Martial Peak

Yang Kai slowly shook his head and pulled his arm out of Bright Moon's chest, little by little. Due to Bright Moon's intervention, his actions were extremely slow, "I don't believe that I am a sinner of the Star Boundary. What you said is wrong, Senior."

Bright Moon sneered, "Not a sinner? Don't tell me you think you are a hero?"

"I can't say that I'm a hero. I killed you after all. But I prevented the Star Boundary's Will from falling into the hands of the Demon Race. Senior, you chose to die at my hands. If I really have to say it… it doesn't matter how guilty I feel, I was helpless at the time."

"Rubbish!" Bright Moon shouted with a hideous expression, "You are proficient in the Dao of Space! You could have taken me away long ago! But you didn't want to take any reckless risks nor put yourself in danger. You are the reason I died in the Demon Realm! You are the Star Boundary's greatest sinner!"

"Please don't joke, Senior." Yang Kai remained calm, "Although I am proficient in the Dao of Space, I am weak. How could I have taken you away with a Demon Saint guarding you?"

"Giving up so easily without even trying? You only think of yourself!" Bright Moon's accusations became sharper and harsher, targeting the weakest parts of Yang Kai's mind.

Yang Kai couldn't help feeling shaken by those words and his stable mood nearly became disordered as a result. He had asked himself the same question back when he witnessed Bright Moon's death with his own eyes, [Why didn't I rescue Bright Moon earlier? If I had made a move earlier, we might have had a chance of success. At least, I wouldn't have to carry this guilt around for the rest of my life.]

Watching Yang Kai close his eyes in pain, Bright Moon laughed coldly, "What else can you say to that?"

Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes again, "I have nothing to say."

Bright Moon smiled slightly as his body fluttered over to Yang Kai's side, "In that case, why bother struggling so needlessly? Why don't you simply follow your heart and indulge in unfettered freedom?"

"If the 'unfettered freedom' you mentioned means becoming demonified, then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Senior." Yang Kai looked at Bright Moon indifferently and sighed softly, "Senior, my pain stems from the pain of losing a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, not because I failed to save you. My strength is so lacking, there was no way I could have rescued you…"

While he was speaking, he finally retracted his hand from Bright Moon's chest. Then, he slammed his fist forward again.

"Forgive me, Senior!"

When his fist landed, Bright Moon shattered into pieces. After making up for the apology he didn't have the time to say before Bright Moon died back then, the tension in Yang Kai's heart seemed to have relaxed. He finally made up for the regret he had felt. He had carefully considered the possibilities over the past few days; in particular, whether he could have succeeded in rescuing Bright Moon during their first meeting, but no matter how he thought about it, he could not fathom the slightest possibility of success.

The reason he was able to safely exit from the Blood Sea at that time was all thanks to Bright Moon. Xue Li, who had been guarding the Blood Sea at the time, would have noticed him immediately if not for Bright Moon's distraction; therefore, he would certainly be greeted with the fury of a Demon Saint the moment he placed Bright Moon into the Sealed World Bead. If that happened, then not only would Bright Moon's condition worsen, but he would also be dragged into the mess.

Space Beacons were certainly a possibility. He could have left a Space Beacon near the Territory Gate in advance, but what good would that have done? Whether it was the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array or the boundless Blood Sea formed from the blood sacrifice of the entire Eternal Sky Continent, both had the power of sealing space; thus, Yang Kai could not use his Space Beacon to perform long-distance Instantaneous Movement from inside.

It should be mentioned that even the Embodiment could only use a Space Beacon to perform an Instantaneous Movement to come to Yang Kai's side after Yue Sang had allowed him into the Blood Sea. If it wasn't for Yue Sang's oversight in letting the Embodiment and Zhui Feng into the Blood Sea, Yang Kai would have been utterly powerless against him. For that reason, he was not at the point where he would be overcome by his Heart Demon even though he felt guilty over Bright Moon's death.

Bright Moon's body dissipated into particles of light, but they soon condensed into another figure. This figure had shapely curves and a trace of holiness in her bewitching face. It was Yu Ru Meng.

Yang Kai stared at her in a daze, feeling complicated and wondering to himself. [How did Ru Meng turn into my Heart Demon? Could it be because I have been on guard against her whether consciously or unconsciously?]

"Yang Kai, the Star Boundary's Will is extremely important to the Demon Realm. Hand it…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Yang Kai had already thrown a punch at her. Even Bright Moon's death had been unable to shake his mind, so what more needed to be said about Yu Ru Meng who was alive and well? He might have felt distressed and upset over this if the effects of the Heart Seal Secret Technique had not been transferred away, but the current him did not feel anything about it. Forget a trivial Heart Demon, even if it had been the actual person in the real world, he would have thrown a punch at her if she had dared to ask that of him.

The illusion of Yu Ru Meng shattered and fell apart like the one before it.

Yang Kai's body suddenly relaxed as he believed that he had succeeded in his challenge, but to his surprise, the shattered illusion began to condense once more. He stared at it curiously, feeling rather stunned. [Who will the illusion turn into this time? Do I have that many Heart Demons?] He did not have many regrets or dissatisfactions in his life. It made sense why Bright Moon and Yu Ru Meng had appeared, but who could the third person be?

However, his expression soon changed as he stared at the sight in front of him in amazement. The illusion that formed was not somebody he could ever have imagined. It couldn't even be said to be a person at all. It was a bunch of black shadows that were twisted together to form a humanoid figure. It almost looked like a Shadow Demon at a glance.

