasn’t aware that when they were passing through the tornado Divine Ability back then, Yang Kai lured the Wind Spirits into his body and killed them, which greatly nourished his Small Universe and saved him over a hundred years of secluded cultivation.

When he met up with Boundless Altar’s Old Ancestor, even though they didn’t engage in a life-and-death battle, they had exchanged some moves. Despite the fact that the Old Ancestor had used all his power, he was still injured by Yang Kai.

If this wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have ordered the disciples of Boundless Altar to evacuate. The reason the Old Ancestor decided to back down was that he realised he was no match for Yang Kai.

He wasn’t even able to defeat Yang Kai, to say nothing of the fact that the latter had brought more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with him. If it came down to a fight, everyone from Boundless Altar would die.

The fact that he was able to leave with his disciples safely was already the best possible outcome.

When they traded moves at that time, Yang Kai suddenly comprehended something, which was why he hurriedly started cultivating in seclusion, and it wasn’t until this moment that he finished.

In fact, Yang Kai’s cultivation hadn’t increased a lot; after all, it had only been a short time since he ascended to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and coupled with the fact that he had been nourished by the World Forces left behind by the deceased Wind Spirits, his own heritage was already quite rich.

The reason Mao Zhe felt this way was that Yang Kai’s Sixth-Order aura had become increasingly stable.

Upon seeing that Yang Kai had left the place where he cultivated in seclusion, everyone went over and greeted him.

“Sect Master!” Hua Yong and Shu Mu Dan cupped their fists.

Yang Kai nodded gently and swept a glance over them before ordering, “Destroy this place.”

Upon receiving the order, all of them began using their Divine Abilities. Several tens of thousands of years of inheritance had been accumulated in this beautiful Spirit Province as over the millennia, countless Open Heaven Realm Masters had passed away in this place. After their deaths, their Small Universes fell apart and their World Forces were partially absorbed by Boundless Altar to strengthen its own heritage. It was a shame to just destroy it like this; however, since Yang Kai had given the order, they had to obey.

It wasn’t difficult to demolish a place no one was defending. Dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters joined forces and turned Boundless Altar into a shattered Spirit Province in just two hours.

On the deck, Yang Kai stood beside the Proprietress as they watched the sight in silence.

The Proprietress remained silent, and it wasn’t until a long time later that she sighed. She wasn’t a ruthless person. Although she had a fiery temperament, she still couldn’t bear to see a Spirit Province being destroyed just because of her oath from back then.

At that time, she was truly incensed because Bai Qi was disturbed while ascending to the Open Heaven Realm, almost dying as a result. That was the reason she made such a heart demon oath against Ling Chun Qiu and Qi Jin.

Now that she was restricted by the oath, she had to fulfil it if she wanted to make it to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.

Fortunately, the way Yang Kai settled the issue was as peaceful as possible as he didn’t injure any innocent people in the process, which was acceptable. She could never have expected that the little shop-hand she forcefully brought back to First Inn in the past would so quickly become such a successful Master. Not only had he saved her from the Shadowless Cave Heaven, but he also owned Void Land and commanded many powerful cultivators.

It only took Yang Kai a couple of decades to achieve things that would normally take others thousands or even tens of thousands of years to do.

Hua Yong returned with the other cultivators as he cupped his fist and reported, “Sect Master, Boundless Altar is gone for good.”

Yang Kai nodded, “Let’s go.”

Since Boundless Altar was destroyed, his next destination would be Golden Rainbow Province.

As the ship accelerated, it turned into a ray of red light and shot towards the nearest Territory Gate.

The Proprietress suddenly said, “The Old Ancestor from Boundless Altar could have ascended to the Seventh-Order before now.”

Yang Kai was spacing out when he heard that, then he frowned and nodded, “En, I agree.”

If she hadn’t pointed it out, he wouldn’t have pondered on this issue. It was apparent to him that the Old Ancestor was at the very peak of the Sixth-Order and was about to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.

Although Boundless Altar was just a Second Class great force, they should have enough resources to support the Old Ancestor’s ascension given their years of accumulation; however, the fact was that the old man had been stuck at the peak of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm all this time.

“Perhaps he wasn’t not confident enough? Or, perhaps he lost the drive to continue striving forward due to his old age, so he wouldn’t dare to give it a try?” Yang Kai pondered. The Old Ancestor was indeed quite aged, and his vitality was clearly declining. He was no longer in the prime years to attempt an ascension to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.

