Martial Peak
chapter-4361

Chapter 43

Chapter 4361 – A Smooth Journey

The situation had been decided. If Heavenly Sword Union did not have back-up, Shen Liang and the others would not be able to turn the tide. However, Heavenly Sword Union was only a Second Class great force. After Kong Feng’s death, sending two more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to set up an ambush here was already their limit. Even if they still had another Master of such calibre, it was impossible for them to be here, since they still needed someone to assume command of their headquarters.

Only if this ambush was part of a greater plot, where a stronger mastermind was waiting behind the scenes, could the situation be reversed, but that was unlikely.

Since the mastermind was using the Proprietress to lure Yang Kai to the Shattered Heaven, they must be planning to strike there. Shen Liang and others were probably just the vanguard, sent to test Yang Kai’s depths.

In fact, Shen Liang and others had already accomplished their mission, since at least Zhu Jiu Yin and Qu Hua Shang had been exposed. This news could naturally not be concealed from those plotting behind the scenes, giving them time to prepare.

With so many unknowns though, Yang Kai did not dare to be careless. He continued to surge his Space Principles in case he needed to escape.

In front of Zhu Jiu Yin, Luan Bai Feng was simply unable to fight back. In a matter of just two or three moves, she was severely wounded and was coughing up blood. Luan Bai Feng was also a very decisive woman. Knowing that she was definitely not Zhu Jiu Yin’s opponent, and that a prolonged battle would lead to her death, she used a Divine Ability that Yang Kai had never seen before, and turned into a red beam of light, travelling thousands of kilometers away in the blink of an eye.

Zhu Jiu Yin didn’t pursue her as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was determined to flee was not so easy to kill. Not to mention, Zhu Jiu Yin was also worried about possible ambushes lying in wait for her. Seeing that she couldn’t kill Luan Bai Feng in short order, she simply gave up and turned her gaze towards Shen Liang.

Shen Liang felt so depressed that he almost spat out blood. Yue He alone was enough to constrain him, so with Zhu Jiu Yin joining in, how could he be their match? Even though he went all out to resist, he was surrounded by danger and was repeatedly walking along the edge of death.

On the other hand, Jiang Yun Shan, who was tied down by Qu Hua Shang, saw Luan Bai Feng’s escape and Shen Liang’s desperate situation and decisively attacked Qu Hua Shang with all his strength. Creating an opening, he immediately fled in the opposite direction.

He knew that Shen Liang, who was targeted by an existence like Zhu Jiu Yin, was finished, and if he didn’t leave, when Zhu Jiu Yin was done dealing with Shen Liang, he would be next!

Two of the three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had fled immediately after Zhu Jiu Yin and Qu Hua Shang showed up.

Shen Liang also wanted to flee, but how could he manage to escape? Seeing his own Vice Union Master running faster than a rabbit from the corner of his eyes, he felt a mixture of grief and anger as his face turned ashen.

Teetering on the brink of death, Shen Liang cried out, “Spare my life, and from now on Heavenly Sword Union will follow only Void Land!”

Zhu Jiu Yin’s jade-like white hand latched onto the top of his head at that moment and a violent and unstable power emanated from within her palm. Turning her head to look towards Yang Kai, she silently asked for his opinion.

Seeing this, Shen Liang understood that his survival depended entirely on Yang Kai’s thoughts, so how could he still care about their gap in cultivation and status? He hastily pleaded, “This Shen is willing to swear an oath on his Martial Heart. Please show mercy, Sect Master Yang!”

Yang Kai was not moved and uttered only one word, “Kill!”

Shen Liang’s eyes widened as Zhu Jiu Yin jade-like white hand clenched, and with a fierce twist, she directly wrenched his head off! The now headless body twitched a few times before it stopped moving!

