Martial Peak
chapter-4538

An incense stick later, a burly figure rushed towards the depths of the Sword Pedestal. This person was the Mountain Lord of Vanishing Sword Mountain, Ye Cheng!

Somebody had quietly infiltrated Vanishing Sword Mountain, but a search of the surroundings came up empty. That was when Ye Cheng abruptly thought about the Restricted Area and hurried over to investigate the situation.

As he passed along the path, the secret guards who should have been standing watch over the area from the shadows remained silent. His heart involuntarily sank. When he arrived at the Restricted Area, he raised his head to look in that direction and his expression changed drastically. The True Void Sword was gone!

The Four Seasons Elders stood surrounding the round platform, each facing a different direction and motionlessly maintaining a stance with their swords drawn as though somebody had placed a Binding Secret Technique on them. The expressions on their faces were a mixture of shock and rage.

Traces of a battle remained fluctuating wildly around them.

Ye Cheng’s arrival seemed to have triggered some sort of hidden switch. Following a series of rustling sounds from all directions, each of the four Elders spewed out a stream of fresh blood and fell to their knees on the ground in unison!

Shocked, Ye Cheng quickly stepped forward, “Elders, what happened here!? Where is the True Void Sword!?”

An unusual red flush crept up the Spring Elder’s face. He forcefully suppressed his churning vitality and answered the question with a look of shame, “We have failed you, Mountain Lord. The True Void Sword… was stolen by someone.”

Ye Cheng was horrified, “Who would have the ability to steal the True Void Sword from under the noses of the Four Elders!?”

One could not fault him for feeling so horrified. The strength of the four old men standing in front of him had reached the peak. Any one of them could be considered an invincible existence in the world, let alone the combined forces of these four.

Summer Elder shook his head, “We don’t know. The infiltrator’s appearance was unclear. Judging from the voice, he was probably a man; however, his methods are unpredictable and strange. We… are not his opponent.”

Ye Cheng felt all the hairs on his body stand up in horror when he heard those words. According to the Summer Elder, the infiltrator had injured them and then stolen the True Void Sword. Not only that, but they couldn’t even get a clear glimpse of their enemy’s true appearance. If not for his trust in the four old men, Ye Cheng would have wondered whether they carried out the robbery themselves.

“That person who stole the True Void Sword should not have gone far. Mountain Lord, please dispatch the troops to pursue him immediately! Be sure to find out the whereabouts of the True Void Sword! The Divine Armament… cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of outsiders! We will take some time to adjust our breathing and catch up with the rest of you soon!”

Winter Elder waved his hand impatiently, “Hurry up and go!”

Ye Cheng nodded heavily, “Yes!”

Then, he turned around and strode away in large strides.

At the same time, 1,000 kilometres away, Yang Kai flew through the air with the True Void Sword in his hand, quietly circulating his Spirit Qi to refine it.

Thinking back to the battle earlier, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of admiration towards the Four Seasons Elders. Those Four Elders had reached the limits of this world and there was nobody who could stand up against their combined strength. Even with the help his Space Principles, Yang Kai had nearly been injured by those four, forcing him to fight back.

Fortunately, the True Void Sword was now in his possession. He had originally planned to store the sword in his Space Ring, but who could have known that the Space Ring was unable to accommodate this object? Thinking about it again though, it made sense. This sword was the manifestation of 10% of the Divine Armament World’s Source Strength after all. How could a mere Space Ring possibly contain something like that? In the end, Yang Kai could only carry the sword around in his hand.

A short while later, Yang Kai slowly shook his head. He was currently in the Eighth-Step Spirit Realm, so his cultivation was no longer the same as back then. Even so, the process of refining the True Void Sword remained extremely slow. His brief attempt just now had given him the vague feeling that he would need to spend several years in order to completely refine the sword.

Returning to Profound Pill Sect on that same night, he quietly returned to Limitless Peak and entered a secret room to focus on refining the True Void Sword.

Even though Vanishing Sword Mountain immediately suppressed the information, news of the Divine Armament True Void Sword being stolen spread across the Divine Armament World in an extremely short time.

