Martial Peak

Chapter 5310, Open

Translator: Silavin & June

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

After the matter was brought up to the Phoenix Empress, she smiled and replied, “Even if you didn’t ask, I would have done so. There is nothing I can do if I don’t know the whereabouts of my clansman, but now that I do, I will bring her back to the Phoenix Nest.”

Pleasantly surprised, Yang Kai quickly thanked her.

More and more, he felt that the Dragon Clan’s actions were unreasonable. Just look at the Phoenix Clan. The Phoenix Clan Head herself had already made plans to fetch Su Yan who was still currently in the Ancestral Land. Whereas for Yang Kai, he came all the way here, just to almost get punched by a member of the Dragon Clan upon his arrival at the No-Return Pass. It was just too much.

She smiled and remained silent. She did not lie when she spoke earlier. She indeed sincerely wanted to fetch the Human with the Phoenix Clan Source back to the Phoenix Nest to cultivate, hoping that she would be able to purify her Bloodline and transform into a pure-blooded Phoenix.

One thing, though, was not mentioned. If that Human was unable to become a pure-blooded Phoenix, she would have to spend her entire life in the Phoenix Nest until she died.

It was impossible for the Phoenix Clan to allow their Sources to be leaked out anymore, so this was also a way for them to retrieve and retain them.

Su Yan would be one of them if she had the ability to transform into a pure-blooded Phoenix. If not, her Source would remain in the Phoenix Nest to produce new clansmen after Su Yan passed away from old age.

“Within a few days, the Dragon Pool will open, and there will certainly be battles. Are you prepared?” The Phoenix Clan Head abruptly shifted the topic out of concern that Yang Kai would figure out the Phoenix Clan’s hidden intent.

Yang Kai was a little confused, “We need to fight to enter the Dragon Pool?”

The woman shook her head and replied, “There is no need to fight to enter it, but there will always be battles inside the Dragon Pool.”

Yang Kai continued to ask humbly, “Senior, would you care to further enlighten me?”

The Phoenix Clan Head paused briefly, as if debating whether or not to tell him, but even if she didn’t, Yang Kai would soon find out when he entered the Dragon Pool. So, she continued, “The Dragon Clan’s root is the Dragon Pool, so cultivating inside is significantly beneficial to purifying a Dragon’s Bloodline. This results in the Dragon Clan members battling for the few available slots every time the Dragon Pool is accessible.”

There was a limited number of spots available in the Dragon Pool. No one told Yang Kai about this before, but he had guessed it himself; otherwise, Ji Lao San would not have blocked him on his way to the No-Return Pass.

Just like how Huang Si Niang said, Ji Lao San had waited for this opportunity for a very long time, but just when his turn finally arrived, his spot was snatched by Yang Kai. How could Ji Lao San tolerate it?

“In general, when the Dragon Pool opens, a portion of the Young Dragons and a number of Grand Dragons will enter. As for the Ancient Dragons, it wouldn’t help much even if they cultivated in the Dragon Pool since their Bloodlines are already close to the peak. As such, no Ancient Dragons will enter the Dragon Pool.”

“As far as I know, there are 3 spots for Young Dragons and 10 for Grand Dragons. Ji Lao San had one of them, but his spot was taken by you,” the Phoenix Clan Head cast a thoughtful glance towards Yang Kai, as if to suggest that Yang Kai should now understand why Ji Lao San was after him.

Yang Kai simply listened in silence, after all, he sort of figured this out already.

“Unlike our Phoenix Nests, which are visible to the naked eye, the Dragon Pool is a mysterious place. Since ancient times, only Dragon Clan members have been able to connect with it and open it. It is also solely the Dragon Clan members who have entered the Dragon Pool, who would know exactly what the Dragon Pool is like. Even the Phoenix Clan is not fully aware of the details. That being said, from what I understand, the deeper you dive into the Dragon Pool, the greater the benefits you can obtain. So, when you enter the Dragon Pool, you should head as deep as you can. Who knows? You might be able to gain something unexpected if you can dive deep enough.”

“Since fighting is inevitable in the Dragon Pool and the Dragon Clan also loves battling, your time in the Dragon Pool might not be easy.”

Hearing this warning, Yang Kai was unconcerned and declared lightly, “As long as no Ancient Dragon enters, none of them can be my opponent.”

Yang Kai was also a Grand Dragon, so why would he be afraid of other Young and Grand Dragons in the Dragon Pool?

After entering the Dragon Pool, those Dragon Clan members would be fine if they didn’t make trouble for him, but if they dared to do so, they would definitely be humiliating themselves.

The Phoenix Clan Head appeared to want to warn him about something, but after some consideration, she replied as she softly nodded, “Fair enough. That is all I know about the Dragon Pool.”

With a courteous bow, Yang Kai said, “Many thanks, Senior, for enlightening me.”

The woman simply waved her hand and replied, “You must be worth it since the Human Race is willing to send you here. Even though the Dragon and Phoenix Clan are different from you Humans, everyone’s stance on the Black Ink Battlefield remains the same. You would have learned of these things when you entered the Dragon Pool even if I didn’t mention them to you.”

Shaking his head, Yang Kai insisted, “No matter what, it is always better to be prepared than to have to make decisions on the spot.”

The Phoenix Clan Head smiled lightly, “I’ll let you know when the Dragon Pool is about to open.”

Yang Kai understood her implications, “Then, this Junior shall not disturb Senior anymore.”

Saying so, he flew off and found a quiet spot in her Phoenix Nest. After sitting down cross-legged, he started to rest.

He didn’t refine or absorb the ambient Space Dao Essence here because he had already gained enough from Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest, so it would be pointless to do so again. Instead, he needed to figure out how to digest and absorb his recent gains.

