Martial Peak
chapter-4844

On that front, progress wasn’t so satisfactory.

It wasn’t easy to shatter Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier in this life. Yang Kai became aware of that after spending months with her.

Although she was still a woman who appeared obedient to the White Lotus Matriarch, she was clearly a very ambitious person. This kind of ambition was as scorching as the sun, something Yang Kai had never seen before.

Previously, she was captured by Yang Kai and went on to spend months living in the secluded valley. The way she reacted might be a pretence or a revelation of her true feelings; however, after she was freed, her latent ambitions were reignited.

With Yang Kai and Luo Ting He joining White Lotus Sect, the latter’s strength had greatly increased. Both of them were already two of the most powerful cultivators in the world, so with the two of them joining forces, rarely was there anyone in the world who could go up against them.

When news spread that more and more leaders of Grand Qi Temple were killed, the world became anxious.

If the seven major Sects could work together at this point, they might stand a chance to weather the storm; however, because of Yang Kai, the entire Divine Method Hall was marginalised. Even Emerald Smoke Sect, which was the Sect that Luo Ting He hailed from, received this treatment.

Moreover, following the assassination of Temple Master Yu Xing Zhou, Grand Qi Temple became leaderless. The entire Grand Qi Temple had descended into chaos.

At this point, the White Lotus Matriarch resolutely made a decision and led the disciples of White Lotus Sect to storm the Headquarters of Grand Qi Temple.

The battle went on for half a month. Countless people were killed on both sides.

In the end, those from Grand Qi Temple lost the battle and their Headquarters exchanged owners. The cultivators from the seven major Sects who survived retreated to their own Sects to recuperate.

The power that those from White Lotus Sect had showcased in this war sent a shockwave across the world. In the past, they would only launch sneak attacks as they were as furtive as rats. Although everyone knew that White Lotus Sect had taken on a lot of disciples, no one knew the exact figure.

This time, they finally experienced it.

When storming into the Headquarters of Grand Qi Temple, the countless disciples of White Lotus Sect were like a rising tide.

After the war, White Lotus Sect became a name that most people would fear.

The White Lotus Matriarch had done something that her predecessors had never managed to achieve; she had successfully occupied the Headquarters of Grand Qi Temple.

Over the past 100 years, those from White Lotus Sect had made three attempts on Grand Qi Temple, but all three attempts failed. There was even a time when the Sect Master of White Lotus Sect was killed in battle.

After successfully seizing the Headquarters of Grand Qi Temple, the White Lotus Matriarch saw her reputation rising to unprecedented heights.

Following the incident, those from White Lotus Sect also had their own Headquarters, which originally belonged to those from Grand Qi Temple. They were now visible to the public, which was unlike in the past when they had to hide in the dark.

In this battle, Yang Kai had put in a lot of effort as he had killed more than 20 Masters from Grand Qi Temple, which contributed greatly to the success of White Lotus Sect occupying the Headquarters.

It wasn’t until this moment that the White Lotus Matriarch had complete trust in him.

Because of him, Qu Hua Shang’s status in White Lotus Sect was fortified. Initially, there were other Saintesses who were equal matches for her, but she was now the most outstanding of them all. The White Lotus Matriarch regarded her especially highly. Although it was never made official, all the disciples of White Lotus Sect believed that Qu Hua Shang would be the next Sect Master.

White Lotus Sect practically had no other rivals now. On the continent, those smaller Sects that originally relied on Grand Qi Temple to survive had all pledged loyalty to White Lotus Sect now.

Like a snowball, the power of White Lotus Sect increasingly strengthened.

Yang Kai returned to this familiar Headquarters barely a few months after he had left. He still lived in the place he had previously resided, and every day, he would follow Qu Hua Shang around to protect her.

All the disciples of White Lotus Sect knew that whatever demands Qu Hua Shang came up with, Yang Kai would immediately execute regardless of whether they were reasonable or not.

It could be said that Yang Kai was the biggest contributor in helping Qu Hua Shang attain her current status. If not for him, the several assassination attempts wouldn’t have been carried out so smoothly and caused immense pressure to the leaders of Grand Qi Temple. Those from White Lotus Sect wouldn’t have been able to defeat Grand Qi Temple with ease either.

Qu Hua Shang became increasingly ambitious following her rise in status and the White Lotus Matriarch’s appreciation of her. She was practically the second most influential person in White Lotus Sect now.

Presently, Yang Kai and Xiao He were following Qu Hua Shang as they walked along a corridor.

From the opposite direction, a charming woman who was leading her two personal bodyguards approached them.

As their eyes met, the charming woman flashed a smile at Qu Hua Shang and nodded, “Little Sister Qu.”

Qu Hua Shang responded with a smile, “Big Sister Tian.”

This charming woman was one of the other Saintesses of White Lotus Sect. Before the rise of Qu Hua Shang, she was the most outstanding Saintess as she was slightly more beautiful and powerful than the others. She was also most valued by the White Lotus Matriarch at that time.

“Where are you going, Little Sister Qu?” Tian Jie asked with concern.

Qu Hua Shang replied, “I just visited the Sect Master, and was going to get some rest now. Are you going to visit the Sect Master as well, Big Sister?”

