Suddenly disappeared?
The group from the Temple of War was dumbstruck.
“Is it a secret teleportation technique?”
“Probably a secret teleportation technique. Everyone, remember him. If you see this person again, kill him no matter what!” Chun Yu snorted in anger. He was responsible for commanding these combatants from the Temple of War so his heart was extremely frustrated. That kid must have grabbed at least ten Cosmic Stones! If they had been successful in snatching those ten Cosmic Stones, they would have been rewarded handsomely. Now, in the blink of an eye, that kid had slipped away!
Considering their strengths, if they had spread out and pursued the dispersing Cosmic Stones earlier, they might have been able to snatch a few pieces, but now, their basket was empty. How could he not be angry?
“House of Storms, the Temple of War isn’t done with you!” Chun Yu gritted his teeth in rage.
From afar, Fu Ze saw Ye Chen vanish suddenly. Fu Ze was taken aback but a crooked smile appeared on the corner of his lips. Fortunately, the Thunder Beast Clan did not target the Cosmic Stones in Ye Chen’s hand, instead, they split up and chased after the dispersing Cosmic Stones. Their haul was not too bad as they had managed to find five Cosmic Stones. Their haul was the biggest. The remaining Cosmic Stones had been divided between the other super factions. The only ones who did not get anything were those from the Temple of War!
After they were done grabbing the Cosmic Stones, they rushed toward the source where the light pillar came from on the ground. However, they did not find anything. Everyone was disappointed. After searching the vicinity, they did not discover anything new. Some people had escorted the Cosmic Stones out of the Soul Pagoda while others continued to explore further inside.
Inside the Heavenly Astra Seal.
Ye Chen looked in front and saw the young lioness leaning against the Purple-fire Astra Lion like a baby bird, wearing a tender expression. It looked like an affair must have just taken place.
“Master Lion, what’s a secret teleportation technique?”
“A secret teleportation technique can allow someone to teleport to a faraway place in an instant.”
“How can I learn this secret technique?” Ye Chen asked. This secret teleportation technique was an excellent technique for snatching treasures and escaping in time.
“Secret teleportation techniques are very rare. It’s very difficult for ordinary people to obtain it. Moreover, their side effect is substantial. Every time the secret teleportation technique is wielded, it’d consume humongous amounts of Celestial Chi and can even cause uncontrollable damage to the body.”
Ye Chen nodded. There it was. It looked like all the powerful secret techniques generally had some negative side effects.
“Young lad, how many Cosmic Stones did you get? There must be at least ten, right?” A strange glint crossed Master Lion’s eyes as he looked at Ye Chen.
“Thirteen!” Ye Chen answered after taking a look at his armguard space.
“Thirteen… Young lad, you’re rich now. Give me a few too!” Master Lion said in excitement but afterward, he quietened down and looked a little self-conscious. “Of course, I will not demand your Cosmic Stone for free. I’ll pass you a secret technique as an exchange, what do you think?”
“Here, there are five Cosmic Stones. Master Lion is being kind.” Ye Chen moved his left hand and threw five Cosmic Stones to Master Lion.
Master Lion stretched out his right paw and caught the five Cosmic Stones. He looked at Ye Chen and asked solemnly, “Young lad Ye Chen, do you know the value of these five Cosmic Stones? They can practically increase your cultivation level out of thin air!”
The young lioness looked at the Cosmic Stones in Master Lion’s hand and lowered her head humbly. She knew that with her position, she had no right to receive a Cosmic Stone. She was only Master Lion’s concubine. A majestic existence like Master Lion surely had thousands of concubines, why would he favor her over the others?
“I understand. If Master Lion had not led me into the Soul Pagoda, I wouldn’t have obtained these Cosmic Stones!” Ye Chen replied. He truly believed it in his heart.
“Good boy. Looks like I didn’t misjudge you. Next time, you can tell me anything, I’ll help you.”
“Master Lion, how do I use these Cosmic Stones?” Ye Chen asked.
“You just have to absorb the Cosmic Power contained inside the Cosmic Stones into your body. One Cosmic Stone will enable you to level-up to Mystique Venerable Rank within five days! Perhaps, your Astral Body can even break through to Daemon King Rank!” Master Lion said. With a wave of his right paw, he stowed away three Cosmic Stones. Two Cosmic Stones were left in his hands. He gave one to the young lioness. “Little beauty, here’s one for you!”
The young lioness looked up at Master Lion in surprise. She did not expect Master Lion to gift her a Cosmic Stone. Her eyes sparkled with joyful tears as she reverently accepted the Cosmic Stone from Master Lion. She was merely a Tenth Level Celestial Beast whereas Master Lion was a powerful existence. She did not expect to receive Master Lion’s favor.
The young lioness and Master Lion were looking at each other with lovey-dovey expressions. Ye Chen could not stand to watch it any longer. He quickly lowered his head to study a Cosmic Stone. What kind of mystical power did the Cosmic Stone contain that could allow an ordinary martial art cultivator to advance to Mystique Rank within such a short time?
The Cosmic Stone was not very big. It radiated a soft white glow and pulsed with a mysterious energy.
Ye Chen placed his right hand atop the Cosmic Stone and absorbed gently with his palm. The mysterious energy instantly entered Ye Chen’s palm. At this moment, the Celestial Chi inside Ye Chen’s palm leaped in excitement and absorbed the surge of Cosmic Power from the Cosmic Stone. After a small portion of Cosmic Power was absorbed, it passed through Ye Chen’s palm and entered his body.
