Martial Peak Chapter 6104, Woke Up Naked

Yang Ji's eyes fluttered open, a profound sense of bewilderment washing over him. Gazing upward, the familiar azure expanse of the sky was visible. Yet, his body felt unnaturally heavy and alarmingly cold. A damp, chilling sensation permeated his back and posterior.

"Oh, you're finally awake."

A voice, one Yang Ji could never forget, echoed soon after. It belonged to the very youth who had rendered him unconscious before this peculiar predicament.

Still reclining, Yang Ji attempted to scan his surroundings but found no one. The voice, however, seemed to resonate directly within his mind, leading Yang Ji to assume Wu Lun was some distance away. Until…

"Cease your searching. I lack a physical form currently. I must avoid exposure, you see. I am situated upon your chest."

"Huh?" Yang Ji exclaimed, his gaze dropping. It was only then that the pervasive chill made sense.

He was utterly bare!

"What the hell!" Yang Ji leaped up abruptly, his balance faltering slightly under an unfamiliar weight. A swift glance around confirmed the absence of the Space Ring his parents had gifted him. Indeed, he possessed nothing but a plain-looking string necklace, adorned with a single ring.

The ring itself was unremarkable, devoid of any distinguishing marks. It appeared as a simple band, perhaps crafted from a thin metal cylinder with a hole bored through its center.

With his most private parts exposed, Yang Ji hastily covered himself with his hands, his eyes darting around once more to ensure they were unobserved.

"Relax. No one is present to witness your au naturel state. Besides, who would find a child... ah, never mind." As though realizing something, Wu Lun abruptly shifted the topic. "Just gather some large leaves and fashion them into a covering for yourself."

"Where are my clothes? Wait. Where are we, for that matter? Why have you become merely a ring? And where are Yang Xu and Yang Ling? You didn't force them to go without clothes too, did you!?" The urgency of these questions eclipsed his own lack of attire, and Yang Ji fired them off in rapid succession.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, less talking and more doing. I'll address your inquiries as you construct your new garments, alright? I derive no particular pleasure from seeing your… assets… either, just so you know." Wu Lun's matter-of-fact tone caused Yang Ji's mouth to open momentarily before snapping shut.

The young man then proceeded towards a nearby thicket, abundant with sizable leaves. A single leaf would suffice to encircle half of his waist.

Yang Ji moved to pluck a leaf, but…

"Huh?"

The leaf resisted his efforts. Despite exerting his full strength, his veins bulging on his forehead, the leaf remained stubbornly attached.

"Have you forgotten that your cultivation has been entirely transferred to your Sister?" Wu Lun inquired, his tone laced with exasperation.

"But don't I still possess my Physique? Then why… won't… this… leaf… come off?" Yang Ji tugged relentlessly, each attempt proving futile.

"Did you forget where I relocated you? We are now within the Outer Heaven, situated in the Upper Realm. We are no longer in your Lower Realm World. Everything here surpasses the materials of your world by more than just a few tiers; they belong to an entirely different order of existence. Even with your honed Physique, it doesn't grant you carte blanche here." Wu Lun sighed, offering a patient explanation.

"Instead of fresh leaves, simply utilize those that have already fallen to the ground."

Yang Ji, his hands already aching from his futile attempts, complied. Indeed, gathering fallen leaves proved significantly easier than plucking fresh ones.

"To think I cannot even detach leaves from a plant now..." Yang Ji mused, a touch of disbelief coloring his words regarding his perceived weakness.

"In the first place, who taught you to pull? A normal person would simply slice it from the side..." Wu Lun, recognizing he was dealing with a sheltered youth, understood the magnitude of their undertaking. "Furthermore, you needn't fret excessively about your current weakness. Even a child born and raised here wouldn't be able to detach a leaf with mere physical strength."

"Really?"

"Well, they would employ Qi for such a task. However, you are incapable of using it at present," Wu Lun added, a remark that only served to irk Yang Ji, knowing it to be true.

Nevertheless, the boy focused his attention on gathering and assembling leaves, refraining from further commentary to avoid Wu Lun's taunts.

Observing Yang Ji's disinterest, Wu Lun continued to expound upon their present circumstances.

