Martial Peak

Chapter 2790, Agreement

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

"This Soul Summoning Drum can shock the mind, and although it isn't very strong, it makes up for that in stealth, allowing one to catch their enemy off guard." Hua Yu Lu suddenly reached out and patted the little flower drum gently. The strange thing was that no sound came out from it; however, an invisible force rippled out from it, cutting into Yang Kai's Knowledge Sea like a sharp blade.

Caught by surprise, the force shook Yang Kai's focus slightly. It was just as Hua Yu Lu had explained, the power of the Soul Summoning Drum was not that great, and for that reason, it failed to break through the defences in Yang Kai's Knowledge Sea. It also went without saying that part of the reason for its weak power was that she had failed to completely refine the artifact and was unable to fully bring out its true strength as a result. Even so, it was already very impressive.

Imagine if two people of equal strength were desperately fighting against each other; the opponent would definitely suffer a fatal blow if Hua Yu Lu were to use the power of the Soul Summoning Drum without any warning. If used well, it could become a concealed weapon that could turn the tides of a losing battle. In this regard, it was actually much more versatile compared to most Emperor Artifacts.

"What an impressive item!" After getting a taste of the Soul Summoning Drum's power himself, Yang Kai couldn't help praising it.

To which Hua Yu Lu replied, "You flatter me, Elder Yang."

Yang Kai then asked, "You acquired the Soul Summoning Drum when the three of you went exploring. So, what did the other two get?"

"One of them obtained a Secret Technique from the cave mansion. I don't know the exact details since he did not reveal anything to us; however, it should be very powerful from the way he reacted. On the other hand, the other person's cultivation skyrocketed inside the cave mansion. In the beginning, that person's strength was the weakest among the three of us as he had just broken through to the First-Order Emperor Realm. Nevertheless, his aura was the strongest among us when we left that place." Hua Yu Lu explained.

"It can even make a person's cultivation skyrocket!?" Yang Kai was stunned.

Opportunities that could significantly increase an Emperor Realm Master's cultivation were extremely rare. Just from that, it could be seen that the Ancient Cave Mansion definitely held some powerful inheritance. The ancient methods were powerful and extraordinary, and to think such a treasure with so many opportunities was so deeply hidden even after so many years. It made one wonder just how many benefits could be obtained if they managed to explore the entire cave mansion.

If it was said that Yang Kai only agreed to explore the Ancient Cave Mansion with Hua Yu Lu out of respect for Xia Sheng before, it was now because he truly became interested at this moment.

Cultivators could not grow strong by simply cultivating behind closed doors. Rather, gaining actual experience out in the world was the most important aspect of one's cultivation. Coming across a rare opportunity was often far more beneficial than years of hard secluded retreat.

"If you are interested in this endeavour, then let's meet at the Southern Swamp in two months. What do you think, Elder Yang?" Hua Yu Lu looked at Yang Kai.

"Good," Yang Kai nodded. He didn't have much to say about it as it just so happened that he needed to visit Star Soul Palace during this period to cultivate in the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda.

The two of them exchanged the means to contact each other on the spot, leaving their Soul Imprints on each other's communication artifacts, which would allow them to communicate freely as long as they were not too far away from each other.

"Then, this matter is settled. Please take good care of Xiao Hua, Junior Brother." Xia Sheng smiled faintly.

Yang Kai generously replied, "Rest assured, Senior Brother. I will definitely bring Palace Master Hua back in one piece."

Xia Sheng seemed calm and indifferent, while on the other hand, Hua Yu Lu blushed furiously and secretly sneaked a glance at Xia Sheng before revealing a slightly disappointed expression. Yang Kai took in the entire situation in front of him and vaguely understood the relationship between those two afterwards.

"I'll be staying in Spirit Lake City for the next few days. Senior Brother, please let me know if Bian Yu Qing comes out of her retreat."

"Don't worry!" Xia Sheng spoke in a serious tone, "I will periodically check up on her."

After that, Yang Kai took his leave, but just as he was about to turn around, he turned back and asked, "By the way, do you still remember what the barrier that blocked your path looked like, Palace Master Hua?"

Stunned, Hua Yu Lu nodded, "Of course. Do you want to check into it, Elder Yang? I can draw it out for you."

"That would be great."

Nodding, she immediately took out a blank jade slip and poured her Divine Sense into it, engraving what she saw the other day inside. Then, she handed the jade slip to Yang Kai and said, "This is the barrier. It's probably an ancient Spirit Array, but unfortunately, I don't understand much about Spirit Arrays and can't tell much from just observing it. I did carefully memorize it though, so there should be no mistakes."

At her level of cultivation, memorizing something at a glance was the most basic of basics.

"I don't know much about Spirit Arrays either, but I can ask others about it," Yang Kai smiled.

"Do you know somebody proficient in Spirit Arrays, Elder Yang? That's great! I planned to visit the Gong Family of Heavenly River Valley after this, but it seems unnecessary now."

The Heavenly River Valley Gong Family was the most highly regarded Spirit Array force in the Southern Territory, while Hua Yu Lu was not an ignorant Junior either. It was impossible to fully trust the other two Emperor Realm Masters; therefore, it was a given that she would need to learn more about this Spirit Array if she wanted to crack it and enter the deeper parts of the Ancient Cave Mansion. For that reason, the Heavenly River Valley Gong Family was her best choice.

Fortunately, from what Yang Kai had said just now, she no longer needed to go through such trouble. If she went to Heavenly River Valley, Hua Yu Lu would have no choice but to lie about the origins of this Spirit Array on the off chance that the Gong Family questioned her about it.

"Leave this to me, Palace Master Hua. You should rest well for the next two months. I'll see you again at the Southern Swamp at the appointed time."

