Martial Peak

Chapter 5702: Intimidation

With the help of the Four Symbols Formation, the four Territory Lords from the No-Return Pass successfully defended against Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun as the eyes of their wounded companions brightened in astonishment at the sight before them.

[Are the Battle Formations of the Human Race really so useful?]

They had always been in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so they did not know much about Battle Formations.

However, the information they heard about most often in recent days was regarding Yang Kai. All the Territory Lords who encountered him went missing without any exceptions; hence, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master known as Yang Kai became a trauma in the hearts of the Territory Lords. Without overcoming this trauma, it would be difficult for them to proceed towards the No-Return Pass.

The power of the Golden Crow Casts the Sun that Yang Kai unleashed when he showed up had greatly frightened the injured Territory Lords. At the same time, they were secretly relieved. If the four Territory Lords who came to protect them had not combined forces to block that attack… If they had been struck directly by such force… What would have happened to them? The answer left them shuddering in fear. If their allies had failed to block the attack earlier, the impact would have significantly worsened their injuries even if they survived. The only fate waiting for them would be death after that.

At this moment, they had a vague realization about the fate that had befallen their comrades who went missing previously and they secretly made a vow to themselves. If they could arrive at the No-Return Pass safely, they would approach several familiar Territory Lords once they fully recovered from their wounds and properly learn the Battle Formations. In case they ever encountered this Human menace in the future, they never wanted to be stuck in such a powerless and vulnerable position again!

“Yang Kai, withdraw!” One of the Territory Lords roared. He had the strongest aura out of the four Territory Lords who formed the Formation earlier. Standing in the void, his burly figure resembled a soaring iron tower. Although his tone was aggressive and firm, the slight tremble in his expression clearly indicated that he was only trying to act strong.

Yang Kai’s name was enough to terrify the Territory Lords several thousand years ago. Now that his battle record included slaughtering a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Di Wu, his name was enough to inundate all the Innate Territory Lords with fear. Even Mo Na Ye had to tolerate him to a certain extent, so how could these Territory Lords dare to act presumptuously in front of him? Unfortunately, the current situation forced them to grit their teeth and confront the killing star head-on.

The burly Territory Lord was filled with great bitterness, [How can I have such bad luck? I can’t believe I encountered Yang Kai here. What will happen to us now?]

Yang Kai seemed unfazed by those words. Without saying a word, he raised his hand and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear. Then, he thrust the spear forward without any fancy moves, causing spear shadows to cover the entire sky in an instant.

The four Territory Lords in the Formation roared in unison, joining forces to defend against the attack; however, they quickly discovered that the spear contained neither form nor power. The burly Territory Lord who spoke earlier immediately shouted, “Not good!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, two short screams rang out behind him and he could tell what was happening without even turning back to look. On the other hand, the figure of Yang Kai stabbing forward with his spear gradually faded from his vision. It was nothing more than an afterimage.

“Attack!” He shouted, taking the lead to charge towards the rear. The other three Territory Lords tacitly cooperated with him. Even though their hearts were filled with trepidation, they quickly moved to maintain the Battle Formation while pushing their speed to the maximum.

Black Ink Strength and World Force surged, and in the next moment, Yang Kai exchanged multiple blows with the four Territory Lords in Formation. The impact practically shattered the surrounding Void.

When Yang Kai finally withdrew and retreated, the Four Symbols Formation established by the four Territory Lords had securely covered the rest of the Territory Lords. They had used the Battle Formation to protect themselves and their companions, but two of the injured Territory Lords had still perished before they arrived.

As for the surviving Innate Territory Lords, they were all horrified.

They had known that this Human was beyond an ordinary Eighth-Order Master, but they had never seen him take action before today. Their understanding of his strength only came from a limited supply of information and their own imagination, so it wasn’t until they personally experienced it that they realised how feeble their imagination had been. This Human’s strength was simply beyond comprehension.

“Withdraw, Yang Kai!” The burly Territory Lord who spoke earlier shouted once more. Despite their efforts, two of the Territory Lords under their protection had already been killed, so they did not dare to act rashly again, lest they give Yang Kai an opening to exploit.

“You court death!” Yang Kai flicked his spear and pointed the tip forward. Although he did not move, the burgeoning force from its sharp blade enveloped the entire void. The Territory Lords stiffened in fear, evidently feeling the great power brewing in the dark. It was an explosive power that could detonate at any time.

Sweat beaded the forehead of the burly Territory Lord as he hurriedly raised his hand, “Wait! Sir Mo Na Ye has a message for you!”

Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and the murderous intent leaking from the slits of his eyes grew stronger. After a long time though, his voice boomed out like thunder, “Speak!”

The burly Territory Lord said, “Sir Mo Na Ye told us to pass this message to you. If Your Excellency withdraws now, he is willing to let bygones be bygones. The cultivation resources offered from the No-Return Pass will also be increased from 30% to 50%!”

50%… That was half of the Black Ink Clan’s mined resources, and the offer indicated just how badly Mo Na Ye had been cornered by Yang Kai.

To save the lives of those Innate Territory Lords, Mo Na Ye hoped to entice Yang Kai into withdrawing with this method. Even the fact that Yang Kai had previously slaughtered so many Territory Lords could be ignored as though it never happened. Those Territory Lords were already dead after all. While the Black Ink Clan yearned to avenge them, they could not achieve such a feat for the time being.

It had to be said that Mo Na Ye was a very decisive individual. Although the offer had been forced by the situation, he refused to give up as long as he could find any means to deter Yang Kai.

