Martial Peak

*Hong…*

With a loud bang and a flash of golden light, Yang Kai was sent flying as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The sturdy shield he condensed from hundreds of Golden Blood Threads had failed to completely block this blow, which shocked him greatly.

However, at the moment of impact, Yang Kai was able to see clearly what he had been attacked by.

It was a long spear over three metres in length and the thickness of a small child’s arm, its whole form radiating a dazzling light and an extraordinary energy fluctuation.

An Origin King Grade artifact!

Although the spear’s main thrust was blocked by the blood shield Yang Kai condensed, the sharp aura it gave off was not completely dissipated and managed to pierce his body, making him feel as if he had been stabbed by countless tiny needles and causing his meridians and physique to ache while his face to distorted.

With the cultivation of the person who launched this sneak attack and the terrifying power of this spear, an ordinary Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator would have been killed instantly, but thanks to his strong foundation and form, Yang Kai was only slightly injured.

From when he left Shadowed Star until now, this was the first encounter Yang Kai had with foreign cultivators, but he never expected that he would actually be attacked by an Origin King with an Origin King Grade artifact.

Yang Kai’s heart filled with anger as he turned his head and glared towards the distant Asteroid Sea like a fierce beast before turning around and flying off into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

After delivering its blow, the long spear which hit Yang Kai flew back the same way it came and landed in the hands of a middle-aged man standing on a huge asteroid.

The middle-aged man had a sinister look about him and wore dark blue robes on his body. A gloomy aura pulsed from his figure, making none dare to approach within ten metres of him.

Holding his artifact, the middle-aged man showed a look of surprise on his face, as if he was shocked he could not kill Yang Kai.

“Interesting. Not only was he able to sense our presence, he even managed to survive after taking this King’s attack,” The middle-aged man smiled fiercely before glancing over in the direction Yang Kai escaped and asking. “Do any of you know who that was?”

Around this man there stood at least twenty Origin Returning Realm masters, all of them above the Second-Order. Hearing this question, these masters exchanged glances before all shaking their heads, indicating that none of them knew who Yang Kai was.

“Since none of you know him, he must really be a passerby,” The middle-aged man pondered for a moment before declaring. “But this matter is very important and there is no room for mistakes, so even if he was just passing by, we cannot let him go.”

“Sir, after taking your blow, will he survive?” Someone asked.

Just now, they all saw the attack this middle-aged man launched and none of them were confident they could take it without dying! Although the other party’s origins were unknown, he was still just an Origin Realm cultivator in the end, so it should be impossible for him to live.

“It never hurts to be cautious. Zhang Fu and Liu Dong, go bring his corpse back to this King!” The middle-aged commanded, clearly thinking that Yang Kai surviving was simply a stroke of luck and he escaped on the verge of death.

“Yes!” Two Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators who were named immediately summoned their Star Shuttles and chased after the escaping Yang Kai.

Thirty thousand kilometres away from where Yang Kai had been attacked, atop a drifting asteroid, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, watching the direction he had come from, waiting quietly.

Although he did not know why that Origin King had just attacked him, judging from how they were stealthily trying to conceal themselves, it was fairly obvious they were lying in ambush for someone, and even if Yang Kai had only passed by on accident, he might have disturbed their plans.

In other words, the other party had attacked him in an attempt to silence the witness to the crime.

That being the case, even if he tried to escape now, the other party would definitely not let him go! Yang Kai was certain someone would come to pursue him soon.

It was precisely because of this judgment that Yang Kai had deliberately stopped and did not leave in a hurry.

After inexplicably suffering such a big loss, how could Yang Kai simply walk away? Although the opponent’s attack was terrifying, Yang Kai also noticed that the one who delivered it was just a First-Order Origin King.

He had even killed Luo Hai, so why would he need to fear a mere First-Order Origin King? Although there was no Star Emperor Token for Yang Kai to use anymore, even if he could not defeat this Origin King, he would have no problem escaping.

Luo Hai had chased Yang Kai for several months through the Star Field back then, causing him extreme distress but never capturing him. Could this unknown First-Order Origin King be faster or more powerful than Luo Hai?

Yang Kai’s guess was correct, and after waiting just half a cup of tea’s time on this asteroid, two rays of light suddenly appeared in the distance. Judging from the brightness and speed of these streaks, the pursuers who had arrived were two Third-Order Origin Realm cultivators.

A sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Yang Kai’s lips but as his pursuers got closer, he quickly put that expression away and instead wore one of panic, hurriedly leapt up from the asteroid, summoned his Star Shuttle, and continued to fly forward.

However, making the most of this act, Yang Kai deliberately moved at much less than his peak speed, pretending his injuries were not light and giving the appearance of an arrow at the end of its flight.

When the two cultivators named Zhang Fu and Liu Dong saw this, they exchanged a knowing glance before following behind Yang Kai at a leisurely pace, intending to play a game of cat and mouse and enjoy this little distraction before killing him.