If he really wanted to subdue Shen Liang, Yang Kai could use the Loyalty List; after all, right now, the Loyalty List only had three names on it, and there were still six pages left. Shen Liang, was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; thus, he could not resist the power of the Loyalty List. The only thing Yang Kai had to do was make him leave his name and imprint on it, and Yang Kai would be able to control his life and death. Chen Tian Fei, Hei He, and Yun Xing Hua, were all in this situation.

Perhaps Shen Liang really could be used to influence Heavenly Sword Union.

However, Heavenly Sword Union had already attacked Yang Kai twice, so how could he let them off so easily? He had long been determined in his heart to someday eradicate Heavenly Sword Union from the 3,000 Worlds. Naturally, when he was strong enough.

Shen Liang, the new Union Master, only held his position for two or three years before he was killed by Void Land. Including Kong Feng, Heavenly Sword Union had already lost two Union Masters at Void Land’s hands. There was absolutely no way to resolve such a deep grudge.

However, since Heavenly Sword Union was willing to be a blade in the hands of others, they should be prepared to be broken.

“En, many thanks to Senior for rushing to my aid.” Yang Kai hurriedly thanked Zhu Jiu Yin while cupping his fist in gratitude.

Zhu Jiu Yin snorted coldly, “If it wasn’t for Luo’er’s incessant begging, do you think this Queen would have come? This Queen is only here for Luo’er’s sake, so don’t flatter yourself.”

“Yes, yes, it’s Luo’er’s good fortune that she is so valued by Senior.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, while smiling secretly in his heart. Shan Qing Luo was currently in secluded retreat under Zhu Jiu Yin’s tutelage, so she knew nothing about outside events. How would she have gotten to know about Yang Kai’s trip? Zhu Jiu Yin’s statement was clearly just a pretense.

Yang Kai guessed that she was afraid Shan Qing Luo would blame her if he fell prey to any accidents during this trip of his, which was why she secretly followed him here.

Yang Kai did not reveal any such thoughts that flickered across his mind.

“But brat, don’t forget about the conditions you promised before. This Queen will help you this time. Whether you live or die, once this is over, you will consider this Queen’s oath fulfilled. This Queen will regain her freedom either way.”

“Naturally!” Yang Kai nodded sternly, “Although this Junior is young, he always means what he says. After this trip, Senior will no longer be bound by anything.”

Zhu Jiu Yin’s expression cleared up a little, “Seems you still have some sense.”

Yang Kai turned to Qu Hua Shang next and asked with a sigh, “Senior Sister Qu, why did you come here too?”

Qu Hua Shang withdrew her zither and said with a smile, “Naturally, I had to come because you were in trouble. Junior Brother Yang, you’re really something. Why didn’t you call me when you were short of hands? If Senior Zhu hadn’t invited me, I wouldn’t have even known that you had left Void Land.”

Yang Kai realized that Qu Hua Shang was called by Zhu Jiu Yin, and hesitantly said, “With Senior Sister’s status…”

Qu Hua Shang smiled and said, “I am only acting in my personal capacity on this trip. My actions have nothing to do with Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”

While that sounded well and good, in the end, she was still a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. After this trip, she would definitely be reprimanded by her Sect. Perhaps it was precisely because of her identity that Zhu Jiu Yin specifically invited her, because it would be more convenient to act if she took advantage of Qu Hua Shang’s identity.

Yang Kai let out a slight sigh, “Forget it. No matter what happens next, you have my sincere thanks, Senior Sister.”

Qu Hua Shang pursed her lips and smiled, “Junior Brother, you could pledge yourself to me if you’re so moved.”

Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted from the side, “Stop flirting. You were ambushed right after you exited Void Territory, and there are undoubtedly many more dangers lying ahead. If you have enough time to profess your undying love, you may as well use it to think about how to overcome those dangers and defeat your enemies.”

Yang Kai coughed lightly and said, “Since Senior has shown up, there should be no more difficulties along the way, unless they want to fight Senior to the death! Those people have already used Proprietress to lure me out of Void Land, so they will definitely try to finish me off in the Shattered Heaven.”

