Martial Peak
chapter-2001

Chapter 2001, Question

The Soaring Dragon Altar in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was actually nothing but a big scam.

The hundreds of Origin Kings who had gathered around really couldn’t accept this reality right away.

Near the Soaring Dragon Altar, everyone looked gloomy, especially as they glanced around at all the dead and broken bodies lying on the ground.

If the Soaring Dragon Altar was just a fraud, what had these people died for? Some of these people had relatives and friends among those who were still alive.

“Young Lady Qin, don’t you think you should give us an explanation about this?”

Suddenly, from the crowd, someone turned to look at Qin Yu, who was quite far in the rear, and asked coldly.

Qin Yu had also stopped in place a while ago, and because of her low strength, she had not advanced very far. At this moment, along with her guards, she was quite a bit behind the crowd, at least two hundred meters from the next closest person.

Hearing this accusation, Qin Yu frowned, raised her head, and said lightly, “What does this friend mean…?”

“Hmph, is Young Lady Qin not clear what I mean? You were the one who told us about this Soaring Dragon Altar, and we all believed you, but now it turns out to be nothing but a fake! After so many people were killed and injured here, does Young Lady Qin still want to feign ignorance?”

The speaker was filled with righteous indignation, as if Qin Yu had really cheated them and was responsible for the ones who had died.

What he said was in line with what many cultivators believed and there were not just a few who were staring towards Qin Yu with unkind expressions, seemingly wanting to vent their grievances on her.

Qin Yu’s brow furrowed even more severely, but before she could speak, the guard next to her couldn’t help coldly snorting and snapping, “This friend, would you mind thinking a bit before you speak? What does this matter have to do with my Young Lady?”

“What does it have to do with her? If it weren’t for Qin Yu Young Lady saying all that nonsense about this Soaring Dragon Altar, we wouldn’t have…”

“Wouldn’t have charged forward without hesitation?”

Before this man could finish speaking, Duan Tian Ci suddenly cut in and sneered, sending him a murderous glare, “Don’t be ridiculous. All of you know full well that even if Young Lady Qin didn’t say anything, with such a huge opportunity in front of you, you wouldn’t have just let it go.”

Duan Tian Ci was the son of the City Lord and his strength was not weak, so among the cultivators of Maplewood City, he enjoyed a very high status and popularity. Hearing what he said, many people lowered their heads and began to ponder, finding that what he said was indeed the truth.

Even without Qin Yu’s explanation, none of them would have just ignored this Soaring Dragon Altar. Just as they had now, they would have swarmed towards it and wound up in the exact same situation.

In other words, with or without Qin Yu, nothing would have changed.

“Young Lady Qin was kind enough to advise you, yet now you try to place the blame on her, have you no shame?” Duan Tian Ci looked at the cultivator who spoke before with a cold expression.

Naturally, this man didn’t dare disagree with Duan Tian Ci, and for a time, his eyes began to swim.

“Good, Young Lady Qin is not at fault. If anyone dares to accuse her again, they will become enemies of my Raging Fire Temple,” Zong Zi Jin added indifferently.

“My Jiang Family also agrees!” Jiang Chu He chimed in with a smile, not missing this chance to take the righteous stance and improve his Jiang Family’s reputation.

“Naturally, we won’t blame Young Lady Qin. What just happened was some irresponsible rhetoric by a few disgruntled miscreants. Young Lady Qin doesn’t have to care about such trivial whining.”

“Yes, if it were not for Young Lady Qin, we would not even know what this thing was, but instead of offering thanks some people actually dare make accusations. These people are simply a disgrace to my Maplewood City’s cultivators. It is embarrassing to even stand among them!”

…..

As the crowd swiftly took a stand, the face of the man who had just been accusing Qin Yu flushed a deep red, like he could not wait to find a hole to crawl into and never come out again.

Not far away, Qin Yu smiled and said elegantly, “Many thanks for all your understanding, but… this Mistress did not speak incorrectly, this Soaring Dragon Altar really has a very precious treasure.”

“Where?” Duan Tian Ci and Zong Zi Jin’s expressions became hot as they hurriedly asked.

Yang Kai’s heart sank as he stared at Qin Yu fixedly, praying she would not say anything unnecessary.

Qin Yu smiled slightly and replied, “This Soaring Dragon Altar itself… is a treasure. Perhaps the things placed on it were merely illusions, but the Soaring Dragon Altar itself is refined from authentic Dragon Bone, an Artifact Refining material coveted even by Emperors.”

With just these words, everyone’s expressions became fierce again.

Qin Yu, however, quickly sighed, “But… with just our paltry strength, there is no way we can destroy this Soaring Dragon Altar or take it away, otherwise, it would not still exist inside this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. If that were possible, it would have been taken away by a powerful master long ago, and if we were to try to attack it, it would likely trigger a very powerful restriction, so this Mistress advises everyone to not act rashly.”

Hearing what she said, the expressions of Zong Zi Jin and Duan Tian Ci gradually calmed down as they turned to look at the huge Soaring Dragon Altar and sighed.

A giant treasure was right in front of them, but they were unable to seize it, leaving them with complicated expressions.

