Martial Peak

Chapter 5763: Diving Deep

Yang Kai’s injuries were extremely severe, but his restorative abilities were strong, so his physical injuries were not a big problem for him. Only, his Soul had received some damage from him being forced to use a Soul Rending Thorn against that Pseudo-Royal Lord, which would require the slow nurturing of the Soul Warming Lotus to recover from.

Fortunately, he had only used one, so the injury to his Soul was not particularly serious.

One Human and one Monster quietly recuperated inside the river, remaining still and allowing the river to wash over them.

Meanwhile, another reign of terror had arisen outside due to that Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. There were constantly Black Ink Clansmen gathering, searching for Yang Kai and breaking out into conflict with the Humans who were here.

After several evolutions of the Universe Furnace’s Grand Dao, the situation had become much clearer, unlike before where it would often take long to bump into another living soul. Now, both the Human Race and Black Ink Clan would move in groups and each encounter would end in a bloody battle.

At first, the Humans had suffered a bit of a loss due to the large number of Masters on the Black Ink Clan’s side, but as time passed, the Humans gradually noticed the unusual situation here, especially as Tian Xiu Zhu and the others were also spreading the news, causing more and more Humans to start converging.

Yang Kai had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, but he was currently being hunted down by the Black Ink Clan, and his current status was unknown…

That could, certainly, not be good. The existence of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was equivalent to another Ninth-Order Master, not to mention Yang Kai’s position in the Human Race. No matter what, they could not allow the Black Ink Clan to get him.

Using the Communication Beads that they brought with them, the Humans rallied their allies and swarmed over.

When Ou Yang Lie, the newly advanced Ninth-Order Master, rushed over after receiving the message that had been passed on several times before, the situation had already fallen completely out of control.

Aftershocks from battles between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan could be felt practically everywhere across a vast stretch of the void, throwing the Universe Furnace World into unrest.

Inside the Infinite River, neither Yang Kai nor Thunder Shadow, who were both recuperating, were aware of the situation outside.

After swallowing a large number of Spirit Pills, both of their conditions gradually improved. Some time had passed before Yang Kai felt that his injuries were no longer an issue, and the damage to his Soul was stabilized by the Soul Warming Lotus, though full recovery would take much longer. His current state would not affect his combat capabilities at least.

Yang Kai then checked on Thunder Shadow’s condition, and though Thunder Shadow’s recovery speed was not slow, it still wasn’t as quick as him. Currently, he had mostly recovered from his injuries, but he was still enveloped in the Space-Time River.

Seemingly sensing Yang Kai’s movements, Thunder Shadow slowly opened his eyes to say, “I’m fine now.”

The bodies of those from the Monster Race were extremely strong to begin with, so even though he had been beaten by the Pseudo-Royal Lord until he had almost become a dead leopard, since he survived in the end, it would not be too much trouble for Thunder Shadow to recover.

Yang Kai nodded but was in no rush to leave; instead, he looked down and gazed for a moment, before muttering, “Say, what do you think is inside this Infinite River?”

The most mysterious and magnificent thing inside of the Universe Furnace was undoubtedly the Infinite River. This large river was formed purely out of chaotic Shattered Dao Essence and ran through practically the entirety of the Universe Furnace World. Yang Kai did not think too much about it when he first saw the river. Moreover, he was focused on searching for the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills then and had no time to wonder about such things.

However, through his time in the Infinite River, hiding and recuperating, something came to mind.

Could the Infinite River truly be as simple as it seemed on the surface? The Universe Furnace was the most miraculous treasure in the Universe to begin with, and this was the most mysterious part of it. There was most likely more to this river than met the eye.

Hearing his question, Thunder Shadow became wary, “What are you thinking of doing?”

Even though he was only Yang Kai’s Monster Self, he could vaguely sense that Yang Kai had come up with some dangerous ideas. After all, his true self had never been the type to sit still when something piqued his interest.

Sure enough, Yang Kai said, “Since we have nothing to do, why don’t we go in and take a look?”

Thunder Shadow was speechless, “What do you mean nothing to do…”

There were still many Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills scattered outside, and there were also many Black Ink Clansmen to kill, how could there be nothing to do?

Yang Kai reasoned, “There are probably many of them searching for me outside, including Pseudo-Royal Lords and that Royal Lord. If worse comes to worst, the Chaos Spirit King may be searching for me too. If we go out now, we would end up running around and hiding anyway, so we might as well stay here a while longer and wait for things outside to clear up before heading out.”

[You do have a point…]

Thunder Shadow was silent for a moment, “You’re the Big Brother, so you decide!”

Yang Kai nodded, “Let’s go and take a look, then.”

Saying so, he immediately sank down with Thunder Shadow following close behind him, the Space-Time River coiling around his body and blocking the scouring of the chaotic force.

The Infinite River looked wide and deep from the outside, but there had to be a limit. However, as he sank further down, Yang Kai felt that something wasn’t quite right.

Based on his senses, the depth that he and Thunder Shadow reached was so deep that they could likely have passed through the entire river; but in truth, their bodies were still surrounded in the chaotic flow, as if they had fallen into an endless abyss.

The inside of this Infinite River truly was something special.

Yang Kai became increasingly cautious.

Moreover, the further they sank, the stronger the impact of the water became. Every so often, they could even feel strong currents and turbulence trying to sweep them away.

