Xiao Chen could not help his sudden excitement. He had originally thought that he would have to search for some vague Magic Skill in the Penglai Sea.
This was a forlorn hope.
Furthermore, Xiao Chen would have to become a Martial Emperor first before he could be truly confident of going to the Penglai Sea. Unexpectedly, Jin Dabao brought such good news to him.
“Don’t be so happy yet. According to what Su Xiaoxiao said, this saber should have some fate with the Thunder Emperor Valley. This caused the previously dead Item Spirit to reform an Embryonic Soul in the Thunder Emperor Valley.
“However, this Embryonic Soul is extremely weak. Once it is taken out, it will die. This is the reason why the saber cannot be drawn—it’s a self-protective mechanism. If you want to nourish this Embryonic Soul into an Item Spirit, there are many conditions to fulfill.”
Xiao Chen pressed him. “What conditions are there?! No matter how many there are, I will definitely fulfill them all!”
The fatty spread his hands and replied with a smile, “As for what exactly the conditions are, Xiaoxiao does not know, either. She discovered this from a damaged ancient manual. However, she said that there would surely be sects in the Kunlun Realm that would know. You can ask around with this in mind.”
Xiao Chen’s expression eased. However, as he held the Lunar Shadow Saber, his heart could not regain its serenity. After hoping for so long, he had finally found an explicit direction to follow.
The Thunder Emperor Valley formed a natural phenomenon after the Thunder Emperor found his Dao there. That was an inextinguishable mark that he left behind in the world.
The Lunar Shadow Saber’s rebirth must have had something to do with the Thunder Emperor Valley.
Perhaps there were some details that Jin Dabao had not noticed. In the future, when Xiao Chen had time, he had to return to Thunder Emperor Valley to take a look.
Xiao Chen put away the Lunar Shadow Saber and glanced at Lord Jiu. He said, “Old Jiu, please take out a portion of a grandmaster-level Martial Sage’s belongings to give to Dabao. I owe him this.”
Lord Jiu gaped but reluctantly took out a spatial ring before handing it to Jin Dabao.
Jin Dabao’s eyes lit up as he accepted the spatial ring. He checked it carefully before smiling so broadly that his eyes narrowed to slits. He said, “You are really a good friend. This is worth my moving my plans forward and rushing over to the Kunlun Realm to hand you the saber.”
Xiao Chen smiled. Then he consoled Lord Jiu. “If the old does not go, the new will not come. Tomorrow, I will go and help you handle all the things in your hand.”
“White Robed King Xiao Chen, the ancient race’s Ren Kongjue requests an audience. Please come down and meet with me!”
Just at this moment, a resonant voice echoed in the peak, bearing arrogance and a heavy murderous intent in its tone. With just these words, Xiao Chen could figure out the temperament of the speaker.
He had not expected this person to come this fast. He looked at Jin Dabao and asked, “How exactly did you offend this person?”
Jin Dabao smiled embarrassedly and explained, “Back then, when Shui Lingling received me, this fellow was present. Apparently, he was there to propose marriage. When Shui Lingling sent me flying, his expression looked extremely terrifying.
“It seems I messed up his proposal. However, you cannot blame me for that. This Fat Lord was sincerely praising her at that time.”
Xiao Chen’s First Senior Sister was really charming. First, there was Lan Shaobai; then, there was this Ren Kongjue. They were both geniuses of the ancient races. He wondered if there was something strange about this that he was not aware of.
“Eh, Young Master Xiao, you have not replied to that person yet.” Seeing that Xiao Chen still had not said anything, Lord Jiu prompted him.
Xiao Chen seemed to recall himself after that. He smiled and said, “Go and invite him up here. If he is willing to come, then so be it. If not, then just ignore him.
“Old Jiu, remember: use the method that you are best at.”
What was the method that Lord Jiu was the best at? Naturally, that was digging holes.
---
“Bang!” Suddenly, a hole opened in the ground in front of Ren Kongjue at the foot of the peak. Then, Lord Jiu leaped out of the hole.
When Lord Jiu looked at Ren Kongjue, he could not help but turn his chin up.
