Chapter 842: Star Breaker Arrows
“Ka ca!”
This time, when Xiao Chen opened the wooden box, his eyes lit up in an expression of intense interest. There were three black arrows with talisman scripts, flowing with light, carved on them.
He scanned them with his Spiritual Sense and immediately felt the surging energy contained within. There was also a jade strip beside the three arrows.
Holding the jade strip in his hand, Xiao Chen sent his Spiritual Sense into it. Then, he gained some information about the arrows in his mind.
These arrows were known as the Star Breaker Arrows. As their name suggested, the power of one arrow could pierce through a star. Of course, the star in question would definitely not be a large star.
However, according to the description of the arrow’s might, if a grandmaster-level Martial Sage was not paying attention, it would be able to pierce through him as well.
The might of this arrow was focused on the word “breaker.” Any Secret Treasure or restriction would find it hard to block. The only problem was that the arrow could be used only once.
As Xiao Chen continued to read, the grin on his face grew wider. Unexpectedly, the jade strip contained the manufacturing method of the Star Breaker Arrow. It listed all the materials needed, described how to carve the talisman script, the strength of the fire, and all the other details in depth.
“This is it!”
Within the Treasury Hall, Xiao Chen chose his first Secret Treasure. Other people might be lucky and s.n.a.t.c.h away an unknown King Grade Secret Treasure from Di Wuque.
However, Xiao Chen would not envy them. This was already a worthwhile trip, as he managed to find the Star Breaker Arrow, a Secret Treasure very suitable for him.
Furthermore, he had obtained many Spirit Veins, the Black Astral Coins from Wei Hua, and three Departed Spirit Flowers of a certain age. This harvest was already sufficient for him to conclude this perfect trip to the Sage Mark Monument.
Xiao Chen put away the Star Breaker Arrows and continued searching for his second Secret Treasure.
He was now at ease and walked with a measured pace. Occasionally, he would chat with Ao Jiao about some interesting things.
His manner formed a stark contrast between him and the other cultivators, who were searching the Treasury Hall anxiously with surging killing Qi.
Hence, Xiao Chen’s progress slowed down considerably. By the time Di Wuque charged to the fifth floor, Xiao Chen had only just arrived at the third.
Even the Ghost Race and Corpse Race cultivators, who had been far behind Xiao Chen, overtook him. They all rushed to the fifth floor in fear of Di Wuque clearing the final level and grabbing the last precious King Grade Secret Treasure.
When Xiao Chen arrived at the third floor’s transportation formation, he saw an empty stone platform and a floor littered with shattered combat puppets. Needless to say, Di Wuque already took away the King Grade Secret Treasure.
Many of the stone rooms on the fourth floor were unopened, which gave Xiao Chen a lot of choices. The combat puppets were stronger as well—to the point were Xiao Chen had to use his full power to defeat them.
The ten-day deadline of the Sage Mark Monument drew closer. However, Xiao Chen still had not chosen his second Secret Treasure.
Along the way, he found some Secret Treasures that interested him. However, after careful consideration, he chose to give them up.
There were now almost no cultivators in the Treasury Hall. Most of those who entered had already obtained two Secret Treasures and been sent out of the Sage Mark Monument. However, Xiao Chen remained inside.
---
The sun shone brightly in the sky outside the Sage Mark Monument; there were no clouds for thousands of kilometers around. Occasionally, a figure with a joyful expression would come out from the Sage Mark Monument.
Without even counting the Treasury Hall, the Sage Mark Monument was replete with natural treasures. As long as these cultivators were not particularly unlucky, they all had some gains.
“Boom!”
A golden beam of light shot out of the Sage Mark Monument. Under the illumination of the sun, the light of this figure grew even brighter.
“Di Wuque is out!”
“Those two claimed the King Grade Secret Treasures of the second to fourth floors. I wonder if he managed to get the King Grade Secret Treasure of the fifth floor?”
All the cultivators of the various races immediately looked over. Everyone knew about how the Deity Race spent so much manpower guarding the Treasury Hall.
Nearly all the cultivators heading for the Treasury Hall encountered resistance. All this was so that Di Wuque and Tian Youxi would have a bigger advantage.
