Martial Peak
chapter-4201

Chapter 4201

Chapter 4201 – Guo Zi Yan in Danger

The cultivators sitting at the next table quietly discussed the situation between Yun Xing Hua and Shocking Swan Territory for a while before they changed the subject. There was no other valuable information after that.

Yang Kai raised his glass and took his time to enjoy his drink, shaking his head slowly. From the conversation between those two, Yun Xing Hua seemed to be the Leader of Blood Swan Continent, the great force that Guo Zi Yan’s daughter was in.

Yun Xing Hua originally had a pretty good aptitude and was expected to make his initial breakthrough to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Unfortunately, he was forced to advance to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm due to Shocking Swan Pavilion’s suppression at the time. Afterwards, he took another 50 years to accumulate his strength and spent another 10 or so years in retreat. When he came out of retreat, he had broken through to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

Although he was several decades late, he still reached the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the end. It was just that the difference in the starting point of a cultivator would affect that cultivator’s room for future growth. If he had directly advanced to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm at the beginning, his future limit would have been the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Now, his limit was only the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

It might only be a single Order, but this one Order often made all the difference. When Yue He was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, she had been completely powerless to fight back against the Proprietress, who was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Now that she was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Lu Xue would probably last no longer than ten breaths against her.

People under the eaves had no choice but to bow their heads. It was a pity but Yun Xing Hua had simply been born at the wrong time and place.

Yang Kai couldn’t help but think about his own situation again. The Proprietress once told him that there would be many obstacles in his way if he wanted to directly break through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. It was impossible for the Cave-Heavens and Paradises to sit back and watch without doing anything. They would surely oppress him. Otherwise, his future growth would be absolutely terrifying if he successfully advanced into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm directly.

Since ancient times, the only ones in the 3,000 Worlds allowed to advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm directly were the disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises who were carefully nurtured since they were young. These people had unique advantages and were extremely loyal to their respective Sects, so there was no need for the Cave-Heavens and Paradises to worry about these disciples overthrowing their dominance.

On the contrary, Yang Kai was different. He had nothing to do with any of the Cave-Heavens or Paradises, so he naturally had no protection from them either. Now, it would seem that this matter of suppressing others was not an uncommon occurrence in the Outer Universe. If a mere Shocking Swan Territory had someone like Yun Xing Hua, then what about the other Great Territories?

In any case, it was no secret that Yang Kai was condensing Seventh-Order Open Heaven Element Powers. He had revealed his Divine Manifestation many times in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and befriended several disciples from various Cave-Heavens or Paradises. After the closure of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, those people had all returned to their respective Sects. Their Elders and Masters would surely ask about various things that happened in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Those people might want to conceal the truth for him out of their gratitude for saving their lives in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but they probably would not be able to conceal it for long even if they wanted to.

Therefore, Yang Kai had the feeling that he was already being watched by some of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. A form of suppression similar to what Yun Xing Hua faced would come at some point.

For that reason, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a sense of urgency, as if time was running out. It was a pity that materials of the Seventh-Order and above were simply too scarce. He still lacked Yin, Yang, and Metal Elements, but he was completely clueless as to where to search for them. [I hope the Proprietress can point me in the right direction.]

Yue He seemed to have seen through his gloomy mood; thus, she silently poured wine for him without saying a word.

After waiting for six or seven days in the Star City, Yang Kai began to feel that something was wrong when Guo Zi Yan failed to return even after so long. He had checked the Universe Chart earlier and knew Blood Swan Continent was not that far from the Star City. With Guo Zi Yan’s current speed, it would only take three or four days for a round trip, so how could he possibly delay for so long? Moreover, Guo Zi Yan knew that Yang Kai was waiting for him, so if something had really caused him to be delayed, he would have sent somebody to inform the latter.

[There has been no news from him and he is nowhere to be seen. Could it be that something has happened to him?] When that thought crossed Yang Kai’s mind, he stopped waiting and returned to the Falling Lotus with Yue He instead. The Falling Lotus soon headed in the direction of Blood Swan Continent.

They had only flown for half a day when Yue He, who was standing next to Yang Kai, suddenly turned her head to stare in a certain direction with a look of surprise in her eyes.

Yang Kai followed her gaze only to see a Spirit Province in the distance. It was just that the Spirit Province did not seem to contain any traces of being covered by a Spirit Array. It was probably an ownerless Spirit Province.

There were many such Spirit Provinces scattered across the void in the 3,000 Worlds, normally because such places had such weak heritages that stronger great forces looked down on them. On the contrary, those Open Heaven Realm Masters that were not so strong liked to occupy these Spirit Provinces to found new Sects and slowly develop their strength. If managed well, these Spirit Provinces might just become the Headquarters of a Third-Class or Second-Class great force after many years of work.

“Young Master, there are people fighting over there.” Yue He watched carefully for a moment before speaking all of a sudden.

In this vast universe, countless fights broke out between the people every single day. Likewise, countless people died in battle. Such battles were very common; however, Yang Kai involuntarily frowned upon encountering a fight in this direction. He couldn’t help thinking about Guo Zi Yan, who had yet to return after so long. Turning to look at Lang Qing Shan, he said, “Contact Commander Guo and see if he can be reached.”

Lang Qing Shan received the command and immediately took out the communication bead he used to keep contact with Guo Zi Yan. Pouring his Divine Sense into the communication bead, he raised his head after some time and reported, “Sir, Commander Guo is being besieged right now. He is currently in a terrible situation.”