Ren Kongjue had a burly figure, two meters tall with broad shoulders. His sharp features made the resolute expression on his face look like it was carved by a knife.
He exuded pride and arrogance, his eyes filled with an unsuppressible disdain. He appeared to have an extremely berserk nature. As he stood erect on the ground, he gave off pressure as heavy as that of a mountain.
The two companions beside Ren Kongjue gave off a similar atmosphere. Standing together, they were like a mountain range, emitting even heavier pressure.
Ren Kongjue is actually a genius from the Mountain Giant Race. Young Master Xiao must have known; which is why he purposely said that to me.
Should I say it or not? The Mountain Giant Race has a reputation for irascibility. If he punches me, this Lord Jiu will end up half-dead.
[TL Note: Mountain Giant Race here in Chinese is the Kuafu Race (夸父一族). There is no English translation for this phrase. There are a variety of legends about Kuafu. In one version, Kuafu is a giant who chased after the sun. He ended up so thirsty, he drank up the Yellow River and a few other major rivers in China before continuing. He died when he finally caught up with the sun and turned into a mountain. In another version, the sun was responsible for drying the rivers up, so Kuafu got angry and chased after the sun.]
Lord Jiu felt conflicted and was somewhat at a loss for words.
“You are the White Robed King Xiao Chen? Why are you so frighteningly old?” the person to the left of Ren Kongjue asked, feeling Lord Jiu’s appearance was strange.
To think this person might make such a mistake! Lord Jiu quickly denied this with a smile. “Naturally, I’m not—”
“If you are not, then why did you come down? The person we are looking for is Xiao Chen. Are you messing around with us?!” this person snorted coldly.
Lord Jiu got the impression of a volcano that could erupt at any moment. Feeling very unlucky, he smiled and said, “The Young Master sent me here to invite you all up.”
“Does he not understand Big Brother’s words? We called him to come down, not for us to go to him.”
Their tempers are really extraordinarily arrogant. The ancient races are the ancient races, indeed. No wonder Young Master Xiao does not want to pay much attention to them.
Lord Jiu scolded these people in his heart. Then he directly repeated what Xiao Chen said. “Young Master Xiao said that if you are willing to come up, then come up. If you are not willing, that is your problem.”
Ren Kongjue raised his eyebrows. He smiled coldly and said, “He sure is confident. Never mind. I’ll go up and take a look. Let’s see what games he is playing. How dare he protect the person that I, Ren Kongjue, want to kill?”
Ren Kongjue had brought many valuable gifts to propose marriage. However, before he could say anything, Jin Dabao’s words spoiled the atmosphere. Hence, he had long considered Jin Dabao a dead man, someone that he had to kill no matter what.
When Lord Jiu saw the situation, he quickly ran over to stop them. He pointed to the hole in front and smiled. “Sires, the way up is not there. Young Master Xiao wants you to go up from here.”
Ren Kongjue’s face could not help but sink. He looked up at the middle of the mountain. This Xiao Chen knew what he was here for and used the most direct method to reject him.
“What if we do not go up using that?!”
The Mountain Giant youth to the right of Ren Kongjue clearly became enraged. Not only did Xiao Chen not come down, but he also wanted them to climb up using a hole.
This treatment displayed a blatant disregard for their Mountain Giant Race. This Mountain Giant Race youth’s tone already carried murderous intent.
Lord Jiu smiled happily and said, “Naturally, you will not be able to go up. I already passed on the message. I will take my leave first.”
Seeing that the situation was going bad, Lord Jiu moved quickly, jumping into the hole he dug. His movement was astonishingly fast.
The Mountain Giant Race youth, who was preparing to make a move, had only just raised his fist. He could not help punching the air in frustration.
When the fist light exploded out, a loud sound echoed in the sky. A strong wind blew, making all the trees and plants bend over. Such a force was terrifying.
“Big Brother, what should we do? According to the rules of the Supreme Sky Sect, we cannot simply barge into this kind of independent peak.”
