Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

The situations of Chang Qi and Hao An were almost exactly the same as that of Ning Xiang Chen, but the two of them had long known the phenomenal power of Dragon Cave Mountain’s Spirit Arrays. Therefore, after picking a spot to defend, they were acting in a far more calm and relaxed manner.

From time to time, some enemies would appear in front of them in a state of bewilderment and would be killed unceremoniously.

After Yang Yan returned to take control of Dragon Cave Mountain’s defences, she used the various Spirit Arrays she had arranged to split up the enemy forces and slowly guide them towards the positions where Chang Qi and Hao An were waiting.

As such, Chang Qi and Hao An were having an even easier time than Ning Xiang Chen.

The Saint King Realm invaders, who were significantly weaker than Chang Qi and Hao An from the start, had their Saint Qi further suppressed by Dragon Cave Mountain’s Spirit Arrays, so they were unable to last even three breaths in a fight while even the First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators were forced into a desperate struggle. As time passed, they too began falling one after another.

The number of cultivators from the Xie Family, Sea Heart Sect, and Flowing Cloud Valley began decreasing at a terrifying rate, sending those who were still alive into a state of panic. Every time an anguished scream rang out, the fear of the survivors inside this forsaken place increased, making all of them wish they had never come here in the first place. Many of them secretly vowed that if they were able to escape this calamity, they would never come near Dragon Cave Mountain again.

Xie Li, on the other hand, had not encountered any kind of danger, but he and the several Saint Kings trapped together with him in this Illusion Array were unable to escape and quickly became anxious like ants on a hot wok.

The Spirit Arrays arranged by Yang Yan already exceeded the limits of Shadowed Star, so it was naturally effortless to keep a few people trapped like this.

On the left flank of Dragon Cave Mountain, the old man from Myriad Beast Mountain managed to lead a number of his Sect’s disciples to break through the horde of Fire Spirit Beasts and arrive at the inner depths of Dragon Cave Mountain.

Looking at the elaborate lofts and large open scenery up ahead, the surviving Myriad Beast Mountain cultivators shivered with excitement and rushed forward at full speed.

A moment later, the crowd arrived at what seemed to be a safe location and glanced back with fear. Fortunately for them, the inexhaustible Fire Spirit Beasts did not pursue them after they left a certain range, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief.

The old man riding his Blue Eyes Blood Toad narrowed his eyes and glanced around to find that only eight of his subordinates remained with him, causing his heart to sink.

When he entered this place, there were forty cultivators in his group, but now, only eight remained. Two of these survivors were First-Order Origin Realm masters while the rest were just Saint Kings, and each and every one of them had visible injuries.

What kind of place was this Dragon Cave Mountain? Just crossing the periphery had cost them so many lives so who could say what kind of dangers lay ahead of them?

Thinking so, the old man stopped his pulse from racing as thoughts of retreating came to mind, but he knew that returning the way they came was impossible because they would have to once again face the horde of Fire Spirit Beasts.

The only option now was to capture the king!

The old man squinted towards the cave where all the cultivators in this area seemed to be gathered and a trace of cruelty flashed across his eyes.

However, in the next instant, the old man’s expression cramped up because a young man with a sturdy figure appeared not far away with a sarcastic grin on his lips and a cold glint in his eyes.

Whether the other party was originally there or suddenly appeared, the old man was uncertain, but he naturally recognized that this young man was none other than the owner of Dragon Cave Mountain and the one who had won the Profound Gold at the recent auction: Yang Kai!

He was no different from the description in the information, only a trivial Third-Order Saint King!

What made the old man truly rejoice was that the other party had boldly appeared by himself, like a tiny mantis trying to stop a runaway cart. Even if his group had suffered heavy losses arriving here, there were still three Origin Realm masters and five Saint King Realm cultivators together with him, not to mention that he himself was a Second-Order Origin Realm master, so there shouldn’t be any problem capturing this boy.

The only thing to worry about was whether this boy was plotting something!

Considering all this, the old man pointed and shouted angrily, “Boy, you dare make enemies of my Myriad Beast Mountain? Today I’ll make you die without a burial!”

“Shameless boasting!” Yang Kai snickered, “After daring to invade my Dragon Cave Mountain, your life and death are no longer yours to control!”

Yang Kai was disinclined to say anything more to this group, so he simply shouted, “Yang Yan!”

As soon Yang Kai called out, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, the exquisite lofts and open fields distorting and being replaced by a vast expanse of green grassland.

“Illusion Array?” The old man’s face changed slightly. He never thought that Dragon Cave Mountain would arrange such a profound Spirit Array in such a place. Logically, the periphery and core regions of a force would be filled with powerful defensive barriers, not the space between the two where nothing of importance was housed. So, generally, there should not be any Spirit Arrays. After all, this was ordinarily the location where the force’s cultivators lived and worked; if a disciple accidentally triggered a dangerous Spirit Array, wouldn’t that result in more harm than good?

This logic was why the old man from Myriad Beast Mountain and his subordinates had rushed over when they saw an open space just now.

