Nine Astra Skies

Chapter 341: Twilight Gold Coin

The day went by quickly. Outside the Heavenly Astra Seal, many fighters slowly poured onto the seventh floor of the Soul Pagoda.

Though many people had entered the seventh floor of the Soul Pagoda, a great deal of them left as well.

Groups of hundreds entered the seventh floor and only dozens of them had managed to leave. A majority of them were gravely wounded.

Even some members of the Thunder Beasts led by Bi Lin and the men of the Tribunal Council led by Cang Lu had retreated from the seventh floor.

There must be some sort of monster on the seventh floor of the Soul Pagoda leaving even the members of large factions in such an unseemly form. Some of the large factions did not even dare to enter. They camped by the entrance and it looked like they were waiting for the strongest fighters of their respective factions to arrive. There was some sort of unimaginable treasure on the seventh floor that drew them here.

Whether the Transcendent Stage fighters of each sect would come here or not was still largely unknown. If the Transcendent Stage fighters arrived, it might not be safe even inside the Heavenly Astra Seal.

Ye Chen started feeling a strong sense of urgency. He continued to absorb power from the Cosmic Stones, rapidly boosting his cultivation base.

The number of people camping by the entrance of the seventh floor was gradually increasing. Every now and then, several factions would gather their forces and dispatch a large number of men onto the seventh floor.

All treasures from the first to the sixth floor of the Soul Pagoda were practically swept clean. Everyone coveted the treasures from the seventh floor. Occasionally, someone would triumphantly return from the seventh floor with lots of treasures to show for it. Most of the time, they returned empty-handed and in horrible shape or they did not return at all. As for the underground section of the Soul Pagoda, most teams had retreated since the mystical beasts down there were too powerful.

“Master Lion, did you hear any news?” Ye Chen asked. He did not dare to recon with his Astral Body even though Master Lion had already erased the Psyche energy that Bi Lin left on him. There was a chance that Bi Lin already remembered the scent of his energy. If he just peeked outside with his Astral Body, he might be spotted.

“They are saying they found a gigantic mast of light in the center of the seventh floor and there are several thousand Cosmic Stones there. But there are also dozens of Spirit Beasts of Grand Supreme Stage in the vicinity. If they approached the mast of light, they will provoke the Spirit Beasts.”

Several thousand Cosmic Stones. Ye Chen heaved a cold sigh. He wanted to go take a look for himself but since even Bi Lin, Cang Lu, and the other had to retreat, there was no way he would stand a chance.

“Apart from Grand Supreme Stage Spirit Beasts, there are many Daemon King Level ones as well. There are already several fighters of Godly Venerable Rank and Daemon King Rank from several large sects in there. You’re all alone, so it’s better that you don’t go in there,” Master Lion said.

“Hm.” Ye Chen nodded slightly. He knew that he was not going to be able to do anything there so his primary task now was to figure out how to leave this place safely.

“The Thunder Beast Clan and the Tribunal Council seem to have found some components of the Tier Nine Purple Demon Armor on the seventh floor. They have battled several rounds for the components. Even though the Tribunal Council did get their hands on some of the components, the Thunder Beast Clan seems to have come out slightly on top. I have to say, that sexy little lady is quite cunning.”

Bi Lin’s cultivation base was two grades lower than Cang Lu. However, due to the full set of Tier Nine Purple Demon Armor she had, Cang Lu could not do anything to her. The Purple Demon Armor was extremely powerful. If Ye Chen wore the full set of Purple Demon Armor, even he would be able to handily defeat Godly Venerable Rank or Daemon King Rank fighters. Unfortunately, he only had two components of a Tier Eight Purple Demon Armor.

“Tong Tian the Leo King of the Leo King’s Palace seems to have arrived as well. Even though the brat is just Daemon King Rank, he should fare well against Bi Lin and Cang Lu. I think I’ve seen his secret treasure – the Leo King’s Hammer in the past. It’s a spirit arcana. One of these days, you have to bring the brat into the Heavenly Astra Seal so I can teach him a lesson.”

“Tong Tian the Leo King is here?”

“Not just Tong Tian the Leo King. Even the Demon Wolf from the last time in the Ye Clan Valley is here as well. Three Daemon Kings at their peak, one of them seems to be carrying a spirit arcana as well. If memory serves me correctly, it’s called the Demon Wolf Manic Blade. Little Brat Ye Chen, you better avoid running into them. The power of the Demon Wolf Manic Blade when used rivals the strength of a Boundless Stage fighter so you will not be able to survive it.”

“I understand.” Ye Chen nodded. The three Demon Wolves were veterans that had been stuck in the pinnacle of Daemon King rank for years. All the techniques Ye Chen could cast were at most beginner Daemon King Rank. There was no way he could survive if he was surrounded by three Daemon Kings.

Just as Ye Chen and Master Lion were talking, he felt a slight movement from inside the Soul Pearl. He immediately inspected the Soul Pearl with his Astral Body.

Little Wingsy was sitting cross-legged inside the Soul Pearl. He held a piece of Cosmic Stone on his palm. Elder Tuntian had one as well. They were probably cultivating earlier. They were both looking up at Little Squido. Little Squido’s body was constantly morphing. One moment he was extremely gigantic and the next he had morphed into a tiny figure. His body was enveloped in a ball of Water-type Celestial Chi. The raging Water-type Celestial Chi was like a vast ocean. He waved his eight tentacles continuously like he was swimming inside it.

“Little Wingsy, what happened to Little Squido?” Ye Chen asked.

