Martial Peak

The Dragon Bone Sword in Yang Kai’s hand released a pressure akin to a giant mountain that pressed down on the two old men from Brilliant Flame Sect, causing their expressions to distort.

A thunderous dragon roar also resounded in their ears, deafening them.

“Take care of them quickly, I’ll be waiting up ahead,” Yang Kai said casually as he waved his hand to release the Stone Puppet and Firebird Artifact Spirit.

After saying so, Yang Kai did not even glance at the two old men again as he calmly stepped forward.

With this one step, Yang Kai seemed to cross over space, his figure flickering and disappearing before reappearing halfway up the mountain.

“Bold!” The skinny Elder’s face flushed as the naked contempt Yang Kai showed them greatly angered him. In an attempt to chase after Yang Kai, he turned his old figure around and prepared to dash off.

But the moment he acted, a jet black stick struck towards him, releasing an incredible pressure as it approached, as if it weighed a million kilograms, even ripping apart the air as it passed through it.

A harsh whipping sound rang in the old man’s eardrums.

The skinny Elder’s face sank as he hurriedly raised his arms to guard himself while simultaneously releasing a blazing flame around his body.

*Hong…*

The flames were instantly snuffed out as the thin Elder responded like he was struck by lightning, his figure flying out several dozen metres before finally stabilizing, his complexion completely pale as blood leaked from the corners of his mouth.

With one blow, he had been slightly injured.

Looking up in shock, the skinny Elder only saw a stone man less than a metre in height standing in front of him, carrying a long black stick on its shoulder, its small beady eyes showing a lifelike intelligence as it stared at him like he was prey.

On the other side, a crisp bird cry rang out as the dark-skinned old man battled the Firebird high up in the sky. The two figures exchanged volleys of flames, creating an intense and dazzling display that shook space itself.

“What the hell is this?” The skinny Elder muttered dumbfoundedly.

He could vaguely tell that the Firebird which was fighting with his companion was some kind of Artifact Spirit, but he had no clue what the stone man in front of him was.

There was no energy fluctuation coming from this thing’s body, but it still radiated a tyrannical aura he could not ignore.

“Ohhhhhhhh…” Xiao Xiao suddenly roared towards the Heavens as he pounded his chest with his fist, raising a resounding clatter that shook the soul like a great war drum.

As this sound rang out, the Stone Puppet, which was less than a metre tall, rapidly grew in size to become a dozen-metre-tall stone giant!

The long black stick it was shouldering also grew proportionally in size.

In addition, a scorching, dark-red light began radiating from the Stone Puppet’s body and covered it with a layer of lava armour in an instant!

This lava armour released a terrifying energy that caused the old man’s heart to clench.

In the next moment, the knees of the lava giant bent and its huge body shot out like an arrow from the string, shaking the earth and opening a giant pit where it once stood.

In a flash, the skinny Elder saw the lava giant rush up to him and swing its giant stick down towards his head with an unstoppable momentum that cracked the very space around him.

Perceiving the terrifying power contained in this attack, the skinny Elder roared as he dared not take it lightly, hastily using his Movement Skill to dodge.

However, despite his rapid reaction, the incoming attack was still faster.

Although he was only grazed by this attack, half his body went numb and his Saint Qi circulation became chaotic.

There was no hope of resistance!

The skinny Elder’s eyes shrank violently as he realized how big the gap between him and this lava giant was.

Before he could compose himself though, the pitch-black stick once again attacked from above, pressing down on him like Mount Tai.

The skinny Elder’s pupils shrank to the size of needles as he desperately pushed his Saint Qi and roared while summoning a shield-like artifact to protect his head.

*Hong Hong…*

The giant stick fell, and the shield artifact shattered into tiny fragments that shot off in all directions.

The power of Xiao Xiao’s attack remained undiminished as it smashed down towards the skinny Elder, pounding half his body into a paste and exposing his internal organs to the open air.

Even with such a grim injury, the skinny Elder did not immediately die, and if he could get his hands on powerful enough pills quick enough, he may even be able to recover.

But the fear that had been pounded into his heart made him lose all fighting spirit.

Staring blankly at the pitch-black giant stick that swept towards him once more, only one thought flickered across his mind.

[What the hell is this…]

At the end of his life, the last scene the skinny Elder saw was his companion being swallowed by the Firebird as the former howled miserably!

The black stick swept across and minced meat flew out, staining the surrounding world in red.

A ball of thunder fire flew out from the corpse of the skinny Elder, and the Firebird Artifact Spirit immediately inhaled it, like a whale drinking water, pulling the thunder fire into its belly before letting out a satisfied cry.

On top of the volcano, Yang Kai stood mid-air, looking down into the fierce volcanic crater that was filled with surging crimson lava as far as he could see.

The intense temperature around the peak of this volcano would be unbearable even for an ordinary Origin Realm master, and any cultivator below the Origin Realm master would certainly be burned to death in an instant just by standing here.

The Artifact Spirit flew over to Yang Kai’s side while the Stone Puppet resumed its harmless appearance, carrying the Heaven Shaking Pillar on its shoulder as it sat atop the Firebird Artifact Spirit.

