Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Yang Kai and the others landed directly upon the platform. Then, they each found a spot and sat down cross-legged. Their arrival could be considered early; after all, there were still three days left until the return passage opened.

As time passed, more and more cultivators arrived, most of them in small groups that simply decided to wait nearby. Meanwhile, the cultivators who came early and concealed their presences gradually revealed themselves.

At first, Yang Kai was vigilant as to whether the Prison League would make a move, but in the end and to his surprise, they did not show up. Even Huang An Yi and the rest were nowhere to be seen. There was no saying where they were hiding.

Three days later, the entire Prison Star rumbled noticeably. Everybody looked up to see a rainbow bridge swiftly spreading out across the sky. One end of the rainbow bridge connected to the depths of the void while the other end extended above the platform.

Yang Kai, Lin Feng, and the others glanced at each other and nodded lightly.

“It’s finally over.” Yang Kai stood up and, bringing Lu Jing with him, he was the first to step onto the rainbow bridge. Just like when he was first transported into the Prison Star, he immediately felt the world spinning around him. His vision distorted and changed rapidly, and by the time he recovered, he had already appeared in the palace square where he first departed from.

There were a dozen or so chairs lined up on the stage above the palace square. Moreover, there was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master from the various Cave Heavens and Paradises sitting in each chair. The one sitting in the centre was none other than Xu Ling Gong.

“Oh?” Xu Ling Gong couldn’t help looking surprised to see that the first person to return was Yang Kai. Although being the first to return did not represent anything, being the first to step on the rainbow bridge under those circumstances was undoubtedly a symbol of strength.

[This brat’s performance... seems to be rather unexpected!] Xu Ling Gong nodded lightly. Speaking of which, he might have forced Yang Kai to enter the Dao Theory Assembly, but he had not expected much from him. He simply did not want to wrong his own Disciple. Qu Hua Shang was a Core Disciple who advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm after all. Even if she married somewhere else, she had to marry a young handsome man whose aptitude was equal to hers. How could those old men whose lifetime limit was the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm dare to covet her?

The purpose of making special arrangements for Yang Kai was to disrupt the plans of the other Cave Heavens and Paradises. Xu Ling Gong wanted to force them into a position where they had to dispatch their Core Disciples to participate in the event, and his plan had worked perfectly. After those rising stars participated in the event, the level and quality of the Dao Theory Assembly immediately increased by a large margin. At the same time, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s pride was also protected.

The only thing that remained uncertain was who would win the top spot in this event!

Lin Feng, Ning Dao Ran, and Gu Pan emerged closely behind Yang Kai. Afterward, numerous figures appeared. They were all cultivators who participated in the Dao Theory Assembly. Soon, the square was filled with people.

Divine Senses surged as the Elders of the great forces quietly questioned their Juniors about the results of this event and whether or not their Juniors sustained any injuries...

On the other hand, the Elders whose Juniors and disciples did not appear couldn’t help feeling anxious and worried. The Prison Star was not a forgiving place, and every single criminal locked up inside was heinous and evil. If anything were to happen in that place, the outcome would most likely be death.

For the next hour, more than 100 people gathered in the square. At this point, the number of cultivators returning from the Prison Star had obviously reduced to an infrequent trickle. There was even a long period where not a single person came back.

Many Elders who led their disciples here became increasingly solemn. If their Juniors failed to appear after so long, then it could only mean that they were dead. The manner in which the Dao Theory Assembly was conducted had been completely out of their expectations. If they had known that the Dao Theory Assembly would be held on the Prison Star, they would never have brought their Juniors here. It was a pity that Xu Ling Gong’s last-moment changes to the Dao Theory Assembly was something that nobody could have predicted.

Not only were many of the Elders of the Second-Class great forces who led their teams here looking grim, but even the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting in the dozen or so chairs above the square were starting to look solemn. This couldn’t be helped though as out of more than dozen or so Core Disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, only three had come out so far. The others were nowhere to be seen.

[This doesn’t make any sense!] Xu Ling Gong maintained a smile on the surface, but his heart was pounding like a beating drum inside.

He had mentioned that the Dao Theory Assembly was not a game and that the participants would be responsible for their own lives. Nevertheless, he would be held partially responsible for this incident due to his position as the organiser of the Dao Theory Assembly if so many Core Disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had lost their lives on the Prison Star.

Just as he was hesitating over whether to send Su Ying Xue to question Yang Kai about the situation in the Prison Star, the rainbow bridge connecting to the Prison Star suddenly fluctuated again.

Xu Ling Gong was stunned by the sight! This phenomenon could only mean that somebody was returning from the Prison Star. In addition, there were quite a number of them.

In the next moment, numerous figures appeared in the square, as many as 100 of them in total.

Most of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were filled with a slight sense of relief and their nerves finally relaxed when they saw their Core Disciples.

On the contrary, one of them stood up abruptly. His eyes widened as he looked down with an expression of disbelief. Then, he rushed into the crowd with a shift of his figure. The aura of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master spread out unchecked and the participating cultivators who just returned were immediately pushed off-balance by the impact. Those who were slightly weaker went pale and blood leaked out of the corner of their mouths.

“Martial Uncle Zuo...” Huang An Yi called out sorrowfully. The elderly man in front of him was somebody he recognised as an Inner Elder of Thousand Cranes Paradise, as well as Zhao Xing’s Honoured Master.

Zuo Quan Hui stared blankly at the corpse in Huang An Yi’s arms, and after reaching out to check for Zhao Xing’s aura, his body trembled slightly and his slightly short figure seemed to droop considerably.

