Martial Peak

A flabbergasted Yao Si realised that he had fallen into a trap. Both shocked and exasperated, he bit his tongue in an attempt to restore his consciousness by experiencing a sharp pain. Despite the pain he felt though, there was no taste of blood in his mouth. At that instant, he was dumbfounded.

Since he couldn't taste any blood, it meant that he was not currently a physical being.

[Am I a Soul Avatar now?]

If he hadn't bitten his tongue, he wouldn't have realised it.

The son of Serene Soul wasn't even aware that a Soul Secret Technique had been used on him. When that thought flashed across his mind, he completely lost his composure.

When the Soul Warming Lotus evolved in the past, Yang Kai was suddenly enlightened and obtained a Secret Technique. This Secret Technique was strange and inscrutable, making it difficult for any enemy to guard against it. Paired with Yang Kai's powerful Soul cultivation, he could easily catch the enemy off guard and gain the upper hand. He called this technique 'Blossoming Lotus'.

When he used Blossoming Lotus, the budding white flower would penetrate the enemy's Knowledge Sea and devour their Spiritual Energy, using it to further bloom. Many years had passed, but Yang Kai still used this Soul Secret Techniques frequently. Other than this and the Heaven Severing Slash, Yang Kai did not cultivate many other Soul Secret Techniques.

After all, he wouldn't want to be the jack of all trades and Master of none. He just needed a few Soul Secret Techniques.

However, after he slept with Yu Ru Meng and saw his Soul cultivation surging, he realised that there had been a transformation in his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique. A new Soul Secret Technique has been developed! The Sealed Lotus!

It was unlike Blossoming Lotus, and it could even be said to be an entirely different Soul Secret Technique.

When he used Blossoming Lotus, the enemy's vision would be filled with a budding flower. When the flower bloomed, it meant that the enemy's Spiritual Energy was leaving his body quickly.

However, when Yang Kai used Sealed Lotus, the fully bloomed pure white flower would wrap the enemy's Soul inside of itself. After the flower petals closed, the enemy's Soul would be sealed off within the lotus, and its connection with the body would be cut off.

If anybody wanted to survive, move around, or even talk, his Soul and body had to be united. However, Sealed Lotus was able to separate Soul and body. When the connection was cut off, the body was just a living corpse without the ability to think or act. No matter how powerful a person was, he wouldn't be able to use any strength in such a situation.

It was exactly the situation Yao Si was in currently.

The space around him had been sealed off, and he couldn't see any light at all. Besides that, he also lost all his senses. Before he nodded off, an idea sprang into his mind, which made him furious. [Deceitful bastard! I actually fell for his trap!]

He couldn't be blamed for having this kind of thought. When he was about to make a move just now, Yang Kai appeared ready to admit defeat as soon as he pounced on him. Yang Kai also hinted that he was willing to give up the position of Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. However, when Yao Si really made a move, Yang Kai revealed his true colours and played a dirty trick on him.

At that instant, he was completely resentful of Yang Kai.

Before coming to High Heaven Palace, he had looked for his Father, Serene Soul Great Emperor, and asked him about Yang Kai's appointment as Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. He also asked the Great Emperor whether Yang Kai or he was the stronger one.

The Great Emperor didn't even spare him a look and replied that he was no match.

The unresigned Yao Si took the Great Emperors' order and headed to High Heaven Palace to challenge Yang Kai to a fight. However, he had never expected that he would end up in such a miserable state.

At this moment, he became even more unwilling. If he had a fair fight with Yang Kai, it was hard to tell who would emerge as the winner; however, he hated the fact that Yang Kai won the battle by using dirty tricks. Despite his resentment though, he had no choice but to fall asleep.

The battle was paved with danger for Yao Si, but it was just a short moment for the onlookers.

When Yao Si shot forward earlier, Yang Kai directly confronted him. After they were about to come to blows, both of them suddenly stood still, silently staring at each other. Since Yao Si was facing the crowd, they could see that the light in his eyes slowly faded away and then became hollow as he was rooted to the spot.

On the other hand, Yang Kai slowly turned around and heaved a sigh before clapping the other person's shoulder. It wasn't until this moment that Yang Kai's afterimage, which was on his previous spot, faded.

All of them stared at Yang Kai with awkward expressions, Ling Tai Xu asking with a frown, "Is he alright?"

Yao Si's overbearing demeanour gave the others an unfavourable impression; however, there were no grudges between High Heaven Palace and Yao Si, and he was a Great Emperor's son, so they really didn't want to harm him.

"He's fine. He's just asleep," Yang Kai replied.

[He's asleep?] Everyone traded glances and saw the shock behind each other's gazes.

Although the battle between Yang Kai and Yao Si lasted only a moment, the fluctuations of Divine Sense that burst out from them could be clearly felt. Thinking back, they realised that it was a battle between their Souls.

In the end, one of them was fine while the other had fallen asleep. The one who was fine was Yang Kai, and Yao Si was the one who had slumbered off.

These people wouldn't be too surprised if such an incident befell any other Second-Order Emperor Realm Master; however, this person was the son of Serene Soul Great Emperor. Yao Si had received the Great Emperor's training since birth; he was also the leader among the younger generation!

How powerful must Yang Kai have been to be able to achieve such a feat so quickly and silently? They couldn't wrap their heads around it, and they wouldn't even dare to think about it.

Whatever the case, most people at the scene shared the same thought as Yao Si. Earlier, Yang Kai showed the intention of giving up, so why would he flare up at the last moment? They were certain that it had something to do with Hua Qing Si's secret message to Yang Kai just now; after all, he only became combative after hearing whatever Hua Qing Si said.

