Martial Peak

Chapter 2162, Flowing Time Steps

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

With a light finally appearing, Yang Kai couldn't help speeding up.

After a while, he passed through the door.

What appeared before him was a white jade staircase, one that seemed pure and flawless, and went on forever, without a top in sight. Not even Yang Kai's Divine Sense could see through this staircase.

At the base of the stairs, to Yang Kai's right, there was a stone stele on which a line of large characters was engraved.

Yang Kai looked down and muttered, "Flowing Time Steps?"

Frowning slightly, Yang Kai wondered what kind of mysteries this white jade staircase concealed and didn't dare to move forward rashly.

Fortunately, there were no others present, so after thinking about it for a moment, he directly called Hua Qing Si out.

Hua Qing Si was a disciple of Star Soul Palace, and had been preparing for the Four Seasons Realm opening for a long time, so there was no doubt she knew more about this Flowing Time Temple than him.

With a flash of light, Hua Qing Si's figure appeared.

She looked around blankly at first, not sure where she was.

"This is the Flowing Time Temple!" Yang Kai explained.

"Huh?" Hua Qing Si responded in amazement before immediately exclaiming, "You actually found the Flowing Time Temple?!"

"En, it was more of a coincidence than anything. I'm not even certain why it appeared," Yang Kai said. "In any case, take a look at this first…"

Saying so, Yang Kai pointed his finger to the white jade staircase in front and the stone tablet beside it.

Hua Qing Si glanced over at the stone stele and her tender body couldn't help shaking, "The Flowing Time Steps?"

"You really know something…" Yang Kai observed her words and expressions and immediately understood that she knew about these Flowing Time Steps, immediately asking, "Quickly tell me, what is this thing?"

Hua Qing Si took a deep breath to calm the excitement in her heart before quickly explaining, "The Flowing Time Steps are said to contain Flowing Time Great Emperor's comprehension of Flowing Time Force. Those who successfully mount these stairs can experience the Flowing Time Force for themselves, which is of great benefit to a cultivator!"

Her eyes gleamed as an eagerness filled her expression.

"What if one fails?" Yang Kai frowned.

Hua Qing Si was startled for a moment, but after thinking about it, she muttered, "I don't know… but the consequences will probably be horrendous."

Yang Kai nodded lightly. It seemed that Hua Qing Si didn't know much about the Flowing Time Steps, but she at least knew more than him.

Seeing Yang Kai hesitating, Hua Qing Si pursed her red lips and said, "Whether you want to go up or not, I want to try!"

Yang Kai glanced at her and smiled, "Since this opportunity has appeared before us, naturally I can't miss it. Hmm… I should call Ruo Xi out too."

Saying so, he stretched out his hand again and summoned Zhang Ruo Xi.

Explaining the magical effects of the Flowing Time Steps to Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai looked at her seriously and reminded, "You can decide whether to go up or not. Although I don't know the consequences of failure, it will no doubt be serious; however, you can rest assured that if anything happens, I'll take you back into the Sealed World Bead."

"I want to go up!" To Yang Kai's surprise, after listening to his explanation, Zhang Ruo Xi did not even hesitate and instead seemed quite enthusiastic.

Hua Qing Si smiled and commented, "This little girl isn't very old, but she's quite motivated…"

"If that's the case, we'll go together," Yang Kai nodded and sternly said, "Don't get too far away from me, or I may not have time to take you back into the Small Sealed World if something happens."

Zhang Ruo Xi nodded nervously, her face flushing slightly because of the excitement. Hua Qing Si smiled when she saw this and said, "Then you should follow Elder Sister closely…"

Yang Kai glanced at her, laughed lightly, and stepped up onto the white jade staircase.

When Hua Qing Si and Zhang Ruo Xi saw this, they both wore solemn expressions as they too stepped up side by side.

Suddenly, a stream of white energy emerged from the white jade stairs, transforming into a cloud of mist that shrouded the feet of the trio, making them feel as if they were walking on clouds.

At the same time, Yang Kai's body shook. He felt a peculiar power pouring into his body, and like a catalyst, it began washing through his Source Qi and Spiritual Energy, causing both to become purer and more vigorous.

This force was difficult to describe, making Yang Kai feel like many years were passing by and his strength was naturally increasing on its own.

Obviously, all of this happened in just an instant, but to the trio, it felt like a long time had passed.

A strange and indescribably feeling lingered in each of their minds.

Yang Kai glanced around and found that both Zhang Ruo Xi and Hua Qing Si looked safe and sound, and once he was certain they were alright, he took another step forward.

This time, a more intense feeling struck, causing Yang Kai's spirit to shake. Opening himself up, he allowed the effects of the Flowing Time Force to purify his Source Qi and Divine Sense once again.

At the very beginning, Yang Kai was still able to leisurely observe the situation of Hua Qing Si and Zhang Ruo Xi, lest the two of them could not bear the Flowing Time Force and experienced an accident, but as he continued to climb higher, Yang Kai gradually became immersed in his own experience of seemingly slow but also rapid enhancement of his strength. Soon, it became difficult for him to extricate himself from this feeling.

