Martial Peak

The commoners had no idea why the Void Dao Temple had to select talented people. Over the past several tens of thousands of years, countless brilliant cultivators had been invited to the Dao Temple, and there had never been any news about them since then. No one knew where they were, but it was rumoured that those Masters had shattered the Void and left the Void World to pursue a higher Martial Dao.

Certainly, Fang Tian Ci had heard about these rumours before, but he simply dismissed them; after all, rumours were usually unfounded and inaccurate.

However, it wasn’t until he was invited to the Void Dao Temple that he realised those rumours were indeed true.

Things that were secrets to the general cultivators of the Void World were common knowledge to those in the Dao Temple.

It wasn’t until this moment that he realised the Emperor Realm wasn’t the peak of the Martial Dao. Beyond the Emperor Realm was the Open Heaven Realm, which was divided into nine Orders, with each one vastly different from the previous.Follow current s on Novᴇ(l)Fɪre .ɴᴇt

One had to condense their Dao Seal, split Heaven and Earth apart in their body, and form a Small Universe. Only then would they ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.

What’s more, the entire Void World was just the Dao Lord’s Small Universe.

In other words, all beings in the Void World were living inside the Dao Lord’s body.

When Fang Tian Ci learned this truth, he was utterly dumbfounded. He couldn’t be considered an inexperienced man; after all, he had travelled the entire Void Continent for over 1,000 years.

Nevertheless, when he was told the truth about the Void World, he was astonished.

It was at that moment he realised just how immense the Dao Lord’s power was.

Such an expansive world was just the Dao Lord’s Small Universe, making Fang Tian Ci wonder what the extent of the Dao Lord’s strength in the Open Heaven Realm was.

The person responsible for showing him around was a Senior Brother surnamed Liu. He introduced himself to Fang Tian Ci as Liu Jing Shan, and although Fang Tian Ci was actually older than the latter, Liu Jing Shan was stronger as he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.

Every newcomer to the Void Dao Temple would be greeted by someone, who was responsible for explaining the reasons the Void Dao Temple was built and answering any questions that the newcomer might have.

As such, Fang Tian Ci asked what was on his mind freely.

Liu Jing Shan replied with a smile, “We have no idea how powerful the Dao Lord is in the Open Heaven Realm, but there’s no way he’s weak. We suppose he’s either in the Eighth Order or the Ninth Order.”

Every cultivator in the Void World regarded the Dao Lord as a deity, so it was no surprise they would think highly of him when it came to his cultivation.

After a nod, Fang Tian Ci went on to ask, “Senior Brother Liu, since the Void World is just the Dao Lord’s Small Universe, how were those Seniors supposed to shatter the Void and leave this place back then?”

If they were capable of doing that, it would be no different from forming a hole in the Dao Lord’s belly. Fang Tian Ci shuddered at the thought of this.

Liu Jing Shan chuckled and explained, “Well, they didn’t really shatter the Void. They were only led out of the Void World by the Dao Lord. It has something to do with the reason why the Dao Temple has to select talented people.”

“Please enlighten me, Senior Brother,” Fang Tian Ci said solemnly. Having travelled around the world for over 1,000 years, he had learned to be tactful. As such, even though he was famous, he still acted humbly in front of Liu Jing Shan.

“Well, let’s put it this way. The Humans in the outside world are fighting an extremely evil Race. That Race is so powerful that even the Dao Lord isn’t a match for them. If the Humans are defeated, the outside world will be destroyed; therefore, the Dao Lord needs help in the war. The disciples who have been invited to the Dao Temple will be his helpers in the future.”

Hearing that, Fang Tian Ci was shocked, “What kind of Race is it that even the Dao Lord finds it hard to deal with?”

After giving it some thought, Liu Jing Shan replied, “I remember that they’re called the Black Ink Clan. Supposedly, they possess a highly corruptive power. Once a person is infected, they won’t be able to get rid of it. Moreover, the ‘Black Ink Strength’ as it’s called can twist a Human’s mind and nature, turning them into a slave of the Black Ink Clan.”

Fang Tian Ci gasped, “I can’t believe such an evil force exists in this world.”

Liu Jing Shan sighed, “Indeed. It’s said that many aeons ago, some Black Ink Clansmen were brought into the Void World. The Dao Lord brought them in to train the disciples of the Dao Temple, but for some reason, they vanished at a later time. Now, no one knows what the Black Ink Clan looks like or what will happen when a person is corrupted by Black Ink Strength.”

Fang Tian Ci nodded, “In that case, the Humans in the outside world are most likely in a perilous situation.”

Liu Jing Shan replied, “We have no idea. In fact, it has been a long time since the Dao Lord brought anyone out of the Dao Temple. The last time he did so was about 2,000 years ago. He took several thousand people away at once that time, which is why there are only a small number of people in the Dao Temple now.”

After a pause, he continued, “Since the Void World is only the Dao Lord’s Small Universe, the best that the cultivators living here can achieve is the Emperor Realm. If a person wants to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, they must first leave this place. However, if one chooses to leave, they will have to join the battle against the Black Ink Clan and will be at risk of losing their life. Therefore, the Dao Lord fully respects our decision when selecting talented people. If a person wants to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, they can leave the Void World. If one isn’t willing to bear the risk, they can stay in this place. We have full control over this matter, and the Dao Lord never forces us.”

“The Dao Lord is indeed magnanimous!” Fang Tian Ci remarked. There was no doubt they could all potentially aid the Dao Lord if they were brought out of his Small Universe. All the cultivators in the Void World were only able to cultivate thanks to the Dao Lord; therefore, the Dao Lord had the right to take the suitable ones away from this place at will. Nevertheless, he still let the disciples in the Dao Temple make their own choices.

