Chapter 1653 (Raw 1635):
Even from tens of thousands of kilometers away, the intense naval battle was still clearly palpable, giving off a miserable flavor.
The loud sounds kept ringing in the ears.
The clouds were even more horrifying. Two Star Venerates of almost equal strength fought up there. Nearly no one dared to approach.
From the outside, that golden light that represented the Divine Shield Army steadily shrank, slowly massing.
One could peer through the golden light and see a bloody light trying several times to break out of the encirclement.
"The Divine Shield Army has one special characteristic. Their Divine Shield is as firm as a mountain. It will be hard for any of those pirates to escape this time," Xiao Suo sighed softly. As a pirate himself, he felt fear in his heart, dissatisfied at the disastrous encounter of these people of the same trade, sympathizing with them.
He also felt some rage but could not do anything about it.
Unless a 9-Star pirate ship came along to save the situation, anything would be for naught. Just the Black Cutlass alone would be negligible, too small to fill the gaps between a person's teeth. The disparity in numbers was too great.
"If it were the Blood Sword Army, some pirate groups might be able to survive this. However, the pirates that died would die deaths that would be a hundred times more painful," Elder Tang added in sympathy as he gazed at this scene before him.
Xiao Chen studied the battle. The pirates had already lost the advantage. Now, it was just a question of whether they had an opportunity to break out of the encirclement.
At this moment, the wisest choice would be to leave quickly.
However, for some reason, he felt like something in that battlefield was calling out to him.
This was not a desire that came from his bloodline. Instead, it was a fetter from the depths of his soul. The two attracted each other as if they had some faint connection that was present and, at the same time, not.
This felt like it was just an illusion, giving rise to many wild thoughts.
"Is it this?"
A Buddhist lamp appeared in Xiao Chen's palm. The Heavenly Snow Divine Flame was inside this Buddhist lamp. The śarīra that the Maheśvara Buddha left behind floated above it.
However, when the Maheśvara Buddha's śarīra appeared, that indistinct connection did not become stronger.
"A śarīra?" Elder Tang exclaimed hoarsely, somewhat startled.
As Elder Tang gazed at Xiao Chen, he was confused. To think that Xiao Chen even had a holy item of the Buddhist sects. Furthermore, based on the Buddhist light and the appearance of this śarīra, it was definitely of extraordinary origins.
"Strange."
Xiao Chen put away the Maheśvara Buddha's śarīra with a contemplative expression.
Since it was not Xiao Chen's Azure Dragon bloodline or the Maheśvara Buddha's śarīra, what was this mysterious item in the battlefield that drew Xiao Chen to it?
"Young Master Xiao, what happened? Why are we not leaving?" Elder Tang urged.
Xiao Chen answered honestly, "I feel that the item that the two Star Venerates are fighting over has some connection to me."
Xiao Chen's thought startled Elder Tang, who quickly warned, "You can't ever have such thoughts. If you go in there, you will die for sure!"
Elder Tang did not overthink. He only felt that it was normal for youths to have such rash thoughts. However, old men like him still had not lived enough.
"I know. I won't enter, but I will take a look. You all should start the ship up."
The Black Cutlass quickly sailed off on the sea. With a thought, the Heavenly Eye flew out from Xiao Chen's forehead and soared into the sky.
The Heavenly Eye rose increasingly higher. In the blink of an eye, it went through the clouds and arrived in the Starry Heavens.
After that, Xiao Chen controlled it to head slowly towards the Savage Blood Star Venerate and the Sword General's battle.
Seen from such a close distance, the two Star Venerates fighting still made Xiao Chen's heart thump heavily from a soul-deep fear, despite his remoteness from the battlefield.
However, at the same time, this was a great eye-opener for Xiao Chen, giving him plenty of benefits.
The one holding the scarlet saber should be the Savage Blood Star Venerate. The one with the sword should be the commander of the Divine Shield Army or something like that.
As the two Star Venerates exchanged moves, Xiao Chen's Heavenly Eye hovered high in the heavens, looking down from above.
Strangely, an aloof feeling that the two Star Venerates were only so-so bloomed in Xiao Chen's heart.
Such a thought startled him, and he quickly rid himself of such a notion.
Not daring to continue watching, he focused the vision of the Heavenly Eye and started searching.
"That painting!"
There was a painting shining with a Buddhist light near where the two experts fought. The Savage Blood Star Venerate and the Sword General purposely controlled the shock waves to avoid that painting.
Amid the intense battle between the two Star Venerates, the painting was like a peaceful park with no one worrying about it.
