The Squad members bid each other goodbye before returning to their residences to rest.
Generally speaking, after such a large-scale battle, no major skirmishes would break out for the next 10 to 15 days. So, nothing major should happen in the next half month.
Yang Kai had been living with Qing Kui ever since he returned from the Black Ink Clan’s territory, so he naturally left with him.
But after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked towards a certain direction, where a familiar figure caught his attention.
“What are you looking at?” Qing Kui also stopped and curiously asked.
“You go first, I’ll be right back,” Yang Kai replied before heading in that direction.
Soon, Qing Kui saw Yang Kai stop a person and start chatting with him with a smile. He couldn’t help but ask Su Ying Xue in a low voice, “Junior Sister, is Yang Kai close to someone else other than us here?”
Su Ying Xue shook her head, a look of exhaustion taking over her face, “It’s fine as long as it’s not a woman, why worry?”
Qing Kui nodded lightly, “I guess, you’re right.”
The two of them casually chatted before quickly leaving.
On the other side, the cultivator who was stopped by Yang Kai wore a gloomy expression, “You’re mistaking me for someone else.”
Yang Kai continued with a smile, “Divine Monarch’s noble bearing is still the same, how can I mistake you for someone else?”
The man glared at him, “I’m only a Seventh-Order Master, how could I dare call myself a Divine Monarch?”
Yang Kai replied, “With Divine Monarch’s aptitude, it’s only a matter of time before you reach the Eighth Order. The Seventh Order is just a temporary stopover, so why should Divine Monarch act so humbly?”
“What do you want?” The man grew impatient.
Yang Kai replied, “Nothing, it’s just I was pleasantly surprised to run into a familiar face. I came to chat with the Divine Monarch to talk about old times, that’s all.”
The man immediately flew into a rage, “There is only enmity between you and me, what’s there even to talk about!?”
Yang Kai countered with a smile, “So Divine Monarch admits that you know me?”
The man’s face went black as he grit his teeth and asked, “What exactly do you want?”
Yang Kai replied with a sigh, “I really don’t want anything. It’s just that when I spotted Divine Monarch’s figure, I couldn’t believe it and came here to confirm I wasn’t seeing things. I didn’t expect that Divine Monarch would also be here.”
“Isn’t this all because of you?!” The other party gnashed his teeth, as if he had an irreconcilable grudge with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai innocently stated, “I don’t remember doing anything to Divine Monarch. The one who captured you back then was Senior Fisherman from Bright King Cave Heaven.”
The man waved off, stating, “Don’t call me Divine Monarch anymore, I’m only a Seventh-Order Master now. Others will laugh at you if you keep calling me that.”
“Then… Brother Blood Crow?” Yang Kai slightly raised his brow.
The person in front of him was none other than the Black Crow Divine Monarch he had met in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven centuries ago. After cultivating the Great Evolution Indestructible Blood Light Scripture, Black Crow seized the body of a Great Thousand Blood Land disciple named Zhou Yi and escaped from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Afterwards, he hid in the Shattered Heaven and committed all sorts of crimes, leaving a bloodbath in his wake, causing many disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises to be killed or injured.
As he already possessed the foundation of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and had obtained the Great Evolution Indestructible Blood Light Scripture, his cultivation rapidly rose. Even his strength had also exceeded his own Order.
To a certain extent, the Great Evolution Indestructible Blood Light Scripture was similar to Wu Kuang’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Both used external forces for their own gain, but in comparison, the Great Evolution Indestructible Blood Light Scripture only consumed Blood Essence, while Wu Kuang’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law could devour anything. Which was superior was obvious.
In the past, Yang Kai had been curious about who would devour whom if Wu Kuang were to meet with Blood Crow; however, this was only a thought experiment as these two had never met.
When he was hiding in the Shattered Heaven, Black Crow had changed his name to Blood Crow.
Yang Kai had fought with him several times before in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If Yang Kai hadn’t ruined his plans, he would have closed the Blood Monster Cave Heaven long ago, and everyone who had entered at the time to train would have become his food and nourishment for his growth. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven also had various resources left behind by its previous Master over his lifetime. Once Blood Crow absorbed all of these resources, he might be able to reappear in the world as a Divine Monarch.
By then, even the Cave Heavens and Paradises might not be able to do anything to him.
Later, Yang Kai once again encountered him and fought him in the Shattered Heaven. At that time, Yang Kai was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the same as Blood Crow.
Relying on his superior Eighth-Order foundation and knowledge, Blood Crow hadn’t taken Yang Kai seriously and wanted to take him down in one fell swoop. However, Yang Kai’s Cow Punch had made him greatly suffer.
In the end, Blood Crow was captured by an Elder from Bright King Cave Heaven.
Afterwards, Yang Kai ventured into the depths of the Shattered Heaven, where he encountered Xia Lin Lang, and obtained the World Spring by chance. Later, Cheng Yang chased him until he entered the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land.
Since then, Yang Kai had not heard any news about Blood Crow and presumed he had been imprisoned in Bright King Cave Heaven, unable to free himself.
Therefore, Yang Kai was extremely surprised to see Blood Crow in Yin-Yang Pass. In a place like the Black Ink Battlefield, all battles were against the Black Ink Clan and past grievances between people had long been forgotten.
Yang Kai would never have been so calm and cordial if he had encountered Blood Crow in the 3,000 Worlds. He would have immediately thought that he had escaped from Bright King Heaven and was about to commit something atrocious again.
But it was different here. Every Human on the Black Ink Battlefield was a comrade they could fight side by side with and depend on.
It could be said that Yang Kai didn’t have any great enmity towards Blood Crow, and this was something Blood Crow could clearly feel; however, considering what had happened to him, Blood Crow definitely held some resentment towards him.
All of this was because Yang Kai had ruined his grand plan in Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
Seeing him remain silent, Yang Kai asked, “Brother Blood Crow, why did you come to the Black Ink Battlefield?”
Blood Crow angrily snapped, “What? Can’t I come here?”
Yang Kai patted him on the shoulder, “Calm down, let’s talk things out. The Black Ink Battlefield is a dangerous place after all.”
Blood Crow stepped aside and coldly snorted, rebuking, “Do you think I wanted to come to this damned place? Do you think I had a choice? Between being imprisoned in a dark and damp cell forever and coming to the Black Ink Battlefield to fight the Black Ink Clan, which one would you choose?”
Yang Kai finally understood after hearing this.
Blood Crow was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and with an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm foundation at that. He had quite a good chance of breaking through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future. With such potential and strength, instead of leaving him to rot in prison, it would be better to send Blood Crow here to kill the enemy. It was obvious that Bright King Heaven had such considerations before sending Blood Crow here.
No matter how twisted Blood Crow’s temperament was, it was impossible for him to have any treacherous thoughts in a place like this, unless he was willing to be corrupted and become a Black Ink Disciple.
However, Black Ink Disciples had their minds warped by Black Ink Strength and essentially became slaves, so if he really got corrupted by Black Ink Strength, he would no longer be himself, an intolerable fate for almost anyone.
“Brother Blood Crow, you’ve had it hard,” Yang Kai sympathized.
“All thanks to you!” Blood Crow became extremely annoyed.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Now you can finally act openly, it’s better than sneaking around and hiding.”
Blood Crow snorted and glanced at him, “I didn’t expect you to also reach the Seventh Order so quickly.”
“I was just lucky!” Yang Kai smiled, “It can’t compare to Brother Blood Crow’s deep foundation.”
“Don’t even think about it, this King has a belly full of rage whenever I see you!” Blood Crow snorted before flicking his sleeve and leaving.
Yang Kai stroked his chin as a pondering look appeared on his face, watching him leave.
At this moment, a figure suddenly landed beside him. It was Tang Qiu.
Yang Kai greeted him with a bow, “Senior!”
“Follow me!” As Tang Qiu spoke, he mobilised his strength and wrapped Yang Kai in it before quickly disappearing.
Soon, they arrived at the Marketplace, but the bustling scene Yang Kai had first seen was now completely deserted. There was not a single person in sight.
After giving it a thought, he did not find it strange either. The Marketplace was crowded in the past because there had been no ongoing battles. Now that the Black Ink Clan had surrounded Yin-Yang Pass and they were all busy fighting, who would they come here?
Nonetheless, it wasn’t as if there wasn’t anyone here. At Lin’s Steamed Bun Restaurant, a small figure was sitting at a table while supporting her chin with one hand while playing with her hair with the other. She looked extremely bored.
Spotting the figure, Yang Kai promptly stepped forward and bowed, “Old Ancestor!”
Ever since he had escorted the Old Ancestor back, he had been fighting against the Black Ink Clan and had not seen her again. He had no idea why Tang Qiu had brought him here.
“En,” The Old Ancestor lightly nodded before stretching out her hand, “Sit.”
Yang Kai was just about to sit down when he suddenly felt a sharp gaze on his back. Looking back, he saw Tang Qiu glaring at him and immediately straightened up, “Junior wouldn’t dare! What can I do for the Old Ancestor?”
The Old Ancestor glanced at Tang Qiu but didn’t say anything. Rather she just asked Yang Kai, “Do you know why this Marketplace exists in Yin-Yang Pass?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment after hearing her question. Although he had some ideas, he didn’t dare to say them out loud and could only shake his head, “Junior doesn’t know.”
The Old Ancestor asked with a smile, “Do you think the Marketplace was built just for me to have fun?”
Having been seen through, Yang Kai could only brace himself and agree, “Yes!”
The Old Ancestor admitted, nodding, “You’re right, this Marketplace was built for me to play around in, but it’s nothing so simple as a way to pass the time. There are circumstances that necessitate it.”
Yang Kai asked, confused, “Please enlighten me, Old Ancestor.”
The Old Ancestor stood up and slowly walked to the door, staring at the empty street, “The reason why the Human Race can hold on for so long is firstly because of these Great Passes, and secondly because of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who can contend with the Black Ink Clan’s Royal Lords. You are now a Seventh-Order Master, so you should also know the importance of top-tier combat power in the huge battlefield of the two Races.”
Yang Kai earnestly nodded his agreement, “Indeed.”
The Old Ancestor continued, “To put it bluntly, the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like me are the key to ensuring the safety of the Great Passes to a certain extent.”
Yang Kai listened attentively.
The Old Ancestor continued, “I cultivate a Secret Art called the Samsara Art, and my cultivation improves every time I undergo a cycle of re-birth. As a result, if I am seriously wounded, I become like this. It may seem like my cultivation has been completely destroyed, but in truth, this is simply a cycle of reincarnation to me. However, because of the Samsara Art, the method I use to heal my injuries is different from others. This Marketplace was built for me, and is related to the Secret Art I cultivate. This is where I heal my injuries.”
“Observing the myriad forms of the Human world, seeing all the prosperity of the bustling world…” Yang Kai suddenly recalled the words etched at the entrance of Marketplace.
The Old Ancestor lightly nodded, “Living inside the bustling world can quickly heal my injuries, which is why there is a Marketplace in Yin-Yang Pass.”
Yang Kai suddenly came to a realization.
The Old Ancestor’s healing technique was somewhat similar to Duan Hong Chen’s Secret Art. Duan Hong Chen’s title was Bustling World, and his entire cultivation was based on experiencing the baptism of the Bustling World.
Yang Kai couldn’t comment on the profundities of this technique; after all, he had never cultivated such a technique before, but since the Old Ancestor had said as much, it must be so.
At this point, he suddenly understood why the Old Ancestor had summoned him.
“Does Old Ancestor want this Junior to help you heal your injuries?”
The Old Ancestor agreed, nodding, “I’ve heard that you have raised many living beings in your Small Universe and it can be considered a complete World. It would be a huge advantage if you could help me heal my injuries. I don’t need to heal completely, just enough to regain the strength to fight.”
At this time, Tang Qiu also interjected, “Although the Black Ink Clan army isn’t receiving many reinforcements, it will take at least three to five years to force them to withdraw.”
Compared to previous wars with the Black Ink Clan, which took more than a decade or even a century to end, three to five years was already an extremely short time, and all of this was thanks to Yang Kai. Had he not destroyed so many Black Ink Nest behind the enemy lines and occupied so many Black Ink Clansmen, the Black Ink Clan’s forces wouldn’t have been so strained.
“Although three to five years isn’t a long time, if the war continues, Yin-Yang Pass will definitely suffer some damage. But if the Old Ancestor can take action, she will definitely be able to end things in one fell swoop.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, stating, “If Old Ancestor requires it, this Junior is duty-bound to comply.”
“Good, many thanks for your hard work in advance,” Tang Qiu patted Yang Kai’s shoulder in relief.
In order to allow the Old Ancestor to experience the hustle and bustle of the mundane world and heal her injuries, Yang Kai needed to spread out his Small Universe and let her wander about inside.
The Old Ancestor was a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so Yang Kai naturally couldn’t take her into his Small Universe. He had no other choice but to do things this way.
Since that was the case, Yang Kai would be unable to participate in future battles as he would need to remain in one place. Yang Kai could not easily move before the Old Ancestor had regained her full strength.
Fortunately, Tang Qiu also said that since the Old Ancestor had decided to decimate the Black Ink Clan army personally, Yin-Yang Pass’ next strategy would be to harden its defences and wait. No matter how the Black Ink Clan provoked them, they would pretend they didn’t hear anything. The Humans would only rely on the Spirit Arrays and artifacts around Yin-Yang Pass to kill the Black Ink Clansmen who got too close. They would not be sending troops out onto the battlefield.
Soon, Yang Kai spread his Small Universe in the Marketplace and let the Old Ancestor enter. Not only that, but he also chose the most prosperous city for her to arrive at.
While the Old Ancestor was roaming around the mundane world in his Small Universe, Yang Kai did not remain idle. Although he could no longer freely move due to having spread his Small Universe, cultivating was not an issue for him. As such, he took out a set of Seventh-Order materials and quietly began refining them.
