Martial Peak - Rise Of The Human Emperor-Chapter 55: July Seventh, Yin Qi Gathers

"Wishful thinking!" Wen Fei Chen's voice rang out sharply.

In the blink of an eye, his body flickered, vanishing from sight—then reappearing behind Xia Ning Chang like a ghost. His palm struck down with precision, force gathering rapidly.

A moment later—

BOOM!

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A blast of power exploded into the quiet valley.

Xia Ning Chang let out a panicked cry, her body frozen in place, bracing for the devastating impact... but it never came.

She opened her eyes.

And there he was.

Yang Kai stood before her, back facing her, blood pouring from a gash across his shoulders. His robe was torn, flesh laid bare beneath jagged lines of red. Yet he didn't falter. Didn't move an inch.

He had taken the blow... head-on.

His feet were planted like roots in the earth, and despite the injury, his posture remained proud—unyielding.

Yang Kai turned his head slightly and grinned, blood trailing from the corner of his lips. "Is that all a True Element Boundary can do?"

Wen Fei Chen frowned, his eyes narrowing as he withdrew his hand. "Still standing after taking a full strike from me? Hah... you're better than I expected. You may only be at the Initial Element Fifth Stage, but your body is something else. I'll give you that."

His tone turned serious, even curious—but he still stepped forward.

Behind him, Long Hui's cold voice floated out. "Lord Wen, bring this female to me. If she dares to revolt again..."

He paused, smiling darkly.

"...Break both her arms and legs. Just don't damage her face too badly. I must see what kind of peerless beauty hides beneath that veil."

Wen Fei Chen chuckled. "Master Long, rest assured. I will not let her escape."

Though his face was calm, inside, Wen Fei Chen felt some unease. If he injured Xia Ning Chang too much, Long Hui might place blame on him. But hearing those cruel words made it clear—he could disable her limbs without fear of consequence.

Long Hui might've had grand ambitions, but he also knew his own limits. He couldn't beat Xia Ning Chang in direct combat. But if she was crippled, helpless, then she might finally bend. She might try to survive through submission.

When those vile intentions reached Xia Ning Chang's ears, her eyes burned with fury. Yang Kai's expression also turned ice-cold.

Wen Fei Chen raised his voice, expression relaxed. "Little girl, you heard Master Long. Be obedient, lie down, and I promise not to hurt you. But if you resist—"

He smiled wickedly.

"—then I won't stay my hand."

"Dream on!" Xia Ning Chang spat.

"Very well then." Wen Fei Chen's smile faded. "You've brought this upon yourself."

Yang Kai, even while bleeding, stood between them. His gaze flickered, scanning the enemies, studying their movement, analyzing weaknesses. His mind moved like a sharpened blade. He couldn't die—that was a certainty. But there were still risks. The girl behind him was far from invincible.

He had to win. Not survive—win.

Xia Ning Chang reached out, almost without thinking. Her fingers brushed his arm, lingering on his skin longer than needed. The warmth of his blood met the coolness of her touch. Their eyes met for a heartbeat too long.

Something passed between them.

Something unspoken... yet undeniable.

A flame. A pull. A dangerous nearness that had nothing to do with war or death.

Yang Kai's smirk softened.

Then, all at once—

Midnight!

On the seventh of July, Yin Qi began to gather.

The ground beneath their feet trembled faintly. From the depths of the mountain valley, strange pulses of dark energy surged upward. Cold, gloomy tendrils of Yin Qi coiled like snakes, bursting from the soil.

And then.....

A massive, eerie hand—formed entirely of Yin Qi—rose up from the ground. Its shape was indistinct, but its pressure was real. Terrifying. The hand continued to grow, spreading like mist over the battlefield.

The temperature plummeted instantly.

The air froze.

Everyone—Blood Group, Storm House, and even the ambushers—shivered involuntarily as the cold seeped into their bones.

Suddenly, gasps echoed across the valley.

The Blood Group cultivators panicked. "My Qi—!"

Their World Qi was being drawn out, sucked into the surrounding Yin aura like water draining from a cracked vessel.

It was uncomfortable, yes—but not fatal, not yet. Those with high cultivation could still circulate their energy. They could resist.

But not the weaker ones.