The two Star Venerates did not pay too much attention, either. Before the victor was decided, they only kept an eye on the painting. Neither could afford to get too distracted by focusing on the painting.
As for the other pirates and Divine Shield Army cultivators, they did not dare to get close to where the two Star Venerates fought at all.
What is there in my body that can attract this painting?
Xiao Chen thought very hard. It was not his bloodline or the Buddhist sect śarīra, so what else was special about him?
The Saber Dao…
Inspiration flashed in Xiao Chen's mind, and his eyes lit up.
Be it the Savage Blood Star Venerate or the Sword General, they were both very strong. Xiao Chen did not have the courage to fight them at all.
However, the two did not comprehend the Saber Dao or the Sword Dao.
These two stopped at the level of Domains. Nevertheless, in this Great Thousand Realms, this accomplishment was already quite incredible, making them talented people.
However, compared to Xiao Chen, they were still inferior since he already surpassed the Saber Domain and comprehended Great Dao Energy.
While Xiao Chen had this guess, he did not dare to give it a try.
Once he exposed his Great Dao Energy, these two Star Venerates would definitely sense it and detect his presence.
Should I gamble or not?
He could take a risk before the eyes of these two Star Venerates, betting that the painting had a fate with his Saber Dao.
If Xiao Chen gambled right, perhaps he could obtain the painting. Then, the two Star Venerates would work together and pursue him to his death.
If he guessed wrong, it would directly be death for him.
"Friend, after watching for so long, are you not going to show yourself?"
Just as Xiao Chen felt uncertain, the Savage Blood Star Venerate and the Sword General suddenly stopped before one of them spoke.
I went too far.
Xiao Chen's chest tightened. He abandoned all thoughts of the painting and quickly withdrew his Heavenly Eye.
Wait!
Since my Heavenly Eye has already been discovered, why don't I just make the gamble? After all, what I was afraid of was discovery.
Now that worst has already come to worst, why worry so much?
"Boom!"
A light disk of the Great Dao appeared behind the Heavenly Eye. Then, it condensed into a point, sending out a brilliant Dao Might.
This immediately swept away the clouds in the surroundings. The Heavenly Eye flickered with a faint light together with Dao Might, mysteriously looking at the two Star Venerates and emitting a sense of coldness and ruthlessness.
"Great Dao Energy?"
Both the Sword General and the Savage Blood Star Venerate changed their expressions radically as they focused on retreating.
The number of people who comprehended Great Dao Energy in the Grave Sea could be counted on one's fingers.
These people were all at least Holy Venerates. Furthermore, they were all old monsters who had lived for many years.
Such people would not appear easily. However, once they did, something shocking would definitely happen.
No! That's not right!
In the blink of an eye, the two felt that something was off. This Dao Might did not put much pressure on them at all.
"We were fooled. It should be an outstanding talent from the Central Great Realm."
The two's thoughts moved like lightning, quickly arriving at an answer closest to the truth.
Only the demonic genius outstanding talents of the Great Desolate Hundred Races, the three Daoist sects, the four Buddhist temples, the Noble Clans, and the Imperial Clan of the Central Great Realm could possibly comprehend Great Dao Energy before reaching the Cloud Sea Realm.
When the cultivation of a Holy Venerate combined with Dao Might spread out, everyone on the entire battlefield would instantly be immobilized, unable to resist at all.
My guess is right!
Xiao Chen, who was on the Black Cutlass, revealed a joyful expression. He clearly felt the painting notice his existence.
The previously indistinct connection turned clear at this moment.
"Whoosh!"
The isolated painting turned into a flash of resplendent saber light, quickly flying towards Xiao Chen. It traversed fifty kilometers in the blink of an eye, exiting the battlefield.
"No matter which Noble Clan outstanding talent you are, if you dare to target me, you are seeking death!" The Sword General raised an eyebrow and turned around to give chase.
However, just as the Sword General turned around, a baleful aura took the opportunity to attack him.
"You dare to block me?!"
The Savage Blood Star Venerate coldly smiled. "Why would I not dare? Your Divine Shield Army still cannot grasp the entire Grave Sea. What can you do to me? Since it is hard to avoid the destruction of the Savage Blood Pirate Group, why should I let you get your hands on the Saber Technique manual?"
"You…"
The Sword General immediately felt irate. The main objective of this trip was the Saber Technique manual. Destroying the Savage Blood Pirate Group and making contributions to the army were only secondary.
The loss of the Saber Technique manual was akin to the operation's failure.
"Give chase! Deputy General Liu, lead the troops and give chase!"
Since the Sword General could not extricate himself from battle, he could only place his hope on his deputy.