Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Ashish

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Zhao Xing Chen's mournful cries pulled the absent-minded Meng Hong back to reality. He looked up and saw Zhao Xing Chen looking at him, pitifully and pleadingly. He couldn't help but recall how he bluntly spoke and showed off the day before yesterday.

Suddenly, he had mixed feelings.

He knew that Yang Kai was giving him a chance to avenge himself, so he glanced at him gratefully.

Be that as it may, Zhao Xing Chen wasn't bowing to him because of Meng Hong's own strength, and he had already made peace with the fact that the woman he loved had already become someone else's. Meng Hong had no intention of getting entangled with him, so there was an indifferent look on his face, like his interest had worn-out.

Zhao Xing Chen continued in trepidation, "Brother Meng, please let me off on account of the many times we've helped each other in the past. This Zhao knows his mistake and will never repeat it."

Meng Hong still remained silent. He just kept staring at him indifferently, as if he was watching a clown's performance.

The two remaining Great Moon Province disciples, on the other hand, were outraged. One of them stepped forward and cursed angrily, "Shameless bastard, you and our Eldest Senior Brother called each other Brothers, but you seduced our Eldest Senior Brother's woman behind his back, and you still have the gall to beg for mercy now!?"

He then looked at Meng Hong and shouted, "Eldest Senior Brother, let me kill him!"

Zhao Xing Chen was shocked. Before he came, Chen Tian Fei had told him that it was up to him whether he lived or died. Chen Tian Fei had told him that he couldn't afford to offend the new Sixth Manager. Yang Kai had personally killed Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong back in the main hall with minimal effort. If Zhao Xing Chen really got into trouble, Chen Tian Fei would be like a clay idol fording the river, hardly able to save himself.

If not for this, why would Zhao Xing Chen follow Chen Tian Fei here and apologize? If the other party made his move, he could not depend on his brother-in-law.

Knowing that his life or death depended all on Meng Hong, Zhao Xing Chen threw his pride aside and quickly stated, "Brother Meng, it's a misunderstanding. Sister Chen Yue and I are still pure, nothing has happened between us! If you don't believe me, you can ask her."

He then turned his head and looked at Chen Yue, who just lowered her head, slightly trembling.

Zhao Xing Chen hurriedly added, "Brother Meng, I brought Chen Yue here to give her back to you. Let's just treat it like nothing has happened, and everything is as before?"

"Shut up!" Meng Hong, who had not spoken a word till now, suddenly cursed. He glared at Zhao Xing Chen with flames of anger in his eyes as he continued, grinding his teeth, "Zhao Xing Chen, what do you think Junior Sister Chen is? She is a person, not some object that can be traded back and forth at will! By acting like this, aren't you disgracing her sincerity!"

Zhao Xing Chen's mouth opened wide but had no idea what to say. He thought to himself that Chen Yue was just trying to climb up the ranks, so how could there be any sincerity at all? It was quite evident that Meng Hong still had feelings for Chen Yue though, so if Zhao Xing Chen really spoke what was in his mind, he would die right here and now.

After Meng Hong was finished shouting, he suddenly waved his hand and stated, "Get out, I don't want to see you again in the future."

He wasn't completely ruthless. First, it wasn't him who made Zhao Xing Chen bow his head and beg him for mercy; rather, he was riding on Yang Kai's coattails. Second, Yang Kai had just become Scarlet Star's Sixth Manager, so if he really killed Zhao Xing Chen, it would definitely cause Yang Kai some trouble. At the very least, Chen Tian Fei would definitely be outraged because of this. He might have said all those things before, but if Zhao Xing Chen was really killed right before him, he would definitely not be pleased.

Zhao Xing Chen was overjoyed after hearing this, and a smile immediately bloomed on his black and blue face, "Many thanks, Brother Meng! Many thanks!" Then he turned to Yang Kai and thanked him, "Many thanks, Sixth Manager!"

"Why are you still here!?" Chen Tian Fei kicked him and knocked him onto the ground.

Zhao Xing Chen didn't even bother to get up and quickly crawled out of the hall. He was elated that he could escape with his life today.

As soon as he left, Chen Yue was left standing alone in place, her presence incredibly conspicuous. Her charming face was pale and her tender body was trembling slightly. Who knew whether it was because of fear or she was just extremely ashamed.

Meng Hong glanced at her before heaving a slight sigh and not saying anything. He then cupped his fists to Yang Kai before turning around and leaving.

Seeing this, Chen Tian Fei chuckled, cupped his fists and bid his farewell, "Sixth Manager, Seventh Manager, this Chen has other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first. I have left some people in the mansion for the two of you to use. Just tell them if you have any orders."

"En, I won't see you off!" Yang Kai gestured with his hand and stated.

Chen Tian Fei nodded before getting up and walking away.

"How should we deal with her?" After Chen Tian Fei left, Yue He motioned to Chen Yue, who was still standing to the side with her head lowered.

Yang Kai rolled his eyes. He had no idea how to deal with this woman. Originally, Meng Hong should have been the one to deal with her, but he left without saying a word. Yang Kai truthfully didn't want to get involved in this mess.

"Figure it out yourself," Yang Kai also left after throwing out this sentence.

In the inner courtyard, Meng Hong was standing by the pond alone, quietly watching the fish swimming in the clear water below.

The two Great Moon Province disciples were standing not too far away from him. They were looking at Meng Hong's back with worry pasted on their faces.

Hearing footsteps, they turned around, and upon seeing that it was Yang Kai, one of them asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Yang, will Eldest Senior Brother be okay?"

