Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Luo Meng pondered for a while before nodding in agreement, "Brother Yang, your words hold truth to them. In that case, let's go forward together so that we can take care of each other."

"Good!" Yang Kai nodded and turned his head to look into the depths of the hall. He had been ambushed by Luo Meng the moment he entered, so he had not had the time to look around yet. Scanning his surroundings now, he saw that the area ahead was so dark that he could not see anything. Even when he tried to use his Divine Sense to penetrate the darkness, it felt like a rock sinking to the bottom of the sea. There was no feedback whatsoever.

The inside of the entire hall felt like it was shrouded in a thick layer of fog. In addition, the source of that peculiar fragrance was very close at hand and a rich Grand Dao aura flowed around them.

"Brother Luo, have you checked out the situation ahead?" Yang Kai asked while turning to look back.

Luo Meng shook his head, "We have only just arrived. There was no time to investigate anything yet. But, the inside of the Profound Heavens Temple feels very strange. I'm afraid the journey ahead is going to get a little bumpy."

Yang Kai smiled, "When have we ever had a smooth road to walk on throughout our cultivation journey? Despite encountering many difficulties and adversities, the only way forward is to forge ahead bravely and cut through the thorns that bar our path."

Luo Meng nodded, "You're right, Brother Yang."

"Let's do it this way." Yang Kai turned his head and looked around at the crowd, "I will lead the way. Yang Yan and Brother Luo will bring up the rear. The rest will remain in the middle to support us. Please take action if any unusual changes occur."

Yang Yan frowned and objected, "I should lead the way."

When it came down to it, the one walking at the forefront was also the one in the most danger. Nobody knew what kind of restrictions were arranged inside the Profound Heavens Temple. Although Yang Kai's cultivation was a little lower than the others, he had part of the World's Will in him, which made him one of the strongest contenders in the Grand Dao battle. How could she allow any accidents to befall him? The reason she and Bing Yun participated in this struggle was to ensure his safety. This was something they had discussed with Li Wu Yi in advance and received his approval.

Yang Kai raised his hand to stop her, "There's not much time, so let's not argue over this. I am capable of keeping myself alive."

Seeing his insistence in this matter, there was not much else that Yang Yan could say so she simply nodded, "Good. Be careful."

While speaking, she shot a look at Bing Yun. Bing Yun immediately understood the meaning of the look and nodded gently in response.

Following a simple negotiation, the two groups gathered together and moved forward. Yang Kai led the way, followed closely by Bing Yun. Both of them silently circulated their Demon and Emperor Qi, prepared to attack at any time. Meanwhile, the others spread out behind them with Luo Meng and Yang Yan brought up the rear. Everyone maintained a tight formation, only a few steps apart from each other.

They stepped into the pitch-blackness that was so dark they couldn't see their hands in front of them. Even their Divine Sense had been suppressed to the limit. Fortunately, sounds were not cut off from their senses so they could hear each other's breathing and light footsteps. At the very least, they did not feel so alone.

Their speed of progress was not fast but not slow either. Their journey through the hall was smooth and unobstructed. They did not encounter the dangers and restrictions that they had imagined. Even so, nobody relaxed their guard, no matter who they were.

Yang Kai was observing the situation around him at all times while also keeping an eye on the movements of the people behind him.

All of a sudden, his expression changed when he checked on the situation of the group. That was because there was nobody behind him at all! Just a moment ago, he could still hear their faint heartbeat and footsteps, but in the next moment, the people who had been following him had disappeared without a trace!

Yang Kai turned around abruptly to look behind him, but there was nobody there. Even Bing Yun, who had been following no more than three steps behind him, was nowhere to be seen!

Cold sweat oozed from his forehead as he hurriedly released his Divine Sense so that he was alert to all the movements in his surroundings. Yang Kai had completely failed to notice when or how the people behind him had disappeared, but with his current Soul cultivation, even a Demon Saint or a Great Emperor could not achieve this level of secrecy around him. The only explanation was that he had activated some sort of restriction in the Profound Heavens Temple, which separated him from the others.

[If that's what happened to me, then how are the others doing? Also, what kind of dangers will this restriction bring?] Yang Kai had no idea. All he could do now was to remain vigilant and continue moving forward…

At the same time, Bing Yun, who had been walking in the hall, suddenly let out a low cry.

"What happened!?" Yang Yan immediately asked.

"Yang Kai is gone!" Bing Yun exclaimed in shock.

Upon hearing those words, everybody was so horrified that all the hairs on their body stood upright. They were all Pseudo-Great Emperors; moreover, they were all basically within arm's reach of one another. Even if the situation in this place was strange and their Divine Sense was greatly suppressed, they should still be able to monitor the movements of any one of the people around them if they put their minds to it. However, the reality was that none of them had noticed Yang Kai's disappearance until Bing Yun made a sound. Not even Yang Yan, who had been paying close attention to Yang Kai.

With a whoosh, Yang Yan rushed over from behind and stared forward intently, but there was nobody in front. She asked grimly, "When did he disappear?"

She had clearly heard Yang Kai's heartbeat and breathing just a moment ago.

"Just now!"

"How did he disappear?"

"I don't know." Bing Yun frowned deeply. She had not been distracted by anything else and as she was the closest to Yang Kai, she had been paying close attention to him at all times. Even so, she had not noticed how he had disappeared. It wasn't until he was gone that she reacted. It was simply unbelievable.

