Martial Peak
chapter-4847

Both sides had respectively sent more than 10,000 people to take part in the battle. Towards the end of the battle, only 10% were left. Even the most powerful cultivators were unable to ensure their own safety in this kind of situation.

Lin Tai Dou was eventually killed by Yang Kai while the rest of the leaders of Righteous Union were all destroyed.

However, Yang Kai had been badly injured; after all, he was much older than Lin Tai Dou, so he was no longer as energetic as in the past.

He had to take the risk of getting wounded in order to kill Lin Tai Dou with his spear.

Xiao He was also soaked in blood as her aura was weak.

Both of them were on their last legs.

Before the remaining White Lotus Sect’s disciples could cheer for their victory, they heard rumbling sounds coming from the cliffs. At that moment, the ground started shaking.

When those who were still alive looked up, their expressions changed drastically.

That was because huge rocks could be seen rolling down the precipices while burning arrows rained down on them.

Although Yang Kai was drenched in blood, he still held his spear firmly and looked up in a particular direction.

Over there, the White Lotus Matriarch no longer appeared frail as she looked down with a flushing face. Behind her was Qu Hua Shang, who clenched her fists while trembling slightly.

When rocks and burning arrows finally buried the entire Crimson Wind Canyon, the White Lotus Matriarch couldn’t help but start guffawing.

The last obstacle that hindered her from ruling over the world wasn’t Righteous Union, but Yang Kai!

She had never been a match for Yang Kai since the beginning. Even though Righteous Union was destroyed, she still couldn’t be the overlord of the world.

Now, this obstacle was finally wiped out.

The Death Qi that had surrounded her over the years vanished in an instant, and there seemed to be fewer wrinkles on her face now. Judging from how healthy she looked, she could probably live for decades to come.

Qu Hua Shang knew that she had been set up. The White Lotus Matriarch had made use of the ambition that had been burning in her heart for years.

In recent years, the White Lotus Matriarch always appeared to be frail in order to help fan the burning ambition in her heart.

The boisterous White Lotus Sect’s disciples around Qu Hua Shang cheered for their victory; however, the noises sounded so distant to her, as though everything in this world had nothing to do with her anymore.

Righteous Union and Lin Tai Dou were destroyed while Yang Kai was killed. There was nothing in the world that could stop White Lotus Sect from dominating the world.

White Lotus Sect was now the only great force in the world, and the White Lotus Matriarch finally showcased zest that was unlike her age. She was worshipped like an overlord in the Headquarters of White Lotus Sect by all others.

Two months later, a metallic tang permeated the Grand Hall.

There was a dagger plunged into the White Lotus Matriarch’s chest as she lay on her throne, her clothes soaked in blood.

She pressed her hand against her chest while gazing at Qu Hua Shang in disbelief, “Y-You dare!”

Qu Hua Shang was standing on a spot that was a couple of metres away from her. Even though the White Lotus Matriarch was dying, a cunning person like her might make the final strike before her death. Certainly, Qu Hua Shang wouldn’t give her the chance.

Despite her alluring face, she looked as devious as a viper at this moment. With a dispassionate expression, she said, “Why wouldn’t I dare?”

The White Lotus Matriarch coughed up blood, “I haven’t passed you the recipe for the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pills. If I die, you won’t be able to live either. You’ll die in just three months!”

She had complete trust in the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pills, so she had never been suspicious of Qu Hua Shang. That was the reason she was caught off guard.

Only the Sect Master of White Lotus Sect had the right to take control of the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pills. Every Sect Master would pass the recipe to their successor before their death.

“Are you talking about this?” Qu Hua Shang suddenly fished out a jade bottle from her clothes and poured out dozens of red pills.

The White Lotus Matriarch widened her eyes in disbelief, “H-How can this be? W-Where did you get the recipe?”

She was certain that she had never told anyone the recipe before, nor had she left behind any clues about it. There was no way Qu Hua Shang could have obtained it.

“He gave it to me,” Qu Hua Shang appeared melancholic when she spoke about that person and recalled the incident in Crimson Wind Canyon two months ago.

Yang Kai passed her something before he left. After the war ended, she checked it and realised that it was the recipe for the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pill’s antidotes.

Judging from the weathered look of the scroll, it must have been more than ten years old.

In other words, Yang Kai had already obtained this recipe more than ten years ago. He and Xiao He had probably resolved the poison of the Freezing Blood Burning Soul Pills long ago and were no longer controlled by it.

He could have left at any moment, but he had always stayed by her side instead. Regardless of how unreasonable her demands were, he had never refused her.

Even when she ordered him to die, he still willingly obliged!

Certainly, the White Lotus Matriarch knew who the person was that Qu Hua Shang was talking about. After becoming startled for a moment, she put on a bitter smile, “I’d never expected that he was an expert in the Alchemic Dao on top of everything else.”

Yang Kai had somehow obtained the antidote recipe while being clueless about it. The only possibility that the White Lotus Matriarch could think of was that merely through ingesting and studying the antidotes he got every three months, he was able to determine the ingredients and figured out the recipe.

Ordinary Alchemists would never have been able to pull off such a feat. The White Lotus Matriarch even doubted whether her speculation was right despite it being the only possibility.

“Yes… Who could have expected that?” Qu Hua Shang muttered under her breath.