Yang Kai was furious when he heard those words, “Who dares!?”

There was no longer any doubt. Guo Zi Yan was definitely one of the parties in that fight in that Spirit Province!

Without needing further command from Yang Kai, Lang Qing Shan and the others immediately steered the Falling Lotus towards the direction of the Spirit Province. At the same time, they continuously made contact with Guo Zi Yan through the communication beads. It was just that they did not receive another response. Guo Zi Yan’s situation must have been very bad indeed; otherwise, there was no way he would not even have the time to respond to them.

The Spirit Province might have looked far off, but the Falling Lotus was extremely fast. It took less than an incense stick’s worth of time for them to reach the periphery of the Spirit Province where Yang Kai and Yue He leapt out of the Falling Lotus. As they looked ahead, their expressions sank.

On that Spirit Province, Guo Zi Yan was protecting a young girl as they retreated continuously. He was dripping with fresh blood and his aura was fluctuating erratically. It was apparent that he had been seriously injured. The clothes on his chest were tattered and there was a bloody wound across his abdomen. His flesh was rolled up and his squirming organs were faintly visible. He was defending and retreating the whole way, leaving a trail of blood everywhere he passed.

The young girl he guarded behind him was only in the Emperor Realm and her appearance was somewhat similar to his. Although she was not a country destroying beauty, she had a tall and slim figure. The two trails of tear stains that had yet to dry on her cheeks made her look very pitiable. Her beautiful eyes were filled with panic and worry. She might have the willingness to help, but her strength was too low. There was nothing she could do to help in a battle like this; rather, she would only drag him down with her if she tried to act.

There were four people besieging the pair while there were another two corpses lying on the ground. The four people were covered in injuries, but their injuries were minor. One of them was exuding the aura of a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master while the other 3 were in the Second-Order.

In a one-against-six battle, Guo Zi Yan had managed to kill two. He had clearly gone all out, but he was an arrow at the end of its flight by this point. The World Force radiating from his body fluctuated erratically, causing the power he exerted to be strong at times and weak at others. He was clearly no longer at his peak.

On the other hand, the four who were attacking were behaving in a despicable manner and the methods they used were absolutely shameless. Even with a decisive numerical advantage, they still aimed most of their attacks at the young girl. Their actions forced Guo Zi Yan to devote most of his energy to protecting her, causing him to become overwhelmed.

When Yang Kai and Yue He appeared, they happened to witness the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master taking advantage of an opening in Guo Zi Yan’s guard to smash a hammer into the latter’s shoulder. There was a loud crack before Guo Zi Yan’s left arm immediately drooped. It seemed that his shoulder bones had been smashed to pieces.

“Bastard!” Yang Kai shouted angrily. When the Golden Crow let out a loud cry, a brightly shining golden sun leaped out from behind him. The scorching heat ran rampant, and the Golden Crow Casts the Sun reappeared in the world.

With a mighty Dragon Roar, the Azure Dragon Spear appeared in Yang Kai’s grasp as he stepped forward and thrust out at the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Golden Crow’s True Fire enveloped the spear and seemed capable of burning everything in existence.

At the same time as he made his move, Yue He took out a long whip and lashed through the air. World Force erupted as the aura of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master enveloped the entire area.

How could the four Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters besieging Guo Zi Yan expect such a sudden turn of events? When they sensed the majesty of Yue He’s Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura, their expressions changed drastically. An inexplicable horror descended upon them and they felt the power in their bodies becoming obstructed, as though they were stuck in a quagmire.

*Pa pa pa…*

Soft popping sounds rang out everywhere the whip passed as the 3 Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t even have time to grunt in pain before they exploded into blood mist and vanished from existence.

Another muffled groan sounded as Yang Kai stabbed the remaining Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the chest with his spear. The spear penetrated the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s back and came out through his chest. When Yang Kai withdrew his spear, blood splattered everywhere. A large hole appeared in that person’s chest, penetrating from the front all the way to the back.

The Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master stiffened and his eyes widened in shock. He staggered forward a few steps and tried to look back; however, he collapsed to the ground without a shred of vitality before he could turn around completely.

Four Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were as insignificant as an ant in front of Yue He, a newly-advanced Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Yang Kai would not have been able to kill the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master so easily if her aura had not been suppressing the latter.

*Pu…*

Guo Zi Yan coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and half-knelt on the ground while panting heavily. His breathing sounded like a set of old bellows as he was clearly having a hard time.

Seeing his condition, Yang Kai quickly walked over to Guo Zi Yan.

The young girl that Guo Zi Yan had been protecting behind him suddenly leaped forward. She was holding a longsword in her hand and although her complexion was pale, she firmly stood in front of him. Gritting her teeth, she asked in a trembling voice, “Who are you people?”

She was extremely frightened after seeing Yang Kai and Yue He murdering the others emotionlessly.

Guo Zi Yan gasped for breath, “Miao’er, don’t be rude. This is the person I was telling you about before.”

The young girl was stunned for a moment, but immediately after, she put away her longsword and fell to her knees in front of Yang Kai with an audible thud. She wept and begged, “Sir, please save my Father.”

Yang Kai lifted a hand and helped her up as he comfortingly said, “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I promise that your Father will not die!”

He then shot a look at Yue He who immediately stepped forward to examine Guo Zi Yan’s injuries. A short while later, she took out a Spirit Pill and fed it to him and said, “Although Commander Guo’s injuries are severe, he will not die from them. It’s just that he lost too much blood and exhausted too much of his World Force. He will be fine after recuperating for a while.”