Chapter 895: A Startling Secret
Lei Batian flew with Jian Chen and Xie Wang as he carried a medallion in his hand, directly entering the floating palace.
The palace was extremely large. It had thousands of pavilions and buildings, while various exotic species of flowers and herbs grew in the surroundings. They exuded a fragrance that permeated the entire place. A single whiff could refresh the minds and souls of people, allowing them to concentrate and focus.
Jian Chen and Xie Wang traveled through the various halls with Lei Batian, Qing Yixuan, Ou Yun, and Mo Ziran accompanying them. They directly went into the very depths of the palace, coming across squadrons of guards in similar uniforms that patrolled the hallways. Jian Chen could even feel the existence of many experts in the surroundings. Saint Rulers were everywhere and there were even quite a few Saint Kings. They were all cultivating in their personal halls.
Jian Chen constantly paid attention to the blue and green marble floor as he walked and would look around at the surrounding structures from time to time as well. Deep shock could be seen in his eyes.
Just through his powerful presence, he could clearly feel a terrifyingly powerful energy hidden within the structures and the floor everywhere. This powerful energy constantly refined every inch of the place, causing all the structures to be extraordinarily tough after countless years. It was likely that even if Jian Chen used all his strength, he would only be able to leave a small mark.
At this moment, a wrinkly old man walked over from up ahead. Lei Batian and the other three all clasped their hands hurriedly to greet him as they saw the old man. “We greet the hall elder.”
The old man glanced past Jian Chen and Xie Wang, before he asked Lei Batian, “Are those the people the hall master wanted you to bring back safely?”
“Correct. They are the people who the hall master is looking for,” replied Lei Batian. He would glance toward the two of them from time to time, curious about why the hall master treated them with so much importance.
The old man stared at the two of them in interest and asked, “Who is Jian Chen?”
“Esteemed hall elder, I am Jian Chen.” Jian Chen clasped his hands at the old man after taking a step forward. Jian Chen was extremely polite. If the old man before him was placed on the Tian Yuan Continent, he would be a terrifying expert. He would be one of the very few who stood at the very top, even on the continent.
The old man’s eyes shone like torches as he looked up and down to examine Jian Chen. He murmured to himself secretly, “Isn’t he just a ruler that hasn’t fully matured? Why does the hall master care for him so much? Not only did she send the four 16th Star experts to personally save you from the Heaven’s Spirit Hall, even Atlantis who hasn’t left the hall since ages ago went to the border personally because of your arrival. I really wonder why the hall master is spending so much time and energy over the two of you.”
“Come in with me, Jian Chen. The hall master wants to see you personally,” the old man said to Jian Chen indifferently. Afterward, he turned around and left. With his lofty status, he would not be inclined to waste his words on two puny Saint Rulers.
“Jian Chen, you better go in with the hall elder. Remember, the hall master is a Saint Emperor. You need to be respectful when you see her.” Lei Batian sent a mental message to Jian Chen.
Jian Chen nodded slightly before following the hall elder silently. The only people left were Xie Wang and Lei Batian’s group, who stood there blankly as they watched Jian Chen grow further away.
Jian Chen followed the hall elder and reached the very depths of the hall without any obstructions. Afterward, they entered a beautifully decorated hall. There were two Saint Rulers who stood dead-straight on the two side of the entrance as guards. They were like sculptures.
“They’re actually using Saint Rulers as door guards. What extravagancy.” Jian Chen was secretly astonished. Outside, all of these people were supreme experts that could lord over a small region.
The huge hall was rather empty; there was only an elegant woman on the throne up ahead.
The hall elder bowed courteously toward the woman and reported, “Jian Chen has arrived.”
“Elder Hong, you can go.” The woman’s voice was very soft, making it extremely pleasant to hear.
“Yes!” the hall elder slowly backed away.
“Is this the hall master of the Sea Goddess Hall, one of the three supreme Saint Emperors of the sea realm?” Jian Chen gazed at the woman in interest. The lady wore azure clothes that wrapped around her slender figure, while her blue hair ran down her shoulders very casually without any specific grooming. Her face was blurry and obscure; it seemed like it had been covered up by a layer of mist.
Even though he currently faced a Saint Emperor, Jian Chen felt no particular presence from her. She seemed just like an ordinary person.
“Junior Jian Chen greets the esteemed hall master.” Jian Chen clasped his hands toward the lady as he quickly dismissed his thoughts.
Boom! With a muffled sound from behind, the doors to the hall had been closed. It cut off all presences and objects from the outside; there were only Jian Chen and the hall master in the large hall now.
The hall master stood up from her throne and slowly walked toward Jian Chen with gentle steps. A faint, enchanting fragrance entered Jian Chen’s nose.
Jian Chen struggled to keep calm as he was so close to a Saint Emperor. His heart began to beat rapidly, clearly rather anxious.
“You’re the person chosen by her majesty,” the hall master said with a soft, lively voice. She seemed to be talking to Jian Chen but murmuring to herself at the same time.
