Martial Peak - Rise Of The Human Emperor-Chapter 109 : Star Mark

"Whoo!"

Yang Kai burst through the leafy canopy, not sparing a glance toward Mo Yanyu or Master Karu. The moment he landed, he sprinted toward the next tree with the thickest foliage.

But both Mo Yanyu and Master Karu were cultivators at the peak of the True Element Boundary Stage—far above Yang Kai's Qi Transformation Stage. Unless he ambushed them, facing either of them directly—let alone both—was suicide.

"Don't lose him!" Mo Yanyu shouted, launching after him. Behind her, two Red Cloud Sect cultivators followed in haste.

Master Karu, however, didn't move at once. Watching the grey bomb reduce the tree branches to splinters, he calmly raised his hand and summoned the eerie weapon back into his palm. With a sneer, he finally took off, flashing after Mo Yanyu at terrifying speed.

The Red Cloud Sect cultivators were quickly outpaced. Only Mo Yanyu and Master Karu closed the distance on Yang Kai.

"Boom!"

A bright blue sphere erupted ahead of them, flooding the area with blinding light. The sudden explosion stunned both Mo Yanyu and Master Karu—too focused on Yang Kai to notice the trap. Dazed, they slammed into nearby trees. By the time their vision cleared, Yang Kai was already a distant blur.

"A blue smoke bomb?! Damn it!" Mo Yanyu cursed, gritting her teeth as she surged forward again.

Master Karu looked even more furious. With a snarl, he overtook her, no longer holding back. "You little bastard... I'll make you wish you'd never been born!"

"Boom!"

Another blue smoke bomb detonated, but this time Karu was ready. Shutting his eyes in advance, he flew through the fading flash without pause, narrowing the gap between them again.

His power was leagues above Yang Kai's. He flew like a phantom, closing in with ease. Twenty meters out, the grey bomb shimmered once more in Karu's palm. He smirked wickedly and hurled it forward like a cannonball.

"Boom!"

Yang Kai retaliated with another blue smoke bomb. The two explosives collided mid-air, bursting into a spectacular green flare that lit up the canopy and sparked a wildfire below.

It bought him time—precious seconds to keep fleeing. He used every last smoke bomb he had taken earlier, releasing them whenever Karu drew close.

But eventually, he ran out.

Just then, warmth surged through his meridians.

Yang Kai spun mid-run—and charged directly at Karu!

Karu scoffed. Without even flinching, he activated his Yuan Qi. A thick layer of dark light cloaked his body in a half-meter shield.

Yang Kai's eyes narrowed. Even as he focused Yuan Qi into his left arm, he didn't release it. His iron-hard fist slashed forward like a blade, aiming directly for Karu's stomach.

Karu stood unmoved, contempt in his gaze.

"Boom!"

His fist struck the barrier—it felt like punching into cotton. The dark light absorbed the impact, leaving Karu completely unharmed.

With a twisted grin, Karu raised his hand and blasted another grey bomb into Yang Kai's chest.

The hit landed. Power surged through Yang Kai's ribs—he flew back violently, blood spraying from his mouth as bone shattered.

He hit the earth hard, pain rippling through every nerve.

"You've no idea who you're messing with." Karu approached slowly, expression dark. "You're mine, boy. You'll return as my medicine slave. This wasn't even my full strength—you'd be dead otherwise."

"Again!" Yang Kai roared.

He staggered up, blood dripping from his lips, eyes blazing with madness.

"You want death? Fine by me!" Karu howled with laughter.

Yang Kai raised his right fist again and sprinted forward, as if trying the same futile move.

Karu chuckled cruelly. "You've learned nothing."

But Yang Kai wasn't planning a repeat.

He activated his trump card—the Star Mark. Energy surged into his arm, crackling with unseen force.

Karu's eyes widened.

Too late.

Boom!

Under the Star Mark's power, time seemed to freeze. Karu's body locked up completely—no reaction, no defense.

Yang Kai's left hand flashed—he drew the dagger from his sleeve and slashed clean across Karu's throat.

