by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
The palace master didn’t express her shock. She walked over to everyone and said, “There are some of you here that know at least a bit of the secret of the ancients. There are also some who might not have touched upon such things due to your sects. If you wish, I can give you a simple explanation about a portion of the Martial Heaven Continent’s history.”
“Please, palace master, we are eager to know the truth,” said Di Xin first.
“Alright, then I’ll say a few words.”
The palace master nodded. Her voice was gentle and calm, without any of the arrogance of a master of such a powerful sect. She treated them like friends she liked to chat with.
“Perhaps you’ve heard some ancient stories, but the timeline of those stories is all muddled. The ancient era, ancient times, antiquity, it’s all garbled. To put it generally, basing the terms around the battle of the immortal era, the time before that battle can be classified as the immortal era. Then there was the dark era, and then the ancient era. Before the immortal era was the era of legend. Due to the flow of time, it’s impossible to trace back any history to that point. That’s why everything about it is simply imagined by people, so it is naturally an era of legend. The meaning is that you can just listen to those legends, but don’t treat them seriously. As for the immortal era, it truly existed. Although there are very few records of it, they definitely exist.”
Other than a very small portion of people who had inherited special things, the others had no idea about these ancient secrets. The Martial Heaven Continent had gone through countless wars. Much of its culture and inheritance had been lost. Although there were still some secret realms, that era was so far gone, it was impossible to trace things back. That was why many things that people knew about the immortal era and the dark era were filled with questions and suspicions.
“Palace master, if the immortal era really existed, then can people really ascend to become a god or immortal, to have a lifespan as long as the heavens?” asked someone reverently.
“It was possible in that era. Our era is a declined era, and no one is capable of ascending. However, there are no absolutes. The Heavenly Daos exist in a cycle. When things reach a peak, the only option is to go in the other direction. The era we are in right now can be called the worst era. When things get so bad that they can’t get any worse, they can only get better. The qi flow of the world is changing. You are lucky to have been born during this part of the cycle,” said the palace master.
However, there was one thing that she didn’t say. That was that they might also be the most pitiful people. If this cycle didn’t complete, the world might end during this era.
“We’ve gotten sidetracked. This place that you see is the black channel that leads to a battlefield. It is the connection point between the worlds of the Martial Heaven Continent and the Black Continent. Every so often, the wall between them will weaken. A huge mass of that world’s creatures will try to charge through the portal into the Martial Heaven Continent, wanting to slaughter our lifeforms. The Martial Heaven Continent has similar channels all over. You should be familiar with those because many of your sects are also protecting their own regions.”
Long Chen nodded. The Xuantian Dao Sect also had its own stronghold it was protecting. Back in the Infernal Devil Abyss, he had used his tribulation to annihilate the creatures that had suddenly surged in number.
The main thing was that those spatial channels limited people’s cultivation bases. Higher level experts weren’t able to enter.
However, that effect was double-edged. This side’s experts couldn’t enter, but neither could the powerful enemies on the other side. So both sides could only wear each other down slowly.
“In the last month, the black channel has had a large number of black tree demons appear. So the second trial is to fight against those black tree demons,” said the palace master.
“Palace master, are you making us clear away the hindrances to the Skywood Divine Palace?” asked Shen Bijun suddenly.
The Skywood Divine Palace’s disciples were all infuriated at that question. However, the palace master smiled lightly. “If you want to take it that way, it’s not a problem. If you feel like you’re being used as a free fighter for my Skywood Divine Palace, losing your life for nothing would naturally not be worth it. However, if you want to attend the Jade Lake Pageant, you’ll have to be a free fighter because… the Jade Lake is beyond the black channel. You have no choice if you want to attend. The Jade Lake is a priceless treasure left behind by the Jade Lake Venerate before she fought to her death during the dark era. She left all her comprehension there for any human with destiny. Furthermore, when the Jade Lake will appear within the black channel is not set in stone. No one can predict when it will appear. As the protector of the Jade Lake, we simply have to follow the rules laid down by the Martial Heaven Continent and the Southern Xuan Region. The fact that the Black World’s creatures would suddenly invade at the same time as the opening of the Jade Lake is something no one can predict. You should know that we have our own pride and would disdain using the Jade Lake as bait to trick people into being our free fighters.”
