Ye Chen could not help being stunned. This Xiao Chen’s appetite was too big. From what Xiao Chen said, it sounded like he wanted to collect all one hundred Peak Spirit Veins.
“Don’t worry. I’m already on it. I was just waiting for you to say the word.”
Lord Jiu chuckled and dove into the ground, not appearing surprised at all.
“I thought I was ruthless, but, Xiao Chen, you are more ruthless than me,” Ye Chen sighed. He looked at Xiao Chen with a feeling of shame and inferiority.
Xiao Chen smiled and said, “Of course. How do you think I got those nine hundred Magic Treasures? Come, let’s go and recuperate. After that, we will return to make a killing.”
The two descended back into the tunnel that Lord Jiu made. Then, Xiao Chen retrieved two Lunar Cassia Flowers from the Immortal Spirit Ring and handed them to Ye Chen.
When Ye Chen received the flowers, he felt shocked. Xiao Chen truly had many good things on hand. He wondered where Xiao Chen got all of these.
Taken alone, a Lunar Cassia Flower boasted effects comparable to a Rank 9 Medicinal Pill. However, it had the benefit of not conflicting with other Medicinal Pills.
Intensive consumption of Medicinal Pills would build up a resistance to Medicinal Pills of the same grade. Even Sage Grade Medicinal Pills were no exception.
However, using the Lunar Cassia Flower now could bring out the effects of a Rank 9 Medicinal Pill.
Xiao Chen looked over and saw that Ye Chen was about to place both flowers into his mouth. He said quickly, “Be more conservative. Just one is enough. The other is for you to keep as a backup. I do not have many of these Lunar Cassia Flowers left.”
The two recuperated underground, recovering their strength, unaware that the outside had devolved into chaos.
Both the fight for the Beautiful Mountain and River Painting and the fight for the Peak Spirit Veins reached very intense levels.
------
Two days later, Xiao Chen had completely recovered from his injuries. The damage from the Profound River Mirror, the Deities’ Nation image, and the backlash from the ten Dragon Force had all healed, leaving no hidden injuries whatsoever.
Ye Chen’s wounds were far more severe than Xiao Chen’s in the first place. Before he managed to recover, he had blocked that attack for Xiao Chen. Even with the assistance of the Lunar Cassia Flower, he was only eighty percent healed.
Xiao Chen did not interrupt Ye Chen’s recuperation. He walked out of the tunnel and took many turns before arriving at another tunnel.
With a deep breath, he circulated his Law Energy and laid down an electric barrier.
He got the Thunder Origin from the Universe Ring. Berserk electricity filled the wide tunnel, throwing sparks everywhere.
However, not only did the strong force not break Xiao Chen’s electric barrier, but it also made the barrier even stronger and stabler, instead.
The Thunder Origin, a mutated Spirit Vein’s origin, contained pure lightning-attributed Spiritual Energy. For those who cultivated a lightning-attributed Cultivation Technique like Xiao Chen, this was simply a godsend, a great supplement.
As far as Xiao Chen was concerned, it was better on top of good. The Purple Thunder Divine Incantation’s seventh layer had an enormous appetite.
If not for this Thunder Origin, he did not know when he could break through to Superior Grade Martial Sage. Doing so just through regular cultivation, even with a Holy Spirit Vein, would take him at least one month.
With this Thunder Origin, Xiao Chen would not have to spend that much time since he cultivated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation and had attained a peak Rank 3 Sage Body, as well as taken in a large amount of divine materials. Although these did not bring many changes to his physical body, he could feel a certain difference in his physical body’s potential. As for what exactly it was, he would only figure this out after he achieved ten Dragon Force and materialized the Azure Dragon Battle Armor.
With this as his trump card, he could swallow up this Thunder Origin in one go without having to worry about his body exploding. Other cultivators, who did not have such a physique, would have no choice but to consume it systematically bit by bit.
He opened his mouth and took a deep breath. The purple Thunder Origin turned into a stream of electric light and surged into his body. The electric light flashed continuously. The process took a very long time.
In the mysterious space in his dantian, the purple lightning-attributed Law Energy grew quickly. The original string-like Law Energy slowly closed, forming a circle. Xiao Chen realized that as long as his Law Energy all turned into rings, he would be able to break through to Superior Grade Martial Sage.
His understanding of Heavenly Sage Laws reached a new level.
Once Xiao Chen finished absorbing the Thunder Origin, the tremendous and vast lightning-attributed energy allowed him to break through the constraints of Medial Grade Martial Sage and advance to Superior Grade Martial Sage.
The Law Energy connected and formed rings; they were no longer merely straight lines.
Law Energy surged out behind Xiao Chen as purple rings of light—one thousand in all. They served a similar purpose as Di Wuque’s golden rings of light but through different means. However, his rings of lights were much weaker.
These rings were a mysterious phenomenon specific to Superior Grade Martial Sages. Very few people could be like Di Wuque, radiating an intense, dazzling light at such a young age when the Law Energy surged out of the body.
In the past, Xiao Chen’s Law Energy had been as thick as an arm and a kilometer long, appearing very vast. The mysterious phenomenon materialized had been like a boundless sea of lightning, filled with a berserk and unblockable aura.
At this moment, after the lines turned into rings, they lacked the berserkness and vastness. Instead, they gained a sense of smoothness and completion. The berserk lightning-attributed energy turned gentle.
Xiao Chen carefully probed for the changes that came from advancing to Superior Grade Martial Sage. With a thought, a large amount of the Spiritual Energy underground gushed into the purple rings of light.
As the rings of light spun around, the Quintessence that the Law Energy fed back to him was much stronger, denser, and more complete than before.