Everybody who heard the news could barely believe their ears. Vanishing Sword Mountain had a long and powerful inheritance. Not to mention, there were as many Masters in the Sect as there were clouds in the sky. It was also said that the True Void Sword was guarded by the Four Seasons Elders who had not shown themselves to the world in a very long time. The strength of each Elder was absolutely staggering. How could anybody in the world manage to steal the True Void Sword from such a force?

Be that as it may, paper could not contain fire forever. Vanishing Sword Mountain refuted the rumours as usual, but disciples of the Sect were constantly dispatched to search the surrounding areas over the next few months. Their actions revealed clues to the people who were interested in the matter.

Nevertheless, it took half a year after the news first came out before the public finally confirmed the truth. The True Void Sword had really been stolen! The entire world flew into an uproar!

Everybody was shocked that a single person could slip through the defences of a top-tier great force like Vanishing Sword Mountain and steal the True Void Sword. At the same time, they were also extremely curious about the identity of the thief. Just who had the ability and the courage to pull this off? It was a pity that the thief never revealed himself, so nobody could figure out anything.

…..

Dan Cheng Zi and Yang Kai sat opposite each other on Limitless Peak located in Profound Pill Sect. There was a tea set placed between them, emitting a delicate fragrance. The purpose of Dan Cheng Zi’s visit today was to learn some Alchemy Techniques from Yang Kai.

Yang Kai was now one of the Elders in Profound Pill Sect, so although he was one step lower than Dan Cheng Zi in terms of seniority, they were on equal footing in regard to their respective statuses. Even so, the older generation of Spirit Grade Alchemists in the Sect hungered for the Alchemic Dao. They were not bothered by matters related to pride or reputation, so they would visit him to ask questions from time to time; likewise, Yang Kai taught them attentively.

Wan Ying Ying knelt by the side, pouring tea for the two of them.

More than ten years had passed, and the Little Junior Sister of Void Spirit Sword Sect was now a Heaven Realm Master herself. In addition, her progress in the Alchemic Dao had improved by leaps and bounds under Yang Kai’s personal tutelage. She had thus become an accomplish Heaven Grade Alchemist.

On the other hand, the other two Junior Brothers who followed Yang Kai to Profound Pill Sect were not quite as successful; even so, they were both Earth Grade Alchemists.

“So, you’re saying that this Master has understood the Hidden Dragon Art wrong.” After listening to Yang Kai’s explanation, Dan Cheng Zi revealed a look of understanding.

Yang Kai smiled, “It’s not a complete misunderstanding. It’s just a slight deviation. You only need to make some slight adjustments, Honoured Master. You will surely have twice the result with half the effort when you condense pills after making these changes.”

Dan Cheng Zi nodded, “En, I understand now.” Pausing for a moment, he put down his tea cup and nonchalantly asked, “You’ve been secluding yourself in Limitless Peak recently. Have you heard about the huge incident that occurred outside?”

Yang Kai looked up at Dan Cheng Zi, “What are you referring to, Honoured Master?”

Dan Cheng Zi stared back with a burning gaze, “Vanishing Sword Mountain’s True Void Sword has been stolen!”

“What!?” Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise, “Is that true!?”

“I heard the sword thief has mysterious methods and that even the combined strength of the Four Seasons Elders could not stop him!”

“That’s unbelievable! The True Void Sword was stolen! I’m sure Vanishing Sword Mountain won’t rest until they find the culprit.”

Dan Cheng Zi nodded, “That’s right. There is a huge uproar over this incident. At the beginning, Vanishing Sword Mountain refused to admit the truth and remained very secretive about it. It’s just that nothing can be kept secret forever. They have now begun to search for the whereabouts of the True Void Sword with great fanfare.”

Yang Kai smiled, “The sword thief is so strong that even the Four Seasons Elders are not his opponent. What can Vanishing Sword Mountain do even if they found the thief? Don’t tell me they plan to snatch the sword back from him?”

Dan Cheng Zi slowly shook his head, “The strength of the sword thief is frightening indeed, but what about his friends and family? Since he is alive in this world, it is impossible for him to be all alone. Vanishing Sword Mountain might not be able to defeat him directly, but they can target him from other aspects.”

