Martial Peak

Now that nearly 2,000 years of changes had passed, the situation in Azure Sun Territory had already changed.

Originally, the Humans and Black Ink Clan in Azure Sun Territory were engaged in a massive total war with battles of all sizes never ceasing. But as time passed, such sights became rarer.

This place was now the battlefield where only the strongest Masters battled each other. Ordinary soldiers from both Races had already moved out of this Great Territory; after all, ordinary soldiers had no right to participate in battles involving such Masters.

At this moment, those who were still actively moving about in this Great Territory were at least Feudal Lords and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who came here to gain some stimulation and break through their bottlenecks.

There were Masters from both Races fighting each other in every corner of this Great Territory, the fallout so intense that it could be felt across vast distances in all directions. These fights wouldn’t continue for long periods as those who gained small victories would immediately fall back, lest they attract the attention of reinforcements from the other side.

The quiet void was like a sleeping monster that would wake up at any moment and devour all the active Masters from both Races.

Amidst all his tension and chaos, a figure leisurely toured around the void, and though he was alone, he was completely calm and relaxed. It was as though that figure thought of this dangerous battlefield as his own home garden.

His Divine Sense carefully swept through the entire void as if he was looking for something but couldn’t find it, causing a disappointed expression to fill his face.

At some point in time, three large Black Ink Clouds rushed over from three different directions, coincidentally surrounding him. 

However, this person didn’t seem to notice them at all and just continued searching his surroundings.

When this person arrived at the centre of the three Black Ink Clouds, three figures appeared from within the three Black Ink Clouds. Those three had strong auras and were clearly Territory Lords.

In the front was a burly Territory Lord with a single horn. He had a vicious expression as his Black Ink Strength surged and he fiercely slammed his palm towards that Human while roaring, “Die!”

Behind him was a slender female Territory Lord that charged towards the Human at breakneck speed. Then, she reached out her hand, which was equipped with nails that were as sharp as knives, aiming at her target’s heart from behind.

Finally, the third Territory Lord launched his own attack at that Human. Though he wasn’t as burly as the first Territory Lord, and he wasn’t as fast as the female Territory Lord, a huge amount of Black Ink Strength enveloped a large patch of the void at the shake of his arms. That dense Black Ink Strength was like the Astral Wind from the Nine Heavens, cutting through the void as it sliced towards the Human.

The three Territory Lords attacked together, creating a vortex of death that surrounded their lone target.

Such a lethal momentum wasn’t something any Eighth-Order Master could resist.

The Territory Lord in front was smiling wickedly, as if he could already see the terrified expression of his enemy. 

[I wonder where this Eighth-Order Human came from. How bold of him to wander around Azure Sun Territory alone. He’ll pay for his ignorance!]

However, what happened next stunned that Territory Lord.

The Eighth-Order Master, who should be terrified, was smiling at him with an expression that seemed excited and eager. Palming his fist, the Human cracked his knuckles and joyously called out, “You guys did this to yourselves, so don’t blame me for what happens next!”

The gleeful expression on the Human’s face looked like he had just received a huge gift and was celebrating his good fortune.

[Something’s not right…]

However, it was too late to turn back. Since the three Territory Lords had already surrounded the Human, they didn’t care that something felt off and decided to kill first before figuring out anything else.

Instantly, all three Territory Lords arrived before the lone Eighth-Order Master, and the first burly Territory Lord threw a punch as a violent wave of Black Ink Strength surged out. 

The next moment, however, his expression froze and the look of determination and resolve on his face quickly warped with confusion and doubt.

It was because that Eighth-Order Master had also thrown a punch. Even though this punch seemed small and weak, it shattered his own attack. The burly Territory Lord clearly saw how the other party’s fist seemed to vaporize his arm as it advanced towards him, an overwhelming strength surging behind it. The next moment, this seemingly slow punch moved upwards unimpeded and landed on his head.

Like an exploded watermelon, the burly Territory Lord was instantly turned into a headless corpse.

The Eighth-Order Human turned around abruptly, his bright eyes coincidentally meeting those of the female Territory Lord attacking him from behind.

Both of them were so close their faces were practically touching. The female Territory Lord felt her body tremble as she suddenly felt as though she wasn’t facing an Eighth-Order Human, but some Ancient Ominous Beast that had been caged for countless aeons. The shocking and terrifying murderous intent that radiated from this Human gave the female Territory Lord chills as her heart continuously sank. In desperation, she gathered all her Black Ink Strength at her fingertips as her nails turned black before striking at the Human.

To her astonishment though, rather than the feeling of her nails sinking into flesh, she felt a tight grip around her wrist, clearly indicating that the enemy had somehow caught her.

A low whisper sounded from beside her ear, causing her heart to clench, “You’re next…”

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her abdomen, followed by a violent energy that resembled a volcanic eruption exploding inside her. She felt like her enemy had punched through her body and completely broken her spine. The violent energy then surged out and attacked her strong body, and in less than a breath’s time, the female Territory Lord exploded into a mist of blood. 

It was only after the death of the first two Territory Lords that the violent Black Ink Strength wave created by the third Territory Lord reached its target. This was supposed to be a powerful Secret Technique that could create an optimum battleground for his two companions, but now, it was what saved the third Territory Lord.

