Martial Peak

Void Era, year 7,999…

The Star Boundary, where High Heaven Cave Heaven, which was ranked first among the 36 Cave Heavens, was located, had its ban on entry lifted. Immediately, countless cultivators who were waiting outside the Star Boundary swarmed in and spread out.

The cultivators were entering the Star Boundary from every possible direction, and were in huge numbers. Although there were all sorts of people among the crowd, no one dared to act rashly on the Star Boundary; no matter what their temperament was, they had become kind and simple after setting foot onto this Universe World.

This wasn’t just because the Star Boundary was the domain of the strongest Cave Heaven, but also because Dao Temples of all the other Cave Heavens and Paradises were located here.

It could be said that one could find Seventh-Order Masters casually walking the streets in the Star Boundary, even Eighth-Order Masters were as common as dogs. Only the sighting of the legendary Ninth-Order Masters, who generally remained hidden, would cause some minor sensation.

If anyone acted irreverently here, not to mention the Sun tomorrow, he or she might not even see the Moon tonight.

The main reason why the Star Boundary was so lively was because the Void Festival that was celebrated once every millennia would be held here. Many of the younger generation didn’t know the origins of this festival, only that a ceremony was held at the turn of every millennium of the Void Era, and it had been celebrated seven times already. And if the one that was about to be held was also counted, this would be the eighth.

Rumour had it that 8,000 years ago, the living environment of the Human Race was extremely harsh. At that time, there was a species called the Black Ink Clan that nearly wiped out the Human Race and conquered the known Universe. Back then, the Human Race was truly on the verge of extinction.

However, thanks to its many great heroes and brave soldiers, the Human Race slowly regained their footing. In the end, the entire Human Race launched a grand crusade and completely eradicated the Black Ink Clan. From then on, the Human Race became the true rulers of this world.

As for the Void Festival, it was held to commemorate all the Humans who gave their lives in the war against the Black Ink Clan. It could be considered the biggest event in the entire Human Race.

The festival would be celebrated for an entire year, during which, anyone could freely enter the Star Boundary. It had to be known that as the territory of the strongest Cave Heaven, it was normally forbidden for outsiders to enter.

This wasn’t because High Heaven Cave Heaven was tyrannical, but because they had no other choice.

Since the end of the great war 8,000 years ago, although the Human Race had managed to quell the Black Ink disaster that had lasted for millions of years, they had paid an extremely heavy price.

Countless Masters had died in battle, while the entire 3,000 Worlds had been devastated by the Black Ink Clan. The only Universe Worlds suitable for the survival of the Human Race were the ones in High Heaven Territory and the Myriad Monsters Territory.

The number of habitable Universe Worlds had been significantly reduced, and as such, the living environment had also suffered. Cultivation resources were also in short supply.

As such, the birth of too many cultivators would inevitably lead to chaos. So, the current cultivators could no longer be as unrestrained as they were before the Black Ink Clan invaded the 3,000 Worlds. Everything had to be done in a planned manner.

8,000 years ago, the Ninth-Order Masters had jointly held a discussion and reached a consensus, which was that anyone with the aptitude to cultivate would have to report to the Cave Heavens and Paradises, and their cultivation matters would be arranged by one of these top forces.

This decision was strictly enforced with the joint efforts of all the Human Race Forces. So, all cultivators of the Human Race, regardless of their background or cultivation, were duly noted and recorded.

This decision made the already special Star Boundary even more exclusive.

The Star Boundary had a World Tree Clone, and was the first Open Heaven Realm Cradle!

The second Open Heaven Realm Cradle was the Myriad Monsters World.

In the years when the Human Race was fighting the Black Ink Clan, the two Open Heaven Realm Cradles, the Star Boundary and Myriad Monsters World, had given birth to many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. It could be said that these two Open Heaven Realm Cradles played a huge role in the Human Race’s victory in the final battle.

However, after the war ended, because of the limit in habitable areas, it was difficult for the Human Race to withstand the birth of so many new generation cultivators, which put the Star Boundary and Myriad Monster World in an extremely awkward position.

After returning from the crusade and realizing this problem, the Human Race’s higher-ups made another decision, which was to withdraw everyone from the Star Boundary and Myriad Monster World, especially the large number of ordinary people.

These ordinary people could not cultivate, but given their huge numbers, they could give birth to many children, some of which would have the aptitude for cultivation. If restrictions weren’t put in place, it wouldn’t be long before new generations of cultivators were born, which would inevitably lead to unnecessary unrest.

Even the people who remained in the Star Boundary and Myriad Monsters World were forbidden from having children. If they wanted to have children, they would have to leave these two Open Heaven Realm Cradles.

Of course, the Human Race’s upper echelons also knew that cutting off all avenues forward was not sustainable, so they left behind a glimmer of hope.

That hope lay in the Void Festival that was held every 1,000 years.

During this one-year-long grand festival, everyone was allowed to freely enter and exit the Star Boundary. If one could join one of the Dao Temples of the various Cave Heavens and Paradises, they would naturally be qualified to remain in the Star Boundary to cultivate.

