Martial Peak - Rise Of The Human Emperor-Chapter 80 – End of the Immortal Soul

"Whoever it is that dares to play these cheap tricks, show yourself!" Yang Kai shouted into the dark void, his voice echoing off the stone walls. The air was thick with spiritual pressure, yet Yang Kai stood firm, his eyes like blades scanning the shadows.

"Young boy, your willpower is impressive. Your courage also surprises me. To think that you would dare to speak in such a manner in front of this old man!" The coarse, raspy voice trailed and twisted through the air like smoke, revealing nothing of its source. It was as if the stone walls themselves had come alive to speak.

Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The voice chuckled, a dry, mocking sound that resonated through the ancient chamber. "I don't quite remember. Perhaps I am the master of this place."

"You're the master of the Heaven's Cave Inheritance?" Yang Kai asked, his voice rising slightly in pitch.

Outside this chamber, disciples from the three major sects — High Heaven Pavilion, Bloody Battle Gang, and Storm House — had gathered in search of this very inheritance. A place that promised ascension to heights once reached by its mysterious creator. For them, it was the ultimate opportunity. For Yang Kai, it had become a battlefield of spirit and will.

A low, amused hum echoed. "That's right. I was the one who created this place! Boy, do you want to obtain my inheritance?"

The words slithered into Yang Kai's ears like a snake. "I've been watching you. You're being hunted. Do you want revenge? Do you wish to become someone others fear? Someone who can no longer be looked down upon as a mere insect? I can make it happen."

The tone was subtle, persuasive — like the devil whispering sweet lies into a desperate soul. Yang Kai's brows furrowed. He sensed danger, but his body instinctively reacted to the honeyed promise.

"If you wish so, just nod, and I will bestow everything I have upon you! Isn't it a great opportunity? Don't you want to taste power?" The voice pressed, its volume creeping higher like the crescendo of a siren's song. "All it takes is a single nod."

Yang Kai stood frozen. His heart thudded against his ribs, each beat screaming for clarity. The voice continued, wrapping around him like chains of temptation. "Refuse, and regret shall be your companion for eternity."

Each syllable struck his mind like a hammer, disrupting his thoughts, twisting them. Confusion flickered in his eyes. His head dipped ever so slightly as if swayed by invisible currents. His lips parted, breath shallow, torn between acceptance and defiance.

Then suddenly—

A shock coursed through his spine.

His body jerked slightly as his consciousness snapped back into clarity. A whisper of cold sweat trickled down his temple. Wait... this wasn't right.

The feeling was all too familiar — a sinister scheme hidden beneath a benevolent mask.

His inner thoughts flared. An ancient spirit offering free power? It's never that simple.

"Well?" the voice asked again, now tinged with surprise. "What do you choose?"

Yang Kai didn't respond. His eyes regained their sharpness as he stared ahead.

.......

"To think you'd awaken yourself... What impressive willpower!" the voice acknowledged, its amusement replaced with a flicker of irritation. "You truly are different from the rest ,Say boy... who am I?"

Yang Kai's gaze slowly drifted toward a skeleton resting nearby — bleached bones nestled within the folds of ancient robes. Dust clung to the remains, undisturbed for countless years. Something clicked in Yang Kai's mind.

"I already know," he said with cold certainty.

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"In the Immortal Ascension Boundary... cultivators can preserve their Divine Sense even after death. With it, they can linger as a disembodied soul, seeking a new host — a new body. You must be one of those fallen experts, still clinging to existence, and now... you're trying to take my body."

He clenched his fists.

"You tried to mislead me. Pretended to be a generous master offering an inheritance. But all you want is a vessel!"

The words reverberated silently in his mind. Yang Kai didn't need to say them aloud — he knew the truth, and that was enough.

Hearing the accusation in his thoughts, the voice no longer denied it. Yang Kai's eyes darkened. Without another word, he drove his fist toward the skeleton.

"Wishful thinking!" Yang Kai shouted.

Crack—

The bones splintered like glass, disintegrating into dust beneath the force of Yang Kai's strike. Yet there was no satisfaction in the action. Yang Kai knew better — the danger was far from over.

The bead.

The glowing bead near the skeleton suddenly dimmed. From its surface, an illusionary face began to form — hazy and translucent, but unmistakably malevolent. Tendrils of black Qi coiled around it like serpents. The face had hollow eyes and a smile twisted with malice.

So that's where the spirit was hiding.

Not in the skeleton. In the bead.

Yang Kai instinctively raised his fist again, ready to smash the cursed object.

