Martial Peak

Chapter 5938: A Trap

Yang Kai suddenly spoke up, “Brother Zuo, does your Spirit Religion often root out lurking members of the Black Ink Cult?”

“What?” Zuo Wu You instinctively responded, but quickly realised, “Holy Son, you mean…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Chu An He’s voice sounded in their ears, hidden by the Spirit Array. No one knew where he was, but his previous gentle and warm demeanour was now replaced by brutality and ferocity, “Zuo Wu You, after all these years of nurture and trust from Spirit Religion, you dare to collude with the Black Ink Cult and bring disaster to the foundation of our Spirit Religion? Do you know your crime!?”

Zuo Wu You shouted in response, “Senior Chu, I was born and raised in the Spirit Religion. The Spirit Religion has given me everything I have, and without its protection over the years, how could I have achieved my current glory? I am loyal to the Spirit Religion with all my heart and Soul. Sir, how can you accuse me of colluding with the Black Ink Cult?”

Chu An He coldly snorted, “You still dare to argue? That person by your side, isn’t he a member of the Black Ink Cult?”

Zuo Wu You frowned and quickly retorted, “Senior Chu, are you referring to the Holy Son…?”

“Tsk!” Chu An He burst out, “He is a spy of the Black Ink Cult! How dare you call him Holy Son!”

Zuo Wu You immediately changed the way he addressed Yang Kai, “Brother Yang and I have been travelling together, killing many members of the Black Ink Cult. We even defeated the Night Chapter Master and injured the Earth Chapter Master. Without Brother Yang’s protection, I would have been a dead man long ago. Brother Yang cannot possibly be a member of the Black Ink Cult.”

Chu An He became silent for a moment before he slowly spoke, “You said he defeated the Night Chapter Master and injured the Earth Chapter Master?”

“Yes, I saw it with my own eyes,” replied Zuo Wu You.

“Hahaha!” Chu An He burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing, Senior Chu?” Zuo Wu You asked in a deep voice.

Chu An He roared, “You fools! This person by your side is only a trivial True Element cultivator while the Night Chapter Master and Earth Chapter Master are both Masters renowned throughout the World. Even this King at the Immortal Ascension Boundary can only admit defeat before them, so how could he possibly defeat them? Zuo Wu You, how can you not see through such a simple trick?”

Zuo Wu You suddenly became suspicious and couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at Yang Kai.

Zuo Wu You was in a daze, reminiscing on the events that had transpired. He was once amazed by Yang Kai’s impressive strength, being able to fight beyond his realm and even take down two Chapter Masters of the Black Ink Cult, but what if all of this was just a part of the enemy’s plan to gain his trust?

As he thought back on it now, the timing and location of the appearance of the supposed Holy Son seemed questionable…

He was now momentarily lost in thought.

Yang Kai simply smiled faintly in response to his gaze and said, “Old Sir, to be honest, I’m not very interested in being your Holy Son. Brother Zuo seems to have misunderstood something all this time, hence calling me by that title. Whether or not you call me that doesn’t really matter. The reason why I have come this far is simply to meet your Saintess. Could you facilitate that for me, Old Sir?”

Chu An He coldly snorted, “Even at death’s door, you dare to speak such honeyed words? The Saintess is a noble figure, not someone a Black Ink Cult spy can simply meet!”

Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became displeased, “You keep calling me a Black Ink Cult spy, but how can you be so sure that I am one?”

After a moment of silence, Chu An He finally spoke, “It doesn’t matter now that things have come to this. I’ll tell you the truth. Spirit Religion’s true Holy Son was found 10 years ago. If you’re not part of the Black Ink Cult, why pretend to be the Holy Son?”

“What?” Zuo Wu You was shocked at the news.

“This was originally top secret, only known by the Saintess, the Eight Order Lords, and a few select others. But the Spirit Religion has already decided to have the Holy Son appear to stabilize the people’s hearts, so it’s no longer a secret!”

Zuo Wu You stood rooted to the spot, the impact of this news weighing heavily on him.

So, the Holy Son of the Spirit Religion was already found 10 years ago!

If that were the case, who was this person standing beside him? When he appeared, he did fit the prophecy left behind by the first-generation Saintess.

It was no wonder why the Spirit Religion had not sent anyone to assist him on his journey. While the Black Ink Cult had already dispatched two Chapter Masters, the Spirit Religion had been slow to react, sending only a single Elder in the end. At that moment, Zuo Wu You understood many things.

It wasn’t that the Spirit Religion didn’t value their Holy Son, but it was because the true Holy Son had been found 10 years ago already.

“Zuo Wu You!” Chu An He’s voice softened, “No one doubts your loyalty to the Spirit Religion, but you’re the one who has caused all this trouble, so it’s up to you to solve it.”

Zuo Wu You cupped his fist and said, “Please give me your orders, Sir.”

“It’s simple! Kill this imposter who dares to impersonate the Holy Son. Cut off his head, and show it to everyone!”

Zuo Wu You was taken aback and turned to look at Yang Kai again, struggling with conflicting emotions in his eyes.

Yang Kai paid no attention to Chu An He’s words, not even glancing over at Zuo Wu You; instead, a golden vertical cross appeared in his left eye, displaying a strange expression as he kept gazing into the air.

