Martial Peak

Yang Kai blinked a few times before grinning and asking, "Who are you?"

It was ridiculous that someone suddenly walked up to him to make accusations against him and tell him to leave Xia Ning Chang.

Grandmaster Zhou straightened up. Despite his pale face, his back remained straight as he said arrogantly, "This one is Zhou Cheng. Unlike how famous Palace Master Yang is, I am just a small character."

A Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemist couldn't be said to be a nobody, but it really depended on which person he was compared to. He was indeed less famous when compared to the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, who had 'betrayed' the Star Boundary and become a Demon.

Yang Kai snorted, "Since you're just a small character, how dare you make this kind of accusation against this King?"

Zhou Cheng said grimly, "I wouldn't dare to. I'm just trying to persuade you."

Appearing earnest and well-meaning, he continued, "Palace Master Yang, I'm sure you're aware of the situation you're in. Since you've sided with the Demon Realm, why bother coming back? When you were not around, Grandmaster Xia was calm and collected as she focused on Alchemy. The pills she has refined here have saved countless lives in the Star Boundary; however, the moment you returned, you agitated her heart and caused the destruction of a furnace of Heaven and Earth Revolutions Pills. Do you know how many precious herbs are required to make such pills? Palace Master Yang, since you're unable to provide her with a future and happiness, why don't you just let her go?"

Yang Kai put on a faint smile, "If I can't give her a future and happiness, who else can?"

Zhou Cheng took a look at Xia Ning Chang and parted his lips as though he wanted to say something, but he didn't say a word in the end. Then, he tried to shift the focus by saying, "Palace Master Yang, why insist on making her remain by your side? You can't even protect yourself now, so why must you drag her down with you as well? Do you want her to follow you around, homeless and abandoned by the world? Even if you don't take your future into consideration, you should set her free for her sake. Why must you be so selfish?"

Yang Kai turned to look at Xia Ning Chang, "Little Senior Sister, are you willing to follow me?"

Xia Ning Chang nodded without hesitation, her gaze extremely bright, "I'll follow you wherever you go."

"What about the rest of you?" Yang Kai shifted his attention to Su Yan and the others.

Shan Qing Luo put on an alluring smile, "Husband, what nonsense are you talking about? Since we married you, we'll follow you forever. Don't even think about getting rid of us."

Although Su Yan and the others didn't say a word, they all looked smilingly at him. Even if he had really sided with the Demon Realm, they still wouldn't hesitate to stand beside him, to say nothing of the fact that they already knew the truth.

Zhou Cheng's expression darkened when he heard that, but just as he wanted to say something, Yang Kai's face fell as he shot him a look and waved his hand, "Enough. This King has just returned, so he won't waste time on someone as insignificant as you. If you dare spout more nonsense, I'll kill you!"

He grinned wickedly, "Just like what you've said, Demons are all vicious and ruthless, it means nothing to me if a small character like you dies."

Zhou Cheng felt a chill running down his spine as he was confronted by Yang Kai, but unexpectedly, he didn't back down. Instead, he took a step forward and said, "If my death can make Grandmaster Xia realise who you really are and escape from your claws, this Zhou doesn't mind losing his life."

Ji Ying said with a frown, "Zhou Cheng, stop making a fuss here!"

Although he wasn't fond of Zhou Cheng, he couldn't ignore the fact that the latter was a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemist. A lot of pills were needed to support the war effort, so one more Alchemist would mean more pills that could be produced, which could potentially save many lives at the most critical moment.

Zhou Cheng slowly shook his head, "Grandmaster Ji, stop persuading me. I've made up my mind."

He then gazed at Xia Ning Chang, "Grandmaster Xia, I hope that you'll be set free, and my death will be worth something."

Xia Ning Chang frowned as she was completely surprised. In the past, Zhou Cheng had frequently asked her about Alchemy-related topics, but she didn't read too much into it as she just thought that it was just the usual interaction between two Alchemists. It wasn't until this moment that she realised that something was off. This man seemed to carry other intentions for her.

"If you're so eager to die, this Old Master can grant your wish." A snort was suddenly heard. It was Meng Wu Ya who spoke from a nearby spot.

Earlier, everyone had been leaving the square, but when they saw Ji Ying and more than ten Alchemists coming over with fierce expressions on their faces, many had stopped nearby to observe. At this point, Meng Wu Ya could tell what was going on. He had raised Xia Ning Chang from young and regarded her as his own daughter. He was joyful when she eventually got married to Yang Kai as she had been happier that day than he had ever seen her. Now that someone was making a scene here though, there was no way he could hold back his anger.

He was also a Dao Source Realm cultivator now, technically on par with Zhou Cheng; however, Zhou Cheng was an Alchemist, so fighting wasn't his speciality. If they got into a battle, Meng Wu Ya had the confidence of killing him.

Zhou Cheng shook his head and ignored him as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai.

Just then, Yang Kai knitted his brows together. It wasn't because of Zhou Cheng, but because he had sensed something unusual. Then, he turned to look in a particular direction and spoke to Su Yan, "Some people are attacking the Sect Defending Array. Who has such courage?"

He could feel some weak energy fluctuations coming from outside, which went to show that the Sect Defending Array had been triggered. He scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense and realised that a few hundred people had gathered outside High Heaven Palace. More than ten of them were using their Secret Techniques to attack the array with the artifacts in their hands.

Su Yan replied, "It happens from time to time. Just ignore them."

"It's not the first time?" Yang Kai was shocked.