“Who did this?” Although he asked lightly, Huang An Yi could sense the suppressed rage in Zuo Quan Hui’s voice. It felt like a volcano that was about to erupt was hidden in his chest.

“Void Land’s Yang Kai!” Huang An Yi pointed out Yang Kai in the crowd.

Zuo Quan Hui abruptly turned around, his eyes crimson. Like a wild beast that was about to devour its prey, his gaze crossed over the crowd to fix fiercely upon Yang Kai’s body. His gaze was so sharp that he could almost slice through space all by itself.

“Die!” Without any hesitation, he reached out his hand towards Yang Kai and roared.

Following a violent surge of the World Force, Huang An Yi, who had been standing beside Zuo Quan Hui, went pale with fright and was sent flying from the fallout.

Faced with the furious assault of a veteran Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai simply stood there indifferently and did not bother to move a single muscle.

In contrast, Lin Feng, Ning Dao Ran, and Gu Pan swiftly came to stand in front of Yang Kai, surging their respective strength as they pushed their palms forward.

Lin Feng shouted, “Senior, please calm down!”

“Get out of my way, Juniors!” Zuo Quan Hui roared furiously. World Force flared and at the same time, he slammed his palm at Lin Feng and the others once each. His actions were as quick as lightning, but fortunately he was not completely blinded by his rage. His attacks might be overpowering but they were not meant to kill Lin Feng and the others.

*Hong hong hong…*

Lin Feng and the others quickly retreated backward, their complexions deathly pale.

After repelling Lin Feng and the others, Zuo Quan Hui’s moves became much more violent. He reached out his large hand, like a claw that covered the entire sky.

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai.

“This is Yin-Yang Cave Heaven...” Xu Ling Gong stood there like a mountain, his clothes flapping wildly as his hair that was tied behind his head flew about. He lightly clenched one fist and slowly pushed it out, “Why are you acting so presumptuously?”

*Hong...*

There was a loud explosion and Xu Ling Gong’s figure slumped slightly. On the other hand, Zuo Quan Hui was forced several metres back through the air. Both were Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who had advanced many years ago, so the difference in their strength was not very apparent. This exchange of blows had ended in a draw.

Zuo Quan Hui felt his rage surging. His most precious and prized Legacy Disciple had been killed; hence, his eyes were dyed red with rage. Even though Xu Ling Gong blocked his charge, he continued forward recklessly only to be stopped by Xu Ling Gong once more.

On the other hand, the Elders of Lin Feng and the other two received Divine Sense Messages from their Juniors. Although they were not certain about the exact situation inside the Prison Star, they could tell that these three were connected to Zhao Xing’s death. What’s more, the fact that Lin Feng and the others had stood up to stop Zuo Quan Hui made it difficult for them to remain on the side-lines.

Three Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters leaped forward and worked together with Xu Ling Gong to stop Zuo Quan Hui. One of them said, “Brother Zuo, calm down. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of the Juniors.”

“That’s right. Brother Zuo, stop for a moment. It’s not too late to act after getting the full story!”

Zuo Quan Hui was in a four-against-one situation, so how could he win? His several attempts were fruitless, so he was so furious that he roared. All of a sudden, his hostile gaze swept over Xu Ling Gong and the other three, “Are you all really going to stop me?”

Xu Ling Gong quickly said, “It is not that this Old Master wants to stop you, but rather that you are acting too outrageously! Don’t forget, this is Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, not Thousand Cranes Paradise!”

Zuo Quan Hui pointed at Yang Kai standing at the back, “That little bastard killed my Disciple!”

Xu Ling Gong snorted, “One is responsible for their own life during the Dao Theory Assembly! You should have been mentally prepared for Zhao Xing to be killed when you let him join!”

“Stop being a hypocrite! If your Disciple had been killed instead, you would not be spouting such nonsense!”

Xu Ling Gong replied,” My Disciple would not be such a waste!”

“You...” Zuo Quan Hui felt his rage ready to explode. The blood in his chest churned and a sweetness filled his throat, nearly causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood, “Xu Ling Gong, hand that brat to me and this Zuo will owe you a favour!”

Xu Ling Gong glanced back at Yang Kai, while Yang Kai just grinned back at him, looking so calm that it made his stomach sick. [Damn it! Isn’t this brat too good at causing trouble!? How could he dare to kill a Core Disciple of Thousand Cranes Paradise!? Who gave him the courage!? If you’re going to kill him, then you should have made sure it couldn’t be traced back to you! Don’t let somebody catch hold of your weakness! This matter just had to be exposed here...]

For a time, Xu Ling Gong was not sure whether arranging for Yang Kai to participate in the Dao Theory Assembly had been worth it now. Still, he turned back and declared, “He came to participate in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly. His actions are within the rules of the Dao Theory Assembly, so Yin-Yang Cave Heaven will bear responsibility for the consequences!”

“You want to protect him, still?” Zuo Quan Hui shouted.

Xu Ling Gong glared at Zuo Quan Hui coldly, “You can’t touch him!”

Four eyes met as vague sparks filled the air.

After a long while, Zuo Quan Hui finally nodded, “Good. Let’s see how long you can protect him for then! I will remember this, boy. Sooner or later, this Monarch will twist your head off!”

While speaking, he came to Huang An Yi’s side and took Zhao Xing’s corpse with trembling hands. Following that, he soared into the sky and left. It was obvious that he did not wish to stay here for another moment longer.