Martial Peak

Chapter 5814: Only One

At the edge of the Universe lay Chaos which the Universe Furnace continuously devoured before spewing out the evolved 10,000 Grand Daos, causing the world to expand endlessly.

Each Universe World’s birth originated from the Universe Furnace, and each grand and majestic Celestial Phenomenon also stemmed from it.

On the way back, countless Celestial Phenomena of different shapes and sizes appeared, each harbouring immense danger. Fang Tian Ci, who controlled Yang Kai’s body, avoided them as much as possible as he dared not approach them easily; however, there came a moment of carelessness.

This Celestial Phenomenon was similar to a Black Hole. Its size was not particularly large, seemingly only slightly larger than a regular Universe World, but it was discreet enough to go unnoticed.

Fang Tian Ci was caught off guard, causing him to be involuntarily drawn towards this Celestial Phenomenon, and by the time he realised what was happening, it was already too late.

This seemingly ordinary Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon emitted an overwhelming devouring force, causing everything nearby to collapse towards it.

Despite trying several times to manipulate Space Principles to escape, Fang Tian Ci was unable to do so, and even after Yang Kai took over, he could not break free.

Under the terrifying devouring force, the surrounding Void became highly viscous and distorted, greatly reducing the effectiveness of Space Principles in this area.

Now, Yang Kai was like a fallen leaf caught in a vortex in the middle of a vast sea, constantly revolving around the Black Hole, getting closer and closer to it with each orbit.

No one knew what dangers lay within the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon, but it was undeniable that once one had fallen into it, they would surely meet a terrible end.

Unable to break free, Yang Kai could only go with the flow and travel at full speed in the direction pulled by the devouring force, hoping to escape the grasp of the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon and snatch life from the gates of death.

Round after round, the pull of the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon, combined with Yang Kai’s own actions, caused him to speed up, already far surpassing Yang Kai’s physical limit.

Moving at such a terrifying speed put a massive strain on the body, and if it were not for Yang Kai’s strong physique, he would have already been torn to shreds.

Fortunately, he now possessed the body of the Divine Dragon with a powerful Dragon Vein, so despite feeling immense pressure, he could still barely persist.

Thunder Shadow constantly cheered him on. It would still be a worthy death if he were to die fighting against Royal Lords, but to die in a place like this would simply be unacceptable.

After circling countless times, picking up speed the entire time, Yang Kai felt himself reach a critical point, followed by him suddenly feeling his body loosen. Then, as the gravitational force from the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon could no longer bind him, he channelled all the force he could and propelled himself in a great arc and swiftly escaped from the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon, leaving it far behind. 

Thunder Shadow cheered, and Fang Tian Ci, tense the whole time, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t until they were very far away from the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon and could no longer feel its pull that Yang Kai slowly lowered his speed and looked around.

Then, he stopped Fang Tian Ci from taking control of his body. Years of comprehension had allowed him to fully digest his gains in the Universe Furnace.

“These Celestial Phenomena are truly unpredictable and difficult to defend against,” Thunder Shadow said, “We’re lucky that Big Brother is quick-witted, or we three Brothers might have been done for. Second Brother, you should learn from him.”

Fang Tian Ci remained silent, feeling that they were both Soul Clones of the original, so praising him was the same as boasting about themselves…

But on this journey, they really had seen too many Celestial Phenomena; all grand and mysterious, yet unpredictable. These natural creations were truly beyond Human strength to resist.

Perhaps only by reaching the Creation Realm could one unravel the mysteries within, but what kind of wondrous realm was the Creation Realm?

“Big Brother, did we go the wrong way? We’ve been travelling for so long yet still haven’t found our way home,” Thunder Shadow asked again.

Yang Kai shook his head, “The location of the Universe Furnace is at the edge of the Universe. Since this Universe was created by the Universe Furnace, going in the opposite direction should be correct. It just means that the Universe is far more vast than we thought.”

“It’s been about 100 years, hasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Although it was impossible to calculate the exact time spent in this void, judging from the passage of time in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, it had indeed been over 100 years since they left the Universe Furnace.

During these 100 years, while Fang Tian Ci had been driving, Yang Kai had also tried to connect with the World Tree from time to time to see if he could establish contact with the Old Tree, but unfortunately, he made no progress. 

It had to be noted that when he rushed back from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, it only took him a few years.

At this moment, the position where they were located was undoubtedly in the farthest reaches of the Universe.

Sometimes, Yang Kai would wonder if he had lost their way, but on this silent journey through the void, there were no suitable reference points to discern the correct direction.

After flying forward for a while, he came across a Universe World, and Yang Kai descended to it.

He then carefully sensed his surroundings.

