Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain

*Hong…*

With a loud boom, the Demonic Flames wrapped around Yang Kai’s fist struck something and were instantly scattered, sending Yang Kai flying backwards.

At the same time though, in the originally empty space, a faint figure strangely appeared, and while Yang Kai was forced back, the sound of bones breaking echoed and the figure which revealed itself let out an annoyed grunt.

“It’s you!” Yang Kai shouted as he steadied himself, instantly recognising the man who had just attacked him.

It was Flowing Cloud Valley’s Lu Ye who had left some time ago!

Yang Kai had seen Lu Ye leave the mountain valley and rapidly withdraw from this region but it now seemed the other party had used some profound method to secretly return and had actually gone completely unnoticed by anyone. After the Red Candle Fruit matured, Lu Ye had snuck into the mountain valley to target the Red Candle Stalk just like Yang Kai.

There was no need to even think about who had killed that Medicine Pill Sect disciple.

While Yang Kai shocked by his opponent’s means, Lu Ye also seemed a little puzzled. The faint figure didn’t disappear this time and instead stood within the red mist, observing Yang Kai. After a while, he said, “You’re a bit strange!”

Yang Kai sneered, “You’re also not normal!”

Lu Ye never thought that a First-Order Saint King could survive his sneak attack, much less fight him on even terms without suffering any real harm. Yang Kai also didn’t expect that this Lu Ye had such amazing concealment abilities, it was simply amazing. If not for Yang Kai’s Divine Sense being far stronger than an ordinary cultivator’s, he would definitely have been killed just like that Medicine Pill Sect disciple.

At this moment, both of them became a little wary of the other and also more determined to kill one another.

“I haven’t offended Flowing Cloud Valley or you, so why are you targeting me?” Yang Kai asked the question which had been plaguing him. Although he didn’t fear Lu Ye, such an enemy appearing for no apparent reason greatly confused Yang Kai.

“Hmph, Flowing Cloud Valley indeed!” Lu Ye coldly snorted, a hint of disdain apparent in his tone, only confusing Yang Kai further, but before he could ask anything, Lu Ye simply stated, “You have only yourself to blame for taking that which does not belong to you! If not for that transgression, I wouldn’t mind taking you in, you’re much better material than those wastes outside.”

Yang Kai frowned, feeling that this man’s tone was higher than the Heavens. Lu Ye gave him an impression fundamentally different from the one Dai Yuan previously described, as if they were two completely different people.

Moreover, Yang Kai still couldn’t figure out why this Lu Ye was so fixated on him. In the Flowing Flame Sand Field, Yang Kai had obtained many good things, a few of which weren’t lower in value than the Red Candle Fruit itself, some of them possibly even above it, but this man didn’t even show interest in competing for the Red Candle Fruit. Obviously, he didn’t care about his Heaven defying spirit fruit, so what was it that Yang Kai possessed that would continually draw Lu Ye’s attention?

Regardless of what the truth was, Yang Kai didn’t plan to ask anymore, because even if he did, the other party would not answer him. Now, in this misty red mountain valley, between him and Lu Ye, there could only be a battle.

*Chi Chi…*

A slight sound came from behind him, causing Yang Kai’s hair to stand on end. Even though had been on full alert, with Lu Ye’s nearly undetectable methods, it wasn’t until the layer of Demonic Flame he had put up around him was impacted that Yang Kai realised he was being attacked. The moment he felt the attack, Yang Kai turned his head in the direction of the sound.

However, all he could see was a fuzzy figure which had mysteriously appeared behind him as well as a withered arm that like a sword was being stabbed towards him.

Condensing his Demonic Flames, Yang Kai swung a Profound Heavenly Sword towards the withered arm and shattered it along with the blurry figure it was attached to, his sword collapsing in the process.

“Your Saint Qi is quite interesting. Such power is something really unimaginable for a mere Saint King!” Lu Ye’s voice came from behind again, with a hint of mockery. Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed and turning around again, he saw the same blurry figure from before, as if it hadn’t even moved and the withered arm which had struck him a moment ago was a completely different entity.

[What kind of skill was this?]

Yang Kai was shocked and didn’t dare act carelessly. Just as he was about to take the initiative to launch an attack, in all directions, there suddenly appeared multiple blurry figures. These figures were all identical, as if they had been made from the same mould, and in the next instant, all of them sent out powerful attacks towards Yang Kai.

Each attack felt like a real Martial Skill, none of them seeming like illusions.

Yang Kai’s face changed slightly, and he immediately summoned his purple shield to protect himself while at the same time condensing another Demonic Flame sword and chopping towards his surroundings.

*Chi chi chi…*

Wherever Yang Kai’s sword waves passed, the blurry figures would disappear together with their attacks, but the number of these figures didn’t seem to decrease at all as they struck towards him in an endless stream. This made Yang Kai frustrated.

He had never encountered such a strange method and he wasn’t able to find a way to break through it immediately, but after fighting for a while, Yang Kai noticed something was wrong.