“En, that’s true!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.

Dan Cheng Zi said sternly, “Vanishing Sword Mountain is extremely powerful. They obtained the Divine Armament multiple times over the past 1,000 years. If they discover the sword thief, a huge battle will be inevitable. Many people will die if that happens.”

Yang Kai nodded seriously, indicating his agreement.

The corners of Dan Cheng Zi’s brow twitched, “Brat, do you have anything you want to tell this Master?”

Yang Kai blinked innocently, “Is there something you don’t understand, Honoured Master?”

Dan Cheng Zi slammed his palms against the table in a rage, causing Wan Ying Ying to jump in fright.

Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise, “Why are you so angry, Honoured Master?”

Taking a deep breath, Dan Cheng Zi glanced at Yang Kai impatiently, “Seeing as the Medicine King Furnace has the Grand Dao Divine Tone, it is only natural for the same to hold true for the True Void Sword. Anybody within a certain level of ability and in close enough proximity to the Divine Armament can hear the Grand Dao Divine Tone if they have the opportunity, just like how you heard the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone even though you lived on Fixed Moon Peak at the time. Several Vanishing Sword Mountain disciples are currently in Profound Pill City. One of them is Vanishing Sword Mountain’s most outstanding Sword Child of this generation. He heard the True Void Sword’s Grand Dao Divine Tone countless times when the True Void Sword was still at Vanishing Sword Mountain. If he is in close proximity with the True Void Sword, he will surely be able to sense the presence of the sword!”

Yang Kai looked amazed, “That Sword Child’s aptitude is amazing indeed! With him in action, the True Void Sword will surely be found soon!”

Dan Cheng Zi observed Yang Kai deeply with a suspicious expression on his face. After some time, he finally nodded and said, “It doesn’t matter whether you really don’t know or are just feigning ignorance. This Master will not say anymore. Figure it out yourself.”

After saying that, he stood up.

Yang Kai stood up to see Dan Cheng Zi off, “Have a safe journey, Honoured Master.”

Dan Cheng Zi waved his hand dismissively. Walking out of Limitless Peak, he soared into the sky.

…..

Baili Yun Sang and the other Elders were waiting on Purple Sun Peak and quickly focused on Dan Cheng Zi as soon as he returned.

Baili Yun Sang asked anxiously, “How is it? Is it him?”

Dan Cheng Zi slowly shook his head, “I can’t be certain.”

Then, he gave a brief recount of his probing conversation with Yang Kai earlier.

Wu Feng Hua was solemn, “According to the information from Vanishing Sword Mountain, the strength of the sword thief is absolutely terrifying. Moreover, the sword thief has peculiar and ghostly Movement Skills. It sounds exactly like what that brat did back then. Aside from him, I can’t think of anybody else in this world who could win against the Four Seasons Elders.”

Likewise, Yu Bo Yang nodded, “That’s right. Although he had only just advanced into the Spirit Realm at the time, he still managed to turn the entire Profound Pill Sect upside down, leaving us virtually powerless against him. Now that more than ten years have passed, his strength has only become even more terrifying. It makes sense for the Four Seasons Elders to be defeated.”

Lan Yin frowned, “But, what can we do if he won’t admit to the crime? We can only pray that the sword thief is not him; otherwise, a huge war will surely break out between Profound Pill Sect and Vanishing Sword Mountain. As one of Profound Pill Sect’s Elders, everything he does represents the entire Sect.”

The entire group of people was gloomy, and they sighed heavily.

Dan Cheng Zi pondered quietly, “I don’t think we need to worry too much. That brat is a man who knows what is important. Naturally, it will be great if this is not his doing, but if it is him, he probably has a plan. After all, he dared to attack Profound Pill Sect alone for the sake of the people of Void Spirit Sword Sect. It can be seen that he values relationships deeply. I’m sure he won’t fool around with the lives of his friends and family.”

“It would be the best if that’s the case! I’m just worried that the Sword Child might hear the sword’s voice. There will be no good explanation for that!”