Chapter 1091: Chance at Life
"This is a sea chart of the Heavenly Starry Ocean and all the great ominous lands that contain Holy Spirit Veins. With your current insight, you cannot make out the real from the fake. If you meet just one of these, you will find yourself in an extremely dangerous situation."
Xiao Chen did not say anything. As he continued looking, he felt some goosebumps. Given his time pressure, he would definitely end up making misjudgments. All it took was one, and he might really lose his life.
"We four great Geomasters draw up Spirit Vein distribution charts when we travel the world. How many you can subdue will depend on your own ability."
Then, Jiang Tian handed Xiao Chen another sheet of vellum. Like the one before, it indicated the locations of many Holy Spirit Veins in detail. The information was all clear with one glance.
Within an instant, Xiao Chen understood the value of the second sea chart. It was simply a priceless treasure.
Xiao Chen felt suspicious. "Why are you helping me?"
Jiang Tian replied calmly, "It's the same as I said before. Only you can handle that Hou ghost. Ten thousand years ago, the Azure Emperor killed its physical body. Now, ten thousand years later, you have to be the one to eliminate its soul.
"We are true Geomasters, masters of the land. We guard the balance of the world. That is forever our most basic responsibility. The Hou ghost is an uncertain variable that threatens to destroy this balance."
It was really hard to imagine that this repulsive old man before Xiao Chen could say such words.
Xiao Chen thought for a while and said, "Senior, since you mentioned the Hou ghost, I have something to say about it. I feel that there is someone controlling the Hou ghost from behind."
This statement stunned Jiang Tian when he heard it. Then, he laughed and said, "What is the Hou? That is an ancient mutated beast. It kills dragons like killing earthworms. Even if it is dead and has only a soul, it cannot possibly be controlled."
Jiang Tian's words sounded extremely certain. When Xiao Chen thought things over, they made sense. The Hou ghost was already so strong. If someone could control it, then how terrifying was the master behind it?
However, even so, Xiao Chen remained dubious in his heart. Earlier, when the Hou ghost was chasing him, he saw what looked like an internal struggle in the eyes of the Hou ghost several times. He was very sure of it.
If it was not someone controlling the Hou ghost and ordering it to consume that evil dragon, clashing with its decision to kill Xiao Chen, what other explanation could there be?
Jiang Tian said indifferently, "Don't overthink this. It is better for you to focus on how to become a Martial Emperor in five years.
"Before I leave, let me give you some advice: fortune and disaster are hard to differentiate from each other. The matters of the world are like geomancy, where there is no such thing as a fixed outcome. Auspicious and ominous are unpredictable and change frequently.
"I will not beat about the bush but will tell you directly. You look like you have been pushed into a dead end. If you do not advance to Martial Emperor in five years, you will be like a meteor, disappearing after a flash, turning into dust and vanishing.
"In reality, even if there were no issues with your physiological lifespan, you still have to advance to Martial Emperor within five years. Otherwise, you will still end up dead."
Xiao Chen's expression changed slightly. He gave the old man a strange look and asked, "Can you explain further?"
Jiang Tian said slowly, "How long do you think the Thunder Sovereign can live? There is no Martial God in the world; no one can achieve immortality. The Thunder Sovereign has already lived for over ten thousand years. Every day he continues living is already in defiance of the heavens and snatching fate.
"If the Thunder Sovereign is no longer around, how can the Supreme Sky Emperor shield you by himself? Before a true major character, killing you would take only a finger.
"Now that such a situation has cropped up, you have a sense of urgency. Now, the odds of you advancing to Martial Emperor within five years have improved slightly. Whether this issue is fortune or disaster, no one can say."
Xiao Chen's heart sank. He said with a smile, "I never thought about it this way before. Thinking about it now, it is indeed as Senior says. Fortune and disaster are hard to differentiate from each other."
"Goodbye!"
Jiang Tian left at the drop of a hat, not hesitating or dragging things out; he instantly vanished from Xiao Chen's sight.
