Xiao Chen did not give Wang Zhen any time to react. Tilting his body, he used his Azure Dragon War Body as a saber, materializing the Flawless saber Dao, and crashed heavily into Wang Zhen’s chest. The impact severely injured all of Wang Zhen’s internal organs in an instant. Every breath Wang Zhen took triggered excruciating pain.
“Pa!”
Just as Wang Zhen was about to fly away, Xiao Chen stretched out his hand and grabbed Wang Zhen’s ankle. Then, he spun Wang Zhen around and flung him at Xia Luo.
All of Xiao Chen’s motions linked smoothly, like moving clouds and flowing water; there was no hitch whatsoever. These few moves only took four or five breaths of time.
Xia Luo cried out and tried to dodge. However, the few Great Perfection quasi-Emperors of the Xia Clan did not dare to move away. They intended to catch Wang Zhen, who was hurtling over. However, all they had to show for it was a loud ‘bang.’ Wang Zhen crashed into the group of Great Perfection quasi-Emperors and sent them sprawling in various directions and vomiting mouthfuls of blood.
Xiao Chen coldly eyed Xia Luo, who was fleeing. Then, his figure flashed, descending from the sky. First, he used his saber soul to break Xia Luo’s aura. Then, he used his killing Qi to lock down this person, freezing Xia Luo in place. Finally, he kicked Xia Luo down from the sky.
Xia Luo groaned in pain and begged in a soft voice, “Anyone can make mistakes. It is good to forgive when possible. Let me off, and I promise to not seek trouble for you.”
When Xiao Chen heard this, he could not help but find this funny. “Anyone can make mistakes. It is good to forgive when possible.” To think Xia Luo could say such words. Xia Luo’s skin was truly thicker than the city walls.
“Scram! I don’t mind you seeking trouble for me, and I do not care for your promises. However, remember this, three strikes and you are out.”
[TL Note: Three strikes and you are out, this is actually an English equivalent for a Chinese idiom. The literal translation would be “don’t repeat the same mistake past three times.” It means don’t keep repeating the same mistake.]
When Xia Luo heard that, he immediately felt relieved, so he quickly thanked Xiao Chen in a fluster, “Many thanks for being noble and showing leniency. I’ll scram—”
However, before Xia Luo could finish speaking, Xiao Chen kicked him hard, sending him flying up into the sky like a ball. Xia Luo did not even have time to cry out in shock before Xiao Chen sent him flying far away.
I did not say anything about letting you scram on your own.
As Xiao Chen’s white robes fluttered, he glared at the remaining Xia Clan cultivators. This sight scared them into flight; they felt like their souls leaped out of their bodies.
The cultivators who came with Xiao Chen and were prepared to make a move to help were all stunned at the sight of the Xia Clan cultivators fleeing miserably as well as the Consummation quasi-Emperor Wang Zhen vanishing without a trace.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Chen managed to defeat a Consummation quasi-Emperor, a very shocking feat. After all, the further one got on the path of cultivation, the harder it would be to defeat someone of higher cultivation.
This was especially so for the quasi-Emperor realm. The difference between a Great Perfection quasi-Emperor and a Consummation quasi-Emperor was like clouds and mud—they were simply on entirely different levels.
Many quasi-Emperors remained stuck at Great Perfection quasi-Emperor, unable to break through to Consummation quasi-Emperor. This hurdle was simply too difficult to cross.
However, if one managed to overcome this hurdle, one’s strength would advance considerably to a completely different level.
As Great Perfection quasi-Emperors who had remained stuck at this stage for several decades already, the cultivators who came with Xiao Chen felt this difference distinctly.
The group all rushed over with respectful expressions and asked, “Young Master Xiao, are you injured?”
Xiao Chen circulated his energy and rested for a while, recovering some of his strength. Then, he replied calmly, “There are no major problems.”
“Young Master Xiao, you are truly astonishing. With the cultivation of a Great Perfection quasi-Emperor, you defeated a Consummation quasi-Emperor. You really make us old folk embarrassed of ourselves.”
