Martial Peak
chapter-2791

Chapter 2791, Nine Stars Rose Above the Moon

Not many Sects were run by a Great Emperor in Star Boundary. There were three Sects at the most: Serene Soul Palace of the Eastern Territory led by the Serene Soul Great Emperor, Star Soul Palace of the Southern Territory led by Bright Moon Great Emperor, and Shadow Killer Palace of the Western Territory led by the Night Shadow Great Emperor.

Medicine Pill Valley and Spirit Beast Island were also regarded as great forces under the command of Great Emperors; however, they were not regarded as Sects since they did not take in outside disciples. They were the private sanctuaries of the two Great Emperors; thus, ordinary people could not enter those places.

In any case, any Great Emperor Sect would become the pillar of the territory in which it resided, an awe-inspiring and inviolable protector of the people of that territory. As such, Star Soul Palace, in its capacity as the overlord of the Southern Territory, had played a guardian role for tens of thousands of years. That was why it was so greatly admired by all the cultivators in the Southern Territory.

The very existence of Star Soul Palace became closely related to the well-being of the entire Southern Territory as a consequence. Someone once claimed that the day Star Soul Palace was destroyed, was the day the entire Southern Territory would be devastated in turn, suffering from various calamities and disasters. Fortunately, destroying Star Soul Palace was no easy feat with the Bright Moon Great Emperor assuming command of the Sect. Unless another disturbance such as the one during the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor’s era occurred, Star Soul Palace was sure to endure.

By the time Yang Kai arrived at Star Moon Mountain Range, seven days had passed.

Star Moon Mountain Range was vast, with steep and towering peaks that looked as if they bordered on the Nine Heavens themselves. It gave off the feeling as if one could reach out and grab the Sun and the Moon or cover the entire world with one’s palm if they stood atop it.

A heavy and turbulent aura washed over Yang Kai as if what stood before him were not mountains but a living giant that had been standing in the Southern Territory for tens of thousands of years, overlooking the lives of the common people.

Yang Kai had a wide range of knowledge and experience, and had visited various large Sects before, but even so, he had to admit that top Sects such as Azure Sun Temple, Ice Heart Valley, and Seeking Passion Sect were not too different from each other. However, none of them were comparable to the beauty of Star Soul Palace. Standing in this spot gave a person an inexplicable sense of sublimation, creating an extremely subtle feeling of excitement and pleasure.

Among the wilderness of the mountains, rare birds and beasts roamed about freely as pavilions loomed in the distance, hidden in the clouds and the fog. It was a heavenly scenery so beautiful that it lingered in one’s memories.

“So, this is a Great Emperor Sect?” Yang Kai murmured under his breath.

“Who goes there?!”

Yang Kai had been standing at the base of the mountains for no more than several breaths before he heard a furious roar coming his way. Two streams of light quickly flew toward him from afar, and as the lights approached him, they turned into two humanoid figures. These two young men were Dao Source Realm cultivators and they were exuding a pure and vigorous aura. One glance was enough to tell that this pair had solid foundations and promising futures. They would most likely break through into the Emperor Realm in time.

Such excellent cultivators would surely be groomed and developed by any Sect to become Elders of Sect Masters; however, these two seemed to be nothing more than sentries guarding the mountain. It made Yang Kai realize that Star Soul Palace really lived up to its reputation. Only Serene Soul Palace and Shadow Killer Palace, which were also Great Emperors Sects, could compare to the heritage of Star Soul Palace.

“This is Star Moon Mountain, trespassers are not allowed here! Return where you came from, or we will not let you off lightly!” Among the two Dao Source Realm cultivators, the one on the left seemed to be a little more down-to-earth. He was the one who shouted at Yang Kai despite his cultivation being far lower, not showing the slightest hint of fear as he warned loudly. This was the confidence of a Star Soul Palace disciple!

In the eyes of a Star Soul Palace disciple, all the cultivators in the Southern Territory could be categorized into two, disciples of the Sect, and others. Yang Kai was undoubtedly in the latter category; therefore, they didn’t need to bother about him regardless of his realm.

Glancing at these two, Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “I received an invitation to come here.”

“You received an invitation to come here?” The young man that had spoken previously frowned in response, looking Yang Kai up and down suspiciously, “Can you tell us who invited you? My fellow brother will pass a message for you if you are telling the truth.”

Since this person in front of him had received an invitation to come here, that meant this person had some connection to a fellow disciple of the palace. If that was the case, it would not be good to offend this person, so his tone became much more polite as a result.

Yang Kai was about to explain the truth to them when his expression changed suddenly and he smiled, “No need. Someone is already coming to pick me up.”

When the two young men heard those words, they turned around to look. They saw a bright light approaching them from the distance, moving swiftly before coming to a stop a short distance away in the blink of an eye. Then, the light dissipated and a beautiful figure appeared.

“Senior Brother Yang!” Lan Xun greeted Yang Kai with a smile.

In a flash, the entire world seemed to lose its colour as the two young men were dumbfounded, staring blankly at Lan Xun, who had appeared without warning. Practically frozen in shock, they stuttered, “Y-Y-Your Highness?!”

When they heard Yang Kai saying that he had received an invitation to come, they had not thought much of it; after all, he was obviously just an outsider with some connection to a fellow disciple of theirs; however, it turned out that the person who had extended an invitation to him was none other than the Princess of Star Soul Palace!

[How could it be the Princess?!]

The Princess was an outstanding figure who not only inherited the Bright Moon Body from the Great Emperor, but also possessed a rare and incredible talent in the Martial Dao. She was born with heavenly beauty, was easy-going and approachable, and was very well-received by everyone in Star Soul Palace. She was the dream lover of countless young men.

