Martial Peak

Almost at the moment when Zuo Wu You shouted out those words, the dark figure hovering above the mansion seemed to sense something as he abruptly turned his head towards their direction.

In an instant, the figure darted towards them, his figure flickering soundlessly like a ghost until he landed directly in front of Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You, a mere 30 metres away.

The newcomer stared fixedly at the spot where Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You stood, his dark eyes scrutinising them with a hint of suspicion in the shadows.

Under the blessing of Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You too stared at the newcomer.

Unfortunately, his face was obscured by a black robe and hood, shrouding him in mystery.

After a moment of gazing, the man found nothing and vanished again, returning to the skies above the mansion.

Without hesitation, he threw a punch towards the ground, unleashing a barrage of fist shadows that, along with his Immortal Ascension Boundary power, turned the entire mansion into dust instantly.

However, he soon noticed something was amiss because, according to his perception, the entire manor was completely lifeless, devoid of any vitality.

He withdrew his fist and landed to investigate, but found nothing.

An hour later, Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You appeared in a forest 50 kilometres away from the mansion, feeling that this location was safe enough.

Maintaining Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability for a long thad taken a toll on Yang Kai, whose face had turned slightly pale. Zuo Wu You, on the other hand, seemed to have lost his Soul, his eyes going blank. 

The situation was unfolding exactly as Yang Kai had feared, heading towards the worst possible outcome.

After restoring himself for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Did you recognise who it was?”

Zuo Wu You turned to look at him, shaking his head slowly, “I couldn’t see his face clearly, but with that kind of power, he must be an Order Lord.”

“He was cautious, though, never activating his Divine Sense.” Divine Sense was an extremely unique power, and each person’s Divine Sense fluctuations were unique. If that person had activated his Divine Sense just now, Zuo Wu You would have been able to recognise him. 

Unfortunately, their attacker had not done so throughout the entire process.

“One’s facial features can be concealed by Divine Sense, but not their physique. Among the Eight Orders, which Order Lord do you think resembles our target the most?” Yang Kai asked again.

Zuo Wu You thought for a moment and said, “The Order Lords of the Fire and Lake Valley Orders are the only women among the eight. The Mountain Order Lord is obese, and Wind Order Lord is old and hunched. It shouldn’t be any of them. As for the remaining four Order Lords, they are similar in build. If the person we are looking for intends to conceal their tracks, their physique will also be disguised.”

Yang Kai nodded, “Very good. Our target is now reduced by half.”

Zuo Wu You said hesitantly, “But it is still difficult to determine which one of them it is.”

“Everything happens for a reason. When you sent the message that the Holy Son had been found, we were then plotted against. From a different perspective, what was the purpose of their actions? What benefits do they gain?” Yang Kai questioned.

“Purpose? Benefits?” Zuo Wu You followed Yang Kai’s train of thought and fell into deep contemplation.

Yang Kai asked, “Chu An He did not appear to have already joined the Black Ink Cult. Before Xue Ji killed him, he shouted that he was willing to join. If he was already a member of the Black Ink Cult, he would not have reacted that way. Could it be that one of the Order Lords has already been tainted by Black Ink Strength and secretly joined the Black Ink Cult?”

“That’s impossible!” Zuo Wu You firmly rejected the idea, “Brother Yang, you are not aware that the first-generation Saintess of the Spirit Religion not only passed down the prophecy of the Holy Son, but also left behind a Secret Technique. This Secret Technique has no other purpose but to identify whether someone has been contaminated by Black Ink Strength and to dispel it from them. Every tan upper-echelon member of the religion at the Immortal Ascension Boundary returns from outside, the current Saintess will use that Secret Technique to check them. Over the years, there have indeed been sspies from the Black Ink Cult trying to infiltrate Dawn City, but no problems have ever arisen among the upper echelons, who are in the Immortal Ascension Boundary.”

Yang Kai suddenly realised, “You mean the Purifying Heart Secret Technique you mentioned before?”

When Chu An He was slandering them as spies from the Black Ink Cult, Zuo Wu You claimed that he could face their Saintess directly and prove his innocence by having her perform the Purifying Heart Secret Technique on him.

At that time, Yang Kai didn’t take it seriously, but now it seemed that the Purifying Heart Secret Technique passed down by the first-generation Saintess of Spirit Religion was indeed profound and mysterious. If this Secret Technique could only identify whether someone had been contaminated by Black Ink Strength, it wouldn’t be that surprising; however, the fact that it could also dispel Black Ink Strength was truly astonishing.

After all, the Human Race of this era only had one way to dispel Black Ink Strength, which was with Purifying Light. Purifying Black Ink Pills could only prevent corruption when still effective, but they could not dispel Black Ink Strength once it had taken hold.

“Indeed,” Zuo Wu You nodded, “It is the highest secret of our Religion, and only the Saintesses of past generations have the ability to perform it.”

“If they did not join the Black Ink Cult, then there must be sother reason,” Yang Kai pondered, “Although I don’t know the specific reason, my appearance must have affected the interests of speople. But how could I, an unknown nobody, affect the interests of those people… Only being the Holy Son could explain it.”