Inside Void World, Miao Fei Ping of Seven Stars Sect had long since matured from an innocent brat to an Emperor Realm Master and was now an Elder of Seven Stars Sect.
His aptitude was quite good, and not too long ago, he even helped the Ancestor kill a powerful enemy, earning him much praise.
After that incident, the Ancestor also bestowed the Seven Stars Sect with many resources and passed down the method to condense one’s Dao Seal. Many of Seven Stars Sect’s Emperor Realm Masters had already begun doing just that. Rumour had it that they would advance the Open Heaven Realm in the future as long as they worked hard.
Miao Fei Ping was naturally no exception. Which cultivator didn’t yearn for a higher Martial Dao? Among all the Emperor Realm Masters who had begun refining Powers into their Dao Seal, Miao Fei Ping’s progress was the fastest.
He originally thought that he would at most be able to condense Fifth-Order Powers with his aptitude. This was also the advice given by the Ancestor when he originally bestowed them with the necessary materials.
Of course, he wouldn’t dare disregard the Ancestor’s advice.
However, when he really began condensing Powers into his Dao Seal, he decided to be a little more courageous and try refining Sixth-Order materials.
Much to his surprise, he actually succeeded. He didn’t feel any discomfort or burden either. In other words, he could condense Sixth-Order Element Powers and attempt to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. He was extremely excited with this result, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled. It was because the Ancestor had said that although his aptitude was excellent, he would only be able to reach the Fifth Order in the future. [The Ancestor could not have made a mistake, so how could I successfully condense Sixth-Order Powers?]
He really wanted to consult with the Ancestor and ask for an explanation, but he was unable to contact him, so he had no choice but to give up. Miao Fei Ping was still in the process of condensing Powers, and he was refining a Sixth-Order material. He wanted to obtain higher achievements and a higher starting point.
Because he knew that his two companions who had entered the Sect with him had received personal guidance from the Ancestor himself, they would surely soar higher in the future. Miao Fei Ping didn’t want to be left far behind by these two, so he could only re-double his efforts.
Thinking back to when he first entered Seven Stars Sect, all the past events vividly flashed in his mind, [So many years have gone by in the blink of an eye. Where is that cold and aloof little girl with Heaven-defying aptitude and that young boy with such poor aptitude that he could barely cultivate? Even Xu Yi who had suddenly appeared in Seven Stars Sect just disappeared one day.]
Those three were the Ancestor’s Personal Disciples, so they might be cultivating with the Ancestor.
One day, while Miao Fei Ping was meditating, a voice suddenly spoke to him.
Miao Fei Ping was both surprised and delighted. He quickly opened his eyes and bowed respectfully, “Ancestor.”
He failed to spot the Ancestor’s figure, yet his voice sounded straight into his mind. It was not the first time he had seen the Ancestor’s divine might, so he did not find it strange.
The Ancestor’s message was actually a secret order, which Miao Fei Ping immediately accepted.
Having done so, Miao Fei Ping quickly requested, “Ancestor, this Junior has a question he would like to ask.”
“What is it?” The Ancestor’s voice sounded again.
Miao Fei Ping took a deep breath and mustered up his courage before explaining, “Ancestor, you gave me some pointers before and said that I should condense Fifth-Order Powers. However, this Junior got greedy and tried to refine a Sixth-Order material. Surprisingly, I didn’t encounter any problems. But this Disciple no longer dares to recklessly advance without understanding why I am alright. Ancestor, please grant me some guidance; should I continue refining Sixth-Order materials, or switch back to the Fifth-Order materials?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Miao Fei Ping immediately felt a majestic Will sweep over him. In the face of this Will, he couldn’t help but feel as insignificant as an ant.
[This is the Will of the Ancestor…]
Miao Fei Ping couldn’t help but slightly tremble.
[The Third-Order Emperor Realm is already the highest Realm in this World, but it is still nothing before the Ancestor. Just how high is the Ancestor’s cultivation?]
Soon after the Will swept over him, Miao Fei Ping heard the Ancestor’s voice in his mind, “Continue. Times are different now and you have a chance to advance to the Sixth Order.”
“Junior obeys!” Miao Fei Ping was overjoyed and gave his thanks. The unease that had been troubling him all the while finally disappeared after receiving his Ancestor’s guidance.
Be that as it may, he didn’t quite get why things were different now. [I haven’t done anything recently, but from what the Ancestor said, it seemed like something had changed, allowing me to advance to the Sixth Order despite only having the aptitude for Fifth Order in the past.]
What changed?
Thinking about it, Miao Fei Peng recalled that the newly recruited disciples of the Sect seemed to have much better aptitude than in the past. And it was not just true for Seven Stars Sect, but for all Sects across Void World. It’s as if the entire World had suddenly become more suitable for cultivation. More and more geniuses were appearing, causing the higher-ups of the various Sects to celebrate.
Thinking so, Miao Fei Ping immediately understood that what changed was not himself, but the World he lived in!
He didn’t continue mulling over the issue though. Rather, he quickly packed up his things and went to Seven Stars Sect’s Sect Master, Shang Guan Ji, requesting a leave to travel the world.
Shang Guan Ji had no reason to refuse and promptly agreed. And so, Miao Fei Ping, without wasting any time, quickly left the Sect.
Purple Phoenix City was among the most prosperous cities in Void World and was under Purple Phoenix Palace’s jurisdiction. Purple Phoenix Palace was also one of the strongest Sects in the entire Void World. More importantly, the disciples of this Sect had a gift for commerce. This commercial success allowed them to attract countless cultivators from all over the world to Purple Phoenix City, and it soon grew into a prosperous metropolis with over 10 million inhabitants.
With Miao Fei Ping’s Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, it had only taken him a few days to reach this city from Seven Stars Sect and following the Ancestor’s guidance, he quickly found his target.
A seven or eight-year-old girl!
Wandering alone in this massive Purple Phoenix City, Miao Fei Ping was certain that this little girl had never cultivated and was just a commoner who could be found anywhere.
The secret order Miao Fei Ping had received was to take good care of this little girl and not let her suffer any injustice, while not letting his whereabouts be exposed.
At first, he could not understand why someone like the Ancestor would care so much about a little mortal girl and even ask him to personally keep an eye on her, but when he saw the rattle drum in the little girl’s hand, Miao Fei Ping suddenly understood.
He recognized this rattle drum as it had been personally crafted by an Emperor Realm Elder of his Sect. He had been next to him when that Elder had made this rattle drum.
[This little girl… is the Ancestor’s descendant!]
The Ancestor had given a series of decrees back then, asking for steamed stuffed buns and candied fruits, all to coax this little girl.
Having understood this point, Miao Fei Ping immediately felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. He felt extremely honoured that the Ancestor gave him such an important task.
Because of this, Miao Fei Ping had been secretly following the little girl and protecting her at all times.
After observing her for a while, Miao Fei Ping discovered that she was particularly interested in snacks, but she did not seem to have any money on her. Every time she saw someone eat something, she would always start drooling, making her look extremely pitiful.
Several times, Miao Fei Ping couldn’t bear to watch and almost offered his assistance. At these times, he couldn’t help feeling a little puzzled. Since this little girl was the Ancestor’s descendant, why didn’t the Ancestor give her any money so she could buy the things she wanted? Obtaining mundane coins should be a breeze for the Ancestor.
But since the Ancestor had not done so, he must have had his reasons. So, Miao Fei Ping couldn’t rashly intervene either.
Nonetheless, after seeing the same thing over and over again so many times, Miao Fei Ping really couldn’t bear to sit back and watch any longer, but neither could he expose himself. Ultimately, he gave some coins to the others and asked them to buy some things for the little girl.
The little girl happily ate from then on.
When the night arrived, the little girl had no place to sleep. So, she found a random alley and spent the night sleeping there, curled up. Every night, Miao Fei Ping would secretly protect her from the cold.
Originally, Miao Fei Ping had thought that his days would pass by peacefully, but contrary to his expectations, something did happen.
The little girl’s rattle-drum was stolen!
If it was just an ordinary toy, no one would have paid any attention to it, but the material used to make this rattle-drum was not ordinary, it was a rare piece of Blue Water Wood.
It was a toy for the Ancestor’s descendant, so the Seven Stars Sect Elders had put in a lot of effort to craft this rattle-drum, and it just so happened that the one who ultimately refined it had a suitable piece of Blue Water Wood on hand at the time.
Blue Water Wood was extremely precious as it could be used to refine Emperor Artifacts. It was particularly rare in this World and could be said to be priceless.
A few weak cultivators noticed that the rattle drum in the little girl’s hand was extraordinary. So, they threw some coins at the little girl and snatched the rattle-drum from her in a half-buying and half-threatening manner.
These cultivators weren’t very strong, and as such, they failed to recognize the Blue Water Wood, but they could still tell that the material of this rattle-drum was expensive at a glance.
The little girl looked extremely sad after losing the rattle-drum and tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to snatch her toy back, but how could a seven-year-old little girl catch up to even the weakest of cultivators? The thieves disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The little girl fell to the ground, wailing in grief as dirt smeared her cute face.
Enraged, Miao Fei Ping stopped those cultivators in an alley, beat them up, and took back the rattle drum. After that, he found the little girl who was silently crying in a deserted place and quietly returned the rattle-drum.
Seeing the little girl smiling once more, Miao Fei Ping let out a sigh of relief.
Originally, he had thought that this matter would end there, but no one had expected that it was just the beginning! Among the few cultivators he had beaten up, one of them was actually the son of Purple Phoenix Palace’s Vice Palace Master. The son of the Vice Palace Master was beaten up in Purple Phoenix City; how could Purple Phoenix Palace let the matter rest just like that?
Purple Phoenix Palace cultivators started searching the city for the perpetrator, and soon found Miao Fei Ping. A conflict naturally broke out between the two sides, but Miao Fei Ping was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so how could these weaklings do anything to him? Naturally he taught them a lesson and sent them packing.
When Purple Phoenix Palace’s higher-ups received the news, they were enraged and deployed some of their Masters. In the blink of an eye, the entire Purple Phoenix City was engulfed in a secret battle.
After suffering several losses, Purple Phoenix Palace finally figured out the identity of the perpetrator. To their astonishment, it was actually Seven Stars Sect’s Miao Fei Ping!
This shocked Purple Phoenix Palace greatly. It had to be known that the Seven Stars Sect was the most powerful Sect in Void World. Not only did they have the largest number of Emperor Realm Masters, but they also had an Ancestor who was shrouded in a veil of mystery.
Rumour had it that the Ancestor’s strength had already surpassed the Emperor Realm, but no one knew what his exact cultivation was.
Although Purple Phoenix Palace and Seven Stars Sect had some business with each other, there wasn’t much friendship between them because of the huge distance between the two. What puzzled Purple Phoenix Palace’s higher-ups was why Miao Fei Ping, the Third-Order Emperor Realm Elder of Seven Stars Sect, suddenly came to Purple Phoenix City and attacked their disciples.
The Vice Palace Master of Purple Phoenix Palace personally went to Miao Fei Ping and asked him for the entire story. Only then did he learn that his son had taken advantage of a little mortal girl, forcing Miao Fei Ping to act.
The Vice Palace Master was naturally vexed. He might have failed to discipline his son, but the fact was that many of Purple Phoenix Palace disciples had been injured because of this matter. No matter what, Miao Fei Ping had to give an explanation; otherwise, Purple Phoenix Palace would lose all face.
But why would Miao Fei Ping give them any kind of explanation? He had already shown mercy by not killing them even when they had bullied the Ancestor’s descendant, so why would he need any justification?
The two sides failed to come to an agreement, and as both were pretty angry, a fight broke out.
In the end, Purple Phoenix Palace Vice Palace Master was completely defeated! He was injured and even fled Purple Phoenix City in a sorry state.
If injuring the disciples was just a trivial matter, the fact that the Vice Palace Master was injured drastically escalated the matter. How could Purple Phoenix Palace tolerate such an insult? They immediately dispatched several Emperor Realm Masters to subdue Miao Fei Ping.
Very soon, even Seven Stars Sect got the news. When they learned that Miao Fei Ping had encountered some trouble in Purple Phoenix City, Shang Guan Ji personally led several Emperor Realm Elders to Purple Phoenix City to assist Miao Fei Ping without any delay.
By the time Shang Guan Ji and the others arrived, Miao Fei Ping had already fought several bouts with Purple Phoenix Palace’s Emperor Realm Masters. At first, Purple Phoenix Palace thought that since Miao Fei Ping was all alone, it would be hard for a single Third-Order Emperor to fight them off. However, after a few skirmishes, they noticed that Miao Fei Ping was different from the Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters they knew.
His strength had already surpassed the limits of the Emperor Realm, and as such, even if he were to fight many Masters alone, he would not be at a disadvantage. Purple Phoenix Palace was still unable to do anything to him even after several confrontations.
When Shang Guan Ji and the others arrived, Purple Phoenix Palace was too afraid to act rashly.
The Purple Phoenix Palace Master couldn’t sit still after hearing that Shang Guan Ji had arrived. No matter what, Purple Phoenix Palace could not ignore the reputation of the number one Sect of the Void World.
The Purple Phoenix Palace Master stepped out to personally receive Shang Guan Ji. Both sides calmly discussed the entire matter, without any animosity. Purple Phoenix Palace didn’t have any other requests, they only wanted Miao Fei Ping to apologize and this matter would be settled. After witnessing Miao Fei Ping’s strength, Purple Phoenix Palace also realized that Seven Stars Sect Emperor Realm Masters couldn’t be judged by common sense. Just Miao Fei Ping alone was enough to give them so much trouble. Now with the addition of Shang Guan Ji and several others, Purple Phoenix Palace would likely suffer a catastrophic loss if they really fought.