Wherever the Cosmic Power passed through, Ye Chen’s right hand began to wither rapidly.
“What’s going on?” Ye Chen was startled. Why was the Cosmic Stone causing his body to wither? However, not long afterward, his withered right hand regained its color and then became even rosier than before. It was renewed. Wherever the Cosmic Power traveled, Ye Chen’s body was rapidly transformed.
Ye Chen’s body was cleansed by the Cosmic Power. Even his dantian had undergone some changes. The Nine Astra inside his dantian were shining brightly.
The Flying Dagger in Ye Chen’s consciousness hummed. An even more profound Celestial Chi gushed out like a waterfall and filled his dantian.
Ye Chen finally understood the container analogy described by Master Lion. The stronger a cultivator’s body, the more Celestial Chi it could contain thus the more powerful their cultivation. Ordinary pills could only fill the container whereas Cosmic Stones could modify the container itself!
What an extraordinary item!
Ye Chen wondered when he would finally level-up!
Ye Chen cultivated desperately for his Astral Body to achieve the level of a true Daemon King Rank. Once his Astral Body had reached the level of a true Daemon King Rank, Ye Chen would no longer be a fake Daemon King. He would finally have sufficient abilities to protect his family!
Under the Cosmic Stone’s tempering, Ye Chen sensed that his Celestial Chi cultivation was infinitely close to Mystique Venerable Rank. It was like a thin layer of paper that could be torn with a single fingernail.
“Hum”. The Celestial Chi inside Ye Chen’s palm made a strong buzzing sound.
“What’s happening?” Ye Chen was very alarmed. He looked down and heard a “crack” sound. The Cosmic Stone inside his right palm was cracking very quickly and the glow dimmed. The stone had lost its luster and fell to the ground as dull rubble. It now looked just like an ordinary stone.
The Cosmic Power in one Cosmic Stone had been absorbed!
Master Lion was also absorbing the Cosmic Power inside the Cosmic Stone. He glanced at Ye Chen with wonder. Ye Chen had already absorbed all the Cosmic Power in one Cosmic Stone yet he did not level-up?
At this moment, Ye Chen’s consciousness was sinking deep into his body. He discovered that his Celestial Martial Chi was now a dazzling spectacle. Then, a surge of Cosmic Power poured out.
The Celestial Martial Chi quietly absorbed a large amount of Cosmic Power while a portion of Cosmic Power trickled back into Ye Chen’s body. This surge of Cosmic Power traveled through Ye Chen’s bloodstream and gradually disappeared. All of it integrated with Ye Chen’s dantian.
There was a “boom.” Ye Chen felt his dantian explode, followed by all the Celestial Chi inside twisting and turning.
The Tai Yin and Tai Yang energies which were cultivated underneath the Exclusion Zone also grew rapidly. This force almost seemed uncontrollable. Following that, the two forces clashed violently with one another and ricocheted inside Ye Chen’s body. Ye Chen’s forehead creased tightly. No one could imagine how painful it was to have two violent forces collide with each other inside their body.
The Yin and Yang energies continued to merge and combine.
This went on for half an hour. For Ye Chen, it was a long and painful process. When the Yin and Yang energies had finally combined, they disappeared into the Nine Astra.
With an audible “bang”, Ye Chen’s dantian had turned into an open space like an endless starry sky. The nine stars seemed to each have their own orbit as they constantly interacted with one another. Although their individual movement patterns were extremely complicated, there was an inexplicable sense of balance.
Ye Chen did not expect, even in his wildest dreams, that his dantian would form such a vast space. He was also quite astonished at the evolution of the Nine Astra Skies. It truly had surpassed all expectations.
However, despite the formation of this space, Ye Chen’s body was not affected. It was still his dantian. However, now, he could contain more than ten times more Celestial Chi.
Ye Chen was also amazed to discover that his cultivation had reached beginner Mystique Venerable Rank.
‘I finally reached Mystique Venerable Rank!’
‘I wonder if the Astral Body has reached Daemon King Rank?’
Ye Chen could not wait to release his Astral Body. The Astral Body quickly condensed into a gold-armored soldier over ten meters tall. This gold-armored soldier also looked more solemn and saintly than before. The golden armor on its body became thicker, sturdier, and shinier. The weapon in its hand was no longer a saber but a huge Fantian halberd.
“Young lad Ye Chen, this Psyche of yours is truly splendid. It can form such an incredible shape!” Master Lion glanced at Ye Chen’s Astral Body in amazement. “Could it be the legendary primordial spirit? But then again, it doesn’t look like it. Regardless, the ability of your Psyche shouldn’t be inferior to a beginner Daemon King. However, you still don’t know any secret Psyche techniques, so if you were to duel against a true Daemon King, you might be slightly disadvantaged. Nevertheless, you probably have some self-defense abilities. Too bad I don’t have any suitable secret Psyche technique to impart to you.”
“Secret Psyche techniques?” After thinking for a while, Ye Chen nodded. Besides condensing a physical form, a Daemon King probably had quite a number of ancient secret techniques that could be cultivated. If Ye Chen wanted to learn the secret Psyche techniques, he would have to find them himself.