Xiao Chen did not feel much joy at hearing such respectful words. He said, “That was nothing much. This Wang Zhen is weak among Consummation quasi-Emperors. Aside from being lucky, I won mainly because he underestimated me.”
Yue Bingyun smiled faintly and said, “There is no need to be humble. Your strength is clear, and not much needs to be said. Let’s take a look first and see if the Blood Sword Sovereign’s cave is under here.”
“Right, right, right! That is the important matter at hand.”
“Right now, the range of possibilities is shrinking. Every Dragon Vein holds great possibility. Who knows, the Blood Sword Sovereign’s cave might be under here and it might hide the Life and Death Art.”
“At that time, we will be able to take the initiative, entering before the Consummation quasi-Emperors do.”
Everyone was optimistic, joking and laughing as they spoke. They felt very confident, feeling that they chose correctly by following Xiao Chen.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Just at this moment, several figures flashed in the air, arriving in the vicinity of the peak that Xiao Chen targeted.
When the many old men saw the appearance of the new arrivals, their expressions changed drastically. They muttered, “Almost all of the Consummation quasi-Emperors, including Jin Liangqi, are here.”
Xiao Chen looked up. There was a total of five groups. The leaders of each group were all Consummation quasi-Emperors.
Aside from Jin Liangqi, Xiao Chen did not recognize the other leaders. However, those people were no weaker than Jin Liangqi.
Among Consummation quasi-Emperors, Jin Liangqi stood at the very peak. He was much stronger than the Xia Clan’s Wang Zhen. Just one of such a person would give Xiao Chen a lot of trouble. Furthermore, there were five now, so he could not go head-on.
Actually, the situation before Xiao Chen was within his expectations. As the range of possibilities shrank, the many scattered quasi-Emperors would end up gathered together.
Xiao Chen estimated that only about ten possible Dragon Veins remained unexplored. The Blood Sword Sovereign’s cave would definitely be one of these ten.
Since every Dragon Vein held great possibilities, no one would be foolish enough to watch others enter first.
Xiao Chen entered deep thought. Then, he moved out together with Yue Bingyun. He did not want to fight these Consummation quasi-Emperors openly. That would not be smart.
“You are rather wise!”
Jin Liangqi snorted coldly. Then, after discussing with the other four Consummation quasi-Emperors, he got the Geomaster that came with him to make a move. That Geomaster executed a Secret Technique and split the mountain open, revealing the bottom.
Many people looked in anticipation, feeling hopeful. However, the higher the hope, the greater the disappointment.
After the Dragon Vein was opened, its Spirit Vein’s origin transformed into a Roaming Dragon and soared into the clouds. However, this was a low-ranked Spirit Vein, so the disappointed people ignored it and let it fly away.
“Damn it! Another empty one!” A stout Consummation quasi-Emperor could not help cursing while in the sky.
This person looked very ferocious, his face pitted with many scary scars, and carried a nine-ringed saber on his back. His name was Shen Xiao. In the Black Water Sea, he was known as the Smiling Saber Demon. His infamy spread far and wide, and his methods were extremely cruel.
Several Great Perfection quasi-Emperors felt fearful when they heard him curse, not daring to say anything.
“Let’s go. There are only nine more possibilities. If we search them one by one, we will find it eventually.” Jin Liangqi eyed Xiao Chen meaningfully. Then, he left together with the other Consummation quasi-Emperors, rushing to the next location.
“Young Master Xiao, what should we do now? These Consummation quasi-Emperors are clearly working together.” The black-clad old man looked at Xiao Chen anxiously.
Xiao Chen did not have any easy solutions. None of those people were kindred spirits. Evidently, they would not permit anyone else to search the Dragon Veins before they did.
Earlier, when Xiao Chen was at the foot of the mountain, he felt cold, murderous intent from several people.
