Martial Peak

Chapter 1523, Star Emperor Mountain

Observing the room, Yang Kai knew that he had done enough to prove his point, continuing to bring out more would only cause everyone to lose their minds, so after keeping the Star Emperor Token, he slowly said, “Seniors, I believe I’ve proven myself. It’s time for the three Seniors to make a choice.”

Yang Xiu Zhu and the others glanced at each other for a moment before silently reaching a consensus, cupping their fists as they bowed politely, “Subordinates greet Sect Master!”

Yang Kai had indeed proven himself. Whether it was the Star Emperor Token that retained the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability or the secrets about the Three Blazing Flame Rings and the Flowing Flame Sand Field, none could be obtained by an ordinary person. Aside from the Great Emperor herself, who else could understand so many shocking facts?

There was much here that even Ye Xi Yun didn’t know!

Moreover, Yang Xiu Zhu and the others had great faith in Ye Xi Yun’s character and knew that she would not deceive them, so when she vouched for this matter, they had already more than half believed. All the other motions they went through just now were for the sake of prudence as this matter was of great importance.

Now that they knew that the Great Emperor resided in High Heaven Sect, how could they refuse to join?

Being a part of the Sect that the Great Emperor oversaw and living in the same world was the greatest of honours. They could wish for nothing more!

“Good!” Yang Kai laughed happily, waving his hand sharply as he called out, “Who has some good wine? Bring out a few bottles, this Sect Master wants to share a toast with these three Seniors!”

Yang Xiu Zhu showed a slightly awkward look on his face before waving his hand slightly, “I’m afraid we will have to refuse Sect Master’s kindness as none of us are good with wine. Moreover, this matter is far from settled, so we might as well wait before drinking freely.”

“Sect Master, all three of them are constantly in secluded cultivation so they really are bad at this,” Ye Xi Yun added.

Yang Kai simply nodded in understanding, saying freely, “Since that’s the case, then never mind. Junior deeply admires how three Seniors are not only indifferent to fame and fortune, but also to the temptations of appetite!”

“Sect Master is too polite,” Yang Xiu Zhu smiled modestly.

“This Junior is still confused about something though, so I would like to ask the three of you about it,” Yang Kai’s expression turned serious.

“Please ask, Sect Master. If the three of us know anything, we won’t conceal it,” Yang Xiu Zhu gestured with his hand.

“I want to know why Star Emperor Mountain suddenly decided to act against me, is it really just because of this Starship?” Yang Kai squinted at them, “Since the three of you live on Star Emperor Mountain, surely you must have heard some rumours regarding this issue. If you can dispel this Junior’s doubts, Junior will be very grateful!”

If it was just Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect that attacked him, Yang Kai could still understand; after all, whether it was the previous battle on Dragon Cave Mountain or the events related to the Emperor Garden’s opening, High Heaven Sect and these two Sects had some grievances.

Moreover, the rapid rise of High Heaven Sect was a threat to their status.

If they had chosen to attack him, they would have had some reasons, but why was Star Emperor Mountain the one to initiate hostilities? There was no intersection between himself and Star Emperor Mountain. Yang Kai had thought it over many times and all he could think of was the saying ‘an ordinary man is innocent but treasures make one guilty’.

“Sect Master’s speculations are mostly correct, the root of this conflict is indeed this Starship. This Origin King Grade Starship symbolizes hope, there is no great force that does not wish to possess it, and Star Emperor Mountain is no exception!” Saying so, Yang Xiu Zhu glanced over at Ye Xi Yun and continued, “If Sect Master Ye was still in power, however, I doubt this unfortunate series of events would have happened, but that usurper is different. However,...”

“However?” Yang Kai raised his brow.

“This Starship is only one of the reasons!”

“There’s another?”

“According to what this old master has overheard, the other reasons Sect Master Yang was attacked was due to the Great Emperor’s legacy within the ancestral land,” Yang Xiu Zhu said solemnly.

“The Great Emperor’s legacy within the ancestral land?” Yang Kai frowned.

“Indeed. The Supreme Profound Sect’s ruin that is currently occupied by High Heaven Sect is the place where the Great Emperor stayed in the past. As Sect Master said before, perhaps there are other mysteries which remain hidden there! That usurper who holds the position of Sect Master wants to unearth these mysteries, but he had no way to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field; however, since High Heaven Sect can enter it, then you must know a way. That is why that usurper started this plot!”

“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai showed a look of understanding.

It seemed that these random words he had said only to win them over were the right prescription for the problem. Yang Xiu Zhu and the others agreeing so readily was likely because they also thought that there were hidden mysteries in High Heaven Sect just waiting to be discovered.

Unfortunately,...

There certainly were mysteries to be found, but they were likely located where the Great Emperor currently slept, so besides Yang Kai and Ye Xi Yun, no one else could even approach them.

Whether it was the Starship or these hidden mysteries, in the final analysis, it was all because of the desire to reach the Origin King Realm!

The suppression and restraint of the World Principles here only fueled the desire of those who had reached the apex of Shadowed Star to ascend further along the Martial Dao. This Starship and those ethereal mysteries provided hope of doing just that, so Star Emperor Mountain would certainly covet them.

“Now that these old masters are helping Sect Master in this matter though, that usurper won’t be able to cause any stir. However, Sect Master must still be wary of the Annihilation Thunder Bead. Sect Master also cannot count on our traditionalist faction in Star Emperor Mountain in regards to the Bead, as none of us are allowed anywhere near the Annihilation Thunder Bead. If we could simply seize it, Sect Master would not have anything else to worry about,” Yang Xiu Zhu looked ashamed.

“Senior’s consideration is more than enough. It’s just a simple artifact, this Sect Master has my own countermeasures,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.

