Martial Peak

Inside a deep underground secret room, a Void Crack suddenly appeared, and Yang Kai’s figure fell out, his face still covered in some lingering fear.

It was not that Fang Peng did not know he could tear space, but he had still set up such a destructive trap. Likely, Fang Peng understood that he would not be able to preserve Thunder Typhoon Sect’s headquarters, so instead of allowing Yang Kai to pick through it with impunity, he had decided to take the initiative to destroy it. Additionally, perhaps Fang Peng was hoping that, by some stroke of luck, Yang Kai would not notice the Profound Explosion Crystals until it was too late.

Even if it was uncertain, it was worth a shot!

In any case, Fang Peng’s plan had failed. Now, before the Profound Explosion Crystals burst, Yang Kai had escaped, and following the direction the strange Spirit Array had appeared from, travelled deep underground.

Inside the underground secret room, which was only dimly lit, five people lay on the ground, their breathing clearly somewhat shallow.

Yang Kai could see immediately that these people would die soon so he could not help frowning.

It seemed that the five of them were the ones who had acted just now; after all, in such a big Sect that boasted ten thousand years of history, there would always be some people who were willing to stay and die with the Sect at the most dangerous moment, giving their lives for it.

“You really didn’t die; Fang Peng wasn’t mistaken!” A weak voice came from the side, and when Yang Kai looked over, he saw a skinny yellow-faced old man lying there staring back at him with a look of disbelief and some slight unwillingness, “Space Force truly deserves its reputation!”

“Senior’s praise is unwarranted!” Yang Kai snorted before walking over and stopping about five steps in front of this yellow-faced old man, “Even knowing that this kind of petty plot couldn’t kill me, Fang Peng still made the five of you stay behind just to die? He truly is ruthless!”

The yellow-faced old man simply chuckled in between gasps, “He did not ask us to stay, we asked him to let us stay. Boy, you are going to try to sow discord even in this situation?”

A slightly awkward light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes before he chose to remain silent.

The yellow-faced old man let out a slight cough before continuing, “The five of us didn’t have long to live, so if we could bury you along with us, it would naturally be a huge gain. This was the last act we could do for our Sect before dying, so even knowing the chances were slim, we had to try.”

“The dying need not speak so much nonsense,” Yang Kai spat disinterestedly, “Tell me where Fang Peng is and I’ll leave your corpse whole!”

“Haha, seems you’re one for straight talk, Little Boy. En, if I had met you a few hundred years earlier, perhaps this old master would have wanted to become friends! Fang Peng said… he said…”

“What did he say?”

“He said you can go to Star Emperor Mountain… to find him!” The yellow-faced old man seemed to have exhausted the last of his strength squeezing out these few words, his vitality completely disappearing once he was done.

The other four in the room had already departed for the next world while Yang Kai and the yellow-faced old man were talking.

Frowning as he glanced around at these five, Yang Kai slowly shook his head. Not having any interest in moving them, he stretched out his hand and swiped the air in front of him, opening up a Void Crack into which he disappeared.

…..

Above Thunder Typhoon Canyon, High Heaven Sect’s Starship hovered mid-air and opened its main hatch wide, allowing Ye Xi Yun and the others to rush outside and scan the area anxiously.

The explosion had subsided, but when they looked around, the originally magnificent Thunder Typhoon Sect headquarters had been reduced to rubble and a giant crater over a thousand kilometres in diameter had appeared.

Yang Kai, however, was nowhere to be seen!

Everyone felt as if their hearts were caught in their throats.

If it were not for the Starship’s protective barrier, the intense explosions just now would likely have killed all of them, let alone Yang Kai who was likely at the centre of the blast.

Everyone was worried about him, worried he had fallen here.

“Are you looking for me?” A voice suddenly came from behind, shocking everyone and causing them all to turn their heads around to discover Yang Kai standing not far away, completely unscathed.

Everyone’s expressions became extremely weird as they did not even notice when Yang Kai appeared, as if he had suddenly materialized out of thin air.

“Yang Kai, are you okay?” Qian Tong asked hurriedly.

“I’m fine, let’s go inside first,” Yang Kai stepped into the Starship, turning around once to beckon the others to follow.

A short time later, the Starship turned around and flew out of Thunder Typhoon Canyon.

Inside the Starship, Yang Kai briefly recounted the results of this trip, drawing a sigh from everyone’s lips.

“Those five should be the Grand Elders of Thunder Typhoon Sect, each of them at least one or two generations older than Old Fei and myself!” Qian Tong whispered, “Actually, all great forces have such characters, there are even a few in Shadow Moon Hall, but they normally don’t involve themselves in worldly affairs and are in seclusion all year round. Unless some major event occurs, like a threat to the Sect’s existence, they will not appear, choosing to die from old age instead!”

“En, although those five were enemies, their actions are still worthy of admiration,” Fei Zhi Tu nodded lightly to the side.

“Regardless of whether they are respectable or not, Fang Peng has now escaped to Star Emperor Mountain, which saves me from wasting time to find him,” Yang Kai snorted softly. If Fang Peng had gone into hiding, it would truly be troublesome to look for him as he could be anywhere on Shadowed Star, but since he had chosen to retreat to Star Emperor Mountain, it made life much easier for Yang Kai.

The Starship’s next destination was Star Emperor Mountain, after all!

Fang Peng had likely guessed this too, so he had chosen to go there to wait.

