Martial Peak

Fang Tian Ci couldn’t be blamed for this as he should have died when he was still in his Mother’s belly. If not for Yang Kai tearing his Soul apart and saving him, Fang Tian Ci wouldn’t have been born at all.

However, Fang Tian Ci was only a fetus at that time, so he couldn’t bear the immense power of half an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s Soul. As such, Yang Kai had sealed most of his Soul fragment, including all of his memories and powers.

As Fang Tian Ci grew powerful, these seals would gradually dissolve and allow him to realise his true self.

In other words, Fang Tian Ci was still his own person at this point.

Nonetheless, he was now in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so the seal in his Soul must have loosened, and when he ascended to the Eighth-Order one day, the seal would shatter entirely and he would find out everything.

This was the same case for both Yang Kai’s Human Self and Monster Self.

Fang Tian Ci trusted Yang Kai not only because he was a Dao Temple disciple, who typically admired the Dao Lord, it was also because he, as the Human Self, trusted his true body.

There was no way anyone would harm himself in this World. Fang Tian Ci of course hadn’t noticed this yet, but he instinctually understood that the man before him only had the best of intentions for him.

“Dao Lord, do you remember I told you before that my Small Universe had materialised?” Fang Tian Ci asked.

Yang Kai snapped back to reality and nodded, “Yes, I remember.”

Fang Tian Ci went on to say, “You told me that perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I’ve cultivated the Dao of Space; however, I feel that might not be the case.”

“Why do you think so?” Yang Kai pretended that he knew nothing.

Fang Tian Ci replied solemnly, “Please have a look, Dao Lord.”

Saying so, he suddenly opened a portal to his Small Universe and let Yang Kai see inside.

Yang Kai secretly sighed to himself, thinking that an honest person like Fang Tian Ci would easily suffer setbacks in life. He hoped that this guy wouldn’t be so naïve in front of the enemy and just casually open the portal to his Small Universe, for that would be disastrous.

As he looked into the Small Universe with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai feigned surprise, “This…”

There was no doubt his Human Self had a solid heritage. Although Fang Tian Ci was a newly promoted Sixth-Order Master, the World Force in his Small Universe was only slightly weaker than that of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.

After giving it some thought, Yang Kai realised it wasn’t so surprising. His Human Self had the right to directly ascend to the Seventh Order and in fact, he had succeeded in just that, but due to the true body’s restrictions, Fang Tian Ci was forced to regress to the Sixth Order.

Despite that, his heritage didn’t decrease much.

The Human Self was destined to be a Master who would be able to fight enemies much stronger than his Realm would suggest was possible.

With a solemn expression, Fang Tian Ci said, “I only discovered this thing in my Small Universe when I was cultivating in seclusion. Clearly, it was already there when I first formed my own Small Universe. When I discovered it for the first time, it was still a sapling; however, as time passed, it grew into a huge tree. With this thing around, I feel that my Small Universe is stable and impervious to outside interference. I have a feeling that this thing seems to have something to do with the fact that my Small Universe has materialised. What do you think this thing looks like, Dao Lord?”

Yang Kai looked up at him, “It’s a World Tree clone.”

[I was the one who put it into your body, so how could I not know about it?]

Back then, Yang Kai acquired three World Tree clones from the Old Tree. One of them was given to Wu Kuang, another was planted in the Myriad Monsters World. The final one was sealed in Fang Tian Ci’s body.

Before he ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, the World Tree clone was in a dormant state and naturally unnoticeable, but now that he was an Open Heaven Realm Master, the World Tree clone sprung to life.

Time waited for no man. If Yang Kai wanted Fang Tian Ci to grow as quickly as possible, this World Tree clone was essential.

“It really is a World Tree clone!” Fang Tian Ci seemed to have expected this, but was still shocked by the answer.

If he hadn’t seen the World Tree clone in the Star Boundary, he wouldn’t have associated it with the one in his Small Universe. He only knew that it must be some kind of amazing tree; however, when he saw the giant World Tree clone in the Star Boundary, he instantly realised that there was also one in his Small Universe.

“Dao Lord, do you know why there is a World Tree clone in my Small Universe?” Fang Tian Ci appeared puzzled. He wanted to see Yang Kai because he wanted to ask him about this.

“What’s so surprising about it?” Yang Kai smiled, “Look.”

As he spoke, he opened a portal to his own Small Universe.

Fang Tian Ci looked up and infused his Divine Sense into the portal, after which he saw the entirety of the Void World. He also saw the Void Dao Temple and a massive tree in the centre of this World that was even larger than the World Tree clone in the Star Boundary.

“Dao Lord, you…” Fang Tian Ci widened his eyes in disbelief. He had lived in the Void World for 2,000 years and travelled the entire World as far as he knew, but he had not known that there was such an enormous tree in the Void World.

It was apparent that the Dao Lord had hidden it from them.

“You’re not the only one who obtained such an opportunity.” Yang Kai closed the portal and didn’t intend to explain anything. When the seal in his Human Self dissolved one day, Fang Tian Ci would understand everything. It was pointless to explain anything to him now.

Fang Tian Ci was still baffled. He felt that he had gotten the answer to his doubts, but it also felt as though he had learned nothing.

“Having this opportunity is just one factor in your life, the key is how you turn this opportunity into your own power,” Yang Kai explained. The Human Self appeared to be straightforward and honest, so Yang Kai decided to be a little more direct, “Do you know why I’ve become who I am today and why I’m more powerful than other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters?”

Fang Tian Ci shook his head.

