Martial Peak - Rise Of The Human Emperor-Chapter 73-The Stone Statues.

Bang! The first stone statue's massive fist finally crashed into the ground, sending a dull echo reverberating through the chamber. The five retreating figures felt cold sweat trickle down their spines.

Suddenly, the sound of galloping echoed behind them. The ground trembled faintly under their feet. Alarmed, they glanced back—and what they saw chilled them further.

Hundreds of stone statues were charging toward them with surprising speed, closing the distance like an unstoppable tide.

No one had expected stone statues to move like that!

"Don't look back! Run around the stone pillars to shake them off!" Lan Chudie shouted sharply.

Everyone seemed to get the same spark of realization and immediately began weaving through the forest of stone pillars.

After a frantic chase and some clever maneuvering, they managed to create enough distance to lose most of the pursuing statues.

However, the two statues that had initially attacked Du Yishuang were still hot on her heels. They had locked onto her and Yang Kai with relentless focus.

"Yang Kai, you bitch! Don't bring them over here!" Nie Yong screamed while sprinting in the opposite direction, his voice shrill with panic.

Yang Kai didn't even spare him a glance. His expression had darkened, his brows furrowed in irritation as he kept moving without a word.

From behind a stone pillar, Lan Chudie peeked cautiously at the situation. She saw Yang Kai and Du Yishuang still being chased, while no statues pursued her.

She hesitated. The safer option was obvious. But after a brief moment of internal struggle, her jaw tightened and she made her decision.

"Stop running!" she shouted. "If it's just these two statues—we can take them!"

Her words echoed with surprising strength, making everyone pause.

Lan Chudie stepped out confidently. "Earlier, Yang Kai and Du Yishuang managed to hold them off. That proves they aren't unbeatable! Their martial skills are weak—we can win!"

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Her voice lit a spark in the others.

"Zuo An," she continued, turning toward him. "You draw one of them away. The rest of us will focus our efforts on the other statue."

Zuo An's brow twitched. He clearly didn't love the plan—but he didn't object either. With a grunt, he spun around and launched himself toward one of the charging statues.

Boom!

His fist met the statue's granite knuckles with a thunderous impact. A small chunk of the statue's hand cracked off from the force, and it staggered slightly, momentarily thrown off balance.

Although the stone statues' attacks were undeniably powerful, their lethargic reaction time and sluggish movements made them easy to predict. As long as one wasn't caught off guard, dodging their strikes wasn't difficult. To a battle-hardened cultivator, they posed no real threat unless overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

As the four surrounded and relentlessly assaulted one of the statues, it began to show clear signs of deterioration. Cracks spread across its stone body like a spiderweb, growing deeper and more jagged with each successive blow.

With victory within reach, their strikes grew fiercer and more coordinated.

Finally—with a final, thunderous impact—the stone statue crumbled to pieces, collapsing into a pile of jagged rubble.

Though none of the four sustained injuries, their Yuan Qi reserves had been heavily drained. Their chests rose and fell with exertion, the strain of sustained combat clearly showing.

Lan Chudie stepped toward the broken remains, her brows knitting in confusion. "Strange..." she muttered softly.

Logically, these stone statues should have some sort of power core or mechanism enabling their movement. But after closely inspecting the wreckage, she found nothing—no runes, no formation, no trace of energy residue.

She frowned. "There's no power source?"

Without lingering any further, she straightened up and called out, "Let's go help Zuo An!" and quickly strode toward the second battle.

Wasting no time, the group regrouped and closed in on the remaining stone statue. This time, there was no shouting, no commentary—only focused silence. Each member moved with precision, conserving what little Yuan Qi they had left as they engaged in coordinated attacks.

After ten grueling minutes of relentless assault, the second stone statue finally succumbed, collapsing into dust and rubble just like the first.

The aftermath was filled with ragged breathing and tired expressions. While the battle hadn't pushed them to the brink of death, it had consumed more Yuan Qi than expected.

As the group finally relaxed, Nie Yong turned toward Yang Kai, his voice sharp and furious.

"Yang Kai, you bastard! Don't think just because we're from the same sect I won't do something to you!"

Yang Kai rolled his eyes, unbothered. "What now?"

"Don't play dumb! Why did you lead those two statues to me earlier!?"

"Did I?" Yang Kai replied blandly, glancing elsewhere with feigned innocence. "I was too busy running to care. It wasn't personal."

Truthfully, Yang Kai had only focused on running—he had no idea to worry about anyone else.

