Martial Peak

Chapter 5865: Passing on the Torch

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“Has everything been prepared?” Yang Kai glanced at the Universe Fragment where the Supreme Headquarters was located.

This place had always been bustling with people whenever he came here. Not only was the crowd generally packed shoulder to shoulder, but there would also be numerous cultivators constantly flying around performing various tasks. In comparison, the entire Universe Fragment was vacant and silent at this moment. There was not a single person to be seen anywhere. In fact, the vast Pure Yang Pass contained only Mi Jing Lun. It was obvious that Mi Jing Lun had been waiting for him alone.

The Human Race had drained their entire heritage in order to prepare for the upcoming war. Just looking at the Myriad Dao Sealed World built by Yang Kai more than 20 years ago could provide a clear example. The Myriad Dao Sealed World no longer existed in anything but name. While the Sealed World remained in existence, there was no Dao Strength left inside. Even if a cultivator were to enter the Sealed World for training, they would no longer obtain any benefits.

Such a huge Sealed World had been hollowed out by the Human Race Army in just 20 years, and a large number of Eighth-Order Masters had been produced as a result. Many veteran Eighth-Order Masters also benefited from the Sealed World as their attainments in their Grand Daos had improved significantly, which in turn boosted their strength.

After so many years of preparation, the Human Race had exhausted all their possible options. At this moment, they could be said to stand at the pinnacle of the Human Race!

“Everything is ready!” Mi Jing Lun replied.

Yang Kai grinned, “In that case, let’s begin.”

When the words left his mouth, he summoned the Space-Time River. The meandering river wound itself around the majestic Pure Yang Pass and encircled it like a Dragon. As Yang Kai continuously urged the Dao Strengths, the Void containing the Pure Yang Pass was stripped away and then gradually compressed.

The main reason why Mi Jing Lun had waited for Yang Kai at this spot was that he had no means to bring Pure Yang Pass away with him. Apart from Yang Kai, the Human Race had no other means to transport or move the huge Great Pass. Even Yang Kai had to rely on his Space-Time River and a certain Secret Technique to refine the Void containing the Pure Yang Pass into an existence that resembled a World Bead.

Needless to say, Yang Kai could probably take the entire Pure Yang Pass into his Small Universe with the current heritage. It was just that Pure Yang Pass was so gigantic that taking in Pure Yang Pass would place an enormous burden on him, which would inconvenience his future plans. Therefore, Yang Kai decided to follow the original plan and summoned the Space-Time River instead.

The Dao Strengths kept vibrating strongly. Meanwhile, the Space-Time River wrapped around Pure Yang Pass shrank at a speed that was visible to the naked eye. After an hour, Pure Yang Pass finally transformed into a fist-sized World Bead.

Yang Kai put the World Bead away and called out to Mi Jing Lun, “Let’s go.”

Mi Jing Lun took one last look at the Universe Fragment where the Supreme Headquarters had been located; then, he quickly retracted his gaze and left with Yang Kai.

After several transfers through various Territory Gates, Yang Kai and Mi Jing Lun arrived at Black Territory a few days later. The huge void was densely packed with an overwhelming number of Warships everywhere Yang Kai looked. Most of these Warships were standard Squad-Class Warships, but there were also quite a few Purifying Black Ink Battleships in the mix. The Purifying Black Ink Battleships which were surrounded by Squad-Class Warships looked very conspicuous among the fleet.

Even Yang Kai, who had experienced countless large-scale battles, could not help feeling amazed at his first glance at the scene in Black Territory.

Back when the Human Army launched their first crusade against the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the size of the fleet had not been small either. Nonetheless, that was merely the gathering of forces from 100 or so Great Passes.

Comparatively, the current force contained all the existing heritage of the Human Race. The Human Race Army from back then could not compare with the current Human Army in terms of the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters or the size of the fleet.

The only lacking aspect was the number of Ninth-Order Masters. In that regard, the current Human Race Army could not compare to the Human Army from back then. There used to be more than 100 Ninth-Order Masters in the past, but there were no more than 10 of them now.