Tian Jie put on a faint smile, “No, I’m just walking around since I have nothing to do. In the past, I thought that Grand Qi Temple’s Headquarters was profound and mysterious. Now, there doesn’t seem to be anything special about this place.”

“We’ll feel that something is mysterious before we obtain it. After we get it, we’ll realise that there’s nothing special about it.” Qu Hua Shang smiled gently.

Tian Jie shot her a meaningful glance and chuckled, “You have a point, Little Sister Qu; however, we’ll long for something before we get it. As for whether it’s really so mysterious, we’ll only find out after obtaining it. Don’t you agree, Little Sister?”

“You’re quite right.” Qu Hua Shang nodded, then sported a cold expression, “I heard you’re interested in my personal bodyguard, Big Sister.”

A shocked Tian Jie refuted, “Where did you hear such a rumour, Little Sister? Everyone in the Sect knows that he’s your personal bodyguard. Why would I even have my eyes on him?”

Qu Hua Shang said with a smile, “Oh, really? Why did someone not sleep in the middle of the night yesterday and sneak into his room while naked, then?”

A sense of fury overwhelmed Tian Jie as she glowered at Yang Kai, who was behind Qu Hua Shang.

She had never expected that he would tell Qu Hua Shang about this kind of matter.

On the other hand, Yang Kai remained unfazed.

Just then, Qu Hua Shang charged forward as she extended her fair hand and circulated her strength in an attempt to seize Tian Jie’s neck.

Tian Jie had never expected that Qu Hua Shang, who was also a Saintess of White Lotus Sect, had the guts to make a move on her. The assault on a fellow disciple was a taboo in White Lotus Sect, which was why she hadn’t managed to react.

Fortunately, the personal bodyguards behind her never put down their guard. The moment Qu Hua Shang made a move, they unsheathed their swords and hacked at her.

If Qu Hua Shang didn’t retract her hand, her arm would be cut off. Personal bodyguards were the most loyal servants to their Saintess, and they wouldn’t care about killing others to keep their charge safe.

However, instead of withdrawing her hand, Qu Hua Shang only hastened her speed.

Their swords didn’t manage to come into contact with Qu Hua Shang as Yang Kai and Xiao He gently pushed their palms forward and sent the two personal bodyguards flying away. At the same time, Qu Hua Shang clenched Tian Jie’s fair neck and exerted more force with her hand. At that instant, Tian Jie froze and wouldn’t dare to move a muscle.

“A-Are you out of your mind?” The colour drained from Tian Jie’s face.

Qu Hua Shang stared coldly at her, “How did you even have the nerve to try to seduce my personal bodyguard?”

The intensifying force on her neck and the murderous intent in Qu Hua Shang’s eyes made Tian Jie feel anxious.

Upon realising that the other woman really wanted to kill her, she regretted the decision she had made last night.

In fact, all the Saintesses believed that it was thanks to Yang Kai that Qu Hua Shang had attained her current achievements. As long as they could lure the former Temple Master of Grand Qi Temple to their side, Qu Hua Shang would no longer be a threat.

Yang Kai was a man while the Saintesses were women. The only way they could think of to make him side with them was to seduce him. Tian Jie had never expected that not only would Yang Kai not accept her, he had also immediately told Qu Hua Shang about the scandal, which rendered her powerless to defend herself.

“Please forgive me, Little Sister. I’ll never dare to do it again. I’ll obey you from now on.” Tian Jie begged for mercy with a pitiful expression, “If you kill me here, you’ll be punished.”

Qu Hua Shang remained unperturbed.

Yang Kai frowned and recommended, “Forgive her for once. I believe she won’t do it again.”

*Kacka…*

The light in Tian Jie’s eyes went out as her entire figure went limp.

Qu Hua Shang turned around and glared at Yang Kai, “Why did you ask for forgiveness on her behalf?”

Yang Kai parted his lips, then let out a sigh.

Everything in this Samsara World was built on Qu Hua Shang’s Heart Barrier, so all the places and people here were nothing but illusions. As the Saintess of White Lotus Sect, she was obliged to go against those from Grand Qi Temple. Both parties tried to destroy each other because they had different stances. Therefore, Yang Kai wouldn’t say anything regardless of how many people from Grand Qi Temple that she had killed.

With that said, he wouldn’t want to see Qu Hua Shang act so ruthless and without qualms about killing her own people.

It never crossed his mind that his persuasion yielded the opposite of the desired outcome instead. Tian Jie lost her life because of that.

Certainly, the real Qu Hua Shang wasn’t like this. Her memory had been completely sealed in the ninth life, and she was a totally different person now.

“Although she was in the wrong, you shouldn’t have killed her,” Yang Kai replied with a frown.

Like a child who was defending her favourite toy, she spat through clenched teeth, “I’ll kill anyone who has their eyes on you!”

A joyful Xiao He watched on from the side as she poked Yang Kai with her elbow and said in a small voice, “She has fallen in love with you.”

Yang Kai wasn’t certain if he should be happy or sad.

Although the conflict didn’t last long, the White Lotus Matriarch soon got wind of it and rushed over to the scene a moment later.

Upon seeing Tian Jie’s corpse, she sported a gloomy expression.

Of all the Saintesses, besides Qu Hua Shang, she regarded Tian Jie as the most important; however, Tian Jie was killed by another Saintess that she treasured.

This had never happened before.