Martial Peak
chapter-5218

“If it is a joy that annihilates the self, then I’d rather not know it!”

“Do you persist down your misguided path, little friend?”

“Our beliefs differ. We will never see eye to eye on this!”

“Hah! Since you insist on doing things the hard way, don’t blame this Old Master for not showing you any mercy!”

True enough, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s attacks became a lot more ruthless.

He indeed had a great appreciation for talent, but Yang Kai’s staunch attitude dissuaded him from trying to convince him further. Furthermore, it would not be safe to linger too long here. Although the Human Army had left some time ago, several dozen Humans managed to flee earlier, so if the Human Eighth-Order Masters found out he survived by faking his death, they might send a Division Commander over and deal with him.

Considering the condition he was in right now, he would be doomed if an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master came.

With a flick of his longsword, the sword waves combined together and struck at Yang Kai’s head.

Under the crushing strength of the Black Ink Disciple’s blow, Yang Kai’s body shook violently. Even though he mustered all of his strength to withstand the blow, it was still too much. The piercing Sword Qi slashed through his clothes and his blood began to gush out of the wounds.

The force of that powerful blow sent Yang Kai flying back as if he had been launched from a cannon.

Even so, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple did not let up on the attacks. Again and again, he slashed his sword and sent flurry after flurry of relentless Sword Qi out.

From a distance, the endless waves of Sword Qi seemed to form a long river that ended where Yang Kai stood.

[Profound Sword Paradise’s Chasing Stars and Moon Sword Art!]

At last, Yang Kai realized what this Black Ink Disciple’s background was.

After fighting on the Black Ink Battlefield for many years, he became acquainted with many of the elites from various Cave Heavens and Paradises; thus, he knew a thing or two about the unique Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.

It was clear that this Black Ink Disciple was using the Chasing Stars and Moon Sword Art, which was one of Profound Sword Paradise’s core Sword Arts.

However, this knowledge did nothing to influence the course of this sombre fight.

Both Yang Kai and the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple were survivors of the brutal battle that took place earlier. Even though the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s injuries were a lot more severe than Yang Kai’s, he was still one Order higher than Yang Kai, and one Order’s difference was enough to give him a compelling advantage.

Any other Seventh-Order Master would have probably died at the hands of this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple by now, but as it was, the one up against him was Yang Kai.

Even so, Yang Kai seemed to have a hard time dealing with the never-ending storm of attacks. Despite unleashing his Supreme Limitless Spear Art to its fullest force, it was still hard for him to withstand the ferocity of his opponent’s sword skills.

The savage Sword Qi’s overbearing power left Yang Kai’s body littered with wounds.

As the Black Ink Disciple’s sword waves continued to wash over Yang Kai, the distance between them grew smaller, and the Black Ink Disciple’s Sword Intent grew colder.

Yang Kai’s instincts flared from the looming sense of danger. He did not know why, but he had a feeling that once the distance between them closed to a certain range, the Black Ink Disciple was sure to unleash a devastating Divine Ability. When that happened, it would be a life-or-death moment for Yang Kai.

But why would Yang Kai allow his opponent’s plans to come to fruition?

As the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s figure continued to approach, Yang Kai suddenly closed his eyes.

All at once, his right eye turned into an endless black abyss and the entire void seemed to be shrouded by a curtain of darkness.

At the same time, a piercing golden pupil appeared in his left eye.

The silhouette of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple was reflected in the golden pupil, and with the casting of Yang Kai’s Eye Secret Techniques, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s reflection mysteriously contorted.

It was as if the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple who had been launching a storm of attacks at Yang Kai was suddenly struck by lightning. It felt as if a powerful force had popped out of nowhere, struck him, leaving his body twisted up in pain as it instinctively stiffened.

After noticing Yang Kai’s pair of strange eyes, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple exclaimed in shock, “The Demon Eye of Annihilation and Black Purgatory Eye?”

[This young man is from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven?]

However, the Black Ink Disciple did not detect any hint of Demon Qi on Yang Kai.

Thus, there were only two possibilities. Either the young man had been hiding his background all along, or he was not a Myriad Demons Heaven disciple, but had instead used Military Merits he earned from the Black Ink Battlefield in exchange for these two powerful Secret Techniques.

It would not be as big of a deal if the former was true, but if the truth was the latter, then this young man was surely a lot more formidable than he assumed.

Anyone who gained the chance to cultivate core Secret Techniques by exchanging them for Military Merits had to be those who earned a vast number of them on the battlefield. They were all elites who would have the blood of countless Black Ink Clansmen on their hands.

However, even though the young man was accomplished in both of these Eye Secret Techniques, the effects were naturally dampened when he tried to use them against someone of a higher Order.

Thus, in the time it took the Black Ink Disciple to think this through, the effects of both the Eye Secret Techniques wore off.

What Yang Kai wanted was precisely this momentary lapse though.

The call of the Golden Crow rang out, and a Great Sun rose once again to illuminate the void.

Just as the Black Ink Disciple snapped out of his thoughts, the Great Sun had already broken through the torrent of sword waves and was charging towards him.

“Divine Manifestation!” The Black Ink Disciple frowned as he felt a sense of admiration for the young man. Although this youth was only in the Seventh Order, beneath his own realm, his combat sense was remarkable. He must have sensed something, which was why he used his Eye Secret Techniques and followed up with his Divine Manifestation in the hopes of disrupting his plans.

The Black Ink Disciple had to admit that it was an astute move to make.

Had it not been for the young man’s series of counterattacks, the Black Ink Disciple might have already used his trump card and taken the young man’s life.

This was the Divine Manifestation of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Master, so even he, an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, could not afford to take it lightly. He had no choice but to focus his attention on defending against the attack.

