Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Wei Gu Chang turned to look at Fei Zhi Tu in amazement, wondering what he meant.

Fei Zhi Tu snickered in response, “Do you think the Heaven Gathering Hall’s forces really went out to perform some kind of task? The Sect is currently besieged by troubles and is being constantly monitored by all of Shadowed Star’s great forces. Everyone is worried that the Emperor Garden will suddenly open and Shadow Moon Hall will use its proximity to gain a decisive advantage. At such a sensitive time, what kind of task could possibly make the Sect deploy its elite forces outside? Wouldn’t such a rash action only allow others to take further advantage of us?”

Hearing this, Wei Gu Chang’s eyes lit up, “Sir City Lord means…”

Wei Gu Chang had also heard about many masters from the Heaven Gathering Hall being sent out on some task a few days ago, so when Fei Zhi Tu mentioned this point, he immediately understood what was happening.

“You still fall far short when it comes to using your head, young man!” Fei Zhi Tu snorted before taking another sip from his glass.

Wei Gu Chang scratched his cheek for a moment before awkwardly nodding and turning an apologetic look towards Qian Tong, bowing deeply as he declared, “Elder, please forgive this disciple for misunderstanding you.”

“Hahaha!” Qian Tong laughed heartily, “Daring to stand up for your friends, even if it meant acting against this old master’s wishes, not acting pretentious nor hypocritical, good, you’ve not disappointed this old master. Come fill this old master’s cup, there will be a good show to watch today!”

“Yes!” Wei Gu Chang hurried forward, picked up a nearby jug, and filled both of his elder’s glasses before stepping back and standing next to Dong Xuan’er, the two of them exchanging a glance devoid of the anxiety and worry that had just been plaguing them.

Heaven Gathering Hall was a special existence in Shadow Moon Hall; it didn’t have many members, only about sixty or so, but each one was a powerful elite ranging in cultivation from First-Order Saint King Realm to First-Order Origin Returning Realm. However, because of the special Secret Arts and Martial Skills they cultivated, each of these people was capable of fighting across realms. More importantly, every member of the Heaven Gathering Hall was trained in group combat tactics, making them stronger when more of them fought together.

If the entire Heaven Gathering Hall joined forces, even fighting a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master head on would be easy.

So, as soon as Wei Gu Chang heard that the Heaven Gathering Hall’s forces had been deployed, his worries faded greatly. Even without mentioning Dragon Cave Mountain’s incredibly mysterious Mountain Defending Array, just the Heaven Gathering Hall’s forces alone would be enough to make this shameless group of bandits suffer a cruel death.

It was just… Elder Qian was taking a big risk. Once others noticed what was happening, it was highly likely that Shadow Moon Hall would be further suppressed by the other great forces.

The appearance of the Emperor Garden had forced Shadow Moon Hall into an incredibly uncomfortable position already.

Elsewhere, on a desolate hillside a few dozen kilometres away, a ruddy faced old man stood with his arms crossed as he stared towards Dragon Cave Mountain, his demeanor as tranquil as an ancient well, devoid of any joy or sorrow, however, the strong vitality which pulsed from his body created an intimidating atmosphere.

Next to him there was an old woman with a rickety body supporting herself with a dragon head walking stick. This old woman had a seemingly frail appearance and even coughed weakly from time to time, as if she might collapse at any moment. Beside this old woman was a young beauty who seemed to be assisting her by supporting her arm. As the wind blew through these two women’s hair, a sharp contrast in image became apparent between the two of them.

The old man was none other than Demon Blood Temple’s Elder Jin Shi, and the old woman was Myriad Beast Mountain’s Old Woman Feng!

Two top-level Origin Returning Realm masters gathering in such a spot was not difficult to understand; after all, both of them were seeking the piece of Profound Gold in Yang Kai’s hands. As such, it was only natural for them to be monitoring the activity on Dragon Cave Mountain. Once Dragon Cave Mountain fell and Yang Kai had been killed, the two of them would immediately move to snatch the Profound Gold.

As for why they had not moved personally, it was simply because it was inconvenient for them to use their strength to bully the weak.

After all, this place was still within Shadow Moon Hall’s territory, so if they took direction action, it was difficult to guarantee that Shadow Moon Hall would not respond in force.

“Senior Sister Feng, are you interested in considering this Jin’s proposal? As long as you can give up on obtaining this piece of Profound Gold, this Jin promises to fulfill three of your requests in your lifetime,” Jin Shi said suddenly.

“Hmph!” Old Woman Feng struck her cane against the ground and sneered, “Old Ghost Jin, don’t address me so intimately, my Myriad Beast Mountain and your Demon Blood Temple have never been allies and we have never been Senior Sister and Junior Brother. Still, if you can give up on this Profound Gold, this old woman will accomplish three tasks for you in your lifetime.”

She threw his proposal right back to him.

Both of them knew this kind of verbal commitment carried very little weight, and that the one who obtained the Profound Gold would be the biggest winner regardless.

Jin Shi’s eyes narrowed as his expression became a little unpleasant, but after thinking about it for a moment, he chuckled, “Why must Senior Sister Feng insist on refusing my offer? As far as this Jin knows, Senior Sister’s age is not small. How many more years do you have to live? What matters could you possibly accomplish for me in that time?”

“Is that so? This old woman can guarantee that she’ll live longer than you at least!”

“Ahem… There’s no point in us arguing here,” Jin Shi suddenly felt that arguing like this with Old Woman Feng was juvenile and instead decided to get to the root of the problem, “How about this, why don’t we exchange pointers here and whoever wins will also win the Profound Gold. What does Senior Sister Feng think?”

