Martial Peak

At such a life-or-death moment, Murong Xiao Xiao was resolute in her strike. Her sword-holding hand was extremely steady, and her eyes were clear. Upon seeing that, Yang Kai couldn't help but cheer for her.

The Emperor Realm Master from the Demon Heavenly Dao had made a dastardly move. With two hammers coming at both of them, if Murong Xiao Xiao chose to protect herself, the other disciple would be hurt, and vice versa. Whatever decision she would make, one of them would either be injured or die. If she were to fall here, all the disciples from Azure Sun Temple around her wouldn't stand a chance to survive. That was the reason she decided to forgo defence and instead attack.

This was more than just a simple tactic as she was truly prepared to sacrifice herself.

The Emperor Realm Master from the Demon Heavenly Dao could either kill her or a disciple from Azure Sun Temple, but the price he had to pay was that he would be severely injured. If he was unlucky, he might even accompany them to Hell; therefore, Murong Xiao Xiao used all her strength in this strike.

Since Murong Xiao Xiao could assess the risks, there was no way the enemy Emperor Realm Master hadn't as well. Seeing that a cold glint flashed across her sword as she was thrust at him, ready to perish together if necessary, he couldn't help cursing out loud. Without evading her attack, he brought his two hammers together and smashed them at the disciple from Azure Sun Temple instead of Murong Xiao Xiao.

There was a sneer on the Emperor Realm Master's face. [Since you want to risk everything, I'll grant your wish and bet mine as well!]

His Demon Qi surged as he brought down his two hammers like they were millstones, which blocked out all the sunlight. As death's aura approached the Azure Sun Temple disciple, his face turned ashen.

Murong Xiao Xiao was dumbfounded as she hadn't expected that her enemy would be so ruthless. Even though he would surely be wounded, he was still determined to kill her companion. At that instant, her mind went blank, and a tinge of hesitation flashed across her clear gaze.

That hesitation only lasted a short moment though as she quickly withdrew her sword and brandished her weapon in a slowing manner. Following that, she took a step to the side and pushed the disciple away before facing the immensely powerful attack on her own.

At the most critical moment, she still decided to protect her Junior Brother and sacrifice herself.

The Emperor Realm Master had seen through her thoughts, so the sneer on his face widened as he mercilessly brought down his hammers.

All the Azure Sun Temple's disciples exclaimed in sorrow. Seeing that Murong Xiao Xiao was about to die, they certainly wanted to save her; however, they were too weak and the number of people on their side was too low. They couldn't even protect themselves, so how were they going to save her? They could do nothing but watch her get attacked. At that moment, their eyes widened as they all looked on with worry.

At such a critical moment, the young woman pulled herself together and her expression became completely calm.

Presently, images were flashing across her mind in a rapid manner. She was accepted into Azure Sun Temple when she was still a child. After she became a disciple and started cultivating, there had always been a cold-looking man by her side who worked hard with her. Her Elders and Senior Brothers and Sisters genuinely cared about her, and though her Junior Brothers and Sisters could be naughty at times they too adored her.

She had always heard that a person would see their life flash before their eyes just before they died.

[Am I dying? Is that why I'm seeing and thinking about all of this? Do I have any regrets? I probably don't… Without the Temple, I would have died of hunger a long time ago. Without the Temple, even if I survived, I would have become an ordinary person, never achieving such powerful cultivation.]

In order to protect the Temple, she could sacrifice herself and die with no regrets.

However, the only thing she felt guilty about was that she couldn't protect the disciples around her and bring them to safety. As an Elder of Azure Sun Temple who was in the Emperor Realm, it was the responsibility she was charged with.

Nevertheless, none of it mattered now. All of them could be companions on their road to the Yellow Springs as they had a good chat and laugh. If they came across any enemies once they reached the next life, they could fight alongside one another again.

Faced with this attack, her defence quickly collapsed. She had hastily set up her guard, so she was unable to parry the enemy's violent strike at all. Just when the hammers were about to strike her though, she saw a familiar figure once again!

He didn't grow up in Azure Sun Temple, but he was still like a family member who had also become a part of the Temple.

Seeing that Yang Kai was flashing a smile at her, Murong Xiao Xiao responded with a sweet smile of her own. She thought that he was just an illusion before her death, but the next moment, the towering figure appeared right in front of her. In an instant, the violent Qi and wind that had been swirling around the hammers disappeared as they were blocked by the figure. The storm had also turned calm. At this moment, Murong Xiao Xiao felt like she was a boat that had returned to the harbour, not having to worry about the raging ocean anymore.

With a loud clang, the millstone-sized hammers shot into the sky, and the Emperor Realm Master, who had just been on the attack, was sent flying back like a loose sack. As his Demon Qi undulated, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood mid-air.

The turn of events caused Murong Xiao Xiao to fall into a dazed state, and those from the Demon Heavenly Dao were dumbfounded as well.

It wasn't until the Emperor Realm Master fell to the ground with a loud thud that all of them came to their senses. Both groups of people were seen with different expressions.

The disciples from Azure Sun Temple were pleasantly surprised as they knew that a strong Master had come to their rescue. They were about to get killed when things turned around all of a sudden, which re-invigorated them greatly. On the other hand, the expressions of those from the Demon Heavenly Dao were transformed by shock as they stared at Yang Kai in horror. At the same time, they were trembling uncontrollably.

