Martial Peak
chapter-2010

Chapter 2010, Shocking Change

Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Of course, Yang Kai knew that the Xiao Fu she spoke of was the Heaven Escaping Bat who had led him here. This little thing was naturally sensitive to danger, which had allowed Yang Kai to avoid many barriers and traps along the way.

Since both Mo Xiao Qi and this little bat felt danger, they should not be wrong.

Yang Kai went silent as he and Mo Xiao Qi continued to conceal themselves while secretly observing the situation.

As he was scanning his surroundings, Yang Kai discovered something of interest. It turned out that not just he and Mo Xiao Qi, but others were also using concealment techniques to hide nearby while watching and waiting.

As for the several dozen Origin Kings working together to crack this barrier, they were obviously having a strenuous time. Many of them were frequently taking out pills to supplement their consumption as they continued their attempts.

As the power of a dozen people poured into this barrier, a cross-shaped symbol composed of brilliantly burning flames gradually appeared.

The scorching power of this cross could be felt even from where Yang Kai stood.

“The Raging Flames Cross Seal?” Mo Xiao Qi suddenly whispered after seeing this scene.

“You recognize it?” Yang Kai asked quietly.

Mo Xiao Qi nodded lightly, “I have seen pictures of it in ancient books. It is a very, very old sealing technique, no one alive today should know how to use it. The principle of this kind of seal is quite simple, but it requires an enormous amount of strength to create. Unfortunately, I can’t tell what it is being used to seal.”

“We’ll know soon enough,” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.

Ten kilometres ahead, when this Raging Flames Cross Seal appeared, the several dozen cultivators working to crack the barrier suddenly became excited, some of them even calling out, “Everyone, just a bit more, the barrier is about to break and the treasures are about to appear!”

Just these words alone were enough to inspire the gathered cultivators. Their blood boiling, each of these cultivators pushed their strength even harder as they poured it into the centre of the seal.

As time passed, the shape of the Raging Flames Cross Seal became more and more complete and clear. As more and more power flowed into it, the Raging Flames Cross Seal seemed like it was gradually becoming unstable.

The burning flames began to riot and cracking sounds from the seal could be heard.

At a certain point, the flame cross suddenly trembled and distorted before rapidly shrinking back to a central point.

The next moment, a loud band resounded.

A wave of flames shot out in all directions, accompanied by an intense heat and pressure that swept towards the dozens of Origin Kings nearby. Thankfully, all of them had been prepared for such an outcome and swiftly summoned their defensive artifacts, so although all of them were a bit dishevelled, none of them was injured.

“The barrier has been broken!” Someone shouted, with a pleasant surprise in his voice.

Everyone else also felt a sense of joy as they raced forward to inspect the situation. Where the barrier had once been, the Raging Flames Cross Seal had disappeared and was replaced by a giant pit that seemed bottomless.

The many Origin Kings who had just stabilized themselves no longer restrained themselves and all dove towards the pit as fast as they could, hoping to snatch whatever benefits it held for themselves.

Everyone’s thoughts aligned with each other. Suddenly, many rushed to the gigantic pit as they glared around at everyone else, hostility growing by the breath and soon a giant melee had erupted.

All of them had joined forces earlier because they wanted to break this barrier, but now that it was gone, there was no need to cooperate anymore.

Even some of the cultivators who had been hiding nearby to watch the show decided to make a move and rushed out towards the pit.

Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi remained where they stood, along with a few others who were acting more cautiously.

Not far in front though, flashes of light from powerful artifacts and Secret Techniques appeared as people began dying.

Amidst the chaos, a few people quickly managed to rush down into the pit. When others saw this, how could they hesitate? Giving up on their opponents one after another, everyone dove into the pit.

Soon, there were only a few cultivators left above the pit while the rest descended into it.

“It’s quite lively here.” Suddenly, a voice appeared not far from where Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi were hiding.

Yang Kai was instantly shocked, because although he had been paying attention to the situation beside the pit, he had not relaxed his vigilance of his immediate surroundings. Yet, he still had not noticed anyone approaching until this voice sounded.

Turning his head to look, Yang Kai could not stop his eyes from shrinking.

A dozen metres away, an old man with a shabby appearance and a sloppy goatee had mysteriously appeared and was now stroking his beard while observing the situation.

“Men die for wealth, birds die for food. Why, oh why?” The old man suddenly muttered in a low voice with a forlorn look. At that moment, this old man gave off a profound aura that was laced with the vicissitude of ages past, surprising Yang Kai greatly.

“It’s that old swindler!” Mo Xiao Qi also noticed this person’s arrival, and after seeing his appearance, she immediately flew into a fury as she recognized him as the one who had cheated her out of her Source Crystals.

