Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Inside Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the whole world was shaking while the surrounding World Energy rumbled.

While the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was in operation, all the World Energy in Wind and Cloud Pavilion seemed to be sucked over to sustain it. The Sword Intent in the Sword Formation churned, making it so hazy that it was difficult to see what was going on inside.

Many of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion's disciples drew sharp breaths when they heard the ruckus. What kind of powerful enemy had invaded the Sect for the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation to be activated?

Despite their willingness to help, the Formation had already been activated, so even if they were the Wind and Cloud Pavilion's disciples, they couldn't break into it. Forcefully entering the Formation would only cause them to be turned into dust by the limitless Sword Intent.

Since they couldn't see the situation inside the Sword Formation, they could only turn their eyes to the other battlefield. Needless to say, it was the battle between two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. Every attack they unleashed had the power to split mountains, causing the Wind and Cloud Pavilion's disciples watching the battle to be dazzled and shocked by what they saw.

"Li Jiao, those two Juniors have entered the Sword Formation; they will definitely die a miserable death, so why are you still fighting for their sake?" Hua Xing asked while dealing with Li Jiao.

Hua Xing's cultivation might be comparable to that of Li Jiao's, but Li Jiao was not a pure human. Li Jiao was a descendant of the Dragon Clan, so if it really came down to it, Hua Xing was not his match.

Being able to keep up with Li Jiao for so long was thanks to his favourable conditions and an advantageous position. He was the Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, after all, so blessed by the fortune of the land, Hua Xing was slightly stronger than normal when fighting within Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Even so, he was only barely managing to keep up with Li Jiao on equal grounds.

[A Dragonborn really does deserve the title 'Dragonborn'. Despite only inheriting a thin portion of the Dragon bloodline, Li Jiao can exert such great strength. If I had fought him outside of the Sect, I would have lost the battle a long time ago.]

He abhorred Li Jiao's backstabbing attitude; however, he also knew that continuing with the battle was of no benefit to himself or Wind and Cloud Pavilion. The destruction brought about by two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters clashing would destroy the foundation of Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Therefore, he wanted to make peace with Li Jiao.

[There are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal benefits. Besides, those two Juniors are bound to die so it's meaningless to continue fighting Li Jiao. It's not like we gain anything from determining the winner between us anyway.]

Li Jiao frowned when he heard those words. He did not say anything in response, but Hua Xing clearly felt his strength reducing considerably.

Hua Xing was overjoyed. [I knew Li Jiao isn't as aggressive and determined as he acts on the surface. Perhaps, he was forced to become enemies with me.]

Hua Xing decided to strike while the iron was hot and added, "Brother Li, you and I have been friends for hundreds of years. People from all over the world would ridicule us if they knew we made such a fuss over two measly Juniors. Why don't we stop here for now and decide on what to do after seeing the results of the fight over there? What do you say?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Li Jiao's power reduced even more. Thus, he knew that he had guessed correctly. Casually exchanging blows with Li Jiao, he asked, "Brother Li, oh, Brother Li… Why are you doing this?"

Although Li Jiao said nothing to that, he was not as aggressive as before either.

Hua Xing understood that Li Jiao's pride had taken a blow; after all, Li Jiao's actions might seem rather capricious if he kept changing his mind left and right. The reason he continued fighting was that he still had some misgivings in his heart. He was afraid that the two Juniors might come out from the Sword Formation and see him loafing around instead of taking things seriously.

Hua Xing secretly sneered at that thought but did not try to persuade Li Jiao any further. As long as they were no longer destroying the foundation of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, he could play along with this farce. Once those two Juniors died and the Great Elder provided their corpses as proof, he would let Li Jiao know the consequences of offending Wind and Cloud Pavilion!

On this side, the battle was like a show of sorts. Both parties were not giving their full strength. Even so, the battle seemed fierce on the surface. Thus, the Wind and Cloud Pavilion's disciples that had gathered around watched the battle with great interest.

On the other hand, Yang Kai was not having such an easy time inside the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation. It was a Sword Formation deployed using the power of hundreds of people after all. Even though he had used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, he still couldn't break out and could only remain passive, defending against the countless sword waves that attacked him.

Meanwhile, the Great Elder was becoming more and more frightened the longer the battle went on. [I've used the power of the Spirit Array to launch consecutive attacks, yet it isn't making any difference! Is this boy really even human?!]

The behemoth that the young man had transformed into was a mess, covered in blood and wounds, but the monstrous ferocity it radiated did not diminish. On the contrary, it was only growing stronger. Oftentimes, the immense power that burst out randomly was capable of shaking the entire Sword Formation.

Although there was no need to worry about him destroying the formation, the Great Elder and the others had to expend their strength to defuse his attacks.

[If things continue like this, he might actually turn the situation around on us.] A sharp look flashed through the Great Elder's eyes as soon as that thought crossed his mind and he swiftly began giving orders.

Soon, a figure appeared in front of him. It was the Third-Elder of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the one who had set up the formation with him.

"Take over!" The Great Elder instructed.

The Third Elder was shocked by those words and exclaimed in astonishment, "Are you going to use 'that', Great Elder?"

The Great Elder replied solemnly, "There's no other way aside from that."

The Third Elder pondered in silence for a moment before nodding, "Be careful, Great Elder. That little brat is rather unusual."

"Of course!" The Great Elder responded and handed the Array Core over to the Third Elder. Afterwards, he stepped into the void, reached out his hand, and beckoned with his hand. A light immediately flew over from not far away, and he caught it in his hands. It was none other than his Emperor Artifact, a longsword.

