Martial Peak
chapter-4234

Chapter 4234 – Snatching

“Halt, or we will show you no mercy!” The Falling Lotus was giving off an aggressive air and it was obvious to Ling Chun Qiu that these visitors did not hold good intentions; thus, he immediately shouted a warning.

Who would heed his words though? The speed of the Falling Lotus did not decrease in the slightest. On the contrary, it accelerated even more after approaching a certain distance. The group of disciples standing on the deck of Boundless Altar’s ship suddenly turned pale with fright and quickly retreated. Some even went so far as to hide in the cabins.

Ling Chun Qiu was so livid that his expression turned blue then red with anger. He exchanged a glance with the other two Open Heaven Realm Masters beside him; then, they swiftly formed a set of hand seals. Several cannons suddenly protruded from the sides of the ship, brewing with a terrifying energy that caused the surrounding space to shudder. Dazzling rays of light shone out, aiming in the direction of the Falling Lotus.

“This is your final warning! If you stubbornly refuse to listen to reason, then don’t blame this Old Master for being ruthless!” Seeing that the Falling Lotus showed no signs of slowing down, he gritted his teeth and shouted, “You’ve gone too far!”

The entire ship shook with a loud boom and a blinding light burst forth brilliantly. At the same time, a mysterious beam that was as thick as a man’s torso shot out from the ship and quickly approached the Falling Lotus. The power of the beam was extremely terrifying. It seemed as though even the void could not withstand the force as pitch-black scorch marks were seared everywhere it passed.

Boundless Altar was a Second-Class great force. Needless to say, this ship artifact was also very expensive. It was originally produced as a weapon for besieging and taking down enemy fortifications, so the power of each cannon was comparable to a full powered attack from a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.

Everybody inside the Falling Lotus felt their vision going white, filled with the glare of the light beam. Just as it was about to strike the Falling Lotus though, a pale-yellow light barrier suddenly appeared. The beam slammed into the light barrier a moment later.

The light barrier dented inward so severely that the distortion was visible to the naked eye. The huge impact also forced the Falling Lotus’ speed to drop sharply. At the same time, the figures of Yang Kai and the others inside the Falling Lotus were thrown forward violently.

However, this only lasted for a moment. Everything returned to normal again in the next instant. The power cannon beam might be horrifying, but the Falling Lotus was also an extraordinary artifact. This artifact was something Flying Flower Boat had spent countless resources to create after all. Even Flying Flower Boat only had one such artifact.

The enormous lotus spun as it forcefully pushed forward against the weight of the cannon beam.

On the ship, Ling Chun Qiu and the others swiftly turned pale at the sight. They were clueless about the identities of the people aboard the lotus who were behaving in such a ferocious manner. It almost seemed as though the other party had a huge undying grudge against Boundless Altar.

Ling Chun Qiu gritted his teeth and formed a new set of hand seals, resulting in several more shots being fired from the ship’s cannons aimed straight at the Falling Lotus.

A blinding light completely drowned the lotus as its flower petals flew apart and seemingly disintegrated.

Many of Boundless Altar’s disciples stood on the deck of the ship, frozen in shock for a moment. After that, they began cheering excitedly while secretly thinking to themselves. [The fools in that lotus are absolutely reckless! Why didn’t they dodge in the face of such a powerful attack? Are they brain dead!?]

Similarly, Ling Chun Qiu secretly let out a breath of relief, but a moment later, one of the Open Heaven Realm Masters’ expressions changed as he roared, “Raise the shields! Hurry up and activate the Defensive Grand Array!”

Ling Chun Qiu looked up and saw that the lotus that should have been broken to pieces was still charging straight at them. The flying flower petals were spinning like indestructible blades and slicing through the void.

The cheers coming from the ship stopped abruptly and Ling Chun Qiu’s expression also changed drastically at that moment. Without hesitation, he desperately channeled his strength to activate the ship’s Defensive Grand Array. A light barrier had only just materialised when the flower petals arrived. Sparks flew in all directions and the light of the Defensive Grand Array quickly dimmed under the fierce barrage.

