Martial Peak

By the time the Demon King caught the Sealed World Bead and looked up again, he discovered that there was nobody standing in front of him. He couldn't help feeling a little suspicious. If not for the Stolen Soul Brand and the bead in his hand, he would have thought that what happened just now was nothing more than a hallucination.

Looking around his surroundings, he tried to search for a trace of the man from before. Then, an unbearable pain appeared in his mind. It felt like his Soul itself was going to be torn apart. He was secretly surprised and realized that the man from before must be watching his movements from somewhere despite hiding in the shadows. That man was capable of killing him anytime and anywhere. The pain just now was definitely a warning.

[What did he ask me to do just now? Oh, right. Swallow the bead and pass through the Territory Gate…] He looked at the Sealed World Bead in his hand, feeling overwhelmed with sorrow and anxiety. [This thing doesn't look that special. I don't even know whether it's poisonous…]

The sadness and anger in his heart could not be more pronounced. Misfortune had struck him out of nowhere even though he had not provoked nor upset anybody. How could he make sense of things?

Unfortunately, he had his Soul Brand taken. Even if this bead really turned out to be poisonous, he had to swallow it. Thus, he swallowed the Sealed World Bead into his belly and headed towards the Territory Gate with a sullen expression. He couldn't not go. There was a sliver of Divine Sense locked onto his Soul in his Knowledge Sea. He could be killed at any moment!

A short while later, he arrived near the Territory Gate. He raised his head and saw that it was very heavily guarded. The Territory Gate was tightly surrounded by a platoon of the Demons and the aura of many Demon Kings seeped out from among them as they did a strict check on any traveller. Only then did he understand why that person had asked him to pass through the Territory Gate. [He must have committed a crime. But what crime did he commit that would warrant so many powerful figures hunting him down?]

If not for the dangerous element in his Knowledge Sea that could extinguish his Soul at any time, he would have happily reported the incident to the army. Unfortunately, he dared not act rashly with that sliver of Divine Sense locked onto his Soul.

He thought to himself. [Everything will be over as long as I pass through that Territory Gate. No matter how powerful he is, he won't be able to find me again; after all, he couldn't possibly pass through the Territory Gate in secret with such a heavy guard around it, right? If he had that kind of ability, he would not have forced me into doing this.]

He flew towards the Territory Gate in trepidation and was immediately stopped by a Demon General who asked coldly, "Stop! Where are you from and where are you going!?"

The Demon King squeezed out a smile, cupped his fist, and answered these questions carefully without lying.

The Demon General glanced at the Demon King, then he reached out a hand and unfurled a picture scroll in front of the latter, "Have you seen this man?"

Looking at the picture scroll, the Demon King's eyelids twitched slightly. The portrait depicted on the picture scroll was none other than that person he encountered just now.

[As I thought. He must have committed a crime after all.] Still, he quickly shook his head in response, "No."

The Demon General put away the picture scroll and said lightly, "If you see this person, report it to us immediately. Once the information has been confirmed to be accurate, you will receive a reward of a hundred Myriad Demon Pills! The reward is five hundred Myriad Demon Pills if you can capture him!"

"A hundred Myriad Demon Pills!" Upon hearing this, the Demon King couldn't help letting out a cry of surprise as his eyes turned red from greed. He might be a Demon King, but he was only a Low-Rank Demon King. He was unsatisfied with his position on his continent, and although he had heard of Myriad Demon Pills before, he had never seen one himself. If he were to receive a hundred Myriad Demon Pills, it would be enough for him to cultivate until he became a High-Rank Demon King, and if he could capture that criminal, he would receive five hundred Myriad Demon Pills!

[Just what is this!? With so many Myriad Demon Pills, I would never have to worry about my future anymore!] Only the Demon Saints could bring out so many Myriad Demon Pills at once. Even Half-Saints did not have such capacity.

He couldn't help swallowing nervously, nearly blurting out what he knew. Nevertheless, he thought about his life which was currently hanging by a thread and decided to keep quiet for now. Myriad Demon Pills were great, but he needed to be alive to refine them. There was no point in having a Myriad Demon Pill if he was dead.

He cautiously asked, "What crime did he commit?"

The Demon General replied, "He interfered in the Holy Venerables' affairs. Right now, all Holy Venerables are working together to find him."

[I can't believe it is related to the Holy Venerables. Moreover, it involves all of them…] When the thought appeared, the Demon King couldn't help feeling a sheen of cold sweat appearing on his forehead. He had a vague feeling that he had been dragged into something extremely terrible.

He continued forward and went through a series of strict checks. Even his Space Ring was searched before they allowed him to pass. Then, he secretly decided. [The moment I pass through the Territory Gate, I will immediately report this matter once I confirm my safety. I won't be able to get the reward of five hundred Myriad Demon Pills, but a hundred Myriad Demon Pills won't hurt, right?]

A short while later, he passed through the Territory Gate and arrived on a different continent. He glanced about him in a furtive manner and spoke through gritted teeth, "I've done what you asked of me. There's nothing else you need from me, right?"

The surroundings were silent, and there was no response.

[Hahahaha! I knew he couldn't have possibly crossed the Territory Gate with me!] He was elated.