“You have been dispatched to the Outer Heaven, while your Sisters have been sent to the Central Heaven. I truly wished I could have you begin your journey in the Central Heaven too, but your current condition would make that akin to seeking your own demise. However, the Outer Heaven itself is not devoid of opportunities for you. Should you seize them, you will eventually be reunited with your Sisters.”

“How long will that take?”

“That hinges entirely on you. If you attain sufficient strength, we can depart immediately. But for now, you must first establish a solid foundation. The reason I forbade you from bringing any items from your world is straightforward: not only would they reveal your identity and origin, but they could also impede your progress. Your Sisters, similarly, are restricted from possessing anything manufactured in your world.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Ji inadvertently applied too much pressure and snapped a dried twig.

Noticing this, Wu Lun continued, “Fear not. Unlike you, they are not completely unadorned. Those girls must maintain a facade in the Central Heaven, lest they become targets. I have provided your Sister with items that allow her to pose as a young lady from a prominent family. Given how fiercely she retorted at me while you were unconscious, I have no doubt she can play her part convincingly. After all, she is accompanied by a truly arrogant overseer.”

At this revelation, Yang Ji could finally exhale a breath of relief. At the very least, his Sister possessed means to assist them should they encounter unforeseen difficulties. While his worry persisted, they now had a semblance of a safety net. In contrast, he was utterly exposed in the wilderness, with only a talking ring for company.

“If you could provide her with supplies, you might have at least left me with something,” Yang Ji grumbled.

Wu Lun, however, seemed to scoff. “You have no comprehension of the Outer Heaven’s nature. If I were to bestow upon you something as valuable as that, do you imagine you’d be left unmolested? You, incapable of utilizing such Artifacts without Qi? You cannot adequately protect yourself, yet you seek to draw unwanted attention?”

“But you could have at least left me with some attire…” Yang Ji interjected, truthfully admitting that the cold ground beneath him and the chilling air against his skin served as a stark reminder of nature’s unforgiving embrace towards the unprepared.

“Observe. I possess nothing so repulsive that it would deter others from desiring it, yet it would grant you peace. Besides, considering our destination, any clothing I were to provide would likely be shredded almost instantly.” Wu Lun spoke as if every action he took was thoroughly justified. “Why do you think I adopted such a nondescript form? It is precisely to prevent anyone from desiring to take me from you.”

“Now that you mention it, why are you not present in your true form? What is this guise you’ve taken?” Yang Ji inquired, attempting to fashion a makeshift garment from leaves. While the crude ensemble offered some coverage, it remained somewhat loose, and the slight breeze against his lower half was a constant reminder of his limited modesty. [This will have to suffice for now… ]

“To put it plainly, I cannot physically accompany you. It would genuinely inflict more harm than good if individuals discovered your connection to me. This is precisely why I endeavored to leave the smallest possible imprint of my existence upon your Sisters.” Wu Lun gestured as if shrugging. Though Yang Ji could not perceive the youth at that moment, he could distinctly sense Wu Lun’s typical demeanor.

“Wait. Then, it is acceptable for it to be with me?” Yang Ji questioned, a flicker of bewilderment crossing his features.

“Indeed. Otherwise, I would not have consented to this arrangement with that ancient entity residing within you two,” Wu Lun stated, pausing briefly.

“It appears the moment has arrived.”

“Huh? Arrived for what–”

Precisely at that instant, the earth began to tremble violently. The tremor was so potent that Yang Ji, who had only just begun to adapt to his current strength and had lost the ability to fly, was thrown to the ground.

Yang Ji swiftly closed his eyes and invoked his Divine Sense, which, thankfully, remained accessible due to the continued presence of his Knowledge Sea. After all, the removal of one’s Knowledge Sea would render an individual brain-dead, if not extinguish their very Soul.

In the distance, not far from his location, Yang Ji detected an immense concentration of spiritual energy. This energy felt entirely alien to him. In fact, had Yang Ji retained his cultivation and attempted to sense the World Energy in this region, he would have realized it was fundamentally different from what he was accustomed to.

Nevertheless, this surge of energy erupted into the sky, seemingly proclaiming to the world that a monumental event was unfolding.

Wu Lun, residing within the ring, appeared to relish the look of awe on Yang Ji’s face. With a smirk, he declared, “That is our destination. To forge your foundation before you can even commence cultivation, we must head there.”

Upon hearing these words, Yang Ji found his heart pounding with anticipation, rather than fear, for reasons unknown.