Massive ravines crossed each other, leaving hideous markings that created a dreadful sight on this gray and barren land. A repressed and cold atmosphere pervaded each and every corner of the entire area.
Shoo!
Suddenly, a loud wind broke the silence of the lone and cold atmosphere. In a far distance, the gray sky was torn, revealing a troop of a thousand men that were flitting across the sky at a low altitude.
The troop was dressed in black armor. As they moved, the spiritual energies surrounding them seemed to have all integrated into one. Their sharp and fierce fighting spirit instantly dispelled the chilliness in the region. At the forefront of the troop were two figures, Mu Chen and Nine Nether, who were moving at a steady pace.
"The relic that was indicated on the map that the Lord Dominator gave us should be in the Northwest direction. We probably will reach it in another half day's time," Nine Nether said. She then took a look at the surroundings, tilted her head, and smiled at Mu Chen.
"Although I did not see the relic, I'm guessing it should be a Grade Three relic."
"A Grade Three Relic?" Mu Chen was astounded.
"It is a rating given to those relics from the previous Big Hunting Wars. Apart from those small-scale relics, or those that did not qualify for the rating criteria, the rest of the relics were divided into three grades. Grade Three ranked the lowest, while Grade One ranked the highest," Nine Nether explained. "The so-called Earthly Sovereign Secret Treasure is ranked at Grade One. But, this high-ranking secret treasure can only be found deep within the Meteorfall Battlefield, with an array protecting it. Not only it is hidden deeply, but it will also be troublesome to open it."
"The relic that we are rushing to now should be ranked as Grade Three. Hehe, it is just nice for us to give a shot."
Mu Chen nodded and said, "Will there by someone else, who will be eyeing the same relic?"
Nine Nether knit her willow-like eyebrow, then answered him. "I guess so. When the Meteorfall Battlefield is opened each time, the landscape will change greatly, due to the various torrent of spiritual energies. Thus, all of the maps in the past are of no use now. The location depicted on our map was a brief indication on a small area. This means that the relic is not located deep within the battlefield. Hence, there might be a chance that other people will find the spot before we do. Thus, our only chance is to get there faster than the rest, extract the Meteorfall Alchemy from it, then leave as quickly as possible."
Mu Chen shrugged his shoulders when he heard this. There wasn't much he could say, as it is still the best to be well-prepared for battles at all times. If there were too many forces entering the battlefield, he believed that others would have the luck of finding the relic first.
Mu Chen tapped slightly on his toes and sped up. The Nine Nether Troop accelerated and beamed into lights, flitting closely behind at a low altitude. When they started tracing the location of the relic, they finally felt the start of the Big Hunting War.
They had discovered dozens of different forces in just a short day. Some of them, who had not spotted any relic, started to exchange blows, due to some grudges that they held previously. The impact that exploded from these various swirling spiritual energies shook the entire land.
Mu Chen's troop attracted a few wary gazes, as they were not a small army. But, in general, it was a smooth journey for them. After all, everyone understood that the fearsome fighting spirit that was eluded from the Nine Nether Troop could not be found in any other ordinary forces.
In this North Territory, to train such a well-equipped and powerful army required a vast amount of resources. Just by the stance of Nine Nether Troop, it was not difficult to tell that it had taken more than an ordinary force to train such a troop. As such, no one dared mess with them or follow behind them too closely.
As the road was clear, Mu Chen and the troop started to slow down their speed after half a day. The land, which was colored in pale black, appeared to be extremely desolate. The repression in the atmosphere intensified gradually. As they entered into their current zone, the cold air got even more chilly.
"It should be around here." Nine Nether and Mu Chen exchanged gazes, then simultaneously gave hand signals. The Nine Nether Troop slowed down even more, looking around the area with their sharp eyes.
Both Nine Nether and Mu Chen made a move and flit onto a mountain peak. The horizon became wider in front of them, and a black swamp came into their sight.
A thick fog was lingering around mid-air of the swamp, and the outlines of some black halls could be seen. It seemed like the thick and dense fog that was continually flowing from the black halls, was gathering into clouds of black whirlpools on top of the halls.