Due to a hasty response, the Defensive Grand Array shattered before it could reach the peak of its defensive abilities. The flower petals quickly closed in from all directions, turning the entire space within into a boundless killing Domain that covered the entire ship.

*Kacha…*

The deck of the ship was broken in half as huge gaps appeared all over the sides of the ship, sliced open by the flower petals. Shrill screams rang out incessantly as many Boundless Altar’s disciples were killed in an instant. They died with their bodies cut to pieces.

The three Open Heaven Realm Masters of Boundless Altar felt their hearts bleeding at the sight.

Which great force had not dispatched the elites among their disciples for the sake of entering the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? It could be said that all the cultivators who came to the Blood Monster Territory had been chosen through countless layers of rigorous selection. Having prevailed against all their peers, these disciples had obtained the qualifications to participate in this expedition. They represented the future hope of the entire Sect. Given enough time to grow and develop, they would have become part of the pillars supporting the great forces in the future.

However, Boundless Altar had suffered heavy casualties before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven even opened. Not only had their ship been broken to pieces, but many of their elite disciples that came along on this trip had also been killed or severely injured.

It was no wonder Ling Chun Qiu and the others were heartbroken! What depressed Ling Chun Qiu the most was that he still had no idea who was attacking them, but it didn’t take long before he discovered the identities of the perpetrators.

Three figures flashed out of the lotus. Two of them were women and the remaining one was a man. Moreover, each one of them was enveloped in an imposing aura. They consisted of two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and one Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!

The rage of Boundless Altar’s three Open Heaven Realm Masters turned into ice-cold fear in an instant as a chill ran through their entire bodies. They also had three Open Heaven Realm Masters on their side, so both sides had the same numbers; however, their Orders could not compare with the enemy at all. Aside from Ling Chun Qiu, who was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, the other two were only in the Fourth-Order.

What frightened Ling Chun Qiu even more was that he knew all the people who had just shown up.

“Lan You Ruo!” His voice was dry and his gaze was terrified.

The person next to him exclaimed, “What!? The one from First Inn!?”

He shouted, “Run!”

While speaking, he quickly steered the damaged ship around and fled. On the other hand, the Proprietress and the others chased after him without the slightest hesitation.

Old Bai roared furiously, “Old dog! I’ll hunt you down and rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces even if you flee to the ends of the universe!”

The feud formed from the time Ling Chun Qiu tried to end his Grand Dao could be said to be absolutely irreconcilable. How could he spare Ling Chun Qiu’s life so easily now that he encountered the latter here?

Three streams of light chased after the ship into the distance. During the pursuit, the Proprietress and the others attacked viciously. Their attacks were so fierce that the lights of Boundless Altar’s ship flickered incessantly. Everywhere they went, the passers-by around them hurriedly moved to the side to avoid them.

Inside the Falling Lotus, Yang Kai and the others looked at each other and sighed. They were of no help whatsoever in a battle of such magnitude. Even if they caught up to the Proprietress and the others, they would only get in the way. Thus, they simply stayed where they were. It so happened that the people from Boundless Altar had run away, so this huge empty spot had become a no-man’s land. Judging from the current situation, this place would soon be occupied by other people if they chased after the Proprietress and the others. There would be no place for them to go again by the time they returned.

An hour later, three streams of light came from afar and landed on the lotus. It was the Proprietress and the others. Yang Kai went out to take a look at the situation. The three of them showed no signs of injury, which was not surprising considering how strong they were. No matter how hard Ling Chun Qiu and the others resisted, there was nothing they could do against the Proprietress and the others.

Contrary to expectations though, Old Bai was gnashing his teeth and looking depressed.