Flying forward, Yang Kai would occasionally look back, as if he was afraid that he would be overtaken.

This sight made Zhang Fu and Liu Dong even more unscrupulous, not only intentionally tailing behind Yang Kai instead of immediately attacking, but also repeatedly taunting and threatening him.

After an hour, estimating that he had travelled far enough now, Yang Kai suddenly came to a stop, turned around, and stood his ground.

With a flash of light, Zhang Fu and Liu Dong appeared in front of Yang Kai and stood at a distance of about three hundred metres, looking at him mockingly.

The taller Zhang Fu swept his eyes over Yang Kai and snickered, “Boy, you’re pretty good. Even after suffering a blow from Senior Li’s Soul Breaker Spear, you didn’t immediately die. This Zhang is impressed!”

“Senior Li?” Yang Kai frowned, his face pale and gloomy to the extreme, coughing frequently as he asked, “I have no grievances with you, why would your Senior Li attack me? “

Zhang Fu smiled coldly as he casually played with a ring-shaped artifact he was holding as he spoke lightly, “We truly have no grievances or grudges between us, you can only blame your bad luck for passing through here. Heh heh, Senior Li hates it when his plans are interrupted the most.”

“What plans?” Yang Kai asked.

Liu Dong, standing next to Zhang Fu, cut in impatiently, “Brat, you’re about to die, why bother asking so many questions?”

“It is precisely because I’m about to die that I’m asking, so at least I don’t die ignorant!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.

“You want to understand why you’re about to die?” Zhang Fu looked at Yang Kai and sneered.

“Yes!”

“It’s not that I can’t tell you. You-” Zhang Fu said in a joking tone, but Liu Dong interrupted him before he finished.

“Enough nonsense, just hurry up and kill him, it’s important we bring his corpse back to Senior Li as quickly as possible!”

“Fair enough!” Zhang Fu nodded in agreement before he glanced towards the Space Ring on Yang Kai’s hand, “This brat was able to take Senior Li’s strike without dying, so he can’t be an average guy. There must be many good things on him. How about we split whatever is in his ring fifty-fifty?”

“Agreed!” Liu Dong nodded.

The two of them began deciding how to divide up Yang Kai’s belongings before even finishing him off. In any case, Senior Li only said they needed to bring his corpse back, he never said anything about the treasures on him. Naturally, these items would line their pockets as they believed that with his status and strength, Senior Li would disdain to snatch them from them.

“You want my things?” Yang Kai grinned slightly as he suddenly spoke in a cold tone, “I’m afraid they’ll cost you your lives!”

“Insane brat!” Liu Dong snorted coldly, but in the next moment, his complexion changed drastically, and his eyes bulged as he stared towards Yang Kai’s original location, because no one was there.

At some point, Yang Kai had mysteriously vanished.

Suddenly Liu Dong felt a faint chill run across his neck, and he heard Zhang Fu’s horrified shout ring in his ears, “Brother Liu, dodge!”

Liu Dong was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, so the moment he noticed Yang Kai had disappeared, he realized something was not right. Hearing Zhang Fu’s warning, he pushed his Saint Qi to its limits and tried to flee without any hesitation.

But to his horror, the Saint Qi in his body was instantly suppressed by an astonishing Shi, causing not just him, but the space around him to completely freeze.

Could such a powerful Shi really exist? Liu Dong felt his blood run cold as he desperately tried to push his own Shi to resist.

This was a standard part of battle between Origin Realm masters, where the difference in strength between their respective Shis ultimately determined who emerged victoriously.

However, the reality in front of Liu Dong only made him more desperate. The Shi he released from his body was like a snowflake under the scorching sun, melting away in an instant, unable to even take shape.

At that moment, he felt a chill come from his neck and as he gazed down, he saw a headless corpse standing in the void, red blood spraying from its neck like a beautiful fountain.

This person’s clothes, figure, and even the ring on his hand looked so similar to his own.

[I’m already dead?]

Cold sweat leaked from Liu Dong’s forehead as he faintly realized his situation, but soon darkness overtook him, swallowing his consciousness and vitality.

“Can you explain now?” When Yang Kai reappeared, he was already standing just ten metres in front of Zhang Fu, his complexion ruddy with no sign that he was injured at all.

Staring at Zhang Fu coldly, Yang Kai played with a single Golden Blood Thread at his fingertips that waved around like a living snake, looking for an opportunity to strike.

Zhang Fu shuddered as he felt a cold chill from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, his spirit almost collapsing entirely!

Liu Dong, whose strength equalled his own, was decapitated by this young man in a single instant.

When it happened, Zhang Fu only saw a golden light flashing across Liu Dong’s neck, he did not even see how Yang Kai moved.

Did such a powerful Origin Realm cultivator exist in this world?

Even if Senior Li wanted to kill them, he could not have done so this easily, right?

Zhang Fu stood on the spot with a pale face as big beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and slid down his face.