Chapter 839: Fighting to the Death with the Keepers
Xiao Chen muttered to himself and descended from the sky. Then he sat cross-legged on the ground, starting to recover the energy he exhausted. He intended to bring himself back to his peak state before using the Thunder Dragon Steps to rush over.
He circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, and the surrounding Spiritual Energy slowly poured into his three hundred Heavenly Sage Laws.
The Heavenly Sage Laws thirstily drank up all the Spiritual Energy. Their color slowly turned deeper as they filled up. Xiao Chen released electric light uncontrollably into his surroundings, forming a faint screen of radiance.
After a while, he opened his eyes. A bright light flashed in them. Since he advanced to Martial Sage, his recovery rate had become much faster than before.
Furthermore, his capacity had increased significantly.
Electric light burst out under Xiao Chen’s feet. He did not hesitate to use Thunder Dragon Steps to run wildly in the air. With each step, he moved five kilometers.
Wind howled past his ears. Going at this hasty pace, he could clearly feel a resistance limiting his speed.
When Xiao Chen kept his use to just a short burst, he did not feel the drag. However, with long-distance travel, it was readily noticeable.
This resistance was the spatial restriction of the Kunlun Realm. Unless he shattered space and entered the void, raising his speed further would be impossible. If he forcibly accelerated, it would result in harm to his physical body.
After some thought, he discovered that with his physical body, he could still endure another twenty percent increase in speed. However, this was his limit already; he could not raise his speed beyond this even if he wished to.
Xiao Chen did not have any concerns as he rushed forward at full speed. He was truly like a bolt of lightning tearing through the sky. The people below would see only two thunder dragons flashing overhead. They would not even be able to notice the figure above the thunder dragons.
Soon, he left behind the vast grassland. The pillar of light in the distance became increasingly clearer.
A look of joy appeared in Xiao Chen’s bright eyes. If he continued rushing at this pace, he should reach the Treasury Hall before sunset.
Suddenly, he stopped his headlong advance. The sounds of battle below attracted his attention.
While traveling such a long distance, Xiao Chen had come across more than one battle. However, he had not stopped for any of them.
The reason why the battle below could attract his attention was the people leading the fight below; they were no minor characters.
Three of the Deity Race’s Keepers of Light commanded more than ten Deity Race cultivators. They fought an intense battle with the Peacock King’s descendant, Kong Yuan. The Fiend Race cultivators that Kong Yuan headed also fought hard.
The situation did not look good for Kong Yuan’s side. The thirteen Keepers of Light might not seem very famous in the Deity Race, overshadowed as they were by the Divine Son and Divine Daughter.
Nonetheless, outside of the Deity Race, they were all part of the talented younger generation. With Kong Yuan’s strength, he would be able to defeat one, and perhaps barely defeat two.
However, it would be impossible for Kong Yuan to defeat three. Just being able to last a thousand moves was remarkable already.
Furthermore, the overall strength of the Deity Race was much higher than the Fiend Race’s. Although Kong Yuan had many people, defeat was just a matter of time.
“It’s Xiao Chen. Quick, release the signal and inform the others.”
All Deity Race cultivators had extraordinary Mental Energy. Xiao Chen only stopped in the sky for an instant, and the three Keepers of Light immediately discovered him. One of them shook his right hand, intending to release a signal.
Xiao Chen frowned. Originally, he had not intended to interfere in this. Now, he changed his mind.
With a flip of his hand, the Soul Slayer Bow appeared. He pulled back on the bowstring. All his actions appeared as fluid as flowing water. Then, he used all the Vital Qi in his body, not holding any of it back.
It felt like rushing thunder rumbled in his body. A formless aura gathered as Xiao Chen drew the bowstring.
However much Vital Qi was used equated to the might of the Soul Slayer Bow. Xiao Chen very rarely used his full power since it did inordinate damage to his arm. He could only do so for another three times before temporarily losing the use of his arm.
But he did not care too much at this moment.
Xiao Chen loosened his two fingers, and the arrow tore through the air. It moved in a flash. The Keeper who was shaking his right arm failed to release the signal before the arrow pierced his wrist. The tail of the arrow quivered as it dragged the Keeper to the ground with compelling force. Then, both the arrow and the arm it was attached to plunged into the ground.
“Buzz!”
Only at this moment did the sound of the arrow tearing through the air reach Xiao Chen’s ears. The speed of this arrow exceeded the speed of sound several times.
Xiao Chen returned the Soul Slayer Bow to the Universe Ring. The arrow had just pulled that Keeper to the ground, pinning him there, when electric light flashed under Xiao Chen’s feet as he quickly made his way over.
Xiao Chen was frighteningly fast. The heart of the Keeper on the ground raced. The Keeper’s sea of consciousness surged, and strong Mental Energy turned into thousands of weapons flowing with a divine light launching forward, trying to stop Xiao Chen for a moment.
“Dragon Tone Art! Break!” Xiao Chen shouted. His voice turned into a dragon-shaped wind as it swept across the sky. The thousands of weapons shattered and turned into boundless divine light spreading everywhere; it could not stop Xiao Chen at all.
Enduring the intense pain, the Keeper pulled the arrow out of his wrist. However, before he could get up, he saw a flash of lightning within the diffused divine light.
