Martial Peak
chapter-4524

The days at Profound Pill Sect were extremely comfortable and leisurely. Every now and then, Yang Kai would perform Alchemy to obtain large quantities of cultivation resources. Nevertheless, most of his time was spent immersed in refining the Medicine King Furnace.

One day, Yang Huai suddenly walked in and cupped his fist with a solemn expression when Yang Kai was teaching Wan Ying Ying. Yang Kai continued teaching a little bit more before he raised his head to look at Yang Huai, “What is it?”

Yang Huai replied, “Sir, a message came from the Seeking Pill Pavilion. There’s a person called Li Zheng Qing who came looking for you with something to report!”

“Li Zheng Qing?” Yang Kai raised his brow at the name, “What did he say?”

Yang Huai shook his head, “He did not say, but it seems to be urgent.”

“Bring him here,” Yang Kai instructed.

“Yes!” Yang Huai responded and hurried away again.

Wan Ying Ying asked worriedly, “Eldest Senior Brother, did something happen back at the Master Sect?”

Li Zheng Qing’s sudden arrival from Void Spirit Sword Sect had made her a little uneasy. She couldn’t help wondering if something had happened back at their home.

“I don’t think so,” Yang Kai shook his head. Although he had remained at Profound Pill Sect for several years, his contact with the Master Sect had never been interrupted. They basically exchanged letters with each other every two months. The last letter from the Master Sect had only been one month ago, so if anything had happened, Su Chang Fa would have notified him.

Besides, he was now a well-known Heaven Grade Alchemist. With Yang Kai protecting Void Spirit Sword Sect, not many people in the Divine Armament World would dare to offend them.

“Don’t worry. It’s probably nothing. Maybe Honoured Master has something to tell us,” Yang Kai reassured her while stroking her head.

She made a non-committal sound in response and stood quietly by the side.

Despite reassuring Wan Ying Ying otherwise, Yang Kai had the vague feeling that something had indeed happened to the Master Sect; otherwise, there was no need for Li Zheng Qing to come running here in person.

It didn’t take long before Li Zheng Qing was led inside by Yang Huai. Even though they had not met for several years, this old man had not gotten any older. Rather, he seemed to have gotten much younger. He had only been in the Earth Realm back then, but he was now in the Heaven Realm; moreover, he was in the Second-Step Heaven Realm! It was just that he seemed a little dusty and dishevelled from his long-distance travel.

“Li Zheng Qing greets Sir!” Li Zheng Qing greeted Yang Kai respectfully.

Yang Kai nodded, “Why have you come?”

Li Zheng Qing looked solemn, “Reporting to Sir, the Former Sect Master suddenly fell ill half a month ago. The two Elders sent this Old Master here to invite you back to have a look, Sir.”

“What!?” Wan Ying Ying jumped up at those words and nervously exclaimed, “Honoured Master is ill!?”

Similarly, Yang Kai’s expression became grim, “Why did this happen?”

Li Zheng Qing bowed his head and replied, “The two Elders claimed that the Former Sect Master is old and frail, and the sudden decline of his vitality seems to be related to the injuries he sustained when he was younger.”

Wan Ying Ying quickly asked, “How was Honoured Master when you departed?”

Li Zheng Qing quickly answered the question, “He was unconscious. His situation was not good, but he should not be in danger for the time being. Be that as it may, it took this Old Master half a month to travel here, so I don’t know how he is now.”

“Eldest Senior Brother…” On the verge of tears, Wan Ying Ying turned to look at Yang Kai.

“Don’t panic!” Yang Kai reflexively comforted her. After pondering for some time, he continued, “Wait here for a moment. I will report this matter to the Elder Council and return to the Master Sect immediately!” Turning his head to the side, he instructed Yang Huai, “Summon Hua Rong back here!”

“Yes!” Yang Huai replied in a low voice.

