Chapter 876 - The Ancient Demon Abyss
"This doesn't make sense, the remaining body parts of the Divine God of Battle should be inside the South-Heaven Gate, but why is my right arm showing a reaction to it? Could it be…"
Qin Nan's heart skipped a beat.
He recalled that previously at the Dragon Emperor Clan, the Six-Spirited Dragon Vein had mentioned that although the Heaven-Shattering Martial Monarch had used all he had to refine the Heaven-Shattering Saber, he did leave pieces of treasure somewhere in the Canglan Continent.
Now that his right arm was showing a reaction, the only explanation was the mysterious treasure here was left by the Heaven-Shattering Martial Monarch. This also explained why the two geniuses of the half-God region would come all the way here to the Skycloud Mountain Range.
After all, a treasure left by the Heaven-Shattering Martial Monarch was appealing to them too.
"Could it be that crystal case?"
Qin Nan followed the fiery gaze of the two geniuses and saw a half zhang wide and one zhang long crystal case. Its surface was engraved with a unique pattern, resembling a man spreading his arms toward the Heavens.
Meanwhile...
ROAR!
The masked man uttered a roar, whose mouth emitted a crimson glow and absorbed the treasure into his body before the two geniuses and the Dark Tribute Progenitor could react.
"How bold!"
One of the geniuses had green veins surfacing on his forehead as he instantly executed a forbidden technique. He drew out an extraordinary sword, which unleashed a terrifying saber intent from its tip into the sky.
"HAHAHA, so what if you three are siding together, you will never get your hands on the treasure, even if I have to bring them along to my death…" The masked man burst out laughing as his figure shuddered and expanded all of a sudden, flying into the distance at a rapid pace.
"Trying to flee? Not on my watch!"
The two geniuses and the Dark Tribute Progenitor grunted and disappeared into the horizon.
"I have to follow them!"
Upon seeing this, Qin Nan swiftly rose from the ground and followed after them. However, even at his full speed, he still failed to catch up to their pace, thus he could only proceed in the same direction.
His cultivation was too weak, too insignificant in relation to theirs.
"Who would have thought that I would find the treasure left by the Heaven-Shattering Martial Monarch here! Should I consider myself lucky or unlucky? At this rate, the masked man will surely be killed…" Qin Nan moved forward while pondered deeply.
His instincts were telling him that he could attract the mysterious crystal case by exposing his Heaven-Shattering Saber.
However, even if he managed to acquire the mysterious crystal case, the two geniuses of the half-God region and the Dark Tribute Progenitor could easily finish him off.
His only hope was asking for help from the copper mirror.
However, since the copper mirror rarely showed herself, Qin Nan decided not to bet his life on it. He could only rely on himself.
"I'll act according to the situation!"
Qin Nan took a deep breath. There was no point overthinking it.
His first priority now was to locate their whereabouts. If they had left the Skycloud Mountain Range, there was nothing he could do.
Following this, Qin Nan flew forward at full speed.
One incense, two incense...After the period it took four incense sticks to burn, he came to a stop.
"Luckily, they are not too far ahead."
Qin Nan raised his head and observed the glows of impacts a distance away from him. He took a few breaths to adjust his thoughts, before proceeding forward cautiously while concealing his aura.
"Mm? What's going on?"
After taking a few hundred steps, Qin Nan's eyes were filled with astonishment.
Through his observation, the surrounding trees were different than the ones he had seen before. They were entirely pitch-black, while their leaves were as sharp as razors, leaving cuts on the ground as they landed.
Furthermore, the Hundred Barrier Mist was even more terrifying. It was now half-grey and half-black, blending and separating at times, which limited Qin Nan's vision to only a fifth of its range.
"Is there something ahead?"
Qin Nan's eyes flickered.
This was the Skycloud Mountain Range, a place where even Martial Monarchs would not dare to roam freely. It went without saying that there existed other mysterious places apart from the ancient ruins.
"A demonic aura…"
Qin Nan straightened his face after taking a few steps forward.