They had no idea how powerful Yang Kai was, but their leader was sent flying back as his Emperor Artifacts were knocked from his hands, which went to show that this newcomer was unimaginably strong.

Hence, all of them started retreating from the disciples of Azure Sun Temple. After gathering together, they stared vigilantly at Yang Kai.

However, Yang Kai didn't even spare them a glance as he looked coldly at the Emperor Realm Master, who was lying on the ground.

The Emperor Realm Master had been severely injured as the vitality in his body had become a mess. At that moment, he realised that he couldn't even get up. After several attempts, he staggeringly got to his feet, but a huge dent could be seen on his chest.

He pressed his hand against his chest and could not help but hunch over. There was an extremely bitter taste in his mouth as blood continuously streamed out from the corners of his lips. Staring fixedly at Yang Kai, he asked through clenched teeth, "Who are you!"

He was frustrated that he was beaten out of nowhere. More importantly, he didn't even make out what his opponent looked like before he was struck.

At this moment, he could see the opponent clearly. The person was a brave and heroic young man who for some reason looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who the latter was.

Yang Kai wanted to tell him that he had no right to know his name, but Murong Xiao Xiao suddenly exclaimed, "Yang Kai? Senior Brother Yang?"

Her voice was filled with disbelief.

It was truly unbelievable for her; after all, in Tiger Roar City a few years ago, Yang Kai had suffered from cultivation dissonance and been demonified before he fled from the Star Boundary. Over the years, there hadn't been any news about him.

When she saw Yang Kai earlier, she thought that it was just an illusion before her death. She couldn't have believed that he would really appear and that he would save her life at the most critical moment.

After his identity was revealed by Murong Xiao Xiao, Yang Kai turned around and flashed a smile at her, "Junior Sister, please take a rest for now. I'll chat with you later."

Although Murong Xiao Xiao was alive, she was still slightly injured. Her breathing had become unsteady because she was attacked with the hammers earlier. Now that she had confirmed it was really Yang Kai before her, her face started flushing. Part of the reason was that she was agitated, but the main reason was that she was suffering from internal injury.

Upon hearing what Yang Kai had said, she nodded and closed her eyes. Since Yang Kai was around, no one could hurt them now. That was why she didn't have to worry about anything.

"Yang Kai? You're Yang Kai?" The Emperor Realm Master was still hesitant when he asked the question for the first time, but his voice was soon filled with shock when he asked it the second time.

Practically everyone in the Star Boundary knew who Yang Kai was. Although he might not be as famous as the Great Emperors, he was definitely a widely known figure. Furthermore, he had become a legend after he, an Emperor Realm Master, managed to escape during a battle against Iron Blood Great Emperor.

The Emperor Realm Master had already found Yang Kai familiar, and upon hearing his name, he could finally confirm his identity. He had seen Yang Kai's pictures previously, which was why he could faintly remember what the latter looked like.

However, he couldn't understand why Yang Kai would appear here at this time. Just like what was on Murong Xiao Xiao's mind, he recalled that Yang Kai had fled to the Demon Realm, so why would he be here all of a sudden?

Nevertheless, since Yang Kai had made a move against him, it meant that he was an enemy. Upon learning Yang Kai's identity, the Emperor Realm Master quickly bit his tongue and sprayed out a mouth full of Blood Essence. At the same time, a blood mist gushed out of his body as he turned into a stream of light and retreated.

He knew that he had to run for his life!

Nonetheless, Yang Kai just stared at him with a sneer, like how the Emperor Realm Master himself was looking mockingly at Murong Xiao Xiao earlier.

Ten kilometres, twenty kilometres, thirty kilometres, fifty kilometres… In the blink of an eye, the Emperor Realm Master had fled for more than fifty kilometres and was still fleeing at full speed.

Just then, a restrictive power appeared out of thin air, which caused him to abruptly stop. Following that, he felt the world around him spinning. The next moment, he returned to his original spot where somehow, a large hand was now clenching his neck, holding him up like a helpless chicken.

Staring at the young man's face that was just arm's length away, the Emperor Realm Master felt his face turning ashen.

Right then, shrieks were heard as those from Demon Heavenly Dao quickly dispersed in all directions. Just now, they saw Yang Kai reach out, after which, their strongest cultivator was captured. Apparently, the gap between their strength was even greater than they imagined.

It would be akin to waiting for death if they stayed there, but if they tried to flee, there was still a chance to survive; thus, it was an easy choice to make for them.

Seeing this, the disciples from Azure Sun Temple wanted to stop them, but they were unable to do so. All of them were injured and exhausted. Moreover, they had a smaller number of people, so they could only watch as their enemies fled.

At that moment, Yang Kai waved his hand, upon which a beautiful woman appeared out of thin air.

Everyone was dumbfounded as they had no idea how this lady appeared all of a sudden. The woman also appeared startled as she didn't know what was going on.

The next moment, Yang Kai could be heard ordering, "Kill them all."

The woman batted her eyes and took a look at those from Demon Heavenly Dao who were fleeing, then she replied with a smile, "I'm finally able to stretch a little. You have no idea how bored I was in there!"

Upon finishing her words, she grabbed something from the void, after which a bow appeared in her hand. The bow had a smooth outline and it looked as beautiful as an eagle. Strong fluctuations exuded from the bow, so it was apparently an extraordinary artifact.

The disciples from Azure Sun Temple were still wondering who the woman was when they saw her artifact, which caused them to frown. That was because black Qi could be seen swirling around it, which made it obvious it was a Demon Artifact.