Martial Peak

Behind this awe-inspiring woman was a man who had an extremely peculiar appearance. He had big rounded ears, narrow, slender slit-eyes, and a mouthful of buckteeth, making anyone who saw him want to laugh.

This dreadful buck-toothed, monkey-faced man standing beside this alluring mature woman formed a striking visual contrast, further increasing the woman’s beauty while at the same time making the man appear uglier.

However, it could be seen from the positions of these two that this man was a Junior or Disciple of this noblewoman because he stood behind her with a respectful air about him while the woman only looked forward, not back towards him. This buck-toothed man was also a First-Order Origin Returning Realm, but the Saint Qi fluctuations coming from his body were far denser and purer than ordinary.

When he saw this woman, Yang Kai’s expression sank, not knowing who she was or what she had come here for; however, if she was an enemy, the situation would perhaps become more difficult to handle this time. Facing this woman, Yang Kai faintly felt pressured, a feeling Jin Shi, Old Woman Feng, and all the other masters here were unable to bring him.

This showed that this woman’s strength far exceeded that of all the other masters present.

However, when he saw the monkey-faced man behind this woman, Yang Kai could not help feeling surprised again.

Because he knew this person. This buck-toothed man was Ge Qi, the one who had exchanged a pill with the Star Emperor Token after the last auction at Treasure Trove Pavilion!

Yang Kai had a particularly strong impression of him for various reasons, especially how terrified he was the moment he saw Yang Yan. But it was more than just fear, this man also seemed to be in awe of Yang Yan, even insisting that she called him Xiao Qi!

After meeting such a strange-looking and acting person, how could Yang Kai easily forget him?

Yang Kai also quickly recalled that after he had traded a pill for the Star Emperor Token, the other party had said that his Martial Ancestor would come personally to meet Yang Yan if it was possible. Obviously, the mature beauty standing in front of Ge Qi was this Martial Ancestor.

[Is she an enemy or a friend though?] Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he felt uncertain.

However, the appearance of these two people had succeeded in attracting everyone’s attention, allowing the tense atmosphere to relax somewhat.

Additionally, when the masters from the various great forces clearly saw this woman’s face, they all unconsciously displayed shocked, and even panic-stricken looks, as if they were all afraid of her.

Even Mo Xiao Sheng of Heaven Battling Union and Cheng Peng Xuan of Thunder Typhoon Sect were the same, the two of them exchanging a glance that contained both dread and frustration.

Being from the most powerful Sects on Shadowed Star, no one ordinary was worthy of their attention; the only exception was the mysterious Star Emperor Mountain. Mo Xiao Sheng and Cheng Peng Xuan were both high ranking Elders of their respective forces, commanding immense power and respect, so in order to deter even them, it was clear that the identity and status of this woman were extraordinary.

Yang Kai carefully observed the situation, and although he wasn’t clear who this woman was or what background she had, he could at least tell that she was a famous figure.

“How could it be? Her?” Over on Shadow Moon Hall’s side, Qian Tong also looked like he had seen a ghost, rubbing his eyes twice to confirm he wasn’t seeing things.

Fei Zhi Tu’s jaw had also gone slack, his expression no better than Qian Tong’s.

“Elder, who is this Senior?” Wei Gu Chang asked curiously. This woman had suddenly appeared and said nothing, but still managed to suppress every master present with her mere presence, a feat that inevitably made Wei Gu Chang very curious and somewhat excited.

This was how a true master should be!

“Who is she? She’s the previous Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain…” Qian Tong replied casually with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

Wei Gu Chang trembled in shock as he stared towards this newly arrived woman with awe and reverence. He had not been expecting this Senior’s origin to be so astonishing.

Star Emperor Mountain was the most mysterious and powerful force on Shadowed Star. No one knew how many masters it possessed or how deep their heritage was, but it was rumoured that Star Emperor Mountain had obtained a piece of the Starry Sky Great Emperor’s Inheritance, so even the two other giants of Shadowed Star, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, fell short in terms of power and prestige when facing Star Emperor Mountain.

Fortunately, Star Emperor Mountain never involved itself in external affairs, rarely even making an appearance on Shadowed Star. If this was not the case, how could there be room on Shadowed Star for other Sects to develop? Star Emperor Mountain would have unified Shadowed Star under its rule long ago.

Although Qian Tong’s words were light, they still reached the ears of the woman, who turned her head slightly and directed her pair of phoenix eyes towards him. Being stared at by this woman, Qian Tong could not help feeling his scalp go numb and just barely managed to squeeze out a smile.

The cultivators of the younger generation may not recognize this woman, but all the masters above the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm on the scene were well aware of her name and her terrifying means. Recalling events from when this woman still wielded Star Emperor Mountain over a hundred years ago, Qian Tong became more and more anxious.

Why had she appeared here though?

“This Queen has not appeared in so long, but I never expected to see so many old friends gathered together the moment I came out,” The woman suddenly opened her lips and spoke, the sound of her voice crisp and clear like a gentle spring breeze, relaxing the minds and bodies of those who heard it, “Xiao Qian, Xiao Fei, you two have also reached this boundary. It seems you’ve not been wasting away the years.”

