Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Raikov

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Yang Kai was still in Maplewood City the first time he met these people. During that time, Gao Xue Ting and the others who were still First-Order Emperors, were towering existences to him.

Over the years, Gao Xue Ting advanced from the First-Order Emperor Realm to the Second-Order, so it was only natural that Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming didn't fall far behind. They also seemed to have caught up to her cultivation in recent years.

In addition, there was a middle-aged man with a stately appearance. He was wearing a jade belt and a brocade robe, giving off an extraordinary aura. He seemed to be someone in a leading position and with high status, and he had a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation.

Behind that man stood ten to twenty other cultivators who were all dressed in similar robes. Most of their cultivations were Emperor or Dao Source Realm. Yang Kai could vaguely tell where they were from with just a glance, because he saw a familiar face among them.

Gong Wen Shan!

Yang Kai did not know him well and had only crossed paths with him once in the Four Seasons Realm, but he remembered him for his boldness, even daring to provoke Heavenly Martial Holy Land's Wu Chang, and remaining unscathed even after being chased down by the latter for many days.

Since Gong Wen Shan was here, then it was clear where this largest group came from.

The Heavenly River Valley's Gong Family! The First-Order Emperor Realm middle-aged man standing at the front should be the current Gong Family Patriarch, Gong Zhen.

He was the best Array Master in the Southern Territory, and his reputation was no less than Nanmen Da Jun's in the Northern Territory. It may even be higher in some ways, as Gong Zhen was the head of a family while Nanmen Da Jun was just a solitary man.

Xiao Yu Yang was holding a shuttle-shaped artifact that was glowing radiantly. It was of extraordinary quality and it was clearly with this artifact that he broke through the poison mist with this group. Yang Kai had also learned of the might of the poison mist before this, so how powerful would an artifact be if it was able to break through it with ease?

"Elder Xiao, Elder Chen, Elder Feng…" Yang Kai cupped his fists and greeted all of them. He couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. To think he had to maintain respect with these Masters back then and address them as his seniors, but now he could stand on equal footing with them.

The last one he greeted was Gao Xue Ting, who gave him a light nod. They were all one family, so there was no need for them to be so polite with each other.

"You really do… cause trouble everywhere you go," Xiao Yu Yang had a helpless smile on his face when he saw Yang Kai again, as if the sight of him gave him a headache.

After all, Yang Kai hadn't left Star Soul Palace for that long. Even in Star Soul Palace, trouble broke out in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. Xiao Yu Yang and the other Elders suspected that Yang Kai had something to do with it, but since the Great Emperor didn't say anything, they couldn't pursue the matter either. In any case, the damage to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda wasn't too serious, so they just let the issue drop.

"I'm innocent," Yang Kai insisted with a straight face. "I'm only here under someone else's request. Encountering this matter is also… by pure chance."

"I'm not blaming you," Xiao Yu Yang waved his hand and his face turned serious, "We heard what happened from Hua Yu Lu and the others, and we all know this matter has nothing to do with you. In fact, we should be thanking you for sparing the Southern Territory from a disaster."

Yang Kai responded earnestly, "I am also a cultivator from the Southern Territory, so it's my duty to help whenever a situation arises."

*Chi…*

Gao Xue Ting sneered at the side. She was obviously thinking about Yang Kai's identity as High Heaven Palace's Palace Master in the Northern Territory. She had been brooding over that fact and felt that Yang Kai shouldn't have founded a Sect in the Northern Territory. He should have just stayed as an Elder in the temple.

Yang Kai pretended not to notice this of course and continued talking with Xiao Yu Yang, "Elder Xiao, since you brought everyone here, what are your plans?"

Xiao Yu Yang told him, "Just as you're thinking, we're going to repair and strengthen the seal. In addition, we're classifying this place as a Restricted Area. No one will be allowed to enter or exit this cave mansion."

Yang Kai stroked his chin, "That's a good idea, but there are always curious people in this world who aren't afraid of losing their lives. The more the place is restricted, the more they'll want to break into it, as if they're complaining that they've been alive too long…"

Xiao Yu Yang smiled, "That's why we'll need to borrow the power of Patriarch Gong." He pointed to the middle-aged man beside him, "Once that seal is reinforced, this entire island is going to be enveloped by a concealment and barrier Spirit Array. Ordinary people wouldn't be able to find their way in even if they're curious."

"That would be for the best." Yang Kai turned to the middle-aged man and cupped his fists. "Greetings, Patriarch Gong."

Gong Zhen returned the greeting with a complicated look on his face, "Elder Yang is too polite. This Gong has long heard of Elder Yang's name. Sure enough, meeting you today, this Gong can tell that Elder Yang is truly a dragon among men."

Yang Kai smiled in response, "Patriarch Gong flatters me."

Gong Zhen continued, "My Family's Ancestor has caused you trouble, so this Gong hereby apologizes to Elder Yang on behalf of the Gong Family."

Yang Kai shook his head, "No need to apologize. Patriarch Gong needs only reinforce the seal."

Gong Zhen nodded lightly, "Even though I have already heard what happened from Palace Master Hua, I still wish to hear it from Elder Yang again, if I may request it."

The reputation of the Gong Family's former patriarch was at stake here, so he had to ask for confirmation just in case.

"Naturally." Yang Kai gestured with his hand, "Let's talk on the way. The seal is still deeper inside."

