Chapter 556: The Ultimate Martial Ark

After obtaining ownership of the Ultimate Martial Ark, Ye Feng realized that this so-called “ark” was indeed a giant ship—one that could be disassembled. Although it was classified as a peak-level Virtual Treasure, it was extremely close to being a supreme-level Virtual Treasure.

The so-called side halls and main hall were actually just cargo holds. In fact, there were not just seven cargo holds but ten. Most of the items in the first seven were of the Sacred level, with a few exceeding that level, though in small numbers. The last three cargo holds contained solely items beyond the Sacred level—numerous spiritual treasures of various grades, along with a small amount of lower-tier and middle-tier Virtual Treasures, which far exceeded Ye Feng’s expectations.

He counted and found over 3,000 spiritual treasures and only 32 Virtual Treasures, 28 of which were lower-tier, four were middle-tier, and none were upper-tier. Yet this still amounted to an enormous fortune.

Of course, besides various weapons and armor, the cargo holds also contained medicinal pills, herbs, materials for crafting, and various cultivation techniques.

In addition to the ten cargo holds, there were ten passenger cabins, each capable of accelerating time by a million times, with adjustable spiritual energy levels. In fact, each cabin could accommodate tens of thousands of people, and even thousands of people practicing simultaneously would not face a shortage of spiritual energy.

As for the Combat Training Hall, it was actually a cultivation chamber equipped with everything needed to advance from cultivation skills to mastery of laws, also offering time acceleration by a million times.

There was also a combat simulation hall that recorded battles of countless powerful warriors, along with detailed analysis. Inside this hall, one could even engage in virtual battles against the recorded warriors.

Finally, there was the core control room—the place where Ye Feng claimed ownership of the Ultimate Martial Ark.

In fact, aside from creating powerful warriors, the greatest purpose of this Ultimate Martial Ark was for escape. Among Virtual Treasures, its speed ranked second, only surpassed by one supreme-level Spatial Travel Virtual Treasure.

After seeing all this, Ye Feng couldn’t help but marvel at the genius who created such a thing—a true genius among geniuses.

“Zi Ling, do you know how many owners this Virtual Treasure had before you?” Ye Feng couldn’t resist asking.

“There were thirteen owners before me. I am the fourteenth, and you are the fifteenth,” Zi Ling replied confidently.

“How do you know?” Ye Feng asked.

“The penultimate layer of the cultivation chamber contains the cultivation insights left by each former practitioner, including mine—a total of fourteen,” Zi Ling said calmly. “The top layer is protected by powerful seals and restrictions. As far as I know, no one has ever succeeded in reaching it.”

“Then do you know who created this Virtual Treasure?” Ye Feng was even more curious about this. He really wanted to know who the creator of this Virtual Treasure was.

“I do. It was created by the Supreme Martial Sage,” Zi Ling nodded. “I know what you’re asking. After obtaining this Virtual Treasure, I had the same thought as you—to find out what kind of genius created it. But I never found any clues. I’ve only heard of such a person, but no information about him can be found. It’s as if something erased all traces of him, not even leaving any related memories. And that Supreme Martial Sage name might not even be his real name.”

“So it’s possible indeed. With your current level of cultivation, you still can’t obtain any relevant information,” Ye Feng frowned slightly. Though he didn’t want to admit it, the possibility was indeed high.

After a while, he raised his head and asked, “By the way, how did you perish? If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”

“There’s nothing I can’t talk about. I accidentally entered a small desolate area within a Hongmeng Secret Realm. It took me a great deal of effort to self-destruct and create a small spatial rift, allowing the Supreme Martial Ark to capture my remaining soul and help me escape,” Zi Ling recounted her story of demise calmly.

“There must be many treasures in the Hongmeng Secret Realm, right?” Ye Feng asked with a smile. Seeing Zi Ling’s slightly somber expression, he gently changed the topic.

“There are indeed many, but I didn’t go there for treasures. I went there for cultivation experience. However, I overestimated myself and chose a secret realm that was too difficult, which led to my downfall,” Zi Ling shook her head with a bitter smile. “With your current strength, it’s still too early for you to enter the Hongmeng Secret Realm. You’ve just begun on the path of cultivation.”

“Uh, after struggling so hard to reach this level, it turns out it’s still just the starting point…” Ye Feng was speechless.

“Your strength is considered top-tier in lower-dimensional realms, but in the main realms, you’re at the bottom—even in the lowest-level main realms,” Zi Ling said bluntly. In fact, she didn’t mean to say that; she was simply stating a fact calmly.

“A lower-tier plane? A primary plane?” Ye Feng was even more curious about these new terms now. “I heard about a small world not long ago. What do you mean by these planes?”
“I’ll use an analogy so it might be easier for you to understand. A so-called small world, compared to a plane, is like the ratio between a soap bubble and a universe. A lower-tier plane is the lowest form of existence among all planes—it can’t even be called a complete plane. Usually, it’s less than one percent the size of a primary plane, and its energy level is also much lower. But most powerful beings in primary planes ascend from lower-tier planes.” Zi Ling’s explanation helped Ye Feng understand a bit better.
“I get that part, but there’s one thing I don’t understand. Does a small world refer to a universe?” Ye Feng pressed further.
Zi Ling was silent for a moment. “You could say it’s a miniature universe.”
“Another question: Are planes larger than universes?” Ye Feng knew nothing about these things, which were basic common sense to Zi Ling.
“That’s not the case. Within one universe, there may be many different planes. For example, in some miniature universes, there are planes for ordinary people, planes for immortals, and even planes for gods. But all these planes exist within the same universe. However, some planes can encompass many universes. For instance, just one low-level primary plane can contain tens of thousands of universes—none of them the miniature universes I mentioned earlier.” Zi Ling patiently explained, “Planes are classified by energy levels. Within a certain space, all entities at the same energy level form a plane. Of course, there are also special types of planes called multi-level planes, which aren’t true planes but rather collections of multiple planes. Universes, on the other hand, are defined by spatial scope and have nothing to do with energy levels.”
Zi Ling’s explanation finally made Ye Feng fully understand the difference between planes and universes.
“It seems I really need to practice hard…” After hearing Zi Ling’s words, Ye Feng felt immense pressure. He thought he was already strong, but it turned out he could only survive in lower-tier planes. In a primary plane, he was completely at the mercy of others. He didn’t like this feeling.
“If you have any questions about cultivation, feel free to ask me. After all, I’m just a remnant soul who can’t continue practicing. It’s better to be busy than idle.” Zi Ling didn’t think Ye Feng’s questions were naive at all. She was happy to have someone to keep her company.

“Well, of course,” said Ye Feng as he sent out a probe toward Long Tian and the others who were still collecting items. “Apart from my friends, those who have already collected their items will be sent away immediately. As for those who haven’t, let them stay. We’ll transport them out once the secret realm shuts down automatically. Notify me before it closes.” With that thought, all the strong ones who had collected their items were sent away, leaving behind only those like Long Tian and others who had gained nothing.