Secretly confirming his location once more, he hurriedly headed in a certain direction, his eyes gleaming with a red light as though he could already see a hundred Myriad Demon Pills beckoning at him.

At that moment, there was a slight twinge of pain in his Knowledge Sea and he staggered and almost fell from the sky. After stabilizing his body, he looked around him as cold sweat dripped down his back.

[That's impossible! I'm already on another continent! How can he still know what I am doing!? Don't tell me he's somewhere nearby!? But, that doesn't make sense! If he can sneak past the Territory Gate without alerting the guards, then why did he need me to do that!?] While he was caught up in his swirling thoughts of doubt, the pain in his Knowledge Sea increased ever so slightly. It frightened him so much that he anxiously shouted, "I didn't expose your whereabouts! If you have something to say, we should talk it out!"

After the words left his mouth, the pain disappeared; however, a wave of pain struck him again before he could catch his breath.

This cycle repeated many times. The Demon King was tortured to the point where he was weak from the pain. He cried out with a mournful expression, "What do you want!? Come out and tell me what you want. Stop torturing me like this!"

Nobody would feel good if they were walking on the edge of life or death all the time. The danger that his Soul could be extinguished at anytime and anywhere was a huge torture in and of itself. Be that as it may, no matter how much he cried out, that person from before did not respond at all.

After a long time, his expression suddenly changed. He opened his mouth and cast a Secret Technique for him to spit out the bead he had swallowed earlier. There was an expression of uncertainty on his face.

The moment he spat out the bead, a figure flashed and appeared in front of him. It was the figure of that person who had tortured him so badly just now.

At this moment, Yang Kai had a cold expression on his face and he snorted softly, "I was wondering if you would ever figure it out." [If this guy didn't spit out the Sealed World Bead soon, my only option would have been to break out through his body. That would have killed him.]

While saying that, he retrieved the Sealed World Bead.

The Demon King stared at Yang Kai, then stared at the Sealed World Bead, stammering, "Y-Y-You…"

Yang Kai sternly said, "Don't stick your nose into my business. I need to go to Cloud Shadow Continent. Seeing as your performance was fairly lacklustre, you will lead me there."

The Demon King secretly wailed in his heart upon hearing those words. It was just that he was under the other party's control so he had no choice but to lower his head in acquiescence. The vexed feeling in his heart could not get any stronger.

Yang Kai ignored the Demon King's mood and summoned his Tiger Head Chariot directly, beckoned to the poor soul, and brought him along. He had already decided on the route by the time the Demon King boarded. Afterward, the War Chariot turned into a stream of light and sped away with a surge of Emperor Qi.

Since they already had the experience of working together once, things were much easier after that.

Yang Kai would hide himself in the Sealed World Bead every time they got near a Territory Gate, then ask the Demon King to swallow the bead and pass through the layers of security to enter the next continent. Once they reached a safe place, Yang Kai would come out again and continue the journey on his Tiger Head Chariot.

This method might waste a little more time, but it was far safer. Nobody could have imagined that Yang Kai would conceal himself inside a bead to pass through the Demon Race's strict security checks. Yu Ru Meng might have thought of this, but she would never tell the other Demon Saints about it.

After four or five days of torturous travelling, Yang Kai finally arrived in Yu Ru Meng's territory. Unlike the territories of the other Demon Saints, the Territory Gates on the continents under her jurisdiction were not showing signs of being fortified. This was probably the only undefended zone in all the Demon Realm today. It made him feel a little relieved. In his eyes, she was different from the other Demon Saints after all.

It took a few more twists and turns before he arrived on Cloud Shadow Continent.

"This is Cloud Shadow Continent. Senior Yang, I have fulfilled your request. Can you… let me go now?" Upon arriving on Cloud Shadow, Huo Lun looked at Yang Kai expectantly. Despite knowing that it was a slim chance, he still had to try.

They might not be well acquainted with each other, but at the very least, they had gotten to know each other's names after spending a few days together.

Yang Kai glanced at Huo Lun and calmly asked, "Do you think that's possible?"

Huo Lun paled, took a few steps back, and angrily asked, "Do you have to kill me!?"

[This is truly a disaster! I followed along obediently without provoking him or causing any trouble. I can't believe I am facing a life-threatening catastrophe! This is the worst!] He secretly vowed to himself. [If he is going to kill me, I will definitely take a bite out of his flesh first!]

"Not necessarily. You have been of great help to me. Killing you will make me seem a little ungrateful. Nevertheless, letting you go is impossible." Yang Kai laughed softly as he raised the Sealed World Bead in his hand and said, "You must have guessed the use of this item by now."

Huo Lun looked at the Sealed World Bead and nodded helplessly. Over the past few days, Yang Kai had entered and exited this bead right in front of him several times, so only a fool would not be able to figure out what the Sealed World Bead was used for. It was definitely a treasure that could contain living creatures inside!

"You have a choice. Die, or be kept inside." Yang Kai stared at Huo Lun.

Huo Lun only hesitated for a moment before he smiled bitterly, "Is that even a choice?" As he spoke, his whole body relaxed in a posture of resignation.

"Wise decision!" Yang Kai stretched out his hand to grab at Huo Lun. Space Principles fluctuated as Huo Lun vanished into thin air.