by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
“What are these? They don’t look like metal. Aiya!” Guo Ran picked up a needle, but as a result, the sharp quill pierced his finger.
“Pig.”
Long Chen was speechless. A dagger appeared in his hand and he cut off Guo Ran’s finger. That finger quickly turned pitch-black and corroded upon falling to the ground.
“Damn, how poisonous!” Guo Ran was shocked. He even forgot to use his Heavenly Dao Recovery.
“You can properly study these, and see if you can include them in your inventions. If you can use these properly, they’ll be a terrifying killing tool,” said Long Chen. “Finally, here is a priceless treasure. I’m sure you’ll be happy to see it.”
When Guo Ran saw the huge Earth Dragon’s egg, he was incomparably excited. Long Chen had him take the remaining two eggs for Meng Qi and Tang Wan-er as well. He told him to go find Meng Qi first, so that she could help Guo Ran bind the egg and teach him how to raise a Magical Beast.
When Guo Ran left, he was absolutely delighted. Long Chen also managed to relax. He once more entered seclusion with Yue Xiaoqian, focusing on recovering his spiritual yuan. He also began devouring medicinal pills, pushing forward to the ninth star transformation.
Once the Enlightenment Palace Star had reached the eighth star transformation, Long Chen had realized the amount of energy required to reach the ninth star transformation was practically unfathomable. But as long as he continued consuming medicinal pills, he would succeed sooner or later.
Long Chen also summoned Little Snow. Yue Xiaoqian liked Little Snow, and Little Snow liked Yue Xiaoqian. Once they had recovered their spiritual yuan, Yue Xiaoqian began to bring Little Snow out of the Stone tribe to roam and play. As for Long Chen, he focused on consuming medicinal pills.
He had some rare days of peace in the Stone tribe. Long Chen decided to just stay here. In order to express his gratitude to the Stone tribe, he gave them all the medicinal pills he had plundered. He had killed so many people that he had an ocean’s worth of pills and weapons. This kind of wealth caused the Stone tribe’s experts to jump in shock.
The Stone tribe didn’t decline his generosity. After taking his gift, they directly gave him a spatial ring. A mountain of yuan spirit stones was inside the ring. There had to be over a million of them.
Just like that, Long Chen passed more than two happy months in the Stone tribe. Each day, he drank and played with the Stone tribe’s men. He was content during these days.
Finally, the world turned gloomy. Mist began to condense in the sky. Long Chen’s heart shook. The legendary spiritual qi eruption was finally beginning.
Chapter 884 Familiar Aura
It had been exactly half a year since the Immemorial Path had opened. On this day, Long Chen clearly felt the spiritual qi of heaven and earth change qualitatively, and the spiritual qi in the air was growing denser and denser.
“Brother Long Chen, the tribe leader wants to see you,” said a Stone tribe expert.
Long Chen and Yue Xiaoqian hastily followed him to the tribe leader’s tent. All the Stone tribe’s experts had gathered. Shi Cang was also present, and he nodded in greeting upon seeing Long Chen arrive.
“The spiritual qi eruption has begun. Not only is the spiritual qi in the Immemorial Path growing denser, but the laws of heaven and earth, as well as the world’s core energy, are within it. This is the best moment to advance to Sea Expansion. Are you ready?” The tribe leader got right to the point.
“Yes, we’ve long since made our preparations. Is there anything we should know?” asked Long Chen.
The Stone tribe leader smiled. “Just a few things. This spiritual qi eruption is related to the crumbling of the Immemorial Path. As for the details, perhaps only lord Heaveneye knows them, but I will tell you what I know. During this time, the special spiritual qi will spread throughout every corner of the Immemorial Path, so there’s basically no difference where you make your breakthrough. However, there are a few special places with formations that will allow a cultivator to make twice the gains for half the effort. Those places are called Immortal Condensing Platforms.”
Long Chen was startled to learn such a secret, but Yue Xiaoqian didn’t reveal any emotion. She had long since known about this.