Zhu Jiu Yin pondered for a moment and said, “According to your speculations, we should be safe until we reach the Shattered Heaven?”

“I believe so, but I can’t be sure. In any case, it’s better that we act carefully.”

“Saying that is the same as saying nothing.” Zhu Jiu Yin gave him a blank look.

Yang Kai scratched his nose and said, “No matter what, we should continue forward first. Right now, we can only take one step at a time.”

Yue He’s wooden shuttle had been broken in the battle; thus, Qu Hua Shang summoned her flight type artifact. The small group entered the artifact, after which it zoomed ahead, following the Universe Chart’s guidance.

Even as they passed through one Great Territory after another, there were no further ambushes, just like Yang Kai expected.

Luan Bai Feng and Jiang Yun Shan had escaped from the previous battle, so the news that Zhu Jiu Yin was accompanying Yang Kai must have reached the ears of the people behind the scenes. Zhu Jiu Yin’s strength was close to that of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so they would need more than two Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to join hands to deal with her.

As Yang Kai had said, unless they wanted to fight against Zhu Jiu Yin to the death, they wouldn’t attack them easily. However, all High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had cultivated for many, many years, so which one of them didn’t cherish his or her own life? Who would want to fight with a Divine Spirit for nothing?

However, Yang Kai was clearly able to notice that someone was following and monitoring them, which was to be expected; thus, he did not pay attention to it. Now that his whereabouts had already been exposed, he simply prioritized reaching the Shattered Heaven, since no matter what, he would be exposed sooner or later when he arrived there anyway.

After nearly two months since he had left Void Land, Yang Kai finally arrived at the Shattered Heaven after passing through the last Territory Gate.

Yang Kai said hesitantly while looking straight ahead, “Is this the Shattered Heaven?”

...

As far as he could see, there was a vast region of Shattered Spirit Provinces that were filled with many shops and people. Cultivators were coming and going in droves from this place.

Yang Kai originally thought that since the Shattered Heaven was filled with dangers, there wouldn’t be too many people present, even including those who came to explore. But, contrary to his expectations, this place seemed very lively. While not as well organized or laid-out as Void Star City, the level of activity in this patchwork-like area was no less.

After two months of recuperation, Old Bai had somewhat recovered. Hearing Yang Kai’s words, he smiled and said, “This is the Shattered Heaven, but we’re still only in the outermost periphery. This place has been explored by countless people, so there will be no danger here.”

“What’s that about?” Yang Kai pointed to the Shattered Spirit Province.

“Where there are people, there will naturally be trade. This is essentially the Shattered Heaven’s Star City, an ungoverned place that is more chaotic than any other in the 3,000 Worlds. People who come in and out of the Shattered Heaven need a place to rest and recuperate, and the people who come out of the Shattered Heaven’s depths also need a place to sell the treasures they acquired, which is why this Star City came into being.”

Yang Kai nodded lightly as he commented, “It’s quite lively.”

Old Bai replied, “It’s naturally lively. There are many people killing others and stealing goods every day there.”

“Understandable.” Yang Kai nodded, “Let’s go and have a look.”

Old Bai frowned and said, “We can always watch the liveliness later, but we don’t know how Proprietress is doing right now. We should prioritize finding her.”

Yang Kai, however, patted his shoulder and shook his head, “Believe me, I’m just as concerned as you are about Proprietress’ situation, but you don’t even know how she and the others disappeared or where she is trapped, so even if you go there, what would you do? Going to this Star City first is not to watch the commotion, but to wait for those people to come to us.”

After hearing this, Old Bai hesitantly said, “You mean….”

...

Yang Kai confirmed, “Those people lured me to come to Shattered Heaven. Now that I’m here, it’s time for them to get down to business, and do what they have planned to do. At the very least, we should be able to find out about the Proprietress’s current location and situation.”