His finger swiped across the longsword and his World Force burst forth. The sword, which had been dim this whole time, suddenly lit up in a brilliant flare. He then slashed down with force and cut the Great Sun in half. Even the Golden Crow, which had been cawing inside the Great Sun, let out a seemingly mournful cry.

The Black Ink Disciple did not stop there. He cast another mysterious sword technique and a multitude of swords appeared in the Void.

When the final sword appeared, Yang Kai’s silhouette reappeared, and instantly, Yang Kai felt an enormous pressure weighing down on him. He was suppressed and sealed from all sides.

His expression turned grim.

As was expected of an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, he was able to decipher what his opponent was doing and act accordingly. Earlier on, after summoning Golden Crow Casts the Sun, Yang Kai charged towards the Black Ink Disciple to try to deliver a sneak attack. Yet, the situation now seemed like he was delivering himself into the lion’s den. His actions appeared incredibly foolish.

Strictly speaking, this was Yang Kai’s first time battling an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.

Although his opponent was not a true Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was still close.

Yang Kai now knew how difficult and terrifying it was to deal with an Eighth-Order Master, and this was only a heavily injured Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple. What if he had been at his peak?

What would it be like up against the Eighth-Order Division Commanders?

Zhu Feng, the heavily injured Territory Lord from all those years ago, was a lot easier to take on by comparison.

As a former Human, this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple understood the way Humans thought a lot better than any Territory Lord ever could.

Thankfully, Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space. He did not know how the Black Ink Disciple’s mysterious sword techniques worked, or why it had the effect of suppressing and sealing space. That being said, while this effect would have proved useful against any other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, the same did not apply to him.

With a flicker of Yang Kai’s Space Principles, the local space which had been sealed instantly broke apart. As he hastened to retreat, the Black Ink Disciple’s longsword was already slashing at him. The cutting sword waves crackled from the tip of the sword.

When Yang Kai came to a stop again, there was a trail of blood that ran from his forehead down to his abdomen. The cut was deep enough that his bones were visible.

Had he been the tiniest bit slower in retreating just now, the Black Ink Disciple might have managed to cut him in half. If that happened, then even if he had a powerful Dragon Vein, it would have been doubtful if he could have survived.

Despite the very recent brush with death, Yang Kai’s expression remained composed.

The Black Ink Disciple charged forward again. This battle was taking far longer than he thought it would, and the more it dragged on, the greater his fear of impending danger grew. He had to end this fight as soon as possible.

“Junior, you’re a difficult one to deal with!” The Black Ink Disciple’s World Force burst forth in a frenzy. Every single blow he sent at Yang Kai was suffused with a terrifying bloodthirst as he now seemed to be giving his all in every single attack.

Yang Kai had numerous strange and unpredictable methods up his sleeve, so his opponents had to keep their guards up at all times. Thus, the Black Ink Disciple decided to overwhelm Yang Kai with sheer force. No matter what kind of peculiar tricks Yang Kai had, his decisive weakness was the difference in Order. The Black Ink Disciple did not plan to rely on strategies anymore. He was going to fight with brute force and crush his opponent from the front.

“As are you!” Yang Kai grit his teeth and he defended himself against the Black Ink Disciple’s fevered attacks.

If a cultivator was hellbent on using his cultivation to overwhelm an opponent who was an Order lower, then there was not much the latter could do to overcome the situation. The only choice would be to try and withstand the assault.

However, there was a limit to what a person could withstand. Once the opponent was worn down, death would become inevitable.

In the span of several dozen breaths, Yang Kai gained over a dozen fresh wounds that cut right down to the bone. The most serious injury was the one on his neck. The Black Ink Disciple’s sword seemed to have cut through half of his neck, causing golden blood to pour out.

The more serious Yang Kai’s injuries became, the weaker his resistance grew.

This was to be expected. The Black Ink Disciple surmised that after being on the receiving end of his attacks for so long now, Yang Kai would not only be heavily injured, but even his Small Universe would no longer be able to take it anymore.

It was already shocking that Yang Kai managed to survive this long.

“Do you still insist on being so stubborn, young man?” The Black Ink Disciple roared.

Yang Kai clenched his jaw and refused to answer, but his dogged determination to carry on fighting was clear.

“You court death!” The Black Ink Disciple coldly snorted. His longsword swished in the air and aimed straight for Yang Kai’s heart.

This was going to be the final blow. From the young man’s earlier display, the Black Ink Disciple deduced that he would not be able to withstand this attack; however, at that very moment, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple saw Yang Kai raise his spear and throw it at him.

Even though it was just a careless throw, his opponent’s formidable strength was enough for the spear to break apart the void and fly straight towards him.

Naturally, the Black Ink Disciple would not allow such a crude attack to land and with a quick flick of his longsword, he deflected the Azure Dragon Spear and sent it flying.

At the same time, he saw the young man opposite him charging towards him with his fist raised to strike at him.

Instinctively, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple had a feeling that something was amiss, but how could he mull this over at a time like this?

The longsword pierced right through Yang Kai’s chest and the savage Sword Qi poured into the wound.

Yang Kai’s fist did not touch the Black Ink Disciple, stopping less than a forearm’s length away.

The Black Ink Disciple eyed Yang Kai coolly, not showing any kind of emotion on his face.

He had given his opponent a choice, and since the latter chose death, he merely granted him passage.

However, just as the sword touched Yang Kai’s body, the Black Ink Disciple was able to detect that his opponent had shifted slightly, so the blow failed to hit his vitals.

Still, that did not matter. Even if the young man survived this attack, his condition would be dismal right now.

Just as all of this went through the Black Ink Disciple’s mind, all of a sudden, Yang Kai grinned at him and called out lightly, “Cow Punch!”