Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

The use of Spirit Arrays went back a long way and often brought about miraculous effects. All large Sects in this world had their own unique Spirit Arrays. Putting aside large-scale arrays like the Sect Defending Array and Mountain Defending Array, there were many Spirit Arrays that linked people together as well, known as Formations. As disciples under the same Sect, they generally had many opportunities to practice working together and using special Formations often produced incredible results when dealing with strong enemies.

It was only natural for Wind and Cloud Pavilion to have its own Formations too. Moreover, it wasn't just any Formation, but a Sword Formation of incredible power, which was mainly used for killing.

This Sword Formation was known as the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation. It was an inheritance that had been passed down by the Wind and Cloud Pavilion's ancestors for thousands of years. This Sword Formation had been used numerous times throughout the history of the Sect to turn things around during critical moments and allow the Sect to continue on until this day.

The Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation needed at least five people to form; however, there was no upper limit to the number of people that could be linked by it. The more people linked by the Formation, the greater the power.

Oftentimes, as long as ten disciples in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm assumed this Formation, they could hold out against an average First-Order Emperor. If there were twenty disciples linked to the Formation, then it was enough to kill a First-Order Emperor Realm Master.

Every Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciple had to cultivate this Formation once they reached the Dao Source Realm. Furthermore, there were large-scale joint exercises held every month to practice this Formation. Therefore, all disciples in the Dao Source Realm and above were extremely familiar with this Formation. It was all done as defensive preparations just in case Wind and Cloud Pavilion provoked a powerful opponent one day.

The last time Wind and Cloud Pavilion used the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was hundreds of years ago. At that time, Hua Xing had yet to return from his travels outside. The previous Pavilion Master was getting on in years, and the Sect showed signs of decline, as a result, several great forces in the Western Territory that coveted the Wind and Cloud Pavilion's resources and position joined forces to attack it.

At the time, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master had broken through the Sect Defending Array. It was then that the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion relied on this Formation to repel their enemy. The reputation of Wind and Cloud Pavilion soared after that battle and the situation finally stabilized after Hua Xing returned to assume command of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.

Hundreds of years later, the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation appeared once more; however, their opponents this time were merely two First-Order Emperors.

It wasn't that the Great Elder was being overly cautious, it was just that he knew how terrifying these two youths were. During this period, Wind and Cloud Pavilion had sent out many Masters to kill these two. In addition, many Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters had been attracted by the reward of 20 million High-Rank Source Crystals for the heads of these two, but in the end, those two youngsters were still alive and kicking. They even killed their way into Wind and Cloud Pavilion while those so-called Masters dropped like flies in their wake.

The Great Elder himself was just a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. He learned from past mistakes and did not hesitate to pull out the Sect's trump card after getting a feel of Yang Kai's power during their exchange.

Numerous Wind and Cloud Pavilion Elders and disciples looked solemn when they heard his command.

"Link!" The Great Elder shouted again. He lifted the sword in his hand and pointed it to the sky, releasing a burst of Sword Intent.

Six Elders in the First-Order Emperor Realm and hundreds of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion's disciples in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm also summoned their own sword artifacts in unison, each activating a different Secret Technique. Their longswords vibrated with dazzling Sword Aura as they shouted, "Link!"

The voices of a hundred people intertwined and even their auras seemed to be connected by a mysterious force. The world buzzed and the void shuddered.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. Although he did not know what was happening, he instinctively sensed that something was wrong. Turning his gaze to the place where most of the enemies were gathered together, he shouted, "Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf!"

He swung the Myriads Sword down as thousands of sword lights covered the entire sky and rushed towards those cultivators in the Dao Source Realm like a locust plague.

Under normal circumstances, even a First-Order Emperor Realm Master would have a hard time taking his attack head-on. On the other hand, a Dao Source Realm Master would definitely lose their life. However, those cultivators in the Dao Source Realm were not at all flustered as the sword lights headed in their direction. They simply watched indifferently while maintaining their Sword Aura and pushing their Sword Intent.

"Come!" The Great Elder flicked his longsword and released a sword flourish towards the sky with a roar.

A strange Formation appeared in mid-air, one that rotated slowly and turned into a barrier visible to the naked eye, which blocked in front of those cultivators in the Dao Source Realm.

*Hong hong hong…*

All the sword lights landed on the barrier but did not have any effect. Instead, they were all absorbed by the Formation.

Yang Kai frowned. [This is going to be a little tricky. This Formation is quite profound.]

Before he could finish his thoughts though, the Great Elder shouted again, "Go!"

The Formation suddenly began spinning in the opposite direction. Following that, sword lights shot out from within the array and appeared in front of Yang Kai in the blink of an eye.

"Uncle Yang, watch out!" Lin Yun'er called out.

Yang Kai wasn't caught off guard though and with a swing of his Myriads Sword, he blocked those sword lights while raising his brow, "Reflection?"

He noticed that those sword lights that came flying at him were the ones he created just now. Thinking about the mysterious effects of the array, Yang Kai immediately understood how it worked. This Formation that appeared out of thin air didn't just absorb attacks; it also had the ability to reflect those attacks back.

"Transform!" The Great Elder released his Sword Aura again while shouting.

The world changed in the next moment. All of a sudden, everyone disappeared and the entire world seemed different. Yang Kai looked around and saw countless longswords with dense auras forming the sky. The longswords felt real yet unreal at the same time; moreover, there were as many swords as there were stars in the sky, so many that one couldn't see the end at a single glance. It was practically a world of swords.

