Martial Peak

Chapter 2789, Hua Yu Lu’s Invitation

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Xia Sheng enthusiastically welcomed Yang Kai into his room, and after they took their seats, Yang Kai asked about Bian Yu Qing’s condition.

“That woman successfully broke through to the Emperor Realm half a month ago. The commotion she caused on that day was huge.” Xia Sheng’s expression was solemn.

“She broke through to the Emperor Realm?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows in surprise. That news was both within his expectations and extremely unexpected at the same time.

Based on Bian Yu Qing’s aptitude, the possibility of a breakthrough was very slim even if she could enter the Spirit Lake Palace’s Heaven Grade cultivation room for two months of secluded retreat; after all, her inherent talent in the Martial Dao was not that great, and she had been stuck in the Dao Source Realm for so many years. All her passion had been withered away, and she lost her drive to move forward. How could a person like that achieve a breakthrough? Third-Order Dao Source Realm should have been the pinnacle she could reach in her life if nothing unexpected happened.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Kou Wu’s death had greatly stimulated her. In addition, she also received all sorts of help from Yang Kai, such as a large number of Source Crystals and Emperor Pills to supplement her cultivation. It was only a matter of time for her to achieve a breakthrough and make progress in her cultivation with such motivation and resources.

In any case, it was a happy occasion as it meant that High Heaven Palace had another Emperor Realm Master added to its ranks.

Spirit Lake Palace had been established for many years, so numerous cultivators came here to break through their own shackles and spy on the mysteries of the higher realms. However, not many managed to advance into the Emperor Realm here. For that reason, the commotion created by Bian Yu Qing’s breakthrough that day shocked all of Spirit Lake City. In particular, those cultivators waiting in line to enter Spirit Lake Palace to cultivate seemed to have gotten fresh hope. They were filled with renewed motivation as they waited their turn.

“She has been consolidating her cultivation for the past half a month and should be able to leave in a few days,” Xia Sheng smiled lightly. As one of the three Deacons of Spirit Lake Palace, he was very familiar with Bian Yu Qing’s situation. Even if she was not somebody Yang Kai had brought over, he would have extended a helping hand to her somehow given her situation.

“That’s great.” Yang Kai nodded cheerfully.

“Junior Brother, do you have anything going on in the near future?” Xia Sheng suddenly changed the subject and asked.

Yang Kai replied, “I need to go to Star Soul Palace for a certain matter, but other than that, no. Why? Do you have anything to ask of me, Senior Brother?”

“Star Soul Palace…” Although Xia Sheng was stunned by those words, he did not question Yang Kai about the reason he was heading to Star Soul Palace and instead just pondered for a moment before asking, “How long will it take?”

“A month, maybe two.”

“In that case, there will be just enough time,” he grinned and continued, “I would like you to do me a favour, Junior Brother. Do you have the time?”

“What is it, Senior Brother?” Yang Kai looked solemn.

However, instead of explaining, Xia Sheng turned his head to look in the direction of the private room behind them and said, “Xiao Hua, come on out. You are also acquainted with Junior Brother Yang, so stop hiding away.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a young woman in a fabulous dress strolled out of the room. Her tight-fitting attire emphasized her excellent figure, and the smile on her face made all who saw it swoon, but it was her beautiful, watery eyes that were the most captivating.

“Palace Master Hua!” Yang Kai was surprised to see the beautiful woman who appeared suddenly.

This lady was none other than the Palace Master of Hundred Flowers Palace, Hua Yu Lu. Just a few days ago, they had greeted each other at Azure Sun Temple, so Yang Kai had not expected to meet her here again. Hua Yu Lu had inquired about Xia Sheng that day, and from the looks of it, she had headed to Spirit Lake Palace directly after she left Azure Sun Temple.

Although he had noticed that there was another person’s aura in the room, Yang Kai had not investigated it further since that person had no intention of showing themselves.

[A man and a woman together… interesting!] Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became meaningful.

Meanwhile, Hua Yu Lu seemed a little apologetic, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. When she came closer, she bowed elegantly and gently said, “Greetings, Elder Yang!”

“Palace Master Hua is being too polite.” Yang Kai quickly replied to her with due courtesy. Putting aside the fact that her cultivation realm was similar to his, they were both Palace Masters of their respective Sects. However, her unclear relationship with Xia Sheng was enough to make Yang Kai a bit uncomfortable with her overly polite behaviour. As such, he quickly turned to look at Xia Sheng, “Senior Brother, could it be that the favour you wanted to ask of me is related to Palace Master Hua?”

Xia Sheng smiled slightly, “Yes, it is indeed related to Xiao Hua.” He glanced at Hua Yu Lu and said, “Xiao Hua, why don’t you explain it yourself?”

Hua Yu Lu nodded lightly, parting her luscious lips slightly as she slowly explained, “It’s like this… When I went to the Southern Swamp to look for spirit medicines three months ago, I stumbled upon an Ancient Cave Mansion…”

“An Ancient Cave Mansion?” Yang Kai was shocked when he heard those words.

“Yes,” she nodded, “It was undoubtedly an Ancient Cave Mansion; moreover, it gave off an extremely desolate aura. I don’t know who it originally belonged to, but three people, including myself, ventured inside to explore it at the time. Although we tried all means to break the barrier that had been in disrepair for so many years and managed to gain some benefits from our endeavours, we were eventually blocked by a stronger single barrier deeper inside. As a result, we couldn’t enter the inner sanctum.”

“Why were there two other people with you?” Yang Kai frowned.

