Chapter 863: Holy Beast of the Immortal Epoch
Xiao Chen was quite interested in the mysterious little fellow in the egg. However, his Spiritual Sense could not enter too deep into the egg. The space in it seemed like a small world, infinitely vast.
Ao Jiao flew out from the Immortal Spirit Ring and sized up this mysterious egg. However, she had no idea, either. She shook her head and said, “I don’t know. I have seen many high-ranked beasts with strong bloodlines. However, I’m not familiar with this color of egg, the overwhelming fire, or berserk aura.
“I know of several strong fire-attributed Spirit Beasts. However, none of them resembles this. If I’m not wrong, it should be a Holy Beast of the Immortal Epoch.”
Holy Beast?
“Were there really such mythological creatures?” Xiao Chen looked doubtfully at Ao Jiao.
She nodded seriously and said, “There certainly were. When the Martial Epoch first started, some people saw the traces of Holy Beasts near the Kunlun Mountain Range. There were even people who captured Holy Beasts.
“According to rumor, the founding ancestors of the human race’s Four Holy Lands sealed these beasts and established Bloodline Totems. Only then did Holy Beast Martial Spirits appear and were passed down to their descendants.
“Although no one knows the truth of these rumors, there is definitely some connection to the Holy Beasts. Otherwise, there would not be only four clans with Holy Beast Martial Spirits despite there being so many human cultivators.”
Perhaps it really was a Holy Beast from the Immortal Epoch. However, based on what it was like now, there were no signs of it hatching at all.
Suddenly, Ao Jiao exclaimed, “I remember! This is the Golden Crow Egg. It is white as jade and very shiny and has a boundless fire sea and raging inferno. It is the legendary Golden Crow inside!”
Xiao Chen’s expression changed, and he could not help but get excited. The Golden Crow. This is a famous Holy Beast!
The Golden Crow was a pure Yang holy bird. It was also called the Scarlet Crow and the Sun Bird. The flame of its body was the tyrannical supreme Solar True Flame of the sun. When it matured, it would be as bright as the blazing sun, able to light up the entire world.
The Golden Crow could rival the sun.
However, Ao Jiao’s next words were like cold water splashed on Xiao Chen. She said, “It is very difficult to hatch the Golden Crow Egg. Even after the Sky Dome Immortal Lord died, it still has not hatched. That just shows how difficult it is.
“And that’s not all. The young Golden Crow has no combat prowess. After it hatches, it will not be able to help you much. However, to many sects, there would be many benefits for later generations.”
Ao Jiao immediately dampened Xiao Chen’s excitement. He could not help smiling bitterly as he said, “Tell me what the necessary conditions are to hatch the Golden Crow Egg.”
She scrutinized the Golden Crow Egg. After a while, she said, “I think that the Golden Crow Egg has already absorbed sufficient Spiritual Energy. All it lacks now is the Origin Flame of the Solar True Flame.”
“Where can we find the Solar True Flame’s Origin Flame?”
Ao Jiao pointed to the blazing sun overhead and said, “The deepest part of the Kunlun Realm’s blazing sun is the Solar True Flame’s Origin Flame. The Solar True Flame of this Sky Dome Realm is just a portion taken by the Sky Dome Immortal Lord from the Kunlun Realm’s Solar True Flame.
Xiao Chen somewhat speechlessly put away the Golden Crow Egg. He stopped thinking about the Golden Crow Egg for now. He still had not lived long enough to want to run to the blazing sun.
Before he could get near, the sun would roast him until all his blood dried up. He would have to cultivate his physical body to the Golden Emperor Body, at the very least, before he might manage to retrieve some Solar True Flame.
As for the Origin Flame in the deepest part, he estimated that he would have to be a Sovereign Martial Emperor before he could dare to approach it carefully.
Xiao Chen took out the Longevity Fruits from the Universe Ring. He had a pretty good harvest in the Sky Dome Immortal Realm. The nineteen Longevity Fruits would be even more valuable in the Kunlun Realm.
That place never lacked old monsters who are approaching the end of their lifespan. After living for several hundred years, they would have accumulated a large amount of wealth. Any one of these Longevity Fruits that could increase lifespan by a hundred years would fetch a huge sum.
The few branches of the Longevity Tree were pretty good as well. Xiao Chen lacked good materials for the Life Bestowal Spell. A branch of a King Grade Spirit Tree would definitely meet his needs.
Aside from these, there were still several inner cores of ferocious beasts. After he purified them, the Immortal Qi in them would enable him to cultivate somewhat for a while.
After tidying everything, a Dragon Pearl appeared in Xiao Chen’s hand. He had been in the Sky Dome Realm for about two months. Even though his cultivation had not increased, he had gained a lot of things.
The Dragon Pearl of the frost flood dragon was the most practical. While Xiao Chen did not cultivate ice-attributed Quintessence, he could use it to attack his enemies.
If he were to detonate the energy in the Dragon Pearl, even grandmaster-level Martial Sages would suffer severe injuries from the blast.
He now had three Star Breaker Arrows for sneak attacks and the Dragon Pearl for a close-up encounter. Given these, even if he met grandmaster-level Martial Sages, he would have some trump cards that would allow him to hold his own.
Xiao Chen cultivated with a ferocious beast inner core for the whole afternoon before he returned to Qingyun Peak. Then he accompanied Liu Ruyue and chatted idly as they walked around the Heavenly Saber Pavilion.
