But Wu Kuang didn't directly tell him what the method was. Instead, a distant look crept into his eyes as he spoke slowly: "Back then, Cang and the other nine each had their victories. Though Mu was the only woman among them, her strength was the greatest—something all nine others willingly acknowledged. Setting aside what everyone else excelled at, do you know what Shi was best at?"
Yang Kai thought to himself: How would I know about something that ancient? But he kept his expression blank, merely shaking his head with a look of bewilderment.
Wu Kuang didn't string him along. He said plainly: "What Shi excelled at most was the derivation of cultivation techniques. Many of the precious divine arts practiced throughout the Three Thousand Worlds today bear the shadow of Shi's derived methods. Take, for instance, the Grand Evolution Indestructible Blood Radiance Scripture that Blood Crow cultivates—hee hee, if you want to get technical, it's nothing more than a half-finished product born during Shi's process of deriving the Heaven Devouring Battle Art. That's why the Blood Radiance Scripture and the Heaven Devouring Battle Art share a similar underlying logic. What Shi originally derived was in fact the Blood Radiance Scripture. It was only after gaining further enlightenment that the Heaven Devouring Battle Art came into being."
Yang Kai's heart trembled slightly. The Grand Evolution Indestructible Blood Radiance Scripture was itself an extraordinarily profound technique—one capable of refining vital blood for one's own use and rapidly advancing one's cultivation.
He had always felt that the Blood Radiance Scripture and the Heaven Devouring Battle Art shared many similarities. Both could refine external force, but in comparison, the Heaven Devouring Battle Art was undoubtedly more powerful—it wasn't limited to vital blood alone, but devoured all things without exception.
Wu Kuang's claim that Shi excelled most at deriving cultivation techniques was something Yang Kai had no reason to doubt.
In all his years of cultivation, he had truly never encountered any technique more miraculous than the Heaven Devouring Battle Art. True, the Heaven Devouring Battle Art had its limitations—one had to possess the Flawless Gold Lotus to cultivate it—but that flaw did nothing to diminish its power.
If Shi could derive even a peerless marvel like the Heaven Devouring Battle Art, then his ability in the art of technique derivation was beyond question.
Yang Kai caught on immediately: "Shi derived a technique for breaking through to the Ninth Rank back then?"
Wu Kuang nodded. "You could call it a technique. Want to learn it?"
Yang Kai answered without hesitation: "Yes!"
"Then I shall pass it to you!" Saying this, much as Yang Kai had done earlier, he extended a finger and tapped it against Yang Kai's forehead.
Yang Kai didn't resist. The moment Wu Kuang's finger touched him, an extraordinarily profound technique flooded into his mind. At the same time, Wu Kuang's voice echoed in his ear: "This technique was derived by Shi within the Primordial Heaven Grand Restriction. Though fairly complete, no one has ever cultivated it to this day. Whether it can actually succeed, even Shi didn't know. If you choose to walk this path, tread carefully. Should you end up straying into danger in the future, don't say I led you astray."
Yang Kai said nothing, silently digesting the profundity of the technique. He finally understood why Wu Kuang had chosen to pass it on to him.
Because Wu Kuang knew he possessed the Warm Spirit Lotus. While the Warm Spirit Lotus wasn't a prerequisite for cultivating this technique, it could provide enormous convenience.
In all the world, there was likely no one better suited to cultivate this technique than himself.
Realizing this, Yang Kai felt a twinge of regret. He had been thinking that if this technique could truly help others break through their limits and ascend to the Ninth Rank, sharing it with the human race would bring untold benefits.
How many Eighth Rank experts existed across the various Great Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands? Each one was stuck at their current level, unable to advance a single step. If they could obtain this technique, perhaps many Ninth Rank experts could emerge in a short time.
The human race currently had only two Ninth Rank experts. With more, perhaps they wouldn't need to wait long before driving the Ink Clan out of the Three Thousand Worlds—maybe they could even destroy that Ink-colored Colossus.
But that notion was far too idealistic.
The very first step of cultivating this technique was fraught with peril. Without the Warm Spirit Lotus for protection, the likelihood of dying on the spot was enormous.
Yang Kai bowed once more in gratitude: "Thank you, Senior, for bestowing this technique!"
Wu Kuang accepted his bow, then turned and streaked toward the distant battlefield with supreme nonchalance. His voice drifted back from afar: "Three thousand years from now, if the human race still can't defeat the Ink Clan, then extinction is all that awaits. Take care of yourself, boy."
Yang Kai watched his figure vanish, dissolving into the Primordial Heaven Grand Restriction until it was gone entirely. Only then did he let out a soft sigh.
Three thousand years—that was a long time. But compared to the growth period of the truly powerful, it was terribly short.
What would happen three thousand years hence, no one could predict. The human race could only rely on itself!
After a moment, Yang Kai produced a Heaven and Earth Bead. This was the bead formed from the world he had refined along the way here. Its living beings had been collected by Wu Kuang, and the Heavenly Dao of that world was damaged—not yet destroyed, but far from intact.
Back then, Wu Kuang hadn't understood why Yang Kai would bother refining such a devastated cosmos. It was, after all, of little practical use.
But while that world was ruined, for Yang Kai's purposes, it was perfect for positioning.
By harnessing the power of the World Tree, he could travel between the various realms. Leaving this Heaven and Earth Bead here meant that in the future, he wouldn't need to spend a dozen years traveling back the hard way.
The Primordial Heaven Grand Restriction was critically important, and information from within it was nearly impossible to relay back to the Three Thousand Worlds. Yang Kai had to leave a contingency here so he could return at any time to check on the situation.
He didn't restore the Heaven and Earth Bead to its former state. There were no living beings left on it anyway, and its small size made it far easier to conceal. If he restored it into a full cosmos, it might draw the Ink Clan's attention—and if some of them found their way here, that would be disastrous.
He found a secluded spot, secured the Heaven and Earth Bead in place, then tested its connection to the World Tree. Only after confirming everything worked did he finally relax.
He didn't return to the Old Tree. Instead, he turned and began teleporting from point to point, making use of the Spirit Void Beads he had left along his route.
On the way here, he had scattered numerous Spirit Void Beads along the path.借助these beads, he could conveniently make his way back to the void passage leading to the Black Domain.