“What happened? Did you fail to catch up to them?” Yang Kai walked over and asked in a low voice. [That can’t be. Boundless Altar’s ship had nearly been torn to pieces. With the strength of the Proprietress and the others, how could they possibly fail to catch up to the enemy?]

“We had no problems catching up to them, but we couldn’t kill that old dog.” Old Bai clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles cracked loudly.

“Why?” Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows.

Old Bai snarled through gritted teeth, “Somebody protected them.”

Yang Kai’s eyes flashed. Boundless Altar was a Second-Class great force. The only ones who could protect them were the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. If the Cave-Heavens and Paradises decided to intervene in this matter, then it was no wonder that the Proprietress and the others had no choice but to retreat.

“Brat, if you meet any of Boundless Altar’s disciples when you enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, help me kill them.” Old Bai turned to look at Yang Kai with a fierce look on his face.

Yang Kai patted Old Bai on the shoulder, “Rest assured. It’s one thing if I don’t meet any of them, but if I run into any of them, I will definitely help you vent some of your anger.”

Only then did Old Bai’s expression lighten slightly.

The enormous lotus stood quietly in the void. The Proprietress and the others stood on top of the flower petals, silently showing off their strength.

Two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and one Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be considered an extremely luxurious line-up. Nobody even dared to approach and stroke the tiger’s whiskers without the backing of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. For that reason, even cultivators of the other great forces would leave after glancing over from a distance when passing by.

For a time, all was at peace.

The entrance to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had yet to appear so far. Fortunately, the Proprietress had a wide range of connections, so after asking around, they determined that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would open within three days. At that time, the entire Blood Monster Territory could turn into a battlefield where a fierce struggle between two evenly matched opponents would take place.

Yang Kai had nothing to do; hence, he closed his eyes and preserved his strength. He strove to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in his best condition.

Another day passed by and there was still no sign of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opening, so the entire Blood Monster Territory continued to remain calm.

...

All of a sudden, Yang Kai was meditating when he suddenly heard Old Bai muttering softly, “What are they planning? Why are they coming towards us?”

He opened his eyes upon hearing those words and turned to look in the direction of Old Bai’s gaze. What he saw made him frown involuntarily. That was because a huge palace was rushing through the void in this direction. Moreover, it was showing no sign of detouring or slowing down.

“Are they here to snatch our territory?” He quickly came to understand the situation. Their current location was obtained by snatching the territory from Boundless Altar. Who could have known that karma would hit them so quickly? Only one day had passed and somebody else was already eyeing this spot.

Not to mention, the attack was coming from a First-Class great force! Such a humongous palace was not something a Second-Class great force could refine. Only the Cave-Heavens and Paradises had enough capital to produce an artifact of such scale.

Old Bai nodded solemnly, “That’s probably it.”

Yang Kai frowned deeper, “Which great force is that? Why are they targeting us?”

It did not make any sense. The Blood Monster Territory was so big, so even if there were people everywhere, each party had drawn clear boundaries around their territories. In addition, it was very easy for a First-Class great force to occupy a territory with their strength. However, the route of the palace seemed to indicate that it was coming straight in this direction. In other words, it was coming because it could recognise First Inn.

Atop the lotus flower petals, the Proprietress got up and said slowly, “It’s the Five Elements Palace of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven!”

It was obvious that she had recognised the origins of that palace.

Yang Kai turned to look in that direction, feeling extremely surprised, “It belongs to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven?”

The owner behind First Inn was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. In this way, it could also be said that the great force behind First Inn was Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. Since First Inn belonged to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, then they could be considered members of the same family. Why were they coming here?

...

While Yang Kai was floundering in his confusion, the Proprietress took out a communication bead and poured her Divine Sense into it as though she was contacting somebody.

Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking about Senior Brother Guo. Senior Brother Guo was somebody Yang Kai once met in Thousand Birds Territory’s Star City. Based on the flow of logic, it made sense that he would also appear in the Blood Monster Territory seeing as he had appeared in the Star City back then. The Proprietress was probably trying to contact him.