Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain &Dhael Ligerkeys

These black holes were quite similar to Void Cracks and seemed to have always existed here, but had gone completely unnoticed. Only when a Star Emperor Token was brought close would they reveal themselves.

The shape of these holes was also the same as a Star Emperor Token.

Hovering mid-air, there were a total of nine holes, each of which seemed to be subtly connected with the others. These nine token-shaped holes seemed to be connected, forming an array pattern that was beyond Yang Kai’s comprehension!

Nine was a significant number, as Yang Yan had once told Yang Kai that she had produced a total of nine Star Emperor Tokens.

Yang Yan had refused to elaborate on what kind of mystery there was behind this number.

However, it obviously had something to do with this scene!

Yang Kai’s expression became thoughtful as he gradually connected everything he had seen and heard in the past regarding this matter and began formulating a guess as to what Yang Yan had meant.

Shadowed Soul Island was definitely related to Yang Yan, this truth was beyond a shadow of a doubt, otherwise, there wouldn’t be nine tiny Void Cracks here in the shape of Star Emperor Tokens.

Just as Yang Kai was lost in thought, the Star Emperor Token that he had recently acquired flew into a specific hole and covered it tightly, not leaving the slightest gap, as if the Void Crack had been filled or sealed by it.

After a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai flipped his wrist and summoned four more Star Emperor Tokens into his palm.

These four Star Emperor Tokens were obtained by Yang Kai through various chances over the past several dozen years since he entered the Star Field.

One of them was a parting gift from Gui Zu and had originally still contained one of the Great Emperor’s Divine Abilities. However, during the battle with Luo Hai on Scarlet Wave Star, Yang Kai had unsealed this Divine Ability and used it to kill his opponent.

Although the power within it had been used up, the Star Emperor Token remained, and Yang Kai had not discarded it.

The second token was obtained by Yang Kai during his first foray into the Flowing Flame Sand Field.

The third originally belonged to Ye Xi Yun, but was later transferred to Yang Kai.

The fourth had been preserved in the main hall of Star Emperor Mountain.

Counting the Star Emperor Token he obtained today, Yang Kai already had five in his possession.

Of the remaining four pieces, Yang Kai only knew that one belonged to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce while the whereabouts of the other three were a mystery.

After the four Star Emperor Tokens were taken out, they began vibrating, trying to escape from Yang Kai’s control. Remaining calm, Yang Kai allowed them to leave his hand.

Unsurprisingly, these four Star Emperor Tokens were also drawn towards the Void Cracks up in the sky and quickly filled in four of the nine slots.

In the next moment, the five Star Emperor Tokens released a burst of light and a mysterious force began spreading out from them, swiftly covering Yang Kai.

The Saint Qi which had been stagnant in his meridians seemed to receive a strong impetus and began rapidly circulating through Yang Kai’s body.

Feeling this nostalgic sensation, Yang Kai could not help taking a deep breath, feeling refreshed.

At this moment, Yang Kai also confirmed how the Star Emperor Token Ming Yue had in his possession allowed him to use Saint Qi, allowing him to catch Sha Hu off guard.

He must have undergone a similar process here.

What Yang Kai could not determine was whether Ming Yue originally possessed a Star Emperor Token, or if he had accidentally discovered it here.

Ming Yue was dead now though, so there was no way to know.

Yang Kai stood straight like a spear on the spot, staring towards the floating formation fixedly.

Sending his senses towards this formation, Yang Kai sensed his consciousness being drawn far away.

He faintly noticed that a wider world was behind this thin veil! The vitality and excitement of this world far surpassed that of the Star Field where he now stood, and there were no doubt far more powerful cultivators and more terrifying heights there as well.

Yang Kai’s thoughts were immersed in this sensation, and it was some time before he was able to collect himself again.

He wanted to see what that world was like, but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to get a clear picture and could only probe it with his Divine Sense. It was as if his Soul had entered a long channel, one that continued to advance forward without end.

Outside the central region, Sha Hu stood with crossed arms as he quietly gazed inwards.

He did not know why Yang Kai entered this place, but an entire month had passed since he had. Shadowed Soul Island was now under his complete control and all the cultivators who had betrayed him in the past had been swept away. Those that remained had all pledged loyalty to him.

Sha Hu became the Island Master of Shadowed Soul Island again!

On this day, Pang Zhen, Qian Mo, and Shang Ao came together to see Sha Hu.

Shang Ao had not died but was instead imprisoned by Ming Yue and had suffered torture. Even without taking Shadowed Heaven Pills, Shang Ao was able to display excellent combat strength, so one could only imagine how great his strength would grow after taking Shadowed Heaven Pills.

With such a powerful potential subordinate, Ming Yue was naturally reluctant to kill ruthlessly. The original plan was to imprison Shang Ao for some time to dampen his resistance and then find a way to force him to submit, but these plans were obviously all for nought.

After Ming Yue died, Shang Ao was rescued by Qian Mo.

The moment the three of them approached, at the perimeter of the central region, Xiao Xiao, who was still shouldering the Heaven Shaking Pillar, and the Artifact Spirit Liu Yan, who had assumed her enchanting human form, stared towards them vigilantly.

Being locked onto by Xiao Xiao’s and Liu Yan’s Divine Senses, the trio instantly went stiff and did not dare to move.

“They have no malicious intent, there’s no need to be wary of them,” Sha Hu’s mouth twitched as he quickly cupped his fists.