Zuo Wu You understood and asked, “But Brother Yang, the Holy Son of our Spirit Religion emerged in secret 10 years ago, which is apparently a known fact among the high-ranking members. Even if I informed them about you, they would only think that someone is impersonating the Holy Son and at most send someone to bring you back to investigate. Why would they intercept the message and try to kill you in secret?”

Yang Kai looked at him with deep meaning, “What do you think?”

Zuo Wu You met his gaze, and suddenly a horrifying thought surged in his heart, causing sweat to break out on his forehead, “Brother Yang, are you saying… that the Holy Son is fake?”

“I didn’t say that,” Yang Kai replied sarcastically.

Zuo Wu You seemed to not have heard him, his face suddenly showing a look of enlightenment, “So that’s how it is. If that’s really the case, then everything makes sense. Someone arranged a fake Holy Son 10 years ago, keeping it secret and hidden from all the higher-ups of the Spirit Religion, obtaining their approval and making everyone believe that he was the real Holy Son. But only the Mastermind knew he was a fake. So, when I reported your news back to Spirit Religion, it aroused their murderous intent, and they even went so far as to personally take action to kill you!”

At this point, Zuo Wu You was quite excited, “Brother Yang, does that mean you are the real Holy Son?”

Yang Kai sighed, “I just want to meet your Saintess. As for anything else, I have no other thoughts.”

“No, you are the Holy Son, the one prophesied by the first-generation Saintess. There’s no doubt about it!” Zuo Wu You insisted, and then added eagerly, “But someone has planted a fake Holy Son in the Spirit Religion, even deceiving all the higher-ups. This matter concerns the foundation of Spirit Religion and must be exposed!”

“Do you have any evidence?” Yang Kai asked him.

Zuo Wu You shook his head.

“If there’s no evidence, no one would believe you even if you had the opportunity to meet the Saintess and those Order Lords to inform them about this,” he said.

“But someone has to make them aware of this, whether they believe it or not! The Order Lords are all shrewd strategists; once they becsuspicious, the truth will eventually cto light. I’m just worried about our current situation. We’ve already caught the attention of the person behind the scenes. It’s probably wishful thinking to try to enter the city.”

“Entering the city won’t be a problem,” Yang Kai said calmly, “Have you forgotten what you arranged before?”

Zuo Wu You was stunned, only then remembering the orders he had given to his subordinates earlier. He suddenly realised, “So Brother Yang planned this all along.”

At this moment, he understood why Yang Kai instructed him to give those orders. It seemed that he had anticipated the current situation from the start.

“We’ll enter the city at dawn. Let’s rest for a while first,” Yang Kai said.

“En.”

Dawn City was still bustling under the cover of the night; it was the headquarters of the Light Spirit Religion and the most prosperous city in this independent World. Even at midnight, pedestrians were still streaming through the streets.

Beneath the glamour and bustle though, a message spread like a wildfire throughout the city.

The Holy Son had appeared and would enter the city tomorrow!

The prophecy left by the first-generation Saintess had been circulating for countless years. All the members of the Light Spirit Religion were looking forward to the arrival of the Holy Son who could save the World and end the war.

But, for countless years, the Holy Son had not appeared, and no one knew when or if he would ever reveal himself.

Until tonight, when the news began to spread from tea houses and taverns, quickly spreading in all directions at an uncontrollable speed.

Within half a night, everyone in Dawn City had heard the news.

Countless followers were filled with joy and excitement.

At the centre of the city, the bright Holy Temple, the foundation of the Spirit Religion, was the largest and tallest building.

After midnight, countless Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters were summoned, and many high-ranking members of the Light Spirit Religion gathered together!

In the centre of the Main Hall, a veiled woman with a stunning figure sat upon a throne, holding a white jade sceptre. 

This woman was none other than the Saintess of the Light Spirit Religion!

Below the Saintess, the Eight Order Lords were arranged on both sides, while beneath them were the various Protectors and Elders.

More than 100 people had been gathered, all of them Immortal Ascension Masters. Despite the large number of people, the hall was silent.

After a long while, the Saintess finally spoke, “You have all heard about the news, haven’t you?”

Everyone responded in agreement, “We have heard.”

“We have gathered here tonight to discuss how to handle this situation!” The Saintess continued.

A Protector stepped forward immediately and exclaimed in excitement, “The Holy Son has appeared, fulfilling the prophecy passed down by the first-generation Saintess! This is a blessing for our Spirit Religion! I believe that we should immediately arrange for people to receive him and prevent the Black Ink Cult from taking advantage of the situation!”

A large group of people immediately echoed their agreement, saying that this was the correct course of action.

The Saintess raised her hand, and the noisy hall immediately becquiet. She then gently spoke, “Unfortunately, sthings have been kept secret for many years that must now cto light. Only the Eight Order Lords present here know about this secret, which is related to the Holy Son. Listen first before making any plans.”

She then turned to the oldest of the eight Order Lords, saying, “Lord Si Kong, please inform everyone.”