Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Many pairs of eyes were staring at Mi Qi inside the hall. Taking the hint, Mi Qi immediately took the initiative to step forward and bowed with his hand on his chest, "Palace Master Yang's strength and methods are unparalleled. He has the world in mind, and I have been awed by his greatness. Full Sky Sect is willing to submit to Palace Master Yang and will obey High Heaven Palace in good faith from this day forward."

Regardless of whether it was true or false, that speech of his was eloquent; thus, it gave everybody at High Heaven Palace a good impression of him.

The corners of Li Jiao's mouth twitched as he could not believe how much of a smooth-talker Mi Qi was. In all the years they had known each other, he had never discovered this side of Mi Qi before. Mi Qi had fought back several times when Yang Kai asked him to surrender before, but now, he was acting as though he had gladly accepted his fate, like it was a great task granted to him by the Heavens. Moreover, he was able to align his position and attitude very well. While it made Li Jiao admire Mi Qi's flexibility, he couldn't help feeling a little forlorn at the same time.

Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect were similar in strength and Li Jiao was certain that if he had not gone through various life-and-death situations with Yang Kai on numerous occasions, what happened to Full Sky Sect would have been what Fire Dragon Palace would have faced. It was only because he had some friendly relations with Yang Kai that he did not make a move against Fire Dragon Palace. But then again, Fire Dragon Palace was not much different from Full Sky Sect as it was already something of a Subordinate Sect, although not formally.

"You have all heard what Sect Master Mi said. Let's get to know each other." Yang Kai waved his hand.

Hua Qing Si smiled and took a step forward and elegantly introduced herself, "Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, Hua Qing Si, greets Sect Master Mi."

"You are too polite, Head Manager," Mi Qi replied, feeling rather curious. [What kind of a position is a 'Head Manager'? I've never heard of something like that before, but she is standing in front of everyone and introduced herself first. Even the three Monster Kings seem to be in a lower position compared to her. It looks like she is quite important to Yang Kai. I better not offend her in the future. I need to butter her up instead; otherwise, I don't know when she might make things difficult for me.]

There was even a small suspicion in his heart as he wondered to himself. [Could she have an intimate relationship with Yang Kai? Otherwise, why would a First-Order Emperor like her hold such a high position?]

Hu Qing Si had no clue about the thoughts going through Mi Qi's head, for if she did, she would have fought him to the death. Smiling elegantly, she pointed to a person next to her and introduced, "This is Monster King Xi Lei. I'm sure you've met, Sect Master Mi."

To which, Mi Qi smiled and cupped his fists in greeting. [How could I not have met him before!? I was battling him at Full Sky Sect! I can clearly tell that I am not his opponent.]

Xi Lei grinned at him, showing a mouthful of fangs, inducing a slight bout of panic.

Hua Qing Si continued, "This is Monster King Ying Fei."

Ying Fei nodded lightly.

"This is…"

Mi Qi maintained the smile on his face as he was introduced to everybody, one by one. It didn't matter whether their cultivations were high or low, he still felt as though he was inferior to them, but that couldn't be helped. Full Sky Sect had surrendered to High Heaven Palace after all; thus, Mi Qi didn't dare to act out in front of these people who seemed to be the cornerstones of High Heaven Palace.

There were many Emperor Realm Masters present, including Xie Wu Wei, Ye Hen, Nanmen Da Jun, and Hou Yu. Meanwhile, Qin Zhao Yang, Chi Yue, Ai Ou, Gui Zu, Gu Cang Yun, Ruan Bi Ting, and the others were all in the Dao Source Realm… In the process of getting to know them one by one, it turned out that there were quite a lot of them.

Mi Qi knew of Nanmen Da Jun, but it was his first time hearing that this famous Emperor Array Master was working under High Heaven Palace. He couldn't help feeling surprised; after all, Nanmen Da Jun was well-known in the Northern Territory. Although he could not compare with the disciples of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, he was still an Emperor Array Master! They were existences that were coveted everywhere. Mi Qi had thoughts of soliciting Nanmen Da Jun back then, but the latter had completely ignored him.