The entire purpose of her and Yang Yan's presence here was to protect Yang Kai and participate in the final stage of the Grand Dao battle, but they had lost sight of him completely. No matter how strong her heart was, Bing Yun couldn't help feeling a little emotional at this moment. [If that was the case, then what was the point of Li Wu Yi's sacrifice!?]

"Watch out, everyone. Brother Yang must have activated some sort of restriction," Luo Meng shouted.

Yang Yan frowned at those words, "If it were some sort of restriction, then why was he the only one to go missing? Wouldn't we have been dragged into it as well?"

Although she could not rule out the fact that the restriction might have affected only one person, it was still a little too strange to be true.

At that moment, a small light suddenly bloomed in the dark hall. The light seemed to come from very far away. It was a little hazy, but when it appeared, the darkness that enveloped the entire hall receded considerably. A faintly glowing path about ten metres wide appeared beneath their feet, leading them straight towards the source of the light.

Yang Kai's sudden disappearance was followed by the appearance of this faintly glowing path. This series of events left everybody extremely bewildered, but they did not sense any danger when standing on this path. On the contrary, they could vaguely sense something calling out to them from the front. It would seem that the goal everybody had been chasing was just right ahead.

After pondering for a moment, Luo Meng said, "Sister Yang Yan, Brother Yang might be missing, but nothing bad will happen to him easily with his abilities. Besides, he will surely head to that final place once he gets himself out of trouble. Why don't we proceed ahead for now and wait for him to arrive? What do you think?"

Yang Yan fell silent for a while after listening to his suggestion. Then, she nodded gently. She knew that what Luo Meng said was right. She was completely clueless as to how Yang Kai went missing and where he was currently, so even if she tried to search for him, she had no clues to work with. In that case, she might as well head for the final area to wait for him as there was a higher possibility of meeting him there.

Having made their decision, everybody delayed no longer and immediately continued on their way. Nevertheless, they acted more cautiously after learning from their previous experience. To their surprise though, nothing else unexpected happened until they reached the end of the faintly glowing path.

At the end of the path was an empty hall. The ceiling was more than a thousand metres high and it was very spacious inside. More importantly, a quaint-looking Giant Furnace was slowly spinning in the centre of the hall. The patterns around the Giant Furnace were flickering with a faint light and a dense Grand Dao aura radiated from within.

"The Illusionary Heavens Furnace!" Luo Meng exclaimed softly, staring intently at the Giant Furnace that was carved with countless complicated and intricate patterns with a scorching gaze. This Giant Furnace was identical to the Giant Furnace that was projected into the world before. Although it had shrunk in size countless times, it was still several tens of metres tall.

It wasn't just Luo Meng who had a scorching look in his eyes. The eyes of all six Pseudo-Great Emperors present here were burning brightly at this moment.

Before entering the Profound Heavens Temple, everybody was told that they had to find the Illusionary Heavens Furnace upon entering the Source Sealed World. It was just that nobody knew where the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was located. At this very moment, the key item to becoming a Great Emperor had finally revealed itself before their very eyes. As long as they could figure out the secret behind the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, they could become a Great Emperor!

There was a whooshing sound as a figure passed by Luo Meng's side to head straight at the Illusionary Heavens Furnace. However, he was ruthlessly cut down by his companion beside him.

The Demon Race Half-Saints were the eternal enemies of the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary, but even their original companions became their rivals now that the final moment was here.

Luo Meng was startled, but even so, he quickly came back to his senses and rushed forward with a shift of his body.

*Shua shua shua...* Gan Li and another Pseudo-Great Emperor were not far behind. Only Yang Yan and Bing Yun were left standing in their original positions.

The two women looked at each other in surprise. They never expected to arrive at the deepest part of the Profound Heavens Temple so easily, let alone find the Illusionary Heavens Furnace just waiting for them. In this way, the Grand Dao battle had reached the most critical moment. Even if they were unwilling, they were already stuck in this whirlpool. Who would not selfishly think only of themselves in this situation?

They both understood the meaning in each other's eyes. Yang Yan shouted, "Let's go!"

Pushing her Emperor Qi, she flew forward together with Bing Yun. Their previous task had been rendered meaningless now that Yang Kai was missing. Regardless of whether he was dead or alive, who could turn a blind eye to the Grand Dao opportunity in front of them?

At that moment, an anomaly occurred.

The energy in the hall suddenly went wild as numerous figures emerged from all directions. Waves of Divine Abilities shot out from everywhere, targeting the person closest to Illusionary Heavens Furnace. That person was a Pseudo-Great Emperor who came here with Yang Yan and the others but was the first to rush forward just now.

Luo Meng's expression changed greatly at the sight and he shouted, "Watch out, Brother Zhou!"

Similarly, the man surnamed Zhou was shocked. He had thought that he and the others were the first to arrive at this place, so he believed that he could take advantage of their lead to obtain the prize first. Who could have known that that was not the case?

Turning to look around him, he saw that there were passages leading into the hall from every direction. Moreover, numerous figures came flying out of those passages. Both the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary and the Demon Race Half-Saints were included among these people. It was obvious that they had all just arrived in this place. Furthermore, the time of their arrival was all roughly the same. It was just that they had not come via the same shimmering path.

Those who attacked him were the Demon Race Half-Saints. Although the Pseudo-Great Emperors were vying to get the lead on the others, they had not reached the point where they would kill each other yet.

Even so, the man surnamed Zhou felt his scalp go numb with fear. There were at least a dozen Divine Abilities raining down on him. Even though these attacks were rushed, how could he defend against these many attacks all at once? His complexion turned pale as he hurriedly raised his hand, summoning many artifacts at the same time to form a layer of protection around his body.