“Huh? There’s an additional Ninth-Order Master!” Yang Kai glanced in a certain direction in surprise. As soon as he stepped foot in the Black Territory, he instantly detected an unfamiliar aura belonging to a Ninth-Order Master. It was not Shi Da Zhuang who advanced to the Ninth Order 20 years ago, but somebody he did not recognise.

“Tang Tao of Golden Antelope Paradise. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of her before,” Mi Jing Lun explained casually, “She advanced to the Ninth Order five years ago.”

[Five years ago…] Yang Kai did a quick calculation. That was around the time he entered the Myriad Monsters World and borrowed its power to boost his cultivation.

“A woman?” He sounded even more stunned.

Listening to Yang Kai’s tone, Mi Jing Lun wondered in astonishment, “Are you prejudiced against women?”

“No, I’m just surprised.”

“That would be for the best,” He smiled, “Junior Sister Tang is slightly prejudiced against men. I hope you won’t take her words to heart if she says something unpleasant to you when you meet each other, Junior Brother.”

Yang Kai chuckled, “Of course, I won’t take offence from a Junior.”

Mi Jing Lun sighed in amazement, “The new era is here. If the Human Race had just another 1,000 years… No, even 200 years would be enough. At that time, we would be able to conquer the No-Return Pass with ease. It’s such a pity that the time we have is so short.”

Shi Da Zhuang’s advancement symbolised the arrival of a new era. He represented the emergence of the rising stars who had received feedback from the first World Tree clone. They were the hope and future of the Human Race and the light illuminating the coming dawn.

As part of the Open Heaven Realm Masters from the previous generation, Mi Jing Lun and the others were sincerely pleased by the situation. Born as part of the Human Race in this chaotic era, they did not fear death or pain. On the contrary, what they feared most were the lack of successors and the inability of their descendants to take over the burdens of their Ancestors.

In just two decades, the Human Race welcomed the birth of two new Ninth-Order Masters; moreover, it was believed that more and more Ninth-Order Masters would rise soon.

Yang Kai and Mi Jing Lun walked forward without hiding their auras. As they passed the Warships, countless soldiers stationed aboard them turned to stare at them with expressions of great admiration in their eyes.

It did not take long for them to arrive in the middle of Black Territory where the secret passage was located. Many higher-ups from the Cave Heavens and Paradises knew about this place; after all, it was at this spot that Yang Kai had travelled to the Black Ink Battlefield alone.

Thousands of years ago, the Black Ink Clan had enthusiastically searched for the entrance to this secret passage, but their efforts had proven futile; after all, Yang Kai would make sure to seal the entrance completely whenever he entered or exited the secret passage. Only those with great proficiency in the Dao of Space could find traces of his handiwork if they investigated this place carefully.

Many Ninth-Order Masters were waiting here on the deck of a Purifying Black Ink Battleship. Yang Kai and Mi Jing Lun flew over, landed in front of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and cupped their fists in greeting, “Many thanks for your patience, everyone.”

The Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters quickly bowed in return with Ou Yang Lie explaining, “We didn’t wait very long. Big Head Mi considered your cultivation time when he issued the assembly order, so our timing is just right.”

Yang Kai nodded lightly and swept his gaze across the gathered Ninth-Order Masters. In the end, he fixed his gaze on an unfamiliar-looking woman and smiled warmly, “You must be Junior Sister Tang.”

Tang Tao immediately took two steps forward and her face flushed as she bowed in greeting, “Tang Tao greets Senior Brother Yang.”

He reached out his hand and gestured for her to skip the formalities, then he showered her with praises, “Great talents are born in every generation indeed. The fact that both you and Junior Brother Shi managed to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm at such a critical moment proves that the fate of the Human Race is not in decline. The future of the Human Race will depend on you now.”