He could sense a demonic aura coming from deep within the woods, the same direction where the two geniuses and the Dark Tribute Progenitor were battling against the masked man. The aura caused the surrounding temperature to drop rapidly, such that even Qin Nan could feel the chill.
This showed how powerful the demonic aura was, let alone its presence in the area further ahead.
"Protection of the golden seal!"
As a safety measure, Qin Nan quietly unleashed the power of the golden seal. The demonic aura immediately stayed away from Qin Nan as if it had encountered some frightening presence.
Meanwhile, glows were emitted continuously in the distance, accompanied by a series of shocking explosions.
It was highly possible that the impact of the battle had drawn the beasts away from the woods, as Qin Nan had yet to encounter one along the journey.
After the period it took an incense stick to burn, Qin Nan halted his movements.
Through his left eye of the Divine God of Battle, he observed the two geniuses of the half-God region and the Dark Tribute Progenitor launching their attacks at the masked man. Even with the interference of the demonic aura, their powerful attacks were able to shatter the aura entirely.
The battle was taking place on the peak of a mountain, and behind it was an endless cliff.
"The masked man won't be able to hold on any longer! Besides, it appears that he's not a living Martial Monarch, there's something strange about his flesh…" Qin Nan's heart shuddered as he observed the battle.
If the masked man was defeated, the crystal case would end up in the hands of the two geniuses.
Even if he had the Heaven-Shattering Saber, he would not dare to summon the crystal case toward him.
Did that mean there was nothing he could do about it?
"Oh right, where did the demonic aura come from?"
A sudden thought crossed Qin Nan's mind.
The demonic aura must be something extraordinary since it was able to cover such a great distance. On second thought, there must be a reason why the masked man had purposely lured his enemies here.
"Is that——"
Qin Nan looked for the direction of the demonic aura. Due to the battle, the aura was shattered by the impact, thus it took Qin Nan some time to find its source.
However, when he found the source, his eyes were filled with amazement.
The golden seal in his body began to buzz and emit a golden glow that covered his whole body to protect its bearer!
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn
Chapter 877 - Odd of Success—Two Tenths
As Qin Nan glanced downward at the cliff behind the mountain where the battle was taking place, he could see a tremendous demonic aura, which felt like only the tip of an iceberg, as if a peerless demon had opened its murderous mouth, trying to devour anything that got close to it.
"Who would have thought that the Skycloud Mountain Range would have such a terrifying place! What exactly is the masked man trying to do by luring them here?" With the help of the golden seal, Qin Nan swiftly collected his thoughts as he broke free from the influence of the demonic aura. His eyes were filled with a confused expression.
Meanwhile, the masked man was constantly knocked back by the continuous attacks of the two geniuses of the half-God region and the Dark Tribute Progenitor. Wounds could be seen on his body, which began to produce a buzzing sound, as streams of black Qi were unleashed.
It felt like if the battle continued, his entire body would evaporate.
"If you three decide to not back off, I'll jump straight into the Ancient Demon Abyss and bury the treasures with me. There's no way you are getting them!" The masked man uttered a ferocious roar with a hint of madness.
"The Ancient Demon Abyss?" Qin Nan was startled. Was that the name of the forbidden area?
"HAHAHA!"
One of the geniuses burst out laughing, "As the guardian spirit, how could you bring the treasures with you into the Ancient Demon Abyss before finding their owner? Do you really think we're that stupid?"
The masked man became silent.
Obviously, he did not expect that the genius of the half-God region would know his secret.
As the young man had mentioned, as the guardian spirit of the treasure, it was not allowed to relocate the treasure, or bring it to a different place prior to finding its owner. It was the rule that he had to obey.
If he disobeyed it, not only would his existence be erased, the treasure would return to its initial position too.
If that happened, the treasure would definitely end up in their hands!
"Master, I've no other choice. If that's the case, I shall fight for my life until the very end…" The masked man murmured before he unleashed a roar, absorbing the surrounding demonic aura to execute his attack.
The reason he had come to the Ancient Demon Abyss was to threaten his enemies, and use the demonic aura to unleash his attacks.