He opened his eyes and stopped circulating his Cultivation Technique. However, the purple rings of light behind him did not fade away entirely; there were still vague traces of them.
This lingering mysterious phenomenon was because Xiao Chen’s cultivation was too vast. Furthermore, he just attained Superior Grade Martial Sage. He could not control these lightning-attributed rings of light as he pleased. Making them all disappear would take him some time.
Now that his cultivation had improved considerably, he was confident that he would not need the Cycle Banner to defeat grandmaster-level Martial Sages of the same level as the Demonic Brilliant Two Elders.
After he snatched the hundred Peak Spirit Veins, he would be even more confident of doing so.
Xiao Chen stood up. Walking rapidly, he soon arrived at the tunnel where Ye Chen was. Now, Ye Chen looked much better, almost back to his peak state.
“Superior Grade Martial Sage! One thousand rings of light!”
In one glance, Ye Chen made out the vague purple rings of light behind Xiao Chen. He could indistinctly hear the sound of thunder.
Xiao Chen nodded and said, “Due to a fortuitous encounter in the Heavenly Ruin Wasteland, I have just broken through.”
“This is really astonishing. When I entered the Heavenly Ruin Wasteland, I felt like I had at least a sixty percent chance of defeating you. Now, I feel like I barely have a fifty percent chance.”
With a flip of Xiao Chen’s hand, the Cycle Banner appeared in his grasp. The killing Qi in Dubhe poured out continuously.
“Brother Ye, you cultivate the Dao of Massacre. Coincidentally, I have something here that contains boundless killing Qi. At the same time, it also has Death Qi and Ruin Qi, which are both related to Massacre. I can lend it to you to comprehend for a little while.”
Ye Chen circulated his Cultivation Technique and absorbed some of the killing Qi. Then, his eyes lit up as he said, “This is good stuff. To think there is actually such a treasure in this world! If you lend it to me for a month, my Dao of Massacre will be able to overpower Yan Shisan’s the next time I meet him.”
“You’ve met Yan Shisan before?” Xiao Chen asked, feeling some doubt. He had not had news of this old friend for a very long time already. According to his First Senior Sister, Yan Shisan had not appeared in the Starry Heaven Silver Lake.
Yan Shisan was a genius of the sword who immersed himself in the martial way. The first time Xiao Chen met him, he gave Xiao Chen enormous pressure. At the Heavenly Dew Divine Spring, he had not worried about Di Wuque at all.
“Half a year ago, I met him once in the Heavenly Starry Ocean. Like me, he cultivates the Dao of Massacre. I wanted to swallow his will of massacre, and he wanted to swallow mine. Unfortunately, I lost rather miserably.
“After I used the will clone my dad gave me, I managed to escape. Yan Shisan is the greatest enemy of my life.”
As Ye Chen spoke, a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. This murderous intent was not that of hate but profound rivalry.
So, he went to the Heavenly Starry Ocean. No wonder there is no news of him on the continent. I wonder, how much has he improved by now?
“Oh, right. You already managed to condense your saber soul. How come I’ve never seen you use a saber?”
Ye Chen set the Cycle Banner aside and asked a question that had been bugging him. At first, he thought that Xiao Chen was hiding it on purpose. However, when he saw that Xiao Chen did not use his saber when facing Di Wuque, he had his doubts.
A hurt expression appeared on Xiao Chen’s face at Ye Chen’s question. If Xiao Chen remained saberless, how could the Flawless saber Dao be truly flawless?
Even if Xiao Chen used his thoughts as a saber, his body as a saber, if that saber in his heart was not there, he would have great difficulty raising his saber Dao to Consummation.
After a long time, Xiao Chen squeezed out a smile and explained softly, “My saber…I lost it.”
Ye Chen was flabbergasted. It looked like he had asked something that he should not have. There was probably a story behind that lost saber.
Just when Ye Chen was about to say some consoling words, he heard Xiao Chen say calmly, “However, someday, I will get her back. No matter what price I have to pay.”
There was indubitable confidence in Xiao Chen’s flat tone. Ye Chen smiled faintly and held his tongue.
The tunnel fell silent. Ye Chen started absorbing the killing Qi in Dubhe as Xiao Chen continued to stabilize his current cultivation.
After some time passed, scraping sounds came from the passageway. The two of them opened their eyes at the same time, recognizing Lord Jiu’s special method of travel.
“Crack…!”
A hole appeared in the wall above the two’s heads. Lord Jiu along with some dirt fell between them. His shifty-eyed look had not changed at all.
“Hehe! Heroes, your injuries would have more or less healed, right? Almost all the hundred Peak Spirit Veins have been snatched. If you still don’t come out, you will not get even the leftovers,” Lord Jiu said in a rush, his eyes filled with hope. He was going to earn a lot again.
“Who got the Beautiful Mountain and River Painting?” Ye Chen asked about what interested him.
Xiao Chen revealed a curious expression as he looked at Lord Jiu.
“A quasi-Emperor of the Muddy Sky Gate got it. At first, Di Wuque had taken advantage of the moment when the Frost Moon Palace’s and Heavenly Music Sect’s quasi-Emperors were fighting each other to send out a Divine Sovereign clone and snatch the Beautiful Mountain and River Painting.
“Unfortunately for him, the Muddy Sky Gate’s quasi-Emperor, who had remained hidden all the while, made a move at the critical moment. He smashed the Divine Sovereign clone and snatched the Beautiful Mountain and River Painting.”
When Lord Jiu related this fight, it sounded epic. He described a scene of several quasi-Emperors making moves and even shattering the skies above the Immortal sect Remnant.
This battle left several spatial tears that had yet to heal in the Heavenly Ruin Wasteland.