After Yang Kai finished speaking, he involuntarily froze for a moment, [What an elderly-sounding speech… I’ve truly gotten old…]

Strictly speaking, Yang Kai was indeed an old man in terms of both age and seniority. He was probably looking at Tang Tao and Shi Da Zhuang in the same way that the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors had looked at him back then. It would seem that the torch of the Human Race was being passed down from generation to generation in an everlasting cycle.

Tang Tao hurriedly waved her hands in embarrassment, “You are praising me too much, Senior Brother. It has not been long since Senior Brother Shi and I advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Please take care of us in the future, Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters.”

After saying that, she turned her eyes to Shi Da Zhuang, who was standing next to her, and secretly kicked him in the shin.

Shi Da Zhuang came to his senses and nodded repeatedly, “Uh… En, Junior Sister Tang is right.”

Tang Tao added, “Senior Brother, both Senior Brother Shi and I are from the Star Boundary too. In fact, I came from the Southern Territory.”

“Oh?” Yang Kai raised a brow at those words, “The Southern Territory is said to have produced countless talented individuals throughout history. I guess it’s true. Don’t forget to take good care of yourself when the war breaks out. Only by staying alive can you slaughter more Black Ink Clansmen in the future and witness our final victory.”

“Yes!” Tang Tao nodded so hard that she resembled a chicken pecking rice.

Afterwards, Yang Kai turned around without wasting more time and his expression grew stern, “This matter cannot be delayed. Let’s begin.”

When the words left his mouth, he stepped forward and stood in the void. He then shouted, “Where are the Void Guard?”

In the next moment, the Void Guard under the leadership of Li Wu Yi responded from one of the nearby Purifying Black Ink Battleships. There were only 140 of them as not all of them were gathered here. Some of them had been dispatched to prepare the Space Arrays connecting to the No-Return Pass.

“Greetings, Sir Yang!” They cupped their fists in greeting.

“Void Guard, heed my command! We now open a passage to the Black Ink Battlefield!”

“Yes!”

After the order was relayed, the Void Guard disciples sped off in a certain direction under Yang Kai’s leadership and soon came to stand at a certain spot. Then, Space Principles flared as they began to unseal the previously sealed passage.

Most of the people on the Purifying Black Ink Battleships were watching Yang Kai; however, Ou Yang Lie was looking at Tang Tao with an amused expression.

Sensing his gaze, Tang Tao glanced at him with a faint blush on her face, “What are you looking at, Senior Brother Ou Yang?”

He shook his head, “Junior Sister Tang, you can’t treat Yang Kai differently just because that brat is handsome. You should show proper respect and treat everybody equally.”

She snorted, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Senior Brother.”

Then, she turned away and continued to watch Yang Kai. Nevertheless, the tips of her ears were pink with embarrassment.

Ou Yang Lie sighed and shook his head. Glancing at Mi Jing Lun, he exchanged a wry smile with the other party. It should be said that he understood the situation perfectly and knew that Tang Tao’s feelings were not of love for Yang Kai. In any case, he was a Ninth-Order Master, so how could he be bothered by the romantic relationships between the younger generation, especially at such a critical moment when the survival of the Human Race was at stake?

The truth was that the rising stars simply had an inherent sense of awe and admiration for Yang Kai, regardless of their cultivation or aptitude. This situation was related to the history of the Human Race, including the tragic events that transpired in the past and Yang Kai’s contribution during that difficult time. More than that, it was related to the ones who taught and raised these rising stars.

During the darkest days of the Human Race, there was a person who showed up to turn the tide when the situation seemed helpless. With his strength alone, he had obtained some breathing space for the Human Race and even saved the Human Race from the brink of extinction. It was also because of him that the Human Race gained the capital to resist the Black Ink Clan.

That was why even Tang Tao, who was prejudiced against men and constantly criticized an old man like Ou Yang Lie with sharp words, couldn’t help showing the attitude of an awestruck fangirl when she encountered Yang Kai in person. It could be said that the rising stars who were born in the darkest age of the Human Race could never escape the name ‘Yang Kai’ during their growth process, and that was especially true for those with great aptitude.

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