Chapter 405: Half Step Martial Monarch Expert
After paying some extra Inferior Grade Spirit Stones, Xiao Chen gained a more comprehensive understanding from the waiter in the restaurant.
It turned out that this Demon Battlefield had been closed for more than a hundred years. It only opened two years ago. After that, many cultivators started coming to Boulder Island.
Xiao Chen learned that the Demon Battlefield was rumored to be an ancient battlefield. Large wars had occurred there during the Ancient Era.
In the end, the humans suffered a miserable defeat. Countless cultivators died at the hands of Demons and Demonic Beast.
The last human Emperor used his supreme strength tear out the space of the battlefield, turning it into the Demon Battlefield of today.
Countless human cultivators died on the Demon Battlefield. The Secret Treasures of those ancient cultivators lay buried in the Battlefield.
Later, during the Tianwu Dynasty, someone used a formation to connect to the gates of this space. He discovered that this space became a small realm.
Countless Demons and Demonic Beast wandered within. All sorts of ancient Secret Treasures littered the ground. It became a place full of danger and fortuitous encounters.
The waiter had not known many of the specifics. After all, he had never been to the Demon Battlefield; he had no way of knowing the details.
After Xiao Chen rewarded the other party with ten Inferior Grade Spirit Stones and sent him on his way, he thought to himself, Gathering information like this does not give me a complete understanding of the situation. I have to find a cultivator who has been to the Demon Battlefield before I can gain a thorough understanding.
“Ha ha. Brat, don’t overthink this. Since I have agreed to go with you, why are you still worried?”
Bai Lixi came down from upstairs and plopped his butt down across from Xiao Chen as he laughed.
Xiao Chen picked up the wine cup from the table and sipped it gently. He smiled helplessly, “I hope you are reliable, then.”
Bai Lixi took a big gulp of wine before wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He said, “Don’t bother with that nonsensical information. Just study the map I gave you carefully and don’t wander into the core region. Aside from keeping your guard up against Demons and Demonic Beasts, you just have to keep your guard up against other cultivators.
“Honestly, most of the death in the Demon Battlefield happens at the hands of other humans.”
Xiao Chen’s chest tightened. It looked like the situation was worse than he thought. Not only did he have to deal with the unknown Demonic Beasts and Demons, but he also had to keep his guard up against the sneak attacks from other humans.
This Medial Grade Secret Treasure might be more difficult to obtain then Xiao Chen had imagined.
——
In the following days, Xiao Chen explored the surroundings of the small city; Demonic Beasts wandered there.
It made this location suitable for practicing Martial Techniques. Before Xiao Chen went to the Demon Battlefield, he could keep himself in an ideal state at all times.
——
Soon, six days had passed. The originally bustling small city became quiet. The large numbers of cultivators quickly headed in the same direction.
After almost all the cultivators in the Immortal Gathering Pavilion left, Bai Lixi and Xiao Chen followed after them.
Everywhere the two passed, dead Demonic Beasts littered the ground, slain by the cultivators who came before them. Nothing obstructed their way.
After six hours, the two stopped at the center of Boulder Island. A large crowd had already gathered there; a rough count gave at least a thousand cultivators.
“I heard an Inferior Grade Martial King had obtained nine peak Inferior Grade Secret Treasures the last time. Then, he took them to the auction in Desolate City and gained a fortune.”
“There was another lucky fellow. He hunted a high ranked Blood Demon and sold its Demon Core for at least ten thousand Medial Grade Spirit Stones.”
Many of the cultivators discussed the enticing treasures that could be obtained from the Demon Battlefield. Their eyes filled with anticipation as they looked at the empty space in the middle.
Bai Lixi smiled coldly, “These people are really reckless. It will already be impressive if half of these cultivators survive.”
Xiao Chen’s gaze wandered around the crowd, seeking cultivators worth making a note of. However, some of the experienced cultivators hid themselves very well. It was difficult to obtain any information just by looking.
As for some of the excited cultivators who could not keep their mouths shut, this was clearly their first trip to the Demon Battlefield. They did not know the situation inside.
The full moon moved slowly through the sky, creeping to its peak before the crowd’s expectant gazes.
Instantly, the middle area lit up with gentle light, looking like a towering pillar. The space around the pillar of light started to twist slowly.
“Sou! Sou!”
The cultivators leaped into the pillar of light and vanished from Xiao Chen’s sight. This pillar of light must have been the entrance to the Demon Battlefield.
When most of the cultivators had vanished, Xiao Chen prepared to enter. Bai Lixi’s expression suddenly changed, and he yanked Xiao Chen back. He said, “Wait awhile!”
Xiao Chen felt doubtful as he asked, “What’s wrong!”
Bai Lixi pointed and said, “Look there!”
Xiao Chen looked in the direction Bai Lixi pointed. He saw ten-odd strong cultivators with extremely powerful auras. He could not sense the strength of this group of people.
“I nearly missed them. These are all half step Martial Monarch experts. It looks like they are working together to kill high ranked Demons. Such operations are quite rare. I have to follow them and watch. Go, get the Secret Treasure alone.” Bai Lixi whispered with an intense flash in his eyes.
