Martial Peak
chapter-1090

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain

Submersed in the Body Tempering Divine Pond, Gui Che, Gan Ji, and Luo Yao all shivered and paled. Even if they were masters at the Saint King Realm, they couldn’t bear such intense pressure.

Yang Kai was also in great pain and couldn’t help feeling as if he was being crushed to death.

But the rapidly condensing Demon God Golden Blood in his body provided him with some relief, causing his condition to actually be the most relaxed of the group.

The other three were all on the verge of collapsing.

“Ji Peng, what are you doing?” Gan Ji growled angrily.

Ji Peng just stood high up in the sky and stared down dismissively at them, not saying a word, as if he was looking at a dead man.

Gui Che yelled, “Ji Peng, you better pray I don’t escape from this otherwise I swear I’ll give you a fate worse than death!”

Ji Peng let out a laugh and confidently replied, “I’ve already activated the Sacrificial Altar at the bottom of the Divine Pond, all of you will be its offerings. No matter how strong you are, you won’t be leaving from here.”

“Sacrificial Altar?” Gui Che’s face changed as he roared indignantly, “You were still hiding things from us!”

Ji Peng sneered, “If I had told you everything about this place, I’m afraid I’d be the one being sacrificed right now! I’m well aware of your sinister and treacherous nature, Gui Che. Did you think I brought you here out of goodwill? In the face of such great benefits, who wouldn’t want to monopolize them? It’s laughable how you fell for such a simple trick. I’ll tell you now, this Body Tempering Divine Pond contains all kinds of incredible mysteries. It can indeed quench one’s flesh, but if one wants to thoroughly temper their body, they need to offer it enough sacrifices. After you die, you’ll serve the same role as that Thunder Luan, your vitality and cultivation all transforming into pure energy I can absorb to enhance my own strength.”

After hearing what he said, the faces of everyone else present turned even whiter, only now realizing Ji Peng’s true intentions and completely recognizing his sinister nature.

Although Gui Che and Gan Ji weren’t the most cunning of people, they weren’t fools either, ordinarily, it would have been impossible for them to fall for such a simple and obvious trap. On the way here, they had constantly been on guard against Ji Peng, but having obtained so many great benefits along the way, their vigilance had become lax and once they saw Ji Peng jump so carefreely into the Body Tempering Divine Pond, they had followed without giving it much thought, and it was only after the trap had been sprung did they understand they had been played.

It was too late for regrets though, so all of them went all out to struggle free from the Body Tempering Divine Pond’s grip, but the harder they struggled, the more intense the force holding them down became. All of them were only capable of keeping their heads floating above water while their bodies were forced to accept the potent effects of the Tempering Divine Pond as they waited for death.

“Ji Peng, you even plotted against me?” Luo Yao asked in a pitiful voice as she directed a sad look towards Ji Peng.

Ji Peng’s expression slowly became solemn as he glanced over at Luo Yao with some pity, only a long time later letting out a sigh, “Although we have only known each other for a few years, I don’t want you to die. I like you quite a bit and I planned on sharing the benefits of this Body Tempering Divine Pond with you.”

Luo Yao immediately wore a smile upon her charming face, thinking that Ji Peng was going to spare her.

But in the next moment, Ji Peng slowly shook his head, “Unfortunately it’s too late for such thoughts now. With the Sacrificial Altar already activated, you cannot come out, and I won’t go in. The number of sacrifices is too small as it is. When my ancestor came here originally, there were a dozen people in his group. My ancestor’s aptitude wasn’t very high, and when he came here, his cultivation was the same as that little brat’s…”

Saying so, he pointed at Yang Kai, “Only a Third Order Saint, and the weakest out of his entire team. Anyone else could bully or order him around, and when they discovered the benefits of this Body Tempering Divine Pond, he wasn’t even granted a share. The rest of his group occupied the Divine Pond to reap the benefits for themselves, but who could have known that being forcefully excluded actually saved my ancestor’s life. After everyone else died, my ancestor waited until the Divine Pond had calmed down completely and then proceeded to enjoy all the benefits here alone. He recorded in my family’s ancient records that if not for this Divine Pond, even if he had cultivated desperately, at most he could have become a Second or Third Order Saint King, but do you know what realm he ultimately achieved? Third Order Origin Returning Realm, just one step away from the Origin King Realm!”

Ji Peng’s tone of voice rose higher and higher as he became emotional, his hands waving in an exaggerated manner, “My aptitude is also not great, but it is still much better than that old man’s, so with the help of this Body Tempering Divine Pond, I will have a chance to reach the Origin King Realm in this lifetime!”

“Origin King Realm!” Gui Che suddenly let out a peal of wild and dissolute laughter as blood flowed from the corners of his lips, nose, eyes, and ears. Ignoring his own distress, he stared at Ji Peng contemptuously, “With just the benefits of this place you believe you can reach the Origin King Realm? The Origin King Realm isn’t something so cheap.”

Ji Peng didn’t show any annoyance though and simply declared, “After you all become part of me, you will be able to bear witness to my rise. Luo Yao, although it saddens me to see you die here, I take comfort in knowing you will soon be joined to me forever as a part of me. En, I will also set up a tablet in your memory. Don’t worry though, my future is still long, and I believe I will meet another woman who I can fall in love with.”