Xiao Chen unfurled the two sheets of vellum. One represented life, recording all the Holy Spirit Veins that the four great Geomasters had discovered on their travels.
The other represented death, mapping all the great ominous lands that could kill Martial Emperors, filled with all sorts of unpredictable situations guaranteeing demise.
After a while, Xiao Chen tightly grasped the two sheets.
Regular Geomasters were restricted by their own cultivation. They would find it difficult to subdue the dragon and would not be able to deal with the various hidden ferocious beasts.
Xiao Chen possessed the combat prowess of a Great Perfection quasi-Emperor. Furthermore, he had the Dragon Fixing Needles and Dragon Revealing Mirror. With these two dragon-seeking Secret Treasures, he could subdue Spirit Veins single-handedly.
In the many possibilities, forty-nine out of fifty led to a dead end. However, there was no such thing as a complete dead end; there would definitely be a path to life. This was Xiao Chen's chance at life!
Xiao Chen's figure wavered, and he vanished from the vast sea. With this, he disappeared for a very long time.
There was no news of Xiao Chen in the Heavenly Starry Ocean. No one knew where the Azure Dragon King went. The Cyclic Astral Palace and the Divine Dragon Palaces of the four seas sent out many scouts. However, they failed to find any clues to his location.
Many different rumors spread all over the place.
Some people said that Xiao Chen had gone to the Penglai Sea, which no one knew the way to, to find medicine to solve his problem.
Some people claimed that Xiao Chen went back to the Kunlun Continent to seek the Thunder Sovereign for help.
Some people insisted that Xiao Chen had already scattered his cultivation and become an ordinary person, for the sake of living past a hundred years. He already completely vanished and would never appear again.
However, as time moved on, everyone stopped talking about Xiao Chen. After all, he was just a genius past his prime. There was no point in continuously discussing him.
This was especially so after news came from the Cyclic Astral Palace: the Sun Palace's Holy Son and the Moon Palace's Holy Daughter both broke through to quasi-Emperor at the same time. This made everyone forget about Xiao Chen's existence.
The gossip about this went wild, and shocking news and rumors about Chu Yang and Fu Hongyao spread out from the Cyclic Astral Palace.
When these two teamed up—combining the sun and moon—they could already defeat Great Perfection quasi-Emperors of the older generation. They could easily defeat a Small Perfection quasi-Emperor when fighting alone.
News about these two appeared incessantly. The Cyclic Astral Emperor, a Prime Martial Emperor, had taken out tens of thousands of years of accumulations of the Cyclic Astral Palace—an Immortal Holy Land.
These accumulations were spent on the Holy Son and Holy Daughter, who also received personal instruction from the Cyclic Astral Emperor. The intent was to let these two advance to Small Perfection quasi-Emperor before the Four Seas Hero Gathering and completely suppress the other Immortal Holy Lands.
However, things were not that simple. These two were not the only ones who had found their great opportunity on the road that buried Martial Emperors.
The Holy Scions of the other Holy Lands did not fall behind. The Myriad Fiend Island's Di Xinhan, the Heavenly Province Academy's Young Master Qingshu, the Five Poison Sect's Tang Xun, and the Yinyang Paradise's Tong Susu all broke through to quasi-Emperor within a distinct period.
For that period, the entire Heavenly Starry Ocean grew by leaps and bounds. Everyone felt anticipation for the Four Seas Hero Gathering, which would start in another ten months.
With so many outstanding young talents all breaking through to quasi-Emperor together, the Four Seas Hero Gathering that happened once every twenty years would be livelier than any of the previous ones.
There were even some opportunists who started a betting pool about who would dominate and suppress the other talents, obtaining the prize of the Lunar Palace, the Dragon's Gate's mountain tablet.
Aside from the Holy Scions of the various Immortal Holy Lands, the heavy favorites were the experts of the previous Four Seas Hero Gathering.
