Chapter 779: Death and Massacre Were Originally One
The black sea roared ferociously within the world inside the Death Throne. It felt like a bottomless abyss stared at Xiao Chen with emotionless eyes from a distance.
The purple Lightning Talisman in Xiao Chen’s hand flickered with faint golden light. As the Immortal scripts slowly flowed on the talisman, it gave off sizzling electrical sounds.
Xiao Chen squinted and looked into the distance. Then he entered deep thought. Death and massacre were originally one. Without massacre, there is no death.
Massacre is the means, and death is the result. The two have a cause-and-effect relationship. From a certain point of view, they are actually the same state.
When Xiao Chen thought about similar states, a cycle came to mind. The effect might not be the end. The cycle represented the vastness of the state, far from something that could end with massacre or death.
He might have to collect the other five thrones before he could be sure.
Others would only focus on the single attribute of the throne. The Corpse Race and Ghost Race wanted the Death Throne because it worked well with the Dao of death that they cultivated.
It could allow these two races to better control corpses and spirits, strengthening themselves greatly.
However, Xiao Chen’s thought went even further. Of course, the answer that occurred to him might not be correct. When the seven thrones merged into one, the result might not represent a cycle but chaos, eternity, or nothingness, instead. No one could say for sure.
As Xiao Chen stared at a distant spot in the sea, he gave up on his intent to make a move.
Usually, all one had to do was focus on one higher-level state to be able to become a peak expert. He had not even fully grasped massacre yet. If he rashly cultivated the Dao of death, he would be seeking his own death.
He would just be like an ant overestimating itself and trying to eat an elephant.
Xiao Chen’s Spiritual Sense turned around and came out. He saw the real world again, and with a flip of his hand, he returned the Death Throne to the Universe Ring.
In the future, if he could collect all seven thrones, perhaps he might be able to cultivate a peak state that was unprecedented.
With less than half a month to the start of the Sage War that would determine who got to go to the Heavenly Dew Divine Spring, Xiao Chen had to put the Heaven Series training room to good use.
He increased the pressure on himself. Ignoring his fatigue, he put in a lot of effort to practice the new Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique, familiarizing himself with it.
Five days later, after Xiao Chen finished all the Holy Spring Spiritual Milk, he dragged his tired and injured body to the cultivation room and frantically absorbed all the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Vein’s origins under the prayer mat.
Soon, it was the last day he could use the Heaven Series training room. Hence, he took out the crystal with the Martial Emperor’s will clone.
Then, he activated the energy crystal. Instantly, an old man made of light appeared in the Heaven Series training room’s combat room.
The old man’s aura did not seem very strong. At least, Xiao Chen did not feel any pressure.
This will clone in the crystal seemed to have only one percent or even just a tenth of a percent of a Martial Emperor’s strength. However, he should still have all his combat experience and techniques; that should be enough.
The old man wore robes of alternating white and blue. He held his hands behind himself as he stood upright. As he gazed at Xiao Chen, he seemed bright and expressive. He said, “My true body is already no more. This will clone has been in use for several thousand years.
“I can appear for only one hour. You better make good use of it.”
Xiao Chen nodded his head seriously. He slowly drew the Lunar Shadow Saber and gathered momentum. A vast sea slowly materialized behind him.
This sea was the mysterious phenomenon of the Dragon Subduing Slash. Xiao Chen had put off using this crystal containing the Martial Emperor’s will clone until now because he planned on using it to help him comprehend the third move of the Dragon Subduing Slash.
The Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique was the Martial Technique Xiao Chen used normally. The Dragon Subduing Slash was his true trump card.
“Rumble…!”
Nine hundred and ninety-nine pillars of water shot upwards, and an Azure Dragon leaped out of the sea. A three-hundred-meter-long saber Qi instantly formed. Xiao Chen roared like a True Dragon as he hacked at the old man in front.
The old man was slightly stunned when he made out what Saber Technique Xiao Chen used. He said, “I have not seen the Dragon Subduing Slash for several tens of thousands of years already. You have learned it pretty well. Unfortunately, there is an extremely large gap between this and Great Perfection.”
The old man swiftly pushed off the ground and gathered all his Quintessence to his palm. Quickly spinning around, he avoided the strong wind created by the dragon-shaped saber Qi.
Then, the old man struck the dragon-shaped saber Qi’s throat with a choke hold. The mighty dragon-shaped saber Qi with a strong aura seemed like it had been hit in a vital point, and instantly shattered.
This development startled Xiao Chen. He had not expected Return of the Azure Dragon to have such a weakness.
Xiao Chen stomped in midair, and an inextinguishable dragon roar came from his body. His figure suddenly advanced, and when his momentum hit its peak, he soared into the air. Auspicious clouds surrounded him as he executed Soaring Dragon.
The old man’s figure flashed and smiled. “This move is pretty good. You understood eighty percent of its essence.”
The old man’s face sank as his clothes fluttered. He formed hand seals and pointed ferociously at Xiao Chen, who was executing Soaring Dragon.
A huge finger seemed to plunge from above the sky, carrying enormous Heavenly Might. The finger gently pressed on Xiao Chen. Even though his momentum was at its peak, the finger pushed him back down.
“Bang!”
Blood leaked out of a corner of Xiao Chen’s mouth. The momentum of Soaring Dragon instantly broke, causing him to tumble a few times.
