Chapter 1037: Strong Sun Palace Disciples
Mo Chen smiled and said, "That is just my suggestion. Whether you agree or not, naturally, the decision is Young Master Mu's."
Mu Qinghan muttered to himself for a while. Then, determination flashed in his eyes. "We will do that. Manager, go and summon Elder Liu's team over. After that, spread the news of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion. No matter what, we cannot let these loose cultivators, these bastards, benefit like that."
Indeed, Mo Chen was right. If they followed the original plan, the ones to benefit in the end would be the loose cultivators.
However, the four did not know that the eight quasi-Emperors in Shattered Cloud City had already quietly made a move, a situation that no one expected at all. Quasi-Emperors were actually interested in an insignificant treasure mountain. Furthermore, there were eight of them.
After fifteen minutes, a piece of shocking news spread throughout the treasure mountain.
"Did you know? The Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion's location has been discovered. It is by the Sage Cliff. The Nine Cauldron Merchant Association said so."
"Is that true?"
"No doubt about it. I heard that the six great loose cultivators are all headed there. It is definitely true."
"Whether it is true or not, you will know when you take a look. The Sage Cliff is not very far away. If it is true, there will be a lot of benefits."
Word of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion being near the Sage Wall spread like it grew wings. With someone deliberately disseminating the news, one passed it to ten, and ten to a hundred. Pretty soon, the entire treasure mountain heard of it. Cultivators of different realms all rushed to the Sage Cliff.
The Sage Cliff was a cliff at the huge treasure mountain that had images of the Fire Li Sect's Sect Masters and divine refiners carved on it.
Grass did not grow at this place, nor were there any palaces whatsoever. Normally, very few cultivators came here because there were no Spirit Herbs or Secret Treasures.
However, no one had expected that the entrance to the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion was behind the Sage Cliff that everyone ignored.
When the countless cultivators arrived, they found that a dark hole had already appeared in the cliff. Hence, they all rushed in with excited expressions.
Not far away, Chen Wenjun's group revealed extremely sullen expressions. They had not expected the Nine Cauldron Merchant Association's people to leak the location of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion's entrance.
"Senior Brother Lu, Senior Brother Feng, I'm sorry. I did not anticipate such a result," Chen Wenjun said to the two elite Sun Palace disciples in a low voice.
The two Sun Palace elite disciples, named Lu Shaoyou and Feng Ziying, ranked among the top ten of the Sun Palace's younger-generation disciples.
Lu Shaoyou wore the golden combat robes of the Sun Palace, which had the grand scene of the golden crow pulling the sun embroidered on them. He waved his hand and smiled. "That's not a problem as long as the location of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion is true. As for these trash before us, I will kill however many that comes."
Chen Wenjun said carefully, "However, I heard that the six great loose cultivators are preparing to enter as well. At that time…"
Feng Ziying asked unhappily, "Junior Brother Chen, do you not believe in our strength? You are welcome to go with the cultivators from your merchant association. You don't have to come with us."
Chen Wenjun smiled and replied, "How can that be? Senior Brothers are both outstanding talents who can fight above their cultivation. How can I be looking down on you?"
Lu Shaoyou was in a good mood. He waved his hand and smiled. "Never mind. Junior Brother Feng, Junior Brother Chen is an outer sect disciple of the Cyclic Astral Palace. By finding the entrance to the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, he made a great contribution. If we can get a few pieces of true treasures, we will be able to shine in the Four Seas Hero Gathering."
At the mention of the Four Seas Hero Gathering, Feng Ziying revealed a hopeful expression and said with heroic fervor, "Let's go. In this lousy Cloud Sea Domain, as long as a quasi-Emperor does not appear, no one can block the two of us."
---
On another side, this change in the situation caught the instigator of this matter, the Silver Shark Swordsman, off guard.
The Old Fish Devil looked at the crowd coming from all directions and smiled. "Silver Shark Swordsman, your secret information does not seem very secret at all. Now, the entire treasure mountain knows."
The Iron Sword Maniac said, "I will head in first."
He took a big step forward and turned into a flaming meteor, flying towards the Sage Cliff.
Madame Flower laughed charmingly, "Haha! This lady will make a move first too. Silver Shark Swordsman, it looks like we really have to thank you for this."
Xuanyuan Zhantian did not say anything, only glancing at the Silver Shark Swordsman. Then, he withdrew his aura and silently headed for the Sage Cliff.
The Old Fish Devil chuckled and said, "This old man will be taking my leave as well. Silver Shark Swordsman, it looks like the people of the Nine Cauldron Merchant Association would not have leaked the location of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion if not for you. You did a great thing."
Soon, only Gao Yangyu and the silver-haired youth remained. Gao Yangyu laughed softly and suggested, "Silver Shark Swordsman, how about we travel together?"
A corner of the Silver Shark Swordman's lips twitched. He smiled and replied, "I think I'd better go alone."
What a joke! This Gao Yangyu is essentially just a step away from quasi-Emperor. When we charged into the treasure mountain, half of the ten-thousand-year-old Spirit Herbs ended up in his hands.
If he consumes the ten-thousand-year-old Spirit Herbs that nourish Law Energy, he will probably break through to quasi-Emperor.
The silver-haired youth was willing to travel with anyone but this Gao Yangyu. Otherwise, he might not get anything.
Gao Yangyu looked at the distant Sage Cliff, and his expression changed. He muttered, "Ordinary King Grade Secret Treasures are not of much use to me. In the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, only Profound Cultivation Techniques are suitable for me.
