Chapter 129: One with Heaven
The days of cultivation were incredibly lonely. The sun rose and set; clouds gathered and scattered. Xiao Chen was like a statue, unmoving. After half a month, the formation markings slowly started to crack; the ten Medial Grade Spirit Stones all turned into dust.
“Boom!” Xiao Chen opened his eyes and fired a purple beam of light. After cultivating bitterly and attaining comprehensions for more than a month, plus the cultivation he did in the Spirit Gathering Formation, he finally reached the peak of Superior Grade Martial Master.
There was a faint smile on Xiao Chen’s face; he finally revealed an expression of satisfaction. However, when he remembered how Ji Changkong had become a Martial Saint long ago, and the noble clan successors with inherited Martial Spirits who were at the peak of Martial Grand Masters, he could not help but feel dispirited.
If only he were like those people, awakening their Martial Spirit at birth. Then he would not have to waste 15 years of his time. With his talent, his cultivation speed would not be slower than them.
“Boom!”
A huge silver warship slowly landed on the mountain peak. After being tempered by thunder for 49 days, this ancient Secret Treasure had recovered to its former glory.
However, this huge warship looked very high-key. With a thought from Xiao Chen, the banner on the bow flew into Xiao Chen’s eye and the warship rapidly shrank.
After a short moment, a small silver boat appeared. Xiao Chen smiled faintly and jumped onto the small boat. He looked at the distant White Water City and said softly, “It is time to return!”
The formations activated, and the silver boat flew into the sky. It was swift as the wind and quick as lightning, significantly faster than Xiao Chen’s Gravity Spell by many times.
The wind roared in Xiao Chen’s ears. Xiao Chen stood at the bow with his hands behind his back; his clothes and hair were fluttering in the wind. His handsome face revealed a certain calmness; there was the indistinct feeling of an Immortal.
Xiao Cheng felt very excited; he had never flown so fast and so smoothly before. Every cell in his body was relaxed.
Finally, Xiao Chen reduced his speed and raised the altitude of the boat, avoiding all the flying Spirit Beasts. He sat at the bow and took out a bottle of wine, as well as some snacks, from the Universal Ring. He enjoyed the wine and food by himself.
The rain, which fell for about a month, had stopped; the sun, which came after the rain, brought warmth. Xiao Chen enjoyed the pleasant wind as he drank his wine and ate his snacks. He revealed a satisfied smile as he looked at the scenery around him.
At this moment, he finally experienced what it was to be an immortal, wondering around the world as he drank wine, watching clouds gather and scatter, flowers bloom and wilt, looking over the whole country every day and night, feeling free and unfettered.
Xiao Chen sat on the bow of the boat, traveling high in the sky. Just as he was about to leave Savage Forest, Xiao Chen’s Spiritual Sense picked up a black warship below him.
Xiao Chen was mildly astonished in his heart. He quickly increased the altitude of the boat and carefully inspected his surroundings. After a short moment, the Duanmu Clan’s Profound Ice Palace, the Guiyi Marquis’ Golden Battleship, and the Hua Clan’s Black Royal Warship all appeared.
Xiao Chen revealed a faint smile, “These people are really patient. It has already been more than a month, and they still have not left.”
“Hu Chi!”
The silver warship suddenly increased its speed. Xiao Chen moved from the bow to the hold of the warship. He operated the formation of the Secret Treasure with all his might.
The ancient Secret Treasure instantly demonstrated a horrifying speed. It turned into a flash of silver light and headed to White Water City at a great speed.
When it was about a thousand meters from White Water City, Xiao Chen stopped the silver warship in the sky. He was not in a hurry to go down.
He could imagine the situation within the city without having to spend too much time thinking about it. Wanted posters of him must have been posted everywhere. The bounty the various noble clans set on him would, without a doubt, surpass what the Jiang Clan could do.
Xiao Chen remembered the Compendium of Cultivation had a Shapeshifting Spell. When trained to great perfection, he would be able to turn into numerous objects: tall mountains or flowing rivers, flying beasts or creatures of the land, or even the sun, moon, or stars.
Xiao Chen thought it would be useful in his current situation. Xiao Chen did not expect to be able to achieve that kind of legendary stage; all he needed was to be able to change his appearance slightly.
Soon, the sun set in the west; it was now dusk. Xiao Chen had already trained the Shapeshifting Spell to the initial stage. However, he was still not familiar with it; he was not able to change his height or body shape.
Since Xiao Chen’s Purple Thunder Divine Incantation had already reached the 3rd layer, he could practice many of the minor spells on the Compendium of Cultivation. However, he had no time to research them. This resulted in a situation where Xiao Chen had to learn on the spot when he needed to use the Shapeshifting Spell.
The full moon hung high in the sky, surrounded by countless stars; it was now night. Xiao Chen transformed into a dark-skinned, middle-aged man. He was about to make use of the cover of night to sneak into White Water City.
“Dong! Dong!”
Just at this moment, the Spirit Blood Jade at Xiao Chen’s chest suddenly moved. Xiao Chen felt delighted. After a moment, Xiao Bai jumped out of the Spirit Blood Jade.
After being in a deep slumber for so long, the moment Xiao Bai came out, it immediately leaped into Xiao Chen’s embrace. Seeing the dark-skinned Xiao Chen, it did not understand what was going on. It looked at Xiao Chen with huge eyes filled with distrust.
Xiao Chen smiled joyfully and recovered his usual looks. Xiao Chen immediate became intimate. Xiao Chen smiled, “I’m currently being chased by bad people and can’t reveal my true appearance. You should hide in the Spirit Blood Jade first; I will treat you to some fish porridge later.”