Ren Kongjue replied sullenly, “Let’s go. I think that Shui Lingling is purposely using this as an excuse not to meet me again. If we are not getting married, then so be it. We of the Mountain Giant Race are dignified and noble. She will regret this in the future.”
“What about that fatty and Xiao Chen? Are we just going to let them off like this?”
“That fatty is just a dancing clown. I can kill him any time. This Xiao Chen is going to take part in a King conferring ceremony in half a year. I’ll teach him a profound lesson then. I will show him just how severe the consequences of today’s matter are.”
---
Halfway up the mountain, Xiao Chen’s group of three watched as Ren Kongjue left.
Jin Dabao looked at the strong wind that had yet to disperse. The shock wave of that Mountain Giant Race cultivator still had not faded.
“These three fellows are really horrifying. Xiao Chen, I got you in trouble this time.”
Sensing the strength of the remnant energy in the air, Xiao Chen said softly, “It has nothing to do with you. Since he does not show me any face, there is no need for me to show him any face. If he dares to show up half a year from now, I will show him who exactly will be giving the lesson.”
Lord Jiu raised his head and said, “Hey, someone is coming.”
“Why does that person seem somewhat familiar?” Suddenly, Jin Dabao’s expression changed. He said, “Isn’t that the girl who blasted me away? Xiao Chen, do you know each other?”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and said, “Let’s go. I’ll help you resolve this misunderstanding. Since you were truly just praising her, there is no need to feel guilty.”
Jin Dabao smiled embarrassedly and said, “This… Never mind that. This Fat Lord will go and hide first.”
Lord Jiu chuckled. Being very tactful, he followed the fatty and left as well.
Xiao Chen walked down alone to welcome his First Senior Sister, Shui Lingling. No matter when he met her, her soft and gentle face always stirred him, preventing him from looking at her directly.
Shui Lingling smiled faintly and said, “Fatty! Are you up there?”
“Senior Sister, are you here to find and punish him?”
“Your guess is half correct. I am here to find him, but there is no need to punish him. I verified it with Junior Sister Chenxi. He is indeed your friend. I was in the wrong for expelling him. However, his later actions canceled that out, so there is no need for me to apologize to him.”
Xiao Chen smiled embarrassedly. Jin Dabao’s habit was a carryover from the Sky Dome Realm. There was no way for him to change that.
As the two walked, they chatted. They had not met for a long time. Hence, they had many things to tell each other. They soon forgot the topic of Jin Dabao. Xiao Chen smiled and said, “Sorry, I drove away a group of people earlier. I probably caused Senior Sister’s marriage prospect to fall through.”
“How can that be? I was even racking my brain for how to send this Ren Kongjue away. You did me a great favor. I should be the one thanking you.” Shui Lingling sighed, “Ever since Master declared me as his personal disciple, the number of people coming to propose has been endless.”
Xiao Chen could not understand. He asked, “Why?”
“Master is preparing to focus on breaking through to Sovereign Martial Emperor. In less than ten years, I will take on the position of the Supreme Sky Sect’s Sect Master. Thus, the bridal dowry is the entire Supreme Sky Sect. So, what do you think the reason is?”
The Supreme Sky Sect was a Rank 9 sect that was currently in its heyday, and Shui Lingling was young and pretty. She was very charming and would inherit the position of Sect Master.
Furthermore, Shui Lingling was single and unmarried. This was very hard not to get excited about.
Xiao Chen smiled and said, “This dowry is indeed very lavish.”
“Junior Brother, are you tempted? This is a transaction with guaranteed profits. You get a beauty and a free Rank 9 sect.” Shui Lingling smiled craftily as she looked at Xiao Chen with an enticing gleam in her charming eyes.
Xiao Chen smiled back and retorted, “However, I only want the beauty and not the dowry. Is that possible?”
Shui Lingling’s bubbling laughter resounded. “Hehe! You are really straightforward. Alright, I will not mess with you anymore. Let’s speak about business. Master already knows about your exploits in the Primal Chaos Domain.
“The only aid that Master can provide you is a guarantee that no quasi-Emperor expert or above will make a move against you. Otherwise, they will suffer the undying wrath of the Supreme Sky Emperor, no matter who it is.”