Even the arrogant Star Soul Palace disciples were proud just to have a word with the Princess. Unfortunately, very few people could receive such honour. Only Xiao Chen, who guarded the Princess by her side all year round, had the chance to witness her dazzling smile.

But why would a person regarded as a Goddess by countless Star Soul Palace disciples invite a man here? The two were so shocked that they could hardly think.

“Junior Sister Lan, you certainly arrived quickly!” Yang Kai replied. When he first arrived at Star Moon Mountain, he had contacted Lan Xun, who had asked him to wait a moment for her, but he didn’t expect her to really arrive after just a moment.

[He called her… Junior Sister Lan?!] The eyes of the two Star Soul Palace disciples widened even more in shock. When they saw how friendly Yang Kai and Lan Xun seemed to be with each other, they felt their hearts clenching in great anguish for some reason. On the other hand, the Princess’ reaction broke their hearts completely, making them feel as if there was nothing left to live for anymore.

“Senior Brother Yang sent me a message, so of course I had to rush over!” Lan Xun laughed and stretched out his hand to gesture to Yang Kai, “Senior Brother, please come this way.”

“Many thanks!” Yang Kai nodded and walked in that direction. When he arrived by her side, she stepped forward and led the way.

It wasn’t until their figures disappeared into the distance that the two Star Soul Palace disciples looked at each other in despair. When Lan Xun appeared in front of them, she had not spoken a single word to them from beginning to end; she didn’t even spare them a single glance. All her attention had been focused on that damn outsider.

What did that indicate? That indicated that the Princess valued that man greatly. Otherwise, the gracious and magnanimous Princess would not have ignored them without even smiling at them once.

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother Xiao is in trouble!” The Junior Brother who had not spoken since the beginning suddenly spoke up sadly.

“Yeah… I don’t know if Senior Brother Xiao knows about this. If Senior Brother Xiao does…”

The ‘Senior Brother Xiao’ they were talking about was none other than Xiao Chen. Among the Star Soul Palace disciples of the same generation, Xiao Chen was undoubtedly the one with the most contact with the Princess. He was generally alright in all other aspects, but he was very sensitive when it came to matters related to the Princess. If any fellow brother were to speak to the Princess, Xiao Chen would hold a grudge and find a chance to teach them a lesson. Yet for some reason, the Princess only saw him as an Elder Brother figure, clearly having not a trace of romantic feelings for him.

But judging by the current situation, it seemed like this outsider was encroaching into Senior Brother Xiao’s territory! Wouldn’t it be a disaster if Xiao Chen learned about this?

“Senior Brother Xiao is not the problem, what’s more important is Senior Brother Lei…”

Upon mentioning ‘Senior Brother Lei’, the both of them shuddered in terror. They seemed to be greatly frightened by something and even quickly glanced about their surroundings to confirm that there was nobody around before they hurriedly fled the place.

At the same time, a man with the appearance of someone barely twenty years old was meditating in a cross-legged position inside the Central Hall of Star Soul Palace’s Star Hall when he suddenly opened his eyes. Those eyes of his seemed to be filled with stars that were burning brightly. He lifted his head and gazed upward, his sharp falcon-like gaze seemingly penetrating the Heavens themselves.

All of a sudden, he frowned and exclaimed in shock, “Nine stars rising above the Moon? Why is this happening? My symbol is the Bright Moon; this is clearly directed at me! How ominous. How ominous…”

Few people in the world knew that the great Bright Moon Great Emperor, the patron saint of the Southern Territory who was renowned across the entire Star Boundary, actually had the appearance of a youth. While speaking, he lowered his head and formed an extremely strange set of seals with his hands. An odd aura spread out in response while his hands continued to weave back and forth.

After a while, the young man’s brow twitched as he dismissed the seals, muttering under his breath “Old Tian Ji’s Secret Technique is a bunch of nonsense. I can’t figure out anything from it. It’s so embarrassing to call it ‘Heaven’s Diviner’. The next time I meet him, I’m going to pull out his beard.”

Mulling over something while supporting his head on his hand, he haphazardly declared, “Forget it! It’s only a trivial problem anyway, not worth wasting my time over.”

After saying that, he closed his eyes again and resumed his meditation.

…..

“Senior Brother Yang, this is where you will stay during your visit.” Lan Xun said after arranging a place for Yang Kai to stay on Nan Dou Peak.

Yang Kai said, “Junior Sister Lan, when can I enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda?”

If not for his agreement with Hua Yu Lu, Yang Kai wouldn’t be in such a rush. This was a Great Emperor Sect after all, so staying here for a longer time would not be detrimental to Yang Kai and instead would have many benefits. Unfortunately, he had a promise to uphold and was worried about any delays as a result. He would need a month to cultivate inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and also needed some time to travel back, so he couldn’t delay for very long.

Lan Xun smiled back and replied, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother Yang. Since my father has promised you, he will not break his word. If things had gone according to schedule, the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda would have been opened half a year from now; therefore, Star Soul Palace needs to make some preparations on our side since we made a promise to you. Right now, it will take five days at the latest before the pagoda is opened.”

“That’s good.” Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the words.

Giggling happily, Lan Xun teased, “You seem to be in a rush, Senior Brother Yang, could it be possible that you have an appointment with a beautiful woman?” She had simply been joking only to see him freeze for a moment at her words. Thus, she exclaimed in surprise, “Oh, my! Do you really have an appointment with a beautiful woman?”

Yang Kai looked troubled, “Please don’t speak nonsense. Still, it’s true that I have an appointment.”

Lan Xun pursed her lips and smiled coyly, “You don’t need to explain yourself, Senior Brother Yang. Well then, I’ll be taking my leave now. I’ll notify you when the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is prepared.”