Chapter 183
At Great Emperor Mingwu’s invitation, Master Apothecary Xuanyi, Li Xu, Ye Chen, Little Wingsy, and a group of Earthly Venerable fighters under Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s command stayed in a side courtyard of the imperial family . They could no longer stay in Xuan Pavilion for it was too large a target . Great Emperor Mingwu was worried if those from the Three Major Sects returned, he would not be able to rush over in time .
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If they stayed in the imperial family’s side courtyard and carefully kept it a secret, the Three Major Sects would probably find it difficult to track down Master Apothecary Xuanyi, Ye Chen, and the rest .
In the imperial family’s side courtyard .
It was a building complex with a perimeter of a few miles, surrounded by a wall . The courtyard was hidden deep within . There were bridges and streams which looked elegant . Master Apothecary Xuanyi’s items had been moved here, and Ye Chen, Little Tanuki, and Little Wingsy all had their residences .
In the day, Ye Chen learned Alchemy from Master Apothecary Xuanyi . Ye Chen gave a portion of Liu Xun’s poison to Master Apothecary Xuanyi, who was helping him analyze the poison’s properties to concoct the corresponding antidote .
In the night, Ye Chen returned to his residence to cultivate, continuing to aim for an even higher level .
Occasionally, for a few days, Ye Chen would follow Great Emperor Mingwu to fish at Lake Nekros . Ye Chen was not able to catch the Purple-gold Divine Fish again . Even so, he caught plenty of Golden-armored Fish and the likes . After these fishes were caught, Master Apothecary Xuanyi refined them into medicinal pills . Each production of pills would be divided into three portions – one for each of them – which was a rich harvest indeed .
In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed . Those from the Three Major Sects did not show up again .
Ye Chen’s alchemy had improved considerably . Based on what Master Apothecary Xuanyi had said, Ye Chen’s alchemy was on par with a Master Apothecary of Minor Adroitness . After he had passed the examination in the Central Empire, he could obtain his Master Apothecary’s Nameplate .
Li Xu knew that Ye Chen was advancing rapidly in alchemy and could not describe how he felt . He began to obsessively go into isolated cultivation to learn more about alchemy . As Eldest Senior Brother, he was caught up and surpassed by Youngest Junior Brother in such a short time . How embarrassing .
Ye Chen’s talent was one of a kind . Master Apothecary Xuanyi was gratified that he was able to take on an apprentice like this in his lifetime .
It was night and the sky had slowly turned dark .
Ye Chen was in his residence, sitting cross-legged as he cultivated . In these two months, he had consumed quite a number of Soul-consolidating Pills . Although his cultivation base did not advance by leaps and bounds, it was very much consolidated . If he could just progress by one more step, he would become a mid-Earthly Venerable One . Moreover, his Astral Body had made headway as well . His Astral Body’s single attack was close to a mid-Heavenly Venerable fighter .
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It was too bad that his Astral Body’s actual fighting strength was still a long way from a mid-Heavenly Venerable fighter . The main reason was that his Astral Body was not yet fully solidified and thus, could not withstand intense impacts . If he had exchanged a blow with a mid-Heavenly Venerable fighter, he would not lose by much . Nonetheless, his Astral Body would be shaken and its strength slightly diminished . If the fight went on, he would undoubtedly lose .
Therefore, first of all, Ye Chen had to continue fortifying his Astral Body . There were not many ways to do so . Ye Chen could only consume Soul-amassing Pills and Soul-consolidating Pills occasionally and absorb their medicinal strength . As his Astral Body grew stronger, Ye Chen could only continue to take these two types of pills .
In the sky, the moon was like a silver plate . The pure moonlight shone down and poured through the window of Ye Chen’s room . It felt like a subtle allusion to the line “Bright moonlight before my bed . ”1
Ye Chen opened his eyes . Quiet emotions rushed into his heart . He recalled many people – father, granduncle, and Little Rou . These were the people he cared for in this world .
Ye Chen had incessantly sought after power so that his loved ones could live a better life in this world!
Little Tanuki was silently cultivating on a blanket by Ye Chen’s side .
Ye Chen’s thoughts were muddled . He knew that his current state of mind was not suitable for cultivation . He stroked the jade pendant at his chest and thought about Little Rou who was far away in the Central Empire . Then, he took out the Black Pearl, the Heavenly Astra Seal, and other items from his armguard . Until today, he still had not studied the functions of these secret treasures .
The moment Ye Chen took out the Heavenly Astra Seal, a dazzling white light flooded the room .
What was going on?
Ye Chen turned pale with shock . Under the illumination of the moonlight, the Heavenly Astra Seal was like a resplendent, luminous pearl, shining with a blinding, milky white glow .
“Did the moonlight activate the Heavenly Astra Seal?”
Ye Chen’s Astral Body seemed to sense terrifying energy and shuddered deep within .
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“Huh? What’s this thing that’s within the Heavenly Astra Seal?” Ye Chen pondered in alarm . With a low cry, he released his Astral Body to its fullest to fight against this thing .
“Squeak squeak . ” Little Tanuki opened its eyes . The dazzling light was so piercing that nothing could be seen . It did not know what had happened and released its Astral Body along with Ye Chen’s .
Just as Ye Chen unleashed his Astral Body, the Heavenly Astra Seal radiated with an even more dazzling light . This white light was full of mysterious runic seals that had encased Ye Chen and Little Tanuki . Suddenly, Ye Chen and Little Tanuki vanished along with the Heavenly Astra Seal .