As long as one was not over fifty years old, one could continue to join the Four Seas Hero Gathering. To cultivators who could live for more than three centuries, a fifty-year-old was not old and could, in fact, be considered a youth.
Several of the experts from the previous Four Seas Hero Gathering had only been twenty-odd years old when they participated in the previous one. After the passage of twenty years, they were still a few years away from fifty and remained qualified to participate.
In reality, the main highlight of every Four Seas Hero Gathering was the competition between the old and new outstanding talents.
In every Four Seas Hero Gathering, there would be newcomers rising to the occasion and spreading their names everywhere. There would also be oldtimers who maintained their glory and reputations.
However, this was a great age of geniuses. The new outstanding talents of this generation all came with surging momentum. Some people guessed that the experts of the previous generation would be overwhelmed without a doubt, barring surprises.
Now, everyone was just watching to see if there would be a miracle.
Or perhaps, a strong dark horse would appear out of nowhere. Anything was possible.
------
In the Western Sea where the Azure Dragon King's conferred land was, Heavenly Star Island:
Under Lan Shaobai and Jin Dabao's management, the territory that the Three Holy Lands nearly ruined into desolation was already changed beyond recognition.
Lan Shaobai had taken the Peak Spirit Veins that Xiao Chen passed to him and rebuilt the city. He organized troops and maintained order.
Jin Dabao worked on another angle. Since the Seven Distinguished Dragon Marquises of the Sea Monarch's old guards had locked down the sea routes in front, he opened a trade route to the Black Sea, completely revitalizing the economy of the island and allowing ordinary people to enjoy an extremely good life.
In the world of cultivation, ordinary people seemed unimportant. Just a single Martial Monarch could kill a large number of them. However, the foundation of the world was made up of ordinary people. Geniuses emerged from ordinary people. They did not bring just prosperity but also hope.
As long as one established a sect and properly nurtured it, after systematic training, these ordinary people would be able to gain accumulations bit by bit.
At this moment, Lan Shaobai, Jin Dabao, Yue Chenxi, Lord Jiu, and the others gathered in a palace on the tallest mountain of Heavenly Star Island.
Aside from Lan Shaobai, all of the rest were frowning, showing expressions of worry.
Yue Chenxi asked, "Dabao, is there still no news of Xiao Chen?"
Jin Dabao shook his head and replied, "None. His last appearance was in the Northern Sea Alliance. After that, there was no news about him anymore. I spent a lot of money in the Black Sea, but I haven't been able to get any news about him."
When the others heard that, many sighed softly. They all helped Xiao Chen manage Heavenly Star Island in a very orderly fashion. However, the master of Heavenly Star Island was missing. They did not even know if he was alive or not. How could they feel at ease?
This was especially so when these people had good relationships with Xiao Chen. They were worthy of the word friend. They were more concerned about his life or death than anyone.
Lan Shaobai, who now possessed the temperament of a leader, smiled faintly and said, "This is actually a good thing. If we cannot find him, then those people who want to deal with him will not be able to find him, either. This means that Xiao Chen is, at the very least, safe."
"However, there is talk spreading everywhere that Xiao Chen will be just like a meteor if he does not advance to Martial Emperor in five years. This is really worrying!" Lord Jiu raised the matter that everyone was worried about and unwilling to say; he was not very good at reading the mood.
The others all immediately looked at Lord Jiu. He seemed to be at a loss as he said, "Am I wrong? This Lord Jiu is not wrong. He has only twenty more years to his lifespan…"
Jin Dabao closed his gold folding fan and used it to rap Lord Jiu on the head. He scolded, "Do you know how to speak? Are you trying to force this Fat Lord to attack you?"
Worry flashed in Lan Shaobai's eyes. He waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about this for now. Without seeing Xiao Chen, we cannot take any of this as real."
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
Just at this moment, footsteps came from outside the door. A disciple entered and reported, "Young Master Lan, there is a quasi-Emperor leading many cultivators and requesting entry outside Azure Dragon City."