However, Yang Kai waved to stop her from moving.

Although Mo Xiao Qi did not know why Yang Kai wanted to stop her, she nodded obediently.

The next moment, the old swindler took a step forward and, in a flash, arrived a few kilometres away before squatting down and looking at an Origin King who had lost an arm and a leg in the previous battle.

This cultivator was severely injured in the melee just now and was barely even alive at the moment. Blood was still pouring out of his wounds and it was clear he was not long for the world.

“You’re hurt quite badly, son!” The goateed old swindler stared at the other person with a pitiful expression on his face, like a merciful deity who had descended to rescue people from suffering.

“Old… Old Sir, help me!” The cultivator stretched out his remaining arm and grabbed onto the old man desperately, begging for his life.

“Saving a life is more rewarding than building a seven-story pagoda, this old master will naturally not ignore your plight. Your broken limbs are not easy to treat, if not handled properly, you will be crippled for a lifetime. Tsk tsk, it is truly pitiful, but… Fortunately, this old master has a Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pill his ancestor obtained long ago and has been passed down through his family until today. This pill can even bring those at the gates of death back to life! This old master seems to share some fate with you, so he will sell it to you cheaply!” Saying so, the old man took out a Spirit Pill from his Space Ring while acting all mysterious.

The cultivator’s eyes lit up, as if seeing a life-saving straw while drowning, and nodded repeatedly while exclaiming, “I’ll buy it! How many Source Crystals do I need to pay?”

“Ho ho, it’s not expensive at all, just give me your Space Ring,” The old man said with a smile on his face.

When these words fell, he pushed the so-called Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pill in his hand into the mouth of the cultivator without any explanation before snatching his Space Ring without the slightest trace of politeness.

The cultivator had not even reacted yet, much less agreed to this deal, when his eyes rolled back from anger and he fainted directly.

“En, en, just sleep well, when you wake up, it will be like nothing happened,” The old man grinned and chanted, like he was soothing a baby, flashing his yellowed teeth benevolently.

“Big Brother Yang, that old swindler is too much! He’s actually robbing people in this kind of situation!” Mo Xiao Qi was suddenly filled with righteous indignation.

She and Yang Kai, who were still hiding, clearly saw everything this old man did.

She had thought this old man was just a swindler, but now, it seems that he not only cheated others but went so far as to rob them as well. How could Mo Xiao Qi possibly tolerate such wretchedness?

“He’s really going too far!” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.

“I’m going to teach him a lesson!” Mo Xiao Qi declared as she revealed her figure.

But before she could do anything, the earth began to shake and a deep rumbling sounded from the ground, like muffled thunder.

Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi’s expressions changed dramatically but before they could figure out exactly what happened, streams of light shot out of the giant pit ten kilometres away.

Naturally, these streams of light were the cultivators who had rushed in to fight for the treasure before.

When these cultivators went in, there were several dozens, but now, only half that number emerged, all of them carrying serious wounds and looking panicked, as if they had just witnessed something terrifying.

After flying out of the pit, these cultivators did not stop and instead scattered in all directions, fleeing with all their might.

In the blink of an eye, many cultivators disappeared from Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi’s view.

“What happened underground?” Mo Xiao Qi wondered.

“Something’s not right, we need to leave now!” Yang Kai made a decisive decision and tried to take Mo Xiao Qi away, but at that moment, he sensed a powerful life aura rapidly rise up from below the surface.

The speed of this aura was astonishing, and the strength of vitality it radiated was beyond anything Yang Kai had ever sensed before.

*Kacha…*

Suddenly, the surrounding earth cracked and in the blink of an eye, with the giant pit as a centre, innumerable big and small fissures spread out for dozens of kilometres.

Things had not ended yet though as from these cracks, verdant coloured vines shot out.

These vines seemed almost sentient as they constantly twisted and wriggled, growing at a shocking pace, soon covering everything within a dozen kilometres, dancing through the air like a field of demonic tentacles, a terrifying sight to behold.

Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi both leapt up into the air as all this was happening.

A moment later, an arm-thick, razor-sharp vine suddenly burst from the ground right below where Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi had just been standing.

It was conceivable that if the two had been even slightly slower, they would have already been caught by this vine and forced into a dangerous struggle.

“AH!” Suddenly a scream rang out, startling Yang Kai. Turning his head in the direction of the shout, Yang Kai saw that not far away, a cultivator that had been hiding and watching previously was pierced by a sharp vine and was now suspended mid-air.

This cultivator was also an Origin King, but no matter how hard he struggled at this moment, he was unable to escape from the shackles of vines.

In the blink of an eye, more vines shot out and wrapped around him tightly.