Yang Kai hurriedly walked out of his secluded home. Activating his Spirit Qi, his figure transformed into a streak of light that travelled quickly towards the Elder Hall. Then, he went up to the Elder on duty and briefly explained the situation.

A short while later, he flew back from the Elder Hall. Yang Kai originally thought that he would face some difficulties; after all, he was currently tasked with comprehending the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone.

To put it bluntly, he was very highly valued by Profound Pill Sect, so it should have been impossible for him to leave Profound Pill Sect so easily under normal circumstances. At the very least, he would need to obtain Baili Yun Sang’s approval. Who could have known that Third Elder Yu Bo Yang, who was on duty at the Elder Hall, would agree immediately after listening to the situation? He even told Yang Kai to go swiftly and return quickly, as well as to be careful on the road.

Nevertheless, that was a good thing. Yang Kai did not know Su Chang Fa’s current condition, so he was anxious to return home and did not have time to be delayed.

When he came to the Divine Armament World, this world had given him a brand-new identity that came with the relevant causality and emotions. That was why his anxiety and worry upon hearing that Su Chang Fa was very ill were not fake. They came from the bottom of his heart.

Many years ago, Yang Kai had already known that Su Chang Fa’s potential had been exhausted.

The furthest Su Chang Fa could go in this life was the Third-Step Earth Realm. Having gotten on with age, he would one day face his predestined time of death if his cultivation could not advance any further.

It was just that Yang Kai never imagined that day would come so quickly!

By the time Yang Kai returned to his cave mansion, Hua Rong was back. This woman, who had always been playful and mischievous, was surprisingly tactful and did not joke around this time. She simply stood there, waiting quietly.

A short while later, a ball of light rushed into the sky. Working together, Hua Rong and Yang Kai used their Spirit Qi to wrap around Yang Huai, Li Zheng Qing, and Wan Ying Ying and took off into the sky.

…..

Third Elder Yu Bo Yang stood in front of the Elder Hall with his hands behind his back, his eyes narrowing slightly. A sound came from beside him soon after and following that, a person walked over to stand beside him and looked out into the distance, “Did he leave?”

He nodded, “He left.”

“In that case, go ahead with the plan.”

Turning to look at Baili Yun Sang, he frowned and asked, “Sect Master, is this really… the right thing to do? Regardless of the boy’s origins, he has never done any harm to Profound Pill Sect over the years. What’s more, he can hear the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone. The number of pill recipes that he contributed over the years has been plentiful. He played a huge role in the development of Profound Pill Sect!”

Baili Yun Sang sighed, “How can I not know that? But it is precisely because this is related to the Medicine King Furnace that I have to proceed cautiously. It will be best if he has no intentions to betray Profound Pill Sect, but if he is a spy who was sent here…”

Yu Bo Yang nodded lightly, “That’s true. We cannot afford to be careless in this matter.” He paused for a moment and asked, “Isn’t it better to capture him and question him directly? Why go through the trouble of luring him out?”

Baili Yun Sang shook his head, “He is a famous figure now, and no one among the Heaven Grade Alchemists in the Sect can rival him in terms of talent. If this matter spreads to the public, it will surely become troublesome if any other disciples were to notice. It’s better to proceed quietly for now. We can explain the situation once we figure out the truth.”

Yu Bo Yang nodded at those words, “You’ve considered everything, Sect Master.”

…..

Profound Pill Sect was quite far from Void Spirit Sword Sect. It would take half a month to travel by horseback at the fastest. That was how long it had taken Gao Ming to bring Yang Kai to Profound Pill Sect back then. However, Hua Rong and Yang Kai were using their Spirit Qi to fly on this trip, so it was only natural that their speed was much faster than before.

Hua Rong might only have advanced half a year ago, but she was still a genuine Spirit Realm Master so she had the capital to fly.

On the other hand, Yang Kai was different from others even though he was only in the Ninth-Step Heaven Realm. The reserves of Spirit Qi in his body were extremely vast and could support the intense consumption flying long distances required. If it were any other Heaven Realm Master, they would not have been able to fly for so long.

