Martial Peak

Chapter 4052 – Preparing for the Worst

Translator: Silavin & Raikov

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Led by the Head Manager, Chen Tian Fei and the others stepped into the reception hall and looked up to see Yang Kai sitting at the head of the room, with Yue He standing quietly behind him.

When they entered, Yang Kai still remained bold as ever, not even getting up to welcome them, but no one dared to say anything. Chen Tian Fei and the rest were still too shocked by the pile of Space Rings outside to care about such trivialities.

“Scarlet Star’s Zhao Bai Chuan greets Sir Yang!” The Head Manager at the front of the group cupped his fist. Though he was neither overbearing nor servile, no one could know how he was feeling inside.

The people behind him quickly saluted as well.

Yang Kai looked up and saw that Scarlet Star’s Head Manager wasn’t very old. He was a seemingly middle-aged man dressed in a rather luxurious outfit consisting of a golden crown and a long robe. It was the first time he was seeing the Head Manager face to face. Before, he had only heard this man mentioned from Chen Tian Fei’s mouth. The Head Manager spent almost all his time in retreat, seemingly in order to achieve his goal of breaking through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

From his aura, it seemed like the Head Manager still had a long way to go. Ascending an Order in the Open Heaven Realm was very difficult. Not only did it require a long time, but also a massive amount of resources. Even with resources, it was impossible for one to ascend to a higher Order without enough comprehension and enlightenment.

With Yang Kai observing him, why wouldn’t Zhao Bai Chuan be observing Yang Kai back? He was watching this young man from a distance. The first time he saw him, he felt that he was nothing to worry about, and that he was just relying on his unique strength in the Emperor Realm to act arrogant and unrestrained in the special environment of this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.

A man like him was merely a grasshopper after autumn and wouldn’t be able to jump around for long. As soon as Yang Kai left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary any Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to clean him up.

The second time Zhao Bai Chuan saw Yang Kai though was several days ago. Outside of the Star City, Yang Kai had destroyed Sword Pavilion’s Sword Formation with only his own power. He could wield a Divine Manifestation of the Golden Crow and had obtained the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, which caused Thunder Light to suffer complete annihilation.

Zhao Bai Chuan felt at that moment he had greatly underestimated this young man. If Yang Kai was given the opportunity to grow, then he was sure to become a hegemon, a leading figure in the 3,000 Worlds!

When he saw him again today, his feelings changed once more. Even though Yang Kai wasn’t as imposing as he was back when he was fighting and instead was just quietly sitting there, he was still able to assert a slight pressure over him, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master.

In this large hall that was several dozen meters wide, Yang Kai was like the king of the underworld that had the lives of everyone here in the palm of his hands.

“This Zhao was foolish in the past and offended Sir Yang before. Now, this Zhao has come especially to make amends today, hoping that Sir Yang can be magnanimous. My Scarlet Star…”

“Thirty-seventy!” Yang Kai suddenly spoke up, interrupting Zhao Bai Chuan’s words.

“What?” Zhao Bai Chuan frowned, not understanding what Yang Kai meant by this.

“In the future, of all of Scarlet Star’s profits from the businesses in this Star City, and all the materials and resources harvested in the Ancient Ruins Boundary, seventy percent will belong to me, Scarlet Star will take the remaining thirty!” Yang Kai looked indifferently at Zhao Bai Chuan.

Only then did Zhao Bai Chuan understand what Yang Kai’s words meant earlier. Wasn’t this outright robbery? He couldn’t help but feel enraged. Even his complexion was starting to turn bad.

Back when the three great forces coexisted in the Star City, Sword Pavilion was the strongest, but they were still a balanced tripartite force. Sword Pavilion had also never made such a rude request before.

[How dare this arrogant brat put forth such a request!]

Anger had just begun to rise in him when he heard Yang Kai speak again, “If Head Manager cannot agree to this request, then there’s nothing for us to talk about.”

Zhao Bai Chuan’s anger suddenly cooled. He knew that if he did not agree to this request, then whether they could leave this hall alive or not was uncertain.

Only then did he understand why Yang Kai did not settle accounts with them after coming back. He was waiting here for them to come themselves.

Zhao Bai Chuan suddenly laughed and declared, “Strength is king, and Masters are to be respected. Sir Yang’s request is fair. If Sir Yang asks for a thirty-seventy split, then so be it! Seventy percent of all Scarlet Star’s future proceeds will be Sir Yang’s!”

He agreed without hesitation, and with a happy face that seemed not like he had been robbed, but had rather gained a great advantage.

Chen Tian Fei and the others behind him were all looking at their Head Manager in amazement. In their impression of the man, the Head Manager had never agreed to anything so easily before, but they also knew they were people under the eaves right now, so how could they not bow?

This was especially the case after seeing the tens of thousands of Space Rings in the courtyard. Scarlet Star had no choice but to compromise with Yang Kai if they didn’t want to make the same mistake that Sword Pavilion did.

[Such humiliation!] They were all grieving inside, but there was nothing they could do.

Zhao Bai Chuan bowed his head, “My Scarlet Star can accept Sir Yang’s request, but this Zhao would also like to ask Sir Yang to accept this one’s request in return.”

Yang Kai looked at him with interest and gestured with his hand, indicating for him to continue.

Zhao Bai Chuan said, “This Zhao would like to ask that Sir Yang please come under my Scarlet Star’s employment and become a Foreign Elder! Of course, this is merely a title and Scarlet Star will not interfere with any of Sir Yang’s words or actions. On the contrary, my Scarlet Star will not just stand by if Sir has any requests of us.”