The Stone tribe leader continued, “However, these Immortal Condensing Platforms have their benefits, but they also have their drawbacks. The spiritual qi it gathers will contain more of the laws of heaven and earth, and is extremely helpful to comprehend the Heavenly Daos. But because your comprehension of the Heavenly Daos increases, your corresponding heavenly tribulation will also be stronger. If you can’t handle it, you’ll be turned to dust. So I ask you, what do you want to do?”
Long Chen immediately understood something. “Tribe leader, I don’t think it would be right for us to use something as precious as your Immortal Condensing Platform.”
“Haha, no. It’s not our Stone tribe’s. In truth, there are quite a few Immortal Condensing Platforms on the Immemorial Path. However, many of them were destroyed, and a few were noticed by invaders. So we hid the remaining ones for our own people. The aboriginals possess two such Immortal Condensing Platforms. However, we can’t use them, because that would just be sending ourselves to our deaths. The heavenly tribulation becomes furious and refuses to allow us to use it to advance. In fact, even if we don’t use the Immortal Condensing Platforms, advancing at this time would still be exceedingly dangerous.” The tribe leader sighed. His gaze was full of hatred as he looked up at the heavens, but he was powerless.
The aboriginals felt like they were a pitiful people abandoned by the heavens. They could only rely on themselves.
“So, I have to warn you. The Immortal Condensing Platforms are a double-edged blade. You have to choose carefully,” said the tribe leader. Although Long Chen was an outsider, after being in contact with him for so long, he very much liked this frank child. He was to the Stone tribe’s taste, so he gave him this opportunity and warning.
“What do you say?” Long Chen asked Yue Xiaoqian.
“It’s an extremely difficult decision. Perhaps the Immortal Condensing Platforms are the true secret to becoming a god or immortal. We can’t miss it.” Yue Xiaoqian’s eyes were full of hope. This was a gamble. If they won it, then perhaps she could allow the original devil race to escape its current predicament.
“Hehe, I’ll accompany you,” said Long Chen.
“Alright. I knew you would make this decision, but don’t blame an old man for talking too much,” laughed the tribe leader.
“Of course not,” laughed Long Chen.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you there.” The tribe leader brought Long Chen and Yue Xiaoqian out of the Stone tribe’s ancestral land. What surprised Long Chen was that the majority of the Stone tribe’s experts were also brought along.
The Stone tribe was huge. Half their experts would be numbered in the tens of thousands. For this many people to accompany him, it felt far too big in scope. It felt like they were going into battle.
The tribe leader led them all for seven days. The spiritual qi in the air was growing denser and denser, even condensing into a mist.
Seven days later, they arrived at a huge altar. The altar had a diameter of three hundred miles. However, half of it had crumbled, and it was unknown whether it could still be used.
There were two pillars on the altar, each of them three hundred meters tall and thirty meters wide. Countless ancient lines were carved into it, but there was so much dust on it, it was clear it had been abandoned for a long time.
Shockingly, there were countless experts gathered in front of the altar. They were numbered in at least the millions.
“Lord Heaveneye!” Long Chen was startled. This group of people had all at least reached Sea Expansion, and there were dozens of people at the front with powerful auras. They were clearly Foundation Forging experts, and Lord Heaveneye was amongst them.
“Haha, Long Chen, you won’t mind if we come to watch the fun, right
?” laughed lord Heaveneye.
“Of course I don’t mind. Having this many people cheer for me is something I couldn’t have even if I begged. Then, in a bit, remember to cheer loudly and wave some flags. That would be the most exciting!” laughed Long Chen.
Yue Xiaoqian was speechless. These people were clearly examining Long Chen as they had never seen him before, but he actually began joking with them.
“Big brother Long Chen, I’ll cheer you on!” Someone waved their hand amongst the crowd.
Long Chen looked and saw several familiar faces. They were Xiao Fei, Xiao Ling, and the others. But he didn’t see the old tribe leader.
“Good brother!” Long Chen gave him a thumbs-up. It seemed Xiao Fei was leading the group of the Xiao tribe’s experts. He had finally begun to bear that heavy responsibility.