They travelled as swiftly as the wind and it didn’t take more than a day for them to travel half the distance.

Hua Rong suddenly turned to look at Li Zheng Qing and asked, “Are you feeling warm?”

Li Zheng Qing was sweating profusely, but he forced a smile, “You must be joking, Young Lady. It is simply this Old Master’s first time flying so high in the sky. I can’t help being a little nervous.”

She nodded lightly and comforted him, “Rest assured. I won’t drop you.”

He whimpered in response.

Another day later, the mountain where Void Spirit Sword Sect was located came into view. The four of them landed directly in front of the mountain gate. Hua Rong glanced at Yang Kai breathlessly, her beautiful eyes were filled with surprise.

Even though she had entered the Spirit Realm, flying for two consecutive days was still difficult for her. Throughout the journey, she had consumed many pills that were personally refined by Yang Kai to replenish her depleted energy.

On the contrary, a Ninth-Step Heaven Realm Master like Yang Kai was neither flushed nor breathless. Comparing the two of them, it was almost as though her cultivation was much lower than his. Nevertheless, she clearly sensed that the Spirit Qi that Yang Kai consumed throughout the journey had not been any less than herself…

[How exactly did he achieve that?]

Unfortunately, now was not the time to consider this matter. As soon as they landed, Hua Rong immediately sensed that something was wrong as there was nobody guarding the mountain gate of Void Spirit Sword Sect. Moreover, the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect seemed to be empty. It was completely silent inside; however, she was keenly aware that there were several powerful auras lurking around and quietly watching them.

“Sir!” Hua Rong breathed in lightly and stepped closer to Yang Kai, her beautiful eyes flashing a grim light.

Yang Huai’s physique also tensed up. Like a rampaging Ominous Beast, an indescribable malevolent aura suddenly erupted from his entire body! His flesh wriggled, followed by crackling sounds that came from within his body. A moment later, his entire body became nearly ten centimetres taller.

Although he did not have Hua Rong’s powerful perception, he had a sharp instinct. Just like an Ominous Beast that had fallen into a hunter’s trap, the various incongruities in his surroundings made him feel as though he was facing a formidable enemy.

“Li Zheng Qing!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly and called out softly.

“This subordinate is here!” Li Zheng Qing replied with his head down. His entire body was shivering like a leaf in the wind and sweat dripped down his forehead without pause.

“How have I treated you?” Yang Kai glanced sideways at Li Zheng Qing with a cold look in his eyes.

Li Zheng Qing trembled, “Without your help, this Old Master would never have advanced into the Heaven Realm. To this Old Master, your favour amounts to being given a new lease on life!”

“Given a new lease on life indeed!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “So, this is how you repay me?”

Li Zheng Qing’s complexion went pale, but he stubbornly insisted, “What do you mean, Sir? This subordinate does not understand.”

“I’ll give you one last chance. How is my Honoured Master?” Yang Kai stared deeply into Li Zheng Qing’s eyes, his tone incredibly grim.

A momentary struggle flashed across Li Zheng Qing’s expression, but he steeled himself and stood by his story, “Sir, the Former Sect Master is very ill…”

*Zheng…*

A clear and crisp sword cry rang out. Following the flash of a sword light, Li Zheng Qing reacted as if struck by lightning. He reached out to clutch at his throat and stumbled backwards, his eyes widening in disbelief. Staring at Yang Kai incredulously, he cried out hoarsely, “S-Sir…”

Fresh blood gushed out uncontrollably from between the gaps in his fingers.

Yang Kai held the True Void Sword as a drop of crimson fresh blood slowly slid along the length of the blade. A gust of wind blew past, causing his hair to dance and his clothes to flap wildly in the wind, “Just because my sword has not been unsheathed for a long time, did you really think that this was a mere decoration!? Come out!”

With a single sword slash, Sword Qi overflowed in all directions, blotting out all other light!