“Insane, you’re completely insane!” Luo Yao’s face went pale as he called out hoarsely.

“Say whatever you like,” Ji Peng said as all traces of pity left his expression, leaving behind only a cold glint in his eyes as he overlooked the group below him on the verge of death. Before, he had simply been waxing nostalgically, and now that he was done, there was nothing more to say.

With the exception of Yang Kai, the condition of everyone in the pond was gradually getting worse. Blood began to boil, meridians began to break, and flesh began to tear, causing red blood to flow into the Body Tempering Divine Pond, dying it an even darker shade of crimson.

On the other hand, Yang Kai only felt uncomfortable while his life wasn’t currently in danger.

A person’s body had a natural capacity, just like how only a certain amount of Saint Qi could be stored in one’s dantian, only a certain amount of vital energy could be stored in one’s body. If this capacity was forcefully exceeded due to some external factor, dire consequences would be incurred and in the worst-case scenario one could even explode.

Yang Kai was an exception to this rule, however. In the past, he could condense Yang Liquid to store in his dantian and currently he could store excess Saint Qi directly in his physique. His physical body was all but bottomless.

The strange force present in the Body Tempering Divine Pond was similar to Saint Qi in the air, both of which could be used to cultivate. Ji Peng activating the Sacrificial Altar at the bottom of the Divine Pond greatly enhanced the effects of this strange force and it was currently hammering Gui Che, Gan Ji, and Luo Yao’s bodies to death.

However, Yang Kai could transform this strange energy into pure Demon God Golden Blood, essentially allowing him to undergo a limitless amount of tempering. Quickly, he had condensed ten drops of Demon God Golden Blood, each one containing a terrifying amount of energy.

With a tragic sound, Gan Ji’s body suddenly swelled up as a pulse of energy burst from his body, battering his surroundings as blood poured out of his seven orifices, giving him a miserable appearance.

*Peng…*

A muffled noise rang out and a giant splash emerged from the Body Tempering Divine Pond. After the blood-red water fell back to the pond, Gan Ji had disappeared and in his place, on the surface of the pond, was a large amount of minced flesh and broken limbs. Soon after, these remnants sank into the water and dissolved, transforming into a massive amount of pure vital energy.

After Gan Ji died, the Body Tempering Divine Pond boiled up even more and the surge of bubbles coming from its depths increased in intensity. Yang Kai clearly felt a massive amount of the strange force pour into his body from all around, nearly causing him to cry out in pain.

Ji Peng calling them sacrificial offerings wasn’t just idle talk but instead a true fact. With Gan Ji’s death, the effects of the Body Tempering Divine Pond became even stronger.

The next moment, Luo Yao’s scream echoed through the air and the enchanting yet dignified young woman followed in Gan Ji’s footsteps.

Before she died, Luo Yao’s beautiful eyes sent an unforgettable glare of hatred towards Ji Peng, seemingly wishing to imprint his ugly countenance into her soul.

The two exploded one after the other, with no bones left. The effectiveness of the Body Tempering Divine Pond suddenly increased by one level.

Soon after, even the strongest Gui Che found himself unable to handle the increase pressure and shamelessly called out, “Ji Peng, save me and I’ll give you everything inside my Space Ring!”

Ji Peng simply stared at him though and said, “Once you die, and the Body Tempering Divine Pond calms down, I’ll naturally obtain your Space Ring and everything inside it.”

“You’ll suffer Heaven’s punishment for this!” Gui Che raged angrily.

Ji Peng laughed wildly, “Maybe, but you won’t be around to see it.”

As soon as he spoke those words, Gui Che’s body burst open and his Space Ring flew up into the air before landing back into the pond, disappearing beneath its surface.

Ji Peng’s eyes flashed with greed, but he didn’t rush out to collect it.

After waiting for a while, he suddenly wore a strange expression and muttered, “How come their Souls didn’t come out?”

Ever since Gan Ji died, Ji Peng had been on guard against his former teammate’s Souls escaping. He had been waiting to ruthlessly extinguish them as soon as they appeared.

But to his surprise, when his former companion’s died, no trace of their Souls could be seen, as if they had been destroyed and become sacrifices when their bodies exploded.

After thinking about it for a moment but not coming up with an answer, Ji Peng turned his attention towards Yang Kai, frowned, and asked, “Kid, why are you still not dead?”

Yang Kai’s forehead was filled with veins as sweat poured down his skin, seemingly enduring unimaginable pain and torment as he haltingly spoke, “I don’t know. Maybe because my strength is too low and I had to sit at the edge of the pond. Do you want to step inside and check for yourself?”

Ji Peng coldly snorted, “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Yang Kai nodded firmly, “You really must be an idiot, standing there so smugly, not even realizing that someone is sneaking up to attack you from behind.”

Ji Peng’s face changed immediately as he rapidly turned around to see a twin-horned blood-stained man who was concealing his aura while rapidly approaching.

“Di Ji?” Ji Peng’s face paled greatly when he saw who it was.

But after noticing the condition of this Monster Race master, Ji Peng calmed down greatly. He didn’t know what danger Di Ji had encountered, but at this moment his body was filled with wounds and he looked quite exhausted. Most importantly, Di Ji was currently all alone, all of his former companions had disappeared.