Manpower were sometimes poor, and Open Heaven had its limits.
As for how high the Open Heaven Stage cultivator could climb on the Martial Dao Peak and what kind of achievements they would achieve in the end, it was all decided.
Generally speaking, after breaking through to Open Heaven, no matter how hard one cultivated, they would at most be able to increase their strength by two rank.
This was also the reason why the Cave Heaven Paradise was able to cultivate elite disciples. Only those who had reached the Fifth Order and above would have the qualifications to become a High Rank Open Heaven in the future.
Advancing straight to the Fourth Order, the limit was only the Sixth Order.
However, after the Ink Force eroded the Open Heaven Stage, it could break through this shackle and allow a Open Heaven cultivator to advance without limit.
This was an indescribable temptation for any Open Heaven Stage cultivator.
Even Lang Ya Paradise's Vice Sect Master Yuan Du was unable to resist this temptation and took the initiative to seek out the Ink Force, becoming Black Ink Disciple and causing chaos within Lang Ya.
Once this news spread, it was easy to imagine just how great of an impact it would have on the 3000 Worlds. Yuan Du was not the only one in this world who had reached a bottleneck and was unable to advance in his Martial Dao.
However, the world only knew one thing, not the other. The Ink Force could indeed help the Open Heaven Stage cultivator break through their shackles and achievements that ordinary methods could not achieve, but there was a price to pay, and this price was often unbearable.
Back in the Black Prison, Yang Kai had personally witnessed several Open Heaven Stage masters borrowing the Ink Force to break through their shackles.
However, the fate of these people was not any better.
Breaking through a barrier and increasing one’s strength might cause one’s body to explode, causing one’s body to die and one’s Dao to dissipate. It could also cause one’s body to undergo a great change, like a monster, causing one to lose their true nature and become extremely violent.
The appearance of this Black Ink Disciple was undoubtedly the latter.
The tumor on his neck, the hump on his back, and even his massive physique were obviously caused by the erosion of the Ink Force.
In other words, this person originally couldn’t have possessed the cultivation of a Seventh Order Open Heaven Stage cultivator, but with the help of the Ink Force, he had broken through his limits, and at the same time, his body had undergone some changes.
Yang Kai could clearly feel that although this Seventh Order aura in front of him was extremely fierce, its foundation was obviously unstable, like a building that had been damaged by insects. A slight push could cause it to collapse.
If he continued to cultivate, as his strength increased, the chances of his body exploding due to him being unable to withstand too much power would only increase.
For someone like him, even if he used the Purification Light to disperse the Ink Force in his body, he wouldn’t be able to save him. His Small Universe could only withstand the power of a Sixth Order while a Seventh Order Open Heaven force was already beyond his limit. Once he dispelled the Ink Force, without the Ink Force’s help, he would instantly die.
All these thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind like lightning as he sighed lightly in his heart. Yang Kai asked, “Sir is…”
The newcomer cupped his fists and grinned, “Liu Zian, Lord Gui Liao’s Black Ink Disciple.”
“So it’s Brother Liu!” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “Does Brother Liu need something?”
Liu Zian laughed heartily, “I heard that the Territory Lord personally accepted a Black Ink Disciple, so I came over to take a look out of curiosity. Our Territory Lord’s strength is great, so he doesn’t care about ordinary Black Ink Disciples. After so many years, I’ve never seen him personally accept a Black Ink Disciple. Brother Yang is the first.”
“It’s my honor!” Yang Kai said humbly. Seeing that Liu Zian was looking for him, he stepped aside and said, “Brother Liu, come in and talk.”
Liu Zian didn’t stand on ceremony and stepped inside.
Yang Kai closed the door of the room. There was nothing in this hall, probably because no one had lived here for a long time. Yang Kai had just arrived and hadn’t prepared anything, so he took out a set of tables and chairs from his Small Universe’s room and set them up.
Liu Zian sat down.
Yang Kai also sat down and asked, “Did Brother Liu say he was Lord Gui Liao’s Black Ink Disciple?”
“Yes,” Liu Zian nodded.
“How long has Brother Liu been here?” Yang Kai asked again.
Liu Zian smacked his lips and sighed, “It’s not short, about a thousand years.”
“That’s true,” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “This little brother has just arrived and is unfamiliar with the Black Ink Clan’s affairs. In the future, I will have to rely on Brother Liu’s guidance.”
Liu Zian laughed, “Good. We are all subordinates of the Territory Lord, if there’s anything I can help you with in the future, please feel free to let me know. Although we are Black Ink Disciples, we are still from the same family, so it’s only right for us to be close.”
“Brother Liu is right,” Yang Kai agreed, “I wonder which Cave Heaven Paradise Brother Liu comes from?”
Liu Zian waved his hand and said, “Since you’ve become a Black Ink Disciple, it has nothing to do with the past, so there’s no need to mention your origins anymore. Since Little Brother has come to the Black Ink Clan, you should follow the customs of the country.”
“Understood,” Yang Kai said with a look of understanding.
Liu Zian continued, “To be honest, when I first came to the Black Ink Clan, I wasn’t used to it, but after interacting with them for a while, I realized that this place isn’t much different from the Human Race’s. It’s nothing more than a social interaction. If you want them to do something, if you want them to pay attention to you, you just need to build a good relationship with them and everything will go smoothly.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, “Brother Liu is right!”
