Martial Peak

Chapter 4118 – The Battle Begins

Translator: Silavin & Jon

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Right in front of everyone’s eyes, Qu Hua Shang was openly flirting with Yang Kai. She was bold and didn’t care what others thought of her.

Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t fall for her tricks and said with a smile, “Senior Sister Qu, you’re making things difficult for me. As far as I know, the Innate Fruit Tree will only bear one fruit each time it appears. When it does ripen, all of us will try to snatch it. It’d be best if we don’t harm each other, so how am I supposed to protect you?”

It was exactly because there was only one Innate Spirit Fruit that all these Bearers had to go all out. That was why even though Xu Zhen was on good terms with Gu Pan and her, he didn’t stand together with them.

It was because all of the Bearers here were competitors.

All of them had been nurtured by the Divine Spirits behind them and had great expectations placed on their shoulders. If they failed, it would make the plans of those Divine Spirits fall through and likely enrage them. By then, their lives would be at risk.

Throughout history, there had been many Bearers who were killed by their Divine Spirits because they couldn’t get the Innate Spirit Fruit. Kun Sha had killed a Bearer before, allowing him to obtain the Water Element treasure Moon Essence that Yang Kai had refined. After that Bearer was killed, Kun Sha didn’t need the Moon Essence he brought out from the Primordial Land, so he gave it to the Sea Clan.

Besides him, most of the Divine Spirits would do the same. If the Bearers enjoyed the benefits given to them but couldn’t complete their task, the Divine Spirits would naturally not let them off.

Qu Hua Shang replied with a sweet smile, “Little Brother Yang, you don’t have to be so mean. This is my plan. We can join forces and fend off our opponents for now. You’ve stayed in the Primordial Land for a few days, so you must have come across some Bearers and become aware of their skills. It’s better for us to join forces rather than fight against all opponents on our own. As for the Innate Spirit Fruit, we’ll see which one of us will be able to snatch it in the end.”

Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded his head, as her suggestion was reasonable. He was powerful, and he believed that if he went all out, none of the people here would be his opponent. However, he couldn’t possibly fight against all of them on his own. If they became infuriated by his dominance and decided to all team up to deal with him first, he would definitely suffer a tragic defeat.

If he could get one to two allies at this point, his burden would be lightened greatly.

“Junior Sister Gu, do you second this suggestion?” Yang Kai turned to look at Gu Pan. She was a little timid as she hung her head low most of the time. Hearing that, she gently nodded to make her stance clear.

Yang Kai said, “I don’t mind joining forces with you, but are there only the three of us? What about Brother Lin, Brother Xu, and Brother Dao Ran?”

These three were all disciples from Cave-Heavens and Paradises, and they had cooperated once in the past.

Qu Hua Shang pouted, “They’re all smelly men, and I don’t care whether they live or die. Moreover, at a moment like this, it’s not ideal to have too many allies. Little Brother Yang, I believe you should understand this.”

A helpless Yang Kai refuted, “But I’m also a man!”

Qu Hua Shang covered her mouth and giggled, “Unlike them, you’re quite fragrant and palatable…” Upon finishing her words, she leaned in and sniffled at him.

Unable to take it anymore, Yang Kai hurriedly stepped backwards and nodded solemnly, “It’s decided, then. We’ll join forces to fend off our opponents for now.”

Qu Hua Shang’s gaze brightened, “Deal.”

They were not the only people who had formed temporary alliances, but not many of them had done so; after all, not many of them knew each other well or even at all. They would rather fight alone and wait for an opportunity than cooperate with strangers who might stab them in the back at any moment.

As they spoke, more and more people arrived at this place. Some of them snuck in while concealing themselves while others appeared in a bold and confident manner. Still, all of them were just waiting for a chance to snatch the spirit fruit.

Lin Feng and Ning Dao Ran had also arrived and stood beside Xu Zhen, soon forming a group of their own.

Two hours later, over 60 cultivators had gathered together in this place. Only the Bearers selected by the Divine Spirits would rush over at this point, attracted to the Innate Fruit Tree. These more than 60 Bearers were now observing the fruit tree and waiting in silence.

That was because only the fruit tree had appeared so far, but the Innate Spirit Fruit was nowhere to be seen. World Energy continuously streamed into the fruit tree, which had become increasingly clear.

Finally, there came a moment when someone yelled, “The Innate Spirit Fruit is about to be born!”

Everyone became agitated and turned their heads, only to see that a petite flower bud had appeared on the top of the fruit tree. The bud absorbed the World Energy and soon became bigger.

A strange aura exuded from the bud and made everyone feel energised and soothed.

Yang Kai was surprised as he found the aura somewhat familiar. Then, he recalled that the aura wafting from the Moon Essence when he refined it was similar to that exuding from the flower bud.

After giving it a thought, he came to the realisation that the Moon Essence was an Innate Supreme Treasure, so it contained some Innate Aura, and it was the same case for the Innate Spirit Fruit. In comparison, the aura coming from the Moon Essence was weaker than that of the flower bud.

The flower bud soon expanded and bloomed into a full flower. Under the influence of the strange aura, everyone fell into a dazed state as they witnessed the birth of a new life. At that moment, countless ideas clashed in their minds as they seemed to gain enlightenment.

