Martial Peak

Chapter 5719, Death Before Dishonour
Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

For the Black Ink Clan, it would definitely be highly beneficial if they could turn Yang Kai into a Black Ink Disciple.

He was powerful, after all. If he could contribute to the Black Ink Clan, he would be a significant boost in strength for them. Furthermore, he was part of the Human Race’s higher-ups with extensive knowledge of their activities, so he would be able to provide the Black Ink Clan with substantial inside information.

More importantly, he had become a living symbol of hope to the Human Race over the years! Not only was his name practically a legend throughout the various Great Territory Battlefields, but his outstanding achievements were also highly praised and admired by soldiers and civilians alike. In fact, his very existence struck fear into the hearts of all Black Ink Clansmen!

If such a symbol were to switch sides and turn upon his former comrades, it would be a huge blow to the morale of the Human Race.

The Black Ink Clan could not care less about ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they would willingly fight for the chance to corrupt Yang Kai with Black Ink Strength. There was more value in converting a person like Yang Kai into a Black Ink Disciple than killing him directly.

When confronting Yang Kai in the past, Mo Yu had never even dreamt about corrupting him with Black Ink Strength. He did not have that ability, after all. Even his chances of killing Yang Kai were slim to none. Be that as it may, the emergence of the Universe Furnace’s projection had turned the impossible into a possibility. He couldn’t help becoming rather excited about such a prospect.

On the other hand, Mo Na Ye discerned the mocking tone in Yang Kai’s words and gave a heavy sigh, “Brother Yang, why must you be so stubborn?”

Yang Kai answered lightly, “Our paths are different, so it’s impossible for us to truly cooperate with each other!” He turned to look at Mo Na Ye, “In any case, it is no loss for me if I drag a Pseudo-Royal Lord and dozens of Innate Territory Lords into the grave with me. Mo Na Ye, between you and me, let’s see which of us dies first!”

Mo Na Ye’s expression immediately darkened.

In the next moment, Yang Kai began surging his Space Principles along with various Dao Strengths, causing the space within the Universe Furnace’s projection to become chaotic once more.

The expressions of the trapped Territory Lords changed drastically at the sight. After their previous experience, how could they not know what was about to happen to them? They hastily drew upon their strength to protect themselves and became vigilant of their surroundings.

Mo Na Ye shouted, “Yang Kai, the Human Race has these sayings, ‘A wise man will submit to the circumstances,’ and, ‘Where there is life, there is hope’!”

No matter how calm he seemed on the surface or how confident he was of Yang Kai’s eventual defeat, he was the first to panic when Yang Kai showed so little regard for life. He desperately tried to persuade Yang Kai otherwise, hoping to arouse Yang Kai’s desire to live. That was because he knew that the situation would not end well for him if Yang Kai continued in this manner. At this rate, he would not survive to see the end of the war, regardless of Yang Kai’s eventual fate.

It was indeed difficult for Yang Kai to be his opponent in a one-on-one battle, but that was on the premise that both of them were at their peak strength. If Yang Kai utilised the strange effects in this Space to inflict heavy injuries onto him, then attacked once he was considerably weaker, Mo Na Ye did not have the confidence to defend himself. At this moment, his life was tied to Yang Kai’s. If he wanted to live, then he could not let Yang Kai die!

Yang Kai laughed loudly, “There’s another popular saying among us Humans. Have you heard of the saying, ‘It is better to have a piece of broken jade than lose a complete tile?’ I’d rather die a glorious death than live on in dishonour!”

The fluctuations of Space Principles became increasingly violent. Under his efforts to trace the roots of the Universe Furnace, the Space within the projection began to tremble and become disordered. The terrified screams of the Territory Lords rang out endlessly as a result.

Even Mo Na Ye was not spared. Streams of black blood constantly gushed out of his body, and the Black Ink Strength protecting his figure was sliced to pieces by the chaotic Space. He kept moving about and changing position, but that barely slowed the pace of his injuries.