Zhu Qing explained, "Every once in a while, some fools come to make a fuss…" Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai finally understood what had been going on. Because of him, the Great Emperors had ordered High Heaven Palace sealed off and forbidden its disciples from leaving. They had made such a decision because they wanted to protect High Heaven Palace, but outsiders didn't know the truth, so they thought there really was something wrong with the Sect. Over the past few years, High Heaven Palace's reputation had taken a severe hit.

It wouldn't matter if that was all that had happened, but some people had started making a scene using High Heaven Palace as an excuse. Although it had only been a short time since High Heaven Palace was founded, they had destroyed the Seeking Passion Sect and then joined forces with Ice Heart Valley, Fire Dragon Palace, and Full Sky Sect to consolidate and subdue the Sects in the Northern Territory, thus becoming the top Sects in said territory. There were also countless top cultivators in the Sect.

Normally, most Sects could only look up at High Heaven Palace and wouldn't dare to offend them; however, since High Heaven Palace was sealed off and its defensive array activated, it had given some people a chance to make a move.

After the Two Worlds' Passage opened, Humans and Demons were thrown into a terrible war that shook the Star Boundary itself and even stirred up its natural World Principles and Energy. Over the past few years, more and more Emperor Realm Masters had been born in the Star Boundary. These newly inaugurated Emperor Realm Masters had the right to found Sects, but they were unable to recruit any disciples as they were not famous. Hence, some decided to launch an attack on High Heaven Palace to earn a name for themselves.

They would either join forces with their fellow cultivators or bring their own disciples to High Heaven Palace. In the name of slaying the Demons, they would act outrageously by cursing and raising Hell. By doing so, they would gain some fame. Whenever such a topic was brought up, they could say that they had gone to High Heaven Palace to kill the Demons, but they had sealed themselves off behind their walls and wouldn't dare to fight with them head-on.

It wasn't true that High Heaven Palace wouldn't dare to confront them, it was just that Yang Kai was in the Demon Realm, and he was still regarded as a traitor, so none wanted to cause any trouble to let others have a chance to slander Yang Kai. Whenever such an incident happened, the Head Manager and Second Manager would issue orders to just ignore them. Such people wouldn't be able to break the Sect Defending Array no matter how hard they tried, so after making a scene for a while they would simply leave.

Over the past few years, such incidents had happened more than ten times. It just so happened that Yang Kai came across such an incident not long after he returned to the palace.

Upon hearing what Zhu Qing had said, Yang Kai said with a dark expression, "The two Great Worlds are at war, so why are these people making a fuss in front of High Heaven Palace instead of making real contributions in the Western Territory?"

Xue Yue said after a sigh, "There are always some people in this world who shamelessly seek gains for themselves."

Yang Kai sneered, "Let's go over and have a look."

Upon finishing his words, he turned around and shot towards the Sect's Main Gate. The ladies traded glances and quickly before racing after him. Meng Wu Ya, Hua Qing Si and the others who were just nearby hurriedly followed them.

Seeing that, Zhou Cheng bellowed, "Palace Master Yang, where are you going? You haven't made a decision regarding Grandmaster Xia!"

Ji Ying said after a sigh, "Zhou Cheng, stop. Just forget what has happened today. It's not what you think. Palace Master Yang…"

Zhou Cheng shook his head and cut him off by saying, "Grandmaster Ji, I know you are well-meaning, but please cease your efforts to persuade me. I respect Grandmaster Xia, so I want her to have a good husband. However, Palace Master Yang isn't the right person for her to stay by his side forever. I cannot bear to see her suffer. Whatever the case, I must make him see reason."

When he saw that Yang Kai appeared ruthless but didn't do anything in the end, he became overly confident in himself, so after he finished speaking, he also ran after them.

Ji Ying knitted his brows together as he appeared helpless and frustrated.

An old man ran his fingers through his beard and said, "Grandmaster Ji, are you in a dilemma over something? I believe what Zhou Cheng has said isn't complete nonsense. Disregarding his ulterior motives, Grandmaster Xia is indeed a treasure of the Star Boundary. Palace Master Yang can't even protect himself now, so it would be a good thing if she could break relations with him so that she isn't dragged into this mess."

Ji Ying shook his head with a helpless smile. There was simply no way for him to explain.

The Main Gate of High Heaven Palace was meticulously arranged by Nanmen Da Jun in the past; after all, they were one of the top Sects in the Star Boundary, so their entrance had to be magnificent to showcase their heritage.

In front of the huge gate hung an inscribed board on which the characters 'High Heaven Palace' shone brightly under the sun. Three hundred metres away from the entrance was where the Sect Defending Array stood. Looking from outside the array, one couldn't see into High Heaven Palace as all there was was a thick, swirling fog.

Nevertheless, people inside the array could clearly see what was going on outside.

When Yang Kai reached the entrance, he saw that a fair-skinned and unbearded middle-aged man was attacking the array with a sword in his hand. The sword was apparently an Emperor Artifact. As he wielded the sword, lightning could be seen flashing across it and the sounds of thunder were continuously heard, so he looked rather imposing.

The beams of lightning struck the array and caused the fog to welter, but the array wasn't damaged one bit. As an array that had been personally arranged by Nanmen Da Jun, it wouldn't be able to be damaged by a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master even if he exhausted himself trying.

There were more than ten Dao Source Realm cultivators around the middle-aged man who assisted him; however, there was no coordination between them as they used whatever Secret Techniques and artifacts they had, though their moves were dizzying to the beholder.

After taking just one look, Yang Kai realized that while these people seemed to be going all out, there was no real force or substance behind their attacks. Be it the middle-aged Emperor Realm Master or the more than ten Dao Source cultivators, their moves were flashy, but not powerful at all.

While these moves appeared useless to Yang Kai's eyes, the hundreds of people in the audience outside were fascinated as their gazes appeared bright.