Beside him, Zuo Wu You struggled for a while before pointing his long sword at Yang Kai, slowly gathering murderous intent.

Only then did Yang Kai give him a glance and asked, “Brother Zuo, are you going to make a move?”

Zuo Wu You nodded and then slowly shook his head as he asked, “Brother Yang, I only have one question for you. Are you a spy for the Black Ink Cult?”

“I’ve said I’m not, do you believe me?” Yang Kai smiled at him.

“Although I may not be the strongest, I have a keen eye for judging people,” Zuo Wu You replied, “If Brother Yang says he’s not a spy, then I believe it. However…”

“What?”

“There’s another thing I would like Brother Yang to explain.”

“Say it.”

“During the siege of the cave, you were contaminated with Black Ink Strength, so why were you unscathed?” 

[Do you know anything about the World Tree clone? Or the Four Universe Pillars?] Yang Kai thought to himself. He couldn’t explain it to Zuo Wu You, so he could only say, “If I tell you I have a natural resistance to Black Ink Strength due to my innate talent, would you believe me? That thing can’t affect me at all.”

Zuo Wu You slowly lowered his sword and gave a bitter smile, “I’ve encountered too many unbelievable things on this journey. Brother Yang, what you said will be verified by me in the future.”

“Oh?” Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, “At this point, shouldn’t you trust the people of the Spirit Religion, rather than someone you only met a few days ago?”

Zuo Wu You shook his head bitterly.

“Are you not going to make a move? Have you been contaminated with Black Ink Strength that twisted your nature and become a member of the Black Ink Cult?” Chu An He couldn’t help but shout when he saw Zuo Wu You still hadn’t attacked.

Zuo Wu You suddenly raised his head, “Sir, whether or not I have been contaminated with Black Ink Strength, I only need to meet with the Saintess and have her use the Purifying Heart Secret Technique on me to know for sure. However, there is one thing that I don’t understand at the moment. Please enlighten me!”

“What is it?” Chu An He asked impatiently.

“Sir thinks that Brother Yang is a spy of the Black Ink Cult, and this operation is aimed at him. I can understand that; however, why was I also included in this Array then? Sir, this Array is very dangerous. Although I only have some faint knowledge of Spirit Arrays, I can still see some of this one’s mysteries. Are you trying to kill both me and Brother Yang with this Array?”

Yang Kai raised his brow and couldn’t help but pat Zuo Wu You’s shoulder, “You have a sharp eye, indeed!”

He had used the Demon Eye of Annihilation to penetrate the illusion and could see all the mysteries of this Array. It was a Killing Array, and once fully activated, anyone inside would undoubtedly die without burial unless they had the ability to break out on their own. 

Zuo Wu You had keenly perceived this, which was why he couldn’t fully trust Chu An He. Of course, since the matter involved the Holy Son of the Spirit Religion, it was impossible for him to easily believe in Yang Kai either.

“Ignorant fool!” Chu An He didn’t explain anything, “It seems you have been twisted by Black Ink Strength. It’s a pity that my Spirit Religion will now lose another good man! Kill them!”

As soon as the words fell, both Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You sensed a change in the atmosphere. A fierce murderous intent emerged out of nowhere, surging in all directions!

Zuo Wu You shouted, “Chu An He, I want to see the Saintess!”

“You will never see her!”

Zuo Wu You suddenly realised, “So you guys are the spies of the Black Ink Cult!”

“The Black Ink Cult is nothing. Are they worthy enough for this Old Master to serve them? Zuo Wu You, nothing in this world is as simple as black and white. Unfortunately, you won’t have a chance to see it anymore!” Chu An He coldly snorted.

“You old fart!” Zuo Wu You muttered under his breath and then reminded Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, be careful. This Array is powerful and not easy to deal with. We may both die here.”

The Dao of Spirit Arrays was not something any ordinary person could study. Although Zuo Wu You had seen Yang Kai’s strength, he feared that it would be difficult to display that strength once he fell into this trap.

However, Yang Kai simply smiled lightly and sat down on a nearby stone pillar, as calm as ever, “Rest assured, we will not die here today.”

Zuo Wu You was stunned and could not understand how this man could be so calm at a time like this.

While he was still puzzled, a sharp and miserable scream came from outside, one that was abruptly cut off.

Zuo Wu You was no stranger to such screams. That was the cry of a person just before their death.

The screams continued one after another until finally Chu An He’s voice rang out in utter panic, “It’s you! No, please spare me! I am willing to serve the Black Ink Cult! Please spare my life!”

Zuo Wu You was horrified when he heard those words; after all, Chu An He was also an elite in the Immortal Ascension Boundary. He did not know what he had encountered at this moment to be begging for mercy so desperately.

But obviously, it was in vain. The next moment, his screams echoed once again.

After a while, everything fell silent.

The people from the Spirit Religion outside were probably all dead. With the absence of their control over the Spirit Array, the illusion that had enveloped Yang Kai and Zuo Wu You disappeared along with the breaking of the Array. A graceful figure, carrying a shrivelled-up body, then lightly floated down in front of Yang Kai. Her beautiful eyes were filled with an unusual light as she stared at him without moving, her crimson tongue licking her lips, as if the man before her was some kind of delicious delicacy.

Zuo Wu You was horrified as he lifted his sword, “Xue Ji!”