The group followed Yang Kai down, and while they walked, Yang Kai told everyone what happened that day in full detail. At his cultivation, recalling even minor details from a month ago was definitely no problem. Yang Kai spoke quickly, but thoroughly and in complete detail, including all the barriers they encountered on the way, and what sort of reactions the group had to them.

Everyone just listened without asking any questions.

But when Yang Kai mentioned the Demon Characters, the minds of the Emperor Realm Masters clearly shook.

Quite apparently, even they felt that such a tactic was unimaginable. To think an obscure ancient character that contained some sort of true meaning would actually be able to form Demon Essence in a person, even manipulating them into believing their mission in life was to break the seal on the giant blood-coloured door. However, what Yang Tai did clearly proved this matter to be true.

Soon, they arrived at the underground rock cave. Yang Kai waved his hand and cast a Shamanic Spell to illuminate the rock cave before pointing to the front, "That is the door sealing the Demon Spirits."

Everyone exchanged astonished glances before looking forward.

Yang Tai and Wu Kuang Yi died in front of that door, and the blood and flesh left behind hadn't been cleaned up yet. It wasn't Yang Kai being lazy, but him acting on purpose. Only, what everyone else saw now was only dried up body parts on the ground with no traces of any blood.

All the blood had already been absorbed by the door.

"Another thing I must warn everyone about is that when I was meditating here, the Demon Spirit inside the door tried to burn the true meaning of the Demon Characters into my mind. Fortunately, I noticed it early enough and managed to protect myself in time. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have ended up in the same situation as Yang Tai."

They were all shocked to hear his words.

Gao Xue Ting quickly asked, "Are you sure you're fine?" There was a worried and nervous look in her beautiful eyes, showing her overwhelming concern.

"I'm certain," Yang Kai responded earnestly.

Xiao Yu Yang had a serious expression on his face, "In that case, your previous speculations are undoubtedly correct. There was not only a single Demon Spirit behind this door. I'm afraid there's likely many more."

Yang Kai shrugged, "Whether there are or not, this place needs to be sealed up completely."

"That's what we're here for." Xiao Yu Yang turned to Gong Zhen, "We'll have to trouble Patriarch Gong for this part."

Gong Zhen cupped his fists, "It is the Gong Family's duty-bound responsibility."

As he spoke, he flew leisurely to the giant door and used his Divine Sense to check the seal's condition.

Xiao Yu Yang and the others maintained a high level of alertness, ready to take on any unexpected danger.

After a moment, Gong Zhen said, "The situation is not too bad. Even though the seal is old, the ancient Masters must have planned for the worst, so a self-repairing Spirit Array was added. As long as we reinforce it carefully, it should not have any problems."

Hearing him say so, everyone relaxed.

Gong Zhen continued, "I need a few days to come up with a plan. In the meantime, I must entrust everyone to stand guard."

Xiao Yu Yang said, "Rest assured, Patriarch Gong. I will be staying here."

Gong Zhen gently nodded before finding a clean spot to sit down cross-legged. Then, he took out many strange objects from his Space Ring, seemingly getting to work.

Xiao Yu Yang then turned to Yang Kai, "Gong Yue's mind being invaded by the Demon Spirit and him running away after the demonification is a troublesome matter that has to be resolved thoroughly. Otherwise, countless consequences will haunt us. Do you have any good ideas on how to deal with this?"

Yang Kai grinned, "I can track his location."

Xiao Yu Yang's eyes lit up, "Sure enough, it was right for us to seek you out first. Seems like you're well-prepared."

Yang Kai responded, "I can only hope he hasn't noticed it yet."

As early as when Gong Yue went through demonification and left, Yang Kai had already made plans and secretly left a hidden mark on his body. Gong Yue's consciousness was still blurry during that moment so he couldn't have noticed, allowing Yang Kai to act with ease.

At that time, Yang Kai told Hua Yu Lu and the others that there were two matters they had to deal with, and the second matter was to hunt down Gong Yue and eliminate him!

But those three did not have that ability, so Yang Kai didn't tell them. He could only wait for the Masters from the top Sects to arrive.

"I must stay to watch over matters here, so I'll leave Gong Yue's matters to you all," Xiao Yu Yang said to the other Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters.

Chen Wen Hao nodded, "Rest assured, Elder Xiao. We won't disappoint you."

They came together firstly to see the seal on the giant blood-coloured door, and secondly to pursue Gong Yue. They originally intended to get some clues from Yang Kai to begin their search, but they didn't expect him to actually be able to track Gong Yue's location, which definitely made things easier.

With three Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters combining their strength, it would be impossible for Gong Yue to match them even if they had the same level of cultivation. Not to mention, Yang Kai had also recovered back to his peak condition, and he alone would be enough to deal with Gong Yue.

"We should not delay things. Go now," Xiao Yu Yang instructed.

It had been more than a month since the incident, and nobody knew where Gong Yue had gone. If they delayed matters too long, then the mark left behind by Yang Kai may possibly lose its effectiveness or even be discovered.

Without saying anything more, they turned and left.

Gong Zhen, who was working up a plan to the side, suddenly said, "If possible, I hope that you can bring back the old Patriarch's body."

He did not ask them to spare Gong Yue's life because he knew that the latter's mind had already been invaded by a Demon Spirit. Even if they spared him, he would no longer be Gong Yue. The old Patriarch showed a lifetime of wisdom, but his reputation ended up being destroyed in his old age, even involving the Gong Family in it. Gong Zhen couldn't help but sigh while thinking so.