The ascension from the Sixth-Order to the Seventh-Order was equivalent to the process of rebirth. Once the person succeeded, their strength would increase tremendously; however, one mistake would cost them their life. No one would easily attempt a breakthrough if they weren’t confident enough.

“That might be so…” the Proprietress said impassively, “But another reason might be that he wasn’t willing to reach the Seventh-Order.”

A curious Yang Kai asked, “What do you mean? Don’t cultivators always aspire to achieve greater heights? Since he is able to do so, why isn’t he willing to take that step forward?”

To the side, Mao Zhe’s expression changed as he gazed at the Proprietress and asked in horror, “Could the rumours be true?”

“What rumours?” Yang Kai asked inquisitively.

Mao Zhe furrowed his brow, “Sir, have you ever thought about why there isn’t even a single High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master in all the Second Class great forces? According to the classifications of great forces in the 3,000 Worlds, a great force with even one Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would be considered Second Class, and a great force with High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would theoretically be First Class. Since this is how the great forces are classified, many Second Class great forces should eventually become First Class given enough time. That’s because after millennia of accumulation, some people must be able to make it to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.”

Yang Kai’s expression changed as he nodded, “You have a point.”

Although the Second Class great forces were not comparable to the Cave Heavens and Paradises in terms of their heritages, at least some of them had to have been able to nurture disciples who directly broke through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

For example, Zhou Yi, whose body was taken over by Black Crow Divine Monarch when Yang Kai came across him in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, came from a Second Class great force, Great Thousand Blood Land. After Black Crow Divine Monarch took over his body, he used it as a base and ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

In other words, Zhou Yi was supposedly able to make it to the Fifth-Order himself. Given enough aptitude and opportunities, he should have been able to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm some day.

Once he did, Great Thousand Blood Land would become a First Class great force. As time passed, it might even become a part of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.

Over the years, Zhou Yi was certainly not the only one who was nurtured in Great Thousand Blood Land. Over their entire history, Great Thousand Blood Land must have raised tens of thousands of disciples, of which at least a handful should have similar aptitude to Zhou Yi. However, in the end, Great Thousand Blood Land remained a Second Class great force as they didn’t have a single High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.

The other top Second Class great forces should be in similar situations.

Where were the Core Disciples that had directly made it to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm over the years then? It was impossible that no one had managed to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Questions naturally arose when they looked at the issue from this perspective.

The Proprietress took a glance at Mao Zhe and asked, “What kind of rumours did you hear?”

With a dark expression, Mao Zhe replied, “In order to sustain their statuses in the 3,000 Worlds, those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would make a move once anyone outside their own ranks tried to reach the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. They would either nip the crisis in the bud or force that new High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master to join their great forces so that they can strictly supervise them.”

The expressions of Hua Yong and the others changed drastically when they heard that and Hua Yong anxiously asked, “Are you serious?”

He and his Wife were both in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so it was just a matter of time before they tried to reach the Seventh-Order. If Mao Zhe’s words were true, they would have to think twice about reaching the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Otherwise, those Cave Heavens and Paradises might target them when they achieved an ascension.

Mao Zhe shook his head, “It’s just a rumour I heard. I have no idea whether it’s true.”

If the rumours were true, it would explain why there wasn’t even a single High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master in all the Second Class great forces in the entire 3,000 Worlds. It wasn’t that no one was capable of ascending to the Seventh-Order, but rather that once they broke through, they would be brought back to the Cave Heavens and Paradises to be put under strict supervision.

The Old Ancestor from Boundless Altar certainly had the resources to reach the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, but he still wasn’t willing to do so. Perhaps that was what he was worried about as well.

Yang Kai’s face fell as Mao Zhe’s words reminded him of his own experience.

He was targeted back then because he was trying to directly ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. In the end, he was forced to become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It was only then that Ti Zheng and the others let him off.

The Cave Heavens and Paradises would never allow him to directly ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm as they suppressed him at all costs; however, the idea that they would also stifle the cultivators who made it to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm through years of accumulation was absolutely intolerable.

“Rumours are a terrifying thing indeed.” The Proprietress shook her head with a helpless smile, “I’ve heard such rumours as well, and many people believe them to be true.”

“They’re not?” Mao Zhe frowned.

“Of course not.” The Proprietress shook her head, “Although the Cave Heavens and Paradises could be overbearing sometimes, they can’t control everything and everyone in this world. They would appear far too petty if they would even butt into such affairs. How could such short-sighted and narrow-minded people ever become truly powerful and respected?”