Martial Peak

<header> Chapter 978, Future Plans</header>

Zhang Yuan somewhat understood Yang Kai’s meaning.

“By going to the Starry Sky, perhaps I can find a way out of this crisis, so even if a strong enemy invades, we’ll at least be able to protect ourselves.  Of course, this is only a possibility, no one can guarantee what the future holds,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders.

The current situation really was quite similar to his previous experiences over the past decade.

In short, it wasn’t wrong to plan ahead.

“So… Holy Master Yang, out of consideration for the future safety of the world, plans to venture out into the Starry Sky?”  Zhang Yuan stared at him strangely for a moment before grinning meaningfully, “Were you always a man of such high-minded ideals and righteousness?”

Although he had not had much contact with Yang Kai and had only known him for a short time, Zhang Yuan thought he had a fairly good understanding of the youth in front of him.  As Demon Commander, Zhang Yuan’s eyes were naturally far sharper than ordinary people’s.

He thought that Yang Kai so desperately wanting to go to the Starry Sky had nothing to do with what he had just said, but rather something else.

Yang Kai laughed and nodded, “There really is a more important reason for my decision, but that’s my personal business is not something to be disclosed so easily. I can only guarantee you that I have no ill intentions towards the Demon Land.”

“I believe you!”  Zhang Yuan gently nodded before glancing over at Li Rong, a hint of anticipation appearing on his face.

If Yang Kai really left Tong Xuan Realm, he wouldn’t necessarily be unable to accept Li Rong as a new Demon General.  The Ancient Demon Clan was an extremely strong force and each of its leaders was a powerful expert in their own right, if they joined the Demon Land, it would certainly be reassuring.

Most importantly, he may be able to persuade the Ancient Demon Clan to truly integrate into the Demon Race while Yang Kai was away.

Zhang Yuan was naturally tempted.

“Li Rong, you are a member of the Demon Race. The Demon Land’s environment is far more suitable for you cultivation, and going there will allow your clansmen to grow faster.  En, if one day, I can return, and you are still willing to follow me, I will definitely bring you to experience the wider world,” Yang Kai suddenly wore a nostalgic look, “More than a decade ago, I said the same words to the people of the Great Han Dynasty.”

Li Rong and Han Fei’s beautiful eyes brightened.

“Master, are you really not bring us together with you?” Li Rong made one last attempt.

Yang Kai shook his head.

The Starry Sky was too vast and dangerous, and he had no idea what his destination was or even which direction he should even go, how could he bring others along with him?

“Then my Ancient Demon Clan will calmly await good news from Master!”  Li Rong nodded heavily, no longer saying anymore. She knew that since Yang Kai had made a decision, it would be useless to try to change his mind, “Before then, my family will temporarily reside in the Demon Land. I don’t know if Sir Demon Commander is willing to accept us.”

“This Senior will gladly welcome you!”  Zhang Yuan smiled heartily.

After returning back to the place where the Three Clans’ masters had gathered, a brief discussion and celebration were held before everyone began to split up.

Every force here had come from a different place, and after some time, most of them had split off and headed back to their respective bases.  This time, every force had suffered huge losses, so most of them couldn’t wait to return to their Sects to rest and recover.

After ten days, Yang Kai separated from Xu Hui, telling him, Li Rong, and the others that he needed to visit Dragon Phoenix Palace for a short time and for them to return to the Holy Land first.

Xu Hui nodded and took the lead.

“Let’s go,” Yang Kai said to Chen Zhou after the masters from Nine Heavens Holy Land and the Ancient Demon Clan departed.

Chen Zhou wore a somewhat cautious, somewhat puzzled look upon his face, but he didn’t dare ask anything right now and simply lead the way.

After a while, Yang Kai suddenly said, “Does Palace Master Chen want to ask about the Dragon Emperor’s matters?”