Little did they know that what they thought was safe harbour was the location of another powerful Spirit Array.

Dragon Cave Mountain was just a small hilltop so there should not have been a reason for them to arrange so many Spirit Arrays. Did they anticipate that a day would come when they would be invaded by powerful enemies?

How could this old man have understood the strange thoughts of Yang Yan? In truth, the reason why Dragon Cave Mountain had so many Spirit Arrays arranged all over the place was entirely because Yang Yan wanted to use this method to unlock the Spirit Array and Artifact Refining knowledge buried in her subconscious mind.

Only by constantly arranging Spirit Arrays would Yang Yan be able to recall more of her original knowledge about Spirit Arrays.

In short, the arrangement of Spirit Arrays on Dragon Cave Mountain did not follow common sense at all.

After falling into the Illusion Array, the old man did not panic however, because his strength wasn’t weak. Laughing wildly, he shouted, “You think a trivial Illusion Array is enough to put this old master to death? You look down on this old master far too much!”

“I never said anything about killing you with this Illusion Array,” Yang Kai sneered.

“Then what were you planning on doing? If you have some other shocking means, feel free to display them!” The old man smiled proudly, “Today, this old master will let you understand the gap between you and me.”

“Sure, but there is no need to be so restless, I’ll be right back! Wait for me here patiently, okay?” Yang Kai nodded lightly before his figure strangely and rapidly began fading away.

“You want to run?” The old man shouted furiously as he released his Divine Sense and sent a burst of scarlet light towards the position where Yang Kai stood.

However, the old man was a step too late as Yang Kai’s figure disappeared before the scarlet light could hit him.

The old man’s expression became extremely gloomy!

He had allowed Yang Kai to escape from him, proving that this Illusion Array was not simple! No matter how he tried, the old man was unable to figure out how this boy had managed to evade his sight and Divine Sense, nor did he know what Yang Kai was planning on doing.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to the old man and he quickly scanned his surroundings, his face turning green in the next instant.

The two Origin Realm masters and five Saint King Realm juniors that had been accompanying him had mysteriously disappeared, as if the only one trapped in this Illusion Array was him.

When he thought about what Yang Kai said just now, the old man immediately understood what this boy was going to do and his heart filled with rage. Roaring hysterically, he summoned a one-handed hatchet filled with malevolent aura and poured his Saint Qi into it before ruthlessly slashing the air, trying to destroy the illusion in front of him.

He did not even notice when he had fallen into this Spirit Array, so he naturally had no idea how to crack it and could only use the crudest method of breaking it by force.

The grade of this one-handed hatchet artifact certainly was not low, reaching the Origin Grade Mid-Rank. Although the Artifact Refiners of Shadowed Star were not capable of refining such an artifact, such items could still be obtained from ancient ruins so albeit rare, they still existed.

After pouring his Saint Qi into this one-handed hatchet, the old man swung it to release a giant black wave which flew out several dozen metres before smashing into the air, creating a loud buzzing sound and producing an amazing shockwave.

However, such an attack obviously was not enough to destroy this Illusion Array, not to mention that this Spirit Array was currently being controlled by Yang Yan.

After releasing five such attacks and consuming a great deal of Saint Qi, the old man stayed his hand as a dark expression filled his face. Silently, he waited and observed his surroundings.

He believed that Yang Kai would appear again soon.

Sure enough, after the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, a blurry figure suddenly emerged out of thin air and, as it solidified, it revealed Yang Kai’s appearance.

The old man’s eyes were instantly drawn to Yang Kai’s face and clothes because there were several fresh blood stains on them now, seemingly having been spattered onto him. There was also some lingering Monster Qi in this fresh blood.

As a master from Myriad Beast Mountain, this old man was naturally familiar with this aura. It was the blood of powerful Monster Beasts, and the only cultivators around who possessed such powerful Monster Beasts came from his Myriad Beast Mountain.

“What happened to my subordinates?” The old man glared at Yang Kai and asked coldly.

“Why ask something you already know? Since I have returned, what fate do you think befell your disciples?” Yang Kai sneered. Two First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators and five Saint Kings were not enough to trouble Yang Kai here on Dragon Cave Mountain.

After all, when he was just a Second-Order Saint King, Yang Kai was able to kill First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, so now that he had Yang Yan controlling the various Spirit Arrays here to assist him, if he couldn’t solve these invaders he would really have cultivated all these years in vain.

Although he already had some speculation in his heart, the old man still grit his teeth when he heard this response and nodded, “Good! Good! Daring to slaughter my subordinates, from today onwards, my Myriad Beast Mountain and you cannot exist under the same sky!”

Even though he was making such a dramatic declaration, the old man’s face remained incredibly calm.

Seeing this, Yang Kai was incredibly surprised. Unexpectedly, even at this moment, this old guy was able to restrain his anger. It seemed that this old man’s mental fortitude was commendable. Yang Kai immediately raised his vigilance while maintaining an arrogant and rampant facade, “How Myriad Beast Mountain acts from today onward is none of your concern old dog, because today, you will die here!”