The Sword Formation not only required people but also their swords as its base. Therefore, the cultivators that set up this formation were cultivators of the Sword Dao. The Emperor Artifact of the Great Elder had been integrated with the formation previously. For him to recall his sword from the formation was a clear indication that he was about to execute a powerful and mighty Secret Technique.

With the long sword erected in front of him, he formed a series of hand seals before sliding his finger along the blade. Fresh blood flowed out from the wound but did not drip anywhere. Instead, it was cleanly absorbed by the longsword, which instantly turned the colour of blood. Immediately after that, the World Energy in the surrounding area reacted like a cat catching a whiff of fish, swarming over and pouring into the sword.

At the same time, the Great Elder's aura climbed steadily. The clothes on his body flapped madly as all of a sudden, his aura erupted with the strength of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even so, there was no sign of it stopping. It wasn't until his entire complexion turned beet red, like he might explode at any time, that the rising momentum finally ebbed.

At this moment, the Great Elder's power was absolutely terrifying. Even Hua Xing and Li Jiao were incomparable. It wasn't his heritage of course, but rather the Great Elder taking advantage of the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation to empower himself.

His scarlet eyes locked onto Yang Kai, and taking a deep breath, he suddenly roared, "Die!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, together with his sword, he transformed into a beam of light that shot towards Yang Kai.

Inside the Sword Formation, Yang Kai felt his skin tightening as he felt the aura of death descend around him, causing the Emperor Qi in his body to churn uneasily. Throwing his Divine Sense into the surroundings, Yang Kai immediately discovered the source of the danger.

A dazzling light was rushing towards him at the speed of lightning inside. That sword wave was extremely bright, and the Sword Intent was so condensed that it seemed solid. It felt like it could break through all the barriers in the world and cut through the universe.

The pupils of Yang Kai's eyes contracted. Although that terrifying blow was not comparable to that of Great Demon God's cross-world attack, it was not something that could be unleashed by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.

Despite turning into a half-dragon, Yang Kai had a feeling that he couldn't endure that blow. He felt as if his body was being torn apart by the sword wave even before it arrived.

Using his giant claws, Yang Kai rapidly formed a set of seals before pushing his palms out and shouting in a low voice, "Time Flies!"

Just as the sword wave split the air and flew at him, the Time Flies Seal shot out to meet it, exploding on contact. However, the sword wave continued to advance; its power had not been reduced whatsoever.

Yang Kai was startled. It was his first time meeting somebody who could break the Time Flies Seal in a direct confrontation. Even if he had not mastered the Time Flies Seal, it was still a Great Emperor's Divine Ability! How could it be broken so easily!

Just as he was considering the idea of hiding inside the Sealed World Bead for a short while to escape the imminent danger, he heard a soft voice ringing out in his ears, "Uncle Yang!"

Lin Yun'er's preparations were finally completed, and her voice was brimming with confidence.

Yang Kai's brow twitched as the Mountains and Rivers Bell that had been guarding Lin Yun'er all this time immediately turned into a stream of light which then encapsulated him.

"Damn it!" Even though the Great Elder's mental fortitude was impeccable, he couldn't help cursing out loud at this moment. He had learned just how strong that Ancient Exotic Artifact's defensive abilities were from previous experience.

He might be able to use the power of the entire array to perform an attack far beyond his own cultivation, but he did not have the confidence to break through the defence of this Ancient Exotic Artifact. In other words, he had used this trump card in vain. Encountering an opponent like this was the biggest misfortune of his life!

If he had been using his own swordsmanship to attack, he could have changed targets and taken the opportunity to kill Lin Yun'er. Unfortunately, this power was far beyond his ability to wield freely. He could only unleash it but not retract it; hence, he could only stare blankly at the Mountains and Rivers Bell in front of him and slam straight into it anyway.

*Hong…*

A loud explosion rang out, followed by a huge blast of light. The Mountains and Rivers Bell trembled while the Great Elder's figure was revealed. At this moment, he had lost his previously proud demeanour. Although the force of the collision had not killed him, it had caused him to bleed from his seven orifices. He was extremely dizzy, and all the strength in his body disappeared. He couldn't bring out the slightest bit of Emperor Qi in him.

"Seize!" Lin Yun'er did not take this opportunity to kill the Great Elder and shouted out instead.

In the next moment, the dizzy Great Elder's expression changed drastically because he suddenly felt a huge force pulling against the Emperor Artifact longsword in his hands. The longsword involuntarily flew out of his hands as a result.

Shocked, he hurriedly tried to activate his Divine Sense to recall his Emperor Artifact. For people cultivating the Sword Dao, the sword in their hands was equivalent to their lives. What's more; this was the Emperor Artifact that he had used his own life force to cultivate. If this sword fell into somebody else's hands, it would be equivalent to having half his life in their hands.

However, what horrified him even more was that, regardless of how much he pushed his Secret Technique, the Emperor Artifact that had followed him for thousands of years did not respond at all. It was as if the ties formed during the past thousand years had been cut off by an inexplicable force.

The Great Elder widened his eyes and stared at Lin Yun'er dumbfounded. The sight that greeted him instantly rendered him speechless. Unfortunately, Yang Kai's huge body suddenly appeared in front of him before he could react. Yang Kai's huge body was like a small mountain that blocked out all the light in front of him.

[This is bad!] The Great Elder felt his entire body going cold. He shifted his body as if to conceal himself inside the Sword Formation; however, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and captured the Great Elder in his hand. Grinning, he asked, "You want to leave after finally showing yourself?"

Upon hearing those words, the Great Elder was so scared that it felt as if his Soul was being extinguished. Then, bursts of shocked exclamations rang out from the surroundings. Those shouts came from the Wind and Cloud Pavilion's disciples who had set up the Formation.