"Many thanks, Elder Yang." Hua Yu Lu nodded politely.

As soon as Yang Kai left, Xia Sheng stood up and said, "Xiao Hua, please make yourself at home. I'm going out for a bit."

"Where are you going?" Hua Yu Lu looked at him angrily, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Are you afraid I might eat you?"

Xia Sheng's brow twitched slightly as he replied, "Why would I be afraid of you? It's just that if I don't work hard to cultivate, I won't be able to maintain my seat as the Eldest Senior Brother for long."

Clasping his hands behind his back, he walked out looking pleased with himself and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Smelly man!" Hua Yu Lu puffed up her cheeks in anger, feeling very upset. The host had left, so what was the point of the guest remaining? Thus, she could only follow his example and depart, leaving behind a lingering floral scent of perfume.

Yang Kai stayed at an inn in Spirit Lake City for three days before Bian Yu Qing came looking for him. She was brimming with energy at the moment and her aura was strong and steady. Their eyes met inside the room, and Yang Kai nodded lightly, "Not bad."

Bian Yu Qing brushed her hair back behind her ear with a wry smile and replied, "It's all thanks to your help. If not for you, I wouldn't have come this far."

In truth, she was quite shocked as well. She had assumed that she wouldn't feel as pressured when facing Yang Kai again now that she was also an Emperor Realm Master, but contrary to her expectations, she realized she could not figure out his depths even meeting this time. If she had not known that he was a First-Order Emperor, she might have assumed he was a Third-Order Emperor instead. But why was the gap still so massive between them?

"You can't withdraw your aura yet, which means your cultivation hasn't fully stabilized," Yang Kai commented, "Once you can freely control your aura, that will mean your cultivation has been consolidated."

"I understand. Many thanks for your guidance, Palace Master." Bian Yu Qing replied honestly but still couldn't help feeling a little awkward. A decade or so ago, she had stood far above this young man; however, their roles were now reversed. She was also only able to survive and become an Emperor Realm Master thanks to Yang Kai. Just thinking back on the past, it really was quite embarrassing.

Yang Kai simply smiled, "It looks like you are ready to join High Heaven Palace."

Bian Yu Qing smilingly replied, "Could it be that you don't want me to join High Heaven Palace, Palace Master?"

"No such thing!" Standing up, Yang Kai motioned, "Let's be on our way."

With that, they left Spirit Lake City and flew off in a certain direction without stopping. During their journey, Bian Yu Qing constantly worked hard to stabilize her cultivation, and after two days of travel, the effects of her efforts were apparent as her aura was significantly more restrained than before.

"Palace Master, where are we going now?" Bian Yu Qing couldn't help but ask when she saw Yang Kai's leisurely look.

"I'm sending you back to High Heaven Palace!" Yang Kai replied.

"Back to the palace…" She was stunned for a moment, then she exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory?!"

The Northern Territory and the Southern Territory were separated by a distance of billions of kilometres! Flying without stopping would take them several years to arrive, and if they were delayed during their journey, a decade-long trip would not be surprising!

At first, Bian Yu Qing wanted to persuade him to speed up a little bit or use local Space Arrays to save some time; however, Yang Kai did not seem to have any intention to do so. Thus, she did not say anything. In any case, she was now part of High Heaven Palace, so she only needed to follow Yang Kai's lead. There was nothing special about her that could attract his attention anyway, even if he had saved her life before.

Three days went by in such a fashion before the pair arrived at a desolate and dilapidated place.

"If I remember correctly, this was once the Thousand Leaves Sect, right?" Bian Yu Qing followed Yang Kai as he landed, turning her head around as she studied her surroundings.

"Indeed!"

Bian Yu Qing couldn't help sighing, "The rise and fall of a Sect is like the ebb and flow of the tides. Nothing stands forever."

She seemed to be feeling nostalgic about something. Looking at the ruins of the Thousand Leaves Sect, she inevitably recalled the Blue Feather Sect. Both Sects had about the same strength, and their endings were practically no different either.

"Get on!" While she was in a trance, Yang Kai called out to her. He was already standing on the Space Array in the hidden mountain valley, and although Bian Yu Qing found this strange, she obediently followed suit and stood on the Space Array.

In the next moment, they appeared in what seemed to be a Small World. Yang Kai said nothing though and simply led her straight towards a certain spot in Emperor Heaven Valley. When she caught sight of the Cross-Territory Space Array, Bian Yu Qing instantly revealed a shocked expression, stuttering in amazement, "T-T-This… Could this be?"

Yang Kai nodded and explained, "Once you pass through here, you will arrive at High Heaven Palace. I have three jade slips for you to bring back with you."

Bian Yu Qing forcefully composed herself and accepted the three jade slips from him before asking, "Who should I hand them to?"

Yang Kai replied, "Give one to somebody by the name of Hua Qing Si. She is the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace and is responsible for all affairs in the palace. Just hand this jade slip to her and she will take good care of you. As for the other two jade slips, ask Hua Qing Si to pass them to Nanmen Da Jun. Understood?"

She nodded seriously, "Yes."

"Good. Go on then!" Yang Kai motioned for her to step onto the array.

Yang Kai then waved his hand and numerous High-Rank Source Crystals were accurately embedded into the grooves at the base of the array. The moment the Space Array was activated, it thrummed with Space Principles and in a flash of light, Bian Yu Qing disappeared.

For a moment, Yang Kai thought he vaguely saw Bian Yu Qing opening her mouth slightly as if to thank him just before she vanished, to which he just smiled brightly and turned around to leave Emperor Heaven Valley.

His next destination, Star Soul Palace!