Martial Peak

Chapter 1521, Receiving Guests

When Yang Kai walked into the hall, the three new faces all cast their gazes towards him with a certain degree of scrutiny.

Although they did not deliberately release any of their power, the innate auras these three radiated were not weak. If an ordinary Origin Returning Realm master had been exposed to this kind of display, they would likely have been quite intimidated.

Yang Kai’s steps also paused slightly, but a light expression soon returned to his face as he casually walked in, like he was only exposed to a light breeze.

A hint of surprise flashed across the depths of the eyes of these three.

They had come here with Ye Xi Yun this time all in order to see just who it was that could win her respect and service, and the moment they saw Yang Kai, they immediately determined he was no simple character.

This boy had the makings of a great expert, but that alone was not enough to convince the three of them to support him. There were always young people with aptitude and talent, but whether they could truly mature or not was always questionable.

Yang Kai, on the other hand, just shot Ye Xi Yun a questioning look, wondering what these three people were doing here.

Of course, Yang Kai could guess where they came from.

Since they had accompanied Ye Xi Yun from that place, it seemed her plan was proceeding quite smoothly.

“Please have a seat!” Yang Kai smiled lightly before walking over to the head of the main table and sitting down himself, calmly calling out, “Junior Yang Kai, greets three Seniors, may I ask how to address three Seniors?”

“This old master is Yang Xiu Zhu!”

“This Mistress is called Lin Yu Rao!”

“This one’s name is Chu Han Yi!”

The three all reported their names.

“These three are all pillars of the Sect and have a high degree of prestige and connection amongst the other members,” Ye Xi Yun added.

Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and his smile became brighter.

If their prestige and connections were strong, it meant that dealing with these three would be equivalent to gaining the support of many of Star Emperor Mountain’s masters. Ye Xi Yun’s words were short but meaningful, a point Yang Kai understood well.

“Senior Yang, Senior and this Junior have the same surname, no wonder Junior felt a sense of familiarity with Senior even though it is our first meeting, like he was meeting a distant relative. Junior will have to ask Senior to show him some care in the future,” Yang Kai glanced over at the old man and smiled.

Yang Xiu Zhu, however, showed no reaction at all. Even the beautiful woman Lin Yu Rao and the middle-aged scholar Chu Han Yi only stared back at him stoically.

Yang Kai could not help feeling extremely embarrassed.

Understanding after this brief exchange that these three could not be won over by flattery or platitudes, Yang Kai immediately put away such thoughts and wore a serious expression, “Since three Seniors came together with Great Elder, you must already know what this Sect Master is planning to do next. What thoughts do the three Seniors have regarding this matter?”

“What Sect Master Yang plans to do next, we three have already heard about from Sect Master Ye, but if I may be so presumptuous, although Sect Master Yang has this tyrannical Starship, it may not be sufficient to defeat Star Emperor Mountain. Does Sect Master Yang believe this Starship can withstand a blow from the Annihilation Thunder Bead?” Yang Xiu Zhu asked in a deep voice.

“Probably not!” Yang Kai shook his head slowly.

Although this old man’s attitude could not be described as friendly, his vision was quite sharp, as were his words.

The Annihilation Thunder Bead was exactly what Yang Kai was worried about. Although he was certain he could personally avoid it, the Starship could not. The Starship’s size was simply too great, and once it was hit by the Annihilation Thunder Bead, it was highly likely to suffer severe damage.

It was even possible it would be destroyed directly.

The Starship was the primary reason Yang Kai had managed to defeat Heaven Battling Union, but it could not display the same effect against Star Emperor Mountain.

Unless Yang Kai could force Star Emperor Mountain to waste the one shot the Annihilation Thunder Bead could produce, the Starship alone would not be able to emerge victorious.

“Since this Starship cannot withstand such a strike, does Sect Master Yang believe that you can capture the Sect with the power of your current forces? Star Emperor Mountain has stood on Shadowed Star for over ten thousand years and is by no means weak. Is Sect Master Yang not underestimating this matter too greatly?” Yang Xiu Zhu coldly snorted, obviously not optimistic about Yang Kai’s ability.

“Haha...” Yang Kai didn’t take offence, instead just laughing lightly and saying in a compatible manner, “Senior prefers straight talk it seems. Very well, then I will be equally direct! This Sect Master just heard Senior call Great Elder Ye Sect Master, but according to what I know, the position of Sect Master on Star Emperor Mountain is held by someone else. It seems that in three Seniors’ hearts, Great Elder Ye is Star Emperor Mountain’s true leader!”

Yang Xiu Zhu nodded, “Indeed! Since that usurper stole the post of Sect Master a hundred years ago, he has been harshly suppressing dissidents and targeting all who dare question him. We three have been quite dissatisfied with him these past few years. Even when it comes to cultivation resources, we are now forced to seek everything on our own, delaying our cultivation greatly. We used to think that Sect Master Ye had fallen, so we were willing to accept such circumstances, but now that we know Sect Master Ye is still alive, we wish for her to return to power.”

“Junior is sincerely impressed with three Seniors’ loyalty and devotion!” Yang Kai said solemnly.

“There’s no need for frivolous flattery. We three have come here today only because of Sect Master Ye’s request, not because of you. Let us be clear upfront, even if you manage to convince us of your cause, we will not provide you with any direct assistance; after all, those you oppose, regardless of their current conduct, are our fellow Brothers and Sisters. We old masters have not taken up arms in many years, and do not wish to be stained in blood once more, particularly if that blood is from our own side.”

Lin Yu Rao and Chu Han Yi nodded in agreement.