If it was any ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm Master, Mi Qi would have taught them a lesson for treating him in such a manner; however, Nanmen Da Jun's status as an Emperor Array Master made him cautious, lest he draw unwanted trouble. Mi Qi didn't dare to act rashly, for if he had harmed Nanmen Da Jun, all the Masters in the Northern Territory would never forgive him. Full Sky Sect could not afford to provoke such public outrage.

When he heard that Hou Yu was an Emperor Artifact Refiner, Mi Qi's eyeballs nearly burst out of their sockets from the shock. [What is with the situation in High Heaven Palace!? As if it's not enough that Nanmen Da Jun is here. There's also an Emperor Artifact Refiner!? That's an Emperor Artifact Refiner! How many Emperor Artifact Refiners are there in the entire Star Boundary!? Moreover, this Emperor Artifact Refiner is a woman! I really don't know where Yang Kai found all these freaks!]

Three Monster Kings, an Emperor Array Master, and an Emperor Artifact Refiner…. Any one of them possessed a status that was amazing. No matter where in the Star Boundary they were placed, they would be highly sought after; thus, for them to gather in one place was even more unbelievable.

Mi Qi suddenly felt that surrendering was not necessarily a bad thing. The heritage of High Heaven Palace was far superior to Full Sky Sect, so it was not a heavy loss to become subordinate to them. In the future, there might even be an opportunity to rely on Nanmen Da Jun or Hou Yu. The only drawback would be the huge blow to his pride.

Hua Qing Si's next sentence stunned him on the spot, "We also have an Emperor Alchemist. Unfortunately, he is currently in the process of refining Spirit Pills, so it is difficult for him to come out at the moment. Please forgive our discourtesy, Sect Master Mi."

"An E-Emperor Alchemist!?" He nearly bit his tongue off in his shock, dumbfounded.

To which Hua Qing Si smiled lightly, "Speaking of which, you should know of our Emperor Alchemist, Sect Master Mi."

"I do?" He was surprised, but then a thought flashed in his mind, one he instinctively refused to believe.

Unfortunately, Hua Qing Si nodded, "Indeed. I'm certain Sect Master Mi is very familiar with Grandmaster Ji Ying."

Mi Qi couldn't help but gulp nervously. His first reaction was to look at Hua Qing Si with a questioning look on his face. It was as though he wanted to know whether those words were true or false.

[Ji Ying!? The Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor!? He's joined High Heaven Palace too!?] Mi Qi suddenly recalled a scene from back when he came to this place with Li Jiao and watched Ji Ying and Yang Kai compete in Alchemy. [At the time, Li Jiao and I weren't the only ones to make a bet with Yang Kai. I recall that Grandmaster Ji also made a certain bet.]

Mi Qi later wondered about it, as although Ji Ying might have lost, the latter was still the disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. Yang Kai wouldn't dare to do anything to him even if Ji Ying refused to acknowledge his defeat. Besides, it seemed impossible for him to remain at High Heaven Palace at the time; however, it would seem as though he had really stayed behind.

[Doesn't Medicine Pill Valley have any objections to this? Didn't the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor object to it?] Mi Qi felt as though his head was spinning as his eyes swept across each and every person in the hall. [A single Sect actually managed to gather an Emperor Array Master, an Emperor Artifact Refiner, and an Emperor Alchemist, each one a top Grandmaster! Furthermore, three Monster Kings are protecting this place. Just what is wrong with this Sect!? Even a Great Emperor Sect might not be comparable in some aspects!]

Mi Qi suddenly felt that his loss wasn't undeserved or even a bad thing. In his dazed state, he suddenly heard Yang Kai speaking from a raised platform, "High Heaven Palace has many disciples currently, and although there are some reserves in the storehouse, we can't just sit on our laurels and eat away at those stocks. We need a long-term income to maintain the Sect. The Head Manager has already taken control of the cities that used to be under Seeking Passion Sect's jurisdiction, so we will receive some contributions from them each year. We can also do some business ourselves, but that's still just a drop in the bucket compared to our needs. The disciples of High Heaven Palace are twenty to thirty times more numerous than what Seeking Passion Sect used to have, so we require twenty times more territory than they used to have to maintain the Sect in the long run. I called you all here today for one reason. I have decided to unify the Northern Territory. All the major cities and Sects in the Northern Territory will pay tribute to High Heaven Palace every year. That way, it will prevent High Heaven Palace from having insufficient resources. What do you think?"

