Chapter 1338:
The Cyclic Astral Lord smiled faintly. His handsome countenance suddenly flickered like bright stars in a dark, starry sky.
However, he did not ask Xiao Chen about the world that Xiao Chen believed he saw or what was it like. Instead, he spoke about something else. "What did you think of this Infinite World's Sun and Moon Formation?"
Xiao Chen replied immediately without even pausing to think, "Very strong. If I'm not wrong, there should be someone managing it in every palace. This is probably especially so for the Sun Palace and the Moon Palace, where there are probably two peak experts controlling it. If its full might is unleashed, even a Prime might not be able to barge through.
"The formation that I saw was likely just the tip of the iceberg. I suspect you left a weakness there for me on purpose."
A look of surprise flashed in the Cyclic Astral Lord's eyes, and he asked, "Care to explain it?"
Xiao Chen answered honestly, "The moon was waning, and the sun was rising. This weakness is too obvious. Given the Cyclic Astral Palace's long history, someone would have noticed this weakness and made changes to mitigate it."
The Cyclic Astral Lord laughed, "Great eyes. However, you are somewhat too humble. I expected you to take at least three days to find this weakness. Who knew, day just broke, and you managed to grab that fleeting opportunity."
"I was also relying on the Cycle Banner to break it and luckily succeeded. For an ordinary person, even if they knew about the weakness, entering would not be so easy."
"Cycle Banner? May I take a look?"
The Cyclic Astral Lord took the Cycle Banner from Xiao Chen's hands and gently swung it. The banner unfurled, and the scarlet banner flapped in the wind, giving off a sound like that of sea waves.
Aside from two Astral Pearls, five of the seven Astral Pearls on the banner lit up.
They gave off ten times the light than they did in Xiao Chen's hand, immediately suppressing the sunlight and making night suddenly reappear.
"Whoosh!"
The banner curled back up, and the Cyclic Astral Lord praised, "Not bad. However, this refining method is somewhat crude. I'll help you to re-refine it. There should be some improvement in the quality of this banner."
Xiao Chen rejoiced in his heart. Probably no one in the world could compare to the Cyclic Astral Lord in refining Astral Banners.
"However, unfortunately…"
Could there be some changes in the situation?
Feeling suspicious, Xiao Chen asked, "Cyclic Astral Lord, what is unfortunate?"
"Unfortunately, I have only the Pain Throne. If I had the Destruction Throne, I would be able to complete this Astral Banner."
Xiao Chen was slightly stunned before he reacted. How is that unfortunate? This is clearly a pleasant surprise!
He suppressed his excitement and asked, "Might I ask if the Cyclic Astral Lord has news about the Destruction Throne?"
The Cyclic Astral Lord revealed a pondering expression. "Let me think. This Destruction Throne is not really a peak treasure and has passed hands many times before. If I recall correctly, it should be in the hands of the Jadeite Sovereign. However, I'm not sure if he already passed it on to another person."
Xiao Chen was overjoyed. He had been sending people to find news about the two thrones. However, he could not get anything. Unexpectedly, he managed to learn the location of the thrones from the Cyclic Astral Lord.
He even managed to obtain a throne.
The Cyclic Astral Lord continued, "It looks like you want to comprehend the state of cycles. This is something extremely hard to comprehend. After you advance to Martial Emperor, I can accompany you to the Mirage Immortal Palace and take a look at the ancient wall where the Cycle Arts are engraved to try your luck."
"In that case, many thanks, Cyclic Astral Lord."
The Cyclic Astral Lord smiled casually and said, "This is just a small matter. I'll hang on to the Cycle Banner first. I bring you around the Cyclic Astral Palace."
Xiao Chen felt suspicious. He was not afraid that the Cyclic Astral Lord would swallow up his Cycle Banner. What he found strange was that this Cyclic Astral Lord thought so highly of him.
After all, the Cyclic Astral Palace had a clear influence in the camp that wanted to suppress him.
Xiao Chen decided to wait and watch. He remained silent and followed the Cyclic Astral Lord around the Cyclic Astral Palace.
Along the way, the Cyclic Astral Lord carefully explained to Xiao Chen the various origins of the Cyclic Astral Palace's remnants as well as some interesting information. However, he did not mention a single word about what Xiao Chen was here for; he was really confusing.
Xiao Chen retained his patience while casually chatting with such a major character. Occasionally, he also spoke of some of his understandings, making the Cyclic Astral Lord's eyes light up.
The two were like good friends walking around everywhere and chatting happily with each other.
Xiao Chen could be considered to have borrowed intimidation from others. Everywhere he went, the people of the Cyclic Astral Palace—from elders to disciples—were all extra respectful of him.