The Soul Warming Lotus’s power was continuously roused, protecting Yang Kai’s mind to stop him from being affected by the chaotic energy. Inside his Small Universe, the large umbrella-like canopy of the World Tree clone was also growing more and more dense.

After sinking for an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai could vaguely feel that he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. Even with the Soul Warming Lotus protecting his mind and the World Tree clone to seal and stabilize his Small Universe, the scouring of the chaotic force on his body was hard to avoid.

Even his Dragon Form, which was only a step away from advancing to become a Divine Dragon, was unable to resist the river’s erosion!

Yang Kai had no choice but to expand his Space-Time River, coiling it around both Thunder Shadow and himself to relieve the pressure.

But with this, his Dao Strength would quickly be depleted. Previously, it was fine when he was just enveloping the tiny Thunder Shadow with the Space-Time River; but now, Yang Kai had to use it to protect both of them, which more than doubled the consumption.

Dao Strength was tied to Yang Kai’s perception and precipitation of his own Grand Dao, so if he consumed too much of it, it would end up affecting the foundation of his Grand Dao.

As he continued to sink down, it truly seemed there was no bottom to this river. The pressure was growing stronger, and sweat was already starting to bead up on Yang Kai’s forehead.

Sensing that things were not looking good, Thunder Shadow quickly shouted via Divine Sense, “I think it’s about time we head back up!”

If they didn’t have enough strength to leave, then they could end up being trapped here. If that happened, Yang Kai’s Dao Strength would eventually be exhausted, making it difficult for him to maintain the Space-Time River, then both he and the original would perish here.

Yang Kai also felt that it was time for them to head up, but this Infinite River was filled with oddities. He dove so deep yet still saw no signs of an end, so it felt like a waste to just give up like this.

He had a nagging feeling that this Infinite River was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, so after a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai continued sinking deeper, bringing forth more of his Dao Strengths to compensate.

His Grand Daos did not end at the Dao of Time and Dao of Space. The Grand Daos that he had put effort into cultivating also included the Alchemic Dao, Spear Dao, and the Dao of Artifact Refining. He had also absorbed and refined many Grand Dao Rivers in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, each one of them filled with different Dao Strengths. It could be said that the Grand Daos of Yang Kai’s Small Universe were numerous and almost all-encompassing. Only their levels of mastery were different.

This was also the main reason why cultivators from the Void World could practice a wide variety of Grand Daos. The presence of this variety in turn increased the choices of Grand Daos that the Void World’s cultivators could more easily comprehend.

Without the harvest he gained from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, the cultivators in his Small Universe would have a far harder time comprehending Grand Daos Yang Kai was unfamiliar with.

Spear Dao, Sword Dao, Dao of Spirit Arrays, Dao of Artifact Refining, Saber Dao…

Many Dao Strengths were circulated at once, strengthening the Space-Time River.

Seeing this, Thunder Shadow quickly circulated its own Dao Strength. He was a Shadow Leopard and was innately proficient in the Dao of Concealment. Later, when became a Great Emperor, he gained enlightenment into the Dao of Thunder. So, when he circulated his Dao Strengths, the Space-Time River began flashing with lightning, though it also seemed ethereal and was all around a bizarre sight.

Under the combined efforts of one man and one leopard, the pressure instantly became much lighter.

Sure enough, the best way to restrain chaos was with complete Dao Strengths.

While circulating his Grand Dao Strength, Thunder Shadow was complaining, “How did you manage to live for so long?”

The Infinite River was clearly full of dangers, yet Yang Kai was obstinate in exploring its depths. Thunder Shadow was genuinely surprised that he could survive thus far with such a daredevil nature.

Yang Kai laughed out loud, “How could you be born without me?”

[You make it sound as if I’m your Son…] Thunder Shadow was instantly silent.

They continued to sink deeper, and when they reached an unknown depth, the undercurrents suddenly grew even more turbulent, and the impact of each wave would violently sap away the Dao Strength of them both, causing the Space-Time River to flicker in unrest.

After reaching this point, even Yang Kai was starting to think of giving up. Previously, the reason he was able to hold on was naturally because he hadn’t brought out his full power yet. However, it seemed now that he would truly be unable to make it out if he were to continue going any further. Once his Dao Strength was depleted, and he was no longer able to maintain the Space-Time River, it would truly be the end of the road for him.

Investigating the Infinite River was just a passing whim for Yang Kai. It was a pity that he got nothing out of it, but it was not worth it to put too much into this.

However, just as Yang Kai was about to retreat, his expression turned solemn. He could vaguely feel the environment around him was changing, as if it was no longer as chaotic…

Thunder Shadow saw a certain look on Yang Kai’s face and had a bad premonition. Even though he was currently in the same cultivation realm as his original, the difference in their abilities was great. He was completely oblivious to some of the things that Yang Kai was able to sense, so he had no idea what Yang Kai discovered, but he seemed… excited?

As expected, the next moment, Yang Kai dove down with great enthusiasm, and he was even going at a much faster rate.

Thunder Shadow couldn’t help but sigh and swallow his words of persuasion. If his main self wanted to take the risk, then he had no choice but to surrender and join him; after all, he couldn’t just abandon himself and run away.

But soon, Thunder Shadow also noticed that something was not right as he muttered in surprise, “The river… is changing?”

He was also in the Eighth Order, so though he had noticed the changes later than Yang Kai, he did still sense them.

Yang Kai nodded, “It does seem to be showing some unusual changes.”