Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Danny

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

After spending a little time, Yang Kai finally managed to seal the Demon Qi again and restore his normal condition.

This action used up all the sealing power that the Firmament Tree had accumulated with difficulty. The gold and silver colours could no longer be seen on the Firmament Tree, which was planted in the medicine garden of the Sealed World Bead; instead, it looked a little wilted and Yang Kai figured he must have drawn too much power from it.

With a small sigh, Yang Kai stretched his hand and took out a jade bottle in which there was a drop of viscous liquid.

It was the Supreme Divine Water! Yang Kai had managed to trade with an Emperor Realm Master who went to the Azure Sun Temple to participate in his Grand Canonization Ceremony not too long ago for this treasure, but he did not expect it to come in handy so soon.

The Supreme Divine Water could promote the growth of Spirit Herbs, greatly shortening their maturation period; however, such a treasure was rare and valuable, and only a few people could get their hands on it by luck. The sealing power of the Firmament Tree was exhausted, and Yang Kai had to plan early and use the Supreme Divine Water to replenish its reserves.

Otherwise, if he was forced to use his Demon Transformation again, he would not have any sealing power to relieve himself from the crisis.

After using his Demon Transformations several times, Yang Kai found that the more he unsealed the Ancient Demon Qi, the more sealing power was needed to re-seal it.

According to his estimation, he would only be able to transform another two or three times at most before he would no longer be able to seal the Ancient Demon Qi. After that, he would be reduced to a mindless Demon forever if he were to use his Demon Transformation.

Perhaps… The Dragon Transformation Secret Technique could be used as a way to counter this issue. When he used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique during his Demon Transformation his mind was much clearer than the previous two transformations. It was apparent that the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique had some ability to restrain the side-effects of his Demon Transformation. At the very least, he was able to maintain his consciousness without losing himself.

Should he finally agree to Zhu Qing's request and visit Dragon Island with her? There were a large number of Dragon Blood Flowers on Dragon Island that could be harvested and refined into Dragon Blood Pills, which could help him perfect his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique.

However, Zhu Qing went to the Frozen Earth in the far north, and there had been no news from her so far, so Yang Kai didn't even know if she was dead or alive.

He shook off these thoughts and checked his condition again.

There were no big issues with his physical body, it was only slightly weakened after the Demon Qi crisis. He only needed a few days of cultivation to recuperate.

On the contrary, Yang Kai was rather shocked at the trauma on his Soul.

Although everything he experienced was just an illusion, his Soul had taken part in everything in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld; and in that lifelike environment, Yang Kai had completely forgotten his original identity and came to think of himself as Shaman Niu.

All of the damage suffered by Shaman Niu had directly and intuitively affected his Soul.

The terrifying battle with Mo Duo had caused him serious injuries, but the horrifying attack by Great Demon God from across Worlds at the last moment was even more unimaginable. Yang Kai highly doubted that he would have survived if his Soul was not being protected by the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus.

This Supreme Treasure was the one that kept his Soul intact and allowed him to return to reality. If anyone else encountered something like that, they would definitely not be able to return alive.

All illusions could confuse truth with falsehood, not to mention a top-grade Sealed World like the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld.

Yang Kai felt an instinctual sense of fear, and at the same time, unspeakable exhaustion swept over him, making him want to pass out and fall asleep immediately.

However, he still remembered that he was in the territory of another, and he had entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda more than two years ago, completely breaking the agreement he had with Star Soul Palace, so he did not know what kind of inquiries he would be facing after going out.

He opened his hand and found that the butterfly-shaped key was still resting on it, its cold touch assuring Yang Kai that everything he had experienced before was not just a dream, but was something that really happened.

Tiea had transformed into a butterfly, which then transformed into a key before him.

He called out softly, but there was no response.

The once vivid butterfly was now like a cold dead object, without even the slightest spirituality. Yang Kai could not even detect the slightest trace of anything out of the ordinary from it. The butterfly key at this moment looked like something that could be seen at a roadside stall. Except for its novelty in design, there was nothing unusual about it.

However, this was actually an entire Sealed World! With it, the future development of High Heaven Palace would be even better.

Yang Kai closed his hand around it before carefully placing it into the Sealed World Bead.

Slowly, Yang Kai got up and looked around, soon realizing that he was in a hall that looked somewhat familiar. There was nothing but a glimmering door not far away. Even after pondering carefully, Yang Kai just could not remember when the last time he had been to this place was or even where this was.

However, the radiating door should be the exit.

He took a deep breath, then took a step forward.

His vision blurred as he passed through the door, and arrived at another place.

The extremely fierce power fluctuations surrounding Yang Kai startled him, and he instinctually thought someone was attacking him, but in the next moment, a familiar voice sounded in his ears, "Senior Brother Yang, you came out?"

Yang Kai squinted slightly, his eyes following the voice and soon landing on a beautiful, elegant, and somewhat pale face.