Yang Kai smiled and praised this man in his heart. This Zhao Bai Chuan was quite a character, able to bend and stretch, finding a beneficial opportunity for himself even in adversity. This level of wisdom and vision wasn’t something just anyone could have; clearly, it wasn’t only strength that gave him the ability to sit firmly on the seat, Head Manager of Scarlet Star.

“Good!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.

Zhao Bai Chuan threw back his head in laughter, “A gentleman gives his word faster than a horse’s whip. It’s a deal, then.”

“It’s a deal,” Yang Kai nodded.

“Sir Yang is truly a decisive man. Though this Zhao would like to share a drink with Sir over the occasion, Sir must be tired from his trip and long battle, so this Zhao will leave now and come back to visit another day.” Zhao Bai Chuan spoke eagerly, as if Yang Kai was a close friend that he only regretted not having met sooner.

Yang Kai turned to the side, “Yue He, see our guests off.”

“Managers, please!” Yue He gestured with a smile.

After sending the group from Scarlet Star away, Yue He came back and looked curiously at Yang Kai, wondering why he would agree to such a request.

Yang Kai rapped the desk lightly for a long while before answering, “Help me out with Scarlet Star’s seventy percent share. Keep an eye on it.”

“Yes,” Yue He replied obediently.

The previous harvest they received on Yuan Magnetic Mountain was large, and countless Space Rings were also gathered from the fights with both Thunder Light and Sword Pavilion. This was considered an enormous amount of wealth for anyone, more than enough for Yang Kai to use for his personal cultivation for a long time to come. Yet, he did not forget that he was no longer a lone man. There were countless people waiting for him back in the Star Boundary.

One day, when all his friends and family entered the Outer Universe, the demand for resources would simply be endless. Now that he had such a good opportunity, Yang Kai naturally wanted to accumulate more. The greater the wealth, the better.

The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was like a natural treasure house of goods. Once he left this place, he would no longer have such a good opportunity. If not for this consideration, Yang Kai would have razed Scarlet Star the moment he returned.

With Scarlet Star’s help in gathering supplies, Yang Kai could reap the benefits without the hassle and effort, so why not take advantage of them?

“What do you wish to ask?” Yang Kai suddenly raised his head to look at Yue He after pondering silently for a moment.

The woman was constantly staring at him without even blinking. It was clear that she was curious about something.

“Why did you agree to become Scarlet Star’s Foreign Elder?” Yue He couldn’t understand it.

“Do you think I shouldn’t have?”

“I just wish to know what you’re thinking.”

“Naturally, I have my reasons.”

Yang Kai rapped the table again, “If my guess proves correct, then Scarlet Star will definitely spread this news widely from now on. That way, Scarlet Star will be able to expand quickly, and then the supplies they collect will naturally increase, which comes with no drawbacks for me.”

“Just for this reason alone?” Yue He looked at him in amazement. It was the first time she’d ever seen someone so greedy for money before.

It was enough for one to have enough cultivation resources for themselves, so what did he need so much for?

“There’s one more reason.” Yang Kai’s expression became serious, “Sword Pavilion was crushed by a Beast Tide, and there are traces of a Divine Spirit’s existence in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Who knows whether the Divine Spirit will visit this place next? If this place is strong enough, then it may not be impossible to fight back as the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary restricts the strength of the Open Heaven Realm, which means the Divine Spirit won’t be able to exert too much of their power here either.”

Yue He was suddenly enlightened, “So that’s why you’re willing to lend Scarlet Star your prestige.”

Yang Kai nodded, “I have no idea when the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary will close, so it’s better to be prepared.” As he said so, he suddenly thought of a person, “Where did Xu Zhen go?”

That little fatty disappeared after handing the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd to him, and Yang Kai did not sense his aura since he came back.

Yue He shook her head, “He’s a Cave-Heaven disciple, so who knows where he went, but my guess is that he must have gone out to consolidate his Metal Element Power now that he refined that Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone.”

“What a pity,” Yang Kai sighed. He had not known that the waters were so deep here in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. If he had known, then he would have left a way to contact Xu Zhen. That guy was a talented Artifact Refiner, and he also seemed to have deep knowledge of the Dao of Spirit Arrays. If he could help to arrange a Grand Array in this Star City, then they could also increase security.

But since he left without a goodbye, it would be difficult to find him again.

As they were talking, Chen Yue came running in, “Sir, someone else has asked for an audience!”

“Who is it?” Yang Kai frowned, curious. Everyone knew him as a fierce character now, and the Managers from Scarlet Star also had no choice but to come apologize. Who else would dare to see him?

“It’s that Young Lord from Azure Nether Paradise, the one called Yin something,” Chen Yue responded meekly.

“What has he come for?” Yang Kai frowned. Sweeping the area with his Divine Sense, he discovered that there were indeed several people standing outside his door, and if not that guy from Azure Nether Paradise, who else could it be in the lead?

Yang Kai did not have any good feelings towards these people. This guy had been shamelessly boasting about making Yang Kai submit to him after he returned from the Yuan Magnetic Mountain. Yang Kai had been in retreat back then, and even though he heard the noise, he couldn’t be bothered to deal with it. Later, when the large fight started outside the Star City, this Young Lord tried to take advantage of the situation, saying that he would give Yang Kai a way out as long as he became his slave. Naturally, Yang Kai ignored him.

He didn’t expect this man to be as stubborn and clingy as a dog after a meat bun.

At this moment, he could hear the young man called Yin something announcing arrogantly outside his door, “The one surnamed Yang is also a genius. This Young Master originally only thought of making him my slave, but now, it seems that he can become this Young Master’s house guard! When you see him later, be more polite to him. This young man seems to have a bad temper. If you end up provoking him, then don’t expect this Young Master to save you when he tries to kill you.”

“Yes, we will follow Young Master’s order!” Two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters beside him answered respectfully.