Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Raikov

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

What Yang Kai did not expect was that the Gong Family's former Patriarch would actually be so vicious as to disregard the family's reputation just for the sake of one Ancient Cave Mansion.

"Brother Gong is naturally the real Brother Gong. I don't know why you're suspecting him." Yang Tai looked at Yang Kai with a mocking gaze, as if laughing at him for thinking himself clever.

Yang Kai sighed, "Anyway, you and Gong Yue are in the same boat. That I'm not wrong about."

But Yang Kai made another mistake. He thought that Fang Zhuo was also one of their accomplices because Fang Zhuo had lost too quickly during his Spirit Array match with Gong Yue, which was what verified Gong Yue's identity for everyone.

Yang Kai thought that he was just acting, so he was suspicious of Fang Zhuo as well, but now he knew that Gong Yue was the real deal, and really did have the ability to crush Fang Zhuo when it came to Spirit Arrays.

"Are you trying to find this array's weak spot?" Yang Tai himself was a First-Order Emperor, and he also had the wisdom that came with age, so it was naturally impossible for him to not realize Yang Kai's intentions here. However, he did not seem to show any fear, nor was he in any rush to stop Yang Kai's movements. Instead, he showed a taunting smile, "Then you better look properly, because Brother Gong's Spirit Arrays don't come with many flaws."

Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and looked straight at him and muttered, "So that's how it is."

Yang Tai laughed, "So you figured it out?"

Yang Kai nodded, "It's all thanks to your words. You are the centre of this Spirit Array, its Array Core so to speak."

Yang Tai nodded readily, "That's right. I entered this array with control of the Array Core, so it is quite a simple task to break this array. You just have to kill me." He smiled smugly like an old fox that had snatched a chicken, "But… Do you have that ability?"

It wasn't that he looked down on Yang Kai. Even though the two of them were around the same realm in terms of cultivation, he had seen Yang Kai's moves when they were cutting through the poison mist. His attacks were weak and it was hard for him to keep up, his aura was also fluctuating and unstable, proving the speculation the group had about Yang Kai being injured. What's more, Yang Tai gained control of this Illusion Array from Gong Yue, becoming its Array Core, so he could exert strength far beyond that of just an ordinary First-Order Emperor here.

That was why he had no fear. Even if Yang Kai realized where the Array Core was, he still couldn't break this array.

"Why?" Yang Kai furrowed his brows.

"What do you mean why?" Yang Tai wasn't in a hurry to make a move as he had an absolute advantage at this moment and knew he could strike at any time to effortlessly take Yang Kai's life.

"Nobody knows what's hidden behind that giant blood-coloured door. It may be treasure, or it may be a deathtrap. Who can say anything for certain regarding things from ancient times? Why would you even go to the extent of killing others for it?"

Yang Tai laughed and shook his head, "You understand nothing, nothing at all!"

"That's why I'm asking for clarification."

Yang Tai frowned as he muttered, seemingly to himself, "There's something very important in there. Very, very important. I must get my hands on it!"

Yang Kai was surprised, "You know what's inside? How could you possibly know?"

The giant blood-coloured door had an ancient seal on it, and it was because Yang Tai, Wu Kuang Yi, and Hua Yu Lu were unable to break it that they agreed to go out and find helpers then come back to try again half a year later. Before the seal was broken, no one could possibly know what secrets were hidden inside.

Murdering four or five Emperor Realm Masters was not something someone would consider for uncertain benefits, but Yang Tai had done just that, even going so far as to invite Gong Yue to assist him.

His mutterings, however, clearly showed that he did have some knowledge about what lay beyond the giant blood-coloured door, which was the most surprising part to Yang Kai. To make things worse, Yang Tai didn't seem to be in the right state of mind at the moment. It was as if he'd gone mad, with not even a trace of an Emperor Realm Master's poise left in him.

Quietly, Yang Kai circulated his Spiritual Energy and a golden light flashed from his left eye. Speaking in an authoritative voice laced with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai called out, "Tell me, what's in there?"

"Inside there? It's…" Yang Tai began to speak, but as soon as he said a few words, his face suddenly changed.

At the same time, Yang Kai let out a stifled grunt, his face suddenly turning pale.

His Soul had been injured to begin with, and he was forcefully circulating his Spiritual Energy now. It would have been fine if Yang Tai hadn't resisted, but this old fox reacted immediately and counterattacked, injuring Yang Kai again.

"You dare try to manipulate me?!" Yang Tai's face twisted with fury in an instant and no longer wasted time with Yang Kai. Spreading his arms, the seawater behind him rose up into the sky, converging into a lifelike water dragon that swam through the sky and slammed towards Yang Kai.

Its dragon roar was so powerful that it shook the world, opening its giant maw as if it were going to swallow up Yang Kai.

Yang Kai could feel cold sweat dripping down his forehead. Even though he knew that this was all part of the Illusion Array, he didn't dare to take this water dragon head-on. He wasn't in the best condition right now, so any carelessness on his part may cause him irreparable damage.

So, in the face of such a terrifying blow, Yang Kai's first reaction was to dodge.