“Then what are you doing here?” Yang Kai was stunned and his expression became somewhat unhappy.

“If Sect Master Yang can persuade us three to your cause, then out of respect for Sect Master Ye, we will provide as much help with this matter within our abilities as we can.”

“Within your ability??” Yang Kai frowned.

“For example... convincing our fellow Brothers and Sisters to not be your enemy!”

“How many?” Yang Kai frowned.

“At least half!”

“A reasonable number...” Yang Kai pondered. If half of the masters on Star Emperor Mountain remained uninvolved, his chances for victory would rise dramatically. Moreover, even if just half stood by, presumably those who remained would not dare act easily.

“We all grew up on Star Emperor Mountain since infancy and are as close as true brothers and sisters. Most of us adhere to the same philosophy as Sect Master Ye, with only a few who are truly dissatisfied with our current condition. So, with the three of us acting as advocates, coupled with Sect Master Ye’s past prestige, Sect Master Yang may be able to achieve his wish this time,” Yang Xiu Zhu said again.

“Alright, there is some truth to what you say, but how should I convince you to support me? ” Yang Kai looked at the three of them.

“That will be up to Sect Master Yang himself,” Lin Yu Rao smiled.

“Understood,” Yang Kai gently nodded before furrowing his brow slightly.

From the previous discussion he had with Ye Xi Yun and the brief contact he had now, Yang Kai deeply understood that Star Emperor Mountain’s members were truly aloof from world affairs. Since they had lived their entire lives on Star Emperor Mountain and rarely had contact with the outside world, influenced by the environment they grew up in, they possessed almost no concept of greed or ambition.

As such, if Yang Kai wanted to convince them to support him, wealth was probably useless; instead, he would have to give them something else they desired.

On top of that, whatever he proposed should not bring harm to Star Emperor Mountain itself, otherwise, he would arouse their resentment.

After thinking for a while, Yang Kai smiled confidently.

Perceiving the change in his expression, Yang Xiu Zhu and others could not help frowning, not knowing what Yang Kai had thought of, immediately looking towards him intently.

“Three Seniors have already reached the peak of the Origin Returning Realm, so surely you have thought about going a step further on the Martial Dao, yes?” Yang Kai looked at the three with a smile.

“A step further!” Yang Xiu Zhu’s and the others’ expressions all lit up as they stared towards Yang Kai in amazement, asking eagerly, “Do you have a way?”

No cultivator did not want to climb to the peak of the Martial Dao. Now that they had chosen to tread upon this path, only by continuing to move forward and climb higher could they enjoy better scenery. No one was willing to remain stuck where they were.

“Haha, Junior doesn’t have the ability to break through the shackles of Shadowed Star’s World Principles, but three Seniors have surely seen that Junior possesses an Origin King Grade Starship. To be honest, after settling this matter, Junior was planning to embark on a long-distance voyage,” Yang Kai said without hesitation.

“A long-distance voyage?” Yang Xiu Zhu and others’ eyes sparkled, immediately understanding what he implied, a look of hope flashing across their faces, “You mean...”

“En, since Shadowed Star’s World Principles prohibit us from advancing any further, all we must do is leave. Junior doesn’t mean to boast, but with the quality of this Origin King Grade Starship, a long-distance voyage should not be an issue. En, I previously invited Elder Qian and City Lord Fei from Shadow Moon Hall, as well as members from Clear Sky Sect to accompany me, having three Seniors join us is a simple matter!”

Yang Xiu Zhu and the others all became visibly excited and seemed to be on the verge of agreeing.

[Success!] Yang Kai grinned.

But soon, Yang Kai noticed that something was wrong. The excited looks on Yang Xiu Zhu and others’ faces calmed down extremely rapidly and were replaced with frowns containing what seemed like guilt.

“Are three Seniors not satisfied with this proposal?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.

Yang Xiu Zhu glanced at him before shaking his head and smiling bitterly, “Sect Master Yang must be joking, such a good chance, presumably no Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator would refuse. It naturally has an unimaginable attraction to us, but... If we three were to really agree to Sect Master Yang’s request because of this condition, we would be no better than sinners who sold off their Sect for personal glory, so we must ask Sect Master Yang to forgive us, but we cannot agree to your proposal.”

[Damn it, these stubborn old goats!] Yang Kai cursed to himself.

Even currently, these three were actually still thinking about their fellow Sect Brothers and Sisters. To a certain extent, Yang Kai admired them, but because their attitude was hindering his own interests and goals, he could not help finding these three a bit irritating.

Fortunately, Yang Kai had other proposals ready.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai quickly said, “I heard from Great Elder Ye before that Star Emperor Mountain is descended from Supreme Profound Sect! Presumably, three Seniors know that my High Heaven Sect currently occupies Supreme Profound Sect’s ruins!”

Hearing this, Yang Xiu Zhu opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn’t say anything and just sighed heavily.

He could not take back the inheritance of his ancestors and had now even allowed it to be occupied by outsiders. Naturally, he had nothing to say, let alone words to blame Yang Kai.

“Why does Sect Master Yang raise this point?” Chu Han Yi frowned.

“What if I were to say that after this matter has ended, I can allow all of Star Emperor Mountain’s population to return to Supreme Profound Sect?” Yang Kai smiled crookedly, “Since you have all strictly adhered to your ancestral teachings for over ten thousand years, you must want to return to your ancestors’ original home to have a look and seek out the hidden mysteries which remain there, right? I can satisfy this desire; not only that, I can allow all of you to live there in the future, to regain the original foundation and heritage of your ancestors, to breathe the same air and watch the same scenery as they and the Great Emperor once breathed and saw.”