He wandered around and looked at the scenery, the mountains and rivers, the flowers and grass, leaving the tense and intense Kunlun Realm rife with danger and enemies far behind.
Xiao Chen passed his days leisurely like this. Aside from cultivating on Qingyun Peak, he spent most of his time with Liu Ruyue.
Sometimes, when Liu Suifeng bugged him beyond endurance, Xiao Chen would go to the drill grounds and give a lecture about Saber Techniques to a group of female disciples.
Leisure time always passed very quickly. When one got engrossed, they would forget about the passing of time.
However, that which must come would eventually come. On a particular day after two months, Xiao Chen reached the bottleneck to the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation. He circulated the Cultivation Technique a little, and the sky changed color. Thunderclouds pressed down heavily, and strong winds howled. So he immediately stopped cultivating.
It was not that he feared the tribulations. However, he could not undergo them at the Heavenly Saber Pavilion, at Qingyun Peak.
Xiao Chen did not say anything to Liu Ruyue. He only let Liu Suifeng know he was going, and he left quietly on his own.
He turned his head back and glanced at the towering Qingyun Peak from midair. He had too many memories here, too many things tying him down.
He had not seen enough yet!
“Ao Jiao, I will come back alive, right?”
You have to. Even if you wish to die, I will not let you die. Ao Jiao showed a fierce expression as she said, You promised me that you will help me take revenge for Sang Mu. You are not allowed to die, nor will you die.
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At Qingyun Peak, where Xiao Chen parted with Liu Suifeng, Liu Ruyue slowly descended from the sky. She looked distracted as Xiao Chen turned into a black dot in the horizon.
Liu Suifeng looked at her and said helplessly, “Sis, you already found out from Senior Leng why he left. Why didn’t you show yourself and say something? This time, there is a high chance of him dying. It must feel very bad.”
Liu Ruyue smiled embarrassedly. “He did not want me to know. So it is fine for me to keep pretending. My heart is not in disorder, and neither is his.”
---
High in the sky, Ao Jiao kept track of the route Xiao Chen took. She asked, Where to now? Since you are undergoing your tribulations, you have to have an absolutely quiet place.
“We’ll go to Mohe City first. I’ll take one more look and have no more regrets.”
Xiao Chen had chosen the location for his tribulations long ago. However, before this, he had to make a trip to Mohe City. He had to take a look at his family from a distance.
He tore through space and traveled like a meteor in the void. Soon, the familiar silhouette of Mohe City entered his eyes.
Xiao Chen came out of the void, and his figure wavered. He arrived above Seven Horn Mountain. From here, he could see every detail of the entire Xiao Residence.
At present, the Xiao Residence had more than doubled in size. The Seven Horn Mountain was dotted with cultivators wearing the Xiao Clan’s uniform, undergoing experiential training.
The clan had reconstructed the originally simple camp at the base of the mountain. It was now magnificent. Elite Xiao Clan disciples stood guard there, keeping an eye on the non-Xiao-Clan cultivators.
Everything was very well managed, clearly becoming more prosperous with each passing day. Xiao Chen could vaguely sense a great Luck hovering over the clan.
Luck was ethereal and formless, but it truly existed. Xiao Chen was precisely the one who brought about the current Luck of the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Chen had obtained the first rank in the Five Nation Youth Competition, focusing the Sky Dome Realm’s Luck on him, and he had absorbed the essence of the Heavenly Dew Divine Spring. Now, his Luck already reached a startling height.
He smiled faintly and felt much more reassured. With the Secret Treasures, Spirit Stones, and secret manuals that he had given Xiao Jian and Xiao Yulan, the Xiao Clan’s strength was sure to rise. After he advanced to Martial Emperor and collected back the Azure Dragon Palace, his clan would be the best support for reestablishing the Dragon’s Gate.
After a few more glances, Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze. Even if he failed his tribulation, this trip back to the Sky Dome Realm was worth it.
Xiao Chen felt no regrets or fear in his heart.
“Who is behaving so sneakily? Come out here!”
Suddenly, Xiao Chen frowned, and one strand of golden light from the purple talisman in the sea of consciousness came out through his fingertip. It turned into a lightning-like saber Qi and shot towards the seemingly empty space in front of him.
With this attack, space was like a piece of white paper easily torn. A pitch-black hole appeared. Space silently shattered, not even leaving any fragments.
Teng Xiao, the Church Master of the Sky Dome Realm’s Dark Church, who somewhat resembled Xiao Chen, walked out. He wore black clothes and had a sinister look on his face.
Xiao Chen squinted. The aura of this person remained fresh in his memory—the unique dark aura of the people from the Dark Church. However, this person’s dark aura was much denser.
Furthermore, there was an additional trace of evil to it. Then, Teng Xiao caught the golden saber Qi that shattered space between his fingers.
However, this action was not what shocked Xiao Chen the most. Instead, it was this person’s appearance. If Xiao Chen recalled correctly, this person was the spitting image of the man in the Azure Emperor’s Drawing the Saber painting.
If not for the dark aura on this person and the blatant sinister air of his countenance, Xiao Chen might have mistaken this person for him.
In fact, this person had never thought of trying to conceal his sinister air as if it was innate. He did not suffer the etiquette and integrity of this world. He was unrestrained and uninhibited, seeing himself as the greatest in the world.