He could not help being in a daze, as if he was still trapped in the identity of Shaman Niu. Two years was neither long nor short, but in that ancient world, Yang Kai experienced an entire cycle of growth from weak to strong, life and death. It was a splendid life, and it diluted his memory of other things. At this moment, he still could not completely distinguish the boundary between reality and fantasy.

"Princess… Lan Xun?" Yang Kai finally saw the person's face clearly and blurted the name as soon as it popped into his mind. This name gradually overlapped with the figure in front of him, finally allowing him to confirm the identity of the person.

The smile on Lan Xun's face slowly receded, obviously sensing Yang Kai's abnormality and asked worriedly, "Senior Brother Yang, are you injured?"

At the same time, Lan Xun noticed Yang Kai's estrangement. This estrangement was not intentional, but was revealed unintentionally. It was as though she and Yang Kai were meeting for the first time, like they were strangers unfamiliar with one another.

Lan Xun felt this was incredibly odd as, although she and Yang Kai had not been particularly close to each other, they had at least met several times. She was even the one who came to deal with the issue regarding the Golden Armour Heavenly Book, so logically speaking, Yang Kai's attitude towards her should not be like this.

A majestic gaze surrounded Yang Kai, examining him, but they did not find anything special, except that he seemed quite frail, like he was severely injured and exhausted.

This was inevitable though, as the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was part of the foundation of Star Soul Palace. Although disciples could gain many benefits from exploring it, doing so came with a certain degree of danger. Each time it was opened, several disciples would fall inside.

Yang Kai's injuries and frailty could not be more normal.

"It's just a small injury, nothing to worry about," Yang Kai mustered a laugh as his memories were slowly recovering, gradually removing the influence of Shaman Niu's existence on him. He then addressed Lan Xun, "Was Junior Sister Lan waiting for me here all this time?"

Smiling at him calling her Junior Sister again, Lan Xun replied, "I only just came out. I didn't mean to wait for you."

Yang Kai was startled, "Junior Sister Lan has only just come out?"

He could not help feeling a little lost. What happened to Lan Xun while he was held in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld for more than two years? What happened to Lan Xun that she had only just come out? Suddenly, Yang Kai seemed to have realized something and swept his surroundings before asking, "Where are Brother Lei and Brother Xiao?"

He recalled that many entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda for training, and originally it was not the opening date of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda yet, but the schedule was moved up because of the agreement with Yang Kai. This also benefited many Star Soul Palace disciples, allowing them to enter ahead of time to gain experience.

At this moment, many of them had come out and were gathered in small groups to share their experiences. The joyful expressions on the faces of some were an obvious sign that they had gained much, while the dejected expressions on others probably meant that they were less than pleased with their outcome. They had gone through so much for nothing and had wasted an opportunity. Seeing Yang Kai chatting with Lan Xun though, many Star Soul Palace disciples glared at him, seemingly resisting the urge to run up and beat him up.

Yang Kai, however, did not see Lei Ting and Xiao Chen.

Lan Xun answered, "They are still inside. They should be coming out soon. The pagoda is about to close, so they won't have a choice either way."

Slightly startled, Yang Kai asked curiously, "How long has it been since we entered the pagoda?"

Lan Xun looked at him with puzzlement, not knowing why he asked such a question, but still replied, "Including today, exactly one month."

One month…

Yang Kai could not believe his ears.

He obviously spent more than two years in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, but it was actually only five days… in reality.

He remembered when he entered the Sealed World on the fifth layer of the pagoda, there were only five days left before the closing date of the pagoda, whereas a month referred to the time from the opening to the closing of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.

He subconsciously squeezed his hand, but there was already nothing there.

It seemed the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld had the magical effect of distorting time. A whole two years of experience had been compressed into just five days. This was incredible, not something achievable by ordinary means even in an illusion.

Yang Kai already had a high evaluation of the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, but now it seemed that he was still underestimating this Sealed World. The Time Principles involved with it alone had given invaluable worth to the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld.

Yang Kai's silence worried Lan Xun and she couldn't help asking, "Senior Brother Yang, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired," Yang Kai forced a slight smile, but his words were a great oversimplification. He was thoroughly exhausted, and the trauma on his Soul and the exhaustion on his body could not be restored in short order.

He suspected that this exhaustion was caused by living two years worth of experiences in just five days.

To prevent Lan Xun from suspecting anything though, Yang Kai quickly changed the subject, "What are Elder Xiao and the others doing?"

As soon as he walked out of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, Yang Kai discovered that several Third-Order Emperor Realm Elders of Star Soul Palace had all joined forces to channel some kind of Secret Technique, the target of which was the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. Based on the expressions of Xiao Yu Yang and the others, it seemed like they had been maintaining this state for quite some time, and despite their great strength, they seemed to be barely hanging on at this moment.