Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Strong Wind City was a small city in the Northern Territory. It was comparable in size to Maplewood City before the latter's great expansion. If Yang Kai had not run around the entire Northern Territory some years ago, he would not have even known where Strong Wind City was located.

With his current speed, it took him less than a quarter-hour to travel 5,000 kilometres and arrive at his destination even at a leisurely pace. He looked around and let out a soft sigh. There were many places like Strong Wind City in the Star Boundary nowadays. The small city was dilapidated. Everywhere he looked was a mess. Although the Demon Race army had not reached this place, the residents of the city had long since escaped; thus, the city that could not be called prosperous fell into greater derelict.

This was just a single example representing countless places across the Star Boundary. The flames of war between the two worlds had spread far and wide. Once this war was over, who knew how long it would take for the world to recover even if the Star Boundary was victorious? It might take several thousand years, several tens of thousands of years, or even longer… But, as long as the possibility of recovery existed, it was enough to make all the people in the Star Boundary give their lives to prevent the Demon Race's victory.

Above the city wall, Yang Kai stood with his hands behind his back and raised his head to look at the sky. The moonlight could not shine through the dense layer of dark clouds that covered the sky and grinned. [It's a dark and windy night; the perfect time for murder.]

Rustling sounds came from behind him at that moment, so he turned around to look with an expression of surprise. He could not believe that the person who invited him here was revealing themselves so openly. That person did not seem to have any intention of concealing their presence.

[Could it be that I was mistaken?] He frowned slightly after getting a clear glimpse of that person's face.

"I was afraid you might not come, but it seems I underestimated your courage. Why are you recklessly running around outside at a time like this? What would you have done if I had invited three or four powerful helpers here and set up a trap in this place?" A melodious voice rang out, one that was clear and pleasant. Not far away, a beautiful figure appeared, landing about 15 metres in front of him, a smile on her face. A faint fragrance in the wind blew towards him, mesmerising him.

This distance was definitely an extremely dangerous distance for the person who just arrived. Proficient as he was in the Space Principles, Yang Kai could land a fatal blow in the blink of an eye and she would not be able to avoid no matter how strong she was.

"Senior Sheng!" Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise, "That secret letter... Was it from you?"

Standing in front of him was Sheng Yu Zhu of Luo Sha Sect! She was the person he rescued from the Void Crack, a Pseudo-Great Emperor who lived for several tens of thousands of years and once experienced the Grand Dao battle in the past!

Strictly speaking, the Grand Dao battle she experienced was the one before the last Grand Dao battle. She was somebody from the same era as Wu Kuang after all. When he first rescued her from the Void Crack, he had wanted to verify her identity; however, she had casually brought up the names of Wu Kuang, Yao Jun, Chu Tian Ji, Duan Hong Chen, and Zhan Wu Hen…

Before that incident, he would not have dared to believe that a person could survive in a Void Crack for so long; furthermore, she claimed that she fell into the Void Crack because she had been set up by Wu Kuang.

Back then, her true strength had been on par with Wu Kuang and they both had the potential to become a Great Emperor. In order to reduce the competition by one, Wu Kuang had tricked her into the Void Crack before the arrival of that Grand Dao battle. She had been stuck there until Yang Kai found her; therefore, she had failed to participate in the Grand Dao battle even though she experienced it once before. It could be said that she had perfectly missed everything.

Many years ago, Yang Kai had rescued her from the Void Crack in the Luo Sha Sect, but they had rarely been in contact with each other after that.

When the Two Worlds Great War broke out later, he had thought about her and tried to inquire about information on Luo Sha Sect since he still held the title of Luo Sha Sect's High-Rank Guest Elder. After asking around, however, he learned that Luo Sha Sect had vanished without a trace more than 20 years ago. A swift calculation indicated that the timing was a few years after he rescued her from her predicament. The entire Luo Sha Sect, along with Sheng Yu Zhu, had been missing ever since then. It wasn't until today that they finally met again.

Upon learning that it was Sheng Yu Zhu who was looking for him, Yang Kai immediately realised that he had over-thought things. She clearly had no malicious intentions towards him since she had revealed herself so openly and even spoke about such things to him. Besides, it wasn't as if he had not asked around about her after he rescued her.

There was once when Yang Kai mentioned her name to Zhan Wu Hen, and the latter had been quite astonished when he learned that she was still alive. Tens of thousands of years had passed, so not many of his old acquaintances from back then still remained in this world. Only a few old friends were still alive. Therefore, he smiled after learning that she was alive even though they were not very well-acquainted. He only had one thing to say about her, "She is a good person!"

Since Zhan Wu Hen had said as much, then that was enough proof about what kind of person Sheng Yu Zhu was.

"If not me, who did you think sent that letter?" Sheng Yu Zhu tilted her head and looked at Yang Kai with a bright smile. If he did not consider the fact that she had lived for more than tens of thousands of years, he would have thought that she was no more than 28 years old just by looking at her appearance and mannerisms.