The other Great Moon Province disciple was also worried, "I heard that people who become heartbroken have very high chances of developing a heart demon. Can the Elder Brother overcome this hurdle?"

The Great Moon Province disciple, who had spoken first, angrily stated, "That slut should have been killed. Her death would have ended all these troubles. What's the use of keeping that opportunistic slut? She would just be disturbing Eldest Senior Brother's state of mind in vain!"

The other disciple shook his head, however, and commented, "It's not like you don't know that Eldest Senior Brother still has feelings for her. If you really kill her, you should be ready to face Eldest Senior Brother's wrath!"

"Then what should we do?"

Yang Kai rebuked, confounded, "Stop arguing, I will go take a look."

The Great Moon Province disciples looked at Yang Kai as if they saw their saviour, "Senior Brother Yang, you must persuade Eldest Senior Brother."

Yang Kai remained noncommittal. He couldn't rashly agree to this kind of request. Love was the most difficult thing to see through. Meng Hong had to rely on himself to understand it. It didn't matter what the others' opinions about this were.

After a few steps, Yang Kai arrived by Meng Hong's side and stood silently. He glanced at him, and to Yang Kai's surprise, Meng Hong's expression wasn't that bad; at least not as bad as he had imagined.

Before Yang Kai could speak, Meng Hong asked, "Brother Yang, are you worried about me?"

Yang Kai smiled and replied, "Your two Junior Brothers are worried about you developing a heart demon."

Meng Hong slightly smiled and replied, "That should not happen. Although I like Yue'er, she is free to make her own choices. It is not my decision to make. I just feel sad for her. She didn't choose the right person, and in the end she was abandoned."

"As you said, that was her own choice."

Meng Hong nodded lightly, "Yes, everyone rises or falls along with the times just like the fish in the pond. In the end, they couldn't escape from the shackles of time."

After a bout of silence, Meng Hong continued, "Brother Yang, I want to become stronger!"

Yang Kai turned his head and looked straight at him, "Everyone grows stronger as they keep treading upon the Martial Dao."

Meng Hong turned around and gazed at Yang Kai with passionate eyes, "I want to grow even stronger!"

Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He knew that although Meng Hong was saying that he was fine, Chen Yue's affair had indeed affected him; otherwise, how would he have such an idea? People always desire more strength after suffering setbacks.

"There is no Open Heaven Realm in the Grand Ancient Ruins. If you want to become stronger, you can only continue to gather your Yin, Yang, and Five Elements in order to break through to the Open Heaven Realm once you leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary," a pleasant voice suddenly rang in their ears. It was none other than Yue He who was coming over. She came to Yang Kai's side and stood there as her hair gently danced along with the wind, brushing against Yang Kai's face.

Yang Kai brushed her hair away, nodded and added, "There are many Open Heaven Realm materials in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, which should be able to meet your needs. Brother Meng, what Order of Elements have you condensed?"

Meng Hong replied, "Third-Order!"

Yang Kai nodded in understanding; after all, Great Moon Province wasn't a powerful force. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang who Yang Kai had met before were both Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Meng Hong, as a disciple of Great Moon Province, could naturally only access Third-Order materials.

"Before, I used to think that the Third-Order was enough, but now it seems that Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are just ordinary characters in the 3,000 Worlds. I have to become a higher Order Master!"

Yang Kai frowned after hearing this, "Brother Meng, if I'm not mistaken, you should have already condensed several Elements."

As the Eldest Senior Brother of Great Moon Province, it was impossible for Meng Hong to remain in the Emperor Realm forever. He should have already condensed three or more Elements into his Dao Seal, and since his foundation was laid, he had no choice but to continue moving forward. He couldn't turn back.

Meng Hong replied with a nod, "En, I have condensed four Elements."

"Then how would you…" Yang Kai looked puzzled.

Just then, Yue He remembered something and her face slightly changed as she muttered, "Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water?"

Meng Hong nodded solemnly as a jade bottle appeared in his palm with a flip of his wrist.

"You're courting death!" Yue He's face turned extremely serious.

Yue He continued, "You should also know that to reach the Open Heaven Realm, you need to condense the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements into your Dao Seal before splitting Heaven and Earth apart in your body to form a Small Universe. Only with the power of a Small Universe can one be called an Open Heaven Realm Master. Once a cultivator has condensed a certain Order Power, it cannot be changed. The final Order of a cultivator is always the lowest Order Element they have consolidated. For example, if one has condensed six Third-Order Elements, and one Second-Order Element, then the Open Heaven Realm they can achieve is Second-Order. It will not change just because the other six Powers are Third-Order."

Yang Kai nodded, "I know."

The process of reaching the Open Heaven was like building a barrel to hold, one can only fill up to the height of the shortest board in the barrel.

Yue He continued, "But there were always some people in the world who are not satisfied with the Order of Elements they condensed and want to climb to a higher Order when they have achieved the Open Heaven Realm. Except, their foundation has already been laid, so how can they change it at will?"

Yang Kai couldn't help but frown and ask, "If it can't be changed at will, does that mean it can still be changed."

Yue He confirmed with a nod, "En, and the surest method is by using Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water. Once someone takes it, the Power of Yin, Yang and Five Elements they had condensed will be completely stripped from their Dao Seal. If one manages to survive the stripping process, they will gain a chance to start over!"

"How dangerous is it?" Yang Kai asked worriedly. Only now did he understand Meng Hong's plan. He obviously wanted to use the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water to start condensing his Open Heaven Elements again.