“It’s because I’ve had many opportunities in life,” Yang Kai stated bluntly, “There’s no use only doing things step by step when it comes to cultivation. Only by seizing opportunities will you grow stronger quickly. It’s only been around 2,000 years since I started cultivating, but I’m now an Eighth-Order Master. Moreover, I started as a Fifth-Order Master. Anyone else would’ve been considered lucky if he could ascend to the next Order in 2,000 years.”

After a moment of silence, he continued, “The World Tree clone contains a mysterious power that seals and stabilizes one’s Small Universe. With the clone in your possession, your Small Universe is naturally shielded from any external forces. More importantly, you do not have to fear Black Ink Strength. Other Open Heaven Realm Masters, even Eighth-Order Masters, have to divert part of their strength and attention to resist Black Ink Strength while fighting the Black Ink Clan, but we don’t have to do that. Just let it wash over you, for you can suppress it with ease. You’re not at risk of getting corrupted by Black Ink Strength; therefore, when you battle against the Black Ink Clan in the future, go all out without fear. Don’t let the other party off if you can defeat them. If you’re less powerful than them, run. You’re also an expert in the Dao of Space now, and given your Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, no one can harm you unless an Innate Territory Lord makes a move.”

Yang Kai paused for a moment before saying, “Also, the World Tree clone can condense and purify World Force which will help you refine your strength. You’ve been cultivating for many years already, so I’m sure you know that the purer one’s power is, the more powerful one is.”

Fang Tian Ci nodded.

What Yang Kai said was simple to understand. Hitting someone with a one-kilogram wooden slab or a one-kilogram iron block had totally different effects. Although they weighed the same, there was no doubt the latter would cause more damage. That was the benefit of having purer power. 

Over the years, Fang Tian Ci had fought many battles, but he had never been defeated. What he relied on wasn’t his Realm, but his solid foundation, which brought him very pure power. Most of the time, his opponents had higher cultivation than his own, but he remained more powerful.

When Yang Kai saw that Fang Tian Ci was mesmerised, he went on to say, “Certainly, these benefits are useful for going against enemies, but let’s also talk about the benefits this thing has when it comes to cultivation. When an Open Heaven Realm Master ascends to the Seventh Order, their Small Universe will materialise. That allows them to raise living beings in their body. However, if you ask around, you’ll realise that no Open Heaven Realm Master, not even the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors, keeps living beings in their Small Universes. Do you know why?”

Fang Tian Ci shook his head as he appeared eager to find out more.

Certainly, Yang Kai was pleased with his reaction.

“That’s because, without something to seal and stabilize one’s Small Universe, when an Open Heaven Realm Master deals with a powerful opponent, their Small Universe inevitably shakes violently. When that happens, the entire World is thrown into turmoil. In that case, how many living beings do you think will survive?”

Upon hearing the explanation, Fang Tian Ci said, “Does Dao Lord mean that with the World Tree clone protecting my Small Universe, when I fight with someone, my Small Universe won’t be affected?”

Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You’re a promising young man. I’ve exchanged moves with countless Masters before, and even some Royal Lords who tried to hunt me down. However, when you lived in the Void World back then, did you ever feel any tremors? Without the World Tree clone to guard my Small Universe, the Void World would’ve been destroyed instead of becoming as prosperous as it is today.”

A puzzled Fang Tian Ci asked, “Dao Lord, what benefits do we get by doing so?”

“There are a lot of benefits,” Yang Kai explained enthusiastically, “As living beings are born, live, and die in the ones’ Small Universe, they produce a lot of World Force. In other words, even if you don’t cultivate, your heritage will still grow slowly. The more living beings there are, the quicker your power will grow.”

Fang Tian Ci finally realised something, “Is that why Dao Lord’s cultivation speed is much quicker than others?”

“Yes.”

An excited Fang Tian Ci said, “Disciple understands now. What Dao Lord means is that I should find some living beings and place them into my Small Universe as well. That way, I’ll also become a Seventh-Order or even Eighth-Order Master sooner.”

“There’s no need for that. Don’t tell anyone you have a World Tree clone. There will always be some wicked people out there who will stop at nothing to acquire treasures. I have enough power to protect myself, so no one will dare to harm me; however, once others find out that you have a World Tree clone, you might fall into danger.”

“What should this disciple do, then?” Fang Tian Ci asked humbly. It wouldn’t have mattered if he didn’t know the World Tree clone’s advantages, but now that he was aware of them, he had to make good use of it.

“I’ll give you something. Open up your Small Universe,” Yang Kai ordered.

Fang Tian Ci opened up the portal as he was told.

Yang Kai did the same as a thought flashed across his mind. The next moment, Fang Tian Ci felt that the Dao Lord had stuffed something into his Small Universe.

As he looked into his Small Universe, he was amazed.

A moment later, Yang Kai closed the portal and explained, “They are Small Stone Race members. Although they have very low sentience, they reproduce rapidly. Moreover, by raising them, you’ll gain 10 times the benefits compared to raising other living beings. Take good care of them. They’ll be useful to you.”

“Many thanks, Dao Lord.” Fang Tian Ci saluted him.

“I’ll also give you some resources. You’ll need them when you cultivate.”

“Disciple thanks Dao Lord for his generosity.”

“I also have some artifacts for you. You’re a Sixth-Order Master now. Just take them and refine them when you’re free. They might save your life when you’re in danger.”ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt

“Yes.”

“Good, I have to continue recuperating. You may leave now.”

Fang Tian Ci got to his feet and saluted him, “Disciple will take his leave now.”

Yang Kai only waved his hand.