Chapter 682: Peak Grade 8 Spirit Beast
Xiao Chen still felt somewhat confused. When he saw that the four were about to leave, he quickly pulled Chen Xiao to a halt. “Senior Brother Chen Xiao, what is going on?”
Chen Xiao looked back at him. “That is our Senior Brother Hu. He is one of the three true inheritors who have the right to enlist other disciples. Now, you are being enlisted and do not have the right to refuse.”
Chen Xiao continued with a smile, “Don’t worry. If everything goes smoothly, it is just a good opportunity for you. It will be beneficial for you.”
Enlisted?
This was not Xiao Chen’s first time to hear this term. The last time, the mission hall’s black-clad administrator had said that Yun Feiyu had been enlisted; that was why he returned early.
This enlistment was apparently hard to reject—which would also explain why Yun Feiyu gave up on the three-thousand-contribution-point mission and rushed back.
There are nine true inheritors, but only three people with the right to enlist others. This was what Xiao Chen deduced.
Aside from the top true inheritor, Shui Lingling, who was stationed in the Martial God Palace, the other true inheritors were divided into two factions.
The two factions probably used their enlistment rights for the same matter. The other faction’s enlistment of Yun Feiyu had broken the balance between the two factions.
For the sake of this competition, Chen Xiao’s faction then enlisted Xiao Chen.
However, what exactly was the matter that roused so much concern in the two factions? With too little information, Xiao Chen could not draw any conclusions.
Xiao Chen’s expression changed. He whispered, “Could it be for the sake of a peak Rank 8 Spirit Beast? Otherwise, it would not have been left uncompleted until now; Yun Feiyu returned last month.”
A Rank 8 Spirit Beast was equivalent to a late-stage Superior Grade Martial Monarch. If it were a king variant of that Spirit Beast, it would be even stronger; a peak Martial Monarch would be no match for it. Only a half-Sage would dare to say they could defeat it easily. Even if Chen Xiao and the other three true inheritors worked together, they would barely be up to the task.
However, there was no point in dwelling on this. Even if it was dangerous, Xiao Chen did not have the right to reject the enlistment unless he quit the Supreme Sky Sect. Of course, that was impossible.
Danger came hand in hand with opportunity. As Chen Xiao said, this might be an excellent opportunity for Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen clenched the jade bottle with his right hand, a resolute look in his eyes. Since the opportunity presented itself, he should not quail.
He returned to the cultivation room and began his preparations to advance to Medial Grade Martial Monarch. He had a firm foundation as well as vast and pure Quintessence.
All Xiao Chen needed was sufficient Medial Grade Spirit Gathering Pearls and the ability to endure that pain of breaking through. This was not a particularly difficult thing.
When the sun rose, he successfully broke through his bottleneck, advancing to Medial Grade Martial Monarch. With the advancement of a grade, his Quintessence snowballed.
Xiao Chen’s Quintessence had more than doubled, a far greater increase than the twenty percent he got when breaking through to the next stage.
He circulated his Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, and the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Vein’s origin poured in continuously.
The feeling in the past of making no progress despite the amount of Spiritual Energy he absorbed vanished without a trace.
Xiao Chen opened his eyes and revealed a fearsome gaze amidst a brilliant light. Their color deepened even further, making them look unfathomable.
He extended his Spiritual Sense and found that Chen Xiao and the other three true inheritors were already outside the courtyard. He did not want to keep them waiting, so after some preparations, he immediately went out.
When the black-clad youth noticed Xiao Chen’s aura, he nodded to himself and smiled. “Unexpectedly, you really managed to make the breakthrough within a night. This means that your foundations were very firm. Otherwise, it would not be that easy.”
The black-clad youth, Hu Hai, took out a black wooden medallion and said with a serious expression, “I shall cut to the chase and not rattle on. I now formally enlist you. According to the rules, you cannot refuse. However, I will never force anyone.
“If you are afraid, you can refuse. The Spirit Gathering Pearls given to you yesterday will be taken as my good deed.”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly. Accepting the black enlistment medallion without hesitation, he said, “Why would I refuse? This is exactly what I, Xiao Chen, have been seeking.”
The black-clad youth laughed boisterously. “I knew that you would not reject this. You are someone who endured the pain of refining your Quintessence twice. You would not be someone gutless.”
After receiving a meaningful glance, Chen Xiao stepped forward and said, “Xiao Chen, you are now one of our members. So there are some things that we no longer have to hide from you.
“The true inheritors are divided into two factions that have never gotten along and often fight with each other. Actually, this is deliberate on the elders’ part, so that we don’t slack off even after we have become true inheritors.
“This time, we have another competition ongoing. The result of this competition is critical. The group that can gain the advantage will be able to go to the Savage Battlefield with our First Senior Sister.”
The Savage Battlefield was where the ancient sovereigns had fought. It was vast and boundless. Originally, it was a mysterious forbidden land rife with hidden treasures.
After the battle of the sovereigns, the blood of the Emperors from various races had sprinkled the land, turning it into a place of fortuitous encounters.
All sorts of rare natural treasures and Spirit Herbs were obtainable in bountiful numbers. Even the Monarch Blood Grass Xiao Chen had consumed did not rank at the top there.
Aside from this, there were Emperor’s graves, true dragon caves, and even several Immortal Sect Remnants from the Immortal Epoch.
The Savage Battlefield was a forbidden land in itself. However, within this forbidden land were many forbidden lands. Even the Martial Emperors of today had not explored its entirety.
There were still unknown forbidden lands for peak geniuses to discover. This was one of the few public locations for fortuitous encounters.
Fortuitous encounters were crucial for cultivators. Without a doubt, a genius without fortuitous encounters would end up far behind a genius fortunate enough to have them.
