Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Raikov

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Spirit Sword Peak was located in a remote location on the outskirts of Azure Sun Temple. Yang Kai chose this location on purpose due to it being more remote, but he didn't expect it to become a loophole for Gong Yue to exploit.

Halfway there, streams of light flew over from all around Azure Sun Temple, gathering in a group.

Other than those who were outside the Sect or in secluded retreat, all Emperor Realm Elders were there. Vice Temple Master Qiu Ran was also present, and after greeting Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming, he turned to Gao Xue Ting and asked, "What happened?"

From the atmosphere, he could vaguely guess that something big had taken place. Otherwise, it was impossible for Gao Xue Ting to rush into the temple with the Elders of two other Sects. As far as he knew, they should be in the Southern Swamp right now.

The last time Yang Kai sent them a message, he told them about what happened in the Southern Swamp, so Qiu Ran more or less knew the situation.

"Gong Yue is on Spirit Sword Peak!" Gao Xue Ting answered.

"What?" Qiu Ran was shocked, "Gong Yue? Which Gong Yue?" He simply couldn't believe her words. He was even wondering whether Gao Xue Ting had made a mistake.

"It's the Gong Yue that Junior Brother Yang mentioned before. The former patriarch of the Heavenly River Valley's Gong Family!"

"How could Gong Yue be on Spirit Sword Peak?" Qiu Ran turned to look at You Kun, the one who was responsible for maintaining the Sect's Spirit Array and safety. If Gong Yue invaded the temple and entered Spirit Sword Peak, then it would have been his fault.

You Kun was covered in cold sweat, "I'm not sure. I didn't receive any suspicious reports."

Yang Kai cut in, "Gong Yue is highly proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. If he really wanted to sneak into any Sect, he would definitely be able to find a way. The temple has been safe this whole time, so the Sect Defending Array clearly wasn't broken. Gong Yue must have exploited some weakness in it, so it's normal for him to be able to sneak in. Right now, we need to understand why he came to the temple, and why he's on my Spirit Sword Peak!"

"Yes. Gong Yue's actions are extremely suspicious, and we have no idea what his situation is right now, so all of you must be careful later." Chen Wen Hao nodded in agreement.

Qiu Ran nodded lightly as well. Stroking his long beard, he began to ponder.

You Kun looked at Yang Kai in gratitude while he cursed Gong Yue in his heart.

"There is one thing I must tell everyone. The Demon Spirit has many mysterious tricks that are hard to handle, so all of you must guard your minds carefully. Never give the Demon Spirit a chance to take advantage of you," Gao Xue Ting reminded everyone seriously. The several Elders from Azure Sun Temple all nodded their heads and used their Soul Secret Techniques to strengthen the defences of their Knowledge Seas.

After a half cup of tea's time, the group finally arrived at Spirit Sword Peak.

Nothing seemed different in Spirit Sword Peak since Yang Kai's last departure. Other than the fact that the protective array was open, there was only one other anomaly, a figure sitting cross-legged in the open space on top of the mountain, remaining motionless as if he were dead.

There was also a jet-black little beast lying down by his side, looking comfortable. Its short tail would wag around randomly, and when the group of people came over, it raised its eyes to look at them but did not make any moves.

*Shua shua shua…*

The nearly ten Emperor Realm Masters scattered, surrounding Spirit Sword Peak in an airtight formation.

Gong Yue slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze swept around, finally fixing on Yang Kai. His dark eyes were a sight that sent shivers down the backs of all those who were seeing them for the first time. They were just like a bottomless pit that could devour everything.

"You've arrived!" Gong Yue spoke softly, sounding quite exhausted, as if he didn't even have the energy to speak louder.

"Should this Old Master call you Gong Yue, or by another name?" Feng Ming sneered. Just by looking at Gong Yue's state, he could not figure out whether this man had lost himself or not, and whether or not he had been overtaken by that Demon Spirit.

He didn't even know if that Demon Spirit had the ability to take over another person.

Even though the current Gong Yue was good study material, there was no way for them to examine him safely now.

"This Old Master is Gong Yue. Gong Yue of the Gong Family," Gong Yue answered his question.

Feng Ming threw his head back in laughter, "You still have the face to mention the Gong Family? The Gong Family's reputation will be forever disgraced after this incident, and you will be remembered as the greatest sinner in the Gong Family for ages to come."

Gong Yue shook his head, "Is the pursuit of power a sin? If so, then all of you here are sinners."

Feng Ming coldly snorted, "There are innumerable Grand Daos in the world, with paths thin and thick to follow. Yet you chose to traverse the moor. What power do you seek to pursue there?"

Gong Yue responded indifferently, "As long as it fits, everything will fall into place. The Grand Dao is a path, but who are you to say what is a moor and what is not? All Daos lead to the same end."

"Nonsense!" Feng Ming's beard curled in anger.

Gong Yue announced proudly, "If there is no path in the moor, then allow this Old Master to tread a road through it!"

"I'm afraid you don't have that ability."

Gong Yue smirked, "Naturally, it is impossible for this Gong to do it alone. However, there will be more who follow me."

Chen Wen Hao sighed, "Brother Gong, you've really been taken over by that Demon!"

What he had with Gong Yue could be described in some way as friendship, so before coming here, he thought about whether or not he could find the opportunity to help Gong Yue. However, after seeing him with his own eyes Chen Wen Hao knew it was impossible. Gong Yue's body was not taken over, in other words, the Demon Spirit didn't have the ability to seize someone's body.