Xiao Chen frowned slightly, “Will you be fine?”
Bai Lixi smiled and said, “Thanks to you, I have already cultivated the Firmament Body Tempering Art to the fourth layer. My strength is double that of three months ago.”
Xiao Chen was somewhat startled. This Bai Lixi was truly a genius at cultivating the body. Within such a short period, he managed to cultivate a Heaven Ranked Cultivation Technique to the fourth layer.
“Don’t get too greedy and die early. Otherwise, my latter half of the Firmament Body Tempering Art will be gone. I will make a move first.”
Seeing the ten-odd people enter, Bai Lixi laughed as he followed them, entering the pillar of light.
Then, Bai Lixi turned around and reminded him, “Be very cautious and don’t risk your life for small gains. Remember to be careful of the people behind you.”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly to indicate that he understood. After spending time with Bai Lixi, he came to understand him better. Although he was not a righteous person or had a good temper, he was not a crafty person that played cunning tricks. He was pretty straightforward. This suited Xiao Chen very well. He took out a secret manual from the Universe Ring and tossed it towards Bai Lixi.
When Bai Lixi heard the sound, he immediately turned and caught the secret manual. When he saw its contents, his expression turned into one wild with joy.
When Bai Lixi looked up and wanted to say something, he discovered that Xiao Chen had already vanished and entered the pillar of light ahead of him. He could not help but smile, “This brat…at least he did not cheat me.”
Naturally, what Xiao Chen had tossed was the latter half of the Firmament Body Tempering Art. After observing Bai Lixi for so long, he had determined that Bai Lixi had not lied to him.
Since that was the case, there was no need to drag it on. Although Xiao Chen would like to maximize his gains, he would make true on the promises he made.
“Weng!”
After Xiao Chen entered the light, a desolate realm appeared before him. He looked up and saw a scarlet sky with the occasional red clouds drifting by.
Rocks littered the ground, and there was no grass. Only some strange plants grew sporadically throughout the space.
This landscape was very complicated. Xiao Chen used his Spiritual Sense to scan an area of three hundred meters around him.
Not only did Xiao Chen discover mounds, barren hills, and swamps, but he also discovered a forest of some strange plants. It was incredibly odd.
Xiao Chen took out the map and started searching for his current location. The pillar of light on Boulder Island would send cultivators to random places in the Demon Battlefield’s periphery.
Aside from some special tools, no one could control where they appeared on the Demon Battlefield.
After Xiao Chen figured out where he was, he carefully put the map away and looked around.
Many cultivators in Xiao Chen’s vision were in groups of two or three, looking around excitedly.
Some experienced cultivator cautiously glanced around. Their hands gripped their weapons, and they eyed the surrounding cultivators. Occasionally, a fierce expression flashed across their face.
“Friend, are you alone? Let’s group up.”
Just as Xiao Chen was about to depart, candid laughter came from behind him.
Xiao Chen turned around and saw a gray-robed cultivator with short hair. He had a squarish face and looked about twenty-odd years old. A saber hung from his waist as he walked over to Xiao Chen with a smile. He was a Superior Grade Martial King.
A few cultivators of varying cultivation followed this gray-robed cultivator. Most of them were Medial Grade Martial Kings.
The short-haired cultivator introduced himself, “My name is Wei Tong. My friends and I are here for the first time. From the looks of it, this should be your first expedition too. How about we work together?”
As they spoke, Wei Tong’s gaze quickly swept over Xiao Chen’s getup. His gaze lingered for a moment on his shoes and robes.
However, when Wei Tong saw the black gloves on Xiao Chen’s hand, greed flashed in his eyes before it disappeared. However, he covered it up very well; his smile appeared very sincere.
Xiao Chen smiled coldly to himself. He had seen the other party’s greed. He said indifferently, “There’s no need. I am used to being alone.”
Wei Tong revealed disappointment as he said, “That’s too bad. If brother wishes to, you can look for us at any time.”
Xiao Chen cupped his hands and bowed before turning away. He withdrew his aura and left his hand on his saber hilt, maintaining his guard.
After Xiao Chen had walked out of hearing range, a cultivator behind Wei Tong watched him with a fierce gleam in his eyes. He asked, doubtful, “Big Brother, why did you not make a move? He is a fattened lamb, ready for slaughter. He has three Secret Treasures on him.”
“That right, boss. He is only a peak Inferior Grade Martial King; we can deal with him in a few moves. After we kill him, there will not be any problems,” another person spoke.
Wei Tong’s expression was calm as he said, “Stupid, do you think I do not know the difference between a fattened lamb and a ferocious wolf? If we rely on your insight, instead of eating the lamb, he might eat us instead.
“This person had calm eyes, and his hand rested on his saber hilt at all times. He maintained a certain distance from me, giving himself room to advance or retreat. Based on these points, it is clear that this person is not only cautious. How can it be so easy?”
Wei Tong paused for a while and looked in the direction Xiao Chen had left. Then, he continued, “More importantly, although this person is only an Inferior Grade Martial King, his killing Qi is denser than mine. He is not some benevolent person. The Secret Treasures on him are probably drenched in blood.”