In the next moment, a white figure emerged from the divine light. He held a saber with two hands, pointing it down. Using the momentum of lightning, he thrust it into the chest of the Keeper’s inner vest, once again pinning him to the ground.
However, this time, it was not the wrist pinned to the ground but the heart—a fatal blow for any cultivator.
Light flashed, and this Keeper died on the spot, sent out of the Sage Mark Monument.
When Kong Yuan saw Xiao Chen make a move, he could not help feeling extremely joyful. His figure wavered, transforming into his true form—a huge blue peacock flickering with light.
Then, Kong Yuan suppressed the remaining two Keepers preparing to retreat, pushing them back.
Since Xiao Chen had already taken action, there was naturally no need for further thought. He pushed off the ground and worked together with Kong Yuan to deal with the two Keepers.
Kong Yuan alone could have defeated two Keepers. Xiao Chen’s help was like adding wings to a tiger. Soon, they eliminated the two Keepers.
Under the blue peacock’s beautiful appearance was an inestimable ferocity. He gave off an extremely berserk aura.
After the three Keepers died, the remaining Deity Race cultivators decisively ran, having no intention of fighting to the death.
Kong Yuan resumed his human form. As he watched Xiao Chen sheathe his saber, a complicated expression appeared in his eyes. However, he still said straightforwardly, “Many thanks for your assistance this time.”
When the two were in the Heavenly Dew Divine Spring, there had been a small grudge between them. Di Wuque’s arrival interrupted them, just when they had been about to fight. Coincidentally, they now cooperated because of the Deity Race.
Xiao Chen was not that narrow-minded. He did not have any irreconcilable differences or conflicts of interest with Kong Yuan.
If he could gain another friend through this incident, that might be a good thing. He replied calmly, “You are too polite. Given your strength, after transforming to your true form, you could run away by yourself.”
Kong Yuan looked at the remaining Fiend Race cultivators and sighed, “The Treasury Hall is already quite near. It would be too unfortunate if this group of my Race’s cultivators could not get there. If there is anything I can do, I will do it.”
Xiao Chen was moved. Under such circumstances, Kong Yuan still remembered his own Race’s people. This Kong Yuan was a respectable gentleman, worthy of being the Peacock King’s descendant.
“Let’s not talk about this. Why was that group of Deity Race cultivators attacking you?” Xiao Chen asked out of curiosity. They were already so close to the Treasury Hall. Why were they wasting their time here instead of searching for treasure?
Kong Yuan’s face sank as he replied, “Di Wuque led the Deity Race’s people here the moment he could. Then, he stationed guards all over the place to obstruct any other race that comes near.”
What great ambition! With the strength of just one race, Di Wuque wants to block all the experts of the other races. His appetite is too big.
Could it be that he wants to monopolize all the Secret Treasures of the Treasury Hall, emptying it?
Xiao Chen voiced the questions in his heart. Kong Yuan shook his head and explained, “It is not like that. The cultivators who enter the Treasury Hall are automatically sent out after they obtain two Secret Treasures.
“The Treasury Hall has a total of five levels. Each level has one King Grade Secret Treasure. These are what Di Wuque truly wants. His main purpose is to delay us. Of course, those who are weaker will be directly sent out of the Sage Mark Monument.”
Xiao Chen found this strange. He said, “The Sage Mark Monument opens once every ten years. This has been going on for several tens of thousands of years already. How come the Secret Treasures within it have not all been taken away yet?”
Kong Yuan was similarly puzzled. He answered, “I am not sure about this, either. In any case, every ten years, the Treasury Hall would have many Secret Treasures in it, including five King Grade Secret Treasures.
“There is a rumor that the Sage Mark Monument is not an independent entity. There might be a strong, mysterious existence supporting it, which either collects or forges these Secret Treasures.”
Xiao Chen thought to himself for a while. If there was a mysterious existence that could enter and leave this Sage Mark Monument freely, how strong would that existence be?
After all, when the Sage Mark Monument activated, even Sovereign Martial Emperors could not approach it. Only Inferior Grade Martial Sages could. Could that mysterious existence be even stronger than a Sovereign Martial Emperor?
However, all this was just speculation. There might not be any mysterious existence.
“I am going to meet up with the Spirit Fox King’s descendant, Yuan Xu. Let’s split up here. If we meet in the Treasury Hall, we will compete with our abilities.”
When Kong Yuan saw that the group of Fiend Race cultivators was mostly recovered, he prepared to depart.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and said, “That would be for the best. I shall take my leave, then.”
As Kong Yuan watched Xiao Chen go, his expression slowly turned serious.
A Fiend Race old man at the back stepped forward and said, “This Xiao Chen really had a trace of the Azure Emperor’s bearing back then. In the time it takes to raise a hand, he killed one of the Deity Race’s Keepers of Light. With such strength, he is probably not weaker than Di Wuque.”
Kong Yuan analyzed calmly, “There is indeed a trace of the Azure Emperor’s bearing. However, he still cannot compare to Di Wuque. Until now, Di Wuque’s true strength is still a mystery. The main reason why Xiao Chen could quickly kill that Keeper was his bow.
“He is still lacking in accumulations. However, Xiao Chen’s potential is very terrifying. Who would imagine that he has been in the Kunlun Realm for only two years?”
After parting from Kong Yuan, Xiao Chen saw several talents of the younger generation who had managed to break past the Deity Race’s guards. All of them rushed towards the Treasury Hall.