Martial Peak

Chapter 3606, Enemies on a Narrow Path

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

The base was still a few thousand kilometres away from them. Since the Demon scouts had shown up, it meant that they were probably going to face a battle soon. Now, there were only two heavily injured First-Order Emperor Realm Masters in their unit, so how would they defend themselves?

If they wanted to survive, they had to seek help from Yang Kai.

“Left Defender Han, you may proceed forward without fear. I will lend you a hand when I’m required to do so,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.

Han Zheng Qing cupped his fists again, “Many thanks, Palace Master Yang.”

At that instant, he was finally able to be at ease. He had witnessed the power Yang Kai had showcased as the latter was able to kill the previous group of Demons as if they were ants. Even Demon Kings were easily dispatched by him. With such strength, he was probably just as powerful as the strongest Martial Beast Guard. With Yang Kai around, the chances of them returning to base would increase significantly.

After thanking him, Han Zheng Qing turned around and returned to his unit. However, just a moment later, he flew back and cupped his fists, “Palace Master Yang, please join us.”

Yang Kai and Fan Xin had been staying a thousand metres behind the team, so they were very conspicuous. Since the Demon scouts had shown up, a battle between the opposing armies was imminent. Yang Kai was the most powerful ally they had, so his existence shouldn’t be exposed so soon.

...
Earlier, he didn’t invite Yang Kai to join the team because he wasn’t certain whether the latter was a friend or foe. However, since there was no reaction from Seven Mists Sea, it went to show that Yang Kai was credible. Furthermore, given the power Yang Kai had showcased, if he wanted to harm them, there was no way they could resist.

In that case, Han Zheng Qing thought that he should just let Yang Kai join them.

Since Han Zheng Qing had returned to invite him, Yang Kai decided not to reject. After a nod, he followed Han Zheng Qing back to the team.

Fan Xin was pleased with this arrangement. The other disciples from Ice Heart Valley were also joyful as they came over to greet Yang Kai, who was their Martial Uncle. Compared to other Sects, Ice Heart Valley had very close ties with High Heaven Palace, which was why their disciples were friendly to Yang Kai.

The other people in the team secretly sized Yang Kai up; however, due to the circumstances, they didn’t come over to talk to him.

Only an Emperor Realm Master from Right Defender Liu’s Brigade walked up to Yang Kai, and his only intention was to salute him.

Two thousand injured soldiers were treading across the desert and heading back to their base. No one said anything as they were all apprehensive about the imminent battle.

When night descended upon them, they found a place and took a rest. In normal times, powerful cultivators didn’t need to rest at night as they could continue walking even in the dark. However, the Fifty-Third Army’s Ninth Brigade had just gone through a difficult battle, and most of their two thousand surviving members had suffered injuries. Hence, they had to save some energy to face the impending battle.

Although they were a team that had just been formed, they were still highly disciplined. Under Han Zheng Qing’s management, three groups of people took turns to keep watch around the area to prevent the Demons from launching a sneak attack on them in the middle of the night.

Everyone was worried they would have to fight their enemy in short order, but it turned out to be a peaceful night. At the break of dawn, they continued moving forward.

The two Emperor Realm Masters walked up to Yang Kai, after which Han Zheng Qing asked, “Palace Master Yang, have you detected the Demons’ whereabouts?”

The enemies didn’t arrive as they had expected last night, but instead of feeling elated, Han Zheng Qing was extremely worried. Since the enemies didn’t launch an attack at night, it meant that they were getting prepared to make a big move out in the open. Hence, the Human soldiers had to put their guards up even higher.

Without beating around the bush, Yang Kai replied, “They’re five hundred kilometres in front of us.”

Han Zheng Qing traded glances with the other Emperor Realm Master, then he fished out a jade slip and examined the situation. A moment later, his expression changed as he said, “Those damn Demons are really greedy!”

He lifted his head to look at Yang Kai, “There’s a narrow mountain pass five hundred kilometres to the front of us that looks like a bottle gourd. We have to pass through it if we want to return to our lines. I guess they want to ambush and swallow all of us up there.”

Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’m afraid their teeth are going to break when they try.”

With a solemn expression, Han Zheng Qing said, “Palace Master Yang, are you confident of defeating them? If not, we can make a detour. We’ll just be held back for a few days.”

Yang Kai shook his head, “There’s no need for that. Even if we make a detour, we can’t escape from the Demons. There are Demon armies stationed on all alternative paths.”

Han Zheng Qing’s expression changed when he heard this, but after a moment of silence, he nodded and said, “Good. We will proceed forward.”

After he gave the order, the atmosphere around the team changed as they all tensed up. A tinge of murderous intent could be felt in the air.

Five hundred kilometres wasn’t that long of a distance, but it took these injured soldiers half a day to reach their destination. On the way there, Demon scouts would show up in the distance from time to time, which added pressure to their shoulders.

There was a vast valley behind the mountain pass with extremely high cliffs. As they went further, the valley became narrower. Although the Demons were nowhere to be seen, everyone could feel that their enemies were just lurking in the dark.

Han Zheng Qing turned his head to look at Yang Kai in an attempt to ask something, but Yang Kai directly shuffled forward and walked to the front of the team. With a smile on his face, his pace remained even as he appeared calm and collected.

After a moment of hesitation, Han Zheng Qing ordered, “Maintain tight formation! Pay attention to the flanks!”

The team of two thousand people immediately broke down into ten smaller units and opened up some distance from one another before they followed closely behind Yang Kai.