Not to mention, the Seven Stars Sect still had their hidden dragon Ancestor who only showed his tail but never his face.
But since so many disciples were injured, Purple Phoenix Palace needed an apology to save face. In their opinion, they were already completely conceding by asking for just an apology.
Shang Guan Ji didn’t immediately agree, all he said was that he would like to ask Miao Fei Ping about the whole story. Purple Phoenix Palace naturally agreed.
Soon after, Shang Guan Ji came to Miao Fei Ping and asked him what this situation was about.
Since things had reached this point, Miao Fei Ping had no choice but to reveal that he had received the Ancestor’s secret order. Shang Guan Ji was extremely surprised after learning that everything was actually because of the Ancestor’s descendant.
However, when he personally saw the little girl and the rattle-drum in her hand, Shang Guan Ji finally got the confirmation that she was indeed the Ancestor’s descendant.
He was immediately enraged!
Purple Phoenix Palace disciples had actually bullied the Ancestor’s descendant? How could he let this go?
If it really was just some ordinary conflict, it wouldn’t have been a big deal to have Miao Fei Ping apologize; after all, no matter what the cause was, the fact was that Miao Fei Ping had indeed injured many of Purple Phoenix Palace’s disciples. To put it bluntly, as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, what Miao Fei Ping was doing was just bullying the weak. But the key point was that the Ancestor was involved in this matter, so how could Shang Guan Ji give in?
Shang Guan Ji visited the Purple Phoenix Palace Master and declared that it was impossible for them to apologize. If Purple Phoenix Palace continued pestering them over this, Seven Stars Sect would do everything in their power to maintain the dignity of their Sect.
Purple Phoenix Palace was dumbfounded as they had never expected to receive such a reply.
Many of Purple Phoenix Palace Elders were unable to calm their fury and started clamouring to teach Seven Stars Sect a lesson. The Purple Phoenix Palace Master, on the other hand, was hesitating.
A few days later, a huge number of Seven Stars Sect cultivators rushed to Purple Phoenix City. Judging by the scale, it could be said that the Seven Stars Sect had mobilized all its forces. Everyone had rushed over, from Emperor Realm Elders to disciples who had just entered the Sect, not a single person was left.
If someone were to attack Seven Stars Sect right now, they would easily be able to take over their headquarters.
Purple Phoenix Palace had never thought that Seven Stars Sect’s attitude would be so unyielding that they would mobilize their entire force. It felt as if a battle would break out between two great Sects at any moment.
Nothing of this sort had happened ever since the great migration to Void World.
The unusual actions of the Seven Stars Sect also attracted the attention of all the Sects in this World, and it was only at this moment that they truly witnessed the terrifying foundation of the Seven Stars Sect.
Much to everyone’s surprise, they had several dozen Emperor Realm Masters! Although the other Sects had seen an increase in the number of Emperor Realm Masters they possessed in recent years, it wasn’t too many. Even the strongest of them had perhaps a dozen or so in total.
On the other hand, the Seven Star Sect actually had several dozen Emperors!
In the past, it had been rumoured that the Seven Stars Sect was the strongest Sect in Void World; but now, they finally had a deeper understanding of its strength. No one could understand why so many Emperor Realm Masters had appeared in the Seven Stars Sect.
If the two Sects were to fight, Purple Phoenix Palace would definitely not be their opponent.
After the full mobilization of the Seven Stars Sect, the Purple Phoenix Palace Elders who had been eager to fight it out with the Seven Stars Sect suddenly became mute. Fortunately, Seven Stars Sect’s forces didn’t do anything drastic after entering Purple Phoenix City, all of them just entered local inns and dispersed themselves around the city.
The Purple Phoenix Palace Master once again visited Shang Guan Ji. His tone was no longer as forceful as before; instead, he wore a forced smile on his face, expressing his goodwill. Even the Vice Palace Master came and personally apologized.
Shang Guan Ji stated that so long as Purple Phoenix Palace did not deliberately cause any trouble, Seven Stars Sect would not cause trouble in Purple Phoenix City.
The Purple Phoenix Palace Master let out a long sigh of relief after getting this guarantee.
Be that as it may, it was highly inappropriate for so many Seven Stars Sect disciples to be loitering in Purple Phoenix City. He wanted to ask Shang Guan Ji what exactly they were doing here, and when would Seven Stars Sect be withdrawing.
After pondering for a moment, Shang Guan Ji finally gave an answer, “I can’t say for sure when we will withdraw. As for what we are doing, you don’t need to ask. You can just think of it as the disciples of the Seven Stars Sect coming here to gain life experience. They will leave when the time is right.”
The Purple Phoenix Palace Master was speechless.
Unable to obtain an accurate answer from Shang Guan Ji, the Purple Phoenix Palace Master returned and relayed this conversation to the other Elders. Immediately, one of the Elders angrily rebuked, “Isn’t Shang Guan Ji Seven Stars Sect’s Sect Master? Who in Seven Stars Sect dares to disobey him? Yet he said that he didn’t know when they would be withdrawing! Clearly, he is just trying to make things difficult for our Purple Phoenix Palace!”
Other Elders also flew into a rage.
However, one of the Elders thoughtfully interjected, “According to the Palace Master’s words, this Shang Guan Ji may have some difficulties.”
The Purple Phoenix Palace Master looked at the Elder after hearing his speculation, “What difficulties could he possibly have?”
The Elder asked, “Palace Master, doesn’t Seven Stars Sect also have an Ancestor? What if ‘he’ gave the order?”
The Purple Phoenix Palace Master’s expression changed, “You mean…”
The Elder shook his head, stating, “It’s just a guess, I can’t say for sure.”
In Purple Phoenix City, Seven Stars Sect disciples could be seen everywhere. Fortunately, these people really did not cause any trouble in Purple Phoenix City just as Shang Guan Ji had said.
Purple Phoenix Palace’s higher-ups were both happy and puzzled. Could it be that Seven Stars Sect really only sent their entire Sect here to gain life experience?
But what they could not understand was why they chose Purple Phoenix City.
Nonetheless, Purple Phoenix Palace finally reached one conclusion after numerous investigations, and that was that the Emperor Realm Masters of Seven Stars Sect were attaching a lot of importance to a certain little girl who was wandering around Purple Phoenix City. At any given moment, at least two to three Emperors would be secretly watching over her.
However, they only monitored her from a distance and never exposed their whereabouts nor interfered with her life. They simply let her wander the city as she pleased.
Purple Phoenix Palace finally realized that this little girl was the cause of the entire incident.
Purple Phoenix Palace failed to understand why Seven Stars Sect placed so much importance on this little girl. They tried to investigate her background, but even after a thorough investigation, they came to a shocking conclusion. No one knew which family this little girl was from or when she had arrived in Purple Phoenix City. There was no record of her entering the city through the city gates. It was as if she had appeared in Purple Phoenix City out of thin air.
They might have not understood the origins of this little girl, but they finally understood Seven Stars Sect’s intentions, allowing Purple Phoenix Palace to breathe a sigh of relief.
Since this little girl was so important, Purple Phoenix Palace didn’t dare to be negligent either. The higher-ups immediately ordered everyone in the city to open their doors wide for this little girl, catering to her every need.
Since then, the little girl’s life in Purple Phoenix City had become much more comfortable. She did not need to pay for anything she ate, and when night fell, the owner of a nearby inn would always invite her inside to sleep in a warm bed.
All this while, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged inside the Marketplace, silently refining cultivation materials.
He had his Small Universe spread out, allowing the Old Ancestor to recuperate, but this did not affect his cultivation in any way.
The people of Purple Phoenix Palace and Seven Stars Sect all thought that the Old Ancestor was just an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before, but as the Master of the Small Universe, Yang Kai could clearly feel some intangible force constantly pouring into the Old Ancestor’s body.
This mysterious energy seemed to be the essence of the mundane world.
The baptism of this mysterious energy was the basis of the Old Ancestor’s healing technique, but even Yang Kai was unable to understand its properties.
Yin-Yang Pass went into a full defensive stance while the Old Ancestor was recuperating. They did nothing even when the Black Ink Clan army taunted and provoked them. Only when the Black Ink Clan approached too close to Yin-Yang Pass did they use the various Spirit Arrays and artifacts to repel the enemy.
Just like that, half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Just like every other day, Yang Kai was focused on refining cultivation materials when he suddenly sensed something. He promptly focused his Divine Sense towards a certain place in Purple Phoenix City.
Miao Fei Ping was diligently carrying out the Ancestor’s secret order in Purple Phoenix City, keeping an eye on the Ancestor’s descendant at almost every moment. Fortunately, Purple Phoenix Palace seemed to have realized that this little girl’s identity was special after the previous incident, so no one dared to seek trouble with her, which saved Miao Fei Ping a lot of effort.
At this moment, the Ancestor’s descendant was eating breakfast at a stall. Usually, this little girl was like a storm, lively and hopping from one place to another, but today, she suddenly stopped eating as a thoughtful look appeared on her face.
Immediately after, she stood up and walked straight towards Miao Fei Ping.
Miao Fei Ping was beside himself. It had to be said that he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master who had not only used a Secret Technique to conceal himself, but had also withdrawn his aura completely. Not to mention an ordinary mortal, even another Emperor Realm Master would not be able to find him so easily.
Nevertheless, the Ancestor’s descendant was actually walking towards him, forcing him to wonder, [Did she discover me?]
Miao Fei Ping quickly denied this possibility. Although the Ancestor was powerful, his descendant didn’t show any signs of cultivation. It was impossible for her to have discovered him.
So, when she was approaching him, Miao Fei Ping just silently stepped aside.
But much to his surprise, the little girl just stood there, and even turned towards him, looking at him with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.
This time, Miao Fei Ping was truly shocked. He took a few more steps to clear the way, but the little girl just kept staring at him.
“Junior Sister, can you see me?” Miao Fei Ping asked, astounded.
The little girl tilted her head and smiled, “Junior Sister?”
Miao Fei Ping was shocked beyond words, [She really can see me! But how is that possible?] He had been monitoring her for a long time, but he had never sensed any trace of cultivation from her, not in the slightest. He was really unable to explain the current situation.
Just as he was beginning to doubt himself, the little figure in front of him continued with a smile, “Forget it, it’s been hard on you these past few days.”
Miao Fei Ping didn’t know how to respond for a moment and muttered, “Don’t mind it, Junior Sister, it was my duty.”
The little girl nodded her acknowledgement like a worldly-wise old woman before suddenly raising her head to the sky and shouting, “Bring me out.”
Just as she said so, the small figure before Miao Fei Ping suddenly disappeared into thin air.
Miao Fei Ping couldn’t help but stare absent-mindedly.
This sudden abnormality quickly attracted the nearby Seven Stars Sect Emperor Realm Masters’ attention and they instantly rushed over to check up on it. Shang Guan Ji also received word and rushed over, but the little girl was already gone.
Fortunately, Miao Fei Ping soon received the Ancestor’s decree, stating that his mission was over. Everyone from the Seven Stars Sect immediately breathed a long breath.
At the same time, a small figure suddenly appeared in the Marketplace of Yin-Yang Pass.
Seeing the small figure, Tang Qiu, who had been waiting here all the while, respectfully bowed.
The Old Ancestor lightly nodded before looking at Yang Kai thoughtfully, voicing her doubts, “Is the flow of time in your Small Universe different from the outside world?”
Yang Kai replied, “This Junior cultivates the Dao of Time, so the flow of time in my Small Universe is four times faster than the outside world.”
During a bout of enlightenment into the Dao of Time many years ago, the flow of time inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe accelerated to twice that of the outside world. Later, when his Third Disciple Xu Yi was cultivating the Great Nothingness Scripture in the Seven Stars Sect, his Small Universe benefited from it for some unknown reason and the flow of time became four times faster.
Therefore, although Yang Kai had only cultivated in the Marketplace for half a year, the Old Ancestor had already spent more than two years in his Small Universe.
Tang Qiu was stunned for a moment after this revelation, causing him to exclaim, “Four times the speed of the outside world?”
Yang Kai nodded seriously.
Tang Qiu looked at him as if he was looking at a monster, “You have living creatures in your Small Universe, who are constantly increasing your strength. With a four-fold time flow rate, isn’t it just like adding wings to a tiger?” He suddenly realized something and exclaimed, “No wonder you broke through to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm so quickly, so this is the reason.”
He had been curious about this all along. Yang Kai had only advanced to the Open Heaven Realm a few centuries ago, and although the world was filled with many opportunities, the speed of his advancement was still too great. But if the flow of time in his Small Universe was different from the outside world, everything made sense.
“What a pity…” Tang Qiu suddenly sighed again. Unfortunately, Yang Kai’s advancement to the Open Heaven Realm started from the Fifth Order. Although he had consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit which had allowed his strength to increase by one Order, his limit was still the Eighth Order.
If he had broken through directly to the Seventh Order back then, he would have had a chance to become an Old Ancestor one day.
With such a Heaven-defying opportunity available to him, he could have saved a lot of time compared to other people who had a chance of reaching the Ninth Order.
“No need to feel sorry, the future is yet unknown,” the Old Ancestor obviously understood what Tang Qiu was sighing about, “It’s not like Yang Kai doesn’t have any hope of breaking through to the Ninth Order, but he still needs to work hard in the future. It would be better to focus on the present first.”
Tang Qiu’s expression immediately became solemn as he requested, cupping his fist, “The four Armies of Yin-Yang Pass are already prepared, please give the order.”
The Old Ancestor looked out of the Great Pass and indifferently ordered, “Engage the enemy!”
A sonorous bugle horn resounded throughout the entire Yin-Yang Pass. The soldiers of Yin-Yang Pass, who had been cultivating for over half a year, quickly arranged themselves at the eastern gate.