Yang Kai turned his head and looked around. The three Monster Kings had indifferent expressions. They were simply the muscle on his side, attacking wherever he wanted them to. They were not afraid of causing a huge ruckus as, in the worst case, they could just return to the Ancient Wild Lands and hide.

On the other hand, Hua Qing Si and the others were surprised to hear Yang Kai's announcement. Even Hua Qing Si had not heard him mention this before, so she couldn't help being stunned. [Just when did Yang Kai start harbouring these thoughts?]

High Heaven Palace was presently at the peak of its growth stage, so it could not afford to make enemies carelessly. Rather, they would surely dominate the entire Northern Territory with their numbers as long as they worked hard for the next hundred years.

However, she could tell from the way Yang Kai looked that he had already made his decision. Persuasion would be useless at this point, but she couldn't help worrying. If they did this, they would surely arouse the resistance of the billions of cultivators in the Northern Territory; after all, who would willingly give up their own benefits?

Furthermore, where would they find the manpower in High Heave Palace to carry out such an endeavour? The newly-arrived disciples were still in the process of adapting to the Star Boundary itself and their cultivations weren't high either. They wouldn't be of much use even if they were to be sent out to battle.

Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn't seem to share her worries and looked like he was going to act decisively in this extremely complicated situation. Sweeping his gaze around, he stated, "If nobody has any objections, I will assume that you are all in support of it. Good."

The corners of everyone's face twitched in response. [What's the point of having any objections? You call all the shots in High Heaven Palace!]

He usually played the role of an arm-flinging shopkeeper; however, his word was still law whenever he took charge of something.

Yang Kai then continued, "I know what you are worried about. It is nothing more than a problem of manpower, but don't worry about this. Brother Li and Sect Master Mi will assist out High Heaven Palace. With the three of us joining hands, who would dare stop us in the Northern Territory?"

Li Jiao and Mi Qi both bowed at the same time, "We will obey your orders, Palace Master Yang."

Li Jiao had been mentally prepared for this, so he didn't think much of it. On the other hand, Mi Qi was lamenting in his heart. [Full Sky Sect has joined a gang of thieves!]

Yang Kai wanted to unify the Northern Territory so that he could force those cities and Sects to offer their resources up to him every year. Be that as it may, High Heaven Palace could not allocate the necessary manpower for this grand undertaking. When it came down to it, it would be the people of Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace leading the charge instead.

Those who would bear a grudge would surely bear a grudge against the people from these two Sects. Conversely, High Heaven Palace would be safely hiding at the back, away from all the dangers. [Enjoying all the benefits without suffering the hard part. How vicious!]

In other words, High Heaven Palace didn't even need to put in any effort at all. They would only need to send some people along to supervise.

Yang Kai observed Mi Qi's reaction, so how could he not know what the latter was thinking? Unfortunately, he couldn't be bothered explaining. It's not like he was planning to claim everything for himself, and since Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect were involved, he would definitely reward them for their efforts. Yang Kai wouldn't let them work for nothing, but as for how many benefits he would share… that would depend on his mood at the time.

Hua Qing Si considered it for a moment before inquiring, "Palace Master, do I need to inform Ice Heart Valley about this?"

Out of the top four Sects in the Northern Territory, three had joined forces, leaving only Ice Heart Valley unaware of the situation, which was unreasonable. It wouldn't have mattered much if Yang Kai was not close to Ice Heart Valley, but the relationship they shared with each other was actually incredibly close. It was unkind not to let Ice Heart Valley participate when there were benefits to be had.

Yang Kai's expression twitched slightly at those words, "I've considered Ice Heart Valley too, but I don't know what their thoughts on this would be."

The women of Ice Heart Valley all cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts, which generally made them disdain dealing with worldly affairs; therefore, it was difficult for him to bring up a matter that would cause public outrage with them. It would be worse if Bing Yun started scolding him. In any case, he still planned to divide some of the benefits he acquired in the future with Ice Heart Valley. Su Yan was cultivating there, so Yang Kai could simply think of it as a sincere gesture towards Ice Heart Valley.