Martial Peak

Chapter 1951, Breaking Through

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

This discovery startled Yang Kai somewhat.

He now understood what the real danger in this Ice Cliff was.

The omnipresent Ice Principles were able to even freeze a cultivator’s thoughts, making them lose their lives without even knowing it, which was why these cultivators had all seemingly passed away serenely without any signs of struggle or pain.

After checking all the cave mansions, Yang Kai debated for a moment before he jumped down the cliff.

Although Kou Wu had told Yang Kai not to descend into the valley, since the power of the Emperor Pressure increased the further one went down, Yang Kai naturally wanted to give it a try.

Back in the Dead Zone surrounding Shadowed Star, Yang Kai had immersed himself in Emperor Pressure and derived many benefits from it.

He already had his own set of methods to cope with the suppression of Emperor Pressure.

However, he did not dare to act rashly and instead controlled his speed to descend slowly.

As Kou Wu said, the further down one went, the stronger the Emperor Pressure and Ice Principles became.

After less than a thousand meters, Yang Kai was already beginning to feel a little difficulty resisting the biting chill from reaching his bones. Even by circulating his Source Qi, he was unable to completely protect himself.

With no other option, Yang Kai had to use his Domain.

Yang Kai had forged his Shi, the prototype for his Domain, with the help of the Emperor Pressure from the Emperor Garden, and the Emperor Pressure of the Emperor Garden was much stronger than the one that lingered in this place.

As such, his Domain was able to resist Emperor Pressure to a certain degree.

As soon as he pushed his Domain, Yang Kai felt much more relaxed.

Quietly releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai tried to peer into the depths below to see just how deep this Ice Cliff was, but soon, he was forced to take back his Divine Sense in amazement.

Because he found that the Ice Principles in this place were able to freeze his Spiritual Energy and Divine Sense. If he had not retracted his Divine Sense promptly, he would likely have suffered damage to his Soul.

After realizing this, Yang Kai no longer dared to release his Divine Sense outside his body.

There was only darkness down below, like the giant maw of an ancient beast just waiting to swallow one whole, causing all who stared into it to tremble.

After continuing down another three thousand meters, Yang Kai began to hear slight creaking noises around himself.

This was a sign that his Domain was reaching its limits, and if he continued to dive down, it was likely to collapse. Once that happened, Yang Kai would not be able to resist the Emperor Pressure and Ice Principles with just his pure physical strength, leading him to a dead end.

[Seems this is my limit!] Yang Kai understood in his heart and knew when to draw back, so he quickly began flying upwards.

Although he had not achieved anything for his efforts this time, Yang Kai knew that this was indeed a good place to hone himself, so from a certain perspective, he really was thankful to Bian Yu Qing.

Instead of flying up to the top of the Ice Cliff, Yang Kai chose to dig out a cave mansion at a position a thousand meters from the surface.

This was the most suitable position for his current strength. The Emperor Pressure and Ice Principles filling the air here were just rich enough that he could barely contend with them, so entering retreat in such a position would be of great benefit to his own growth.

The excavation of his cave mansion took Yang Kai a lot of effort.

Ice Cliff had been soaked in this icy environment for many centuries, causing the rock to become infused with both the Emperor Pressure and Ice Principles, transforming from ordinary stone to extremely solid ice rock.

It took Yang Kai three whole days to excavate a simple cave mansion.

This cave mansion was also only the size of two small rooms.

Yang Kai did not rush to enter secluded retreat and instead sat cross-legged in his new cave mansion while resisting the harsh environment and restoring himself.

Fortunately, thanks to him recently offering Alchemy services, he had accumulated a lot of Origin King Grade Spirit Pills and Source Crystals, so restoring himself was a quick and easy process.

It took a few more days for Yang Kai to adjust his state to its peak before he started to work on the most important matter he was facing.

Breaking through!

Yang Kai had been at the peak of the Second-Order Origin King Realm for some time now, and his comprehension of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way had reached a saturation point. In fact, just after arriving in the Star Boundary and entering Blue Feather Sect, he had the qualifications to break through once more.

However, he did not rush to do that.

For one thing, he did not want to draw too much attention to himself. He was now under the eaves, so acting cautiously was prudent. Secondly, he wanted to accumulate more so that this breakthrough would go smoothly. Lastly, and most importantly, he had no suitable place to break through.

Although he had been assigned a residence in Blue Feather Sect and could use his Identity Token to open the barriers around it to prevent ordinary cultivators from spying on him, that would not stop someone on Bian Yu Qing’s level.

Yang Kai did not want to reveal any of his secrets.

This was not Shadowed Star. On Shadowed Star, he was supreme and could find somewhere uninhabited to enter undisturbed retreat with a single thought.

He originally wanted to stay in Blue Feather Sect for a while to gain the trust of Bian Yu Qing before leaving Blue Feather Sect temporarily on some mission and finding a suitable place to enter retreat and break through by himself.

But this trip to Ice Cliff made him change his mind.

Wasn’t this Ice Cliff the perfect place for a breakthrough?

There was no one else within ten thousand kilometres of this place, and the Emperor Pressure and Ice Principles that filled the air would greatly suppress the disturbance caused by a breakthrough.

What’s more, three months from now, if he broke through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm and returned to Blue Feather Sect, he would have a good excuse to give Bian Yu Qing if she asked.