“You should go up there now. Take advantage of this little remaining time to adjust your states,” said lord Heaveneye. His white eyes were a bit frightening, but his smile was kind.
Long Chen nodded and bowed to him. He and Yue Xiaoqian jumped onto the platform’s pillars. Long Chen smiled at Yue Xiaoqian and closed his eyes, focusing on bringing himself to his peak state.
Both Long Chen and Yue Xiaoqian were at the peak of Xiantian. As long as they wanted to, they could attack Sea Expansion at any time. Right now, they had to relax themselves, making their hearts enter an empty state.
One of the Foundation Forging experts behind lord Heaveneye looked at the two of them and said, “Lord Heaveneye, why did you have all of us come? Is it really just to cheer for these two children?”
“Why not?” said lord Heaveneye with a smile.
The elder was speechless. They were the various leaders of their tribes, Foundation Forging experts, and behind them were their elites. However, they had come to cheer for some Xiantian rookies?
“Brother Feng, lord Heaveneye is just joking with you. He must have his own reasons. Let’s just watch,” laughed another tribe leader.
Lord Heaveneye smiled. Lines began to circulate within his white eyes, and it was like he could see through each of their hearts. “I know everyone’s time is precious. But I still took the risk of gathering everyone here despite the weakening of defenses. That’s naturally not just to play around. It’s all because of the ancestor’s final words before ascending.”
They were startled and one of them said, “The dragon swims through the mortal world, the immemorial revives; lightning breaks the sky, the end of the ten worlds?”
The younger experts didn’t quite understand what they were talking about. In fact, even some of the younger tribe leaders didn’t know. But the seniors looked at Long Chen with shock.
“Could it be…”
“It’s too early to say anything for sure. It’s similar, but not entirely the same. We’ll be able to see the proof soon, so calling everyone here to watch isn’t a bad thing,” said lord Heaveneye.
The tribe leaders immediately stopped complaining. They no longer looked at that figure on the platform so lightly.
The spiritual qi in the air was still growing denser. The mist was starting to condense practically into liquid, a sign that the spiritual qi had reached an inconceivable density. It was like the entire world was drowning in spiritual qi.
Long Chen sat cross-legged on one of the stone pillars, keeping his heart empty. It was like his mind had escaped its cage and was floating throughout the entire Immemorial Path. It was a strange, mysterious feeling that he couldn’t describe.
It was like he was a god overlooking this world. He didn’t know that when he entered that state, the dust on the stone pillar slowly fell, and countless ancient runes began to awaken as if they were absorbing some mysterious energy.
Long Chen felt empty, as if he didn’t exist, as if he were one with the world.
“The empty Dao-heart, a state of no me?” Lord Heaveneye nodded slightly. The other tribe leaders were all startled, because even they were unable to reach such a state. That was an even deeper cultivation state than meditation.
Long Chen didn’t know about their shock. In this mysterious state, he felt completely relaxed, like a fetus in the womb. Because he didn’t try to look at anything, he saw more than ever.
But this kind of seeing was indistinct. All he saw was the general shape of the Immemorial Path. Four paths had all been severed. The center of the original cross-shaped path had vanished, resulting in each path being unable to reach the center any longer.
Not only did he see that general shape, but he also sensed countless auras. Suddenly, Long Chen felt an extremely familiar aura, and he hastily focused on looking. But as soon as he did that, he suddenly found the scene disappearing, as if everything had been a dream. He was still sitting on that pillar.
“It’s Ye Zhiqiu! It’s definitely her!” Long Chen was sure he had sensed her aura.
“Alright, the spiritual qi has reached its peak. You can decide who wants to attack Sea Expansion first,” said lord Heaveneye.
Chapter 885 Three Thousand Mile Qi Sea
On one of the other four paths, a woman was standing alone at the peak of a mountain. This was the Northern Source’s trial path.
The mountain beneath her feet was covered in ice. A verdant forest had originally been here, but it was now a land of ice.
Snow constantly circulated around her. She was grand and beautiful, like a goddess of ice.
Her eyes suddenly opened. Those pupils were icy-cold, but within that iciness, a trace of warmth appeared.