A hot torrent of blood splashed over him. Karu's head soared into the air and landed meters away.

His right arm fell limp, the backlash from Star Mark rendering it useless for now.

"Don't let him escape!"

Mo Yanyu's voice rang out behind him. Though the smoke bombs had slowed her, she was closing in—with Red Cloud Sect cultivators not far behind.

Yang Kai didn't stay to fight.

He couldn't use any strength in his right arm, as if this was the consequence he had to face after such an intense attack which had caused some backlash in his body.

He grabbed Karu's backpack, dove into the underbrush, and vanished into the wilderness once more.

Mo Yanyu suddenly stopped.

The four cultivators from the Mo family, who had followed her out of the dense forest, wore grim expressions.

On the ground lay Master Karu's corpse—still warm.

The sight froze the group in place. Fear crept into their eyes as they stood beside Mo Yanyu. One of them hesitated, then stepped forward and said, "Miss Mo..."

Mo Yanyu was trembling. After a pause, she responded with a frown, "Stop the chase."

"But Miss..." the cultivator tried to object.

"Master Karu had already reached the peak of the True Element Boundary Stage, same as me. And he had far more combat experience." Mo Yanyu shook her head, hopelessness flashing in her eyes. "I don't know how he managed to kill Master Karu, but it means he could kill any one of us just as easily. If we keep chasing him, we may not even make it back to the Red Cloud Sect."

"So we just let him go like this? Miss Mo, we spent a fortune getting Master Karu to work for us!" the cultivator said in a low, reluctant voice.

"So, Li Tian, unless you have a better idea, what do you suggest we do?"

Li Tian fell silent.

Mo Yanyu knelt beside Master Karu's cold body. She rifled through his belongings and cursed under her breath. "Shit! That bastard took everything—Karu's medicine and his medical books. We came here for nothing."

The other four cultivators stood in silence. No one dared speak.

"Return to Johnson. From now on, we act only in groups—no one moves alone," Mo Yanyu said with a deep breath. Then she stood and turned back the way they came.

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

Yang Kai dashed through the forest, his breath ragged and chest heaving. He didn't look back.

He had killed Master Karu, but he didn't dare stay. Not because of Mo Yanyu or the Red Cloud Sect's cultivators chasing him—but because something far more dangerous was happening inside his own body.

That moment, right after he slit Karu's throat, he had felt it.

A sudden, overwhelming desire to kill. It wasn't just bloodlust from battle—it was something else, something deeper. Something wrong.

His fists clenched as he ran. His vision blurred. His heart pounded uncontrollably.

The urge to kill surged up from within, wild and violent. A whisper echoed in his mind—repeating over and over:"Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill!"

Yang Kai knew that before long, he would have lost all his sanity, and become a mindless bloodthirsty beast. He would be filled with the intent to kill.

A beautiful music suddenly flew into Yang Kai's ears from a distance.

The music was like water drops falling onto a jade plate, like the wind shuttling through a silk curtain.

It was as soft as a bird flapping its wings, as light as a gentle stream flowing through a quiet forest. The music was so beautiful, so peaceful, as if it flew down from Heaven.

The beautiful music was like a soft hand soothing his heart. It had taken away all his bloody and crazy desire. Slowly, it also helped Yang Kai regain his sanity, which was on the brink of breakdown.

Thanks to that soft and soothing music, Yang Kai gradually regained his sanity before he lost his mind.

Yang Kai collapsed to one knee, sweat pouring down his face. His body felt heavy. His right arm hung limp—it hadn't recovered from the backlash of that final attack.

He stared at his trembling hands, still faintly glowing with that golden light.

"So this is what they call... becoming a devil," he muttered hoarsely, his voice laced with shock and disbelief.

He'd heard about it before, It was common knowledge among seasoned cultivators: advancing too fast, consuming too much Yuan Qi without refining the spirit—these were the seeds of deviation. The first step to becoming a devil cultivator.

He had thought it was just a theory. A warning passed around to slow down reckless newcomers.

But now... he knew better.

Sigh....