“By the way, Young Lady Qin,” Yang Kai, who had not spoken until now, suddenly cupped his fists and asked, “Since Young Lady Qin seems to know something about this Soaring Dragon Altar, dare I ask… when will we be able to leave here? After all, those who tried to retreat earlier… Everyone saw their end. We won’t be trapped here permanently, right?”

“Yes, Young Lady Qin, please advise us!” Many people also suddenly realized this problem and turned their attention to Qin Yu.

Qin Yu took a deep glance at Yang Kai before smiling and saying, “You can leave now. Once the treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar have disappeared, the restriction will also lose its effect. What’s more, this Soaring Dragon Altar will disappear within half an hour. As for when it will re-appear, no one knows. However… you can also choose not to leave; after all, the Dragon Pressure still exists, and the benefits of cultivating here… this Mistress need not explain.”

Yang Kai felt quite uncomfortable under her gaze, always feeling like she could see through him, but he still knew how to express his gratitude, “Many thanks for your instruction, Young Lady Qin.”

Having said that, he did not move.

One should always learn from other’s mistakes. He did not want to be killed inexplicably by the light shot out from the Soaring Dragon Altar.

As such, he simply sat down cross-legged, took out a Source Condensing Pill, and swallowed it, using it in combination with the powerful Dragon Pressure here to further transform his strength.

Yang Kai was not alone in his approach, as none of the other cultivators moved either, all of them waiting for someone to take the risk first. Most cultivators followed Yang Kai’s example, sitting down cross-legged, obviously not wanting to waste this great opportunity.

As for the remaining people, they were eager to leave here and search for treasures elsewhere, but none of them had the guts to move, so their eyes continued to wander about, hoping for someone to make the first move.

Seeing this situation, Qin Yu smiled lightly, turned around, and walked outwards a few steps.

“Young Lady!” The guards around her were shocked and hurriedly called out, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.

However, they soon relaxed as Qin Yu did not encounter an attack from the Soaring Dragon Altar. It seemed that what she said before was true: Once the treasure on the altar disappeared, the Spirit Array keeping them here also lost its function.

With Qin Yu setting an example, many cultivators also turned outwards and flew off.

Soon, there were only a few dozen cultivators left near the Soaring Dragon Altar.

Yang Kai was among them.

He had withdrawn the power of his Golden Divine Dragon Source and was now using his body alone to bear the terrifying Dragon Pressure. Under the catalysis of the Source Condensing Pill’s medicinal efficacies, he felt his Saint Qi rapidly being transformed into Source Qi.

A quick calculation allowed Yang Kai to estimate that half an hour of cultivation here was worth about ten days of effort outside.

Just as Qin Yu said, half an hour later, accompanied by a rumbling sound, the Soaring Dragon Altar sank back into the ground under the influence of some inexplicable force.

Another half cup of tea’s time later, the Soaring Dragon Altar was gone.

Even the Dragon Pressure had disappeared without a trace.

Yang Kai sighed and stood up.

Turning his head to look around, he saw the few dozen remaining cultivators also stand, some of them alone while others were in groups, but each of them lived in peace with one another at this moment.

Soon, the few dozen people flew off in different directions.

Yang Kai also arbitrarily picked a direction and left to continue looking for the Five Coloured Light Pillar that led to the second layer.

A short time later though, as he flew forward, he suddenly frowned and increased his speed.

After an hour, Yang Kai’s expression had turned ugly, and he came to a halt before turning around and staring behind himself.

Initially, there was no one behind him, but soon a streak of light appeared in the distance.

As this light drew closer, Yang Kai could see that it was actually a flight-type artifact similar to the ones he had previously seen.

On the deck of this ship, a slender figure stood looking in his direction. After seeing Yang Kai, this graceful figure turned around and seemed to issue some kind of order.

Soon, the ship arrived in front of Yang Kai and landed slowly.

“Young Lady Qin!” Yang Kai looked at Qin Yu and the few Origin King Realm guards who were accompanying her with a gloomy expression, “What are Young Lady Qin’s intentions? Did you think I would not notice you following me all this time?”

Qin Yu heard the meaning behind his tone and quickly apologized, “Please don’t misunderstand, Your Excellency, this Mistress was not intentionally trying to follow you. Your Excellency’s speed was simply too fast, and my Qin Family’s ship was unable to catch up, leading to the current situation.”

Yang Kai’s frown relaxed slightly as he asked, “Young Lady Qin means she has something to discuss with me?”

“Yes,” Qin Yu nodded when she heard these words.

“I do not believe Young Lady Qin and I have ever met before, so what is it that you are looking for me for?” Yang Kai looked confused, but instinctively rejected this frail-looking woman. In front of her, Yang Kai always had an inexplicable sense of insecurity.

“While it is true we have never met before, this Mistress simply had a question she wished to ask Your Excellency.”

“A question?”

“Good, may I ask Your Excellency’s surname?”

“That’s what you wanted to ask?” Yang Kai was stunned.

“Naturally not,” Qin Yu smiled before suddenly coughing slightly, taking a moment to compose herself before explaining, “What this Mistress wanted to ask was not this question…”

Yang Kai nodded and said, “My surname is Yang.”

“So, it is Brother Yang,” Qin Yu nodded before immediately moving her lips lightly, her delicate voice sounding directly into Yang Kai’s ears.

“Dare I ask Brother Yang, was there really no treasure on that Soaring Dragon Altar?”