"Is this Flowing Time Force?" Yang Kai raised his brow slightly as a look of admiration appeared on his face, "Such a mysterious power! Only a short time has passed, but this force can actually make one feel as if a lot of time has gone by… This kind of peculiar power is even more esoteric than the Dao of Space."

Just as his mind was swirling with such thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly felt an unusual wave of power coming from in front of him.

Yang Kai suddenly awoke from his entranced state and glanced forward to see Zhang Ruo Xi actually walking upwards at a position seven or eight steps ahead of him, her clothes covered in sweat, showing a beautiful outline of her figure.

And as she stepped forward, a halo of energy would burst from her petite body and spread out to the surroundings.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Yang Kai eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He didn't know when Zhang Ruo Xi surpassed him, and by so many steps at that, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that Zhang Ruo Xi had made a breakthrough just now to the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm!

If he hadn't seen this with his own eyes, Yang Kai wouldn't have believed it was true.

After all, Zhang Ruo Xi had just broken through to the Origin Returning Realm a few days ago. Breaking through again in such short order, even if it was just to the next Minor Realm, was incredibly strange.

Although Yang Kai himself had gained a lot from these Flowing Time Steps, clearly it was incomparable to the benefits Zhang Ruo Xi had obtained.

[There's really something strange about this little girl!] Yang Kai recalled the day when she broke through to the Origin Returning Realm and the giant female phantom had emerged from behind her, leaving him at a complete loss to explain. Yang Kai really wondered what kind of incredible Bloodline she had inherited that allowed Zhang Rou Xi to break through so smoothly and rapidly.

Yang Kai opened his mouth and wanted to call out to Zhang Ruo Xi, lest she get too far ahead of him, but he immediately found that he was unable to speak a single word. Even his Divine Sense couldn't leave his body, as if it was firmly suppressed within himself.

Glancing back again, Yang Kai saw Hua Qing Si was sweating profusely at a position six steps behind him, her expression filled with obvious struggle.

The difficulty of climbing these Flowing Time Steps did not seem to be related to one's cultivation at all. If this was a test of one's cultivation, Hua Qing Si should have been at the forefront rather than Zhang Ruo Xi who had a far lower realm.

Yang Kai pondered for a while and decided to wait for Hua Qing Si to catch up. In his opinion, Hua Qing Si would probably be unable to last much longer, so he had to be ready to take her back into the Sealed World Bead at the right time!

As for Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai could only chase after her afterwards.

The situation turned out just as Yang Kai expected.

Soon after, Hua Qing Si became unable to bear the washout from the Flowing Time Steps. The benefits that could be gained from ascending these steps slowly transformed into a kind of torment, and the erosion of the Flowing Time Force caused her vitality to begin to drain. Flustered, Hua Qing Si quickly raised her head towards Yang Kai and tried to call out for help.

At the critical moment though, she found herself unable to utter a word and she began to grow anxious.

Fortunately, Yang Kai had been paying attention to her movements, and when he discovered this, he quickly reached out and took her back into the Small Sealed World.

Once he finished this, Yang Kai looked up again, only to see a vague outline of Zhang Ruo Xi's back. In this brief period, this little girl had thrown off Yang Kai by at least several dozen steps and seemed to be completely immersed in the various benefits she was obtaining, unable to extricate herself as she continued climbing without pause.

Seeing this scene, Yang Kai did not dare to neglect and spared no effort to continue climbing, trying to narrow the gap between him and Zhang Ruo Xi.

…..

Somewhere inside the Flowing Time Temple, in a dark and seemingly boundless hall, a vague, low breathing, and strong heartbeat could be heard. There was an inexplicable coercion permeating this hall, and if any ordinary creature were to enter this place, they would likely immediately collapse to the ground from the intense pressure. Even an Emperor Realm Master would tremble when faced with this aura.

At a certain moment, two long and narrow red lights suddenly lit up in the darkness and accompanied by a heavy exhalation, these long and narrow lights suddenly widened into two giant eyes.

This was a pair of ferocious eyes that belonged to a beast and their red and golden hues contained a wild, murderous intent, filled with infinite violence.

"Oh? Some little ones finally found the Flowing Time Temple?" A muffled voice resounded in the dark hall as a dazzling fire erupted in the darkness.

The fire came from a peculiar beast. Even lying down, this beast appeared as tall as a three-story building and resembled a cross between a tiger and an ox. With red flames bursting from its body, two giant wings on its back and its red-scaled armour were majestically illuminated.

"It seems this Sir's duty is finally about to be completed… after so many years… this Sir is finally going to be free!" The sound of this voice shook the entire hall and as the beast awoke from its slumber, its pupils began to sweep around, as if they could see across space.

While glancing around, the beast muttered, "Let's see what kind of talent these little ones have."

With its strength, none of the dozens of cultivators inside the Flowing Time Temple could escape its observation, and while watching, this beast didn't forget to comment, "En, this guy's aptitude is not bad, but… haa, it's not enough to enter this Sir's eyes. Oh… this girl isn't bad. Her physique is quite good and her cultivation isn't too high, but she has an Emperor Artifact on her. She must be the descendant of some Great Emperor, right? En, although she barely complies with the conditions… those Great Emperors aren't good to deal with!"