“You think this old woman fears you?” Old Woman Feng’s rickety waist suddenly straightened up and as an astonishing fighting intent pulsed from her body. Sneering, she declared, “This old woman has been interested in witnessing the power of your Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art for some time now!”

Saying so, she directed a shocking momentum towards Jin Shi, indicating she was more than willing to fight with him here. Old Woman Feng was indeed advanced in age, but although she was now an elderly figure, in her youth she had been as hot-tempered and aggressive as any man, something which had not been calmed with age. In fact, her vicious nature was even more pronounced now than when she was young.

Jin Shi, on the other hand, as an Elder of Demon Blood Temple Elder and a man who had cultivated the Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art, possessed extremely powerful vitality and an equally short temper. Facing such naked coercion, he naturally wasn’t going to show any weakness as a top-level Origin Returning Realm master.

An invisible pressure began to spread out, forcing these two masters’ in-name disciples standing behind them to retreat in fear.

The young woman who stood beside Old Woman Feng, holding her arm, stumbled briefly before standing firm; however, her face had become slightly pale as she was caught up in the storm these two masters were creating.

“Grandmother, Senior Jin, please show some patience,” The young woman brushed her hair back behind her ears as she laughed helplessly, “Dragon Cave Mountain’s protective array is yet to be broken, so you bothengaging in a fight now to decide who will claim ownership of the Profound Gold, it will only make outsiders laugh. Not to mention, both of you are top masters on Shadowed Star, if you really fought, I am afraid deciding a winner will take quite some time, no?”

How could Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng not already understand what this young woman pointed out? It was just that both were somewhat short-tempered and neither was willing to show weakness to the other, slowly forcing them into this kind of confrontation. After listening to this young woman though, Jin Shi borrowed her words as an excuse to de-escalate and let out a laugh, “What you say is quite right little girl. En, what is your name?”

As he spoke, he also withdrew his aura.

The young woman’s complexion improved greatly with the reduction in ambient pressure and gave an elegant salute, “Disciple’s name is Feng Yan.”

“Feng Yan?” Jin Shi frowned before glancing suspiciously towards Old Woman Feng, after which the latter coldly snorted, “She is this old woman’s granddaughter. Don’t get any ideas about her, otherwise this old woman will fight with you to the death!”

A hint of awkwardness flashed across Jin Shi’s face as he lightly coughed, “She’s just a junior, how could this old master have any ideas about her? En, no wonder this little girl’s cultivation is so good despite being so young, it turns out she is Senior Sister Feng’s descendant. Alright, little girl, let me ask you, if Senior Sister Feng and I do not compare notes, how should we decide who the Profound Gold belongs to? Since you have already intervened, you must have a proposal regarding this, hurry up and inform us.”

Feng Yan smiled lightly, “In front of Senior Jin, how could this Junior dare insert her opinion?”

“There’s no need to fear, just speak freely, this old master won’t blame you,” Jin Shi said with a temperate expression.

Feng Yan glanced at Old Woman Feng for her approval before continuing, “Since that is the case, Junior will offer her suggestion. Grandmother and Senior Jin are both powerful masters, so it is somewhat inappropriate for the two of you to settle things with each other directly. If by some chance something goes wrong, wouldn’t it push our two Sects into a precarious situation? Now that the Emperor Garden has appeared and no one knows when it will open, having more friends is always better than having more enemies.”

Hearing this, Jin Shi nodded lightly, apparently feeling that what Feng Yan said made sense. Even Old Woman Feng’s face eased greatly as her anger faded.

“Although it is not suitable for the two of you to confront one another, both my Myriad Beast Mountain and Senior Jin’s Demon Blood Temple have sent forces to participate in this attack on Dragon Cave Mountain, so why not let them decide who will claim ownership of the Profound Gold? If Demon Blood Temple’s disciples manage to snatch it, my Myriad Beast Mountain is willing to withdraw and wishes that Senior Jin manages to reach new heights in strength!”

“Oh?” Jin Shi looked at Feng Yan with a faint smile on his lips, “Are you so confident in the disciples of your Myriad Beast Mountain?”

Feng Yan returned the smile and asked, “Is Senior Jin not confident in your Sect’s disciple’s methods?”

Jin Shi’s eyes narrowed slightly before letting out a laugh, “Little girl, there is no need for you to provoke this old master, this old master naturally has full confidence in the methods of his Sect’s disciples. Good, this old master can agree to your proposal, but can your words represent Senior Sister Feng’s opinion as well?”

“Since Yan’er has made this proposal, this old woman will naturally agree!” Old Woman Feng lightly tapped her cane and nodded.

“Since you have said it, I will take it that you really mean it!” Jin Shi coldly snorted before extending his hand to Old Woman Feng. The latter glanced down at it for a moment before clasping it. After exchanging an oath about this agreement, the two masters began completely ignoring one another as they turned all their attention towards the distance, strange smiles appearing on both of their faces.

Both of them were clearly completely confident in their own disciples.

While Dragon Cave Mountain was under siege, it was not just Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, Jin Shi, and Old Woman Feng who were observing from afar. At this moment, at various positions between a dozen and hundreds of kilometres away from Dragon Cave Mountain, there were strong observers pointing and whispering to one another as they spectated this event.

Treasure Trove Pavilion’s auction had happened not long ago, so many of the masters who had come to participate had yet to leave. They had wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to observe the movements of the Emperor Garden, but after several days of nothing happening, these masters found themselves idle. Now that such a good show had appeared, no matter who it was, they were willing to take a look in hopes of finding some small entertainment.