To which Hua Yu Lu replied, “The Southern Swamp might be perilous, but it also has many opportunities. It is said that the Southern Swamp was once a thriving place where ancient cultivators gathered. That’s why so many treasures are hidden there. Moreover, it is a special environment that can give birth to various rare spirit medicines. Therefore, many Masters like to explore the Southern Swamp. When the Ancient Cave Mansion appeared, it caused some minor disturbances. Otherwise, I would not have discovered it, and the other two would not have been attracted to it either.”

Yang Kai nodded after listening to her explanation as he could vaguely understand the situation at the time.

She then continued, “Of the other two people, one of them had some knowledge about barriers and Spirit Arrays. According to that person’s hypothesis, we wouldn’t have been able to break the barrier blocking our way even if we combined our strengths. Thus, we could only ask others for help. We agreed to each bring a helper and meet up at the Southern Swamp again half a year later.”

“So, you asked Senior Brother Xia for help!” Yang Kai understood.

Smiling bitterly, she admitted, “Although I know many Emperor Realm Masters, not many can truly be trusted.”

Selling out comrades, murder, robbery… These were common occurrences along the road of cultivation. Therefore, one had to find somebody trusted when asking for cooperation in exploration. Otherwise, one might find themselves dead at the hands of their ‘partner’ if they carelessly invited just anybody to help them.

Xia Sheng spoke up, “Junior Brother Yang, I’m afraid I really can’t step away from this place. The temple sent me here, and I need to remain here for three more years. I can’t step a single foot out of this place before the time is up. If that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t need to trouble you for this, Junior Brother.”

“It’s not a big deal. It’s just exploring an Ancient Cave Mansion.” Yang Kai waved his hand confidently before glancing at Hua Yu Lu, “But… are you familiar with the other two? Are they trustworthy?”

Hua Yu Lu replied, “I can’t say I’m familiar with them as that was the first time we met each other, but both of them were in the First-Order Emperor Realm. As for whether they are trustworthy or not… since it’s the first time we met; how can I possibly trust them? Still, it goes both ways. If I don’t trust them, they won’t trust me either, that’s why we each made a Heart Demon Oath, vowing not to disclose any information about the Ancient Cave Mansion to the public. We are only allowed to bring one person along to help us. Moreover, that person must be a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master at best.”

“I see…” Yang Kai rubbed his chin and pondered over it.

A Heart Demon Oath might be nothing more than lip service, but it was not an oath one would carelessly make once their cultivation reached the Emperor Realm. If they broke their word, a Heart Demon might appear and negatively impact their future cultivation, and since all three of them were restrained by such an oath, it should be alright to temporarily trust that the other two will not disclose this information to others at will. It was a well-considered strategy.

“If my guess is right, those two will surely find Second-Order Emperors to help them.” Hua Yu Lu looked at Yang Kai with light in her eyes and added, “If you have any qualms about this, Elder Yang, you can forget about it. I will think of another way.”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t find a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master to help her, but rather that she could not cooperate with them. If that wasn’t the case, she would not have come to Xia Sheng for help. Before being a cultivator in the Emperor Realm, Xia Sheng was the chief disciple of Azure Sun Temple, and although it had not been long since he became a First-Order Emperor, it would not be an easy feat for a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master to kill him when it came down to a desperate fight.

As for Yang Kai’s strength, Hua Yu Lu had personally witnessed it during the Grand Canonization Ceremony the other day. Yang Kai had even injured an Elder of Star Soul Palace, so despite being injured in the process, his power was certainly not something an average First-Order Emperor Realm could compare to. He should be of equal strength with Xia Sheng at least.

Standing to the side, Xia Sheng reminded, “Junior Brother, just consider the issue yourself, there’s no need to worry about me. I’m simply making a suggestion, whether you accept the request or not is completely up to you.”

He was clearly worried that Yang Kai might reluctantly accept the request out of respect for him.

In response, Yang Kai simply smiled, “I am also very interested in this Ancient Cave Mansion.”

Hua Yu Lu’s beautiful eyes lit up at those words, “Does that mean you agree, Elder Yang?”

Yang Kai did not reply to her question immediately and instead asked, “Why are the three of you so fixated on this Ancient Cave Mansion, even going to such lengths just to search for helpers; what benefits did you gain from it?”

“We certainly gained some benefits!” Hua Yu Lu nodded frankly, “Even if you didn’t ask about this, I planned to explain it to you too, Elder Yang. The three of us didn’t manage to explore the inner depths of that Ancient Cave Mansion, but we did manage to break several powerful barriers and reap valuable benefits. This is one of the items I obtained from that cave mansion.”

While speaking, she took out a small flower drum. The small flower drum didn’t seem to be anything special on the outside and was only about the size of a person’s palm, made from some unknown materials; however, an extremely special aura rippled forth the moment it was taken out.

Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he gasped in shock, “An Ancient Exotic Artifact!”

This small flower drum exuded a pure yet desolate aura. It was a genuine Ancient Exotic Artifact, just like the Mountains and Rivers Bell he owned.

In ancient times, the World Energy and World Principles were very different from what they were currently; therefore, the ancient cultivators cultivated all sorts of different Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities. Even the artifacts they used back then were vastly different from those created in this era. However, it was undeniable that the Ancient Exotic Artifacts passed down through the times were not to be underestimated.

It was just that Ancient Exotic Artifacts were too scarce in numbers. Over the past few millennia, the Mountains and Rivers Bell was the only Ancient Exotic Artifact that was well known enough to be recorded in history. Other unknown Ancient Exotic Artifacts might have surfaced during that time, but they surely amounted to less than ten across the entire Star Boundary. And yet, there was now one in Hua Yu Lu’s possession!