Thunder Shadow was at a loss at the sight and didn’t know what Yang Kai was doing, so he quietly asked Fang Tian Ci, “Is Big Brother looking for something?”

After pondering for a moment, Fang Tian Ci answered, “He should be investigating whether there have been any changes in this Universe World.”

“Changes?” Thunder Shadow became even more bewildered.

“The Universe Furnace splits Heaven and Earth apart, constantly expanding the Universe. The Universe Worlds that are spewed out from the furnace were all barren and lifeless, with not even basic World Principles. However, after countless eons of accumulation, the 10,000 Grand Daos which make up the Universe itself will eventually allow these Universe Worlds to undergo some changes. Their World Principles will gradually form and improve, and vitality will spring up in the World, giving rise to life. Every Universe World in the 3,000 Worlds should have been born this way.”

“So what?” Thunder Shadow became even more confused upon hearing that.

Fang Tian Ci almost choked, not knowing how to explain it to him.

Yang Kai chuckled, “We’re checking the completeness of the World Principles in the Universe Worlds we have encountered on our journey. The more complete they are, the closer we are to the 3,000 Worlds. The 3,000 Worlds may just contain the earliest Universe Worlds created from the Universe Furnace, which is why they are so wonderful and full of vitality.”

Finally, Thunder Shadow understood, “Oh, I see…” He couldn’t help but retort, “Second Brother, you’re so dumb. You can’t even explain something so simple. What’s the use of you?”

Fang Tian Ci seriously wanted to hit him!

Thunder Shadow asked again, “So, how about this Universe World? Are the World Principles complete?”

Yang Kai shook his head, “Of course not. If the World Principles were complete, it would not be as barren and lifeless as this. But there are already signs of World Principles being born here. Maybe in several million years, this will be a thriving Universe World.”

Those words made Thunder Shadow thrilled, “That means we are headed in the right direction!”

“Correct!” Yang Kai replied with a smile and flew up into the sky, continuing on their journey.

He suddenly realised that it was a good thing that the wills of his Human Self and Monster Self had not been erased during the unification of the three Selves. At least, he wouldn’t be too lonely on this journey home!

Although Yang Kai didn’t know how many years it would take for them to return, he believed that as long as he kept heading in the right direction, he would eventually make it back.

After a moment, Thunder Shadow’s voice echoed in Yang Kai’s mind, “Big Brother, do you think our Universe is the only one?”

As Yang Kai travelled using his Space Secret Technique, he casually asked, “What do you mean?”

“Think about it, our Universe was created by the Universe Furnace from Chaos, and according to what you said, Big Brother, the 3,000 Worlds were the first to be born. But what if the Universe Furnace opened up some other Universes beyond the Chaos before the birth of the 3,000 Worlds, and we are just unaware of each other due to the sea of Chaos and vast distances between us?”

Yang Kai smiled and replied, “That’s not pos…”

Initially, he wanted to say that it was impossible, but he suddenly realised that what Thunder Shadow said was not impossible at all. Chaos was boundless, and the void was limitless. If the Universe Furnace had indeed created another Universe somewhere in the sea of Chaos, and there was a barrier to it, it would be difficult to detect the existence of each other.

Just like when they were in the Star Boundary, they assumed it was their entire Universe until they went beyond it and discovered a wider world. Even in the currently known world, Yang Kai didn’t know what lay in the deeper parts of the Black Ink Battlefield because no one had ever explored it.

The unknown represented infinite possibilities. 

Though Thunder Shadow had always been talkative and not used his brain much, his question made Yang Kai contemplate.

Before Yang Kai could answer, Thunder Shadow asked, “Did I say something wrong?”

In the Soul Warming Lotus, Fang Tian Ci suddenly looked at Thunder Shadow and said, “Third Brother, you are actually capable of saying thought-provoking things sometimes.”

Thunder Shadow became defensive upon hearing it, “What do you mean? Don’t think I don’t know you’re calling me stupid.”

“You said it yourself.”

“Second Brother, let’s fight! I’ve been holding back for too long!”

Ignoring the noise in his mind, Yang Kai smiled and thought to himself, [Is there really another Universe out there? If so, what would it look like?]

Whether there were other Universes or not, the only thing he needed to do was to return home as soon as possible. The Universe Furnace had closed, and the war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan must have broken out in full force. Although the Humans had gained tremendous benefits in the Universe Furnace and had greatly increased their strength, the Black Ink Clan was never an easy opponent to deal with.

Yang Kai naturally recalled that before the appearance of the Universe Furnace, a gap had opened in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction which allowed a large number of Innate Territory Lords to escape. Although these Territory Lords were severely injured and not very useful right away, they should have restored their strength by now, and they would undoubtedly cause great trouble for the Humans.

It was still unknown who would emerge victorious in this war.