These inspirations flashed through their minds and significantly increased their comprehension of the Heavenly Way for a short period of time. Many questions they had about cultivation were suddenly answered at that moment.

Countless ideas passed through Yang Kai’s mind as well, and suddenly it seemed as if there was nothing he didn’t understand in his Martial Dao. He had built a strong foundation for achieving the Open Heaven Realm, and as long as he could condense all the necessary Elements, he could become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master without issue.

With that said, following the birth of the Innate Spirit Fruit, the inspirations in his head made him come up with a very bold idea. If this idea was feasible, he would obtain an extraordinary power after he became an Open Heaven Realm Master.

Certainly, this idea could only be materialised during his ascension to the Open Heaven Realm, so it was still too early to talk about it.

The Innate Spirit Fruit was truly extraordinary. The process of its birth alone could clear the doubts for everyone in their cultivation journey. All of them had greatly benefited from it.

Soon, the flower petals withered and the Innate Spirit Fruit was formed. The amazing aura slowly dissipated as well.

Yang Kai looked around and realised that everyone appeared elated. Apparently, they all gained something from this brief experience. Without the aura’s influence, the inspirations in their heads left them, and they could no longer comprehend anything, causing many to let out a gentle sigh.

Staring around, Yang Kai tried to memorise these faces. If his speculation was right, if these people left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary alive, they would all become overlords in the 3,000 Worlds.

Besides being nurtured by powerful Divine Spirits, they had all obtained unimaginable benefits in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Now that they had this opportunity to comprehend things that they otherwise couldn’t understand, they were bound to have excellent achievements in the future.

Soon, rapid breathing could be heard as all stared fixedly at the rapidly maturing Innate Spirit Fruit. Although all of them were silent, everyone knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

“It’s time to make a move,” Qu Hua Shang secretly spoke to Yang Kai.

Yang Kai, however, refused as he replied, “The first one to make a move will die.”

Although he was an expert in the Dao of Space, he wouldn’t dare to rashly make a move in front of so many Bearers.

While he was able to suppress his impulses, though, someone wasn’t. A gigantic web suddenly appeared out of the void and covered the Innate Fruit Tree. It seemed that the person intended to take both the fruit tree and the spirit fruit away.

“You dare?!” Someone was heard yelling, whereupon countless powerful attacks struck the web.

Before the web could even approach the Innate Fruit Tree, it was crushed into dust. Following a grunt, a cultivator was seen staggering, and blood started streaming out of his mouth.

The web was his artifact, and although it was exceptional, it couldn’t possibly withstand the attacks of so many people. The artifact was destroyed, and he suffered backlash as a result.

Before he could even catch his breath though, a sword light slashed across his back and caused him to collapse to the ground. Although he wasn’t dead yet, he was severely injured with blood streaming out of the ghastly wound.

Sensing another strike approaching, the man hurriedly rolled away and widened his eyes. The people who attacked him were strangers to him, but he knew that at this point, no one would be soft-hearted. Killing one meant one less opponent, increasing their chances to obtain the Innate Spirit Fruit.

As if some kind of signal had been given, the battle erupted. Over 30 figures pounced on the Innate Fruit Tree at the same time, and before they even arrived, they used different techniques to grab at the fruit. At that instant, artifacts in the form of nets and ropes were seen. There were also more than ten illusory hands reaching for the spirit fruit.

Nevertheless, none of them could get near the spirit fruit using these techniques. All the artifacts and Secret Techniques were destroyed or diverted before they could get close. More and more people joined in the battle, using their own unique methods to try to snatch the prize. Some were injured, while some lost their lives.

On the other hand, Yang Kai remained calmly standing on the same spot and gazing at the battlefield, feeling a bit awestruck.

Most of these people were not famous figures. It had been more than 10 years since the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened, but Yang Kai had never heard of most of these people before; however, after they made a move, he realised that all of them were outstanding in their own right. Besides their peculiar artifacts, their Secret Techniques were also stunning. All of these Bearers had condensed Fifth-Order Elements at the very least, while many had condensed Sixth-Order Elements and some even Seventh-Order Elements.

Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers were seen permeating this small region. The world seemed to have paled, and the universe was trembling.

Many Element Powers obviously came from Divine Spirits. They could make use of their own Monster Cores and Sources to nurture their Bearers to help increase their powers significantly.

Ding Yi had shown some remarkable skills before they reached the 3,000 Worlds Tree some time ago; however, in this place, he was just slightly above average as there were many others more outstanding than he was.

At this moment, only a small number remained on the sidelines. Besides Yang Kai and the two ladies, only seven or eight others kept their calm. Perhaps they were wary of their opponents and wouldn’t dare to make any rash moves.

“Are we not going to make a move?” Qu Hua Shang turned and asked anxiously.

“Wait a bit longer,” Yang Kai replied dispassionately.

A helpless Qu Hua Shang said, “If we keep waiting, the fruit will fall into someone else’s hands.”

“If that happens, we can just snatch it back.” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her.

On hearing that, Qu Hua Shang became startled for a moment before realizing he was right; therefore, she also waited patiently.