He slowly walked in the direction of that music with an intoxicated look on his face. He felt like his whole body was soaking in that beautiful music, and all the bloodlust inside his body had totally disappeared.

In a small valley full of unique flowers and special plants, Yang Kai saw a beautiful figure playing the zither. She was just sitting cross-legged in the middle of the flowers. She slightly lowered her head and was completely putting herself into the music, unaware of Yang Kai's presence.

Yang Kai moved closer and closer and stopped around 100 meters away from her back. He stood there and was flabbergasted with the beautiful figure in front of him. He stood there with closed eyes, trying to immerse himself in the beautiful sound of zither.

After a while, the sound of zither gradually slowed down, and finally stopped.

The beautiful figure at distance slowly turned around with an ancient zither in her hands. She slightly frowned and looked straight at Yang Kai.

Yang Kai couldn't help but tremble. His eyes were staring at the beautiful girl in front of him unceasingly. "So beautiful!" he unconsciously blurted out.

That girl was around 18 or 19 years old, dressed in a white overskirt. Her eyes were sparkling, her teeth were gleaming, her skin was soft and smooth, and her figure was delicate and slim. She could be described as a beautiful goddess from Heaven, but at the same time, also as the cute girl that lived next door. She was so perfect. Yang Kai couldn't tell who was more beautiful—Mo Yanyu, Su Yan, Du Yishuang, Xia Ning Chang, or the girl in front of him.

The lovely girl gave Yang Kai a single glance. She then turned around in silence and walked slowly towards the little creek hundreds of meters away with the zither in her hands.

Yang Kai couldn't help admiring the beautiful women in this world.

"Miss! Thanks a lot for your beautiful music. Can I..." Seeing the girl was walking away from him, Yang Kai couldn't help but shout.

"Hey, enough already," a crisp yet forceful voice interrupted him.

Suddenly, a strong figure dropped from a branch above, landing with barely a sound in front of him. It was a woman—Di Yalan. She wore a form-fitting crimson armor that hugged her curves while leaving little to the imagination. Her presence was wild, confident, and unmistakably dangerous. A long, curved blade rested on her back, but it was the cold sharpness in her eyes that cut the most.

Yang Kai instinctively stepped back. Just being near her made him feel like a rabbit staring down a hunting falcon.

There was no mistaking it—this woman was a cultivator leagues above him.

Di Yalan arched a brow at him and crossed her arms. "You're practically drooling, kid. Not a great look."

Yang Kai took a step back, showing that he didn't come with any evil thoughts. Then he faked a smile and said, "The music that the beautiful miss played was so enchanting. I just can't get enough. I stayed just to listen to more of her music, nothing else. Don't worry."

To Yang Kai, this girl had the most magical music skills. Her beautiful music could apparently help him control the bloody desire within his mind. Yang Kai was not sure when this craving for blood inside of him would come back again. Therefore, he was desperate to find something to help him control this ugly desire inside his body.

"I've seen that look before. Lusty little fool who thinks a pretty tune is an invitation." Di Yalan scoffed, stepping forward lazily. "Let me give you some advice. Next time you feel like stalking a girl with a zither, try not to look like you've already undressed her in your head."

Yang Kai coughed, awkward. "I assure you, I'm not that shameless."

She smirked, tilting her head. "Then you'd better turn around before I decide to test just how shameless you really are."

"Okay, okay, as you wish." Yang Kai raised his hands again and began backing away without further protest.

Yang Kai melted into the shadows of the forest, his presence hidden like a drifting leaf. He didn't follow them directly, just kept a careful distance—silent, cautious. He didn't even know their names. But something in him refused to turn away completely.

He felt immense gratitude towards that beautiful girl.

The girl's music had pulled him back from the edge. From becoming... something else. A devil. If not for her, he wasn't sure if he'd still be himself. That was a debt he couldn't ignore.

He didn't think too much and decided to continue following them.

He didn't like owing favors, and so he decided to pay back the girl's kindness in his own way.

As for them... he hadn't forgotten.

Mo Yanyu. The Red Cloud Sect.