Martial Peak
chapter-4251

Chapter 4251 – Something Feels Off

The last stage was several times harder to comprehend than the previous two stages. It was just that those who could reach the third island were all talented and intelligent people, so the casualty rate was much lower. All the people who departed earlier were safe and sound; about to arrive at the palace in the middle of the lake soon.

After another quarter hour or so, those people more or less arrived at the island where the palace was located. They exchanged a glance with each other for a moment, then they rushed towards the palace in unison and vanished out of sight in the blink of an eye.

Pei Wen Xuan was the only one who remained there. He turned around and looked towards Yang Kai, who was making his way across the blood lake.

Their gazes met and Yang Kai felt his heart sinking and thought to himself, [This is bad. This guy is going to pull some dirty trick.]

Pei Wen Xuan had tried to make trouble for Yang Kai when he first arrived at the blood lake, only to be stopped by Qu Hua Shang at the time. Now that Pei Wen Xuan was safely standing on the island in the middle of the lake while Yang Kai was standing on the surface of the lake, he finally found the perfect opportunity to do something,

The thought had only just occurred to Yang Kai when he saw Pei Wen Xuan grinning at him.

Following that, Pei Wen Xuan clenched his fist and punched out in Yang Kai’s direction. Both Demon Qi and Blood Qi churned violently all over his body before flowing out along his arm to become a pitch-black Demon Dragon that bared its fangs menacingly. The Demon Dragon skimmed across the surface of the lake and came charging in this direction with a shocking momentum.

Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai might not have taken this blow seriously; however, he was currently standing in the middle of the blood lake. Most of his concentration was being used to maintain the Blood Light Scripture in order to resist the pulling force coming from the blood lake. He could not even bring out 30% of his actual strength. If he was hit by an attack of this calibre, his concentration might lapse for a moment and he might make a mistake in circulating the Blood Light Scripture. The situation would surely end in tragedy then.

Pei Wen Xuan had truly chosen the best timing to attack.

“Senior Sister Qu, get away from me!” Yang Kai shouted. At the same time, he glared fixedly at the Demon Dragon charging towards him while silently urging his strength in preparation to defend against the attack.

However, the Demon Dragon only flew a couple dozen metres before it suddenly sank into the blood lake and vanished out of sight, like it was pulled downward by some unknown guiding force. It didn’t even make a single ripple on the surface of the lake.

Yang Kai was taken aback.

Similarly, Pei Wen Xuan was dumbfounded. He frowned slightly and fired another violent attack in disbelief. Just like before, the attack was absorbed into the blood lake before it could even approach Yang Kai. This situation made his expression turn ugly. He coldly snorted and glared at Yang Kai fiercely, “You got lucky this time.”

After that, he turned around and rushed towards the palace. The fact that the blood lake could even absorb attacks was beyond his expectations; otherwise, he would have made Yang Kai suffer greatly. In this situation, there was no point in wasting more of his time here. The others had already entered the palace ahead of him. Besides, he was also eager to try his luck inside the palace.

Yang Kai stared at Pei Wen Xuan’s disappearing back, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Secretly gritting his teeth, he called out to Qu Hua Shang, “Let’s go.”

The two of them continued onward, taking almost an hour before they arrived at the small island where the palace in the middle of the lake was located. The moment they stepped foot on the island, Qu Hua Shang heaved a sigh of relief. The anxiety that had been weighing down on her finally lifted from her shoulders. Turning around, she studied her surroundings and said, “Junior Brother Yang, there doesn’t seem to be a reward for this stage.”

Yang Kai made a non-committal response. He had already noticed this when Pei Wen Xuan, Zhou Yi, and the others arrived on the island earlier. Unlike the previous three islands, this place did not offer any Monster Cores as rewards. This discovery disappointed him very much.