All of a sudden, a Territory Lord screamed in agony. His body had been sliced cleanly in two and black blood gushed out of his wound. After suffering this critical blow, which caused him to lose all ability to protect himself, the two halves of his body were quickly carved into fragmented pieces. His screams gradually weakened, and his aura faded away.

One after another, the Territory Lords were reduced to severed limbs and torn flesh due to the effects of the disordered space. At the same time, their auras gradually withered away into nothing.

Outside the projection, Mo Yu watched the situation in distress, so furious that he was practically spitting fire from his eyes.

Mo Na Ye had previously mobilised hundreds of Innate Territory Lords as bait to besiege Yang Kai. Although many of these Territory Lords had died in battle, their deaths had value. Their sacrifice created an opportunity for Mo Na Ye to remove Yang Kai once and for all. Therefore, Mo Yu had not stopped Mo Na Ye even though the sacrifices distressed him. He had tacitly allowed Mo Na Ye to proceed with the plan.

However, the deaths of those Territory Lords were meaningless now. The reason they went through the immense trouble of sneaking out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and travelling for a dozen years just to arrive at the No-Return Pass was to contribute to the Black Ink Clan’s future prosperity. They had not come here just to die in vain.

As things stood, nothing would change no matter how furious Mo Yu became. Although both parties seemed to be separated by a few steps, it was as though they were living in two different worlds. He could not interfere with anything that was happening inside the projection.

The Space within the projection continued to tremble without end. The layers of folded Space shifted in a chaotic manner, constantly bringing harm to the Black Ink Clan.

Yang Kai had done this before. At the time, he stopped after causing the deaths of a dozen or so Territory Lords. That was because he had the vague feeling that something unpredictable would happen if the Space within the projection remained turbulent for too long.

The reason for the turbulence in the projection was the Secret Technique that he used to trace the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body. The Universe Furnace’s true body was hidden at some unknown location. It was because he was tracking the traces in reverse that the Space within the projection became so disturbed and chaotic. If he wanted the Space within the projection to keep oscillating, then he had to keep tracking the traces of the Universe Furnace’s true body. In this way, some things would be rather difficult to predict.

In reality, the other projections scattered throughout the different places were experiencing the same situation when Yang Kai was causing the Space within the projection to shake and become disordered. The Universe Furnace’s true body itself was being affected, so the feedback was reflected in its projections.

The Masters of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan who were closely monitoring the movements of the Universe Furnace’s projection could not understand the reason for the strange phenomenon. They did not understand what was happening to the Universe Furnace.

In the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress located outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, many of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were also at a loss. Yang Xiao asked Fu Guang for guidance, “Senior, what is happening? Why is the Universe Furnace experiencing such a strange development?”

Fu Guang secretly thought to himself, [If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?]

The Dragon Clan did not know much about the Universe Furnace since there was no need for them to enter it and compete for opportunities. Besides, this was also the first time a projection of the Universe Furnace had appeared in front of him. As for why the Space within the Universe Furnace’s projection was trembling and disordered, it was only natural that he was as baffled as the others. After much deliberation, he could only claim that the Heavens were unpredictable. His statement left the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters extremely confused.

In the Supreme Headquarters of the Human Race, Mi Jing Lun read through the numerous messages that had been sent with a frown on his face. Then, he looked up at Blood Crow, who was sitting beside him with a dense layer of aura lingering around his body, “Is it normal for the Universe Furnace to experience strange developments before the projection becomes completely solidified?”

Blood Crow was puzzled, “What kind of strange developments?

Mi Jing Lun handed the report over. Blood Crow took the report and glanced through the contents briefly before he shook his head, “I’ve never heard of such developments before. I don’t think this happened last time.”

“You don’t think?” Mi Jing Lun stared at Blood Crow fixedly.