"Humph!"
The two geniuses and the Dark Tribute Progenitor continued to attack.
In their opinion, the masked man's efforts were completely useless. It was only a matter of time until they managed to defeat him.
"This isn't good. At this rate, the masked man can only hold on for another incense's time! After that, he will be killed by the trio!" Qin Nan inhaled a breath upon seeing this, "I have to come up with a plan. Either way, I have to acquire the treasure left by the Heaven-Shattering Martial Monarch…"
Qin Nan squinted as he pondered.
Suddenly, his eyes flickered as he came up with a plan.
"According to the words of the masked man, even the two geniuses and the Dark Tribute Progenitor would not dare enter the Ancient Demon Abyss. Otherwise, he would not threaten them with it."
Qin Nan quickly thought.
"My golden seal is able to resist the demonic aura, thus I should be able to survive in the Ancient Demon Abyss; which means, I can get the Heaven-Shattering Treasure and jump into the Ancient Demon Abyss to secure it from them!"
"But…"
Qin Nan frowned.
The Ancient Demon Abyss was behind where the battle was taking place. Even if he managed to summon the treasure to him, there was no way he could teleport to the entrance of the Ancient Demon Abyss. In other words, the two geniuses and the Dark Tribute Progenitor had plenty of time to react.
On the other hand, Qin Nan could communicate with the masked man and reveal to him that he was the successor of the Heaven-Shattering Saber, which would make him the owner of the Heaven-Shattering Treasure. As such, he could ask the masked man to teleport him to the entrance of the Ancient Demon Abyss.
However, he would need another breath's time to enter the abyss. Normally, the entrance of the abyss was the weakest spot of the demonic aura, thus it was possible that the two geniuses would have some artifacts that could protect them from the demonic aura for a period of time, allowing them to chase after him.
"Apart from the golden seal, I've still got my left arm, the coffin, and the pool of blood. The masked man might be able to hold them off for me too…" Qin Nan mumbled, before his eyes flickered. This was the only way for him.
It was the only chance he could flee with the treasure.
"But…"
"Based on my estimation, the odds of success is only two tenths! Besides, this was established based on my speculation that the masked man is able to teleport me to the entrance of the abyss!"
Qin Nan's eyes glistened.
A great pressure encapsulated Qin Nan like a giant web.
Two tenths?
How low were the odds!
Furthermore, he had not included other factors, for example the capabilities of the two geniuses, or the potential danger waiting for him in the Ancient Demon Abyss.
With that in mind, the odds of him surviving would be less than two tenths!
This was entirely different than the battle against Yang Song and Xia Hao. If he were to make a wrong move, if he somehow ran out of luck, this would be the end for him!
However, the next moment, Qin Nan's eyes were filled with insanity.
This world was filled with countless treasures and fortunate encounters waiting to be discovered, but none of them would voluntarily present themselves to him. If he was not willing to take the risk, how would he be able to grow stronger?
How would he be able to enjoy the glory?
Even if he only had a two tenths chance of success!
As a grown man, how could he be intimidated by the risk?
Take the bet!
"Senior…"
Without hesitation, Qin Nan transmitted his voice to the masked man.
The masked man who was fighting against the two geniuses and the Dark Tribute Progenitor suddenly shuddered. The eyes under the mask were filled with astonishment, as he did not expect someone to be hiding not far from them.
His cultivation was at the half-Martial Monarch Realm, and the geniuses of the half-God region were here too, but none of them had discovered his presence?
"Who are you?" The masked man calmed his thoughts and replied.
"Senior, I'm the successor of the Heaven-Shattering Saber, Qin Nan." Qin Nan said, "If senior is able to teleport me to the entrance of the Ancient Demon Abyss, I'll be able to escape with the treasure! Is senior able to do that?"
"What? The successor of the Heaven-Shattering Saber?"
The calmness that the masked man had recovered was instantly replaced with astonishment.
Impossible!
How was that possible!
The successor that the master was looking for actually existed in this world?
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn