Martial Peak

The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s attack on Medicine King’s Valley resulted in hundreds of their disciples being abducted, along with three of their Elders. Those who had come to participate in the Alchemist Summit had also experienced heavy losses, and it was unknown just how many were missing.

In addition, the Great Forces had suffered numerous casualties. Everywhere one looked on Medicine King’s Valley twelve peaks, there were corpses and blood staining this once pure land. As for the valley town, countless houses had collapsed; the losses couldn’t even be calculated.

The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land’s actions had drawn condemnation from all sides and infuriated all the great forces. Within a day, even the Eight Great Families had sent their experts to join the counterattack discussions and assist in rescuing the abducted Alchemists.

However, the message Xiao Fu Sheng gave them had greatly shocked all those who had come.

The Demon Lord had returned!

This was what one of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land Immortal Ascension Boundary masters had said before dying.

The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land was an immense region, with numerous masters and devil path cultivators spread out across it, and because it was so grand in scale, it was divided up into six regions. Each one was governed by one of the six Great Demon Kings. Each region was distinct in its governance, and although each of them technically belonged to the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land, under normal circumstances, they did not interfere with each other, the well not drawing water from the river.

(Silavin: 井水不犯河水 – an Idiom that means they mind their own business.)

Above these six Demon Kings, was only the supreme Demon Lord!

And this Demon Lord position had been empty for hundreds of years.

The Demon Lord was not an easy position to obtain. Each of the six Demon Kings had great strength, and each one was superior to any of the Eight Great Families’ top masters. All of them had countless loyal subordinates, but after having shared control of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land for so many years, none of them had dared claim the Demon Lord’s throne.

A hundred years ago, the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land had once had a Demon Lord. His strength and methods were unfathomable, which allowed him to reign over and slaughter countless lives. Finally, the masters from all of the Eight Great Families joined forces and launched a grand crusade, ultimately killing this man above the Weeping Wolf Abyss!

In that war, many of the Eight Great Families’ masters also perished!

It was only after a century of recovery that their full strength had been restored.

But now, a new Demon Lord had appeared in the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land. How could these masters not be shocked?

If it was someone else who had brought forward this news, no one would have believed him. No one would want to believe, but since it was Xiao Fu Sheng who said these words, the situation was not the same.

The whole world instantly became alert as a sense of tension gripped the land; spies from all of the Great Forces were frequently deployed to the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land to gather any scrap of reliable intelligence.

But what they reported was even more difficult to believe.

A mysterious new Demon Lord had indeed risen in the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land! What’s more, this person had seemingly just appeared and had swiftly seized absolute dominion over the six Demon Kings, now reigning unchallenged over the entire region.

The situation was far more precarious than imagined, and caused many to panic.

...

Atop Hidden Cloud Peak, Yang Kai bid Xiao Fu Sheng farewell.

His purpose in coming to Medicine King’s Valley had been achieved, and since he had not returned to High Heaven Pavilion for a long time, naturally he wished to return.

Xiao Fu Sheng, as if he had long ago anticipated such a parting, did not even appear the slightest bit surprised and instead just gently said, “Although I know you came to Medicine King’s Valley for different reasons, since fate brought you to my Hidden Cloud Peak, you are now also my Hidden Cloud Peak’s disciple. In the future, if you wish, you will be welcome here.”

“En.” Yang Kai, feeling somewhat guilty, simply nodded in acknowledgement.

Xia Ning Chang was also reluctant to part, but knowing Yang Kai had to go, she did not try to retain him.

Moreover, Yang Kai had already discussed this matter with her the night before, and had also given her a drop of Brilliant Flame Liquid and a drop of Soul Cleansing Dew, as well as a large quantity of Myriad Drug Liquid. Given how Xia Ning Chang had already reached the True Element Boundary Seventh Stage, and given the rapid progress of her cultivation, with these things it shouldn’t be a problem for her to break through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary.

Yang Kai had also given a drop of Brilliant Flame Liquid to Dong Qing Yan, which would allow her to greatly increase the purity of her True Qi as she broke through the True Element Boundary.

Not only that, Yang Kai had also taught everything he had learned from the True Alchemic Way about Alchemic Spirit Arrays to Xia Ning Chang, which allowed her to study it and pass along her insights to Xiao Fu Sheng.

Yang Kai believed that with the assistance of these Spirit Arrays, Xiao Fu Sheng should be able to refine a pill above Mysterious Grade.

Although this wouldn’t really be a true Spirit Grade pill, but it should still be enough to satisfy Xiao Fu Sheng’s lifelong wish.

Old Xiao, Aunty Xiang, and Aunty Lan were all very good to him, but in return all he could give them was this Spirit Array.

After descending Hidden Cloud Peak, Yang Kai greatly increased his pace and pushed his True Qi as he raced towards High Heaven Pavilion.

Seven or eight days later, Yang Kai finally returned to Sect.

But at the moment he returned to High Heaven Pavilion, Yang Kai felt that something was not quite right.

The whole of High Heaven Pavilion was filled with a lingering Demonic Qi.

Yang Kai’s pace once again sped up. Dashing around the various locations within the Sect, he was surprised to find that whole High Heaven Pavilion was filled with a gloomy air and traces of battle left behind everywhere he went, as well as many High Heaven Pavilion disciples hurriedly carrying their belongings away from the Sect.

“This Senior Brother!” Yang Kai not understanding what was going on quickly stopped one of these fleeing disciples.

“What is it!?” The man impatiently roared, but upon discovering who it was who stopped him, his complexion changed slightly, “Are you Yang Kai?”

As he spoke, his demeanor become significantly more respectful, after all, since a year ago, the incident with Yang Kai and Bai Yun Feng had become quite famous.

“What happened to the Sect, where are all of you going?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.

“It’s difficult to say,” the man quickly replied, breaking free from Yang Kai’s grip, “You should ask the Sect Master and the Elders yourself.”

Apparently finished, the man turned around and rushed off.

Yang Kai frowned in confusion, but at this time something stirred within his heart and caused him to look up at a white figure flying towards him from the distance.

It was Su Yan.

As in the past, Su Yan was still as cold and beautiful as ever. Having not seen her for a year, her cultivation had grown significantly, and with her increase in strength, the frigid aura she radiated was likewise more powerful than ever. Only when her eyes met Yang Kai’s did this icy temperament, frigid enough to freeze anything in the world around her, becoming gentler.

With a burst of fragrant wind, she gently fell in front of Yang Kai, and her exquisite face showed a small smile, “You’ve returned?”

Yang Kai nodded slightly and asked, “What happened here?”

Su Yan’s bright eyes suddenly became dark, and she gripped Yang Kai’s arm before saying, “Many things have happened, I’ll tell you as we walk.”

Speaking till here, her body began floating up, while Yue Kai also circulated his True Qi and quickly kept up with her.

Feeling this True Qi fluctuation, Su Yan turned her eyes towards Yang Kai in surprise, “You’ve reached the True Element Third Stage?”

Yang Kai simply grinned, “En.”

“You really grow so fast!”

“You as well. You’ve already broken through the True Element Eighth Stage!” Yang Kai was also surprised at how quickly Su Yan’s cultivation had increased while he had left to gain life experience. During that time it was only due to a wide variety of opportunities that he had been able to cultivate so quickly, yet Su Yan had only stayed within the Sect in penance, but had also grow to this extent. If she had the same opportunities and resources as him, she may have grown even more than even he had.

Hearing Yang Kai praise her, Su Yan’s white jade face slightly blushed as she whispered back in a voice filled with happiness, “My Ice Heart Secret Art depends greatly on my state of mind while I cultivate, my mood has improved greatly over this past year, so my strength has also grown significantly.”

Yang Kai grinned knowingly, aware that it was because she had to constantly overcome the ‘side effects’ of their Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art that her mental strength had improved so much. He chuckled evilly before suddenly pressing his lips onto hers.

Su Yan, caught by surprise, was slightly upset with his forwardness, but she also did not try to resist.

“Where are we going?” Yang Kai until now had simply been following behind her, but he couldn’t help squinting his eyes and frowning, “Are we headed to the Sect Master’s secluded retreat?”

Su Yan nodded gently as her expression suddenly became sad and mournful, “Sect Master has ordered that if you come back, we have to immediately bring you to see him.”

“What happened to Sect Master?” Yang Kai quickly noticed Su Yan’s grim expression and immediately asked.

Su Yan lightly bit her lip and only replied after a long silence, “He has been injured and it’s not light...”

“Who was it?” Yang Kai’s expression instantly sank. His Grand Master, Ling Tai Xu’s, strength was not much worse than Meng Wu Ya’s. His aptitude was also outstanding. If it were not for the matters regarding his two disciples causing him to stagnate for more than ten years, he would have long ago surpassed the Immortal Ascension Boundary and arrived at the Above Immortal Ascension Boundary realm.

Such a master was now seriously injured, and from Su Yan’s expression it seemed this injury was by no means normal, but who could wound him like this?

“It was Sect Master’s Second Disciple!”

“What?” Yang Kai was shocked, reacting unconsciously, “But wasn’t he...”

“En, but he managed to escape from the Coiling Dragon Stream and had somehow cultivated his Demonic Secret Art to an unfathomable height. During that day’s battle, in the sky above High Heaven Pavilion, all of the Immortal Ascension Boundary masters along with Sect Master were seriously injured. Fourth Elder Zhou Fei was killed on the spot, and all the other Elders were wounded, and countless disciples also fell...” Su Yan voice trembled as she spoke before finally releasing a deep sigh, “If it weren’t for Sect Master’s desperate resistance during that battle, by now, all of High Heaven Pavilion...”

“When did this all happen?”

“About one and a half months ago ...” Su Yan shook her head and sighed, “The aftermath of has not yet been cleared, and residual Demonic Qi still blankets much of High Heaven Pavilion. All of the disciples constantly have to use their artifacts to resist this corruption. Many of them, fear being implicated and have also packed up their things and left the Sect.”

Yang Kai frowned deeply, finally understanding why the Sect had become like this.

However, that Second Disciple actually being able to escape from the Coiling Dragon Stream was a development no one had foreseen. The Coiling Dragon Stream, for hundreds of years, had been used to imprison countless people, yet none had ever managed to escape. However, Sect Master’s Second Disciple had somehow accomplished this.

That year, Ling Tai Xu had personally captured him, but due to their mentoring relationship, he could not bring himself to ruthlessly kill him, instead choosing to waste his cultivation and imprison him within the Coiling Dragon Stream, but in doing so he had unexpectedly planted the seed of High Heaven Pavilion’s disaster, which had now sprouted more than ten years later.

If he had only known then, Ling Tai Xu would never have allowed his disciple to live.

As they talked, the two of them had arrived at the Sect Master’s residence.

However, before even stepping inside, Yang Kai felt a rich wave of Demonic Qi blow towards him, which caused his brow to wrinkle deeply.

“Go inside, Sect Master has been waiting for you!” Su Yan gently said.

Yang Kai nodded, opened the door, and stepped forward, but the sight that greeted his eyes sent a shiver up his spine.

A year ago, when they had separated at Nether Mountain, Grand Master had been in high spirits, bantering back and forth with Ghost King Valley’s Gui Li about fighting a life and death battle, but now he appeared extremely haggard and was covered with a thick black gas, apparently enduring serious injuries and was unable to suppress the Demonic Qi which had invaded his body.

Somehow sensing Yang Kai’s presence, the bedridden Ling Tai Xu’s fingers slightly twitched as his eyes seemed to be trying to open.

Yang Kai felt as if his heart was being clenched, and he quickly stepped forward.

Inside the house, in addition to Ling Tai Xu, there was only a High Hall Pavilion Alchemist watching over him.

This Alchemist’s cultivation was not high, probably only True Element Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage, but he was clearly disciple from the previous generation.

“Martial Uncle, how is the Sect Master’s condition?” Yang Kai hesitantly asked.

However, the man could only slowly shake his head, “Things are not good, I’m afraid, before long... he...”