For that reason, Fang Tian Ci greatly respected the Dao Lord.

As they spoke, they arrived at a Grand Hall that was both magnificent and vast. In the middle of it was a gigantic statue, followed by many smaller ones.

“This is the place where our great predecessor’s names are recorded.” As Liu Jing Shan spoke, he then pointed at the statue in the middle, “And that is the Dao Lord’s likeness.”

Then, he saluted the statue with a solemn expression.

Fang Tian Ci looked in the same direction and realised that the statue appeared to be a handsome young man. With his hands behind his back, he looked truly majestic.

This statue was apparently carved by a senior expert as every bit of it seemed to be extremely life-like. Just by standing there, Fang Tian Ci had a feeling that the statue would come to life at any moment.

For some reason though, he found the statue familiar. It was as though he had seen this person somewhere before.

However, as he went through his experiences over the past 1,000 years, he was certain that he had never come across anyone who looked like the Dao Lord.

[How strange…]

While he was doubtful, he still saluted the statue and asked hesitantly, “Since there’s a statue here, does that mean someone has seen the Dao Lord’s true appearance before?”

Liu Jing Shan laughed, “Certainly, no one here has seen his true body before. However, it’s said that the Dao Lord used his Soul Avatar to travel his Small Universe in the past. I suppose you’re aware of the Seven Stars Sect. Back then, the Dao Lord’s Soul Avatar stayed in the Seven Stars Sect for some time.”

There was no doubt Fang Tian Ci was aware of the Seven Stars Sect. In fact, when he was young, his biggest dream was to join the Seven Stars Sect; however, due to his terrible aptitude, he didn’t have the right to be their disciple.

The Fang Family Village was located in the Seven Stars Sect’s territory; as such, he had heard a lot about the Sect.

“It’s rumoured that the Dao Lord is the Supreme Elder of the Seven Stars Sect. Could this be true?” Fang Tian Ci asked in shock.

“It is true. That is the reason Seven Stars Sect has endured all this time. As ages pass, it’s only natural that different Sects rise and fall. The major Sects that were on equal footing with Seven Stars Sect back then are all long gone, but Seven Stars Sect is still as powerful as ever. This is all thanks to the Dao Lord’s legacy.”

Fang Tian Ci was astonished. At the same time, he was curious about why the Dao Lord had used a Soul Avatar to travel around his own Small Universe. [How bored must he be to do such a thing?]

He shook his head to cast such thoughts away, for he wouldn’t dare to be disrespectful to the Dao Lord.

Then, he looked past the Dao Lord’s statue and saw many smaller ones behind it, “Those are…”

Liu Jing Shan explained, “Those are the statues of the Seniors who have been led out of the Void World by the Dao Lord. Do you see that one over there? He’s the Eldest Senior Brother of the Void Dao Temple, Miao Fei Ping. If you have a chance to leave the Void World, you might see him.”

With a solemn expression, Fang Tian Ci sized up Miao Fei Ping’s statue and memorised his appearance. Then, he said, “Could Eldest Senior Brother Miao be the Dao Lord’s first Disciple? I heard that when the Dao Lord stayed in Seven Stars Sect back then, he took on several direct Disciples.”

Liu Jing Shan shook his head, “Senior Brother Miao is the Dao Temple’s Eldest Senior Brother, but he’s not one of the Dao Lord’s Disciples. His Disciples are some other people, but no one knows who they are.”

Hearing that, Fang Tian Ci was puzzled.

Following a sigh, Liu Jing Shan said, “In the past, only a small number of disciples managed to leave the Dao Temple. As such, the Juniors who stayed back made some statues for them. However, as more and more Seniors left, there was not enough space in this Grand Hall for so many statues. Therefore, we no longer make any statues for those who leave. Only their Identity Tokens are enshrined here now.”

Fang Tian Ci looked around and realised there were indeed many tiles adorning the walls. Most places were blank, but some of them had Identity Tokens which contained the names and information of those Seniors. 

There was no doubt these Identity Tokens were not as impressive as the statues, but they were still the traces of those Seniors who had stayed here before.

Liu Jing Shan patted the other man’s shoulder and said with a smile, “When we have a chance to leave this place in the future, we’ll leave our own Identity Tokens here as well.”

Fang Tian Ci nodded as he already looked forward to it.

The reason he decided to leave the Fang Family Village and sever ties with the Fang Family was to experience the wonders of the world he had never seen before. After repeatedly achieving breakthroughs and eventually arriving at this place though, Fang Tian Ci realised that there was still so much more he had yet to see and experience.

He had no idea what the other Seniors in the Dao Temple thought, but he was certain he would leave the Void World as long as he had the chance.

He had travelled around this world and seen everything there was to see here; therefore, he was excited to learn that there was a bigger World just waiting outside.

After they left the Grand Hall, Fang Tian Ci asked, “Senior Brother Liu, since the Open Heaven Realm is above the Emperor Realm, what are we supposed to do to split Heaven and Earth apart in our bodies and create our own Small Universes?”

Liu Jing Shan explained, “First of all, you have to condense your own Dao Seal, which is the essence of your cultivation as well as the manifestation of your Grand Dao. If there’s a Grand Dao you primarily cultivate, you have to condense your Dao Seal based on that Grand Dao. After that, you’ll need to refine some precious resources to further your Martial Dao. In any case, since you’re a newly promoted Emperor Realm Master, you’re still some distance away from condensing your Dao Seal. For now, you just have to increase your strength as quickly as possible and reach the peak of the Emperor Realm. Let’s go, I’ll take you to the library, it’s a good place where I’m sure you’ll find something useful, Junior Brother.”