Based on his calculations, the rewards for the first, second, and third islands had been, on average, Fourth-Order, Fifth-Order, and Sixth-Order Monster Cores, respectively. In that case, there was a high possibility that Seventh-Order Monster Cores might appear on the central island! Unfortunately, it turned out that there was nothing here at all.

It would seem that Seventh-Order Monster Cores were extremely rare, even in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was not something that could randomly be given out as a reward. Not to mention, Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance might be hidden inside this palace. What reward could be more valuable than the inheritance itself?

It was just that… Yang Kai mainly came here in hopes of obtaining High-Rank Open Heaven materials. Having gained nothing after coming here, it was only natural for him to feel extremely disappointed. Nevertheless, he was already here. He might as well go inside and have a look. Who could say whether he might find other treasures inside?

Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang glanced at the palace with a measuring look before walking towards the gates of the palace. A short while later, they entered the Grand Hall and immediately felt a chill running up their spines. This place was so eerie that it made all the hairs on their body stand on end.

Yang Kai initially assumed that there would be more tests and greater dangers set up in this place, but now it seemed things were completely different from what he had imagined. The Grand Hall was small enough that the entire situation within could be seen at a glance. Moreover, it was completely empty except for the platform located right in the centre.

A white skeleton sat cross-legged on that platform. There was no saying how many years it had been since the owner of the skeleton died. All the flesh had long since fallen off the bones, but the skeleton remained as white as jade, even exuding a faint trace of spirituality.

Yang Kai was extremely impressed. Although he did not know which era Blood Monster Divine Monarch lived as one of the apex Masters of his time, he was certain that at least several tens of thousands of years had passed since then. It might even be longer than that. The fact that the skeleton of a person from that era could remain preserved in such pristine condition after his death only served to show just how powerful his cultivation was when he was alive.

The people who arrived earlier were gathered around the skeleton. They were sitting separately and staring at the skeleton with scorching gazes as though they were staring at a supreme precious treasure! Upon sensing Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang’s arrival, they glanced in the direction of the entrance in unison.

“Seems everybody’s here!” Pei Wen Xuan chuckled.

Yang Kai glared at Pei Wen Xuan coldly, his murderous intent flaring. Pei Wen Xuan had come looking for trouble when he first arrived at the blood lake and even tried to kill him when he was crossing the blood lake just now. Now that they met again, it was only natural that he had no plans to be soft-hearted.

“Wait, Brother Yang!” Just as Yang Kai was about to attack, Zhou Yi of Great Thousand Blood Land suddenly raised his hand and shouted.

Yang Kai glanced at Zhou Yi and asked lightly, “Do you have an objection, Brother Zhou?”

Zhou Yi politely replied, “No. It’s just that this place is where Blood Monster Divine Monarch left his Dao of Blood inheritance. If you were to fight here, there’s a high chance that you might destroy the inheritance. This Zhou hopes that you will calm yourself for now and not cause a disturbance.”

“This place is where Blood Monster Divine Monarch left his Dao of Blood inheritance?” Yang Kai frowned slightly.

Zhou Yi nodded seriously, “Indeed!”

Several others nodded in agreement.

“How do you know?”

Zhou Yi pointed at the skeleton, “You will know just by immersing your mind in the jade skeleton, Brother Yang.”

Yang Kai glanced at Zhou Yi suspiciously. Spreading out his Divine Sense, he immersed himself into the jade skeleton. His expression soon changed drastically and his eyes filled with astonishment. He could sense the rest of the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture inside the jade skeleton.

They passed through the three islands earlier, and including the stele on the shore, there were a total of four steles. The steles each contained one of the first four chapters of the Blood Light Scripture. However, the four chapters did not make up a whole. They could only be said to make up less than half of the Secret Art.

Yang Kai had guessed that the rest of the Secret Art would be located within the palace in the middle of the lake. It was only by joining both parts into one would the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture be considered complete! At this moment, he could sense the rest of the Blood Light Scripture coming from this skeleton that had died countless years ago!