The entire periphery of Yin-Yang Pass was surrounded by the Black Ink Clan army, so the eastern gate was no exception.
At this moment, the Black Ink Clan was shouting provocations at this particular gate.
Over the last half a year, this kind of scene had been occurring almost every day. The closing of Yin-Yang Pass had made the Black Ink Clan become increasingly arrogant.
Therefore, when Yin-Yang Pass’s barriers opened and a tide of Humans rushed out from the eastern gate, the Black Ink Clan army, who had been provoking and cursing them, couldn’t react in time.
Everywhere the Human Warships passed, the dumbstruck Black Ink Clan army was torn to pieces.
In the distance, the Territory Lords were extremely excited, noticing the Humans’ movement. They loudly ordered their armies to meet the enemy. They had been feeling suffocated ever since Yin-Yang Pass withdrew, so now that the Humans had finally come out, they naturally wanted to kill to their heart’s content.
The two armies soon clashed with each other in the void. Dazzling Secret Techniques and Artifacts lit up the battlefield as blood and mangled pieces of flesh flew everywhere.
As soon as they clashed, the Black Ink Clan army showed signs of being suppressed.
This was not surprising though, as all of Yin-Yang Pass’s Armies had charged out of the eastern gate, while the Black Ink Clan’s army was spread out around the entire Yin-Yang Pass. Aside from the Black Ink Clansmen outside the eastern gate, the other Black Ink Clan armies were still on their way to reinforce them.
Furthermore, the Black Ink Clan armies’ strength had been reduced after the previous battles.
In the past, the Black Ink Clan had been able to constantly replenish their forces from their home territories, but this time, the Black Ink Clan’s rear had been thrown into chaos. Not only was the Royal Lord seriously injured, but they had also lost five Territory Lords and countless Black Ink Nests. While the Humans were recuperating, the Black Ink Clan had also received reinforcements, but their numbers were far fewer than normal, making it difficult for them to replenish their losses.
Nonetheless, the Black Ink Clan continued to fight to the death. It wasn’t that everyone from the Black Ink Clan was unafraid of death, but if the Territory Lord commanding the army didn’t give the order to retreat, no one would dare to. Retreating in battle without permission was a capital offence.
For the Territory Lords, as long as not too many Feudal Lords under them died, it did not matter to them how many High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen perished. On the contrary, they could rely on the High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen to exhaust the strength of the Humans.
In terms of replenishing their forces, the Black Ink Clan had it far easier compared to the Humans; therefore, this kind of exchange of forces was extremely beneficial to the Black Ink Clan. All the Territory Lords understood this principle.
While the Black Ink Clan army at the eastern gate was retreating again and again, and the Black Ink Clan forces from the other areas were rushing over to provide assistance, a small figure suddenly appeared on an unremarkable Warship.
The Black Ink Clan never imagined that the Human Old Ancestor would actually be hiding in the midst of the Army to launch a sneak attack. What they found even more difficult to understand was how the Old Ancestor got the strength to fight so quickly.
According to the news they had received from the rear, the Human Old Ancestor was severely wounded and would not be able to fight for the next 30 to 50 years; otherwise, they wouldn’t have continued besieging Yin-Yang Pass for so long.
The Royal Lord had fallen into a deep sleep, so their side was without a Supreme Master. Once the Human Old Ancestor took action, the Territory Lords would not be able to resist.
It was precisely because they knew that the Old Ancestor did not have the ability to fight that the Territory Lords were so fearless. As strong as those Eighth-Order Humans were, it was not easy for them to kill a Territory Lord on the battlefield; therefore, when the figure of the Old Ancestor suddenly appeared on the battlefield and killed one of the Territory Lords in the blink of an eye, the Black Ink Clan was beside themselves in shock.
The Old Ancestor didn’t stop there. She wielded her longsword again and quickly killed another Territory Lord with the cooperation of Tang Qiu and the other Eighth-Order Masters.
Two Territory Lords had fallen in succession in less than a dozen breaths, so how could the surviving Territory Lords dare to remain? All of them quickly fled, and without them to hold the line, the Black Ink Clan army instantly routed.
In a flash, the Black Ink Clan suffered heavy losses, whereas the morale of the Humans shot through the sky.
All the Territory Lords immediately focused all their energy on escaping while the Old Ancestor didn’t waste any time chasing after them; instead, she turned around and charged towards the South.
On the Southern side, the Black Ink Clan army still didn’t know what was happening on the eastern front, so the Territory Lords were still leading their Army to provide reinforcements.
Before they could arrive though, they were directly intercepted by Eighth-Order Division Commanders led by their Old Ancestor.
In the initial clash, another Territory Lord was swiftly killed off by the Old Ancestor, and the aura of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master began to spread through the surroundings, oppressing the entire battlefield.
Three Territory Lords had died, the Eastern front had collapsed, and the Southern front had been thrown into chaos with the sudden appearance of the Old Ancestor. By now, the Territory Lords in the North and West of Yin-Yang Pass had sensed the Old Ancestor’s aura. They knew that things were not looking good, so they decisively threw a bunch of cannon fodder to divert the attention of the Humans while they led their elites to escape from the battlefield, running towards the Black Ink Clan territory without even looking back, fearing that the Old Ancestor would pursue them.
Since the battle had reached this point, the Black Ink Clan could no longer turn the tide. Only a cup of tea had passed since the appearance of the Old Ancestor, and yet three Territory Lords had died by her hand while many weaker the Black Ink Clansmen were annihilated from the fallout of her attacks. The Black Ink Clan was utterly defeated.
Without the suppression of a Royal Lord on the battlefield, the Old Ancestor was simply too intimidating to the Black Ink Clan.
The Black Ink Clan army was fleeing everywhere like stray dogs, so naturally, the Human Race would not miss such a good opportunity. The four Armies pursued the enemy under the leadership of their respective Army Commanders, leaving a bloody trail behind them.
Yang Kai didn’t participate in the battle, for as extraordinary as his strength might be, one more person on such a battlefield in the Seventh Order was not going to make a significant difference. His task was to escort the Old Ancestor back to the Great Pass.
After recuperating for two years in his Small Universe, the Old Ancestor had only managed to recover enough strength to kill three Territory Lords. The Old Ancestor was no longer able to continue after killing the third Territory Lord.
Even if the Black Ink Clan didn’t retreat, it would have been impossible for the Old Ancestor to attack again. Be that as it may, the Black Ink Clan Territory Lords were completely terrified by the appearance of the Old Ancestor, so how could they dare to remain after sensing her presence?
This gave the Humans an opportunity to pursue and slaughter. In the battle between two races, this was the best opportunity to increase one’s Military Merits. Many Eighth-Order Division Commanders deeply understood this principle, so how could they let this chance pass?
Nonetheless, the Humans didn’t dare to pursue the enemy too far and began to withdraw their forces and return to the Pass after 10 days.
The Black Ink Clan Army had suffered heavy losses in this battle and it would take them at least 100 years to replenish their forces. If the Territory Lords’ casualties and the consequences of the Black Ink Nests’ destruction were factored in on top of that, it would probably take several hundred to 1,000 years for the Black Ink Clan in Yin-Yang Theatre to recover.
This battle could be considered a great victory!
The morale of Yin-Yang Pass’ soldiers was still pretty high after the battle. The battle between the two Races had resulted in casualties on the Human Race’s side too, but their casualties were within acceptable limits compared to the losses suffered by the Black Ink Clan.
After calculating the Military Merits, Yang Kai naturally received the highest reward.
Leaving aside the fact that he infiltrated the Black Ink Clan’s domain, ruined their grand plan, and rescued 300 Artifact Refiners, just the destruction of the 10 Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest was something no one could compare to. Not only did he discover many secrets about the Black Ink Clan, he had also brought the Old Ancestor back to the Great Pass. Each of these feats was of great merit.
Yang Kai might have belonged to Blue Sky Pass, but his contributions this time were not small. Furthermore, Yin-Yang Pass had also made an exception to record his Military Merits.
Yang Kai could exchange them for anything he wanted from Yin-Yang Pass’ War Materials Palace with his Military Merits; however, he had looted a huge number of resources from the Black Ink Clan already, so he didn’t need to worry about his own cultivation and naturally didn’t need to exchange for anything at the moment.
After the battle ended, Yang Kai did not immediately return to Blue Sky Pass; instead, he opened the portals to the Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens in the periphery of the Pass at the behest of Tang Qiu and the other Army Commanders.
There were multitudes of hidden Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens around each Great Pass which were all left behind by High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who had died in battle. It was true for Blue Sky Pass, and so was it for Yin-Yang Pass.
Yang Kai had already opened the portals to the Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens around Blue Sky Pass, and the Array Masters back there had set up multitudes of restrictions and traps inside of them to deal with the Black Ink Clan Army in the future.
Yin-Yang Pass had heard about this matter, so it was only natural for them to follow suit. Unfortunately, these hidden gates were difficult to find, unless one was proficient in the Dao of Space like Yang Kai.
Over the next few months, Yang Kai had been searching around the periphery of Yin-Yang Pass to open these hidden portals, and as long as one was opened, Array Masters would get to work.
After finishing these tasks, Yang Kai began searching for the entrance to the Sealed World portals further afield. It took him almost two years to finish everything.
After returning to Yin-Yang Pass, the Purifying Light in the four Purifying Black Ink Battleships still needed to be replenished, so he had to act again.
Taking into consideration the fact that the Southern Army Commander Wu Qing had one of the Four Universe Pillars, Yang Kai gave him a number of Small Stone Race members to let him raise them inside his Small Universe. It was like a priceless gift to Wu Qing.
He was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but he was not far from breaking through to the Ninth-Order. Now that he had the Small Stone Race, the time it would take him to advance had been reduced.
Everything was ready.
The Marketplace was extremely lively at this moment, just like the first time Yang Kai had come here. The entire street was crowded and bustling with activity, like a mortal city.
But compared to his initial confusion, Yang Kai now knew that this Marketplace was built to treat the Old Ancestor’s injuries.
After easily finding the Old Ancestor, who happened to be listening to a story in the teahouse, Yang Kai sat down next to her without any trace of politeness.
The speaker on the stage was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master whom Yang Kai didn’t recognize. Yang Kai had no idea which Division Commander he was, but he seemed to be telling some kind of fantastical story. It was wonderful and a few among the audience were cheering in excitement.
Yang Kai’s brow couldn’t help twitching as he really couldn’t get used to this kind of scene; after all, everyone in the audience was a powerful Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Are you leaving?” The Old Ancestor asked casually while stuffing food into her mouth.
Yang Kai nodded his agreement, “Everything here has been taken care of, so there’s nothing left for me to do.”
“It’s been hard on you all these years. You’ve been running all over the place and haven’t had time to rest.”
“It is this Junior’s duty,” Yang Kai replied.
“En, when you get back, you should focus on your cultivation and strive to break through to the Eighth Order as soon as possible. In the end, the Seventh Order is not enough to ensure your safety on this Black Ink Battlefield.”
“Junior understands,” Yang Kai replied respectfully. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Does the Old Ancestor need help to heal? If the Old Ancestor needs it, the Junior will not hesitate.”
The Old Ancestor answered with a smile, “There’s no need, healing here is the same. Although the speed can’t be compared to your Small Universe’s, the Black Ink Clan’s forces have suffered heavy casualties and there won’t be any war for the next several hundred years or more, so the speed of my recovery isn’t important.”
Yang Kai was just about to nod when the Old Ancestor suddenly added, “Why don’t you come to Yin-Yang Pass? You’re half a disciple of Yin-Yang Heaven, so it’s only right and proper for you to come here.”
Yang Kai replied, “This Junior cannot make the decision on this matter. If the Old Ancestor really wants this Junior to come to Yin-Yang Pass, Blue Sky Pass must be informed. If Blue Sky Pass allows it, I will not refuse.”
The Old Ancestor chuckled, “It was just a casual remark, don’t take it seriously. Since you’re a Human, no matter where you are, as long as you fight against the Black Ink Clan, it’s all the same. It does not matter which Great Pass you belong to.”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded and accompanied the Old Ancestor for a while before standing up and stating, “This Junior will take his leave then!”
“Go on,” the Old Ancestor waved him off.
After leaving the Marketplace, Yang Kai went straight to some place inside the Inner Sanctum and stopped in front of a small courtyard.
There was a barrier outside the courtyard, obviously to prevent anyone from disturbing its occupant. Be that as it may, Yang Kai didn’t pay it any heed and simply lifted his hand to touch it. Soon, a portal opened before Yang Kai entered inside.
In the courtyard, Blood Crow sat up straight and glanced over, “What is it?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Nothing important, I’m preparing to return to Blue Sky Pass, so I came to see you before I left.”
Blood Crow immediately became sullen, “Since when were we friends?”
Yang Kai reached out and grabbed a few bottles of wine out of thin air before placing them on the table in front of Blood Crow.
Blood Crow looked at the wine and then at Yang Kai before clicking his tongue, “Are you trying to make friends with me with just these few bottles? Have you forgotten what you did to me?”
Yang Kai placed two bowls, filled them with wine, and picked one up, “Let me ask you, do you want to drink it or not?”
Blood Crow remained silent for a moment before picking up a bottle, unsealing it, and then pouring it.
Yang Kai didn’t pay attention to this and just lifted his bowl.
They didn’t talk much, just kept drinking.
After drinking a few bottles, Yang Kai stood up and stated in a slightly drunk manner, “Brother Blood Crow, the battlefield is dangerous, and fighting alone will not guarantee your safety. All the Humans here are wearing the same robe, I hope that when next I come to Yin-Yang Pass, I will see you again.”
Saying so, he waved his hand and turned to leave.
Watching him disappear, Blood Crow snorted, “How boring!”