Lan Chudie puffed out her sizable chest with authority and barked, "Enough! Stop quarreling!" while continuing to search the rubble.

Nie Yong shot Yang Kai a frosty glare. "If this happens again... don't blame me for being impolite."

"Oh?" Lan Chudie suddenly exclaimed, her voice filled with surprise. Kneeling beside the rubble, her fingers brushed away the last bits of crushed stone to reveal something peculiar. In her hand, she held a small, fist-sized stone figure—shaped exactly like a baby.

The unexpected discovery quickly drew the attention of everyone nearby. One by one, the others gathered around her, their curiosity piqued as they beheld the strange object she had uncovered.

The stone baby, though tiny, was exquisitely crafted. Its surface gleamed with a jade-like luster, finely carved with smooth, delicate features. Translucent and shimmering under the cave's ambient light, it looked more like a work of art than something born from battle.

(It's technically a "stone man," but calling it a stone baby sounds cuter. Yeah... until you imagine it getting crushed. D:)

What caught their attention even more were the red vein-like lines etched throughout its body. Glowing faintly within the stone, there were exactly thirty visible strands.

"This is...?" Zuo An muttered, peering over Lan Chudie's shoulder with a furrowed brow.

Yang Kai and Du Yishuang arrived beside them just in time, having finished catching their breath from the previous fight.

Nie Yong, never one to be left out of a conversation he didn't understand, piped up, "What's this thing made of? Some kind of rare mineral?"

Lan Chudie shook her head slowly, her brows still knit in thought. "I can't tell. It doesn't give off any obvious energy fluctuations. But these red veins inside... they're too precise, too deliberate. Definitely not random."

She looked up and glanced around at the others. "What do you all think? Any guesses?"

Zuo An scratched his chin. "What if... we could control those stone statues with this thing? Like some kind of puppet core?"

Lan Chudie considered it for a moment, then shook her head. "Unlikely. Not every statue had one of these. And even if they did, how would we even control it? It's not reacting to any Yuan Qi."

Then, Yang Kai spoke up, his tone calm yet certain. "Doesn't this pattern remind you of something?"

Everyone looked at him.

"These red lines... don't they resemble the meridians inside our bodies?" His eyes sparkled with insight.

Lan Chudie ignored the skeptical sneer from Nie Yong and turned toward Yang Kai, intrigued. "Are you saying... this is related to cultivation?"

Yang Kai nodded. "I think this stone baby contains a Martial Skill. The lines inside—it's like a map, guiding the flow of Yuan Qi through the meridians. If someone could decipher it..."

"What a joke," Nie Yong snorted with disdain. "You're dreaming."

Before he could say more, Du Yishuang's eyes narrowed as she stepped up beside him. Her voice was icy cold. "Shut. Up."

Her tone sent a chill down Nie Yong's spine. He immediately backed off, startled by her sudden aggression. Though he might not fear Yang Kai, Du Yishuang was two cultivation levels above him. If a fight broke out, he'd have no chance of winning.

Even Zuo An shot Nie Yong a look of contempt. "You're more trouble than you're worth," he muttered, making it clear that his irritation was personal, not out of support for Yang Kai.

Humiliated and red-faced, Nie Yong clenched his fists and lowered his head. Though his hatred for Yang Kai deepened, he didn't dare speak again.

Lan Chudie seemed inspired. "Let's test Yang Kai's theory."

Everyone immediately understood what she meant and nodded silently.

She smiled faintly. "Then, please protect me while I give this a try." Sitting cross-legged on the ground, she placed the stone baby before her and closed her eyes. Slowly, she began to circulate her Yuan Qi, guiding it to mimic the red-veined meridian pattern within the stone figure.

Minutes passed in silence. The others stood guard, tense and alert for any disturbance.

Eventually, Lan Chudie opened her eyes—and they shone with amazement. She turned her gaze to Yang Kai with a mix of disbelief and admiration. "You were right," she said slowly. "This stone baby... it really is a Martial Skill container."

Gasps echoed among the group.

"I couldn't completely unravel it," Lan Chudie admitted. "But I was able to sense its nature. It's at least an Earth Middle-Grade Martial Skill—though I still don't know exactly what kind it is."

She glanced back down at the figure. "To activate it, a cultivator must circulate Yuan Qi through thirty meridians, just like the stone baby's internal lines. That alone proves its grade. Martial Skills at that level always require a higher level of control and meridian flow."

The moment those words left her lips, the entire group fell into stunned silence.