Xiao Bai nodded in a lovable fashion. It held its paws up as though it was holding a huge bowl. It meant it wanted to eat a bowl of fish porridge that huge. It was extremely cute; Xiao Chen could not help by laugh.
Xiao Chen extended his Spiritual Sense and found an area void of people. He then rapidly descended from the sky, turning back into the dark-skinned, middle-aged man from earlier. He now looked completely different from before. He headed towards the city gates with a strut.
There were six wanted posters of Xiao Chen on the city wall. Under each wanted poster, there was a list of huge rewards. Aside from money, each noble clan also offered a Spirit Weapon and a high ranked Martial Technique.
What cause Xiao Chen some surprise was the wanted poster from the Xihe Province’s Yan Clan. He could not help but shake his head, “When the noble clans make their move, they really do so in such an incomparably tyrannical fashion.”
“Dongming Province, Xihe Province, Nanling Province, and the Royal Court, I’m wanted in the four provinces of the Great Qin Nation. It seems like there is no place for me anymore.”
Xiao Chen entered White Water City and headed straight for Liushang Pavilion. As it just recently became dark, Liushang Pavilion’s business was booming. When Xiao Chen went in, the first floor was already full; he could not see any empty seats.
Xiao Chen headed directly for the second floor. The second floor was full of cultivators; they were currently discussing the events of the past month.
“It’s been more than a month; the noble clans have almost flipped the entire Savage Forest upside down. However, they still have not found Xiao Chen.
“I have lived for so long, and this is the first time I saw someone who dared to offend so many noble clans in front of everyone. Even Mu Chengxue of the Frigid Night Palace did not have publicity as big as Xiao Chen.”
“I don’t understand something… how did Xiao Chen offend so many noble clans at the same time?”
“Haha, Xiao Chen had already offended the three noble clans over the Ancient Remnant map. I hear from the people that managed to escape from the Ancient Remnant that after they entered the Ancient Remnant, Xiao Chen robbed the four noble clans, not even letting the Guiyi Marquis go.”
“Is that fellow carrying a lot of treasures on him now? If I captured him, would I be rich?”
“There is no need to capture him; as long as you have news about him and report it to the noble clans, you will be able to obtain thousands of gold taels.”
Xiao Chen continued and headed to the third floor. The discussions of the cultivators on the second floor were loud; all these discussions reached Xiao Chen’s ears. He was astonished by this; he did not expect after so long, he would still be the main topic of discussions and rumors.
Xiao Chen flashed his VIP card and entered the third floor. The third floor was much quieter; most people were bargaining prices in a low voice. Xiao Chen took a look around and saw many people making transactions on treasures obtained from the Ancient Remnants.
Although many cultivators died in the Ancient Remnant, there were some lucky or strong cultivators who managed to find something good.
“Huh!” Just as Xiao Chen was about to take a seat, he saw a cultivator selling a small and exquisite copper bell. That copper bell seemed very ancient; unfortunately, its surface was badly damaged.
Xiao Chen extended his Spiritual Sense over and touched the copper bell. Suddenly, a high-pitched sound rang in his head. His mind was shaken; he almost fainted. Xiao Chen was extremely astonished, and he quickly withdrew his Spiritual Sense.
“Hey! I risked my life and found this in a coffin inside the Ancient Remnant. It is definitely a Secret Treasure. Are you only willing to offer a thousand silver tales? That is ridiculous!” The owner of the copper bell was a Martial Grand Master in gray robes. At this moment, he had a very agitated expression.
His right arm was missing from the elbow down. After he heard the offer from the other party, his complexion became ashen, and his expression turned to one of rage. After this trip to the ancient Remnant, his arm was chopped off at the elbow, and he became a cripple. Originally, he thought he would be able to sell this copper bell for a good price; who knew it would only be worth a thousand silver tales?
Seated across the gray-clothed Martial Grand Master was a merchant. The expression on that merchant was one of extreme impatience. He said, in a bad mood, “There are differences in quality of Secret Treasures. This copper bell of yours is clearly broken and can no longer be used. How can it be worth a high price?”
“If it were not for the fact that is an antique and might be worth something to collectors, I would not even be bothered to offer a thousand silver tales. If you are willing, then sell it; don’t waste my time.”
“You are ruthless!” The cultivator missing half an arm turned ashen. After he spoke, he got up and left the table.
The merchant at that table laughed coldly, “What a joke! It's just scrap metal, and he treats it like a treasure.”
The surrounding people all turned their attention. When that cultivator heard that, he blushed heavily. He became extremely embarrassed and increased is pace.
Xiao Chen walked over and stopped him. That person glared at Xiao Chen somewhat angrily and said, “What do you want?”
“Are you still selling the copper bell in your hand? I’m somewhat interested.” Xiao Chen smiled faintly.
The cultivator smiled coldly, “Are you trying to take advantage? I risked my life to obtain it, and you want to take advantage of that? There is no chance of that happening.”
Xiao Chen smiled softly and said nothing. He placed an Inferior Grade Spirit Stone in the cultivator’s pocket. When the cultivator placed his left hand in his pocket, he was astonished.
“For you, many thanks!” He passed the copper bell to Xiao Chen and gave him a deep bow. Without saying anything else, he immediately left Liushang Pavilion.
Xiao Chen watched as he left. He could not help but sigh, Such is the path of cultivating. To live a glorious life, one has to experience dangers that far surpasses what an ordinary person would by ten thousand times. However, once they are severely injured, they can only live life as an ordinary person.