[This skeleton…]

Zhou Yi looked at Yang Kai and explained, “If my guess is correct, this skeleton is the remains of Blood Monster Divine Monarch. He set up a test in this place and engraved the second half of the Blood Light Scripture on his skeleton, all in the hopes of encountering a fateful person.”

[This is the skeleton of Blood Monster Divine Monarch?] Yang Kai had the vague feeling that something was off. [Didn’t they say that Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s inheritance was hidden deep within the Blood Monster Divine Palace? And, the Blood Monster Divine Palace is located in the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. We have only been here for a few days. This area is only in the periphery of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Why would the inheritance appear here? The location doesn’t match up…]

It was true that the tests in the blood lake were extremely dangerous, but he could not shake the feeling that something was not right. [But, the Blood Light Scripture in this jade skeleton does not seem to be fake…]

The most important basis of Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance was the Blood Light Scripture. If they comprehended the mysteries of the Blood Light Scripture, then it would be no different from obtaining Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance.

[Just what is going on?] Yang Kai frowned, feeling doubtful

Zhou Yi continued, “Blood Monster Divine Monarch died many years ago, so the Blood Light Scripture is now unique in the world. His skeleton might look like it is perfectly preserved, but nobody can guarantee that it can withstand violent impacts. If anybody were to fight here, they will most likely destroy the skeleton containing the inheritance. That was why we came to a consensus before you arrived, Brother Yang. We agreed to get rid of anybody who tries to use force in this place.”

Yang Kai had wondered why they were still standing around peacefully even though they arrived more than an hour earlier. It would seem that they had taken some time to reach a consensus. In addition, they were only being so restrained towards one another out of fear that the impacts of their fight would destroy the jade skeleton.

He glared at Pei Wen Xuan coldly. The other party returned the look with fierce fighting intent and a reckless expression, which made the others frown in response.

Zhou Yi secretly sent a Divine Sense transmission to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, please endure for a moment. I will join forces with you later and we can kill him together when this matter is over!”

He had been harassed by Pei Wen Xuan earlier; unfortunately, he knew that he was not Pei Wen Xuan’s opponent and had no choice but to endure the humiliation as a result. With the chance of working together with Yang Kai in front of him, it was only natural that he did not wish to miss the opportunity.

After pondering for a while, Yang Kai nodded, “Good! I’ll let him live for a little while longer.”

Pei Wen Xuan immediately sneered, “It’s uncertain who is the one with the opportunity to live a little longer.”

...

Zhou Yi was overjoyed and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Brother Yang! Since everybody has no objections, let us start.”

After saying that, he eagerly closed his eyes and immersed himself in the jade skeleton to comprehend the Secret Art.

He deeply believed that he had a great advantage and it was inevitable that he would obtain Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance. It was for that reason that he was also the most afraid of conflict breaking out among each other. Otherwise, he would not have persuaded Yang Kai as soon as he saw him arrive.

The others naturally followed suit.

Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang took a few steps forward. They found a seat below the skeleton and looked up at the jade skeleton.

After thinking about it, Yang Kai sent a transmission to Qu Hua Shang, “Be careful, Senior Sister Qu. If you notice something wrong, protect yourself immediately!”

Qu Hua Shang turned to look at him and asked quietly, “Junior Brother, did you notice something wrong?”

He shook his head, “It just doesn’t feel right.”

He could not say what was off about this place. He simply felt that Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s inheritance would not be located in this place. But, he could not guarantee that his conjecture was correct either. What if this really was Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance?

Focusing his mind, he closed his eyes and immersed himself into the jade skeleton once more. A string of characters immediately jumped out at him inside his mind, “Whoever obtains this King’s inheritance may inherit the Blood Monster Cave Heaven!”

Yang Kai had only taken a quick glance earlier, so he failed to notice this sentence just now. However, the feeling of unease in his heart became even stronger after seeing this sentence.

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