Ye Chen felt that his body seemed to have passed through a thin membrane, entering another place .
When Ye Chen opened his eyes, he instantly saw a huge, frightening beast opening its wide, bloody mouth and lunging toward him with a roar .
This was a gigantic mystical beast that was over ten meters tall . It somewhat resembled a lion, but its body was covered in dark gray scales and a single, sharp horn protruded from its head . Its chest was dotted with specks of light that looked like bright constellations . Its four paws and tail were burning with fierce magenta flames .
Ye Chen was certain that this was a mystical beast he had never seen!
“Little Tanuki, run!” Ye Chen recovered his senses quickly, picked up Little Tanuki by his side, and broke into a run .
After running for a few dozen meters, Ye Chen realized that he seemed to be trapped where he was standing . All he could see before him was a void, but he could not take one step out . When he looked back at the mystical beast, there was the loud “clang” of iron chains . That one-horned mystical beast snarled furiously more than ten meters away from Ye Chen and Little Tanuki . It was unable to move forward any further and could only struggle ceaselessly .
Ye Chen calmed down . Only now did he observe his surroundings .
This was an open space, a few hundred meters wide . The ground beneath his feet was level and filled with various bizarre patterns that made up a circular formation . There were five large, bold, ancient words around the border of the formation . Ye Chen could vaguely make out the words – Heavenly, Astra, Magic, and so on . Was this formation called the Heavenly Astra Hidden Magic Formation or the Heavenly Astra Binding Magic Formation? Ye Chen could not quite discern that middle word .
In the center of the formation stood a towering stone pillar that was hung with a long black iron chain . One end of the chain was tied around the pillar, the other end was tied around the beast’s neck .
This was why that mystical beast was unable to lunge any further toward Ye Chen!
Ye Chen sensed that this massive mystical beast seemed to have ancient, savage energy . If it had not been restrained by the iron chain, Ye Chen would have been devoured in one gulp long ago .
Items that contained in a dimension like the Heaven-Earth Pouch could not be placed in the armguard’s space . Therefore, this space must be different from the spaces used to store items . Spaces for items could not be used to contain living creatures, but this place could . This was also why the Heavenly Astra Seal could be placed in the armguard’s space .
Little Tanuki stood on Ye Chen’s shoulder, fear flickering in its eyes as it steadily stared at that one-horned mystical beast in front .
Roar!
The one-horned mystical beast let out an ear splitting roar and its sharp front paws ceaselessly smacked the floor . The magenta flames flared up as it tried to pounce forward, but it was ultimately held back firmly by the iron chain . Just as the one-horned mystical beast was roaring ferociously, the formation was activated . Countless white charms drifted up and bombarded the one-horned mystical beast .
Whimper!
The one-horned mystical beast wailed mournfully and retreated repeatedly . It looked somewhat dispirited, but its blood-red eyes were still fixed unblinkingly upon Ye Chen and Little Tanuki .
There was a mystical beast like this sealed in the Heavenly Astra Seal . Ye Chen did not know what this one-horned mystical beast was called . Based on the aura it had emanated, Ye Chen could tell that it was rather remarkable .
Ye Chen wondered if his Astral Body was able to make this beast yield . This one-horned mystical beast’s level must be too high! Even his Astral Body was unable to discern the true might of this one-horned mystical beast!
“Squeak squeak . ” Little Tanuki cried out a few times .
“Little Tanuki, you’re saying that this one-horned mystical beast’s strength is so formidable that it surpasses Little Wingsy?” Ye Chen looked up in amazement toward that one-horned mystical beast that was over ten meters tall . Although its body was not as massive as Little Wingsy’s original form, in most cases, the strength of a mystical beast was not measured based on its build .
It would be immensely difficult to tame this one-horned mystical beast in the Heavenly Astra Seal . The question now was, how should they get back outside?
Ye Chen tried various methods using his Astral Body to scan the entire space . Nonetheless, this space was sealed shut . There was no way out . What should they do?
“Little Tanuki, how should we get out?” Ye Chen frowned as he asked . Surely, they would not end up like this one-horned mystical beast and be trapped here, right?
Just as Ye Chen was pondering, Little Tanuki suddenly jumped up and bit him on the finger, then leaped down again .
Ye Chen endured the pain . A drop of blood slid from his finger, fell onto the floor, and immediately disappeared . Wisps of red halo diffused in all directions .
This magnificent red light was like red clouds in the sky, causing Ye Chen to be momentarily stunned . He felt himself forming a subtle connection with the Heavenly Astra Seal . The pattern of the formation was like his own blood vessels .
The one-horned mystical beast looked up at the surrounding changes and softly whimpered and howled, growling from time to time .
After a moment, there was an additional purple runic seal on Ye Chen’s left palm . A mass of flames was illustrated in the circle and it looked like a tattoo .
“Puny human, you can’t possibly subdue me . The Heavenly Astra Hidden Magic Seal can only trap me for twenty years more . After twenty years, I’ll break out of the Heavenly Astra Hidden Magic Seal . At that point, I’ll surely eat you!” A thunderous voice suddenly assailed Ye Chen’s mind .
Ahh!
Ye Chen covered his ears and yelled in agony . This voice was too overpowering as if it was about to shatter his eardrums . It was like countless sharp steel needles were poking into his brain .