Martial Peak

Chapter 3649: Great Emperor’s Artifact, Infinite Hourglass

Since Wind Lord knew what Yang Kai was up to, he certainly wouldn’t allow the latter to have his way.

However, with his shoulders clenched, he was unable to move. While he was shocked by how much physical strength Yang Kai could exert, he remained unfazed as he roared, “Wind!”

After his shout, Wind Lord transformed into an incarnation of wind and disappeared. Realising that Wind Lord was no longer in his grip, Yang Kai stopped the Mountains and Rivers Bell from falling. Since Wind Lord had escaped, there was no point.

The wind looked odd as it was visible to the bare eyes, and soon, Wind Lord reappeared at a nearby spot with a nonchalant smile, “Do you know how long this King has been waiting for you?”

Without waiting for Yang Kai to reply, he went on to say, “Exactly one hundred years!” There was a gleeful expression on his face, “This place is truly abstruse. Flowing Time Great Emperor indeed lives up to his name. Now that this King has fully recovered, there’s no way you can defeat me!”

Yang Kai entered the Four Seasons Realm right after he did, but he had Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone, which was why he was able to directly reach the Flowing Time Temple. It had been a hundred years since he started recuperating, so he was able to fully heal himself and wait for Yang Kai.

Although what he had said was ambiguous, Yang Kai understood what he meant.

Time and space had been confused inside the Flowing Time Temple. The reason Wind Lord had fully recovered must be that one hundred years had really passed; however, Yang Kai didn’t experience the passing of time in the space Wind Lord was in.

Looking at it from another perspective, Wind Lord was also not aware of what had happened to Yang Kai. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said this.

Wind Lord was confident that he was able to defeat Yang Kai since his cultivation was far more powerful, so he wasn’t in a rush to make a move. Instead, he stared at Yang Kai and said, “This King has heard that you’re related to the Dragon Clan on Dragon Island and that you possess a Dragon Source. Now, it seems that it’s indeed true, but that is an external boost in the end, nowhere near as profound as one’s own power. Where’s that helper of yours? Aren’t you going to summon him?”

Earlier, Yang Kai was able to summon three Half-Saints from the Demon Race in one go. Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya had been petrified by Wind Lord; however, the Embodiment, who was still fine, was nowhere to be seen.

Wind Lord couldn’t ignore the Embodiment’s existence. If Yang Kai had also brought the Embodiment into this place, it was bound to be a tough battle.

“I’ll summon him when I have to,” Yang Kai put on a faint smile, “That’s not up to you to worry about.”

Wind Lord nodded, “Although you’re young, you’re indeed powerful. To be honest, this King doesn’t have the heart to kill you.”

Yang Kai arched his brow, “Why don’t you just kill yourself, then? It’ll save us both the trouble.”

Ignoring his sinister suggestion, Wind Lord went on to persuade him by saying, “This is what I think. This King does not want to kill you, but you simply insist on going against me. This has caused me some headaches. Why don’t you just join Demon Heavenly Dao? If we become one family, all these worries will go away. By doing so, you can save your life while I will have no regrets. Won’t that be a win-win solution? Moreover, I’m sure my Master is willing to accept a young and talented person like you.”

Yang Kai gave him an awkward look, “You want me to join Demon Heavenly Dao?”

“I’m being sincere.” Wind Lord sported a solemn expression, “Given your capabilities, I’m sure Master will take you seriously if you join. Although you won’t be as powerful as the Four Great Lords, you’ll hold the highest position below us. When the Demons rule over the Star Boundary in the future, you’ll enjoy all the wealth and fame in the world.”

“Haha…” Yang Kai couldn’t help but guffaw.

Wind Lord asked grimly, “What are you laughing at?”

Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m laughing at all of you who still look so proud even though you’re just someone else’s lackeys. I’m also laughing at all of you for not being able to live the life you want despite the fact that you’ve cultivated for so many years. You want to win me over by offering me a position that’s below the Four Great Lords, but do you know who I am?”

“Who do you think you are?” Wind Lord stared dispassionately at him.

Yang Kai straightened up and put on a haughty smile, “This King is Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army of the Star Boundary, so why would I be interested in becoming a lackey for Demon Heavenly Dao?”

Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai lifted his hand to summon a Command Token.

Wind Lord’s expression changed drastically when he saw that as he also lifted the petite hourglass in his hand. At the same time, a glint flashed across the token as a burly figure appeared.

A Command Token wasn’t just a status symbol for an Army Commander, but also a weapon that could kill the enemy as it contained the strike of Great Emperor within. The token in Yang Kai’s hand was forged by Zhan Wu Hen, which was why it contained his Divine Ability.

Faced with a Pseudo-Great Emperor on his own, Yang Kai had failed in his attempt to launch a sneak attack; therefore, he decided to use the Command Token and activated the Divine Ability inside it. He was doing it because he wanted to kill Wind Lord quickly.

It was difficult to end a Pseudo-Great Emperor’s life; moreover, Wind Lord had been in this place for a hundred years, so it wasn’t certain what treasures he had obtained. Also, Wind Lord had fully recovered, so he appeared confident presently. Given Yang Kai’s power, he might not be able to gain an upper hand, so he directly called upon the power of the Command Token.

Zhan Wu Hen’s figure solidified as though the real person had really come out from the Command Token. Feeling the Great Emperor’s aura, Wind Lord felt as though he was suffocating. Guided by Yang Kai’s aura, Zhan Wu Hen’s image reached Wind Lord in a short moment and pushed out his fist.