[Could it be Night Shadow Great Emperor!?] His expression turned sullen. [That doesn't make sense! Although Night Shadow Great Emperor betrayed the Star Boundary and landed a fatal blow on Bright Moon, I've basically never interacted with him. Why would he turn into one of my Heart Demons at a time like this and interfere with my breakthrough?]

While Yang Kai was reeling from confusion, the black shadow in front of him suddenly let out a sharp, piercing scream.

Yang Kai felt a shock to his Soul when the scream entered his ears and after that, the black shadow in front of him turned into a ray of dark light and rushed directly at him.

Yang Kai was caught off guard and took the hit full-on. Immediately following that, an intense pain struck him. It felt like his Knowledge Sea was being ripped apart. He could clearly sense that there was a foreign invader now in his Knowledge Sea. Not daring to take this lightly, he immediately sank his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea and appeared as his Soul Avatar.

Yang Kai saw the black shadow standing above the churning sea of fire. That black shadow was staring fixedly at the seven-coloured island in the middle of the sea!

"Soul… Warming… Lotus!" A vague and hoarse voice came from the black shadow. It sounded like rusted pieces of metal scraping against each other, like the one speaking had not done so in thousands of years. Those three words had been forced out with great difficulty; nevertheless, it gave off the feeling of extreme excitement.

Yang Kai's expression changed drastically as he narrowed his eyes and stared at the black figure. This was not his Heart Demon!

The so-called Heart Demons were purely mental fabrications that had no tangible substance, obstacles to a cultivator's advancement. It was impossible for a Heart Demon to become sentient, much less have the ability to speak of its own free will.

This thing in front of him was clearly some sort of strange creature. Yang Kai didn't even know how it managed to approach him, but he realized that the intense Heart Demons from earlier were probably caused by it somehow!

At this moment, Yang Kai recalled his experience of being spied on twice during his journey to Cloud Shadow Continent. [Don't tell me… Is this guy the one that has been spying on me in secret!? Why didn't the Embodiment detect him!? Isn't he standing guard over me nearby!? How could he allow somebody else to invade my Knowledge Sea without doing anything!?]

"Who are you!?" Yang Kai asked with a sombre expression.

"Soul… Warming… Lotus!" That black shadow ignored Yang Kai. All of its attention was fixed on the Supreme Treasure as it repeated the same words it uttered just now.

Yang Kai was very surprised that this person could see the true body of the seven-coloured island at a glance. It was not the first time he had his Knowledge Sea invaded, and it was precisely because of prior experiences that he had transformed the appearance of the Soul Warming Lotus into a small island. It was a defensive measure to prevent people from learning his secrets. Who could have known that this black shadow would see through the mystery at a glance? That level of perception truly was something!

"I'll ask you again. Who are you!?" Yang Kai shouted with a grim expression. He had made up his mind. [I can't let this guy escape. If the secret of the Soul Warming Lotus is exposed to the world, the Demon Saints will spare no effort to hunt me down!]

The fluctuation of his emotions caused the sea below to become tumultuous and the raging waves to soar to the sky.

That black shadow still did not respond. Instead, it transformed into a ray of black light and rushed directly at the Soul Warming Lotus. The Soul Warming Lotus seemed to be very attractive to it and seemed to set off a certain impulsive urge to possess it at all costs.

"Cut!" Yang Kai pointed with a finger, and a sword light slashed out into the air. The Soul Splitting Saber was a Soul-type Emperor Grade Artifact that had been nurtured within his Knowledge Sea for decades. Inside this peculiar space, the Soul Splitting Saber was capable of drawing its power out to the fullest. That sword light was as swift as lightning, slicing towards the black figure and splitting it in two.

Before Yang Kai could rejoice though, the black shadow restored itself and rushed over to the sky above the seven-coloured island in the blink of an eye.

Yang Kai's pupils contracted at this sight; after all, his enemy took a direct hit from the Soul Splitting Saber inside his Knowledge Sea yet came out unscathed. Just what was this thing!?

Seeing that the black shadow was about to succeed, Yang Kai did not dare to delay. He drew upon his Divine Sense and activated the power of the Soul Warming Lotus.

In an instant, a seven-coloured flash of light bloomed on the treasure island. It formed an invisible barrier, keeping the black shadow out. The black shadow tried to pass through the barrier several times but failed to break through the Soul Warming Lotus' defences. Even so, it continued to single-mindedly rush straight at the barrier.

Yang Kai stretched out his hand. Then, he rushed forward with the Soul Splitting Saber and sliced the shadow in two. Be that as it may, the black shadow continued to ignore him. It was as though the black shadow could only see the Soul Warming Lotus. Thus, he was so furious that he laughed instead. [Setting his eyes on my treasure in my territory… This guy is the boldest thief I have ever seen!]

After slicing at the black shadow for some time, Yang Kai began to feel a little speechless.

It was clear that this thing did not have a high level of sentience. It was fixated on what it had decided on, but the Soul Warming Lotus' defences were not something that could be broken through so easily. Despite these circumstances, this thing was determined to get its hands on the Soul Warming Lotus no matter what.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai had been slicing at it with the Soul Splitting Saber the whole time, but although that was the case, it would restore itself each time without any difficulty. It was almost like an undying object.

Yang Kai was powerless against this thing; hence, a strange stalemate had formed. Still, there was something for him to rejoice about. It was fortunate that this thing did not have a high level of sentience as with its strength, it would undoubtedly be very difficult for him to deal with otherwise.