“I can’t actually sense the presence of the Abyssal Crystal from your Space Ring. Where did you put it?” The hall master continued before Jian Chen even had the chance to reply.
“The Abyssal Crystal?” Jian Chen was stunned but he reached an understanding very quickly. He asked, “Is the hall master referring to the key that glows with a blue light?”
“Correct.” The hall master walked around Jian Chen, constantly examining him. She murmured in her heart, “Is this the person chosen by her majesty? Does he really have the power to enter there?”
“Junior has a doubt. Just what is this Abyssal Crystal? I wonder if the hall master can help answer this question,” Jian Chen asked. This mysterious key was actually enough to cause the Heaven’s Spirit Hall and the Serpent God Hall to fight over it, which made him feel extremely curious about the origins and uses of the key.
“Her majesty reached the end of her life and locked herself in her supreme divine hall. Afterward, she moved the divine hall into the depths of the Sea of Despair, where it currently floats about. No one is able to find its whereabouts. However, the key is able to lead people to it. As long as someone possesses the key, they’ll be able to find the divine hall.” The hall master hid nothing and told Jian Chen the truth.
“Is that so? No wonder the Serpent God Hall and Heaven’s Spirit Hall were fighting over this. So they wanted to enter the divine hall and inherit the sea goddess’ legacy,” Jian Chen murmured as he understood some things.
“No, they don’t want her majesty’s legacy when they enter the divine hall. Her majesty may have reached the end of her life but all she lost was her body. Her soul remains, which has always stayed within the divine hall. The Heaven’s Spirit Hall and Serpent God Hall were fighting over the key as they wanted to go in there and take her majesty’s spirit. They want to devour it and reach her level of cultivation from all those years ago.” The hall master revealed a shocking truth and stunned Jian Chen.
“What!? The two halls want to devour the sea goddess’ soul?” Jian Chen cried out involuntarily. He was filled with utter disbelief. The sea goddess was the goddess of the Sea race. She was a respected champion, yet her people wanted to do such things to her.
“Sigh, her majesty has already disappeared for too long. After so many years, her majesty’s awe is no longer enough to influence all the experts of the sea realm. In these years, every hall master of both halls have tried various ways to find the divine hall in an attempt to devour her soul and reach a greater level of cultivation.”
“But the Abyssal Crystal can only be found in the very depths of the Sea of Despair. The Sea of Despair is boundless and it all looks the same so it’s very easy to get lost. Also, there are many great dangers; even emperors can meet life-threatening dangers if they enter it. As a result, no one was able to find the divine hall even after so many years of drifting in the Sea of Despair. However, the crystal on you broke the peace of the sea realm.”
Jian Chen slowly digested this information as he thought in silence. What he heard from the hall master had completely overturned everything he knew about the current situation of the sea realm.
He had once learned from Tian Jian that the sea goddess was not dead. At that time, he still believed that the sea goddess possessed her full strength and was currently the most powerful existence in the world, completely surpassing Saint Emperor. But the truth completely exceeded his expectations. The sea goddess was not dead but she had lost her body. She existed as a soul, only able to hide in the divine hall. She could not leave, constantly faced with the threat that the hall masters of the Heaven’s Spirit Hall and the Serpent God Hall would devour her.
Jian Chen sucked in a deep breath and slowly calmed himself down. He stared at the hall master keenly and said, “Hall master, do you want junior to hand the Abyssal Crystal over to you?”
The hall master paused and turned toward Jian Chen. Although he could not see her face, he could clearly feel a sharp gaze focused tightly on him. It made his eyes hurt as if they were stabbed with needles.
“Jian Chen, the Serpent God Hall and the Heaven’s Spirit Hall may have ill intentions for her majesty but we, the Sea Goddess Hall, remains loyal to her majesty. For her majesty’s safety, you need to hand over the Abyssal Crystal and temporarily place it in my personal care,” said the hall master.
Jian Chen hesitated slightly. However, he knew that he had no other choice, so he handed the mysterious key over to the hall master straightforwardly.
“Jian Chen, you may not be a member of the Sea race but you’ve been chosen by her majesty. You’ve also been gifted the neidan from a member of the imperial clan to mask your presence. Just stay in the hall in the future and devote yourself to cultivation. Power up as fast as you can. I’ll gift you a hall elder’s medallion. In the future, you can enjoy the same treatment as hall elders among the Sea Goddess Hall,” said the hall master.
“If junior became a hall elder, junior will no longer be able to enter the territory of the Serpent God Hall and the Heaven’s Spirit Hall, right?” asked Jian Chen.
“Correct. We three halls have an agreement. Without permission, the people of the halls cannot leave their own territory.
“If that’s the case, then junior will not be taking the medallion,” Jian Chen flatly declined the position as a hall elder. Compared to the golden silkmail, the name and status of a hall elder was nothing.
被蛟神殿神将抢走的金丝甲，总有一天他会去夺回來。
He would take back the golden silkmail from the divine general one day in the future.
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