Chen Zhou was startled for an instant but his expression quickly became solemn as he cupped his fists and said, “If it is convenient, could Holy Master Yang please explain?”

During the war with the Bone Race, the Dragon Emperor had reappeared, but Sun Yu, the recognized inheritor of the Dragon Emperor’s legacy, had not come to the battlefield.

And after the great Golden Dragon disappeared, Yang Kai was the one who appeared.

Also, when Yang Kai returned from breaking through to the Saint Realm, Cheng Zhou had seen the vivid Golden Dragon Tattoo on his back!

This series of events had gradually allowed Chen Zhou to come to a vague understanding of the truth of the matter, but he was still not certain of his speculations.

Naturally, he wished to ask Yang Kai directly about this matter.

“I suppose it is time I gave you a proper explanation,” Yang Kai gently nodded, his face also turning serious, “Before that, I must apologize to Palace Master Chen and your noble Sect, until now, I have been deceiving you.”

Chen Zhou’s body shook, his face revealing a look that seemed to say ‘it really is so’.

“Sun Yu is not the Dragon Emperor’s successor, I am.”

“Ah?”  Elder Xiao Ling was stunned as he directed a look of shock towards Yang Kai.

“That year, when the inheritance in Dragon Valley opened, it was not because of Sun Yu, but rather because I had accidentally entered it. Sun Yu just happened to be present at the time and was caught up in the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance.  For two years, I stayed with him in the depths of Dragon Valley.”

“I didn’t know much about Dragon Phoenix Palace back then, but with Sun Yu there, I was able to ask him about various things while directing his cultivation while convenient.”

“Then Sun Yu being able to make such huge strides in his cultivation during those two years was completely because of his relationship with Holy Master Yang?”  Chen Zhou was shocked and suddenly realized why after Sun Yu had exited from Dragon Valley, the progress of his cultivation had been somewhat unsatisfactory; although it was quite a bit faster than an average person, it was far from what one who had succeeded the Dragon Emperor should have.

“That’s half right. It was also thanks to his hard work,” Yang Kai denied.

“After that, when Frozen Nether Cave Heaven attacked…”

“It was also I who secretly resolved the issue,” Yang Kai admitted frankly.

“No wonder Dragon Emperor… Sun Yu worshipped and admired Holy Master Yang so greatly. It was for such a reason,” Xiao Ling suddenly understood, “Both I and Great Elder Ling Jian were suspicious about when he had made friends with a character like Holy Master Yang, now everything makes sense.”

“However, there is a point I am still not clear about,” Chen Zhou frowned, “Since Holy Master Yang is the Dragon Emperor’s true inheritor, why would you try to conceal this fact?”

Just what kind of identity was the Dragon Emperor?  Sun Yu had reached the sky in a single bound and become the highest-ranking person in all of Dragon Phoenix Palace simply by receiving this title, so Chen Zhou really couldn’t understand why Yang Kai would want to conceal his own existence and instead let Sun Yu attract everyone’s attention.

With some embarrassment on his face, Yang Kai explained, “Mainly because I had just become the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land.  You should have heard that at that time, Nine Heavens Holy Land was suffering from a number of worries, so before all of those issues could be tidied up, I truly had no ability to handle other matters.  En, the most important point though was that I was not a member of Dragon Phoenix Palace, I didn’t know how you would react if I had come out and told you that I had obtained Dragon Phoenix Palace’s core inheritance. Perhaps it would have let to more troubles.”

“All of this is my responsibility and has nothing to do with Sun Yu. I was the one who told him to help me conceal this matter.”

Yang Kai chose not to conceal anything and honestly explained the reasons behind his actions.

Chen Zhou, Xiao Ling, and the other masters from Dragon Phoenix Palace all look around at each other with somewhat complicated expressions.

Sometime later, Chen Zhou finally let out a laugh, “Holy Master Yang willingly informing us of the truth at this moment is more than enough.  En, there’s just one thing this Chen doesn’t quite understand. How was it that Holy Master Yang was able to open the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance?  Is there some special reason?”