“That was fast, you guys are also a little too violent.” Yang Kai grinned.

The Stone Puppet scratched his head, as if he did not know what Yang Kai was talking about, while the Artifact Spirit merely let out a cheerful chirp.

“Xiao Xiao, you come back for now,” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and sent the Stone Puppet into the Sealed World Bead, leaving only the Firebird Artifact Spirit behind.

The Firebird flew circles around Yang Kai letting out crisp tweets from time to time, seeming extremely excited, several times almost rushing directly into the volcanic crater.

Along with its cries, however, a thumping sound echoed from deep inside the volcano, as if responding to Firebird’s provocation.

“You can sense it, right?” Yang Kai squinted towards the volcanic crater and grinned.

The Firebird responded affirmatively.

“Can you defeat it?” Yang Kai asked again.

The Firebird went silent for a moment, before letting out an even louder cry.

“Okay, if that’s the case, then I look forward to your success. However, you need to be sure about this; there is no turning back once you begin, and if you don’t succeed, only oblivion will await you!”

The Firebird responded with a loud cry again.

“En, I understand. Then… good luck,” Yang Kai nodded solemnly before immediately waving his hand and summoning a massive Artifact Refining Furnace.

This was the Artifact Refining Furnace that gave birth to the Firebird Artifact Spirit. It was brought out by Yang Kai from the Earth Lung Fire Pond in the fifth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field.

It was the Firebird’s true body!

If the Artifact Refining Furnace was destroyed, the Firebird would perish together with it without any doubt.

Since obtaining the Firebird Artifact Spirit, Yang Kai had basically never used this Artifact Refining Furnace, first for the safety of the Artifact Spirit, and secondly because he did not need to use it.

But this time, he had not hesitated to summon this Artifact Refining Furnace.

By coordinating with its true body, the strength the Artifact Spirit could display would increase by at least twenty percent.

As soon as the Artifact Refining Furnace appeared, the Firebird opened its mouth and swallowed it into its belly.

Yang Kai closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, his left eye had become golden in colour.

Demon Eye of Annihilation!

The golden pupil in his left eye now seemed to contain an endless majesty that made all who saw it shudder in fear.

Looking down again, everything which had previously been hidden was revealed to Yang Kai.

The Demon Eye of Annihilation was able to see through all illusions, and with its help, Yang Kai immediately discovered the huge Spirit Array which was sealing the volcanic crater.

Stream of pure energy, like giant shackles, locked the entire volcanic crater from eight different directions.

This Spirit Array not only sealed the violent energy of the volcano inside its caldera, it also chained the creature which was hidden down below in place.

Yang Kai observed carefully for a moment before his eyes flashed with light and he began pouring his Saint Qi into the Dragon Bone Sword in his hand.

A thunderous dragon roar shook the sky.

“Go!” Yang Kai threw out the Dragon Bone Sword.

In a dazzling flash of green light, the Dragon Bone Sword transformed into a giant dark green dragon and bombarded a certain point in the sky with an unstoppable charge.

The Eight Shackles Spirit Array that was sealing the volcanic crater shook slightly as a small gap was opened in it.

A scorching aura immediately burst from this opening, burning everything in its path.

“Enter!” Yang Kai shouted.

The Firebird Artifact Spirit turned into a stream of light and rushed into the opening, quickly followed by Yang Kai.

The Eight Shackles Spirit Array shook slightly before it repaired itself, continuing to seal off the huge volcanic crater.

Inside the Spirit Array, Yang Kai’s face changed slightly as he hurriedly circulated his Saint Qi to resist the pervasive burning heat.

The Firebird meanwhile shot towards the base of the volcanic crater.

Looking around, the magma inside the volcano was rolling, and along the red lava, faintly flashes of blue lightning swam about like snakes. The entire caldera stirred, as if stimulated by the Firebird Artifact Spirit, like a sleeping dragon slowly awakening.

The Artifact Spirit rushed into the magma in the next instant and disappeared.

A moment later, an astonishing pressure suddenly erupted as a thunderous voice rang out.

“A trivial Artifact Spirit dares challenge this King’s majesty? A foolish ant that knows not its place! Tremble before my power!”

Yang Kai’s body trembled as he stared downwards in amazement, his gaze seemingly penetrating the thick magma and staring directly into the depths of the earth.

It seemed the rumours were true. Brilliant Flame Sect’s Heavenly Thunder Fire had indeed obtained sentience, and… this sentience was not low, at least more complete than the Firebird.

It was able to clearly convey its thoughts and meaning while the Firebird obviously did not have such ability.

The Firebird was clearly in a dire situation, causing Yang Kai to worry.

Before coming here, he had not expected the Heavenly Thunder Fire to have evolved to this level. He thought that the Heavenly Thunder Fire was at best on the same level as the Firebird, but now it seemed that the Heavenly Thunder Fire was superior.

Beneath the volcanic crater, a shocking struggle began between the Firebird Artifact Spirit and the Heavenly Thunder Fire, causing the World Energy aura which pervaded Brilliant Flame Sect to tumble.