Zuo An's breathing grew heavier with anticipation. Du Yishuang's eyes gleamed with intrigue. Even Nie Yong, who had been sulking moments ago, was now struggling to hide his burning desire for the stone baby.

Yang Kai's heart throbbed with exhilaration.

Ever since that fateful night at Nine Yin Mountain Valley, he had become painfully aware of his own limitations. While his Yang Liquid was a formidable advantage, it had one major flaw—he lacked a proper Martial Skill to complement it. Each time he engaged in battle, he could only rely on raw physical strength and brute force powered by his Yang Drops. His strikes carried power, yes, but they lacked technique and refinement.

The realization had frustrated him.

If he had possessed even a basic offensive Martial Skill back at the Nine Yin Valley, his fights wouldn't have been so grueling or taxing. He would have cut down his enemies with greater ease and saved much of his stamina.

But in High Heaven Pavilion, Martial Skills came at a steep price—Contribution Points. And Yang Kai had none to spare. He'd often dreamed of learning one, but those techniques were like stars in the sky: visible, yet far out of reach.

Now, standing among shattered rubble in the depths of a mysterious cave, a Martial Skill had essentially fallen into his lap. And not just any Martial Skill—one that was at least Earth Grade. The opportunity was simply too good to be true.

Even better, there were more than a hundred of those stone statues scattered throughout the area!

If each statue contained one of those jade-like stone babies, then... Yang Kai's eyes gleamed. He might be able to acquire multiple Martial Skills. At the very least, he was guaranteed one.

And he wasn't the only one excited.

The others, too, were aware of the value that lay before them. Martial Skills were incredibly rare and precious. To cultivators, they were like divine weapons—amplifying one's strength exponentially.

Lan Chudie, in particular, was overjoyed. Though her expression remained composed, there was a noticeable glimmer of satisfaction dancing in her eyes. Deep down, she was patting herself on the back.

Had she not insisted on destroying both statues, they might never have discovered this hidden treasure.

"What do you all think?" she asked, casting a glance at the group. Her lips curled into a confident, radiant smile, clearly pleased with herself.

"Yeah..." Zuo An nodded slowly, still processing what they had stumbled upon. His voice was slightly hoarse, betraying the awe he felt.

Nie Yong, practically vibrating with glee, couldn't hold back his excitement. "Since these stone babies contain Martial Skills, we can't possibly pass this up! This place is a treasure trove! We've only just entered, and look what we've already uncovered!"

Yang Kai and Du Yishuang both nodded in agreement, expressions serious but eyes alight with anticipation.

Lan Chudie clapped her hands lightly, pleased with the consensus. "Good! Since everyone agrees, we'll stay here for a while longer and clean out as many of these stone statues as we can."

She held up the stone baby she had taken from the rubble and added, "I'll hold on to this one for now. Once we've collected all the Martial Skills, we can discuss redistribution fairly. Don't worry—I won't try to secretly refine the skill inside."

Nie Yong instantly chimed in, his voice full of flattering eagerness. "Of course, Lan Senior Apprentice Sister! I trust you completely!" He spun toward the others and puffed out his chest. "Lan Senior Apprentice Sister is renowned for her integrity in the High Heaven Pavilion. She's absolutely trustworthy."

His over-the-top endorsement made Yang Kai glance sideways with a subtle twitch of his brow, while Du Yishuang simply rolled her eyes.

Though his words were somewhat shameless, neither Zuo An nor Du Yishuang objected to Lan Chudie's decision. They lacked any better alternative and no one among them knew how to extract a Martial Skill from the stone babies yet. For now, entrusting it to her was the most practical option.

With the matter of treasure distribution temporarily settled, the group shifted focus to more pressing concerns—specifically, how to deal with the rest of the stone statues.

Everyone knew that taking down these animated constructs wasn't easy. Each statue was incredibly strong, and though their movements were slow, one solid hit could be disastrous. Trying to fight them one-on-one would be suicidal.

After a brief discussion, they settled on a clear strategy: teamwork.

They would move around the massive stone pillars in the cave to draw a single statue away from the others. Once separated, the group would work together to isolate and overwhelm it using coordinated attacks.

Lan Chudie outlined the plan clearly. "We need to avoid fighting multiple statues at once. Lure them away, trap them one by one, and take them down fast. Efficiency is key—we don't have an unlimited supply of Yuan Qi."

Zuo An nodded. "I'll lead one out next. Everyone stay sharp."

And with that, their small group of treasure hunters-turned-statue-slayers set their sights on the next stone figure, fully aware that what lay ahead was both exhausting—and potentially, immensely rewarding.