Chapter 1443 (Raw 1428):
Suddenly, Xiao Chen saw a city below. After the Cycle War Chariot flew by the city in a flash, it slowly returned.
This was Hunluo City of Hunluo Province. Xiao Chen had a deep impression of this city. Three years ago, after he left Heavenly Starry Island and visited the bloody graveyard, he rushed over to the Eternal Heavenly Sword School at Hunluo Province.
Unfortunately, after Xiao Chen searched the entire Eternal Heavenly Sword School, he did not find Xie Changtian, the one he suspected of sneak-attacking the Thunder Emperor Sang Mu. However, he did find some clues.
[TL Note: The Changtian in Xie Changtian translates to Eternal Heavenly. It looks like this person named the school after himself.]
All the clues indicated that Xie Changtian went to a certain place—the Penglai Sea!
Back then, the pill Xie Changtian used to extend his lifespan was refined by an Immortal Venerate from the Penglai Sea. Just from this, one could tell that he possessed deep ties with the major characters of the Penglai Sea.
However, Xiao Chen did not know whether the people of the Penglai Sea had participated in the matters of back then.
He wanted to visit the Penglai Sea but could not enter at all. So he could only put this matter down for now.
However, even though Xiao Chen set it aside temporarily, that did not mean he forgot it. Someday, he would kill his way into the Penglai Sea and pull Xie Changtian out. He would not let off anyone who participated in killing the Thunder Emperor back then.
Now that Xiao Chen returned to this place, he paused for a moment before preparing to leave for the oceanic world to enter the Mirage Immortal Palace, one of the eight great forbidden lands, to find the Cycle Arts.
The Mirage Immortal Palace was the most mysterious forbidden land. Although it had already been around in the golden age, it was still not easy to enter.
Just at this moment, Xiao Chen suddenly remembered something. If he recalled correctly, not far away, where Hunluo Province abutted against the Fiend Domain, there was another forbidden land, known as Misleading Fog Lake.
Back then, Xiao Chen comprehended his will of thunder there. The Lightning Talisman there made a deep impression on him.
Coincidentally, Xiao Chen's will of thunder just broke through its bottleneck and condensed an Innate Thunder Crystal.
Compared to back then, Xiao Chen's current strength was as different as heaven and earth. Might he have a chance of subduing it?
If he really could subdue this Lightning Talisman, he could use it to deal with the Holy Masters, perhaps even keep it as a trump card against Primes.
The more Xiao Chen thought about it, the greater its potential seemed. He changed his direction and headed for the Fiend Domain forbidden land just outside Hunluo Province, Misleading Fog Lake.
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When Xiao Chen headed for the Fiend Domain was also when the saga of the struggle for the Evil Shadow Sword—the fight between the Kunlun Realm's outstanding talents and the Demonic World's eighteen Demon Royal Halls—ended.
No one expected the Shadowless Saber Sovereign to appear all of a sudden and beat up the Deity Dao Union and Demon Royal Halls. Neither the Demon Crown Scions nor the Deity Dao Union's outstanding talents could accept such a result.
This was a stage originally prepared for them. In the end, the Shadowless Saber Sovereign appeared unexpectedly and spoiled it.
Furthermore, the destruction of this stage was extremely thorough, entirely out of the ordinary. Even the staging area itself was destroyed.
People found the shattering of the ice sculpture and the Shadowless Saber Sovereign emerging from it even more incredible.
Although this storm had already reached its conclusion, the aftershocks it engendered would not die down right away. The Deity Dao Union already issued a kill order for the Shadowless Saber Sovereign. After the Divine Son, Di Wuque, was sent flying with one chop, his prestige suffered a tremendous hit.
People even started to suspect that Di Wuque was not the one favored by Luck. The rumors triggered a thirty-percent decrease in his power of faith.
As for the Young Master Celestial Demon, whom everyone thought had obtained the Evil Shadow Sword, his bitterness was hard to explain. One could easily imagine that there would be a good show to watch when he returned to the Demonic World.
However, these two were not the main characters. After this storm was over, a ferment swept through the Kunlun Realm as everyone tried to guess the identity of the Shadowless Saber Sovereign.
In the past three years, the Shadowless Saber Sovereign suddenly rose up. His not touching his saber and not leaving traces of himself behind added to his mystique.
Obtaining the Saber Sovereign Medallion and defeating the Deity Dao Union and the eighteen Demon Royal Halls made him into a legendary character.
Who exactly was the Shadowless Saber Sovereign?
From the Kunlun Continent to the vast oceanic world, be it the strong or the weak, they all discussed this mysterious Shadowless Saber Sovereign.
The debate turned increasingly random. There were both truth and falsehood mixed in and all sorts of guesses. However, no one connected this Shadowless Saber Sovereign to the Azure Dragon King of five years ago.
Xiao Chen, the Azure Dragon King, the White Robed Bladesman, seemed to be already buried in the dust of history, under the surging waves. No one discussed him, and no one was willing to speak of him. Even the newly prominent people did not have any impression of him.
---
Relying on his memory, Xiao Chen reached the shore of Misleading Fog Lake four days later.
Misleading Fog Lake was a famous forbidden land in the Fiend Domain where the fog was too thick; even Primes did not dare to go deep into it. They did not know what was inside.
In the past years, all the people who were willing to take the risk ended up paying a price that did not match their gains. Such a result was very normal.
Now that Xiao Chen returned to this place, he could not help taking out the Lunar Shadow Saber and toying with it while seated on the throne. The first time he came here, it was Little Ao Jiao who led the way. Now, he did not even know when she would wake up.
Or perhaps, that should be he did not know when he could resolve his fixation and remove his mask, allowing the Lunar Shadow Saber to truly recognize him as the Azure Dragon King Xiao Chen and not the Shadowless Saber Sovereign.
Reminiscing often made one sigh. While Xiao Chen cherished the past, he did not like the sorrow there. He was not willing to dwell in this emotion too long. After toying with the Lunar Shadow Saber for a while, he put it away.
With a thought, the Innate Thunder Crystal flew out from his forehead.
Xiao Chen's Innate Thunder Crystal still took on the appearance of the Lightning Talisman, looking the same as it did in the past. However, when he held it in his hand, he could clearly feel the difference—a great difference.
This item was now truly a physical item that existed in the world and not an illusion of an energy talisman.
The moment this talisman appeared, all the lightning-attributed energy within fifty kilometers trembled for some reason. Sparks flashed nonstop in the air, crackling like they were greeting the talisman.
Xiao Chen stretched out his finger, and the Lightning Talisman moved above the lake, into the thick fog.
He was not worried about getting lost. His talisman was a copy of the Lightning Talisman at the bottom of the lake. There was always a vague connection between the two.
This feeling became even stronger and clearer when Xiao Chen arrived above the lake. As long as he followed this feeling, he could reach the center of the lake.
After entering deep into the lake, he lost his five senses; even his Spiritual Sense was ineffective, his sense of direction confused. What he thought was left was actually right. What he thought was front was actually back.
Even at Xiao Chen's level, this place still affected his senses. His interest in the Divine Lightning at the center of the lake became even keener.
"Whoosh!"
After some time, the scene before Xiao Chen suddenly changed, turning into a golden world. Not only was the lake water below golden, but the surrounding air and the clouds above were a pure golden color as well.
Xiao Chen recalled that the first time he came here, he could not open his eyes. He had been dazzled. This time, he could size up the surrounding environment with ease.
However, he did not even bother doing that. He stared straight at the center of the lake, at the clump of golden electric light.
The legendary Divine Lightning was contained in the center of the electric light.