An impressive Sword Intent pressed down from all sides. Simultaneously, waves and waves of invisible Sword Qi cut through everything in the world. It made the skin all over Yang Kai's body sting with pain.

A drop of sweat slid down from his forehead. He could tell that the situation was not looking too good. Although he had yet to experience the true extent of the Formation's power, his vision was still quite sharp. It was impossible for him not to notice the strangeness of this Formation.

"Entering the Sword Formation is a one-way road to death! Die!" The Great Elder's voice came from void. It was vague and hard to track, making it impossible to grasp his position.

"Entering the Sword Formation is a one-way road to death!" Hundreds of people shouted together. Their words seemed to contain a shocking Sword Intent in them, which turned into invisible swords that attacked the minds of Yang Kai and Lin Yun'er.

That was clearly a kind of Soul attack. Moreover, it was a Soul attack with Sword Intent imbued into it, strengthening its piercing power greatly.

Yang Kai felt pain in his mind as his Knowledge Sea became turbulent. The defences of his Knowledge Sea were torn apart without warning and a huge sword wave slashed towards his Soul. Shocked, he quickly pushed the power of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus and transformed it into a shield to defend against the attack. The shield fended off the attack from the sword wave with a loud explosive sound as seven-coloured light flared brightly.

Following that, both sides were stuck in a stalemate for a long time before the sword waves suddenly dissipated.

Feeling horrified, he turned to look at Lin Yun'er, only to see that the little girl was staring around with her eyes wide open and her fists clenched tightly. She was looking around for traces of people and didn't seem to be affected by their situation.

[This little girl is truly amazing!] That Soul attack just now could not have been aimed at him alone. She must have been included in the attack too. Even so, she wasn't just completely unscathed; she didn't even show any reaction at all, which was a little strange.

Although her cultivation was in the same realm as his, Yang Kai believed she could not be stronger than him in terms of Spiritual Energy; his Soul had been nurtured and nourished by the Soul Warming Lotus for so many years after all. His Spiritual Energy was on par with an ordinary Third-Order Emperor's; thus, it would be rather outrageous if Lin Yun'er was stronger than him in this aspect.

Most likely, the reason she was safe and sound was either a result of her Special Constitution or a powerful artifact she carried on her. He leaned towards the latter reason. The special traits of the Tyrant Strength Body were mainly reflected in the body, not the Soul.

Yang Kai did not have the time to mull over this though. Shifting his body slightly, he arrived next to her and reached out to grab her while pushing his Space Principles. Following that, they vanished instantly.

This Formation was strange and unpredictable, so they would suffer a miserable defeat if they continued to remain in this place. Thus, the best thing to do right now was to escape.

"Trying to flee?" The Great Elder snorted coldly. A longsword suspended in the sky suddenly trembled slightly before disappearing as swiftly as lightning and plunging directly towards the void where they once stood.

In the next moment, the figures of Yang Kai and Lin Yun'er falteringly reappeared not far away. Lin Yun'er was holding a longsword in one hand with a furious expression on her face.

"This is not good." Yang Kai's expression changed slightly. His Space Divine Ability was rarely ineffective; however, in such a situation, it meant that the enemy's strength was way beyond his expectations

"Space Principles?" The Great Elder was surprised too. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to defeat Yang Kai, a Master on the Dao of Space, with his cultivation. It was just that he could control everything within the Sword Formation since he was the Formation Core. That was how he managed to grasp Yang Kai's movements and presence. It was precisely because of this that he managed to force Yang Kai out of the Void and obstruct his escape.

"Are you scared, Yun'er?" Yang Kai swept a cold glance around his surroundings and asked. Even with his Divine Sense stretched to its limits, he could not locate where the people of Wind and Cloud Pavilion were hiding. The only thing in this place were swords, Sword Intent, and Sword Aura. There was nothing else besides those.

"I'm not scared!" Lin Yun'er replied. Exerting some force into her small hand, the longsword she caught shattered and disappeared in a flurry of light particles. Even though that was just an illusory sword, it felt real inside this Sword Formation.

"Good." Yang Kai laughed, "Then, let's break through this trash Sword Formation together!"

"Shameless boasting!" The Great Elder roared, "Even if you struggle endlessly, you will never escape from this Formation!"

As soon as his voice rang out, countless longswords around them began to vibrate and turn towards one direction. The sword tips were pointing directly at where Yang Kai and Lin Yun'er stood.

Yang Kai's expression sank. He was enveloped by dense Sword Intent, causing the Emperor Qi inside his body to stagnate.

"Die!" Following that shout of anger, countless swishing sounds whistled through the air. It was deafening as countless longswords attacked Yang Kai and Lin Yun'er from all directions. Moreover, each sword exuded a shockingly powerful Sword Intent that seemed capable of cutting through everything in front of it. The entire world within the Sword Formation was filled with such attacks; there was nowhere for the two of them to dodge.

"Yun'er, get down!" Yang Kai shouted.

Without even thinking about it, Lin Yun'er crouched and hugged her head with her hands.

"Dragon Transformation!" Yang Kai let out another roar. When the high-pitched Dragon roar rang out, the Sword Formation shuddered slightly as if shocked by something. Then, a series of snapping sounds rang out as Yang Kai's body expanded all of a sudden and turned into a forty-five meter tall behemoth. He had stubby Dragon Horns on his head; his hands became Dragon Claws; and his body was covered in Dragon Scale Armour. It was a powerful and majestic appearance.

Crouching down, Yang Kai curled up his huge body and protected Lin Yun'er.