They would only find out by asking Hua Qing Si about it at a later time.

"He'll wake up after a stick of incense. Sister Hua, please take care of him for the time being. When he awakens, please help him realise the situation he's in. Haha. This is getting interesting," As Yang Kai spoke, he chuckled and shook his head as though he could barely contain his excitement.

Hua Qing Si pressed her lips together and smiled, "Don't worry, Palace Master. I'll make sure he understands everything."

Yang Kai nodded and cupped his fists at the people around him, "I've left for many years, so I have many things to attend to now. I'll take my leave. Seniors, I'll visit you at a later date."

Before the others could say a word, Yang Kai spread his arms like great wings and pulled Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, Xue Yue, and Zhu Qing towards himself. After that, he led them towards High Heaven Palace as though he was herding sheep.

It was apparent that he wasn't going to attend to work. He was just going to 'catch up' with his wives.

Upon seeing this, the Seniors smiled helplessly and shook their heads. Only Meng Wu Ya sported a face so long it was as if someone owed him a few million Source Crystals.

The turn of events happened so quickly that Su Yan and the others were still in a dazed state. When they came to their senses, they immediately realised Yang Kai's intentions. However, they were now under broad daylight and there were many Seniors around, so all of their faces had reddened. They were slightly reluctant when they were pushed forward by Yang Kai.

After taking a few steps forward, Yang Kai suddenly recalled something as he whirled around and stared at Ji Ying and the others, "Grandmaster Zhou, you wanted me to make a decision just now, right? What kind of decision do you want me to make?"

Zhou Cheng was hiding behind Ji Ying, but it seemed that Yang Kai had no intention of letting him off so easily. Upon hearing that, Zhou Cheng staggered and almost passed out. Fortunately, Ji Ying secretly circulated his Emperor Qi and supported his weight so that he didn't completely embarrass himself in front of so many people.

Since Yang Kai had directly called out to him, it would be inappropriate if he didn't respond, so with his head lowered, Zhou Cheng replied anxiously, "This Zhou made impertinent comments. Please forgive me, Palace Master Yang!"

When he saw Yang Kai transform into a 'Demon' and kill Li Kai Shan just now, he realised that Yang Kai was no ordinary Emperor Realm Master. He really had the guts to kill, and he wouldn't care about repercussions.

After that, the Great Emperors issued an order to clear Yang Kai and High Heaven Palace's name. They had also appointed him to be the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army; hence, Zhou Cheng wouldn't dare to make a fuss again.

The reason he could make a scene earlier was that Yang Kai was a 'Demon'. Now that Yang Kai was a hero, his previous accusations were laughable.

Yang Kai shot him a look, and upon seeing that the latter appeared terrified, he said nothing. Then, he pushed his Demon Qi and engulfed his wives before flying towards High Heaven Peak. Inside the black cloud, Xia Ning Chang could be heard exclaiming.

After he left, the crowd slowly began dispersing. Before Meng Wu Ya left though, he snorted at Zhou Cheng and swung his sleeve.

Ji Ying frowned and remained silent for a long time before he sighed, "Zhou Cheng, you should go to Seven Mists Sea. We have enough people in High Heaven Palace at the moment. I've heard that Supreme Commander Li needs more manpower."

Zhou Cheng stared at him and parted his lips in an attempt to say something. Apparently, he was reluctant to go.

He couldn't be blamed. Although it was considered safe in Seven Mists Sea, it was nowhere near as secure as High Heaven Palace, which was the logistics centre for the entire Star Boundary. He had heard that sometimes the Alchemists in Seven Mists Sea had to follow the armies to the battlefield. In that case, they were at risk of losing their lives.

Before he could say anything, Ji Ying said, "Yang Kai is a petty man who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance he has suffered. Since you've offended him, there's no way he'll let you off. Now that he's the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, you'll only end up being drafted if you remain here. Do you want to follow the Sixty-First Army to battle against the enemy? If you're willing to do so, you are free to remain."

Zhou Cheng's expression changed as he cupped his fists, "This Zhou will heed Grandmaster Ji's advice."

It was then Ji Ying bowed his head, "Don't worry. It's pretty safe in Seven Mists Sea as well." After he finished speaking, he led the other Alchemists back towards Medicine Pill Peak. At the same time, a tinge of glee flashed across his eyes. Yang Kai had ruined his Heaven and Earth Revolutions Pills, but he couldn't do anything to him; however, he was free to slander Yang Kai by saying that he was a petty man who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance.

Nevertheless, after the incident on this day, Zhou Cheng really couldn't stay in High Heaven Palace any longer. Should he remain here, even if Yang Kai didn't settle accounts with him, Meng Wu Ya wouldn't let him off. Meng Wu Ya's attitude before he left said it all.

In just a short moment, only Yao Si, whose Soul and body had been separated by the Sealed Lotus Technique, and the Head Manager and Second Manager of High Heaven Palace were left outside the Main Gate.

Bian Yu Qing couldn't bear to see the mess outside the mountain, so after she gathered all the corpses together in one place, she brought them to a faraway place and tossed them away.

When she returned, she took a look at Yao Si and asked, "Hasn't he awakened?"

Hua Qing Si replied with a smile, "Since the Palace Master has said it'll take an incense stick for him to awaken, it must be true. He should wake up soon."

After a nod, Bian Yu Qing looked up at the sky and narrowed her eyes, "The weather is lovely today."

Hua Qing Si replied, "You're right. It really is lovely."

Yang Kai's return to the palace, the Great Emperors' order, the reopening of High Heaven Palace, the appointment as Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army… The series of events on this day overwhelmed all of them, but all of it was extremely good news.