However, Gong Yue had gone through demonification. His mind had been warped under the influence of the Demon Spirit, changing him into an unrecognizable shadow of his former self. Such a man was extremely dangerous as no one knew what he was capable of.

Inside, Chen Wen Hao gave up on wanting to help him.

"Demonification?" Gong Yue smiled, "I've just found a suitable Dao for myself."

"That's not your own Dao!" Yang Kai quickly said.

Gong Yue looked at him, "And what about you? Are all of you walking your own Daos? The paths you are all walking on are paths opened up by others before you. And who can prove that the Dao you're following is the right one? In my opinion, you're only picking up the scraps of others."

Yang Kai said solemnly, "We may be following the Daos of our predecessors, but we all strive hard to better ourselves and advance that path. But you, Old Patriarch Gong, your path has deviated from the Grand Dao. You'll never reach the end. You'll just become a slave to the Demon Spirit."

It was not known which of his words stimulated Gong Yue, but his expression suddenly turned dark, and a cold glint flashed past his eyes, "Nonsense! This Old Master has never felt stronger, who can enslave this Old Master!?"

Yang Kai thought about it for a moment but decided not to dwell on the issue. Instead, he asked, "May I ask Old Patriarch Gong why you took great risks to come to Azure Sun Temple's Spirit Sword Peak? What about this place attracted you?"

Gong Yue smiled but did not speak, appearing quite mysterious.

Yang Kai continued, "It seems like there's something about this place that drew you here. Is something related to the Demon Race here? Could there be another Ancient Demon's relic here?"

"Oh?" Gong Yue looked at Yang Kai with some surprise, "You actually know about the Ancient Demons?"

Yang Kai sneered, "I probably know much more than you do."

"No wonder!" Gong Yue looked at Yang Kai with interest, as if he'd discovered something, "No wonder you felt different to me. It turns out you are the same as this Old Master."

Yang Kai said, "You're wrong. We pursue different paths."

"Words can deceive, but your body can't. I can sense it. It's inside you." Gong Yue's expression suddenly became spirited, and he couldn't help but laugh, "Interesting! Why remain so stubborn?"

Yang Kai shook his head, not arguing with him anymore. Gong Yue had already been corrupted by the Demon Spirit, so his thoughts and ideas were now different from normal people. There was no sense in arguing with him.

However, Chen Wen Hao and the others were now looking at Yang Kai suspiciously. They had no idea what Gong Yue meant by his words, and whatever it was he mentioned inside of Yang Kai's body made them extremely concerned.

Gong Yue laughed, "One day you will discover that the Dao this Old Master chose is the correct one. This Old Master wishes that day will come soon enough."

"Whether that day comes or not, I'm afraid you won't have the opportunity to see it." Feng Ming scoffed. Reaching his hand out towards the air and gripping down, his Flying Thunder Spear appeared, brimming with a cold light. Brandishing his spear, he thrust the tip towards Gong Yue while shouting, "This Old Master will tell you now which Dao is the true one!"

His strike was just like a Flood Dragon going out to sea, majestic and indomitable.

His spear that brought together all the power in Feng Ming's body dazzled the First-Order Emperor Realm Elders of the Azure Sun Temple. It felt like everything in the world could turn to dust under the tip of his spear.

Faced with Feng Ming's stunning blow, Gong Yue did not try to dodge, but instead smiled, "Even though this Old Master knows that his time is running out, there's no way he will possibly surrender without a fight. If you want to take this Old Master's life, then all of you will have to bring out some real skill."

While speaking, Gong Yue grabbed the little puppy by his side and threw it towards Feng Ming.

The little puppy was clearly a little confused at the sudden situation and it barked a few times, probably overwhelmed by fright. Both its round eyes were filled with panic as its limbs wiggled mid-air.

Feng Ming frowned, having no idea what Gong Yue intended to do. He could not perceive any threat from this dog-like little beast at all. For an existence as weak and insignificant as this Monster Beast, Feng Ming could easily make it die a violent death just by snorting at it.

For that reason, Feng Ming did not withdraw. The only target in his eyes was Gong Yue. As for the little puppy that had been thrown out, it would probably be smashed into a blood mist from the pressure of his spear alone.

Gong Yue's hands suddenly weaved a series of complicated seals as he aimed in the little puppy's direction.

Suddenly, as if the wild nature buried deep inside its bones had been awakened, the panic disappeared instantly from the little puppy's eyes, replaced by a look of indescribable ferocity. Its eyes were filled with a destructive light, as if it wanted to destroy the entire world.

It stopped barking meaninglessly and instead opened its mouth wide at Feng Ming.

The puppy was not very big to begin with, at most a third of a metre long, so at the very most it could barely fit a fist into its open mouth.

But that mouth suddenly stretched apart, becoming as big as a house, completely overshadowing the little puppy's body, as if it was the only thing left of it.

It was a very strange sight.

Everyone had their attention on Gong Yue the whole time, and even though they saw the little puppy when they arrived, they didn't pay too much attention to it.

It wasn't until now that they all realized that this little puppy was not as harmless as it appeared.

Everyone was somewhat stunned.

The group of Emperors which had been on guard the whole time all unleashed their Divine Abilities at that moment, sending a blast of attacks towards the giant mouth together.