“Great Elder,” Yang Kai raised his head to look at Ye Xi Yun, “Now that we’ve reached this point, I believe you should have nothing left to hide. I haven’t asked you anything about Star Emperor Mountain before, but now, I have no choice. Please explain its situation to us, the more detailed the better.”

“this Queen never intended to conceal anything, it’s just that Sect Master never asked about it before,” Ye Xi Yun brushed her hair back behind her ear, “Since Sect Master wants to know, this Queen will naturally explain everything she knows.”

“Good!” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction.

“Uh… Yang Kai, should Old Fei and I leave?” Qian Tong hesitated. Understanding that Yang Kai and Ye Xi Yun’s discussion would be about the secrets of Star Emperor Mountain, he felt awkward remaining.

“No need, there are no outsiders here,” Yang Kai waved his hand.

“Then… alright,” Qian Tong no longer insisted, sitting back down as he looked towards Ye Xi Yun and Yang Kai, listening intently. He was also quite curious about Star Emperor Mountain; after all, this great force had always been extremely mysterious, but it was still the undisputed strongest force on Shadowed Star.

“Where should I start?” Ye Xi Yun wrinkled her brow slightly, as if trying to find the appropriate words. After a while, she continued, “The outside rumours that say Star Emperor Mountain is related to the Great Emperor are not groundless; in fact, they’re essentially true! Star Emperor Mountain is best described as a branch of the Supreme Profound Sect!”

“A branch of the Supreme Profound Sect?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded.

“Yes!”

“Supreme Profound Sect?” Qian Tong frowned, “What Sect is this? Why haven’t I ever heard of it before?”

Fei Zhi Tu also shook his head slowly, indicating he too had no idea about this force.

Yang Kai grinned and explained, “The site occupied by my High Heaven Sect was the former headquarters of Supreme Profound Sect. It was an ancient Sect which dissolved over ten thousand years ago. You two never having heard of it is understandable.”

“So that’s it!” Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu nodded in understanding.

“Please continue, Great Elder,” Yang Kai motioned.

“Supreme Profound Sect was the place where the Great Emperor resided on Shadowed Star, and it was also the force which was nourished by the Great Emperor. But because a terrible enemy on par with the Great Emperor appeared one day, a catastrophic battle broke out. Although the Great Emperor emerged victoriously, she then fell into a deep sleep after that great battle to heal and the region around Supreme Profound Sect became the Flowing Flame Sand Field. Sect Master should know all these things.”

“En, I’ve heard these details before,” Yang Kai gently nodded.

Yang Kai wore a casual expression as he truly had learned about this history some time ago, allowing him to remain calm. On the other hand, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu’s eyes were bulging at this moment and their breathing had become quick as astonished expressions filled their faces.

Although Ye Xi Yun had only said a few words, it was enough for them to glean some incredible information.

The rumoured Starry Sky Great Emperor, who could cover the Heavens with one hand, actually had an enemy who could rival her! And during some kind of fierce battle, even though she managed to kill that enemy, the Great Emperor seemed to have been seriously injured.

Did that enemy have the same cultivation as the Great Emperor? This was a frightening thought.

After the two of them fought, the Flowing Flame Sand Field appeared on Shadowed Star…

Moreover, listening to the meaning of Ye Xi Yun’s words, the Great Emperor seemed to still be alive and was only asleep right now!

As a legendary figure, the Starry Sky Great Emperor’s prestige was rooted deeply in the hearts of all cultivators, and her strength was undisputed. According to legend, she could pluck the moon from the sky, destroy whole Cultivation Stars in a single attack, and traverse the entire Star Field in a single day.

There were simply too many legends about the Great Emperor, most of them fantastical and near unbelievable. Although Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had profound respect for the Great Emperor, they had never thought such a powerful existence was still alive.

At this moment, when they heard such secrets for the first time, the shock in their hearts was beyond describable, and both of them lost their composure and ability to even think for quite some time.

This was also because Ye Xi Yun was the one saying these things, allowing them to somewhat believe them. If someone else had been telling this story, the two of them would likely just sneer.

“Regardless of the outcome of that great battle, Supreme Profound Sect was deeply affected, suffering heavy losses with very few survivors. Those who did survive that calamity could only move elsewhere. They were the founders of Star Emperor Mountain!” Ye Xi Yun began speaking again, pulling Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu attention back to reality.

“On Star Emperor Mountain, there is a portrait of the Great Emperor, so this Queen on that day…” Ye Xi Yun hesitated here, not sure if she should finish her words.

Yang Kai, however, knew what she wanted to say.

The reason she showed such reverence and respect towards Yang Yan when she saw her was because Ye Xi Yun recognized that Yang Yan was the Great Emperor as her image perfectly matched with the portrait which had been passed down in Star Emperor Mountain since ancient times.

Ye Xi Yun had studied the Great Emperor’s portrait countless times over the past few hundred years.

“The ancient founders of Star Emperor Mountain decreed that Star Emperor Mountain only existed to serve the Great Emperor, and that the Great Emperor would awaken again one day. At that time, Star Emperor Mountain was to become the Great Emperor’s right arm! For over ten thousand years, every generation Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain has abided by these ancient teachings, never involving themselves in the matters of the outside world, nor interfering in external grudges or grievances; only calmly waiting for the day when the Great Emperor would awaken. During the hundreds of years this Queen led Star Emperor Mountain, she too upheld this philosophy and mindset.”