"Come, I'll bring you to a place you will be interested in."
After touring all the Astral Palaces, the Cyclic Astral Lord led Xiao Chen into the water.
The two entered the water with a splash and sank.
Underwater, Xiao Chen was greatly astonished. Separated by boundless seawater, he could see a huge golden fireball burning continuously at the bottom of the sea.
Xiao Chen knew full well that the golden fireball was very far away. However, he had the impression that he could touch it just by stretching out his hand.
Besides the golden fireball, there was another very pale white fireball.
Solar True Flame and Lunar True Flame!
Xiao Chen felt startled. Could it be that the flame mirrored in the water was actually not a reflection but something real?
If that was real, then how should he feel about it?
His guess should not be wrong. The Five Poison Sect could make the seven-colored poison cloud encase an entire island. The Cyclic Astral Palace had even vaster accumulations. How could they not have other trump cards?
The two sank for some distance. Along the way, there were many guards. However, the Cyclic Astral Lord dismissed them with a wave.
"There is a miniature Dimensional Formation in front. I'll bring you through. Then, you will immediately see the true accumulations of the Cyclic Astral Palace."
The Cyclic Astral Lord held on to Xiao Chen and leaped forward. The scene before Xiao Chen suddenly changed.
A surging heat wave blew over. Xiao Chen looked ahead and saw a pool of flames ten kilometers wide. It was covered in formations and filled with incredibly pure Solar True Flame and Lunar True Flame.
The amount of the two was the same, maintaining a perfect balance. However, they did not truly merge with each other.
At this moment, the sun was right above the sea. As a result, this Solar True Flame burned fiercely. The Lunar True Flame was deadly subdued. It would probably release its own light at night.
"Drip! Drip!"
Golden flames appeared like water drops above, forming a line and falling rhythmically into the Solar True Flame.
Shocked, Xiao Chen was speechless. He could sense that the drops of Solar True Flame were extremely pure and of high rank, at least Rank 9.
"This is the wealth that the Cyclic Astral Palace has accumulated over tens of thousands of years. How about it? I heard that you cultivate these two flames as well."
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly and demurred, "It's not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning at all."
Xiao Chen's Solar True Flame and Lunar True Flame were only Rank 5. The main problem was that Yin-attributed flames were too hard to find. He needed to maintain a balance between the two, which hindered his progress.
Compared to what was before Xiao Chen, both quality and quantity had a world of difference. What he had was not worth mentioning at all.
If Xiao Chen could completely grasp the flames before him, the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram he could condense would be extremely horrifying.
"Oh, right, this Lunar True Flame and Solar True Flame are really hard to collect. I'll give some to you, then."
The Cyclic Astral Master casually extended his hand, and a huge Golden Crow and a Flame Phoenix leaped out of the pool of fire.
The Golden Crow came from the Solar True Flame and the Flame Phoenix from the Lunar True Flame. They spread their wings and flew, appearing nimble while radiating Holy Might.
The Golden Crow and the Flame Phoenix flew into the Cyclic Astral Lord's hands and turned into two extremely dense clumps of flames.
This…this gift was too big. It was so big that Xiao Chen did not dare to accept it.
The two clumps of flames were at least ten times stronger than what Xiao Chen had. They would allow his strength to soar greatly in a short time.
"This much takes the Cyclic Astral Palace one thousand years to accumulate. Unfortunately, your strength is insufficient. Otherwise, I can give you even more," the Cyclic Astral Lord said extremely casually, not evincing any heartache whatsoever.
This person is not simple!
This demeanor stunned Xiao Chen. He would rather interact with the eccentric Myriad-Law Fiend Master than the Cyclic Astral Lord.
His patience fraying, Xiao Chen said seriously, "Cyclic Astral Lord, there is no need to go round in circles. I am not arrogant enough to think that I can convince you just by breaking a formation. I can sense that while you appear friendly, in reality, there is no sincerity at all."
The Cyclic Astral Lord's smile became wider. "I find myself appreciating you more and more. Despite reaching such a height at a young age, you did not lose yourself. Tell me, why do you think that I am not sincere?"
Xiao Chen replied indifferently, "Because I already figured out your heart."
"Interesting. Earlier, you said that you could see the world that I see but could not see my heart. I did not care about it then. Very well, now, tell me, what is in my heart?"
"Desire, pride, and ambition as well."
The moment Xiao Chen said this, the Cyclic Astral Lord's smile faded, and his demeanor turned distant. Now, he showed Xiao Chen a cold, aloof expression filled with ridiculous pride.
His face changed?
Maybe not. This is the Cyclic Astral Lord's true face.