Xiao Xiao’s eyes rolled slightly but remained in place, still assuming a ready stance, prepared to launch an attack at any time. As for Liu Yan, whose sentience was slightly higher, she simply shot Sha Hu a cold glance before retracting her hostility.

Sha Hu could not help feeling somewhat ashamed.

He was also one of the greatest masters on the Limitless Ocean, and after three hundred years of struggle on Shadow Soul Island, despite being unable to use Saint Qi, having consumed so many Shadowed Heaven Pills, Sha Hu firmly believed he was now even stronger than before he came here. However, despite all that, he couldn’t even compare to these two subordinates of Yang Kai.

Needless to say, the stone giant clearly had astonishing power. Without his Saint Qi, Sha Hu knew that even if there were ten of him, he wouldn’t be able to defeat it.

The gorgeous woman’s strength was even more exaggerated. The violent Fire and Thunder Attribute energy which flowed through her body gave Sha Hu even more pressure than the stone giant.

Facing this woman, Sha Hu felt as if he was facing an Origin King, though he did not really know how strong an Origin King was.

After comforting Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan, Sha Hu turned his head to look at Pang Zhen and the others and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Shang Ao and General Qian Mo wanted to express their gratitude to Sect Master Yang,” Pang Zhen replied respectfully.

“I understand,” Sha Hu nodded before turning to Qian Mo and Shang Ao and flashing a bitter smile, “But I’m afraid you’ll have to wait. As you can see, no one can enter this place now, you’ll have to wait for Yang Kai to come out on his own.”

“Then, we’ll wait,” Shang Ao coldly snorted.

After learning that he was able to regain his freedom this time thanks in large part to Yang Kai, Shang Ao wanted to thank him in person. As for Sha Hu, Shang Ao did not take him seriously.

There were deep-rooted grudges between Sea Temple and Sea God Palace and they would not be easily resolved overnight.

Sha Hu obviously understood this and didn’t care about Shang Ao’s indifference, instead asking with interest, “By the way, this old master has been busy cleaning up Shadowed Soul Island these days and has not had time to ask carefully. Pang Zhen, who exactly is Yang Kai, what are his origins?”

Hearing this question, Shang Ao and Qian Mo also could not help showing some interest.

Respect for the strong was universal amongst masters. Qian Mo and Shang Ao were both Generals of Sea God Palace and had both strength and status, but when compared to Yang Kai, they both found themselves lacking.

Living most of their lives in the deep sea, they knew very little about inland matters, even less than Pang Zhen, so they too were curious about Yang Kai’s background.

“Sect Master Yang… is the Sect Master of High Heaven Sect!” Pang Zhen thought for a while and replied solemnly.

“High Heaven Sect?” Sha Hu frowned slightly, “Why hasn’t this old master heard of such a Sect?”

Pang Zhen smiled bitterly, “Martial Uncle disappeared three hundred years ago, so naturally he has not heard of High Heaven Sect as it was only established about fifteen years ago.”

“Fifteen years… en, its heritage must not be deep then,” Sha Hu chuckled softly, “But with a Sect Master like Yang Kai, as long as it is given enough time, it will definitely rise to the level of Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect.”

“Martial Uncle…” Pang Zhen looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union have already faded into history.”

“They have been destroyed?” Sha Hu’s expression filled with shock as he called out in alarm.

“En, they were both destroyed by Sect Master Yang’s High Heaven Sect!”

Sha Hu gasped and both Qian Mo and Shang Ao exchanged a shocked glance.

Although Qian Mo and Shang Ao did not know much about the current inland situation, they had at least heard of Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union as these were behemoths that dominated Shadowed Star’s inland for thousands of years!

“Star Emperor Mountain was also destroyed by him!” Pang Zhen quickly threw out another shocking piece of information.

“What?” Sha Hu was completely astonished now, “Even Star Emperor Mountain was destroyed by him?”

“Yes and no, most of the masters from Star Emperor Mountain joined High Heaven Sect, so the current High Heaven Sect is considered the strongest Sect on Shadowed Star!”

“How does my Sea Temple compare?” Sha Hu asked urgently.

“Inferior in every way,” Pang Zhen spoke the truth, “But because we and High Heaven Sect are from the Limitless Ocean and inland respectively, there isn’t much intersection between us. Moreover, the headquarters of High Heaven Sect is located inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, making it absolutely impregnable to outside attack.”

Sha Hu’s jaw dropped as his thoughts ground to a halt!

He naturally knew about the Flowing Flame Sand Field; after all, it was one of Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones. Normally, no one was able to enter it, yet now he heard High Heaven Sect had actually set up its headquarters inside of it. How was that possible?

Not only Sha Hu was dumbfounded, Qian Mo and Shang Ao were also in a state of stunned disbelief.

Pang Zhen paused here as he too could understand the shock in the hearts of Sha Hu and the two Sea Clan Generals.

Which master on Shadowed Star would not be shocked when they first learned such news? When this information reached the Limitless Ocean, Sea Temple’s leadership were also completely shocked, and the Temple Masters all had trouble sleeping and eating for quite some time, lest Yang Kai’s ambitions stretch out towards the Limitless Ocean.

However, time showed that Yang Kai had no such plans, and after several years of peace and quiet, the Temple Masters of Sea Temple gradually relaxed.

A few days ago, Yang Kai proposed setting up trade with Sea Temple on Sunrise Island, but the Temple Masters had not made any response yet, probably because they were uncertain about Yang Kai’s intentions.