But the ghostly face opened its mouth, unleashing a deafening howl that split the air. The sound didn't just echo — it invaded. Yang Kai staggered back, clutching his head as pain exploded inside his skull.

It felt like thousands of blades were stabbing into his mind, each one sharper than the last.

And then he heard it — laughter.

Laughter... from inside his own body.

Yang Kai's limbs grew stiff. His skin broke out in cold sweat. His body trembled, convulsed. He couldn't move properly.

"Ha! Ignorant young boy! You truly believed you could resist me? Let me show you what true despair is!" the voice boomed, now rising from deep within Yang Kai's chest.

His heart pounded violently.

"Yes... your body is weak," the invader sneered, "but it will serve as a temporary shell until I find something better. I'll use your hatred, your emotions, everything to fuel my return. Don't resist. It's pointless. You'll only suffer more."

"Dream on!" Yang Kai roared back internally, his consciousness coiled tight, resisting with every ounce of his will.

The face within the bead grinned wider. "Still revolting? Why are you not content? You should feel honored to be chosen. Most mortals would give anything for this chance!"

Yang Kai's voice echoed back inside his heart, resolute and unyielding: "You chose the wrong person."

A growl rumbled through his chest. "So be it. If you wish to suffer, then suffer you shall!"

A brutal wave of spiritual force surged into Yang Kai's consciousness. It felt like a sledgehammer had struck his mind — hard, unrelenting. He screamed aloud, a painful cry that tore through the silence of the cave.

His back arched. His clothes were soaked in sweat within moments. Every muscle spasmed as if lightning ran through his veins. His eyes rolled back, and his vision blurred.

"Now you'll learn," the voice spat venomously, "what it means to lose your consciousness! No one can endure this pain and remain sane!"

Yang Kai dropped to his knees, fists clenched so tightly that blood oozed from his palms. His vision pulsed, darkness creeping in.

His teeth gritted. His entire being felt like it was being ripped apart — spirit and flesh no longer in sync.

The old man's laughter returned, echoing madly in the cave. "You were the one who chose this path. You have no right to complain now!"

Yang Kai could feel his consciousness fading like a stream pouring into an abyss. His vision flickered, pain coursing through every fiber of his being. His eyes turned bloodshot as he gritted his teeth, enduring with sheer willpower, refusing to give in.

"What?" The old man's voice echoed in shock. "You're still resisting me? How... how strange..."

Even as the old man sneered, Yang Kai's bones began to emit a faint, golden glow, sending waves of warmth through his body. His Immortal Soul, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse, slowly stabilized. The pain dulled, as if his own bones were shielding him from the invading force.

Then, all at once, a massive suction erupted within Yang Kai's mind.

"What is this?!" the old man shrieked in panic. "What is this?! This is not what I wanted! No—!"

His pitiful cry abruptly cut off, fading like a candle snuffed by wind.

Yang Kai's breath came in ragged gasps as he collapsed to the ground. The attack on his Immortal Soul had lasted only a few seconds, but it had felt like a century of torment. He lay motionless, his body soaked in sweat.

---------------------------

Deep within his bones he could feel a presence.

It was faint, terrified, and trembling.

Then a miserable voice whimpered out like a kicked dog, "Young hero... great young hero... please... forgive me. I—I was wrong. Please, let me go. I won't do this again!"

Yang Kai's eyes narrowed. He focused inward and saw, within the golden hue of his bones, the warped, distorted face of the old man. It was pale with horror, his features twisted in fright. The arrogance and cruelty he had once displayed had vanished completely.

"You..."

Yang Kai muttered, his expression unreadable.

He hadn't expected this outcome.

Yang Kai's breath slowed as realization dawned.

His golden bones could absorb not only Yang attribute energies, but souls as well. And the Immortal Soul was nothing but energy in its purest form.

No wonder it had happened.

He turned his attention to the pitiful voice still crying inside him. "You... what did you do to me?" the old man moaned.

Yang Kai didn't answer. He slowly began circulating the True Yang Secret Art. Pure, scorching energy radiated from his golden bones, bathing the trembling face in searing light.

"W-Wait! Stop! What are you doing?" the old man screamed. "No, don't—please, it burns! You're burning me alive!"

Yang Kai said nothing.

The flames of the True Yang Secret Art intensified, coiling around the captured soul like shackles of divine judgment. The old man wailed, thrashing inside the golden prison. "Please! I beg you! This is my Immortal Soul—you'll extinguish it!"

Yang Kai's eyes were cold and unreadable.

He continued to channel his Qi until the wailing faded into whimpers, then sobs, and finally... silence.