How could Yang Kai not understand what this fellow was trying to say? Immediately, Yang Kai took out a Space Ring and pushed it along the table, “Brother Liu and I hit it off at first sight. This is just a small gift, I hope Brother Liu can guide me in the future.”
Liu Zian raised his brow and laughed, “Good, good, Brother Yang is too polite.”
Although he said so, his hand didn’t hesitate in the slightest as he picked up the Space Ring and swept it with his Divine Sense, his smile immediately becoming stiff.
The Space Ring only contained a few hundred thousand Open Heaven Pills.
This little thing was not enough for Liu Zian to cultivate for half a month. Although he was a Black Ink Disciple, he was still a human, and the things he cultivated were no different from those of the Human Race.
He didn’t hesitate and immediately glanced over, “Brother Yang is not generous enough!”
Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged, “This is half of all my assets. Brother Liu should know that once the Human Race goes into battle, they won’t bring too many resources with them.”
This was also the rule of the Human Race’s various mountain passes. They were afraid that if they fell on the battlefield, their resources would be lost, so under normal circumstances, the cultivators who fought would leave their assets in their residences. In this way, even if they died, their clansmen could take them out for their own use.
Yang Kai knew this rule, but Blue Sky Pass had never used it to restrain him, so his wealth was all in his Small Universe’s hands.
Hearing this, Liu Zian frowned. Yang Kai was speaking the truth, so he couldn’t refute him. In the past, during the battlefield, the Black Ink Clan had obtained many Human Race Space Rings, but none of them had been good.
After pondering for a moment, Liu Zian said, “Forget it, Brother Yang’s intentions are good.”
“Many thanks for Brother Liu’s understanding,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Since Brother Liu is Lord Gui Liao’s Black Ink Disciple, can you do me a favor?”
Although Liu Zian accepted the greeting, his attitude didn’t seem to be very straightforward. Instead, he looked over vigilantly, “What favor?”
Yang Kai said, “Before Lord Black Abyss entered the Black Ink Nest to heal his injuries, he instructed Lord Gui Liao to find a Profound Female Spirit Fruit and give it to me. Since Brother Liu is Lord Gui Liao’s Black Ink Disciple, can you help me ask Lord Gui Liao when he can give me the Profound Female Spirit Fruit?”
Liu Zian was stunned, “The Territory Lord wants to give you a Profound Female Spirit Fruit?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded and asked curiously, “Is there a problem?”
Liu Zian sized him up for a moment before slowly shaking his head, “Nothing.”
Saying so, he stood up and said, “I can help you ask about this matter, but how Lord Gui Liao decides is not up to me.”
“No matter what, I must thank Brother Liu!”
“En,” Liu Zian nodded lightly, “I’ll inform you if there’s any news.”
Yang Kai stood up and saw him off, “Brother Liu, take care!”
Liu Zian didn’t even turn around and simply waved his hand.
Looking at Liu Zian’s departing figure, Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent. Although they were both humans, Yang Kai didn’t feel any intimacy from Liu Zian.
This was somewhat different from his previous experiences.
When he disguised himself as Angry Flame's Black Ink Disciple, although Jia Yi, Yi Er, Ding Si, and Wu Wu’s personalities were different, because they were all from the Human Race, they all felt a sense of mutual appreciation.
Liu Zian was different, he didn’t treat Yang Kai as a member of his own clan. It was likely that the erosion of the Ink Force had completely distorted his temperament. Although all of the Black Ink Disciples’ personalities would be distorted, the Ink Force was clearly more dangerous to Liu Zian.
This should be related to the Ink Force helping him break through his shackles.
However, since the other party had taken the initiative to pay him a visit, Yang Kai couldn’t tell if it was his own intention or Gui Liao’s.
If it was the latter, it would be quite interesting. Why would Gui Liao try to probe him like this? In name, he was Black Abyss’ Black Ink Disciple, while Gui Liao was Black Abyss’ designated territory manager. They had never met before, so there was no grudge between them.
Unable to figure it out, Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to think too much about it. Returning to his room, he took out the Open Heaven Pill and swallowed it.
He also didn’t dare to casually take out any resources to cultivate. After all, he had just told Liu Zian that he didn’t have anything on him right now, so if he were to take out a set of Seventh Grade resources, it wouldn’t make sense.
What’s more, there were no isolation restriction around this hall, so it was easy to detect energy fluctuations.
At the same time, in a hall deeper inside the old castle, Liu Zian stood in front of Gui Liao and reported the conversation he had with Yang Kai.
Gui Liao listened expressionlessly.
After saying this, Liu Zian quietly raised his head and glanced at Gui Liao, but Gui Liao didn’t show any reaction, so he boldly asked, “Master, that Yang Kai say that the Territory Lord promised him a Profound Female Spirit Fruit?”
Gui Liao nodded, “Yes.”
Liu Zian frowned and said, “The Territory Lord actually thinks so highly of him? This person has not even achieved a single merit, yet he has already received such a reward, isn’t this just a way to increase his arrogance?”
TO BE CONTINUED...
Martial Peak