Be that as it may, Yang Kai couldn’t accept the offer so easily. Forget 50%, even if Mo Na Ye had offered 80% or 100%, the value of such cultivation resources would never compare to the lives of so many Innate Territory Lords. The top-level combat powers of the Black Ink Clan would increase significantly if he withdrew at this point. There was a high possibility that this would affect the entire balance of the war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan in the near future.

Yang Kai did not respond. His figure remained motionless, but the void seemed to solidify around them. At the same time, his Spiritual Energy began to surge violently.

The expressions of the four Territory Lords in the Battle Formation immediately changed drastically. They were clearly panicked and horrified to their bones. This couldn’t be helped though as at this moment, a chill flooded them both physically and mentally. They were enveloped by a strong sense of death, giving them the feeling that they might die at any moment.

For a moment, the aura connection established by the Four Symbols Formation between them almost snapped. It was not surprising for them to experience a fluctuation of emotions under the threat of death.

Fortunately, the burly Territory Lord composed his emotions by pure force of will and stabilised the Battle Formation. His prompt actions prevented the Battle Formation from collapsing. Nevertheless, he understood one thing clearly. If Yang Kai was determined to kill them today, it was unlikely that they would walk away alive. If they died here, then the dozen or so Territory Lords protected by their Battle Formation would not survive either.

He had experienced this sensation once before. The familiar fluctuation of Spiritual Energy undoubtedly indicated that Yang Kai was preparing to use his mysterious Soul Secret Technique. Even with the support of the Four Symbols Formation, the four Territory Lords would have trouble defending against Yang Kai’s assault once that Technique was brought out.

The last time they encountered Yang Kai, they had been escorting a team that was transporting cultivation materials back to the No-Return Pass. Yang Kai had threatened them with the same move and forced them to hand over the Space Rings containing the resources. They had given up fairly easily back then as their lives were naturally far more valuable than some cultivation resources. It was for such a reason that Mo Na Ye did not blame them for that incident either.

Unfortunately, the situation was different now. They were not guarding mere cultivation resources, but the lives of more than a dozen of their clansmen. They could not afford to back down!

The burly Territory Lord couldn’t help recalling what Mo Na Ye had told them before they departed from the No-Return Pass, ‘Once you meet up with the clansmen, escort them back to the No-Return Pass immediately. If you encounter Yang Kai, try to entice him first. It would be best if he decides to withdraw. If he stubbornly insists on fighting, then he will definitely unleash his Soul Secret Technique to break the Battle Formation. Even if you have to fight him to the death, you must not concede!’

It would seem that Mo Na Ye was wise and insightful. He had clearly anticipated this possibility and issued the necessary orders to handle the situation. For that reason, the four Territory Lords under the burly Territory Lord’s leadership did not dare to disobey Mo Na Ye’s command despite their fear and sorrow. If they disobeyed the command, they were bound to suffer a terrible ending even if they returned alive.

On the other hand… If they could force Yang Kai to activate his Soul Secret Technique here, then he would also suffer heavy damage as a result. It would be impossible for him to hunt down the rest of their clansmen after that.

That was most likely part of Mo Na Ye’s plans. In the best-case scenario, Yang Kai would willingly withdraw in exchange for 50% of the cultivation resources mined by the Black Ink Clan. In the worst-case scenario, the lives of an entire group of Territory Lords would be sacrificed in exchange for rendering Yang Kai incapable of moving about freely for the next two years. That would be better than if Yang Kai went around slaughtering even more Territory Lords and increasing the losses of the Black Ink Clan.

“If you retreat now, I will pretend I never saw you!”

Yang Kai’s surging Spiritual Energy became even more threatening. At the same time, the Soul Rending Thorns stood at the ready. The four Territory Lords in Formation trembled in fear as they could vaguely feel an invisible blade hanging above their heads, threatening to fall and reap their lives at any time.

Gritting his teeth, the burly Territory Lord shook his head slowly and replied grimly, “Impossible!”

There was a clansman stationed inside the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, reporting everything that was happening here in real time. In other words, Mo Na Ye was monitoring the situation here at all times. He knew everything that happened, so how could they choose to escape with their lives?

“In that case, I will grant your wishes!” Yang Kai shouted through gritted teeth and his Spiritual Energy surged wildly.

Filled with terror, the four Territory Lords in Formation drew upon their full strength to protect their Souls. They initially thought that an explosive force would bombard them in the next moment, but contrary to their expectations, the Spiritual Energy only rose to a certain extent before disappearing abruptly. It was almost as though everything had been nothing more than an illusion.

When they looked around, Yang Kai was no longer anywhere to be seen. Even their Divine Senses could not perceive any traces of his aura.

All the Territory Lords were stunned, but the four in Formation did not dare to relax their guard. After standing frozen in place for a long time, they did not detect any changes whatsoever. Then, numerous Divine Senses began to surge as they swiftly communicated among themselves.

“Where is Yang Kai? Where did he go?”

“I don’t know, but don’t let your guard down. He might be waiting somewhere for an opportunity to strike.”

“There are bound to be traces of his aura if he is hiding in the shadows!”

“Could it be… Did he leave? Was he only trying to intimidate us earlier?”

…..

The last statement seemed to enlighten them. Thinking back to Yang Kai’s various behaviours earlier, they combined the facts with the current situation and finally came to the conclusion that Yang Kai was indeed gone. He had deliberately created a sense of deadly danger among them, but it was all just a ploy to intimidate them. Otherwise, there was no explanation for why they could not perceive his presence now.

The four Territory Lords in Formation headed by the burly Territory Lord were overjoyed. They initially thought that they were going to die here. Who could have known that they would survive the ordeal?