[Old Monster!] He slandered in his heart. On the surface, however, he smiled and said, "It's precisely because I didn't know who sent the letter that I came to have a look." He paused and continued, "It seems that you know something, Senior. Am I right?"

If not, she would not have mentioned his boldness.

She glanced at him in astonishment, "If you can ask me that question, then it means that you also know something! Good! That saves me the effort of explaining."

"How did you know, Senior?" He was puzzled. The news shouldn't have spread so quickly.

She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and pursed her lips into a smile, "Did you forget what I told you before? I experienced something similar before, so I'm very sensitive to the changes in the World Energy. I can sense that that thing is going to appear soon."

"Do you mean the Profound Heavens Temple?" His expression stiffened. First, he experienced an insight into the Heavens' Revelations. Then, the message from Heavens Revelations Great Emperor, and now, what Shen Yu Zhu just mentioned. It would seem that there was no doubt the Profound Heavens Temple was going to open soon.

"Indeed!" She nodded. She didn't seem surprised by the fact that he knew about the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple. It might be a secret, but it was not as if nobody knew about it. The Pseudo-Great Emperors who stayed by the Great Emperors' sides all this time would surely have heard about this matter from them. That was also how Li Wu Yi learned about the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple.

She stared at him steadily, "Seeing as you know so much, does that mean that you are planning to enter?"

He gave a nod.

"As expected…" She showed an expression of understanding, "I knew you would enter."

Although she had led Luo Sha Sect into seclusion for all these years, it wasn't as if she was completely unaware of the matters in the outside world. In particular, she had put effort into inquiring about information on Yang Kai.

He smiled, "How can I miss out on such an auspicious matter? But, Senior, do you know when the Profound Heavens Temple will open?"

If she knew the approximate time, then it would give him an even greater advantage.

"Within the month," she replied, "The last time the world experienced such changes, the Profound Heavens Temple appeared within the month. It's a pity that I was tricked by Wu Kuang before that happened."

It was a grudge from tens of thousands of years ago, so her tone was indifferent when she spoke about it now. Compared to the other Pseudo-Great Emperors from the same era who had already fallen into the long river of history, she had at least lived until today. She managed to wait until the Profound Heavens Temple opened once more and gained another chance to participate in the Grand Dao battle.

"Then, did you come looking for me to join forces with me?" He asked.

She slowly shook her head, "I will have to apologise to you in advance regarding this matter. Back when you rescued me, I certainly did mention that we could join forces if the conditions were suitable. Unfortunately, cooperation will be impossible under the current circumstances. For one, the Profound Heavens Temple appeared too quickly this time. It's probably related to the invasion of the Demon Realm, which gave the world a sense of crisis. In the end, only one person can become a Great Emperor. If I join forces with you, we will still need to confront each other at the end. If that's the case, we might as well not join forces from the beginning, lest we end up with bad blood between us. For another, I don't dare to join forces with you in your current situation. I'm sure you know the reason why."

Yang Kai was practically a tempting piece of meat to the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints. Sheng Yu Zhu would need to be kicked in the head by a donkey for her to join forces with him and invite trouble upon herself.

While speaking, she looked slightly apologetic as it was as if she was going back on her word.

Yang Kai, however, just nodded, "I understand."

He wasn't too bothered; rather, he felt that it was already quite righteous of her to be so frank with him, "So, the reason you called me out here…"

"This jade slip contains information about the Profound Heavens Temple. Read through it carefully when you get back," While speaking, she tossed a jade slip over.

He reached out to catch it with a joyful expression, "Senior, do you know about the inside of the Profound Heavens Temple?"

She shook her head, "Not really. I've never been inside after all. It's just something I heard from others back then, so I myself can't distinguish between how much of the information is real and how much is fake. You will have to judge at your own discretion."

Despite what she said, Yang Kai was still overjoyed and cupped his fists, "Many thanks, Senior."

She waved her hand dismissively, "I owe you a life debt. It's not something that can be repaid easily. If it wasn't for you, I would still be stuck in the Void Crack, slowly waiting for death."

He grinned, "Although you say you owe me a life debt, I only saved you in passing." He raised the jade slip in his hand, "Now, this is what I currently need most. Let's consider it even with this."

Sheng Yu Zhu sighed softly as she muttered to herself, "How can one's life debt be repaid so easily?"

After a moment of silence, she continued, "If we meet in the Profound Heavens Temple by chance, just speak up if you need any help. I will not refuse to provide help before the start of the final battle, as long as it is within my abilities."

"At the time, I might need to trouble you a little more." He grinned.

"Also, there's something else I need to ask of you," She said.

He immediately showed an expression of attentiveness, "Please speak, Senior."

"Although it was not my intention to pass down my teachings to the Luo Sha Sect, their roots can be traced back to me. Throughout the years I spent recuperating, they did their best to honour me as an Ancestor. I don't know if I can return to them after this trip. Besides, the situation in the Star Boundary is ever-changing. If these little girls are left outside without anybody to protect them, they will eventually die a tragic death. I ask that you bring them back to High Heaven Palace. It doesn't matter whether you recruit them into the army or leave them to fend for themselves; it's up to you."