Yang Kai smoothly returned to Blue Sky Pass through the Hyper Space Array.
When he looked up, he saw Zhong Liang waiting for him.
Yang Kai quickly bowed in response.
Zhong Liang raised his hand as he stated with a smile, “Well done, it’s been hard on you these past few years.”
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized that Zhong Liang must have been informed of everything he had done at Yin-Yang Pass.
It needed a massive amount of resources to travel between Great Passes; after all, each Great Pass was quite far from its neighbours, but if it was just passing on some information, it didn’t cost much. The Purifying Black Ink Pill’s recipe and the refining method of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were all transmitted to other Great Passes from Blue Sky Pass in the form of jade slips.
Yang Kai was considered a member of Blue-Sky Pass, but because of the Purification Light, too many things were involved. If it weren’t for the fact that the Black Ink Clan’s plan to refine the Warships was too great a threat to the Human Race, how could Blue Sky Pass be willing to put Yang Kai in danger? When he went to the Yin-Yang Theatre, Blue Sky Pass naturally paid attention to his movements.
Almost every month, Blue Sky Pass would send a message to Yin-Yang Pass, inquiring about the situation. Naturally, if there was anything to report, it was reported to them without concealment.
While Yang Kai was hiding in the Black Ink Clan’s territory, Yin-Yang Pass hadn’t received any news from him either, which made Blue-Sky Pass quite anxious.
When Yang Kai finally showed up, the Black Ink Clan Army was besieging the Great Pass, and Yang Kai needed to assist Yin-Yang Pass’s Old Ancestor in healing her injuries. After driving back the Black Ink Clan Army, Yang Kai needed to remain there to open the portals to the Universe Paradises, Universe Cave Heavens, and Sealed Worlds.
Zhong Liang and the others even suspected that Yin-Yang Pass wanted to forcibly retain Yang Kai; that they had no intention of returning him!
To be honest, if Yang Kai hadn’t returned to Blue Sky Pass soon, Zhong Liang would have personally gone to Yin-Yang Pass and looked for Tang Qiu and the others.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had returned, which finally put Zhong Liang at ease.
Regarding Yang Kai’s deeds in the Yin-Yang Theatre, Zhong Liang was not stingy with his praise. He immediately told him that since he had returned, he should rest well and work hard to improve his cultivation.
Yang Kai naturally agreed.
Zhong Liang left happily while Yang Kai returned to his residence alone.
Sensing the movement of the restriction, Feng Ying and Bai Yi, who were cultivating, came out to investigate. When they saw that Yang Kai had returned, the two women were overjoyed.
This place was originally Feng Ying’s residence, but because it was a courtyard with extra rooms, Yang Kai had always lived here. Later, Bai Yi also joined them after Yang Kai had rescued her. After all, they were all members of the same Squad, so it would be easier for them to convene in times of war.
After not seeing each other for over a decade, their auras had clearly become stronger.
In fact, it wasn’t just them, but everyone in Blue-Sky Pass had improved after such a long period of rest.
Before Yang Kai’s arrival, there was always a shortage of cultivation resources regardless of which Great Pass it was. So, the distribution and use of each and every material had to be carefully calculated. However, ever since Yang Kai brought out the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, resources were no longer a problem, especially in Blue Sky Pass. The amount of resources stored in the War Materials Palace now could be said to be as vast as the mountains and seas, enough for the soldiers in the Great Pass to cultivate for thousands of years.
So, their cultivation was bound to improve with the availability of abundant resources and the lack of any threats. Moreover, Yang Kai had opened many Sealed Worlds, acquiring many Profound Yin Spirit Fruits and fruit trees. Many people in Blue Sky Pass had repaired their damaged Small Universes and recovered their original cultivations.
It could be said that the strength of those in Blue-Sky Pass had greatly improved compared to before.
On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan was currently recuperating after the struggle for resources had concluded with the Human Race’s victory. There wouldn’t be any more battles anytime soon.
It could be said that the soldiers of Blue-Sky Pass were enjoying the most leisurely time. Every cultivator cherished this moment because no one could guarantee that they would be able to make it to the next time they could enjoy such leisure.
After chatting with Feng Ying and Bai Yi for a while, Yang Kai returned to his room and went into retreat.
From the Seventh Order to the Eighth Order was an extremely long process of accumulation; however, the flow of time in Yang Kai’s Small Universe was different from that of the outside world. Furthermore, the living beings inside his Small Universe were constantly improving his heritage, and the World Tree clone was able to purify and strengthen his World Force.
Be that as it may, the main way to increase one’s cultivation was still the boring and monotonous routine of refining resources.
Yang Kai didn’t lack supplies. His Small Universe already had enough cultivation resources stored in it to break through to the Eighth Order, and adding the looting he had done in the hinterlands of the Black Ink Clan, he now had an almost inexhaustible supply of materials.
Originally, he wanted to donate some resources to Blue Sky Pass, but now that Blue Sky Pass didn’t lack resources, he gave up on this notion.
Day after day, year after year…
Yang Kai’s cultivation slowly and steadily increased as a large number of resources were consumed.
However, unlike others, Yang Kai couldn’t cultivate in seclusion for extremely long periods of time. It wasn’t that he was restless or anything, but some Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from other Great Passes would visit him from time to time, bringing Purifying Black Ink Battleships and requesting him to replenish their stock of Purification Light.
Purification Light consumed resources to cast, and the more Black Ink Strength it purified, the faster it would be consumed.
Yang Kai was the only one who could replenish the Purification Light; as such, once the Purification Light sealed in a Purifying Black Ink Battleship had been exhausted, it had to be sent to Blue Sky Pass.
This matter couldn’t be handled by others, so basically every time he went into retreat, it would not last for too long. At best, Yang Kai would be interrupted once a year, but there were times when he had to take action every other month or so.
Replenishing Purification Light was as easy as lifting a finger for Yang Kai. At most, it would consume some Yellow and Blue Crystals; however, the rapid consumption of the Purification Light was also a testament to the intensity of the battle at the various Great Passes, causing his heart to inevitably sink.
The Black Ink Clan was like moss, unkillable no matter how many you cut them down. Even if they were defeated and driven back, it wouldn’t be long before they returned.
Fortunately, with the large-scale refining and promotion of Purifying Black Ink Pills, the frequency at which Yang Kai had to replenish Purification Light became much lower.
The Purifying Black Ink Pill recipe was an inheritance left behind by an ancient Alchemist. It was incomplete though, so Zhu Ge Ming and Zhou Fang, two Alchemy Great Grandmasters, had derived its complete formula after many experiments. It was an effective method to deal with the corrosion of Black Ink Strength.
Many of the materials used to refine Purifying Black Ink Pills had disappeared from the 3,000 Worlds, but they could still be found in the many Sealed Worlds scattered across the Black Ink Battlefield. Currently, every Great Pass was cultivating large quantities of these Spirit Herbs in their own medicine gardens.
After many years of effort, their hard work had finally borne fruit.
This was especially true for Yang Kai’s Small Universe’s medicine garden, which was cultivating those Spirit Herbs in large quantities. After all, his Small Universe’s time flow was different from the outside world. He had a unique advantage when it came to cultivating herbs; he could grow them faster. He had planted many Profound Yin Fruit Trees in his medicine garden when he was exploring the Sealed Worlds.
And as the medicine garden was under the care of the two Wood Spirits, whether it was the herbs or the fruit trees, they were all growing quite well.
Yang Kai had already given the first batch of mature herbs to Blue Sky Pass. The Alchemists inside the Pass had naturally used these herbs to refine Purifying Black Ink Pills and distributed them to the soldiers.
During these years of retreat, Yang Kai had also made some arrangements in his Small Universe.
It had been a few years since his Small Universe had integrated with the World Tree clone. The feedback of the clone had enveloped the entire Small Universe by now, so the Humans living inside it had also begun to benefit from it.
The most obvious example was Miao Fei Ping.
Miao Fei Ping’s original aptitude wasn’t bad. When he had participated in Seven Stars Sect’s Disciples Recruitment with Zhao Ya and Zhao Ye Bai, he had received a ranking second only to Zhao Ya. His cultivation had been smooth sailing over the years, resulting in him advancing to the Emperor Realm.
According to Yang Kai’s investigation when Miao Fei Ping had reached the Emperor Realm, the latter had the qualifications to advance directly to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
However, because of the World Tree clone’s nourishment, he now had a chance to advance to the Sixth Order!
Since even Miao Fei Ping was affected, the new generation of children would naturally be able to receive even more benefits from the World Tree clone. This was also the reason why the various Sects had recently taken in many good seedlings.
Moreover, this kind of feedback would only become stronger until it reached its peak. After a certain number of generations, perhaps cultivation geniuses would be seen just about everywhere.
When Yang Kai left the Star Boundary, it had already become the ultimate Open Heaven Realm cradle.
The change in the Star Boundary was also due to a World Tree clone’s feedback. Since the Star Boundary could become the cradle for the Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai believed that his Small Universe could achieve the same. Although his Small Universe’s population was not nearly as high as the Star Boundary’s, it wasn’t small either.
Be that as it may, if he wanted to develop the potential of these prodigies, he would need to spend some effort.
As such, he used his power to create a phenomenon in his Small Universe.
One day, under the witness of all the living beings in the Small Universe, a giant palace suddenly appeared in the sky. No matter where one was, they could clearly see this palace which had appeared out of thin air.
The palace was surrounded by a dazzling halo of light which attracted everyone’s attention as soon as it manifested.
The Emperor Realm Masters of the various great Sects immediately became extremely interested in this palace that had appeared out of nowhere and all of them flew straight towards it to investigate.
Nonetheless, no matter what the Order these Emperor Realm Masters were in, no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to reach the palace. It was as if the palace was right in front of them, but also very far away.
Only one person succeeded!
It was none other than Seven Stars Sect’s Miao Fei Ping.
Under everyone’s stunned gazes, Miao Fei Ping successfully arrived at the palace.
All of the Emperor Realm Masters were greatly shocked at the sight of this. They were unable to understand why they couldn’t approach this palace, but Miao Fei Ping could.
Many of the higher-ups of the various Sects gathered around Shang Guan Ji to ask about this matter, but Shang Guan Ji was just as confused as they were.
After the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Miao Fei Ping flew down from the palace.
The Emperor Realm Masters quickly surrounded him to inquire about the situation after seeing him return.
Miao Fei Ping’s expression became solemn as he pondered for a moment before quenching their curiosity, “This place is called the Void Dao Temple, and it is bestowed by the World itself, not created by man.”
“Void Dao Temple!”
The crowd of Emperor Realm Masters were all extremely sceptical, wondering if this was all a ploy by the Seven Stars Sect. Otherwise, how could they explain that Miao Fei Ping was the only one who could reach the palace? Seven Stars Sect was the strongest Sect in this World, and it also had an elusive and mysterious Ancestor supporting it. Perhaps this Void Dao Temple was just a gimmick for them to dominate the whole Void World?
“What is inside this Dao Temple?” Someone asked.
Miao Fei Ping replied, “The Void Dao Temple contains the essence of the 3,000 Grand Daos, the ultimate truth of the Martial Dao, and the mysteries above the Emperor Realm!”
The Emperor Realm Masters gasped a breath of cold air in shock, many even had their eyes brightly lit up.
3,000 Grand Daos, the ultimate truth of the Martial Dao, and the mysteries above the Emperor Realm, this was far too attractive for the residents of Void World.
There was no cultivator who didn’t yearn for a higher Martial Dao, especially the Emperor Realm Masters.
They had been stuck in this Realm for many years. Had this been the end of the Martial Dao, then it would not have mattered, but the crux of the issue was that they could feel that the Emperor Realm was not the peak of the Martial Dao. There were even more profound Realms ahead, but they had no idea how to break through to those Realms.
There were rumours that the Ancestor of Seven Stars Sect had a cultivation that surpassed the Emperor Realm, but he was quite elusive; even the higher-ups of Seven Stars Sect couldn’t easily meet him, let alone outsiders like them.
Now that the Void Dao Temple bestowed by the World had appeared out of thin air, containing the mysteries of what lay beyond the Emperor Realm, how could these Emperor Realm Masters not be tempted?
Be that as it may, they had all tried to approach it before, but no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to reach it, except for Miao Fei Ping.
“Elder Miao, what must we do to ascend to the Void Dao Temple?” An Emperor Realm Master from another Sect humbly asked.
Miao Fei Ping replied, “Aptitude, only those with outstanding aptitude can reach the Void Dao Temple. It has nothing to do with cultivation.”
Immediately, someone indignantly asked, “Does Elder Miao mean that your aptitude is better than everyone else here?”
These words were undoubtedly quite revolting to everyone present; after all, everyone standing here was an Emperor Realm Master. Furthermore, all of them were extremely confident in their own aptitude. However, if they were to admit that admittance to the Void Dao Temple was based solely on aptitude, it would mean admitting that Miao Fei Ping’s aptitude was far better than theirs.
Shang Guan Ji glanced over at the Emperor Realm Master who had just spoken and replied, “Elder Miao is a member of our Seven Stars Sect and reached the Emperor Realm before turning 100. With such aptitude, who can compare to him?”
His words immediately made the questioning Emperor turn silent. A 100-year-old Emperor Realm Master was truly unprecedented. Such cultivation speed was far better than any of the other Emperor Realm Masters present.
Another person asked curiously, “Elder Miao, how do you know all this?”
One had to know that Miao Fei Ping had only been in that hall for the time it takes for half an incense to burn, so how could he have obtained so much information?
Miao Fei Ping cupped his fist slightly, “This untalented Miao has been acknowledged by the Void Dao Temple. From today onward, I will be the first Temple Master of the Void Dao Temple, that is why I have obtained some information about this Void Dao Temple.”