The woman already created a stir when she was silent, but the moment she spoke, it was as if the earth shook.

Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were both high-level Elders of Shadow Moon Hall, but to this woman, they were just ‘Little Qian’ and ‘Little Fei’.

Countless Saint King Realm cultivators’ eyes lowered to the ground and many could not help laughing secretly.

On the other hand, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu could not laugh, both of them exchanging a glance before quickly bowing and cupping their fists, “Greetings, Senior Sister Ye. After one hundred years, Senior Sister Ye is as majestic as ever, truly worthy of celebration!”

“En,” The woman surnamed Ye waved her hand lightly, expressing neither joy nor sorrow on her pretty face, “I am simply passing through life now, what kind of majesty could I command?”

Saying so, she next turned to another side and beckoned, “Little Black, come here!”

Over on Treasure Trove Pavilion’s side, Ren Tian Rui, known as Little Black-Face, heard this and responded unconsciously, wondering why this Senior had suddenly called out to him, but in the next moment, he actually saw his master Yan Pei stride forward with a smile on his face and rushed over to the woman.

Ren Tian Rui was stunned for a moment but soon understood.

It turns out that his Master has gradually grown from Little Black-Face to Old Black-Face…

This Senior had not been calling him out but was instead summoning his Master.

“Yan Pei greets Senior Sister Ye. What instructions does Senior Sister Ye have?” Yan Pei asked respectfully.

“What’s going on here? Why are there so many people gathered?” The woman surnamed Ye furrowed her brow as she inquired lightly.

“It’s like this…” Yan Pei was naturally an eloquent speaker as the chief auctioneer of Treasure Trove Pavilion, so in the least amount of words necessary, he concisely explained the situation without omissions or embellishments of any kind.

Although this brief explanation wasn’t comprehensive, with the wisdom and insight this woman surnamed Ye possessed, she was able to fully understand what had transpired.

After listening to Yan Pei’s narrative, she coldly snorted, “Thinking themselves strong and bullying the weak, they deserved their deaths!”

Saying so, she shot a cold glare towards Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng. These two were already top-ranked masters on Shadowed Star, so being talked down to like this caused both to frown in displeasure. They were both concerned about this Ye woman’s power and prestige, but that was mainly concerning her from more than a hundred years ago. Now, they had both reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm as well, so the other party not giving them any face naturally annoyed them.

What’s more, this woman no longer represented Star Emperor Mountain as she had gone missing more than a hundred years ago. It seemed she had some kind of falling out with Star Emperor Mountain and had disappeared and not been heard from since then.

In other words, she was now just a lone cultivator, so no matter how powerful or famous she was, could she compete against an entire first-class Sect?

Although they felt angry and annoyed, Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng didn’t immediately lash out; after all, they had yet to determine what the other party’s intentions were.

After clearing up what the reason for this gathering of masters was, the woman surnamed Ye suddenly directed her beautiful eyes to Yang Kai and asked the buck-toothed man behind her, “Xiao Qi, is he the one you mentioned?”

Ge Qi nodded respectfully, “Yes, Martial Ancestor. He is the one.”

“And where is that Senior?” The woman surnamed Ye frowned slightly as she whispered to herself, speaking so softly that none of the other cultivators present could clearly hear her, otherwise an uproar would surely have occurred. After thoughtfully glancing at Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array though, the woman surnamed Ye understood that the one she had come here to find was behind this grand Spirit Array.

Thinking so, she showed a warm smile and greeted Yang Kai with a light nod, “Are you called Yang Kai?”

Yang Kai was very on edge, but he managed to maintain an expression which was neither humble nor overbearing as he cupped his fists and replied, “Junior’s name is indeed Yang Kai. May I ask what instructions Senior has that brings her to my humble mountain?”

“It is nothing so exaggerated,” The woman surnamed Ye smiled, her and enchanting style causing everyone to stare at her dumbfounded while those with weaker mental strength and those who had lower cultivation found themselves unable to look away, as if this woman had some kind of invisible attraction which drew in their eyes, “This Queen simply came to see a person this time, and if this Queen is not mistaken, that person should currently be residing in this mountain area. If it is convenient, could Little Brother open this barrier and allow this Queen to enter?”

Her attitude was gentle and temperate, without the slightest trace of hostility, and the tone she used was not one of authority but entreaty, but Yang Kai still frowned, unable to make a decision immediately.

Yang Kai had a fairly good idea about who this woman wanted to meet. In fact, it couldn’t be anyone other than Yang Yan; after all, Ge Qi’s exaggerated reaction when he saw Yang Yan at Treasure Trove Pavilion last time had precipitated this woman’s arrival here.

These two had no interest in him, they were simply here to see Yang Yan.

However, the origins of this woman were still unknown to Yang Kai and he could not be certain whether she was an enemy or a friend. If this woman had some kind of enmity with Yang Yan, wouldn’t he be leading a wolf into a flock of sheep if he opened the barrier?

With this woman’s strength and means, if she were really to enter Dragon Cave Mountain, no one would be able to resist her, giving Yang Kai serious pause.

Seeing this woman surnamed Ye actually speak to Yang Kai in such a genial manner, even using polite words to make a request, Qian Tong and the other masters were dumbstruck.