The Savage Battlefield had a demonic barrier surrounding it. This barrier would weaken once every three years. For the sake of honing their disciples, the big sects would always send their elites in to seek their own fortuitous encounters.
None of the young experts of the Tianwu Domain would be willing to miss out on this opportunity. Otherwise, if they allowed others to obtain the fortuitous encounters in their place, they would end up being left far behind.
This is indeed a great opportunity, Xiao Chen thought to himself. However, he still had some doubts. He asked, “I can go as well?”
Hu Hai nodded and smiled. “As long as you are not afraid of the risk, you naturally can. You are already one of us.”
“Of course, the prerequisite to this is that we defeat Hua Tianhe and his group in the competition. Otherwise, all this will be moot.”
The top true inheritor of the Supreme Sky Sect, Shui Lingling, had decided the objective of this competition. The faction that could kill a peak Rank 8 Spirit Beast first would win.
The faction that won could follow Shui Lingling, gaining the qualifications to enter the Savage Battlefield.
Xiao Chen grasped the details of the mission. He asked, “Are we setting off now?”
Hu Hai eyed Xiao Chen and smiled. “There is no rush. You are still lacking something. You have a defensive early Superior Grade Secret Treasure. However, its defense is not sufficient.”
Hu Hai took off his own medallion and handed it to the green-clad girl. “Jun Si, bring him to buy two better-quality shields. We will wait for you outside the city.”
Defensive Secret Treasures were quite rare and very precious. Xiao Chen could not help but feel grateful for the black-clad youth’s generosity. First, Hu Hai had casually given him ten Medial Grade Spirit Gathering Pearls. Now, he decided to buy two defensive shields for him without even blinking.
The group split up for now. The green-clad girl, Jun Si, led Xiao Chen to the inner city. The others headed out of the city, feeling assured. When the time was right, they would meet up again.
“Junior Brother Xiao Chen, I heard from Chen Xiao that you came from a lower realm. Which one did you come from?” While flying in the air, Jun Si chatted with Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen answered truthfully, “The Sky Dome Realm.”
Jun Si’s eyes lit up as she asked, “The Sky Dome Realm where the Thunder Emperor Sang Mu came from?”
Xiao Chen felt somewhat surprised. He had not expected anyone in the Kunlun Realm to remember the Thunder Emperor’s name. Since he came to the Kunlun Realm, everyone revealed disdain when they heard the words Sky Dome Realm. Precious few people would react with pleasant surprise as Jun Si had.
Jun Si smiled gently and said, “Our Jun Clan had received the grace of the Thunder Emperor in the past. There is even a sculpture of the Thunder Emperor in our clan headquarters. Little Junior Brother Xiao Chen, I will have to bother you in the future to tell me more about the Thunder Emperor in the Sky Dome Realm.”
Xiao Chen felt abashed in his heart. Since this girl looked to be of the same age as him, her tone made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Even so, he told Jun Xi some of the stories from before the Thunder Emperor became famous.
There were too many legends about the Thunder Emperor. Xiao Chen only managed to share a small portion of them before they arrived in the inner city. Jun Si felt it was insufficient. “Tell me more next time. I will bring you to the auction house first.”
Time was tight, but Jun Si picked out the shields very meticulously. She would personally inspect each shield several times.
After looking for a long time, Jun Si did not find any shield that satisfied her. She shook her head and said, “Originally, I was planning to find you two Superior Grade shields. However, there are too few defensive Secret Treasures. Without a formal auction, it would be hard to find one.
“Give these two peak Medial Grade shields a try. They might be able to protect your life at a crucial moment.”
The two shields were as tall as Xiao Chen. They were thick and resilient. It was unknown what material they were made out of.
Xiao Chen held one shield in each hand; then, he set the two shields next to each other. Finally, he infused his Quintessence into them, and they formed an enclosed barrier, completely encasing him.
He probed the thickness of the barrier and felt very satisfied. He said, “These two would do. They feel good.”
However, Jun Si was still not satisfied. She said, “That’s all we can do for now. Let’s go. They have been waiting very long.”
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Outside the city gates, Hu Hai and the other two had already been waiting for a while. After Xiao Chen and Jun Xi arrived, they departed immediately.
Hu Hai waved his hand and flung out his sleeve, sending out an exquisite black metal warship. Then, the warship slowly enlarged.
After the five boarded the metal warship, four air pipes at the back burst forth, providing strong propulsion. In an instant, they pierced through the clouds.
Xiao Chen eyed the metal warship and marveled at it in his heart. The warship had a simple style and gave one a firm sense of security. It also felt cool to the touch.
Seeing Xiao Chen’s curiosity, Chen Xiao smiled and said, “This is the treasure that Senior Brother Hu is very proud of. This was a broken piece of Magic Treasure he found in an Immortal Sect Remnant. After the master refiners of the Tianwu Domain’s Fire Li Sect reforged it, it became equal to a high-quality Superior Grade Secret Treasure.”
When Hu Hai, who was at the bow, heard this, he smiled and said, “That is nothing much. That Magic Treasure was badly damaged already. After it was reforged to this, it lost several of its previous functions.
“Xiao Chen, let me give you the details of our operation. Our target is a peak Rank 8 Spirit Beast—the Golden Savage Ox. This fellow is a bona fide tyrant of the Savage Beast Forest and is very hard to deal with.”
Xiao Chen had heard of the Savage Beast Forest. It was a very vast forest, larger than the Supreme Sky Province, connecting some of the nearby large provinces.
The northernmost parts of the Savage Beast Forest had some cities, which were Fiend Cities bordering on the Tianwu Domain. These were the Fiends’ territory. As they lay on the border, they were rather chaotic.