"As for the Book of Heavenly Works and the legendary Divine Weapon Emperor Yi Shooting Sun Bow, getting those is a little unrealistic. Right, in that case, I will set my sights on Profound Martial Techniques. I will kill anyone who tries to compete with me!"
Gao Yangyu's tone was very cold, but it contained an unparalleled tyranny and confidence in killing whoever got in his way—as if all the Profound Martial Techniques in the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion already belonged to him.
He raised his leg and casually stepped forward, vanishing from where he had stood.
No one noticed that in the instant Gao Yangyu raised his foot, the clouds and wind had stirred for no apparent reason, causing a drastic change in the weather. As he raised his hand and leg, he could stir up wind and clouds.
---
"Young Master Wen, we shall part here for now. If it is fated, let's meet again in the future."
With the other team that Mu Qinghan summoned back, he now had a great grandmaster-level Martial Sage, a grandmaster-level Martial Sage, and several additional Superior Grade Martial Sages—a significant boost in strength.
The change in plan diminished Xiao Chen's value considerably. Naturally, Mu Qinghan would not be willing to continue traveling with him and offend eight quasi-Emperors.
After weighing the potential gains and losses, Mu Qinghan made his decision.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and performed a cupped-fist salute. "Let's meet again if it is fated."
Given Xiao Chen's meticulous mind, he naturally guessed what Mu Qinghan was thinking. However, this was good as well. This decision suited his purposes. After all, he already knew where the entrance to the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion was. If not for his gratitude to Mu Qinghan, he would not have traveled with him.
Mo Chen commented softly, "This Young Master Mu is really decisive. Once the plan changed, he instantly made the situation even more chaotic. When he felt that he would be at a disadvantage, he immediately abandoned the initial cooperation without hesitating at all."
Xiao Chen said indifferently, "He did the right thing. After all, he is a businessman; he needs to consider profit and loss. However, some things cannot be measured in terms of business value. When evaluating success and failure, sometimes, one will gain the most only after suffering some disadvantage."
Mo Chen entered deep thought, thinking about what Xiao Chen said. After a while, she said, "Come, let's go in as well."
With her leading the way, the two entered the Sage Cliff.
The cave in the Sage Cliff was a straight tunnel. Stones embedded in the ceiling gave off only a weak light, which made the entire tunnel rather dark.
By the time Xiao Chen and Mo Chen entered, most of the cultivators had already rushed in. Only a few stragglers—in groups of two or three—were still walking ahead excitedly.
Mo Chen's attire had changed somewhat; Xiao Chen's clothes were even more ordinary. At this moment, no one would pay any particular attention to the two.
Soon, they reached the end of the tunnel, and big bronze doors appeared before them.
Dragons and phoenixes chasing each other were carved on the doors, indicating the Dao of Yinyang. The art seemed to contain the line of thought for some of the Fire Li Sect's refining methods.
Xiao Chen revealed a reminiscent expression. These doors looked very familiar, similar to the Fire Li Sect branch Remnant in the underground forest of the Sky Dome Realm.
All sorts of scenes came to mind, like they just happened yesterday. The memories were still fresh, but those outstanding talents were no longer around. Only he remained walking alone.
How is Elder Sister Ruyue doing at the Heavenly Saber Pavilion's Qingyun Peak in the Sky Dome Realm?
Xiao Chen once considered himself a cold-blooded person, able to suppress his emotions into the depths of his heart, leaving them ignored in a corner and forgetting them after some time. However, in reality, when he saw familiar items, several memories resurfaced in his mind without his volition.
Seeing Xiao Chen recalling the past and appearing distracted, Ao Jiao, who was in the Immortal Spirit Ring, reminded him, Trashy Master, don't think too much.
Ao Jiao will always be around.
Xiao Chen smiled to himself and thought, Little Ao Jiao, thank you. Then, he turned his head to look at Mo Chen beside him, wondering if he would get to see this girl again in the future.
Mo Chen was quite alert. She noticed that something seemed wrong with Xiao Chen. She asked out of concern, "What's with you? You've been to a Fire Li Sect branch before, so this stirred up old memories?"
Xiao Chen was startled. Were his expressions that obvious?
"Haha! I guessed correctly. The Fire Li Sect's branches are found throughout the world. This is said to have been the main one. However, I do not know if that is true or not."
"There is such a thing?" Xiao Chen asked. "Then, what about the news of the Book of Heavenly Works?"
"Don't worry, that one is definitely real. The ancestors of my Mo Clan were once the masters of the many small sea domains between the Southern Sea and the Northern Sea. The Cloud Sea Domain was just one of them. This information came from my ancestors, so it is guaranteed to be correct," Mo Chen assured him with extreme confidence.
Suddenly, Xiao Chen recalled that when he was at the Sky Dome Realm's Fire Li Sect branch, he had obtained a mysterious sword handle.
With how tense and urgent the situation was back then, he had not checked it out after getting it. Now that he came to a Fire Li Sect Remnant, he remembered it.
After spending some effort rummaging through his somewhat messy Universe Ring, he found the sword handle. He squeezed it with some strength, and the handle broke, revealing a dazzling phoenix-shaped jade pendant that looked like a flame was burning it.
However, when Xiao Chen held the jade pendant in his hand, it felt cold, which was extremely strange.
"Hey, that is a secret key. Why do you have one?" Mo Chen recognized this item with one glance. At the same time, she also took out a phoenix-shaped jade pendant.
Although the jade pendants were both phoenix shaped, they had very different positions and designs, a marked difference.