Lan Shaobai's expression turned frosty as he stood up. "That group of Seven Distinguished Dragon Marquises is here to cause trouble again? This is never-ending. Xiao Yu, please invite Elder Qin out. I will go and take a look."
Chapter 1092: Cyclic Astral Palace's Chu Yang Out of Closed-Door Cultivation
Despite being on Heavenly Star Island, Lan Shaobai had not fallen behind on his cultivation. He had long since reached great grandmaster-level Martial Sage and was only a step away from quasi-Emperor.
That, combined with the Asura Race's strong spatial ability, made him more than a match for ordinary quasi-Emperors.
"It is not. It's a lady wearing a veil. She said that she is called Mo Chen!"
"Mo Chen?!"
Lan Shaobai repeated this name a couple of times. It seemed like he had never heard this name before. He said, "Dabao, go and find out more about this person. Can you give me a report within half a day?"
Jin Dabao smiled and said, "I can tell you right now. That is the top beauty of the Cloud Sea Domain. Xiao Chen once appeared there for a period. It seems like he even built some kind of relationship with this girl. You can go without any worry. She is definitely not an enemy."
The Fat Lord was the person maintaining the information about Xiao Chen's movements. Hence, when he heard the name Mo Chen, he immediately recalled these details.
Lan Shaobai revealed a slightly interested expression. He smiled and said, "It looks like it is a good thing, then. Xiao Yu, there is no need to invite Elder Qin over anymore. Come with me to meet this Miss Mo Chen."
---
Outside the vast Azure Dragon City, Mo Chen led the Mo Clan's top ten refiners and admired the majestic city walls.
"First Young Miss, is this place our new home?" an old refiner asked with a trace of joy as he looked at Azure Dragon City.
After the eight quasi-Emperors died in the Cloud Sea Domain, the region fell into chaos. Every faction sent their experts over, intending to make it theirs.
Amid the mayhem, human life was like grass. The flames of war flared high. If Mo Chen had not led the Mo Clan away from the center of the chaos in advance, many of her clan would have died.
However, the Mo Clan no longer wish to spend their days running and hiding.
Although this Heavenly Star Island was surrounded and blockaded by several large factions, after the Mo Clan arrived at the island, these few old men were all greatly astonished. The prosperity of the island far surpassed their expectations.
Even the Shattered Cloud Sea of before could not compare to this. How was this a city that was under heavy embargo? It was very prosperous and becoming even more so with each passing day. This situation piqued their curiosity.
Mo Chen thought back to what Xiao Chen had said. If they wanted to find him, they could go to Heavenly Star Island. If they needed help, they could go to Heavenly Star Island.
"It will be fine. Xiao Chen is true to his word," Mo Chen said with a nod.
As Mo Chen spoke, one man and one lady flew past the city gates. They were the Heavenly Star Island's incumbent ruler, Lan Shaobai, and Xiao Yu.
Lan Shaobai appeared elegant as he descended. Then, he walked over to Mo Chen with a smile. He performed a cupped-fist salute and said, "Miss Mo Chen, please excuse me for not coming out to meet you when you arrived. Xiao Yu, bring them to the city to rest. I'll personally bring Miss Mo Chen around."
Xiao Yu nodded with a smile, then led the ten old folks behind Mo Chen into the city. Mo Chen walked alone with Lan Shaobai.
There were some things that were better to discuss with fewer people around. Clearly, Lan Shaobai understood this.
"Miss Mo Chen, why are you here?" Lan Shaobai asked directly.
The two strolled into the city. Mo Chen looked around at the people there with interest. When she discovered the many Black Sea cultivators, she now somewhat understood why it was so prosperous.
Upon hearing Lan Shaobai's question, Mo Chen looked at him and replied, "I'm here to look for someone. However, since he did not come out, he is probably not on the island."