The palace master’s words were very calm, but anyone with a brain could tell that Shen Bijun’s words had irritated her greatly.
The palace master was very magnanimous. Anyone else would have told her to scram.
“I trust that the Skywood Divine Palace would disdain doing such a thing. Only certain petty little people would think that others would act in the same way as they would,” said Tang Wan-er.
Shen Bijun’s expression sank. Tang Wan-er was clearly cursing her. However, she had no way to retort.
Originally, she had been hoping to plant the seed of enmity by provoking dissatisfaction out of everyone. That way, a few people might cast their fury on Chu Yao, the heir to the Skywood Divine Palace. After all, the competition within the Jade Lake was very intense, and killing people for treasures was unavoidable.
Regretfully, Shen Bijun had underestimated the palace master. With just a few words, she had left Shen Bijun without a way to retort. Not only had she not achieved her aim, but she had also caused quite a few people to look down on her for going too far.
Shen Bijun hastily apologized, saying that she had had no evil intentions. The palace master merely smiled and didn’t say anything further about it.
One of the Life Star Elders walked out. “The black channel is a wrestling arena between two worlds. Because the energy of the two worlds is clashing, the space there is unstable. Hence, spatial cracks and unstable dimensions will appear. Anyone who is sucked into those places will definitely die. Other than being careful of that, the most terrifying things inside are the dark tree demons and Magical Beasts. Most of those are of eleventh rank, equivalent to our Life Star experts. Don’t look down on them. Although you are geniuses, those enemies are also very powerful. The stronger ones can compare to Empyreans, so don’t be careless. Other than that, remember that the greatest enemy of humanity is not tree demons or Magical Beasts, but ourselves. You should understand that in front of priceless treasures, there is nothing that can’t be tossed aside. Once you enter the Jade Lake, no rules will be able to hold others back. This is no game, and there are no rules. In front of the enticement of priceless treasures, rules are as weak as a cotton cloth that can be torn to shreds at any moment. Even if you don’t feel that way, others won’t feel the same as you. By that time, you’ll be dead. Don’t attack others, but don’t expect others to do the same. We’ll give you two hours to prepare. Remember, this is no game, but a life and death fight.”
That Elder's words caused everyone’s hearts to shake. They had been treating the Jade Lake Pageant as a game. Now this warning and terrifying black channel made them nervous.
After two hours, a rumbling sound rang out from the gate. Its runes activated, and a huge vortex appeared before them. It was like a gaping maw waiting for them.
“Let’s go.”
Long Chen,
Meng Qi, Chu Yao, Tang Wan-er, Liu Ruyan, and Cloud walked in together. Before they had even gotten that close, they were instantly sucked in, vanishing from other people’s sight.
Chapter 1641 Silver Tree Demons
The huge gates were actually a giant transportation formation, and the black channel they had seen beyond it was a projection.
Long Chen and the others had already entered, so Di Xin didn’t tarry. He walked in, followed by Han Feifei, Shen Bijun, Wang Shan, and dozens of other powerful Empyreans.
Only after those experts had entered did the rank eight and rank nine Celestials follow. That was to be safe.
However, this safety measure meant that they were leaving the first opportunities for the first group. They would always be one step behind.
…
Long Chen had just walked through the gates when space twisted around him. A dark and sinister aura crashed down on him.
They had yet to even land on the ground when the withered trees on the ground sprang to life. Countless roots shot out of the ground at them.
“Endless Wind Waves.”
Tang Wan-er formed a hand seal, and a sea of wind blades exploded, cutting those roots to pieces.