The White Lotus Matriarch suddenly put on a smile, “Good, very good! The Sect Master of White Lotus Sect must be cruel and cold-hearted. You’re a woman, so you’re already weaker than men to begin with. If you remain so indecisive, you will destroy our foundation that has been built up for hundreds of years. I knew you were the right person. I’ll be able to rest in peace, knowing that you’ll be the next Sect Master.”

Qu Hua Shang saluted her in an elegant manner, “I ask Sect Master to go on ahead!”

The White Lotus Matriarch nodded and closed her eyes. Her aura became increasingly weaker until it was completely gone.

A moment later, Qu Hua Shang stepped forward and placed her finger under the White Lotus Matriarch’s nose. Upon confirming that the older woman was really dead, she moved her corpse and adjusted her own clothes before sitting on the throne of the Sect Master.

She had always dreamed of becoming the Sect Master, and now, her wish had finally been granted.

The magnificent throne symbolised unlimited power. She had the right to determine anyone’s life or death and command both the righteous and wicked path.

The power she had obtained was even greater than the dreams she had as a young child. In this world, White Lotus Sect had no more rivals.

She looked down at the hall as though she could already envision the countless Masters who would come over to pay respects to her.

The corners of her mouth curled as she suddenly began to laugh.

Life was too short to have a lot of dreams, and a person would be considered lucky if they could make even one of them come true.

Qu Hua Shang had managed to achieve that and more though.

However, innumerable people had lost their lives for her victory.

Her unrestrained laugh reverberated across the empty hall, but no one could share her happiness. Presently, she was only accompanied by a corpse.

As she laughed, she suddenly broke down into tears.

Her tears slid down her face like pearls after the string had snapped. Appearing heartbroken, she covered her face with her hands.

There was nothing in the world she feared while she had the unconditional love of that man. It wasn’t until she lost him that she realised he had become an inseparable part of her life.

While sitting on the throne, she finally discovered that her dream wasn’t worth anything. The man she had always neglected in the past was the most valuable treasure she had; however, she had lost him forever. All she could think of now were those few months she had spent living in that log house by the lake. That was undoubtedly the happiest time in her life.

At that moment, she felt she could feel the gentle breeze brushing past her cheek as she placed her hands behind her head. While looking up at the starry sky, she listened to the love story of nine lives. At that time, there were no deceptions and battles in her life. All she had was that man’s unconditional love.

She missed that time so much.

“In the next life, I’ll repay what I owe you!”

Qu Hua Shang lifted her sword to her neck as the sharp blade cut her delicate skin, preparing to end it all, but while her eyes were drenched in tears, she suddenly caught sight of a figure abruptly appearing before her.

The person was wearing a mask made from iron, but even though his face was covered, his figure was all too familiar.

Qu Hua Shang thought that her sorrow was causing her to hallucinate as she looked dazedly at the person, so she did not hesitate to exert more force with her hand.

It wasn’t until her wrist was clenched by the person that her entire figure shook.

Behind that person, Xiao He stuck out her head while appearing puzzled, “Why are you trying to kill yourself all of a sudden? You looked so happy a moment ago. How strange!”

“O-Old man?” Qu Hua Shang quickly wiped away her tears and asked in a shaking voice.

The person took her sword and tossed it away before the weapon clanged to the ground. He gently stroked her head and said, “Good people don’t live long while a scourge lasts 1,000 years. I won’t die so easily.”

Qu Hua Shang couldn’t believe her eyes as she attempted to take off the person’s iron mask.

“My face was burned. It might scare you,” Yang Kai said.

Without hesitation, Qu Hua Shang took off the mask and saw a contorted face that was caused by burn marks. The face was so hideous that a toddler would break into tears upon seeing it.

However, Qu Hua Shang crashed into the man’s embrace and hugged him tightly as though she was trying to merge with his body. She sniffed at the man’s scent as if she was trying to imprint it in the deepest part of her mind. Regardless of how many rounds of reincarnation she had to go through, she would never forget his scent.

Yang Kai’s clothes were smeared by her tears and snot while the woman was laughing and crying at the same time.

Xiao He looked at them with a tilted head and couldn’t help but remark, “The couple has finally gotten together. How wonderful!”

All of a sudden, Qu Hua Shang froze, and the next moment, she lifted her head from the man’s embrace and looked up at him with a perplexed expression, “Junior Brother?”

Yang Kai let out a long breath, “You’re finally awake, Senior Sister!”

It had been a difficult life for him as it was much harder to wake Qu Hua Shang up compared to the previous eight lives.

This couldn’t be helped, as Qu Hua Shang was overly ambitious in this life to the point that she neglected her own feelings. Yang Kai had been working hard to win her heart by staying by her side for 20 years. Even though he had made some progress, he still hadn’t managed to shatter her Heart Barrier.

Therefore, he decided to take a risk by helping her fulfil her wish and satisfy her ambition. She would only have time to examine her true feelings after that.

Even if the White Lotus Matriarch hadn’t come up with the plot during the battle at Crimson Wind Canyon, Yang Kai would still have pretended to die to fulfil his plan.

However, the White Lotus Matriarch’s plot almost caused him to really lose his life there.

Yang Kai had no idea what would have happened if he was really killed. Fortunately, the outcome turned out to be what he had hoped to see.

After going through nine rounds of reincarnation, Qu Hua Shang finally resolved her heart and regained herself after her Heart Barrier was shattered.