If he had been someone else, a person bringing a Geomaster to search the Dragon Veins, these people would have attacked already. If one wanted to join them, one would have to be a Consummation quasi-Emperor. Otherwise, one would not get a share of the profits.
“One option is to follow them, wait for a chance, and see if you can gain anything. However, doing so is perilous. You will need to be mentally prepared to get killed. The other option is to give up now. Along the way, all of you gained some small profits, enough to recompense for your time already.”
Xiao Chen suggested two options after thinking for a while.
The quasi-Emperors with him entered deep thought, carefully thinking about it. Most of them made up their minds. After they let Xiao Chen know of their intentions, they chased after the large group, hoping to be able to gain something by following it.
Only a few people felt that they did not stand any chance, so they gave up. Although they did not feel satisfied, they did not have much choice in this. No matter how tempting the Life and Death Art was, it was not as important as one’s life. If one was dead, how could one advance to Martial Emperor?
Soon, only Xiao Chen and Yue Bingyun remained at the foot of the mountain.
Yue Bingyun looked at the many Great Perfection quasi-Emperors flying in pursuit. Then, she withdrew her gaze and turned to Xiao Chen. “What is your choice?”
Xiao Chen answered calmly, “Both you and I have our own trump cards to protect our lives. Naturally, it is the first choice. However, I need to rest quietly for now.”
After saying that, Xiao Chen sat cross-legged on the ground. Then, he circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation and recovered quickly.
The earlier fight with Wang Zhen looked easy, but Xiao Chen had actually expended a lot of his energy—two-thirds of his Law Energy.
A Consummation quasi-Emperor was someone who had merged their soul with their Heavenly Seal. Their Sage Body was a step closer to the Golden Emperor Body and very hard to injure.
A Consummation quasi-Emperor’s ability to endure injuries was greatly increased. Xiao Chen had needed to erupt with a barrage of strong attacks within a short period of time to lay waste to a Consummation quasi-Emperor. Otherwise, if the battle dragged out, the one at a disadvantage would have been Xiao Chen.
However, this battle also brought him many benefits. The clearest of which was the increase in his confidence as well as in his experience in fighting a Consummation quasi-Emperor.
Xiao Chen thought back to the past, to when Leng Shaofan brought a Consummation quasi-Emperor of the Eastern Sea Divine Dragon Palace. Xiao Chen had been helpless to retaliate. Even after activating the Sea Monarch Crown, he still had to resort to tricks to overcome the situation.
Now, he had used his own strength to properly defeat a Consummation quasi-Emperor and sending him fleeing.
After Xiao Chen frantically circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, his Law Energy recovered four hours later, returning to its peak. His sharp aura strengthened further, and the subdued boldness in his eyes intensified, startling Yue Bingyun somewhat when she saw this.
In Yue Bingyun’s heart, she could not help comparing Xiao Chen to Yi Ling, the deeply hidden Young Treasure Master of the Heavenly Starry Sea.
Xiao Chen was probably not aware that his actions at the Four Seas Hero Gathering severely damaged the Luck of the various outstanding talents, inadvertently helping Yi Ling. He had allowed Yi Ling to lord over the Heavenly Starry Sea, gaining great benefits. Xiao Chen’s actions resulted in the establishment of a troublesome opponent.
“Let me see how far they have progressed.”
Xiao Chen got up and flew to the top of the peak. Then, he opened his Heavenly Eye and looked into the distance. Instantly, everywhere within five hundred kilometers entered his eyes.
Every flower and every tree; every grass and every log; flying bugs, birds, and beasts; mountains, rivers, and great plains—they all appeared in Xiao Chen’s mind. Nothing could escape his Heavenly Eye.
Suddenly, Xiao Chen frowned as he felt an intense gaze. It was like this person discovered his scrutiny, so he quickly closed his Heavenly Eye.
However, it was already somewhat too late. That expert’s gaze contained the other party’s cold, emotionless sword intent. Blood leaked out from Xiao Chen’s forehead.