Lan Shaobai smiled bitterly. "I understand. Our group of old friends is trying to find him as well. However, no one knows where he is now."
Mo Chen was not in a rush. Instead, she smiled at Lan Shaobai and consoled him. "Don't worry. He will definitely come to Heavenly Star Island. He never breaks his promises."
Lan Shaobai smiled to himself. At these words, his vigilance towards this lady completely vanished. He asked pensively, "In that case, Miss Mo Chen, what are your plans now?"
Mo Chen replied calmly, "I wish to bring all my clansmen to Heavenly Star Island."
Lan Shaobai's heart could not help leaping with joy. He had learned from Jin Dabao that the Mo Clan, which this Mo Chen was from, was the top refining clan of the Cloud Sea Domain.
Furthermore, Mo Chen herself was a quasi-Emperor. She would be a great help to Heavenly Star Island.
The most important thing was that, according to Jin Dabao's information, Mo Chen obtained the refiner's divine canon, the Book of Heavenly Works. She had an excellent chance of becoming a divine-grade refiner.
Even the various Holy Lands would queue up for a long time with great gifts in hand to meet such a person. If she wanted to come to Heavenly Star Island, it was a very good thing.
However, Lan Shaobai thought of a matter and said somewhat embarrassedly, "No one on Heavenly Star Island will object to Miss Mo Chen coming here. However, the front of Heavenly Star Island is under blockade by the Seven Distinguished Dragon Marquises. If you want to uproot and bring your clan here, it would be rather difficult."
Mo Chen nodded. Then, she smiled and said softly, "I learned about this on my way here. It is fine. I believe that this situation will not continue for long."
Lan Shaobai envied Xiao Chen somewhat in his heart. He wondered how exactly Xiao Chen had achieved all this.
First, the descendants of the Black Sea's thirteen great bandits appeared at Heavenly Star Island and helped Jin Dabao clear off the final obstructions to their entry to the Black Sea.
Now, a group of grandmaster refiners was moving their clan here.
As the topic changed, Mo Chen recalled something. She said, "Young Master Lan, have you heard that the Four Seas Hero Gathering that happens every twenty years will begin soon?"
"Naturally, I've heard of it. However, Heavenly Star Island is quite distant from Bright Moon City. Furthermore, the transportation formation on the island is ruined. Since the Seven Distinguished Dragon Marquises are blockading us, it is hard for us to go out. So, I am not very clear on the news of this."
Lan Shaobai looked doubtfully at Mo Chen, wondering why she asked this.
Mo Chen said with sudden understanding, "Then it looks like Young Master Lan does not know that the prize of this Four Seas Hero Gathering is the last mountain tablet of the Dragon's Gate left outside. It is made of Heaven Subduing Rock, and the Azure Emperor personally wrote the words 'Dragon's Gate' on it."
When Lan Shaobai heard this, his expression changed. He exclaimed in shock, "Do you mean to say that Xiao Chen will likely appear at the gathering in Bright Moon City?"
"Not 'likely to appear' but 'will appear' for sure. No matter the rumors outside, I strongly believe that he will make an appearance. Furthermore, he will definitely bring the Dragon's Gate's mountain tablet back to Heavenly Star Island," Mo Chen said with a certain tone and a firm and persistent gaze.
Four Seas Hero Gathering…Lan Shaobai muttered in his heart as he looked into the distance. Will he really appear?
Honestly speaking, Lan Shaobai was still somewhat doubtful and was not as certain as Mo Chen. The Lunar Palace's Holy Daughter's words were sufficient to give credit to some of those rumors, making the whole thing confusing.
However, he was willing to believe that Xiao Chen would definitely appear and bring the Dragon's Gate's mountain tablet to Heavenly Star Island, the land that belonged to the Azure Dragon King.
Xiao Chen would not forget what he promised Lan Shaobai, that he would organize the world's first martial gathering some day and help him write the definitive record of this age.
------
In the Cyclic Astral Palace of the Southern Sea, stars were reflected in the seawater like pieces on a chess board. There were many of them intersecting each other.