"These are the Meteorfall gases, which are used to extract the Meteorfall Alchemy!" As Nine Nether watched the black whirlpools, her eyes brightened. She smiled. "Judging from the density of the gas, it looks like we will be able to extract hundreds of Meteorfall Alchemy. Not bad for a Grade Three Relic."
Mu Chen looked curiously at the black whirlpools, as they seemed to be emitting a great deal of spiritual energy. But the energy seemed to be unusually cold and damp, as it was a unique force that had been generated from the willpower of the dead, who had perished in this battlefield. Thus, it was an essential item!
Mu Chen stopped looking, swung his palm softly, then flit down the peak. The rest of the Nine Nether Troop swept down to follow, like a fast-flowing current, before landing safely outside the swamp.
Mu Chen wanted to strike, but once he reached the swamp, both Nine Nether and his gazes narrowed, sensing impending danger. Both of them now sensed a sudden surge in the spiritual energy fluctuations around this region, alerting them that their location was being targeted.
Apparently, someone had discovered this Grade Three Relic...
"Seems like it is not easy to take this relic." Mu Chen shrugged his shoulders at Nine Nether.
"Hmph, I want to see who dares snatch it away from the Nine Nether Palace." Nine Nether gave a cold hmph, as she was obviously angry.
Mu Chen grinned, standing still. He was not in a hurry and had no intention of laying his hands on the Meteorfall Gas, as extracting the Meteorfall Alchemy required some time to do so. If they did not eliminate the external interference, it would prove very troublesome during the process of the extraction.
The Nine Nether Troop behind them all knew about the interference, revealed by the fierce looks in their eyes.
Shua! Shua!
Mu Chen and the rest waited for a few minutes, before the breaking sound of the wind swept across the sky. Mu Chen lifted his head to see a large number of figures flitting over.
All of these people came from different forces, and they had a large army. Within it, some of them had strong spiritual energy fluctuations, which could not be underestimated. However, Mu Chen just watched the scene calmly, no expression on his handsome face.
"Looks like our luck is good! We found a Grade Three Relic here."
"But, it seems like someone was here first..."
"They look strong. Seems like they are from the Nine Nether Palace from the Daluo Territory."
"Bad luck for us. We have met a tough opponent."
When batches of people arrived in the same area, they also noticed the Nine Nether Troop outside of the swamp. Some of them had good eyesight, as they could immediately tell the background of Mu Chen and his troop. Some of them had a change in their expressions, as top forces like the Daluo Territory had an overpowering influence over most of the ordinary forces.
If they were in the North Territory, they would not dare to initiate an attack. But in the Meteorfall Battlefield, the chaotic situation lessened the fear and level of respect for these top forces. Therefore, although they were still a bit afraid, their eyes were still fierce and flickering.
Mu Chen looked indifferently at these people, projecting his faint voice with his spiritual energy, "I'm Mu Chen from the Daluo Territory. Since we this relic first, we hope everyone can show respect to us by not interfering with it."
"Mu Chen? Is he the third in the ranking of the Dragon-Phoenix Record?!"
"Oh? Is that Mu Chen, the dark horse that shone in the Dragon-Phoenix Rift?"
The name of Mu Chen triggered many amazed responses, as his fame had already become widespread. Some of these people looked at each other with an intention to retreat. After all, with the reputation of the Daluo Territory, plus Mu Chen's and their army's strength, it would not be an easy thing to steal food from this tiger's mouth!
Mu Chen relaxed his expression slightly, once he noticed that the various forces were showing signs of retreat. Just as when he thought that he could resolve the situation without direct combat, a thunderous sneer came from the other side of the sky.
"Haha, you are only a lad, and you dare to talk so wildly. What's the big deal with the Daluo Territory? You don't even know if you can live through the Big Hunting War. You should stop decking yourself out to frighten people. Others may be afraid of you, but the Dragon Snake Sect is not!"
A sound of the breaking wind could be heard from afar, as another batch of figures rushed over and landed, just as this laughter was heard.
Mu Chen raised his head to look at the figure who had just landed. His expression slowly hardened.