At that time, he could simply tell her that he had a sudden inspiration while he was in seclusion in the Ice Cliff that allowed him to break through and she would not investigate the matter further; after all, whether he was a Second or Third-Order Origin King, he was still of no concern to her.

For various reasons, Yang Kai felt that breaking through here was the optimum choice.

Regarding how to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm, Yang Kai had considered it greatly over the past few years and formed a plan in his mind long ago.

Inside his new cave mansion, Yang Kai sat cross-legged while surrounded by about thirty thousand Source Crystals he had earned during this period.

These were all the Source Crystals Yang Kai had on him.

Even if he was an Origin King Grade Alchemist and had been selling his services to others for more than a month now, Source Crystals were not easy to earn.

However, Yang Kai figured thirty thousand Low-Rank Source Crystals should be enough to support his breakthrough this time.

Yang Kai did not rush, though, instead reflecting on the Martial Dao he had walked to arrive at this place.

Originally, he was just a Trial Disciple in High Heaven Pavilion, but after countless sorrows and hardships, meeting various friends and beauties, he had reached this far step by step...

He had not lived many years. Among Origin Kings, Yang Kai was actually very young, but his life experience was extremely rich and colourful, not worse than those old monsters who had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Various sights and scenes from the years flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, like he had experienced them yesterday, both vivid and lifelike.

Yang Kai’s mood quickly became as tranquil as an ancient well.

As time passed slowly, Yang Kai seemed to forget everything around him.

The icy cold lingered around his body and began seeping into his body, penetrating his five viscera and six organs.

In the cave mansion, a layer of ice gradually formed around Yang Kai and all signs of vitality, even his breathing and heartbeat, seemed to slowly fade.

He gradually became like the dozen or so dead Blue Feather Sect disciples, as if his life was slowly being taken away by the frigid cold.

However, astonishing changes were occurring inside his body.

From his lower abdomen, Yang Kai’s Source Qi and Saint Qi rushed out and rioted inside his physique before flowing back to his dantian and undergoing a miraculous transformation.

The biggest difference between a Second-Order Origin King cultivator and one at the Third Order was not the conversion ratio of Source Qi to Saint Qi in their body, however. Even without a hint of Source Qi, a cultivator could break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm.

The biggest difference between the two realms was the existence of an Origin Essence Crystal!

Only by condensing your own Origin Essence Crystal could one truly become a Third-Order Origin King!

The Origin Essence Crystal contained the essence of a cultivator, including all their insights into the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way.

It was similar to the Monster Core of a Monster Beast. Monster Beasts could use their Monster Core to activate their unique abilities and increase the power of such Divine Abilities.

Cultivators above the Third-Order Origin King Realm could similarly do so with their Origin Essence Crystal. This unique existence was a representation of a cultivator’s perceptions and comprehensions, and when using it in combat, it could dramatically boost their strength.

In a crisis, one could even directly summon their Origin Essence Crystal and use it to kill their enemy, similar to how a Monster Beast could summon their Monster Core to battle.

If one wanted to condense their own Origin Essence Crystal, however, they needed to first ask a single question, what principle would they use as the foundation upon which to refine it.

An Origin Essence Crystal was not all-powerful and could only strengthen a cultivator’s prowess and power in a certain field, not improve all aspects of their comprehension. For example, when Yang Kai first entered the Martial Dao, he had cultivated a Yang Attribute Secret Art. Later on, he had transformed his strength into his Demonic Flames then cultivated his Golden Blood Threads and Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi. All of these could be taken as the foundation for his Origin Essence Crystal.

However, once one selected a base, their Origin Essence Crystal could only strengthen that particular facet of their strength.

If Yang Kai condensed his Origin Essence Crystal based on his perceptions of his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, when he used his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi in the future, the power it could display would be greatly enhanced.

The same went for his Golden Blood Threads...

However, Yang Kai did not intend to do this. His Origin Essence Crystal had to be condensed based on his comprehensions of the Dao of Space!

Space Force was extremely difficult to guard against and was superior to any other power at his disposal. Since Yang Kai was proficient in Space Force, he naturally planned to follow that path. This idea had not changed once since he came to this conclusion many years ago.

It was also for this reason that he did not dare to make a breakthrough in Blue Feather Sect at will.

This was his trump card. Bian Yu Qing still did not know he cultivated the Dao of Space, but if he were to be exposed, Yang Kai was certain he would immediately draw the attention of Blue Feather Sect’s senior leaders.

Even in the vast Star Boundary, the Dao of Space was only mastered by a handful of individuals.

From his lower abdomen, the mix of Source Qi and Saint Qi continuously converged and slowly condensed, causing a fiery pain in the process.

At the same time, inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, his own perceptions and understanding of the Dao of Space began to transform into an invisible force that washed through the fiery ocean.

Yang Kai’s Soul was unprecedentedly peaceful as his consciousness focused entirely inwards on himself. In that state of enlightenment, Yang Kai’s ethereal Space Force surged, and in a nearly unconscious state, his perceptions and comprehension of the Dao of Space slowly expanded.

Time flowed forward quickly and quietly.

Gradually, extremely obvious signs of Space Force fluctuations spread from Yang Kai’s body, shattering the layer of frost covering his form.