As soon as these words left his mouth, the entire audience fell silent. All of the Emperor Realm Masters stared at him blankly. Even Shang Guan Ji and the others from the Seven Stars Sect were shocked.
A palace had appeared out of nowhere; then, Miao Fei Ping declared that it was the Void Dao Temple and was bestowed by the World itself and contained the 3,000 Grand Daos, the highest truths of the Martial Dao, and the mysteries above the Emperor Realm. Now, he even proclaimed that he had obtained the recognition of the Void Dao Temple and had become its first Temple Master?
This revelation was really shocking, so shocking that the Emperor Realm Masters couldn’t immediately respond.
After a long silence, one of the Sect Masters let out a hollow laugh, “Elder Miao, you said you’re the first Temple Master. May I ask Elder Miao what the Temple Master’s job is?”
Miao Fei Ping pondered for a moment before replying, “The purpose of the Void Dao Temple is to teach the 3,000 Grand Daos. As the Temple Master, I am responsible for guiding the Dao Temple’s disciples’ cultivation.”
“And where will these disciples come from?”
“As long as one’s aptitude is sufficiently high, anyone can enter the Dao Temple to cultivate, regardless of their cultivation. Even a child who has never cultivated before may gain entrance if their aptitude is sufficient!” While speaking, Miao Fei Ping cupped his fist, “Sect Masters, Elders, if you have any disciples with outstanding aptitude in mind, please send them to the Dao Temple. If they can pass the test of the Dao Temple, they may enter and comprehend the mysteries of the Grand Dao.”
The Emperor Realm Sect Masters and Elders all looked at each other in dismay upon hearing this. Finally, one of the Sect Masters sneered, “In that case, this humble one understands. Void Dao Temple… hah, I’ll take my leave now!”
Saying so, he turned and left, followed by the Emperor Realm Elders under him.
With someone taking the lead, the others quickly left as well.
Some even sneered before leaving, “Brother Shang Guan, if Seven Stars Sect wants to take in all the geniuses in the World, there’s no need to use such a clumsy method. This Void World is not that small, and a single Seven Stars Sect cannot swallow it all. Brother Shang Guan, please take care of yourself!”
Shang Guan Ji slightly furrowed his brow but didn’t try to explain.
Right now, he also had no idea what this was all about. He vaguely felt that this Void Dao Temple was related to the Ancestor, but it was not appropriate to ask with so many people around.
The Sects that left first were all top Sects in Void World. These Sects were not weak, so they naturally regarded the strongest, Seven Stars Sect, as their competitor, hoping that one day their Sect’s strength would surpass them and become the overlord of Void World.
After listening to Miao Fei Ping’s explanation, everyone thought that this Void Dao Temple was created by the Seven Stars Sect to attract talents from all over the world. If they let all the good seedlings be taken away by the Seven Stars Sect, they would not have any successors. Perhaps Seven Stars Sect would really be able to dominate Void World in less than 100 years if they could accomplish this plot.
Since the Emperor Realm Masters of the top Sects had taken their leaves, the small and intermediate Sects didn’t stay any longer and quickly took their leave as well.
When only the higher-ups of the Seven Stars Sect remained, Guan Qian Xing finally spoke, “Fei Ping, this Void Dao Temple…”
Shang Guan Ji immediately interrupted him, “Let us return first.”
Guan Qian Xing understood that Shang Guan Ji stopped him because he was afraid that someone was trying to spy on them, so he didn’t ask any further.
After everyone had returned to Seven Stars Sect, Shang Guan Ji finally asked Miao Fei Ping, “Is what you said about the Void Dao Temple true?”
Miao Fei Ping earnestly nodded his affirmation, “It’s true. I did not speak a single lie to those people.”
A solemn look took over Shang Guan Ji’s face, “Is this related to the Ancestor?”
“En, it is indeed related to the Ancestor. It was also Ancestor who appointed me as the Temple Master.”
As soon as these words came out, all Seven Stars Sect Emperor Realm Masters were thrilled. Since it was the Ancestor’s handiwork, there was no need to doubt or worry. Previously, Shang Guan Ji had also suspected that the Void Dao Temple was created by the Ancestor, but now he had confirmation.
“Why did the Ancestor create this Void Dao Temple?” Guan Qian Xing hurriedly asked.
Miao Fei Ping replied, “Ancestor intends to take many of Void World’s geniuses under his tutelage and teach them about the Grand Dao.”
Shang Guan Ji and the others’ eyes lit up.
The Ancestor had long passed down the method to condense one’s Dao Seal to the Seven Stars Sect and had given them many resources to do so with. Some of them had even already begun to form their Dao Seals, while Miao Fei Ping was far ahead of his peers in this regard and had even begun refining Element Powers. Nonetheless, the Void Dao Temple was still extremely attractive to them.
How could Miao Fei Ping not know what they were thinking after seeing their reaction? He immediately added, “Just as I said before, admittance to the Void Dao Temple has nothing to do with your cultivation, only your aptitude. If your aptitude is good enough, you can easily reach it, but if your aptitude is lacking, no matter how high your cultivation is, you can never approach it.”
Shang Guan Ji couldn’t help but awkwardly cough at those words.
He had also tried to ascend to the Void Dao Temple before, but unfortunately, he was unable to do so. In other words, his aptitude wasn’t high enough to be recognized by the Dao Temple.
Regardless, their Ancestor had already taught them the method to form their Dao Seal, so as long as they diligently cultivated, they could break through the shackles of the Emperor Realm someday.
Right now, the Void Dao Temple was a turning point for others.
Fixing his expression, Shang Guan Ji stated, “Since the Void Dao Temple is Ancestor’s handiwork, the Seven Stars Sect will naturally cooperate unconditionally. Fei Ping, since you are the Temple Master and have received the Ancestor’s favour, you must be diligent in the future.”
“Yes!” Miao Fei Ping replied respectfully.
“Regarding the matter of the Dao Temple, how do you want my Seven Stars Sect to cooperate?”
“Please give the order to all disciples to present themselves to the Dao Temple. It only takes an incense stick for those with appropriate aptitude to receive the blessing of the Dao Temple and enter it to cultivate the Grand Dao!”
Shang Guan Ji lightly nodded as a look of admiration appeared on his face, “As expected of Ancestor’s work. If that’s the case, I will arrange for it immediately.”
Soon, the Seven Stars Sect began moving. All of Seven Stars Sect’s disciples, regardless of their cultivation, received orders from the higher-ups to step out from their abodes or places of cultivation and present themselves to the palace in the sky for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
The disciples didn’t know why they were asked to look up and observe the floating palace, but since it was an order of the higher-ups, they just had to follow it. In any case, it was just an incense stick’s worth of time, so it wasn’t like it was a burdensome task.
Even the Emperor Realm Masters, who had tried to ascend to the Dao Temple before, found a secluded place and secretly focused on the palace, hoping for a miracle to occur.
The dozen or so giant squares in Seven Stars Sect were soon filled with people, all of them gazing up at the Void Dao Temple.
Time slowly passed.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a five-coloured beam suddenly descended from the palace that had been quietly floating in the sky and landed on one of the disciples.
The next moment, something shocking happened. The disciple’s body slowly floated up, and as the beam of light rapidly withdrew towards the Void Dao Temple, the disciple’s cry rang out from midair.
After the first beam of multi-coloured light, several more descended. Each of these beams seemed to have some kind of restraining power, taking away a disciple who was currently observing the Dao Temple.
These rays of light were not all the same though. They were divided into three colours, five colours, and seven colours.
In just a short period of time, more than 30 disciples had been taken away by the colourful beams. Among them, the seven-coloured beams numbered the least, just two, followed by the five-coloured and then the three-coloured beams.
As for the disciples who had been taken away by the beams, all of them were excellent seedlings with outstanding aptitudes. The greater their aptitudes were, the more colourful the beam that fell on them had been.
The higher-ups of the Seven Stars Sect could vaguely tell that these light beams were related to the aptitude of the disciples. The disciples who were taken away by the seven-coloured beams obviously had the best aptitude, while the three-coloured beams represented lower levels of talent.
The Ancestor’s means were truly marvellous!
Everyone in Void World could clearly see the strange Void Dao Temple and the commotion in Seven Stars Sect.
The Emperor Realm Masters, who had just returned to their residences, were also stunned. They had no idea what Seven Stars Sect was up to now.
There were also some who were secretly anxious. Miao Fei Ping had said that the Void Dao Temple contained the 3,000 Grand Daos, the ultimate truth of the Martial Dao, and the mysteries above the Emperor Realm. Naturally, they were also looking forward to it; however, the matter of the Void Dao Temple was too strange. Many people suspected that it was Seven Stars Sect’s ploy, so for now, they wanted to get a clear picture of the situation before deciding what to do.
But now, Seven Stars Sect had already started moving. If Miao Fei Ping had told the truth, and the Void Dao Temple was really bestowed by the World and Seven Stars Sect would gain an advantage by acting first.
Seven Stars Sect was already the most powerful Sect, and now that they had entered the Void Dao Temple before all others, everyone was worried about who would be able to compete with them in the future.
Southern Star Palace, one of the top Sects of Void World…
At this moment, all of the higher-ups present, including Palace Master Wu Dong Xing, were looking up at the strange phenomenon occurring at the Void Dao Temple, watching the beams descending straight down on Seven Stars Sect, each of them then bringing a Seven Stars Sect disciple into the Dao Temple.
This sight was clearly seen by all. They might have no idea what was going on, but it worried them.
Since such a strange event had suddenly occurred in Void World, Southern Star Palace naturally wanted to find out if this Void Dao Temple really was the work of the Seven Stars Sect or not.
Originally, all of them had thought that this was the case, but now it seemed that it wasn’t so. The phenomenon that appeared from the Void Dao Temple had far exceeded the scope of what Emperor Realm Masters could accomplish. Although the Seven Stars Sect had many Emperor Realm Masters, they did not have such ability.
Just as they were wondering what was happening, a beam of multi-coloured light suddenly descended from the Void Dao Temple, not towards the Seven Stars Sect but towards the Southern Star Palace.
It was a seven-coloured beam!
Wu Dong Xing immediately looked in the direction of the light beam and saw a disciple wearing a Southern Star Palace uniform slowly rising into the sky towards the Void Dao Temple.
The disciple’s behaviour could be considered quite calm, just curiously looking around with a confused expression.
“Who is that disciple?” Wu Dong Xing hurriedly asked. Southern Star Palace had many disciples, so it was practically impossible for the Palace Master to know all of them. Furthermore, this disciple’s cultivation appeared to be extremely low so he should have just entered the Sect recently.
“It’s Xue Fei!” One of the higher-ups recognized this disciple.
Wu Dong Xing Xing’s expression changed, “The genius disciple who joined just three years ago?”
He didn’t know Xue Fei personally, but he had heard of him. Among the new batch of disciples three years ago, some of them had extremely outstanding aptitudes and could be said to be the most outstanding since Southern Star Palace’s founding.
One of those supreme talents was Xue Fei.
[What’s going on? How did Xue Fei get taken away by the beam of light from the Void Dao Temple?]
Wu Dong Xing shouted without giving it another thought, “Stop him!”
Naturally, the genius disciples of their own Sect should remain with them; how could they let them be taken away by the Void Dao Temple?
As soon as he issued the order, the Emperor Realm Masters rose into the air, trying to pull Xue Fei out of the beam. Be that as it may, they were unable to break through the light barrier no matter how hard they tried. All they could do was watch Xue Fei fly further away until he disappeared into the Void Dao Temple.
This was not the end of it though. Following Xue Fei, several more beams descended from the Void Dao Temple, taking away more disciples. Various Elders identified all these disciples as outstanding geniuses. Their time in the Sect was short, and their cultivation was not high.
This was not just happening to Southern Star Palace. Similar things were happening to many disciples of various Sects across all of Void World. Even some children who had never entered a Sect or cultivated before had been taken in by the Void Dao Temple.
Without exception, all of these people who had been taken away by the multi-coloured beams were extremely talented.
After this, various Sects couldn’t sit still. Although the cultivation environment of Void World had been improving over the past few years and good seedlings had been popping up every now and then, they still couldn’t stand them being taken away by the Void Dao Temple.
They still didn’t understand what was going on, but they were certain that the Seven Stars Sect must have some idea about it.
After all, Miao Fei Ping had publicly admitted that he was the first Temple Master of the Void Dao Temple, and the beams had first started descending on the Seven Stars Sect.
Very soon, the higher-ups of the various Sects rushed to the Seven Stars Sect to gather intelligence.
In the end, when they learned the truth that all the geniuses in the World had actually been taken by the Void Dao Temple, they were all filled with resentment.
While the higher-ups of various Sects gathered at Seven Stars Sect, the Void Dao Temple’s recruitment never stopped. From time to time, multi-coloured beams of light would descend and pick up a talented person from somewhere.
In less than a dozen days, all the top young talents in the entire Void World had been taken away by the beams descending from the Void Dao Temple.
All the disciples who had been taken away had one common attribute, and that was that their cultivation wasn’t high while their aptitudes were all extraordinary.
At the same time, some Emperor Realm Masters of the top Sects had also suddenly obtained a connection with the Void Dao Temple and were chosen to serve as Deacons. At the same time, they were allowed to enter the Dao Temple to cultivate and guide the disciples who had been taken away by the beams.
The Emperor Realm Deacons who had been chosen were all a bit sceptical at first; after all, it was all too bizarre and difficult to understand. No one had told them about it in person, they just somehow felt the mysterious connection to the Void Dao Temple all of a sudden, as if there was an additional mark on their bodies, allowing them to become Deacons.
These Emperor Realm Deacons were all sceptical, but when they tried to enter the Dao Temple, they were surprised to discover that they could actually fly straight to it.
The mark that had appeared on their bodies seemed to be a kind of authorization to enter the Dao Temple!