When one looked carefully, one would discover that these reflected stars were actually all exquisite palaces.
Thousands of palaces radiated starlight. The lights of the Sun Palace and the Moon Palace were the most dazzling and eye-catching, showing two different styles.
One was an extremely tyrannical Yang. Its light spread far and wide, a dazzling sight that one could not look at directly.
The other was a gentle and soft Yin. Its light was bright and as cold as snow, bone-chilling like frost.
A person flew out from each of the two Astral Palaces. Instantly, the stars dimmed, their light seemingly eclipsed, which only served to emphasize the two's outstanding charm.
All the disciples of the various Astral Palaces looked at the two in the air. Their eyes flashed with thick envy.
The Moon Palace's Fu Hongyao and the Sun Palace's Chu Yang. Now, these two were shining brightly, becoming quasi-Emperors at the same time. The Cyclic Astral Emperor—a Prime—personally nurtured them. After this closed-door cultivation, they had probably already broken through to Small Perfection quasi-Emperor.
The two met in the air and checked each other's cultivation. Joy flashed in their eyes. Fu Hongyao smiled and said, "Senior Brother, you came out of closed-door cultivation as well?"
Chu Yang nodded and said calmly, "One year ago, when I saw Xiao Chen, I could not clear your shame. This time, as long as he dares to appear at the Four Seas Hero Gathering, I will personally help you eradicate this malignant tumor."
Fu Hongyao thought back to her humiliation at Xiao Chen's King conferral ceremony. That matter had become her heart demon.
After some consideration, Fu Hongyao said calmly, "Senior Brother, there is no need to care about a genius that is past his prime. I don't believe that he will have the courage to appear. What Senior Brother should care about are the Myriad Fiend Island's Di Xinhan and Yan Shisan. These two people should be your most formidable opponents."
Murderous intent flashed in Chu Yang's eyes as he said indifferently, "He'd best not show up. Otherwise, I would not mind leaving him with a humiliation that can never be eradicated before his final moments."
---
The Heavenly Starry Ocean was very vast. Even if one were a Martial Emperor, one would not be able to go to every single corner of it.
It had too many remote sea domains and many unmarked seas. If one really wanted to hide in this vast ocean, no one could find them unless they had a Secret Treasure that could divine the heavenly mysteries.
However, Xiao Chen was not hiding or purposely doing so. Despite that, no one could find any traces of him.
This was because, for the past nine-odd months, close to three hundred days, he remained at the bottom of the sea, never coming up at all.
With his strength as a quasi-Emperor, Xiao Chen did not have any problems breathing in the water. If time permitted, he could easily do so for even longer durations.
Why did he not resurface? No one liked hiding in the darkness. There was no sunlight or air, just the seafloor devoid of any sign of human habitation.
Naturally, Xiao Chen was no exception. However, he did not have enough time. He needed to make every minute—every second—count; he could not waste any of it.
If Xiao Chen resurfaced, it was hard to guarantee that he would not develop a fondness for fresh air or miss the sunlight. It would only wear down his determination and waste time.
Hence, there was no need to surface. He would just focus on seeking dragons and fixing veins.
At a certain seabed in the Eastern Sea, Xiao Chen opened his Heavenly Eye in the dark, sunless world as he walked around with a calm expression.
The surrounding area turned into scenes that appeared in Xiao Chen's mind, flashing by like fleeting images. It looked like a movie, strange and wondrous.
This was the ability of the Heavenly Eye that came with cultivating the Paradise Divine Art to the third layer. He could clearly see the surroundings within a split second.
Xiao Chen took out one of the sheets of vellum from Jiang Tian and glanced at it. Then, he stored the vellum and fixed his gaze on the hidden dragon cave in front.
That was a place surrounded by many mountains. Xiao Chen carefully examined them and found the ones representing the Tanlang Star, Jumen Star, and Wuqu Star.