“En, because I have cultivated the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art.”

Chen Zhou’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Yang Kai briefly told them the story of what happened in the Inheritance Heaven’s Cave that year, causing the masters from Dragon Phoenix Palace to show looks of excitement as they listened with rapt attention.

“It is the inheritance left behind by the previous Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress!  No wonder Holy Master Yang was able to open the array inside Dragon Valley, everything makes sense now!”  Chen Zhou nearly danced with joy, “In other words, Holy Master Yang is by no means an outsider.”

“Yes yes, strictly speaking, Holy Master Yang should be considered my Dragon Phoenix Palace’s person!”  Xiao Ling also said enthusiastically.

Yang Kai encouraging good relations between Nine Heavens Holy Land and Dragon Phoenix Palace was all because of this connection.  At this moment, Chen Zhou and Xiao Ling finally understood everything.

“Right, what about the Phoenix Empress?”  Chen Zhou suddenly remembered, “Since Holy Master Yang has cultivated the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, there must be a Phoenix Empress as well!  Where is she? Why have I never met her?”

“She is no longer in Tong Xuan Realm,” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became low-spirited, “She went to the Starry Sky.”

“The Starry Sky…”  Chen Zhou stared dumbfounded.

“Soon, I am going to depart to search for her, and I don’t know when I will be back; as such, I wish to take the Phoenix Empress inheritance from Phoenix Nest with me so that when I do find her, I can pass it to her it.”

“Take it away?”  Chen Zhou parroted, “Can that inheritance be taken away?”

Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m not sure, I just wish to try… Of course, only if Palace Master Chen agrees.”

“There’s no problem, but the difficulty of what you wish to do is quite high. The inheritance has been hidden inside the Phoenix Nest for thousands of years, no one knows what or where it is… Well, it can’t hurt to try.”

“Many thanks,” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.

After confirming that Yang Kai was the real Dragon Emperor, Chen Zhou and Xiao Ling’s attitude suddenly became more respectful.  Yang Kai asked them not to blame Sun Yu and they easily agreed, saying they would not take this matter to heart. For the entire Dragon Phoenix Palace, as long as the identity of the Dragon Emperor was inherited by someone, everyone in the Sect would stand on their side. As for who it was that gained the inheritance, it mattered little.

What’s more, Yang Kai obtaining the status of Dragon Emperor was a matter that was determined long ago.

The two of them also pledged that although Sun Yu was not the real Dragon Emperor, they would not mistreat him in the future and that the Sect would continue to pour their resources into him.

Sun Yu’s current aptitude was already far beyond that of an ordinary cultivator, so regardless of his identity, he was worth the training.

After more than a month, the group arrived at Dragon Phoenix Palace.

All of Dragon Phoenix Palace came forward to welcome them.

Sun Yu had long ago received word that they would be arriving and had led a group of people outside Dragon Phoenix Palace to congratulate Chen Zhou and the others on their triumphant return as well as to welcome Yang Kai.

Chen Zhou hosted a grand banquet and the entire Sect was filled with drink and merriment.

After three rounds of drinking, Yang Kai pulled Sun Yu aside and told him about everything.

Sun Yu became slightly nervous and asked, “Senior Yang, although I can now have peace of mind, afterwards, will Palace Master and the others bear a grudge towards me?”

“How could they?” Yang Kai laughed, “Cultivate diligently, even if you aren’t the Dragon Emperor, you are still the Sect’s future hope, Palace Master Chen and the others won’t mistreat you.”

“Really?”

Yang Kai nodded.

“That’s good,” Sun Yu smiled carefreely, the great psychological burden he had been carrying these past few years finally lifting from his shoulders.  Every day he spent shouldering the false identity of Dragon Emperor caused him great worry, fearing he would slip up and be discovered. Now though, he could finally relax and hold his head up high.