There was not a massive number of Deacons, but there were still quite a few of them. Almost every top Sect had one.
When these Deacons entered the Dao Temple, they would either remain inside for a few hours or a few days before rushing back to their respective Sects and explaining what they had seen and heard.
The entire Void World shook from their revelations.
This was because according to these selected Dao Temple Deacons, the disciples who had been taken away were living quite well in the Dao Temple. Not only that, but the Dao Temple itself was like a completely different world. It was rich in World Energy and had perfect World Principles to cultivate in. It would undoubtedly be many times faster to cultivate in such an environment than normal.
There was also a massive Secret Art Pavilion inside the Dao Temple, which had countless Secret Arts and Secret Techniques. All of these Secret Arts were extremely precious and could be read by anyone without any restrictions. The Dao Temple didn’t even restrict them from teaching them to outsiders.
In other words, they could freely pass on any Secret Art and Secret Technique inside the Dao Temple to their own Sect.
There were also visions in the Dao Temple, demonstrating the mysteries above the Emperor Realm.
Now, the Emperor Realm Masters of Void World knew that there was an Open Heaven Realm above the Emperor Realm, and if one wanted to reach the Open Heaven Realm, they would first need to condense a Dao Seal. Then, if they wanted to complete their Dao Seal, they would need to refine cultivation materials of appropriate Elements and Orders!
What was most shocking was that these materials were all readily available in the Dao Temple, but they could not be taken at will. It needed a certain amount of contributions to the Dao Temple. As for how to gain contribution, the Deacons were unable to figure this out because their time in the Dao Temple was too short.
Only one thing was clear, if a Sect’s disciple was chosen by the Dao Temple, they would be able to obtain a certain amount of contribution points. The more disciples were chosen, the more the contribution points they would receive, and these contribution points could be exchanged for resources in the Dao Temple.
After the revelations from various Deacons, the great Sects no longer held any doubts about the Void Dao Temple. They had originally thought that it was the Seven Stars Sect’s handiwork, but now it seemed that it was indeed a miracle bestowed on them by the World, the Heavenly Way guiding them in their cultivation.
Everyone had already understood the requirements to enter the Dao Temple. Apart from the chosen Deacons who were freely allowed to enter and exit, entrance to the Dao Temple depended on one’s aptitude.
If one’s aptitude was outstanding enough, a dazzling beam would naturally descend from the Dao Temple as long as they presented themselves to it for an incense stick worth of time. Truly, the profundities of the Heavenly Way were endless and not something that could be fathomed by ordinary people.
At this point, the Sects no longer had any objections to the Void Dao Temple and all of them ordered their disciples to pay their respects to it; after all, their Sect could gain contribution points and exchange them for resources as long as their disciples were selected.
Although these genius disciples were the foundation of the Sect’s future prosperity, cultivating them would require a great deal of time and effort. How could they be compared to the temptation of exploring a higher Martial Dao on their own? What’s more, the disciples who had been taken in by the Dao Temple still had their names registered under their original Sect and their connection to it had not yet been severed. If these disciples were willing, they could travel between the Dao Temple and the Sect at any time.
The entire Void World was bustling with noise and excitement. Since the appearance of the Void Dao Temple a month ago, multi-coloured beams would appear, taking away individuals with extraordinary aptitudes each day.
After the Dao Temple Master Miao Fei Ping and the many Emperor Realm Deacons entered, the Void Dao Temple officially began operating. In just a short month, the Dao Temple had taken in over 500 disciples, each of them a genius who would be carefully cultivated by any Sect. Now that Miao Fei Ping and the other Deacons were taking care of them though, Yang Kai didn’t need to intervene until they had advanced to the Emperor Realm.
The Dao Temple disciples would definitely increase over time, and when these disciples had broken through to the Open Heaven Realm in the future, they would become a force that would help the Human Race resist the Black Ink Clan.
The power of the World Tree clone was beginning to show.
Furthermore, in order to perfect the Dao Temple’s Secret Art Pavilion, Yang Kai took the time to pay a visit to Blue Sky Pass’ War Materials Hall and spent a large amount of Military Merits to exchange for Secret Arts and Secret Techniques from the various Cave Heavens and Paradises.
These Secret Arts and Techniques would be considered priceless treasures and not easily released to others if this was the 3,000 Worlds, but they were quite common and accessible on the Black Ink Battlefield. After all, even the Demon Eye of Annihilation and Black Purgatory Eye, core Secret Techniques of Myriad Demons Heaven that would never be passed down to outsiders, could be exchanged for with Military Merits, so what of other Secret Arts and Techniques?
It did not take much time or effort to build the Void Dao Temple as everything in Yang Kai’s Small Universe could be decided by him with a flash of his thoughts.
After the Void Dao Temple was on the right track, Yang Kai didn’t pay much attention to it. Currently, the Void Dao Temple had just taken in its first disciples and they had not been cultivating for too long. It would still take some time for them to mature.
In addition to refining cultivation materials, most of Yang Kai’s time was spent on comprehending Secret Techniques. As time passed, his strength slowly and steadily increased.
Until one day, something pulled his heartstrings. He immediately focused his attention on his Small Universe.
When he laid his eyes on the figure sitting cross-legged in the Void Dao Temple, he finally muttered, “Is it time already? Since that’s the case, I shall let you decide for yourself.”
Inside the Void Dao Temple, Miao Fei Ping happened to be refining the last Element Power to complete his Dao Seal. According to the Ancestor, once he succeeded, he would be able to split Heaven and Earth apart within his body, and break through the shackles of the Emperor Realm, thereby advancing to the Open Heaven Realm.
However, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to take that final step. There seemed to be a thin membrane that could be broken with a flick of his finger standing in his way, but he couldn’t seem to touch it regardless of how he tried.
Miao Fei Ping’s temperament was undoubtedly firm and steady; he did not falter even in this situation.
Until he suddenly heard the Ancestor’s voice.
Logically speaking, if one were to be disturbed at such a critical moment, their mind would definitely be shaken. In the best-case scenario, they would suffer from cultivation dissonance, and in the worst-case scenario, they might even die on the spot.
Nonetheless, this did not happen to Miao Fei Ping, because at the same time the Ancestor’s voice was transmitted to him, a gentle force stabilized his state of mind, allowing him to avoid this calamity. Even the berserk Emperor Qi in his body calmed down.
When he opened his eyes, Miao Fei Ping saw a smiling man standing in front of him. It was none other than the Ancestor.
Miao Fei Ping hurriedly stood up and respectfully bowed, “Disciple greets Ancestor!”
Yang Kai lightly nodded. At this moment, he was nothing more than a Soul Avatar, just like when he travelled across his Small Universe all those years ago. Nonetheless, the Soul Avatar in Miao Fei Ping’s eyes was equivalent to the arrival of the Ancestor’s true body. He didn’t dare to show any disrespect.
“It’s been hard on you all these years.”
Only 20 years had passed in the outside world since the establishment of the Void Dao Temple, so 80 years had passed in the Small Universe. Over the past 80 years, the number of disciples the Void Dao Temple had accepted had reached over 2,000, each and every one of them a Dragon among men.
With Miao Fei Ping acting as the Temple Master, the Deacons chosen by the Dao Temple all diligently guided these disciples. He had truly worked hard over these years; after all, the cultivation of these chosen disciples wasn’t high. Many of them were children who had never cultivated before. Taking care of them was indeed a daunting task.
There were many benefits to managing various affairs of the Dao Temple, the most direct of which was that one could obtain a fixed amount of contribution points every month, and these contribution points could be exchanged for cultivation resources in the Dao Temple, but the downside was that it delayed one’s cultivation.
If not for this, Miao Fei Ping would not have taken a century to finally reach this point with his aptitude.
“Disciple is honoured by Ancestor’s concern, but it was not difficult at all,” Miao Fei Ping replied respectfully.
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement, “Right now, you’re just a step away from the Open Heaven Realm, but if you want to reach it, you must make a choice.”
“A choice?” Miao Fei Ping was puzzled, “Ancestor, please explain.”
Yang Kai continued, “With your aptitude and current foundation, it may be a bit risky to break through to the Sixth Order, but the risks aren’t that great. Do you know why you still haven’t been able to break through even after being in a retreat for so long?”
Miao Fei Ping shook his head, “Perhaps this Disciple is slow-witted. Perhaps I will not be able to comprehend the fleeting opportunity to break through even if I put in all my effort. But Ancestor can rest assured, this Disciple will definitely redouble his efforts in cultivating so as not to disappoint you.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “If you can be considered slow-witted, then there aren’t many smart people in Void World.”
Miao Fei Ping humbly replied, “Ancestor is too kind.”
“The reason you can’t break through is not because your comprehension or aptitude is lacking, but because of the environment. As long as you remain in Void World, you will never be able to break through the shackles of the Emperor Realm and advance to the Open Heaven Realm.”
“Why is that?” Miao Fei Ping looked confused
Yang Kai replied, looking at him with a smile, “Because Void World is my Small Universe.”
Miao Fei Ping was rooted to the spot, stunned.
Yang Kai continued, “When Emperor Realm cultivators condense their Dao Seals and gather the Powers of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, they will be able to form a Small Universe World inside their body, thus advancing to the Open Heaven Realm. The Open Heaven Realm is divided into nine Orders. First to Third-Order is the Low-Rank, Fourth to Sixth-Order is the Mid-Rank, Seventh-Order and above is High-Rank. Low-Rank and Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters’ Small Universes are immaterial and illusory, while High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters’ Small Universes are solid and tangible, just like this Void World.”
“Every Open Heaven Realm cultivator has their own Small Universe, and the World Force of that Small Universe is the foundation of the Open Heaven Realm’s strength. Even if two people cultivate the same Secret Art and comprehend the same Grand Dao, after they reach the Open Heaven Realm, the World Force in their Small Universes will naturally be different.”
“This kind of difference is unique to every Open Heaven Realm Master. Other Open Heaven Realm Masters might be able to refine it for their own use to increase their strength, but if the difference is too great, it will instead become impurities that destroy their foundation.”
“If you broke through to the Open Heaven Realm inside my Small Universe, the World Force you unconsciously release at the moment of ascension will contaminate my foundation and affect my cultivation, so I cannot allow you to break through in Void World. This can be considered a restriction of the entire Void World, do you understand?”
It was not that hard for Miao Fei Ping to understand, but after learning that the world he had been living in was actually the Ancestor’s Small Universe, he was still shocked and couldn’t recover for a long time.
“If you want to enter the Open Heaven Realm, the only option is to leave my Small Universe and enter the vast Outer Universe.” Yang Kai’s eyes became solemn, “However, the environment I am in right now is not safe. If you leave Void World, your life will constantly be at risk, and you will have to fight against powerful enemies. Even with my strength, I may not be able to protect you.”
Miao Fei Ping muttered, “Is this the choice Ancestor spoke of?”
Yang Kai nodded his affirmation, “That’s right, whether to remain in Void World as an Emperor Realm Master, or take the risk and leave Void World to achieve the Open Heaven Realm is up to you.”
In the face of such a sudden choice, even an Emperor Realm Master like Miao Fei Ping was a little hesitant.
Yang Kai observed his expression and lightly nodded, “You can take your time and inform me after you have made a decision.”
Saying so, his figure gradually started to fade as he prepared to leave.
Before he could go though, Miao Fei Ping suddenly raised his head and asked, “Ancestor, are Junior Sister Zhao Ya and Senior Brother Zhao Ye Bai still in Void World?”
Yang Kai’s figure solidified again as he shook his head, “They left long ago.”
Miao Fei Ping let out a long sigh. Although he had suspected it, it was only now that he got the confirmation. He lightly nodded his acknowledgement before asking, “Since Junior Sister Zhao Ya and Senior Brother Zhao Ye Bai have long since left Void World, I assume they will advance to the Open Heaven Realm in the future?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before replying, “Naturally, but their situation is different from yours. They are currently in another Great World, where they don’t have to be worried about external threats. So, there is no need to worry.”
“May I ask what Order those two will reach when they break through?”
“If everything goes according to plan, they should reach the Seventh Order!”
“Seventh-Order!” Miao Fei Ping chuckled, “As expected of those two, but the difference between the Sixth and Seventh Order is only one Order, the difference isn’t too great.”
Saying so, Miao Fei Ping cupped his fist and declared his choice, “This Disciple wishes to advance to the Open Heaven Realm. I ask Ancestor to help!”
Yang Kai looked at him, slightly narrowing his eyes, “Have you thought your decision through? Don’t try to compete with others, only follow your heart.”
Miao Fei Ping declared, shaking his head, “It is not about comparing myself with those two, it’s just that we cultivators have cultivated for our entire lives, taking one step at a time, all so we may stand at the peak and see the extraordinary scenery from above. If we are going to stop halfway, why should we cultivate at all? Since I’m presented with such an opportunity today, this Disciple does not want to miss it. Not to mention… Ancestor is fighting powerful enemies, and while this Disciple might not be talented, he is willing to assist Ancestor in battle!”
Yang Kai happily nodded, “Your heart is righteous indeed. Since that is the case, I shall grant your wish.”
Miao Fei Ping once again cupped his fist in gratitude, “Many thanks, Ancestor, but… after this Disciple leaves, who will manage Void Dao Temple? Please make a decision.”
Yang Kai asked, “Who do you recommend?”
Miao Fei Ping pondered for a moment, “Deacon Tang Wen is steady and virtuous, he is also fair in his conduct. He is a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so his cultivation is enough to convince the others. After this Disciple leaves, I believe he will be the appropriate choice to assume the position of Temple Master.”
“Tang Wen!” Yang Kai meaningfully looked at him, “He’s not from Seven Stars Sect, he seems to be from Stalwart Pavilion, right?”