Each of the vague figures possessed Lu Ye’s aura but nothing else, as if they were shadows of his body or some type of indistinct clone.

Cutting down several approaching figures, Yang Kai opened up a gap in this endless wave of attacks, bit his finger, and quickly smeared Golden Blood over his left eye.

The Demon Eye of Annihilation appeared, and an invisible majesty spread out. Yang Kai’s vision in his left eye was no longer hazy and in an instant, he was able to see everything within the red mist, the dim surroundings becoming crystal clear at this moment.

These figures were indeed Lu Ye, there was no doubt about it, but under the Demon Eye of Annihilation’s ability to see through all illusions, these vague figures all gave off a slight red glow.

Only one figure in the distance remained unchanged!

Yang Kai’s eyes instantly fixed at this particular figure. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was Lu Ye’s true body while all the others were some kind of illusion or fabrication.

“Oh, some kind of innate ability?” A look of surprise appeared on Lu Ye’s face as he stared towards Yang Kai’s left eye as if he had discovered something extraordinary, a look of greed soon appearing filling his expression.

Based on his knowledge and experience, it was easy for him to see that the change in Yang Kai’s left eye wasn’t due to some kind of Secret Art or technique, but rather an inborn ability. Such innate Divine Abilities were incredibly rare and even he had never possessed one.

The golden pupil gave off a kind of awe-inspiring air that drew one’s consciousness in, and after staring into it for but a moment, Lu Ye felt that his Soul and Knowledge Sea were becoming turbulent, like they were about to be drawn out from his very body. Startled, he quickly steadied his mind and suppressed the roiling of his Knowledge Sea.

While Lu Ye’s felt a sense of fright from this experience, his greed also became stronger. If he could seize Yang Kai’s left eye, it would increase his own strength greatly.

He really hadn’t expected that this First-Order Saint King could bring him so many surprises.

This boy’s eye seemed to be able to see through all forms of illusion, so there was no way for him to implement his original plan. After considering the situation for a moment, Lu Ye dismissed his remaining shadows and transformed them into a series of streams that flowed back into his body.

The next moment, a potent Spiritual Energy wave burst from Lu Ye’s side, turning into a sharp thorn and piercing directly towards Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.

Yang Kai felt a sharp pain the moment his Knowledge Sea’s defences were about to be broken and didn’t dare to have any reservations, fully pushing his Spiritual Energy to block his opponent’s attack.

Although he managed to defend himself, Yang Kai still felt a little dizzy and it was obviously that his Soul had suffered some small wounds.

It seemed that earlier, when the Red Candle Fruit was maturing, Lu Ye had not used his full strength to attack him. On top of that, this guy seemed to have even stronger Soul cultivation than Yang Kai!

Feeling slightly dizzy, Yang Kai knew that his situation had become precarious and quickly slashed out with his sword, sending out a wave of Demonic Flames to break through the red mist and cut through the surrounding air.

Within the red mist, a thick evil Qi and malevolent aura rumbled as Lu Ye let out a wicked laughter that echoed in Yang Kai’s ears. He wanted to take advantage of Yang Kai’s momentary opening to capture him, after which he could slowly dig up all of his secrets.

But obviously, Yang Kai wasn’t going to just sit back and let himself get caught, so he immediately transformed his Demonic Flames into a large number of black light beams and fired them off like arrows from a bow towards a certain spot in the red mist.

“Yuan Control Mastery!” Lu Ye’s face sank as he called out in shock.

Yang Kai’s performance had continuously amazed him. This kid’s natural talent and aptitude were nothing short of astonishing. He possessed innate abilities, Saint Qi, and Spiritual Energy far more powerful than those of ordinary people. Now it seemed he was even able to exhibit Yuan Control Mastery, which greatly shocked Lu Ye.

Although Yang Kai’s Yuan Control Mastery seemed a bit rough, as if he had only just comprehended it, this still wasn’t a skill that Saint Kings should be able to master. Only when one’s cultivation reached the Origin Returning Realm and he or she began to understand Shi would they possibly be able to achieve Yuan Control Mastery.

Even then, Origin Realm cultivators who could transform and manipulate their Saint Qi through Yuan Control Mastery were extremely rare, each one of them a shocking talent that held unlimited potential.

The so-called Yuan Control Mastery Lu Ye spoke of was the result of Yang Kai’s painstaking meditation these past few days.

Previously, his use of Saint Qi was based on Martial Skills he had learned or simply by using his Saint Qi as a blunt instrument, but whether he was able to hit or damage his opponent like this would greatly depend on how his target reacted and how strong their defensive abilities were.

However, in the days before the Red Candle Fruit matured, Yang Kai was able reach a new level of control over his Saint Qi, one that required not only a deep understand of Saint Qi but also a powerful enough Soul to mould it. Without meeting both these criteria, Yuan Control Mastery would be nothing but a dream.