As Xiao Chen watched the old man in the air, he entered deep thought. His opponent never used any strength surpassing peak Inferior Grade Martial Sage. However, the old man always managed to find the weakness in his moves, breaking them easily.
However, this was not a bad thing. Xiao Chen was not afraid of weakness. He was afraid of weakness that he did not know about and of becoming overconfident as a result.
“Again!”
Another intense battle took place in the combat room. Although the old man only used the strength of an Inferior Grade Martial Sage, he relied on his boundless combat experience and worldview to beat Xiao Chen up.
After exchanging moves for hundreds of times, Xiao Chen finally fixed most of the weaknesses of Return of the Azure Dragon and Soaring Dragon. He gained a lot from this.
Xiao Chen noticed that the light of the old man becoming increasingly dimmer. Soon, he would return to the crystal.
Xiao Chen took a deep breath, and the Azure Dragon Martial Spirit in his dantian split into two. The Quintessence that it carried moved in two different circulatory paths.
Slowly, two Azure Dragon images came out of the slender Lunar Shadow Saber and spiraled up the blade. The tip of the saber released a ball of light as resplendent as the sun.
“Dragon Subduing Slash’s third move, Double Dragons Playing with Pearl!”
The light at the tip of the saber flashed gracefully for an instant. Then it quickly flew at the old man. The two dragon images completely took form and chased after that light, spiraling as they flew.
When the old man saw this move, his expression turned somewhat grave. He eyed that pearl of light, and his figure started flickering around the combat room.
However, no matter how that old man dodged, that pearl of light locked on to that old man, chasing tightly after him. The two dragon images behind developed further as they pursued the pearl of light.
Now, the dragon scales were distinct and the dragon horns grew out. They breathed out Dragon Qi from their mouths, making them very difficult to differentiate from a real dragon. Soon, a faint Dragon Might spread out.
In the end, the old man sighed and stopped. Then he said, “Never mind. I should have known that this scoundrelly move cannot be dodged.”
The pearl of light instantly entered the body of the old man, and the two Azure Dragons charged over. A ferocious gale blew, lightning flashed, and thunder roared.
The old man sent out a palm strike, and his Quintessence surged, using the last of his energy to clash head-on.
An intense thunderous sound rang out, accompanied with fluctuations of surging Quintessence. An azure light flared, and the combat puppets at one side of the combat room instantly shattered.
When all the smoke vanished, the old man was no longer in sight. He must have returned to the crystal.
Xiao Chen panted. His complexion paled. This move required the usage of his Origin Energy. This move fatigued him, but the effects seemed rather good.
This was a move that even a Martial Emperor could not find an opening too. He could not dodge it and could only clash head-on.
Double Dragons Playing with Pearl was just the beginning. If Xiao Chen improved it further, he could even execute Triple Dragons Playing with Pearl, Quadruple Dragons Playing with Pearl, and even up to Nonuple Dragons Playing with Pearl.
When Xiao Chen looked around the combat room, he felt unsettled. Some of the precious combat puppets lay shattered. He did not know if the Supreme Sky Sect would require compensation for them.
Xiao Chen sat down cross-legged and entered into a state where he forgot himself. He started to carefully digest his gains from the past hour, remembering all the weaknesses of the Dragon Subduing Slash’s first two moves.
When it was dark, Shui Lingling’s voice came from outside the Heaven Series training room. He opened his eyes and executed Thunder Dragon Steps to arrive outside the door.
Shui Lingling glanced at Xiao Chen and discovered that his eyes appeared even deeper. Now, she could no longer see through his strength.
When Shui Lingling checked out the purple Heavenly Sage Laws behind Xiao Chen, she realized that she could not count them; they were all a blur. She could only see countless electric arcs crackling and flashing.
As Xiao Chen walked, he had a sharpness that he never displayed before. Now, he gave off a faint aura of the King Grade True Dragon. This was what surprised Shui Lingling the most.
Xiao Chen was also this withdrawn in the past, plain and simple. However, he kept this sharpness hidden in his heart, not revealing any of it.
Now, for some unknown reason, he revealed some of his sharpness. It was not that he could not control this sharpness with his cultivation. Instead, he was relaxed and not purposefully suppressing it.
Did this mean that Xiao Chen was like a sharp treasured saber that decided to unsheathe itself, taking his rightful place in this age of geniuses?
This was just one meeting, but Shui Lingling thought of many things based on what she saw. Furthermore, her guesses were rather accurate.
Xiao Chen glanced at Shui Lingling and was somewhat astonished. Her improvements in the past month were no less than his.
However, he did not know where she cultivated. The effects were actually no weaker than the Heaven Series training room.
“First Senior Sister, what’s the matter?” Xiao Chen asked.
Shui Lingling took out a crystal and gravely handed it over. “This is a will clone that my Master specially condensed for you. It has a tenth of his strength.
“Due to condensing this will clone, he has to recuperate for five years. However, as long as the threat is not a Martial Emperor, it can protect your life at any time.”
Xiao Chen received the crystal. The energy in it felt much stronger than the aura of the old man. It seemed like Shui Lingling was telling the truth.
This protective item was something that Xiao Chen urgently needed. He could not help but have a much better impression of the Supreme Sky Emperor, whom he had not met yet.
“Haha! Let’s go. Let’s gather at the First Elder’s place. We are going to the Central Province’s Martial God Palace.”