Chapter 862: Opportunity
Chapter 862: Opportunity
Xiao Chen raised his leg and jumped into the pit. When he stood firmly at the bottom, there was a large, blue wooden box by his feet.
Plain patterns carved on the surface of the wooden box flickered with faint light. The light of the densely packed talisman scripts formed a halo, and Immortal Qi spread out.
Xiao Chen gazed at that wooden box with a contemplative expression. This small world was once the Sky Dome Immortal Lord’s residence, so it was not strange to find a box filled with Immortal Qi here.
What was strange was that the wooden box had been under the Longevity Tree. Why had the Sky Dome Immortal Lord purposely placed this here?
Xiao Chen hesitated over whether to open the box or not. This was a conundrum. He always maintained a cautious attitude towards things that he knew nothing about.
To open or not to open?
Open!
Xiao Chen revealed a determined expression. The Sky Dome Immortal Lord was a peak-level character of the Immortal Epoch. Modern-day Sovereign Martial Emperors could not even compare to him.
Such a person had left a wooden box under the Longevity Tree. This was definitely not done casually. This was a great opportunity, and Xiao Chen could not waste it.
Xiao Chen stretched out his right hand, and a purple talisman appeared in his palm. This was the form of his will. With just a thought, the purple talisman turned into a gentle electric light that encased his entire right hand.
Four strands of golden light swam around quickly in the gentle electric light. An unparalleled sharpness came from the boundless saber intent.
Xiao Chen focused, and the four strands of golden light merged into one. “Buzz…!” A vast saber hum instantly resounded with unparalleled wildness.
He extended his hand straight, and a strand of golden saber Qi shot out of his finger, surging like a river. Waves came relentlessly from behind, charging forward without stopping, moving in endless succession.
After Xiao Chen’s will had absorbed the vague form of his saber soul, he had picked up some tricks and techniques.
“Ka ca!” The strand of saber Qi broke the light barrier of the talisman scripts on the wooden box. Just as he was about to touch the wooden box, the electric light around his hand disappeared, and the saber Qi vanished.
He grabbed the air as the wooden box flew forward, hovering in midair. Then he gently raised his hand, and a formless force opened the wooden box.
When the wooden box opened, hot, turbid Qi immediately poured out. Xiao Chen had long since been ready for something like this.
He pointed with his finger, and the three hundred thumb-width-thick Heavenly Sage Laws flowed out from his fingertip. Then they intertwined with each other to form a barrier, blocking this hot, turbid Qi.
Xiao Chen looked carefully and discovered an egg giving off a jade-white light in the wooden box. When he peered closer, he could see a burning space with a raging inferno through the eggshell.
There was a small vague lifeform nestled among the boundless flames. Its eyes remained closed as it breathed, clearly in a deep sleep.
The hot, turbid Qi that poured out occasionally was due to this little fellow exhaling. The space within was burned pitch-black.
Xiao Chen felt astonished. What kind of existence is the little fellow inside the egg? Even its involuntary breathing can have this much destructive power.
He somewhat understood why the wooden box had been placed under the Longevity Tree. The Longevity Tree was a peak King Grade Spirit Tree. In the Sky Dome Immortal Realm, it was the fastest at drawing Spiritual Energy.
Placing this egg at its roots enabled this little fellow to absorb even more Spiritual Energy.
However, what exactly was in the egg? The Longevity Tree already existed for at least ten thousand years. After such a long incubation, the egg still had not hatched.
There was also a jade strip beside the egg. Xiao Chen picked it up and checked it with his Spiritual Sense. He discovered that it was a remarkable Immortal Spell called Starry Heaven Storm.
This Immortal Spell was much stronger than the low-level Immortal Spells recorded in the Compendium of Cultivation. It used strong Magic Energy to recreate the scene of a cosmic storm.
When this Immortal Spell was executed, it would be like a real cosmic storm descending, swallowing up countless stars in an instant and crushing them into dust.
Of course, this was just a description. Its might would depend on the person who executed it.
Xiao Chen simply glanced at this. He did not have Magic Energy and hence could not practice this. To him, no matter how powerful this Immortal Spell was, it was useless.
He tossed the wooden box into his Universe Ring and looked around the cave again. Aside from the Longevity Tree somewhere below, there was nothing else.
His figure flashed, and he returned to the surface. Then he took in his surroundings, preparing to check out the other forbidden lands of the Sky Dome Immortal Realm.
In the end, Xiao Chen was somewhat disappointed. The natural treasures in those forbidden lands were not as valuable as the Longevity Tree.
When he thought about it, he realized that was normal. If there really were any heaven-defying treasures, given how long the Sky Dome Immortal Realm had existed, the senior experts would have plundered them long ago. It was not his turn to obtain these treasures.
As for the forbidden lands that others could not go to, Xiao Chen did not dare to mess around there. For example, in the place he was currently in, there was a beast as strong as a grandmaster-level Martial Sage of the Kunlun Realm.
Behind that beast was a lake filled with Immortal Qi. Aside from the lake, there was a pavilion as well.
The Immortal Qi lake and that mysterious pavilion both held a great attraction for Xiao Chen. However, the sleeping beast unconsciously snored out bubbles, which ripped space apart when they exploded. The shattered pieces of space turned into tornadoes and blew towards the sky.
Unexpectedly, the spatial storms that always covered the sky of the Sky Dome Immortal Realm were the accidental creations of this beast as it slept. Just considering this, Xiao Chen could not help but feel afraid. How dare he approach that place?