Seeing his two companions being decapitated and exploded by a single attack each from the mysterious Human before him, the third Territory Lord didn’t dare to remain any longer.

In a state of utter shock, the third Territory Lord instinctually tried to escape, but the space around him warped, instantly giving him an illusion that it was being stretched out infinitely. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move from the spot where he stood.

At that moment, a figure shot out of the rolling Black Ink Strength, splitting the Black Ink Cloud apart before arriving in front of the third Territory Lord in the blink of an eye. Then, the Human casually reached out and easily grabbed the Territory Lord’s neck like he was picking up a chicken, tilting his head as he wondered aloud, “You guys are so weak…”

[Weak?] When the remaining Territory Lord heard that comment, he didn’t know what to say.

[Are we weak?]

Since they were Territory Lords, of course, they weren’t weak. Though the joint attack these three Territory Lords used wasn’t invincible in Azure Sun Territory, there was rarely anyone who could beat them. They had killed some Human Masters using this tactic and thought that since this Human was alone, it would be impossible for him to do anything to them, no matter how strong he may be. However, it was only now that this Territory Lord understood the Human expression ‘there are always mountains beyond mountains’.

It wasn’t that they were weak, it was just that their enemy was absurdly strong. 

[How could there be such a strong Eighth-Order Master?] Perhaps it was because the Territory Lord was near-death that his memory was suddenly jogged and he recalled a name that had disappeared for nearly 2,000 years. 

“You’re…”Thɪs chapter is updated by ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt

“Alright, time’s up!” Yang Kai didn’t let the Territory Lord finish his words as he simply exerted some strength with his hand before separating the latter’s head from his body, causing a fountain of blood to spurt everywhere.

[Good! As I expected, these 1,700 years of retreat weren’t in vain. I’m now far stronger than I was before.]

However, Yang Kai immediately understood that he could kill these three Territory Lords so easily because they weren’t Innate Territory Lords but Acquired Territory Lords.

Back when they were on the Black Ink Battlefield, it was common knowledge that under normal circumstances, a Territory Lord’s strength would be weaker than an Eighth-Order Master’s because Humans acquired their strength through long-term accumulation.

Yang Kai had killed quite a few Innate Territory Lords, so these Acquired Territory Lords were nothing to him.

With his current ability, he could kill one of them with a single punch, just like when he was at the peak of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm back then and slaughtered Feudal Lords like chickens and dogs.

If he were to encounter those strong Innate Territory Lords, it might not be as easy to kill them, but with his fearful reputation, those Innate Territory Lords wouldn’t dare to come and find trouble with him. Only these Acquired Territory Lords who never experienced his terror would have forgotten his infamy and mistakenly targeted him.

Though Azure Sun Territory was vast, the sudden annihilation of three Territory Lord auras was enough to attract the attention of many Masters.

Following that, several Divine Senses came from all directions, including Divine Senses from Territory Lords, Feudal Lords, and Seventh and Eighth-Order Masters. During these years of continuous battles, both races suffered losses, but never had a battle ended so quickly, much less with three Territory Lords dying at once.

Yang Kai naturally sensed these probes and secretly sighed, [There has indeed been a significant increase in Masters from both races during my years of retreat.]

The Black Ink Clan could use their Black Ink Nests to cultivate, so it was normal for them to become stronger quickly. As long as there were enough resources and Black Ink Nests, it wasn’t surprising for them to nurture many Feudal Lords and Territory Lords. 

However, it was surprising that so many Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters had appeared so quickly. Theoretically, it would be difficult for so many Humans to break through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm after just 2,000 years, especially those rising stars because they wouldn’t have enough accumulation.

The truth, however, was that the rate of breaking through to a new realm amongst those rising stars was not any slower than those veteran Open Heaven Realm Masters. Moreover, some of them even broke through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm earlier than veteran Seventh-Order Masters.

Perhaps this was a blessing from the Heavens.

Just like how the Heavens chose Yang Kai as a means of protecting themselves from the Black Ink Clan’s invasion, all the Human soldiers who fought against the Black Ink Clan had gained the Heavens’ favour as they were complying with the Heavens’ Will.

Such people could be said to be fighting on behalf of the Heavens and would thus receive far more opportunities and good fortune.

In the past, there weren’t many such people around, but now that the Black Ink Clan had invaded the 3,000 Worlds and the Humans were forced to defend just a handful of Great Territories, was the time when they needed to increase their overall strength the most. It was for this reason that the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors and Yang Kai worked hard to create a safe environment for them to grow. This very scenario imperceptibly shortened the time the Humans needed to grow stronger.

It was said to be difficult to predict the Heavens’ Will, but in truth, it could be seen in everything.

While in a trance, Yang Kai seemed to have realized something.

But soon, he was interrupted by a frantic Divine Sense.

Those Acquired Territory Lords didn’t know of Yang Kai’s reputation, but the Innate Territory Lords certainly did. Back in the day, all Innate Territory Lords were shown images of him so that they could memorise what he looked like.

1,700 years had passed, and the Black Ink Clan had gradually forgotten the shadow cast over them by Yang Kai. Moreover, according to the reports from the various Black Ink Disciples, this killing star had seemingly entered retreat in the Star Boundary soon after the peace deal was signed and not shown his face ever since.

No one expected that he would suddenly appear inside Azure Sun Territory and announce his return by slaughtering three Territory Lords!