The Storm House disciples, with their lower cultivation, were the first to falter. Faces paled. Breaths grew shallow. Their limbs stiffened, and some even collapsed to their knees, unable to withstand the biting Yin chill.

If they remained here for long, their World Qi would be entirely drained. And when that happened—

They would freeze to death.

The entire mountain valley had become a prison of Yin Qi.

The entire valley's dense Yin Qi began to react. From above, the scene resembled a pot brought to boil—thick clouds of Yin Qi churned restlessly, spiraling like a living thing, eerie and oppressive.

"Not good!" Wen Fei Chen barked. That girl must have set up some kind of formation in advance, and now she was rushing to activate it!

If she succeeded, this situation could completely turn against them.

"Put some effort in! Quickly help me break this light screen!" Wen Fei Chen bellowed. He aimed to capture Xia Ning Chang before she could finish.

"You all, come here! If you don't move now, I'll kill you where you stand!" he threatened the Storm House disciples who had been hesitating at the edge.

Nu Lang and the others didn't dare delay. They knew their limits; this battle was well beyond them, but Wen Fei Chen's fury was something even more terrifying. Forced to act, they joined in.

Though their strength was meager, together they whittled at the light screen. The barrier shimmered under the constant assault, rippling as if about to shatter, but it held.

Inside the barrier, Yang Kai stood silently beside Xia Ning Chang. His heart beat rapidly. He wanted to help—but his cultivation was far too low. He could only remain near her, ready to act the moment the barrier broke.

If it fell, he would use his body to shield her from the first strike.

He wasn't a saint, but neither was he heartless. Xia Ning Chang was important—perhaps a future harem member, or maybe even something deeper he hadn't fully understood yet. He protected her not out of pure kindness, but because he cared in his own guarded way. It wasn't heroism—it was instinct, attachment, and something faintly human he hadn't yet named.

Yin Qi now screamed through the valley like wolves howling and ghosts wailing. Wen Fei Chen's eyes gleamed greedily. He finally realized what he was facing.

"A Heaven Grade upper-level artifact..." he muttered. "No wonder it's lasted so long."

A treasure like this could resist even cultivators at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary. If it were his, it would be like gaining another life.

After what seemed like the time to burn a stick of incense, a fine crack appeared on the barrier. Xia Ning Chang's face turned pale. Maintaining the artifact while also activating the formation had drained her World Qi drastically.

Wen Fei Chen saw hope and doubled down.

He roared, launching a violent palm strike that shook the entire light screen—and shook Xia Ning Chang with it. Her petite body trembled, her face turning even whiter.

Crack... crack... cracks webbed out across the screen like spider silk.

"Ha ha ha!" Wen Fei Chen laughed, triumph in his eyes. "One more hit and it's over!"

But then—

The Yin Qi abruptly fell silent.

The ghostly howls and cries vanished in an instant. The stillness was suffocating.

"Seal!" Xia Ning Chang's voice rang out.

From above, pitch-black chains descended from thin air, crashing into existence with a chilling clank. Each one ten feet long, wrapped in violent Yin Qi that radiated freezing cold.

The black chains floated ominously above the Blood Group and Storm House cultivators before suddenly rushing downward like predators.

Wen Fei Chen's face twisted. "Too late!" he shouted, sending one final palm at the weakening barrier.

At the same time, Xia Ning Chang reactivated her defensive artifact, but the barrier was too weak now.

The strike passed through.

Just as the attack was about to land—Yang Kai moved.

Without hesitation, he pulled Xia Ning Chang behind him, throwing his body into the path of the attack.

It struck.

His body tore open. Blood splattered. Bone cracked. The pain was blinding.

But he didn't fall.

Even as Xia Ning Chang gasped in horror, his flesh began to regenerate. The gaping wound shrank. Blood stopped. Skin reknit. In moments, he was whole again.

She looked up at him, eyes wide.

He didn't explain.

Instead, he pushed her face into his chest and ran.

There were too many enemies, too many variables. He wasn't stupid enough to stand and fight.

He was immortal—not invincible. His body could recover, yes—the wounds would close, the bones would mend—but the pain still hurt like hell. And more than that, he could still lose people. Xia Ning Chang... she wasn't like him. Mortal, fragile, irreplaceable. He acted because he cared—because he couldn't stand the thought of losing her. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was the start of something deeper. But it was real.