It was just a very simple strike, like that of an ordinary mortal throwing a punch.

However, Wind Lord’s expression was transformed by shock as he quickly turned the hourglass upside down. Fine sand started trickling down inside the hourglass as a glow spread from it. Engulfed by the glow, Zhan Wu Hen’s figure froze on the spot as though he had been struck with a Binding Technique.

Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief as this was exactly what had happened to Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya.

After his move succeeded, Wind Lord chuckled and taunted, “That’s it?”

After he finished speaking though, he suddenly heard a series of cracking sounds. The illusionary Zhan Wu Hen, who was rooted to the spot, could be seen with his fist moving forward slowly as the barrier around him started cracking apart. Before his fist even reached the enemy, space could be seen crumbling apart.

Wind Lord exclaimed as he had lost his composure. While he was retreating rapidly, Zhan Wu Hen’s strike broke free of its constraints and followed him closely. Just when Wind Lord was about to be struck, he pushed his Emperor Qi again and turned the hourglass over once more.

Just like what had happened previously, as the glow undulated, Zhan Wu Hen’s figure froze again. This time, Wind Lord wasn’t in the mood to mock Yang Kai as he kept retreating with a solemn expression.

As expected, Zhan Wu Hen was able to move again by breaking free from the restriction a moment later. He was still several dozen metres away from Wind Lord, but when he moved, his fist appeared right in front of Wind Lord, which terrified the latter.

Then, Wind Lord turned the hourglass for the third time and Zhan Wu Hen was rooted to the spot again.

After the third time, Zhan Wu Hen’s figure started fading all of a sudden. In just three breaths’ time, the figure disappeared. Apparently, the power of the Divine Ability had been exhausted, but it hadn’t been able to harm Wind Lord one bit!

Despite that, it was obvious that Wind Lord had also lost a lot of energy. Yang Kai could clearly see that every time Wind Lord turned the strange hourglass, his face would become paler and his aura became less imposing. Apparently, there was a price to pay for activating the hourglass.

[Just what is that hourglass?] Yang Kai could barely believe such a horrifying item existed in this world. He couldn’t help but recall that the third ‘self’ had told him to be careful of the hourglass as its power was inscrutable.

That indeed seemed to be the case. The Command Token only contained a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, so it wasn’t as powerful as when a Great Emperor personally attacked; however, no ordinary Pseudo-Great Emperor should have been able to stop such a strike. Despite that, Wind Lord still ended up alive and kicking, which went to show how terrifying the treasure was.

Presently, the hall was filled with lots of cracks. They weren’t just Void Cracks though as both time and space seemed to have turned into a mess. The situation was just like what Yang Kai had come across when he just entered the Flowing Time Temple.

“Hahaha!” Wind Lord guffawed as he was extremely pleased with himself. That was because he had just escaped unscathed from a Great Emperor’s attack. Even though he appeared somewhat exhausted, he was still proud of himself. That was why he was laughing riotously as he lifted his hourglass, “Brat, do you know what this is?”

With a dark expression, Yang Kai asked, “Did you obtain it from this place?”

Given Wind Lord’s own power, there was no way he was able to parry the Divine Ability of Zhan Wu Hen; however, he had done just that, which went to show how extraordinary he was despite the fact that he had made use of an artifact.

This treasure appeared all of a sudden, so it was apparent that Wind Lord didn’t own it prior to their initial confrontation; otherwise, he would’ve used it on the Embodiment and the others instead of coughing up Blood Essence to activate the power within that rib bone.

Since he didn’t already own it previously, the only explanation was that Wind Lord had obtained it from the Flowing Time Temple. It was an artifact left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor!

It was basically a Great Emperor’s Artifact going against another Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, which was how Wind Lord managed to save his own life. He didn’t break Zhan Wu Hen’s Divine Ability; instead, the figure vanished because it had run out of power.

“Indeed!” Wind Lord grinned from ear to ear, “This King has obtained this treasure from that platform over there. You may not be aware of it, but this item was the Natal Artifact of Flowing Time Great Emperor. After he passed away, this item was left behind in the Flowing Time Temple. It awaited the chosen one to obtain it, and that is this King!”

Yang Kai remained unfazed while listening to him, but he was cursing at Qiong Qi in his heart. Qiong Qi was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s mount and he had protected the Flowing Time Temple for countless years, so he must be very familiar with this hourglass. In that case, why didn’t he take it with him when he left?

Moreover, he had brought Yang Xiao and the others to this place. Since there was a treasure, why did he leave it here for others to take? Now that the hourglass had fallen into Wind Lord’s hand, and the Divine Ability in his Command Token had been rendered useless, Yang Kai was put in an awkward position. He was utterly incensed because he felt that Qiong Qi was the one who had caused all of this. 

Wind Lord had just obtained a new, powerful artifact and used it to neutralize the Divine Ability of a Great Emperor, so of course he was very pleased with himself. Just when he lamented that no one could share his joy, Yang Kai asked the right question at the right time, which was why he told Yang Kai everything he knew.

As he fiddled with the hourglass, Wind Lord said with a smile, “This is the Infinite Hourglass, which contains ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand. Every grain was personally refined by Flowing Time Great Emperor and every one of them is able to activate the power of one month. Ten thousand and eight grains are equivalent to the power of over eight hundred years! Iron Blood Great Emperor’s Divine Ability is indeed mighty, but it’s still no match for this treasure!”

When Zhan Wu Hen’s image appeared just now, Wind Lord was almost terrified to death. Now that he was safe though, he was shamelessly speaking as though this was all predestined.