Martial Peak

Chapter 3173, Voracious Appetite

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Inside the great hall, Yang Kai looked at the old man with a smile. Meanwhile, everybody else looked surprised and puzzled.

The old man asked, "Excuse me, Sirs… Who are you?"

"Stop playing dumb!"

"This old man really doesn't know what you are talking about, Little Brother."

Yang Kai looked the old man up and down. Then, he grinned and said, "Look at you; the Corpse Qi around you is so strong. You must be proficient in Corpse Refinement. What position do you hold in the Netherworld Sect?"

"Netherworld Sect!?" The expression of Ye Xi Yun and the others changed drastically at the name. They glared at the old man fiercely as although they could not tell what was so special about him, there could be no mistake since Yang Kai had said so.

All the cultivators in the Star Field held a deep hatred for the name 'Netherworld Sect'. They thought that the dust had settled after they cleaned up the Star Field three years ago, so they never expected that a rat could have slipped through their fingers. Moreover, that rat was hiding right under their noses.

"Little Brother, I'm afraid you must have made a mistake. I'm not part of the Netherworld…"

"What were you trying to do by coming to Shadowed Star? What are you looking for?"

The old man shook his head, "I don't understand what you mean."

Yang Kai raised his hand and enveloped the old man in a thick murderous intent. In response, the old man's stooped figure straightened immediately and his aura burst out without warning.

Ye Xi Yun and the others were dumbfounded. Only then did they realize that the old man in front of them was no Origin Returning Realm cultivator. He clearly stood at the peak of the Origin King Realm. Moreover, his aura was slightly stronger than all the other Origin King Realm Masters they had met before. It was as though he could break through the shackles of the Origin King Realm at any moment. They did not know what kind of Secret Technique he had used to conceal his cultivation so well, but if not for Yang Kai's sharp vision, everybody else would not have seen through his disguise.

The attack the old man expected did not come, however, as Yang Kai simply put down the hand he raised. How could the old man not know that he had been played for a fool? No longer trying to conceal anything, he coldly snorted, "You were the ones who forced my hand."

He had indeed infiltrated Shadowed Star to look for something, but he had no intention of facing High Heaven Sect so quickly. Unfortunately, the Heavens did not act according to his wishes. Now that things had come to this, he could only fight his way out. Saying so, he summoned a large banner to his hand. The banner was unfurled as rich Blood Qi surged, dyeing the whole hall a bright red colour.

Inside the hall, everybody from High Heaven Sect instantly felt as though they had fallen into a turbulent Blood River. The Blood Qi in their surroundings carried a strong corrosive aura that made it hard for them to breathe and rendered their Saint Qi useless.

One after another, they paled in response. They knew about the Blood Sea Banner. After fighting with Netherworld Sect's cultivators for all these years, every one of them had some experience facing this kind of artifact. Even so, they had never seen such a terrifying Blood Sea Banner before! It seemed that even a Third-Order Origin King Realm Master would be helpless once this Blood Sea Banner was summoned.

"You could have taken the easy way out, but you just had to choose the difficult path. Today, I will turn every one of you into…" The old man bit his tongue mid-way through his sentence, because a small figure was strolling towards him in the middle of the Blood Sea. That small figure raised its head and looked up at him with an innocent expression. Although no aura fluctuations were coming from this small figure, it was strangely unaffected by the Blood Sea Banner. At that moment, that small and petite figure felt like a huge mountain towering over him, making him feel as though he needed to look up at it.

"How is this possible!?" The old man was shocked and horrified. This artifact of his had long since surpassed the limits of what this Star Field could withstand. It was something that had been given to him from 'that place', and it was by relying on the power of this Artifact that he still remained calm and confident even after his identity was exposed. That was because it was impossible for anybody in this Star Field to escape from the imprisonment and corrosion of his Blood Sea Banner. Those who fell prey to it would die without a doubt. However, there was now a seven- or eight-year-old little girl who was completely unaffected by the power of his Blood Sea Banner standing in front of him.

The little girl blinked once before lifting her hand and seemingly grabbing at something. The old man took several steps back as though he had been struck by lightning at that moment and his face paled slightly as his horror grew. The connection between him and his Blood Sea Banner… Had been cut off!

When he looked up again, the blood-coloured aura that was covering the hall had disappeared. Meanwhile, the little girl held the Blood Sea Banner in her hands and casually stuffed it into her Space Ring. After that, she turned around and walked back without even sparing him a single glance.

The old man felt as if his throat had gone dry and vigorously tried to swallow. The greatest card he relied on had been taken away from him so easily that even his mental state had suffered a backlash from the incident. He had acted so high and mighty just now, but now he was like a venomous snake with his fangs pulled out. His aura withered, and his arrogance from before was gone.

Compared to the injury he received from having his artifact forcefully taken away from him, he felt more mentally traumatised. The feeling that little girl gave him… She was in no way weaker than 'that' person.

[Why is there such a powerful existence in this Star Field!? No wonder everybody from Grand Desolation Star Field had been massacred mercilessly. How can the invasion succeed with somebody like that guarding this place!?]

"Who is the one who helped you upgrade this Artifact?" Yang Kai sat boldly and unrestrained on an elevated platform inside the hall, resting his cheek on his hand as he looked at the old man calmly.

The old man trembled. Throwing himself to the ground, he respectfully said, "Senior, I will tell you everything you want to know, just please have mercy on me."

Now that the tables had been turned on him, he immediately became much more well-behaved.

"I don't think you have the right to negotiate with me."

The old man lowered his head, "I implore you to have mercy on this old man. I have never done anything to harm this Star Field before!"