Besides, the Phoenix Clan Head was kind enough to allow him to temporarily take refuge in her home, it would be extremely ungrateful of him to also try to steal her belongings.

Several days went by.

As Yang Kai was reflecting on the Dao of Space, a voice sounded in his ears, “The Dragon Pool will soon be opened. You should go.”

As the words sounded, the Void in front of Yang Kai rippled and a portal formed.

Yang Kai instantly stood up, paid his respects to the Phoenix Clan Head, then stepped through the portal.

Looking at the place where Yang Kai disappeared, the woman closed the portal while thinking to herself, [This time, the Dragon Clan will probably have to suffer a bit.]

The Dragon Clan was unable to determine what kind of Source Yang Kai had refined because he hadn’t shown any of its aura since arriving at the No-Return Pass. So, they only thought of it as any ordinary Dragon Source; after all, the Dragon Clan had left behind a sizable number of Sources outside, many of which now belonged to living beings that had a Dragon Clan Bloodline. Those Sources were not conceived by the Dragon Pool, but rather born after a Bloodline had reached a sufficient purity.

The Dragon Clan didn’t know about his Source, but the Phoenix Clan Head had some guesses.

Because he was able to access that Phoenix Nest.

In ancient times, a Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress of a certain generation sacrificed their lives to seal a Black Ink Giant Spirit God. They had fallen at that time and their Sources vanished along with the shattering of the Void.

Back then, the Black Ink Clan was threatening the 3,000 Worlds. Consequently, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans lacked the time and resources necessary to search for the Emperor and Empress’ Sources due to the urgency of the situation.

After many years, when the situation finally stabilised, no traces remained to be followed.

The Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress’ Source of that generation were thus lost forever.

However, based on the situation of the Phoenix Nest, even though the Phoenix Empress’ Source was missing, it should still exist somewhere. Otherwise, the corresponding Phoenix Nest would also be destroyed if the Source had been destroyed.

Since the Phoenix Nest remained, it indicated that the Source was safe. Only its location remained unknown.

Now, many years later, a Human boy with a Dragon Source arrived at the No-Return Pass, received the approval of that generation’s Phoenix Empress’ Phoenix Nest, and easily entered it.

There were several indicators that suggested the Source refined by this Human should be that generation’s Dragon Emperor’s.

Since the Sources of the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress were lost at the same time, it was no surprise that they would be found at the same time too.

If this was the case, those trivial Grand Dragons would be no match for him, and even the Ancient Dragons of the Dragon Clan might face a lot of pressure in front of him.

At this moment, dozens of the Dragon Clan members had gathered in the massive square of the No-Return Pass.

However, except for a few Young Dragons, all other Dragon Clan members had transformed into their Human Forms. Those few Young Dragons lacked the proper fine control over their power, so they found it less energy consuming to simply remain in their Dragon Form.

Though they were titled Young Dragons, some were several thousands of metres long. Some were hovering above the square while some were curled up nearby, Dragon Pressure lingering in the air.

In the square, five statues had been erected, all of them in the form of a True Dragon, with the only difference being their colour.

One was red, another was white, one was gold, then green, and finally black. They were lifelike despite being statues, and at first glance, they looked like genuine Dragon Clan members.

The five statues formed a circle around the square; the mystery behind this unknown.

Other than the statues, the Dragon Clan members had all gathered, including the three Ancient Dragons that Yang Kai saw the other day.

When Yang Kai approached, the Dragon Clan members seemed to be making some preparations, and the three Ancient Dragons were each murmuring something.

There was no room for any mistakes because the opening of the Dragon Pool was a huge affair to the Dragon Clan.

Yang Kai didn’t stand on ceremony at all, flying straight over to Ji Lao San after a quick glance around and asking, “I’m not late, right?”

Ji Lao San was concentrating when he heard the voice. As he turned his head to see that it was Yang Kai, his expression darkened with rage.

When Yang Kai first came to the No-Return Pass, Ji Lao San was humiliated by him. He was a Grand Dragon, yet a Seventh-Order Human actually grabbed and carried him by the neck as if he was a common chicken. His dignity was fully swept away under the attention of all the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan.

Every time he thought of the scene that day, he felt so humiliated that he wanted to cough up blood.

Today’s unexpected encounter with Yang Kai was just like meeting an old enemy face-to-face. He was so enraged that he almost transformed into a Grand Dragon to fight it out with him again.

Fortunately, he understood that now was not the time to act impulsive, so he kept his temper under control, snorted bitterly, and disregarded Yang Kai directly.

Despite being rebuffed, Yang Kai acted like he and Ji Lao San were close friends and he chatted nonstop, “You’re Brother Ji, right? We’ve met before. Could you tell me what to look out for when entering the Dragon Pool? This is my first time, and I don’t even know what to do after entering Dragon Pool. If Brother Ji knows something, please teach me a thing or two.”

Ji Lao San gave him a cool look while remaining silent.

Yang Kai then continued with pursed lips, “Brother Ji, you are a Dragon Clan member after all. You wouldn’t be that petty, right? The previous occasion was really a minor misunderstanding, why take it personally? If nothing works, I am willing to be carried by the neck by you once.”

As the saying went, never mentioned someone’s pain. No matter how good Ji Lao San’s self-control was, he couldn’t bear it anymore and shouted, “You court death!” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ (f)ir(e).nᴇt

With an innocent expression, Yang Kai blinked at him and asked, “Why is Brother Ji so angry?”

Just as Ji Lao San was about to speak, one of the Ancient Dragons abruptly opened his eyes and glared in their direction. He did not say a word, but the coercion in his silence was repleted with warnings.

Ji Lao San froze, whereas Yang Kai quickly controlled his demeanor.