Little Wingsy stared at Little Squido with his eyes wide open. He had a confused look upon his face. “I don’t know either, I only gave him two of those white stones, then this happened.”

It was the Cosmic Stone!

“Little Brat Ye Chen, this octopus is a Dusk Octopus. The Dusk Octopus undergoes six transformations in their lifetime. It probably underwent its first transformation after it absorbed the Cosmic Stones.” Master Lion deduced calmly.

“What happens after the first transformation?” Ye Chen asked as he knew very little about the Dusk Octopus Clan.

“After the first transformation, the Dusk Octopus still won’t have any offensive capabilities. However, it’s near impossible to catch them at that point. They become like the Vital Chi between heaven and earth as they can assume all types of forms and drift between heaven and earth. Their lifespan reaches several millions of years so these guys possess the most stubborn life force among all beings.”

After the transformation, Little Squido still did not have any offensive power to speak of, but Ye Chen was not planning to let Little Squido help him fight anyway. He smiled faintly.

“But you cannot underestimate them. They have a natural affinity for World Spirit Creatures birth between Heaven and Earth. There’s a chance that he could help you find other World Spirit Creatures like the Celestial Martial Chi!” Master Lion explained.

“Hm.” Ye Chen nodded. The Cosmic Stones should last Little Wingsy, Elder Tuntian, and Little Squido for some time. He retracted his Astral Body from the Soul Pearl to continue his cultivation.

Following his Cultivation Base’s improvement, Ye Chen felt his mastery of the Flying Dagger improving significantly as well. He could now materialize eight Flying Daggers at a time and he could fully control three of them. Even opponents with cultivation base several higher grades than his, as far as Grand Supreme and Peerless Power could be wounded if they were not careful.

As Ye Chen continued to cultivate, his Astral Body became considerably more powerful as well. He materialized his Astral Body and sparred with Master Lion for several rounds. Previously, even when his Astral Body cultivation base was just at Mystique Venerable Rank, he was already able to last seven to eight rounds against Master Lion. Now, he was only able to match Master Lion for two rounds despite having advanced his cultivation base to beginner Daemon King Rank.

As Ye Chen’s cultivation base was improving, the Heavenly Astra Seal cracked slightly. It seemed that Master Lion was improving at a faster pace than Ye Chen.

It would take Ye Chen ages before he could defeat Master Lion.

“Little Brat Ye Chen, from what I’ve heard from the people outside, it seems that there will be Boundless Stages fighters arriving here in two days at most. How are your preparations coming along?” Master Lion asked with a frown.

Ye Chen fell silent for a moment before asking, “Master Lion, please inform me when Bi Lin enters the seventh floor. I’ll see if I can find an opening to flee from the sixth floor and head to the fifth floor.”

“I suppose this is the only option. However, the sexy little lady usually doesn’t remain on the seventh floor for a very long time. She should come back down relatively quickly. If she notices your energy, she’ll be able to lock on to your position. When that happens, she’ll suspect something even if you hide inside the Heavenly Astra Seal again. It’ll be even more difficult for you to escape if that happens,” Master Lion said. Even with the Heavenly Astra Seal, a Boundless Stages master had many ways to deal with Ye Chen who was just at beginner Daemon King Rank.

Ye Chen nodded slightly. He was aware of that too. However, he had to make his move within a day or two or else, there would be no other chance for him to escape.

“Oh, didn’t you get six carcasses of Daemon King Rank Spirit Beasts? If you can extract their secret technique jade slips in addition to the other two secret technique jade slips you found previously, you’ll have eight pieces. There might be some techniques you can learn from there.” The thought suddenly came to Master Lion.

Ye Chen had just remembered that too. He reached into the armguard space with his Astral Body and peeled open the heads of the six Daemon King Rank Spirit Beasts. To his surprise, five of the Daemon King Rank Spirit Beasts had pieces of metal similar to the Tianyuan ancient coins instead of secret technique jade slips located inside their skulls. Only one of the Daemon King Rank Spirit Beast had a secret technique jade slip within its skull.

“Master Lion, there are only three secret technique jade slips. Judging by these pieces of metal, it doesn’t seem like each Daemon King Rank Spirit Beasts has a secret technique jade slip in their skulls.” Ye Chen noted. He originally assumed that they contained a secret technique jade slip. Since the very first time he slew a Daemon King Rank Spirit Beast and peeled its skull, he found a secret technique jade slip.

Master Lion silently nodded in agreement.

“What are these pieces of metals?” Ye Chen asked. The five pieces of metals took on a flat and round shape, resembling the Tianyuan ancient coin he had found previously. They were also covered in runic seals and were dark golden with a faint metallic glow. Their material was drastically different from the Tianyuan ancient coins and was also larger than the Tianyuan ancient coin.

“Could this be twilight gold?” Master Lion asked in shock.

“Twilight gold? What’s a twilight gold?”

“How do I put it? Twilight gold is also a rare mineral. They are extremely sparse as well. They serve as crafting material for Human Tier, Earth Tier, and Heavenly Tier spirit artifacts. Some expert blacksmiths can even use them to forge spirit arcana!”

“Forging spirit arcana?” Ye Chen was taken aback. He immediately understood the value of these five metals. The metal taken from the Tianyuan ancient coin could only be used to craft Tier Eight and Nine spirit artifacts. It could be seen that the twilight gold was a tier above the material used to craft the Tianyuan ancient coins.

Ye Chen stashed all five pieces of twilight gold. He observed the three secret technique jade slip in his hands again. He had already tried dripping his blood on one of the jade slips and he had also let Little Wingsy try to open it but to no avail. He wondered, would it be any different for the other two secret technique jade slips?