Blood Crow looked slightly apologetic. Scratching his lower jaw, he explained himself, “Sir, as you know, I am not from any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises. During the Universe Furnace’s last appearance, an entrance happened to emerge in the 3,000 Worlds. The cultivators in the 3,000 Worlds were lucky enough to receive an opportunity to enter and explore the Universe Furnace, but the Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were naturally the first to enter. Moreover, I was only in the Seventh Order at the time and was placed at the outermost edges, being among the last to enter the Universe Furnace. As far as I can recall though, nothing strange occurred to the Universe Furnace’s projection last time. It remained very stable, from the day it appeared to the day it became completely solidified.”

Mi Jing Lun nodded lightly, but he had a slightly worried look on his face. There had to be a reason for this unexpected situation to have happened. It was a pity that the Human Race had such a poor understanding of the Universe Furnace.

Although Blood Crow had personally experienced the phenomenon in the past, the reality was just as he said. His situation at the time was rather awkward as he was not a disciple of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Adding to that, he was only in the Seventh-Order at the time. Even though he managed to enter the Universe Furnace, the information he possessed was not comprehensive. Be that as it may, the information that he provided recently had been extremely helpful to the Human Race!

At the very least, the Human Race far surpassed the Black Ink Clan in terms of understanding of the internal environment of the Universe Furnace and the opportunities waiting for them inside. This information was invaluable to their current planning.

Meanwhile, the Innate Territory Lords died one after another inside the projection located outside the No-Return Pass. Only half of them remained alive right now, and under Yang Kai’s constant influence, the vibration and the disorder in the Space continued to intensify.

The lives of the Territory Lords were hanging by a thread. Those who survived were not stronger than those who died earlier, they were just luckier than the rest. At this point, nobody knew when they might be the next unlucky one to meet their demise.

The movement of the chaotic space came and went without warning. No matter how hard they struggled, they could not discern any clues whatsoever. All they could do was protect themselves as best as they could. Even so, their efforts were to no avail. Their condition was poor in the first place. Combined with the distortion of the chaotic space, they could not defend themselves from the injuries caused by the shifting of the folding space.

Among the Territory Lords who survived by luck, many were missing arms and legs. They were as miserable as they could possibly be. In the beginning, they cried out for Mo Na Ye to save them, but they no longer shouted anymore, having realised that it was useless.

Mo Na Ye couldn’t even protect himself at the moment. It was only thanks to his immense cultivation that he was not in danger yet. Nevertheless, he was covered in wounds. Even his aura, which had initially been at its peak, had reduced considerably. If this were to continue, he would soon be facing the threat of death.

After becoming a Pseudo-Royal Lord more than 1,000 years ago, Mo Na Ye never imagined that he would be in such dire straits one day. The reason he tried so hard was that he wanted to gain the capital to influence the future of the war between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race. That was why he even risked his life to perform the Source Fusion Technique and became a Pseudo-Royal Lord.

As a Pseudo-Royal Lord, it was impossible for his life to be threatened unless he encountered a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Therefore, he had faced Yang Kai over the years from the standpoint of somebody who was superior in strength. The worst outcome for his schemes and calculations was failure. As long as the Royal Lord continued to trust in him, he would not be implicated in any danger.

To his horror, Mo Na Ye abruptly realised something crucial at this moment. Even though he was a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he could barely protect himself in a confrontation against Yang Kai! Di Wu’s death back then was not a fluke!

Yang Kai had always been capable of creating unimaginable miracles when he was caught in a desperate situation. Take this incident for example. There was nothing wrong with Mo Na Ye’s schemes and everything had gone smoothly at the start. However, the Universe Furnace’s projection just had to appear nearby and the space within the projection just had to be so strange. Worst of all, Yang Kai could even take advantage of the characteristics of this location to effortlessly slaughter the Territory Lords and threaten the life of a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye.

“Brother Yang, tell me, what is it that you want? Please speak freely. This Mo Na Ye will not refuse any request that can be satisfied. Why must we kill each other?” At the critical moment between life and death, Mo Na Ye finally broke down. If he did not figure out a method to break this stalemate, he would die first regardless of whether or not Yang Kai eventually survived.

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