Yang Kai thought about it seriously and nodded his agreement, "Good. I promise I won't kill you?"

"Senior, can your words be trusted?"

Yang Kai grinned slightly, "Most of the time, when I speak such words, I'm not being sincere…"

The old man instantly turned deathly pale at those words.

"But…" Yang Kai added in the same breath, "This time around, I will keep my word. I won't kill you."

"Many thanks, Senior!" The old man burst into tears of gratitude, "What do you wish to know, Senior?"

"You are the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect, right?" Yang Kai asked.

The old man smiled bitterly, "Senior has good eyes. Although I am incompetent, I am the 345th generation Sect Master of Netherworld Sect."

"What!?"

"He is the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect!?"

A commotion rose up inside the great hall. Everybody glared at the old man furiously. Netherworld Sect was the culprit behind Grand Desolation Star Field's invasion. Even though they had killed many people from the Netherworld Sect, including several Vice Sect Masters and Elders, they had never found their true Sect Master. Furthermore, none of the Elders and Vice Sect Masters knew where this Sect Master was. The only information they could glean was that the Sect Master had separated from the rest after arriving in Heng Luo Star Field. Nobody knew where he went or what he was up to.

There had been practically no information on this person, so who could have imagined that he had infiltrated Shadowed Star at some unknown point in time? It wasn't until today that he was discovered by Yang Kai. That was probably the result of being too clever for his own good. He had thought that the most dangerous place would be the safest place to hide. Unbeknownst to this old man, Yang Kai's perception of Shadowed Star had become even more acute after becoming the Star Field Master. How could Yang Kai fail to notice an existence with such an obvious aura that practically screamed Netherworld Sect? If he had been hiding on another Star, Yang Kai might not have bothered to go looking for him, and he could have remained hidden for a few more years.

"That artifact of yours… Did that person help you upgrade it?" Yang Kai repeated the question again.

"That person? I don't know who you are referring to…" The old man looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.

"That guy from Grand Desolation Star Field."

"Have you met the person before?" The old man was shocked.

Yang Kai shook his head, "I have never met him." He paused before continuing, "We simply exchanged a few blows in secret."

The old man was dumbfounded when he heard those words. He first thought that the young man in front of him was bluffing as no matter how high his cultivation is, how could he possibly survive an exchange of blows with that person? Then, the old man suddenly recalled the strange occurrences that he had felt a few days ago and exclaimed in alarm, "Are you the Master of this Star Field!?"

"Yes."

"No wonder! No wonder!" The old man murmured to himself. [No wonder the Star Field felt so abnormal several days ago. No wonder he can exchange blows with that person. It turned out that he is the Master of this Star Field. Only by becoming a Star Field Master could he be qualified to fight against another Star Field Master after all.]

Yang Kai observed the old man's words and actions. All of a sudden, his eyebrows twitched and he asked, "You've been hiding and acting alone for so many years. Could it be that you were looking for the Star Field Source of Heng Luo Star Field?"

The old man's expression changed slightly. Seeing that Yang Kai had seen through him, he no longer concealed anything and nodded, "I was simply following orders."

Yang Kai coldly snorted, "That guy sure has a voracious appetite!"

Kacha…

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. Strong winds blew and storms stirred in the skies. At the same time, dark and oppressive clouds formed without warning, covering the sky like a thick quilt. Looming overhead, they gave off a stifling feeling. Now that he was this Star Field's Master, Yang Kai's very mood, be it happiness, sadness, or anger, could affect the entire Star Field.

Upon seeing this, the old man no longer doubted. He was fully convinced that this young man was the Master of Heng Luo Star Field.

Yang Kai sneered, "He is trying to devour Heng Luo Star Field in one bite."

Judging by the current situation, it was not accurate to say that the Netherworld Sect was the culprit behind Grand Desolation Star Field's invasion. It would seem that the Netherworld Sect was just another pawn, and the person behind the scenes was the Master of Grand Desolation Star Field.

Making use of the war between the two Star Fields' cultivators to create chaos and weaken Heng Luo Star Field was the only way to make the Star Field Source reveal itself. Subsequently, this old man simply needed to locate the Star Field Source and that person on the other side of the darkness would be able to absorb and refine it.

Once that person successfully refined the Heng Luo Star Field's Source, the two Star Fields would be merged together into one. In that way, that person would become the Master of two Star Fields, and his strength would rise like the tide. His methods were not the most ingenious, but were highly effective.

If Yang Kai had not returned to the Star Field in time, that person would already have succeeded with his plans and Heng Luo Star Field would definitely have ended up as a vassal of Grand Desolation Star Field.

"I do not know what that person's goal is," Netherworld Sect's Sect Master lowered his gaze.

"Is that so?" Yang Kai gave the old man a deep and meaningful smile, making the old man's heart skip in fear.

"Forget it. Come with me." After saying that, Yang Kai stood up and grabbed the old man by the collar. He strode forward, and they appeared in the Starry Sky in just a few steps.

"Senior! Please have mercy on me!" The old man yelled, looking quite panicked. The feeling that he could not win through force bloomed in him when he looked at the strange little girl earlier; however, he found that he couldn't even muster the courage to fight back after meeting Yang Kai.

[This is the power of a Star Field Master!] He did not believe that Yang Kai's strength was much higher than his own. Thus, the only reason Yang Kai could handle him so easily was because he obtained the recognition of the Star Field Source.

[If only I had the opportunity…]

"Why are you raising such a fuss?" Yang Kai slapped the old man on the back of the head.