Miao Fei Ping justified, “This Disciple believes that the Ancestor created the Void Dao Temple to select talents from all over the world, presumably to fight against a powerful enemy that this Disciple doesn’t know about. Since that is the case, this Disciple doesn’t dare to have any selfish motives. Seven Stars Sect has been rapidly developing these past few years and has already become the number one Sect in Void World. If another Elder from the Seven Stars Sect were to take over the position of Temple Master, I’m afraid that he would become too arrogant and dishonour Ancestor’s original intention to create the Dao Temple.”
Yang Kai agreed with a smile, “You’re wise. Since that’s the case, Tang Wen will take over the Void Dao Temple.” He pondered for a moment before continuing, “Let’s put on a show before you leave.”
“A show?” Miao Fei Ping was puzzled.
Half a day later, Miao Fei Ping summoned all of the Void Dao Temple Deacons and announced that he would be advancing soon, and that he would like to take care of Void Dao Temple’s affairs before entering retreat.
The Deacons were both shocked and envious. After working in the Dao Temple, they naturally had a better understanding of the Open Heaven Realm than others. Everyone had been working towards this goal all these years, but the fastest among them had only refined three materials and was still far from breaking through.
When they suddenly heard Temple Master Miao Fei Ping say that he was about to break through, they were naturally extremely envious.
Although they were envious, they still congratulated him.
After making some arrangements, Miao Fei Ping made a trip back to the Seven Stars Sect to inform the Sect Master Shang Guan Ji and the Elders that he was about to enter retreat to break through.
Soon, all of the Emperor Realm Masters in Void World knew that Miao Fei Ping was about to break the Emperor Realm’s shackles. The Emperor Realm Masters were naturally looking forward to it.
It had to be known that this was the first time in the entire history of Void World that someone was about to rise above the Emperor Realm. Whether he succeeded or failed would affect the future development of the entire world’s Martial Dao, so it naturally garnered a lot of attention.
Furthermore, personally witnessing this breakthrough would be greatly beneficial to them in the future.
Miao Fei Ping soon went into the retreat.
All the top Sects were constantly trying to find out whether Miao Fei Ping had succeeded or failed in his retreat, but none of the Deacons knew, because after Miao Fei Ping went into seclusion, they had received no word from him; no one even knew if he was alive or dead.
On a certain day after about a month, Void World suddenly shook as dazzling multi-coloured lights filled the sky and a powerful aura suddenly overflowed from the Void Dao Temple.
This aura clearly surpassed the Emperor Realm.
The higher-ups of the various great Sects were beside themselves and immediately turned their eyes towards the Void Dao Temple.
Under everyone’s gaze, a figure suddenly stepped out from the Void Dao Temple. It was none other than the first Temple Master, Miao Fei Ping!
But at this moment, Miao Fei Ping was surrounded by a dazzling glow, making him look like a Deity descending from the Heavens. The aura emanating from his body made all the Emperors yearn to achieve the same.
Thunderous rumbles shook the world, wind blew fierce as the Sun and Moon dimmed.
Many weaker cultivators who didn’t know what was happening couldn’t help but bow their heads and pray to the Heavens when they saw this.
Miao Fei Ping’s aura surged as the might of his Grand Dao filled the air. He then looked down and started speaking, his voice shook the world, “After my breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm, this World will no longer be able to accommodate me. After my departure, the Void Dao Temple will choose a person to serve as the Temple Master. My Fellow Brothers and Sisters, please assist them.”
Saying so, he turned his head towards Seven Stars Sect and nodded slightly before taking a step forward.
When his feet landed, space shattered like a mirror.
Everyone who saw this scene was shocked.
After a long time, the shattered Void gradually returned to its usual state, but when they looked again, Miao Fei Ping was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared without a trace. The entire world was devoid of his aura.
He had shattered the Void and left this World!
Many of the Emperor Realm Masters’ hearts skipped a beat.
Judging by what Miao Fei Ping had said, he had already broken through to the Open Heaven Realm. Void World was unable to contain him after breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, so he had no choice but to shatter the Void and leave. Although they didn’t know where he would go after leaving this world, it was obvious he had gone to a place with a higher Martial Dao.
This was the first person to break the shackles of the Emperor Realm and break free from the barriers of the World, causing a sensation that shook Void World and which would not be forgotten for hundreds of years.
At this moment, in addition to the shock brought about by Miao Fei Ping’s shattering the Void, the various Sects and Deacons were also concerned about something else.
It was who was going to be the next Temple Master.
The Void Dao Temple had only been founded 100 years ago, but all of the disciples it had taken in these past 100 years were extremely talented. In just a short time, these people had achieved many things that ordinary cultivators would never be able to achieve in their lifetime.
One could imagine how these disciples would become the cornerstones of the entire Void World in the future. They might even advance to the Open Heaven Realm, shatter the Void, and leave, just like Miao Fei Ping.
Who would not want to have such a powerful force in their hands? Be that as it may, Miao Fei Ping, the first Temple Master, was chosen by the Dao Temple. And before he left, he said that the next Temple Master would be chosen by the Dao Temple.
Who would be appointed as the next Temple Master?
Many Sect Masters were already thinking about how to contribute so that their Elders or Deacons could become the next Temple Master.
Nonetheless, their various plans and schemes were destined to be futile.
As soon as Miao Fei Ping left, a beam of light descended from the Dao Temple towards one of the Deacons.
At the same time, all the Deacons received a message.
[The second Temple Master is Tang Wen!]
Tang Wen himself hadn’t expected that the position of the Temple Master would fall upon his head, so he couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment. It wasn’t until the various Deacons all paid their respects to him that he reacted.
Just as Miao Fei Ping had stated, Tang Wen was steady and virtuous, so even though he had obtained the position of Temple Master, his conduct was still the same as before. He quickly raised his hand and addressed everyone, “Fellow Deacons, please don’t think that things will change after this, treat me like before, there is no need to be so polite. I hope everyone can help me in the future. This Tang will manage the Void Dao Temple together with all of you and will not let down the World, nor Temple Master Miao.”
Much to Seven Stars Sect’s disappointment, the second Temple Master position had actually fallen on Tang Wen. Nonetheless, they felt much more at ease after thinking about the various cultivation resources that the Ancestor had bestowed upon them over the years. They believed that the Ancestor must have had his own reasons for doing something like this; there would be no Seven Stars Sect today without the Ancestor after all. So, although they were disappointed, they didn’t complain and instead worked even harder to cooperate with the Void Dao Temple.
The matter of the Void Dao Temple had come to an end. Miao Fei Ping’s breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm and his act of shattering the Void had been a sensation throughout the world, causing the Emperor Realm Masters to cultivate even more diligently. Everyone yearned to break through to the Open Heaven Realm as soon as possible.
At the same time, on a universe fragment outside Blue Sky Pass, Miao Fei Ping was advancing to the Open Heaven Realm.
When the Emperor Realm Masters of Void World witnessed him shatter the Void and leave, they all thought he had broken through to the Open Heaven Realm, but in reality, he was just following Yang Kai’s script.
He didn’t know why the Ancestor was doing this, but since it was a request from the Ancestor, he naturally would follow it to the dot.
After leaving Void World, Miao Fei Ping began his true breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm.
His aptitude was originally only enough for him to advance to the Fifth Order, but because of the World Tree clone’s feedback, he could now advance to the Sixth Order, though he had to take some risks.
No one could help him break through to the Open Heaven Realm, not even Yang Kai. The only help he could provide was some experience in breaking through to the next Realm for reference.
On the universe fragment, not only was Yang Kai here, but also Feng Ying and Bai Yi. They were naturally not here to watch a spectacle, but to stand guard; after all, this place was on the outskirts of Blue Sky Pass, and the Black Ink Clan had been a little reckless these days. If some ignorant Black Ink Clansman came here and disturbed Miao Fei Ping’s breakthrough, it would be a disaster for the latter.
Fortunately, everything went quite smoothly with no Black Ink Clan interference and no dangerous moments during the breakthrough. By the time the dust settled, Miao Fei Ping had advanced to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai, looking at his excited face, couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.
He recalled how he met Miao Fei Ping for the first time when he was just a boy; he was quite a mischievous kid who bullied Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya from time to time, relying on his age. It wasn’t really bullying though, just children being children.
Years had gone by in the blink of an eye, and now that boy had broken through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Seeing the sight before him, Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering how his three Disciples were doing; however, Yang Kai estimated that they had yet to break through to the Open Heaven Realm.
It wasn’t that his Disciples’ aptitudes were worse than Miao Fei Ping’s. Zhao Ye Bai was indeed lacking in terms of talent, but Zhao Ya’s aptitude was incomparable, and his Third Disciple, Xu Yi’s aptitude wasn’t bad either. Furthermore, since all three of his Disciples had obtained one of his Grand Dao’s true inheritances, their future prospects were limitless.
The reason Miao Fei Ping had advanced so quickly was mainly because he had been living in Yang Kai’s Small Universe and had spent a different amount of time cultivating compared to his three Disciples.
Recalling how this brat came from his own Small Universe, Yang Kai suddenly felt like was watching his own child grow up.
“Ancestor!” Miao Fei Ping excitedly walked over to Yang Kai, obviously unable to contain his joy at the success of his breakthrough, “Disciple has not disappointed Ancestor’s expectations and successfully advanced to the Open Heaven Realm.”
Yang Kai lightly nodded his acknowledgement, “Advancing to the Open Heaven Realm is just the beginning. You are now a Sixth-Order Master, so you have a high chance of advancing to the Eighth-Order in the future. However, the cultivation of the Open Heaven Realm focuses on accumulating strength over a long period of time. You must not become arrogant or impatient, never try to rashly push yourself to advance.”
Miao Fei Ping respectfully replied, “Disciple will remember!”
Afterwards, he turned to Feng Ying and Bai Yi and bowed, thanking, “Many thanks, Martial Aunts, for protecting me.”
Feng Ying waved her hand and stated, “It was nothing, don’t mind it.” Bai Yi, on the other hand, had a reserved personality and simply nodded without saying anything.
Feng Ying continued, “But brat, you call him Ancestor, yet you call us Martial Aunts. The seniority is a mess. You’ve actually lowered our status by several generations.”
Miao Fei Ping didn’t know how to respond.
Yang Kai suggested as a smile appeared on his lips, “You’re right. How about this, don’t call me Ancestor from now on, just call me Martial Uncle.”
“How… how can I do that?” Miao Fei Ping looked distraught.
Yang Kai stated, “On this Black Ink Battlefield, all Humans only have one relationship, fellow comrades who share life and death. Whether it’s Ancestor or Martial Uncle, they’re all just titles. If you find it difficult to call me Martial Uncle, you can just call me Squad Leader.”
Miao Fei Ping honestly replied, “Disciple will call you Martial Uncle.”
“It’s up to you.” Yang Kai smiled, “Let’s go, I’ll bring you back to the Great Pass to register yourself. You’ve just arrived here, you still have a lot to learn.”
After leading Miao Fei Ping back to Blue Sky Pass, Yang Kai took him to the Western Army Headquarters and went to Zhong Liang, explaining Miao Fei Ping’s origins.
Zhong Liang was already aware that Yang Kai’s Small Universe had many Humans living in it. Moreover, these Army Commanders were very optimistic about the future of these Humans because of the existence of the World Tree clone.
Be that as it may, a cultivator needed time to grow, so no one had expected to see results so quickly.
Today, there was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, tomorrow, there would be more Sixth-Order and even Seventh-Order Masters! These Masters would become the backbone of the resistance against the Black Ink Clan.
As such, Zhong Liang readily registered Miao Fei Ping and issued him an Identity Token.
Under Yang Kai’s request, Miao Fei Ping was assigned to the Dawn Squad, becoming a member of the Squad.
Afterwards, Miao Fei Peng had to find a place to live. Blue Sky Pass had many places for the soldiers to live though, and many of these were unoccupied, so this was not an issue.
After Miao Fei Ping asked about Yang Kai’s residence, he chose a place nearby, not minding anything else.
In any case, he was still a newcomer. He didn’t have any Military Merits to speak of, and because he had just advanced, he needed time and resources to consolidate his cultivation.
Without Military Merits, he did not have anything to exchange for cultivation resources. Fortunately, Yang Kai had a lot of resources on hand so he gave him a few and told him to go back and cultivate. Miao Fei Ping naturally didn’t dare disobey his orders.
On the way back, Miao Fei Ping uneasily asked, “Martial Uncle, the show I put on before I left looked quite spectacular, but if someone else were to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, wouldn’t it be exposed?”
Yang Kai explained with a smile, “In the current Void World, who else do you think has a chance to break through to the Open Heaven Realm besides you?”
Miao Fei Ping answered, “There are many of them, and although they’re all completing the Powers in their Dao Seals right now, a few will reach that Realm some day or the other, there is quite a good chance of that happening.”
“Yes, there are many of them, but they are different from you. You can leave Void World and come to Blue Sky Pass, but others cannot.”
“Why?”
Yang Kai pointed around and asked, “Look carefully, what’s common about everyone here?”
Miao Fei Ping observed them for a moment before replying, “All of them are Fifth-Order Masters and above. Even Fifth-Order Masters are rare, basically all of them are Sixth-Order and above.”
“That’s right, basically everyone here is a Sixth-Order Master or higher because this is the Black Ink Battlefield where we are fighting against the Black Ink Clan. If their Order is too low, they won’t be of much help here. In fact, even the Fifth-Order Masters you’re seeing are only in that Realm because their cultivations regressed from the Sixth-Order.”
Miao Fei Ping pondered for a moment before asking, “Does Martial Uncle mean that those who cannot break through directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm are not qualified to come here?”
“Precisely.”
“Disciple understands,” Understanding suddenly dawned upon Miao Fei Ping.