After they moved past the mountain pass and entered the valley, Demon Qi suddenly undulated in a radius of ten kilometres around them. The ground beneath their feet seemed to have come to life as it squirmed. In an instant, the solid ground turned into quicksand as all of them started sinking.

Han Zheng Qing’s expression changed as he ordered, “Sand Demon! Fly!”

The one who was able to cause the ground to go through such a sudden change must be Sand Demon. Moreover, they must be a Demon King; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to affect such a wide area with a single Divine Ability.

After years of war, those from the Star Boundary were already familiar with the tactics used by the Demons and had developed tactics to deal with them accordingly.

Right then, Yang Kai suddenly stretched out his hand and summoned the Myriads Sword into his grip. As he strode forward, he jabbed the sword into the ground.

In an instant, the huge sword disappeared, and following that, a muffled groan could be heard coming from below ground. At the same time, the quicksand instantly became solid again.

Just then, a loud boom could be heard from a spot that was roughly a hundred metres in front of them as the Myriads Sword shot out from the ground. The enormous blade had penetrated a Demon’s body and stuck out from his back. Even though the Demon had been severely injured, he hadn’t lost his life yet. Blood was streaming out of his mouth as he appeared to be in pain. Grabbing the blade with both hands, he was trying to pull the sword out of his body.

He was indeed a Sand Demon as well as a Demon King. Although he was just a Low-Rank Demon King, his cultivation was still considered to be powerful.

Right after he shot out of the ground, he stared resentfully at Yang Kai. Although he was underground, he knew who had made a move against him; however, he didn’t understand how Yang Kai managed to locate and injure him so swiftly.

He didn’t have any time to give it a second thought though as Yang Kai grinned at him, revealing a row of gleaming teeth as he clenched his fist and said, “Boom!”

At that instant, the Myriads Sword started to shine with radiant sword light, sending out a storm of sword waves from the Sand Demon’s body. Looking from afar, he seemed to have turned into a hedgehog with gleaming swords all over his body. As the Sand Demon shrieked, he exploded with a deafening boom.

In less than five breaths, a Demon King Sand Demon had been pulverized into blood mist, while at the same time, two thousand Humans had ascended into the sky.

Han Zheng Qing’s intention was to get everyone to escape from the Sand Demon’s Divine Ability, but unexpectedly, the Sand Demon lost his life barely after they had left the ground.

However, before they came to their senses, countless arrows were seen breaking through the air toward them.

While those from the Star Boundary had come up with ways to deal with the Demons, their enemies had also developed their own tactics to fight back. The Sand Demon’s sneak attack was just the beginning, as his intention was to force the Humans into the sky.

While they were mid-air, the innumerable arrows, which looked like locusts, were loosed upon them. The cliffs on both sides of the valley were extremely steep, so there was no way they could effectively evade the arrow barrage.

Everyone’s expression could be seen changing as they felt their entire bodies turning cold. At the same time, their chests tightened as they thought that they were doomed. Some of them swiftly flew downwards while the sluggish ones still remained on the spot. In an instant, the originally neat formation turned chaotic.

At the critical moment, Yang Kai’s Demon Qi surged. As the wind howled, the black Demon Qi solidified and became an impenetrable barrier. As it expanded, it turned into a shield that could ward off the arrows.

All the arrows were blocked by the Demon Qi and then disappeared.

Right then, the Demon Qi shield shot forward and crashed into the sky. Like a mirror that was broken apart, cracks started appearing. As a ripple spread around, countless Demons appeared out of thin air.

The Humans were now standing on the ground with steep cliffs on both their left and right. Just now, the Demons were hiding to attack them while they passed by. It wasn’t certain what technique they had used, but all of them had managed to conceal themselves, and Han Zheng Qing and the others were not even aware of it.

The expressions of the Humans changed again when they saw what was going on. There were definitely at least ten thousand Demons present.

Furthermore, there were a few Demon Kings around, all riding Demon Beasts of varying sizes with ferocious auras.

After their Concealment Technique was dispelled by Yang Kai, all the Demons were surprised. The Demon Kings, who were at the front, stared at Yang Kai in disbelief as they had no idea what was going on.

To them, since Yang Kai was using Demon Qi, he was obviously a member of the Demon Heavenly Dao. In that case, he was supposed to be their lackey, so why was he going against them now?

[What is going on?]

However, the next moment, the Demon Kings set aside their doubts as they had no regard for the Demon Heavenly Dao to begin with. Anyone who dared to go against the Demons must die.

Since they were enemies who had crossed each other on this narrow path, only the strongest would survive.

The Demon King at the front grinned at Yang Kai and lifted his muscular arm before forcefully lowering it. After he gave the order to attack, ten thousand Demons immediately charged forward. The entire valley seemed to be shaking as the rocks came falling down.

Han Zheng Qing and the others tensed up as they quickly returned to their respective formations. At the same time, the Shamans were heard chanting their spells.

Despite the thundering noises, Yang Kai’s voice was still clearly heard as he pointed at the front and said, “Compress!”

Right after he gave the order, the valley seemed to have come to life. The ground started writhing and rolling up like a rug as it soon engulfed the Demon soldiers. The cliffs on both sides started closing up like two gigantic palms that were clapping at the mosquitoes, but the insects this time were the ten thousand Demons!

Under the shocked gazes of Han Zheng Qing and the other Humans, the entire mountain valley seemed to transform into a separate, sealed region, with all the Demons trapped inside it.

Space then quickly compressed as horrifying shrieks were continuously heard from inside. Fan Xin had goosebumps all over her body while the female disciples of Ice Heart Valley had turned pale at the sight.