His body flickered and moved several dozen metres at once, but before he could regain his footing, the seawater below him swirled up turbulently, forming a giant whirlpool out of which another water dragon surged.

Yang Tai sneered, "Little brat, you should just surrender without a fight. You are not this Old Master's opponent!"

Even without the help of the Spirit Array, Yang Tai was confident that he could beat Yang Kai. Only, it would take a little more effort. Now that he had entered the Illusion Array as the Array Core and was able to control its power, it was even more impossible for Yang Kai to best him.

Despite controlling two water dragons at once to chase after Yang Kai, Yang Tai's mouth did not remain idle, "Even though a blood sacrifice is needed, your lives may not have been needed. You could have just helped this Old Master open up the seal if you obediently cooperated, it's not like this Old Master must take your life. But if this Old Master catches you now… heh heh!"

He did not say what the consequences would be, but his threat couldn't be more obvious.

How could Yang Kai believe him though? Without a word, he dodged the two water dragons' attacks, escaping several close calls and gradually closing in on Yang Tai.

"Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a loss!" Yang Tai tried to persuade him but received no response, spoiling his mood, so he raised his hand and another two water dragons rose from the sea to pursue Yang Kai.

Yang Kai's situation was getting worse and worse now, like a tiny wooden boat caught in the middle of an ocean storm, at risk of breaking apart at any moment. But each time he seemed to be in danger, Yang Kai was able to avoid the attacks of the water dragons at the most critical moment, which caused Yang Tai to bellow in anger, consumed by fury.

Yang Tai had completely lost the bearing of an Emperor Realm Master. Ever since he saw the giant blood-coloured door, Yang Kai noticed that something wasn't quite right about Yang Tai. He seemed to be more hotheaded than usual and suffered from huge mood swings. It was slightly more hidden and not too obvious before, but it had become extremely conspicuous after he entered into a fight with Yang Kai in the Illusion Array.

Four water dragons became six, then eight, then ten…

When the water dragons above the sea became as many as fifteen, Yang Tai's robes began billowing on their own with an audible flutter. The Emperor Qi pulsing from his body was constantly threshing like boiling water. His eyes were bloodshot and he was staring hard at Yang Kai as he moved back and forth. Yang Tai was now like a volcano that was about to erupt, harbouring a great deal of heated rage.

There was no way Yang Tai could not be angry at this moment though as he thought he would be able to take down Yang Kai as easily as crushing a bug with his great strength and the assistance of the Spirit Array. But reality was different, and no matter how dangerous the situation seemed to look for Yang Kai, he would always be able to turn peril into safety at the critical moment. The disparity between his expectations and reality was hard for Yang Tai to accept, and his anger continued to climb.

His anger reached its peak once he summoned fifteen water dragons.

He was focused on controlling those dragons and pursued Yang Kai for quite a while, finally trapping him somewhere in the sea with no room to escape.

As dragon roars sounded, the huge writhing water dragons rammed towards Yang Kai.

Yang Tai sneered, "Little brat, you should be glad that you still have some use. This Old Master will not kill you now, but you'll have a taste of something even more painful than death after this!"

Yang Kai stood above the sea, watching the fifteen water dragons that were crashing down on him. As if he'd resigned to his fate, he no longer dodged like before, but there didn't seem to be much panic on his face either.

Fierce auras were pouncing over in all directions, sending chills down Yang Kai's body before the attacks even arrived.

But right at that moment, something happened.

As if they were having cramps, the fifteen water dragons suddenly stopped, squirmed a few times, then collapsed into giant splashes of rain that poured down from the sky.

Yang Tai was stunned and his expression twisted as he hissed, "What have you done?!"

He thought that Yang Kai secretly performed some sort of trick to break his ability to control the Spirit Array without him knowing, but he was confused to find that he was still the Array Core here, with nothing having changed.

Yang Kai grinned, "Even though I am not too proficient in Spirit Arrays, I do know one thing… And that is that sometimes one's strength falls short, making it impossible to perform, especially for an old man like you."

The enraged Yang Tai's face became even more ugly at his words.

But Yang Kai's words also made him realize that the water dragons did not break as a result of something Yang Kai did, but rather because he exceeded his own limits, causing the illusion to go out of control. He didn't even notice such a simple thing until Yang Kai reminded him about it.

Yang Tai quickly tried to reassert control over the Illusion Array and was determined to be more careful this time. He had fought with Yang Kai for such a long time that he had more or less figured out his details. Even if this little brat was a bit faster than him, there was nothing else about him worth paying any attention to.

But Yang Kai wasn't going to give Yang Tai any more chances.

He had been running and dodging all this while just for this chance, so how could Yang Kai not grasp this opportunity well?

He quickly formed a set of profound hand seals as a strange aura began to expand from his body. As this aura spread out, Yang Tai suddenly felt as if trying to think was an extremely difficult thing, like his mind had frozen at that moment. Everything in the world then stopped, as if time had been disturbed.

When he came to his senses, he heard Yang Kai's murmurs in his ears.

"Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!"

A seal suddenly flew out towards him, and it wasn't until it came close that Yang Tai woke up from his daze. Before this, he didn't even feel any traces of Yang Kai's movements, as if his memory of that moment had been erased.