“It’s him.”
She looked in a certain direction, her gaze seeming to be able to pierce through space. A face appeared in her mind, one that was a bit naughty, but one that was extremely warm when it smiled.
“Senior apprentice-sister Zhiqiu, the spiritual qi has reached its peak! You can advance to Sea Expansion now!” shouted a distant woman wearing the same white robes as her.
“Alright. You can go too. The Immortal Condensing Pillars have benefits and drawbacks. Don’t force yourself.” Ye Zhiqiu nodded, looking into the distance. She once more closed her eyes. Snow began to dance around her, and an icy aura soared into the sky.
…
Hearing lord Heaveneye’s words, Long Chen and Yue Xiaoqian opened their eyes. Looking at each other, Yue Xiaoqian asked, “Together?”
Long Chen shook his head. “No, you can go first.”
Yue Xiaoqian nodded and closed her eyes. Her aura began to surge, as if a peaceful lake was starting to boil. It grew more and more intense, until her aura was raging against the sky.
Long Chen stared closely. He wanted to see how others advanced to Sea Expansion.
Yue Xiaoqian’s aura was growing stronger and stronger, with everything within a hundred miles trembling from it.
An illusory sea appeared behind her. It was five miles wide. The spiritual qi around her was pouring into it.
“Heavens, it’s already so big at the start! Once she steps into Sea Expansion, won’t it be enough to frighten someone to death?” The Sea Expansion experts were all shocked.
The initial sea of a Sea Expansion expert was normally only three hundred meters. Fifteen hundred meters would make someone a genius. But even geniuses couldn’t compare to Yue Xiaoqian’s initial sea.
This sea was a projection of her Dantian. As she used her Dantian’s power, its image automatically appeared before her. The initial sea and her Dantian were linked. Their energy was the same.
Once the initial sea behind her formed, spiritual qi began to be absorbed faster and faster by it. It gradually grew larger, growing by the mile every breath.
“What speed!” The experts were startled again. Not only was her initial sea exceedingly large, but the speed at which it grew was many times faster than others.
Yue Xiaoqian’s body began to automatically float in the air. The more her initial sea grew, the higher she floated. In less than an incense stick’s worth of time, her initial sea was already thirty miles wide. The powerful fluctu
ations were constantly causing ripples in space.
But once it reached that size, the speed at which it grew clearly lowered. Or perhaps it was just too big, and so any increase in size seemed insignificant.
Through the aboriginals’ shock, Long Chen was able to tell that this speed was amazing. But he was worried. He didn’t have a Dantian. How was he supposed to advance to Sea Expansion?
Thunder filled the air. Long Chen jumped, but when he looked up, he didn’t see any change in the weather.
“The Immemorial Path’s heavenly tribulations are linked. When nearby people undergo tribulation, it’s common for others to sense it,” explained lord Heaveneye.
Long Chen nodded. The Immemorial Path truly was strange. He didn’t know whether they would be disturbed because of others undergoing tribulation too close to them.
As if seeing through Long Chen’s thoughts, lord Heaveneye said, “You don’t need to worry. Although you can hear the thunder of their tribulations, in reality, they’re probably millions of miles away. It’s like swimming in an ocean. You don’t need to worry about the ripples from other people affecting you. Right now, she’s in the midst of fully forming her initial sea. Once it forms a resonance with her Dantian, her tribulation will fall.
“Although the Immortal Condensing Pillar does have an isolation effect, you might get affected by her tribulation. To be safe, you can temporarily leave.”
These pillars on the Immortal Condensing Platform had runic formations. No matter who sat on them, they would feel a strange force field around them. Through that force field, their absorption of spiritual qi would increase, but the lightning tribulation would also grow stronger.
“It’s fine. I’ll stay right here. I can look after her like this.” Long Chen smiled and declined his suggestion.
His refusal caused quite a few people’s eyes to turn a bit colder. Lord Heaveneye was like a god to them, and Long Chen was being disrespectful. But lord Heaveneye merely smiled slightly without the least bit of anger. He continued watching Yue Xiaoqian with everyone else.