He eyed the pavilion with extreme dissatisfaction. Then, his figure flashed and left this place to continue hunting Martial-Sage-level ferocious beasts.
The Sky Dome Realm’s Spiritual Energy density was very low. Given Xiao Chen’s cultivation now, cultivating there for a year could not even compare to cultivating for one month in the Kunlun Realm.
However, the inner cores of these ferocious beasts could help Xiao Chen increase his cultivation speed. Although this speed still could not compare to cultivating in the Kunlun Realm, it was better than nothing.
After spending about ten days or so in the Sky Dome Immortal Realm, Xiao Chen went to the base of the Great Qin Nation. Ying Yue had made arrangements long ago. After he reported his identity, he used the transportation formation to get out.
In the cold night, he rode on an electric light, moving very quickly, tearing through the night sky like a meteor. Soon, he arrived at the Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s Qingyun Peak.
Xiao Chen looked down and saw Liu Ruyue in her courtyard. She had yet to sleep. Moonlight shone on her as she practiced her saber. She looked valiant and beautiful and very graceful.
He smiled faintly and drew his Lunar Shadow Saber. Then he suppressed his cultivation and landed beside Liu Ruyue to practice with her.
When Xiao Chen suddenly appeared, he startled Liu Ruyue slightly. But she soon recovered her wits, and a smile appeared on her face as she calmly started to exchange moves with him.
Liu Ruyue was currently a peak Inferior Grade Martial Monarch. She was just one step shy of advancing to Medial Grade Martial Monarch.
Naturally, such a cultivation speed was far inferior to that of the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm; it was like the difference between clouds and mud. However, this speed was already very fast in the Sky Dome Realm.
After finishing a set of Saber Techniques, the two of them withdrew at the same time. Xiao Chen sheathed his saber and stepped forward to pull Liu Ruyue into his embrace.
Under the moonlight, her graceful face looked extremely charming.
Liu Ruyue wrapped her arms around Xiao Chen’s neck. As she looked at the delicate face before her, her smile faded away. She asked seriously, “Why did you come back? Can you tell me the truth?”
There were some things that Xiao Chen could tell Leng Tianhe but not Liu Ruyue.
Xiao Chen did not tell Liu Ruyue that he came back to undergo his tribulations here—tribulations that were extremely dangerous with a high probability of death—because if he died in the Kunlun Realm, he would not be able to see her ever again.
“I missed you, so I came back.”
Liu Ruyue smiled gently and said, “That’s good. Don’t go back to the Kunlun Realm again, alright?”
Her request stunned Xiao Chen. He did not know how to answer this. He was not good at lying and did not wish to break a promise he made. So her words stumped him.
Seeing Xiao Chen’s expression, Liu Ruyue gently struggled free from his embrace. She sighed and said, “You know that you are not good at lying. Why try to amuse me?”
Xiao Chen watched Liu Ruyue enter the house alone, while he remained where he stood. He did not know what to do. Then, he slowly made his way to the door and knocked twice. However, he did not hear her bid him come in.
It looked like she was really angry. He could not help but feel somewhat sad. He raised his head and looked at the bright moon above, thinking of how to give her an explanation.
He did not purposely hide the truth of his return from her. He just did not want to make her worry. However, without telling her the truth, there was no way to ease her concerns.
Xiao Chen ended up stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was now late at night. The moon hid quietly behind the clouds. He stood outside the door for a long time and started to count the stars above out of boredom.
“You dummy! The door is not locked. If you still don’t come in, I’m really going to get angry.” Suddenly, Liu Ruyue’s grumbling voice came from the house.
Xiao Chen’s face lit up in joy, and he quickly pushed the door open to enter.
Within the Immortal Spirit Ring, Ao Jiao simply did not have the strength to ridicule Xiao Chen. There was a beauty on the bed, and the door was not locked. Only a fool like Xiao Chen would stand outside counting the stars.
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The sky had not turned bright yet. The faint light of the morning sun scattered a mild radiance.
Xiao Chen had not slept so comfortably in a very long time. He opened his eyes and turned his head. Liu Ruyue had yet to awaken; her eyes remained closed as her head lay on his arm.
He carefully pulled his arm out and supported his head with one hand. He simply quietly watched her sleep, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Leaning in, he gave Liu Ruyue a light peck on the forehead. Then he put on his clothes and covered her with the blanket before quietly going out.
There was a waterfall in the back mountains of Qingyun Peak. Xiao Chen sat cross-legged beside the pool with his eyes closed as he slowly circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation.
He faced the endlessly gushing waterfall, his expression turning slightly serious. Every time he circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, he could distinctly feel the bottleneck drawing near. The horrifying Lightning Tribulation and the formless, traceless, and even more horrifying Heart Tribulation would come soon.
However, at this moment, Xiao Chen already felt much calmer. He was now far calmer compared to when he first realized that the Lightning Tribulation and Heart Tribulation were approaching, when he was in the Heaven Series training room at the Supreme Sky Star.
Now that Xiao Chen had seen his friends in the Sky Dome Realm and his family from Mohe City’s Xiao Clan, his mental state had reached a perfect level.
No questions about the future, caring only for the present. On the road to the peak, the solitary person did not fear, the silent did not fear, the brave did not fear.
Xiao Chen stretched out his hand and released that jade-white egg from the seal that he had placed. As he looked at the raging inferno and the boundless sea of flames inside, he felt confused.
“Ao Jiao, do you know what exactly this egg is?”