“Don’t get entangled with them. Their true bodies are underground, and it’s difficult for us to do any real damage to them if they only use their roots to attack. Moving on is more important,” said Chu Yao.
The Skywood Divine Palace had to deal with these tree demons all year round, so Chu Yao knew how crafty and difficult to deal with they were.
Suddenly, Cloud summoned the true body of a Cloud Chasing Heaven Swallowing Sparrow. With a single flap of her wings, the roots were blown to bits.
The terrifying astral winds tore through the ground, making Long Chen jump in shock. This was Long Chen’s first time seeing Cloud use her real power after advancing to the tenth rank.
She was truly worthy of being a legendary existence. Her power was not inferior to Hu Xiaolin’s at all. It was just that Cloud didn’t have a divine item.
Carrying the four of them, Cloud transformed into a ray of light that shot deeper into these lands.
Tree roots continued to spring out of the ground and attack them, covering the sky with their numbers. However, Cloud charged straight through them in the most direct, most barbaric method.
Cloud was incredibly fast. Due to her speed, the space around her twisted, and just the shockwaves were enough to blow away those roots. They weren’t able to touch Cloud.
“Cloud, you’re amazing!” praised Long Chen. He had thought that when he used his lightning wings plus his new Lightning Flash Step, he had reached a kind of pinnacle in speed. However, now he found that he was a far cry from Cloud.
“Long Chen, do you want to charge straight through or first find a place to hide? If we charge straight through, we’ll end up disturbing all the tree demons in the black channel. That will only benefit the people behind us,” said Chu Yao. She was worried about them charging too far forward and being the focus of all the tree demons. That would increase the pressure on them.
“No need. Let’s charge straight through with absolute power. Their schemes are pure nonsense. Chu Yao, are you sure there’s something Wan-er needs in the Jade Lake?” asked Long Chen.
“Yes, I’m sure. We’ve been guarding the black channel all this time. One reason is because we are wood cultivators, so we’re the best people to counter the tree demons, but the other reason is that the Jade Lake Sacred Land doesn’t have anything that the Skywood Divine Palace’s disciples need, so there’s no need to worry about us occupying it for ourselves or abusing our position. In truth, that Jade Lake Venerate was extremely terrifying. She was in possession of four kinds of energy: earth, water, fire, and wind,” said Chu Yao.
“Four types?!” Long Chen sucked in a cold gasp of air. Those who could control two kinds of energy were already few and far between. He had never heard of anyone capable of controlling three kinds. However, the Jade Lake Venerate could control four types!
“That’s not all. It is said that the four elements, earth, water, fire, and air were the foundation of the birth of this world. When they are combined, their power is terrifying. However, her ability to control four kinds of elemental energy is definitely related to her magical arts. Or perhaps that level of magical art should be called divine art. Our cultivation civilization has declined, and there’s no way anyone in the present era can control four kinds of energy. Just trying to control water and fire, two opposing elements, is enough to cause someone to explode. We called you over because we’re worried about competing with Di Xin and him taking the opportunity Wan-er needs, but the other reason is that you should have an affinity with the fire element. It’s a win-win,” explained Chu Yao.
“There’s an opportunity for me too? That is really good. Do you know what kind of flame is inside?” Long Chen began to grow excited. If there was a powerful flame, Huo Long would be delighted.
Chu Yao shook her head. “It’s unknown what flame it is. All we know is that there is a flame beast inside, and everyone who has entered its territory has been killed. In all these years, the fire region is the only place that no one has managed to gain an inheritance from. Many people have entered the earth, water, and air regions and gained their own special opportunities, but those who entered the fire region all died.”
BOOM!
As the four of them were conversing, the ground in front of them exploded, and a huge figure appeared before it. It was a giant tree demon blocking their path.
It looked like a wooden giant with a saber in its hand. Its entire body emitted a bronze color.