“Alright,” Yang Xiu Zhu gently nodded before suddenly thinking of something and saying, “Right, there is one more thing Sect Master should keep in mind.”

“Please do tell, Senior!”

“That usurper seems to have been cultivating a certain Secret Technique for several dozen years now. Unfortunately, Subordinate does not know any details about this Secret Technique, but for that usurper to spend so much time on it, it definitely cannot be trivial. If Sect Master encounters that man, you must make self-preservation his top priority,” Yang Xiu Zhu solemnly urged.

“I’ll remember,” Yang Kai agreed solemnly.

“En, if everything here is settled, the three of us will take our leave. We will head back to the Sect first to prepare for Sect Master’s arrival. I hope Sect Master can wait here for news from us; it won’t be too late to act afterwards.”

“Sounds good, I’ll entrust this task to you!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.

Yang Xiu Zhu and the others returned the courtesy before hurriedly departing.

Inside the hall, Yang Kai smiled quite happily, secretly thinking that with Yang Xiu Zhu and the others assisting from the inside, this trip to Star Emperor Mountain would likely be much smoother than he anticipated. While success seemed to be within his grasp though, Yang Kai didn’t dare relax as he could not tell what other cards Star Emperor Mountain was hiding!

“Sect Master, this Queen will also retire for now,” Ye Xi Yun said goodbye and left.

Only Yang Kai, Qian Tong, and Fei Zhi Tu remained inside the hall.

Elder Qian and City Lord Fei stared at Yang Kai in a daze with cramped expressions upon their faces.

“What do you two want to say?” Yang Kai glanced at them.

“Ahem...” Qian Tong gave a light cough and asked earnestly, “Yang Kai, just now, you said that the Great Emperor... is in High Heaven Sect, is this news true or false?”

Qian Tong still couldn’t believe this earth-shattering news.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Yang Kai, it was just that this news was really too shocking.

“What does Elder Qian think?” Yang Kai didn’t answer the question directly, putting on a mysterious act.

“How should I know? I’m asking you!” Qian Tong grumbled.

“Hahaha,” Yang Kai laughed.

Fei Zhi Tu chimed in at that moment, “If what you say is true, then this old master wants to join High Heaven Sect.”

“Old Fei, you...” Qian Tong looked at him in amazement.

“Me what? In any case, this old master is just idling away as a lowly City Lord. Shadow Moon Hall won’t be affected whether I am there or not. If I can enter the Sect of the Great Emperor, that would be the greatest of honours!” Fei Zhi Tu snorted.

“Please don’t mention this again, City Lord Fei. Otherwise, this Junior is afraid the old Hall Master will want to go all out with me when he finds out!” Yang Kai waved his hand quickly.

Seeing Qian Tong also put on a look of contemplation, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling startled.

Yang Kai wanted to win over Yang Xiu Zhu and the others from Star Emperor Mountain, but he had no intention to snatch people away from Shadow Moon Hall as well.

Not only did High Heaven Sect have only a few disciples, but its high-end combat power was lacking even more!

There were only a few Origin Returning Realm masters in the Sect, most of whom were in the First-Order. Even Yang Kai was in this realm.

Only Ye Xi Yun could act as a true support for the Sect!

However, if Yang Kai could rope in all the members of Star Emperor Mountain, the situation would be very different; High Heaven Sect would become the top force on Shadowed Star in a single bound!

Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union were now gone, so only Star Emperor Mountain stood above High Heaven Sect. As such, after solving Star Emperor Mountain, High Heaven Sect would naturally become Shadowed Star’s leading force.

This would be of great benefit to future development.

This was also why Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to bring out that Star Emperor Token and expose the existence of the Great Emperor.

He was very enthusiastic about Yang Xiu Zhu and the others. These people were all aloof from the world and free of material desires, possessing pure intentions while lacking an interest in intrigue. Once they joined High Heaven Sect, they could immediately become the hope and support of the entire Sect.

.....

Yang Xiu Zhu and the others worked extremely quickly.

After just two days, Ye Xi Yun received a message from them. Receiving this news, Yang Kai immediately ordered the Starship to proceed to Star Emperor Mountain.

Star Emperor Mountain was situated amidst a grand mountain range that was both majestic and beautiful. These mountains were rich in World Energy and cloaked in mist all year round. Looking from a distance, it seemed like a paradise that was somehow separate from this world.

The survivors of Supreme Profound Sect choosing to establish their new headquarters here certainly had excellent vision.

Members of Star Emperor Mountain rarely left this mountain range and even interfered with worldly affairs even less, instead choosing to remain in isolated self-development. However, no one dared to underestimate this Sect.

Amongst the general populace, perhaps not many even knew of Star Emperor Mountain’s existence, instead more familiar with Heaven Battling Union, Thunder Typhoon Sect, Coloured Glass Sect, Shadow Moon Hall and other first-class great forces.

However, all first-class forces revered Star Emperor Mountain as supreme!

For ten thousand years, Star Emperor Mountain had been the strongest force on Shadowed Star, with no outsiders ever daring to step within ten thousand kilometres of its territory.

But today, High Heaven Sect’s Starship flew in openly, without any hesitation, and proceeded towards its central domain.

At the same time, a crowd of cultivators that represented almost eighty percent of Star Emperor Mountain’s population had gathered atop Star Emperor Mountain’s main square.

Besides some who were in secluded retreat or others who were at critical points in their cultivation, every cultivator had assembled here.

There still weren’t many though, a mere two hundred or so in total.

However, if one looked closely, this gathering of two hundred people was still quite shocking.

Of these two hundred, more than one hundred and fifty were Origin Realm masters, with a full forty of them having reached the Third-Order! As for those below the Origin Realm, there were only a trivial few dozen.