It was difficult to calculate how many people had entered the Star Boundary every time the grand festival started, but the number who could truly worship the various Dao Temples was not that high.

This led to a strange phenomenon, which was that many pregnant women or young married couples would enter the Star Boundary during the festival. Those pregnant women would then find a place with excellent World Energy and live with their families, nourishing their fetus in peace, so that their unborn babies could enjoy the feedback from the World Tree Clone.

As for those young couples… They were only two when they arrived, but when they left, their wives’ stomachs would most likely be bulging.

…..

Jade Mountain Square, an extremely common market in the Star Boundary.

Because of the decisions made in the past, a large number of Humans were relocated away from the Star Boundary, leaving it quite sparsely populated. Owing to which, places like Jade Mountain Square were usually deserted.

In other words, this place was only bustling with Humans because the grand festival was approaching and countless people had poured into the Star Boundary.

A young couple was strolling around the market, holding hands. The man was suave and handsome, whereas the woman was as beautiful as a flower; they were a perfect match.

The woman’s belly happened to be slightly bulging; she was obviously pregnant.

At this moment, the Husband and Wife arrived before a tall statue and looked up.

The Wife kept reaching out to her Husband’s hand, who helplessly handed her the food in his hands and grumbled, “I told you not to eat so many sweets, why don’t you listen?”

His Wife didn’t even spare him a glance and bit down on the candied fruit in her hand, mumbling, “Who says I am the one who wants to eat it? Clearly it’s the child in my stomach who wants to eat!”

The Husband couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Every time she brought up the child in her womb, he couldn’t do anything about it.

“Dear, do you think this Yang Kai really exists?” The Wife quickly finished a stick of candied fruit and took another stick from her Husband’s hand, “Why are his statues everywhere?”

Wherever they went, wherever a Human settlement was present, they always found such statues. Rumour had it that these statues had been standing for nearly 8,000 years and had not been eroded by the passage of time at all. Obviously, they were protected by the power of an expert.

“How would I know?” The Husband brusquely replied.

His Wife muttered to herself, “His biographies are everywhere, and it seems that everyone has read it intensively. Moreover, according to his biography, he used some kind of profound Space-Time Secret Technique in order to defeat the ancient enemy, which caused all traces of him to be erased from people’s minds, and that he would never be able to return if everyone truly forgot about him. Counting the time, it just so happens that when this festival starts, it will be the time for him to return. Dear, why don’t we go take a look?”

The Husband’s face darkened, “Why are you looking for him?”

“He’s a hero! We Humans can have today thanks to his efforts and sacrifices. It’s only right that we pay respect to him.”

“His biography has been passed down for 8,000 years, who knows if it’s true or not…”

“I think he must be a wise and mighty man!”

*Crunch…Crunch…*

“Why are you eating my candied fruit?”

“So sour!”

“It’s obviously very sweet!”

“According to his biography, he had many Wives!”

“Hmph, you finally exposed your wild ambitions. My dear child, your Father doesn’t want us anymore, our lives are really miserable.”

“No, that’s not what I said, don’t be ridiculous!”

…

Everywhere where the Humans were gathered, similar conversations were happening between the young couples. Under the vigorous promotion and maintenance of various major Sects, the biography compiled by Mi Jing Lun had been widely circulated these past 8,000 years. It could be said that any Human older than 10 had read Yang Kai’s biography at least once.

As far as the later generation was concerned, this biography was just a storybook, allowing them to understand the magnificent life of a man named Yang Kai. As for whether the records in this biography were true or fabricated, no one could confirm.

This was something even the ancient cultivators of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were unable to determine, because in their memories, many of the things recorded in the biography had indeed happened, but none of them had the slightest impression of the man named Yang Kai being there.

If this was really the backlash of the so-called Shadow Secret Technique, it would be too terrifying.

Meanwhile, the Ninth-Order Masters had gathered at High Heaven Palace.

Compared to the crusade back then, the number of Ninth-Order Masters had undoubtedly increased.

There were more than 100 Ninth-Order Masters!

After all, all those rising stars, who possess the aptitude to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, had gradually advanced over the last 8,000 years.

In the main hall, everyone was talking in small groups. Unless there was something important, the Ninth-Order Masters seldom gathered together. The Ninth-Order Masters also rarely appeared in public. Only a grand event like the Void Festival could gather all the Ninth-Order Masters together.

With over 100 Ninth-Order Masters, the Human Race’s foundation had reached a peak that it had not seen in over 10,000 years. Whether it was the newly advanced Ninth-Order Masters, or the old veterans, all of them had participated in the war against the Black Ink Clan.

Now that they had gathered together, it was only natural for them to reminisce about the glorious past and as they watched the current generation compete against each other.

Ou Yang Lie was especially boisterous as he moved through the crowd. When he started talking about the great battles he had fought in the past, he unceasingly beamed with joy. When he got excited, he even pulled his Disciple, Gong Lian over, “In the past, when this Old Master was only an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, when I fought against a Pseudo-Royal Lord alone, that Pseudo-Royal Lord wet his pants in terror. This brat saw it with his own eyes. Hey, tell them!”