“It’s a bronze tree demon,” explained Chu Yao. “Bronze tree demons are true members of the tree demons’ fighters, not like the weak ones we just charged past. They have about the power of ordinary Life Star experts.”
Cloud opened its mouth as soon as the tree demon appeared, and a black light ray shot out. The tree demon’s saber had just been raised when the black ray pierced its body, blowing it apart.
“What a powerful divine ability!” Long Chen was shocked at Cloud’s power. Even he had sensed danger from her attack just now.
“Don’t underestimate Cloud just because she’s still a child. Her killing moves are all frightening, and even Hu Xiaolin with a divine item wouldn’t be a match for Cloud. She has already inherited a portion of the Cloud Chasing Heaven Swallowing Sparrow’s divine abilities that have vanished from the rest of the world. When Cloud advances to the eleventh rank, she’ll even be able to challenge Netherpassage experts.” Meng Qi smiled proudly. The Myriad Spirit Diagram that Long Chen had given her was a priceless treasure.
“Amazing. This is definitely good. No wonder the Xuan Beasts want the Myriad Spirit Diagram so much.” Long Chen nodded. Hu Xiaolin had participated in the Dragon Slaughtering Convention specifically for the Myriad Spirit Diagram.
“Long Chen, we’ll have to be careful in the future. After that battle, Hu Xiaolin completely exposed the existence of the Myriad Spirit Diagram. The complete inheritance of the Xuan Beasts exists inside it, and much of that inheritance has already been lost in the outside world. They probably won’t let us off,” warned Meng Qi.
“No need to worry. Whether it’s a blessing or a calamity, it can’t be dodged. We’ll just have to counter whatever they try. Speaking of which, Little Snow’s crystal core is still being nourished inside the Myriad Spirit Diagram, right? What’s the situation?” asked Long Chen.
“Little Snow’s soul is being nourished and is getting stronger with every passing moment. If you want to, Little Snow could probably manage to take over the body of a tenth rank Xuan Beast. If you find a suitable race, you can try it. If we could awaken Little Snow, we could all rest easier.”
“Then let’s keep nourishing Little Snow’s crystal core until Little Snow’s soul grows to the limit.”
“But… the Myriad Spirit Diagram is extremely powerful. Little Snow’s soul in the crystal c
ore has already gone through three mutations. I don’t know how many months or years it would take to reach the peak.”
“That’s fine. It just means that this isn’t a good time to do it. Even if I captured a talented Xuan Beast, it wouldn’t be perfect. There would definitely be flaws in the possession, and then Little Snow’s cultivation base would fall behind again. I’m going to find a body that will allow Little Snow to walk to the peak of the martial path along with me,” said Long Chen firmly. Thinking about Little Snow made his heart ache.
Long Chen knew that Little Snow had felt aggrieved at not being able to help him in the end. So he would either find a perfect, powerful body for Little Snow, or he would wait until he found one so that Little Snow could accompany him forever.
Cloud sped through the sky. More and more tree demons appeared ahead, and they were also growing stronger. However, they couldn’t stop Cloud. After advancing to the tenth rank, Cloud had become a true expert.
“Based on Cloud’s speed, we should reach the Jade Lake in an incense stick’s worth of time. There will be true experts of the tree demons there, so everyone be careful,” warned Chu Yao.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a huge silver tree demon appeared in front of Cloud, and the two crashed together. The tree demon was smashed apart, but Cloud’s momentum instantly dropped. As a result, Long Chen and the others almost flew off her back.
“It’s a silver tree demon! And there are so many of them!”
Chu Yao was startled. There was a mass of silver tree demons ahead.
In the past, each time the black channel began to act up, the silver tree demons had been the leaders of the insurrection. They had been very rare, but now they were everywhere.
“Cloud, be careful. The silver tree demons are very powerful!” called out Chu Yao.
Hundreds of silver tree demons attacked with their silver blades. Those huge blades whistled as they slashed down at them. They were truly terrifying.