Soon after, several more beams of light shot out of the Sage Mark Monument. The human race’s three Holy Scions, the Fiend Race’s Kong Yuan and Yuan Xu, the Ghost Race’s Qing Cheng, and the Corpse Race’s w.a.n.g Can and Wei Hua, as well as various other younger-generation demonic geniuses all came out with unsightly expressions.
From just the faces of these younger cultivators, the result was clear to see. Di Wuque and Tian Youxi had s.n.a.t.c.hed four King Grade Secret Treasures.
Everyone sighed at this thought. Of the five King Grade Secret Treasures, aside from the one the Deity Race abandoned, they actually took the rest away.
With Di Wuque’s ingenious plan and his strength, he became the biggest winner of this activation of the Sage Mark Monument.
“Where is Xiao Chen? Why is he not out yet?”
After the Corpse Race’s Wei Hua landed on the ground, he immediately asked the cultivators of his race for Xiao Chen’s location. As he spoke, the corners of his lips twitched as he did his best to suppress the rage in his heart.
Similar scenes took place among both the Ghost Race and Corpse Race cultivators; they all sought Xiao Chen’s whereabouts. All of them had sullen expressions and looked like they wanted to beat someone up. Clearly, they were not showing concern for Xiao Chen.
After receiving negative answers, they all kicked up a row, their expressions full of doubt.
In this trip to the Sage Mark Monument, the biggest winner might be Di Wuque. However, when it came to drawing public attention, even Di Wuque lost miserably to Xiao Chen.
First, Xiao Chen kicked Di Wuque down from the Sage Mark Monument. Then, all by himself, he dealt a devastating blow to the experts of the Ghost Race and Corpse Race.
Then after that, Xiao Chen beat back various experts and helped the Merfolk Race obtain the Extreme Thunder Sword. He casually gave away a King Grade Secret Treasure that everyone valued as priceless beyond measure.
Xiao Chen traveled alone, showing off his sharpness and extraordinary strength. Whether the Deity Race and the others acknowledged it or not, he already had the bearing of the Azure Emperor.
However, at this moment, when all the other younger-generation demonic geniuses had already come out, Xiao Chen was missing. Everyone felt that his absence was odd.
Thus, a scene that had not occurred for a thousand years before this Sage Mark Monument happened. All the cultivators of the various races had already gained something. However, they all remained, waiting outside the Sage Mark Monument for the sake of one person.
Outside, the people waiting to vent their frustrations felt very conflicted when they did not see Xiao Chen coming out.
Inside the Treasury Hall, Xiao Chen felt very conflicted as well. The deadline was drawing near, but he still had not found a high-quality Sage Grade Secret Treasure that could excite him at first sight like the Star Breaker Arrow.
After exerting some effort, he finished off three combat puppets within a room on the fifth floor. Then, he walked over to the box containing the Secret Treasure.
If he could not find a Secret Treasure that he liked this time, he could only turn back and take one of the Secret Treasures that he had selected as backups.
Xiao Chen opened the wooden box, revealing a folded black cloak. This cloak seemed different from other cloaks. It looked exquisite, and its material was of superior quality.
The cloak also had feather shoulder guards above the shoulders. Its corners boasted embroidery with silver thread that did not look like ordinary silver but some kind of rare and precious metal.
He stretched his hand out and lifted the folded black cloak. It spread out slowly, but he did not send in his Spiritual Sense. He could move the Secret Treasure, but in order to take it out, he had to brand it with his Spiritual Mark.
Xiao Chen evaluated the appearance of the black cloak and found it to his liking; it had a sense of bleakness and loneliness.
He took out the jade strip in the box, and his expression turned grave. The information on it was very brief. It only said that this black cloak was called Heavenly Sea.
With just such simple information, Xiao Chen hesitated. He did not know how to choose.
His instinct told him that this cloak was extraordinary. However, logic argued that this risk was not worth taking. The Secret Treasures that he had selected as backups were much safer.
“Heavenly Sea…”
Xiao Chen muttered this name a few times, trying to figure out the cloak’s effect from its name. However, he could not even get a clue.
Just take it. This cloak uses at least twenty-three superior materials. The feathers on the shoulder guards should not be just for decoration. They should have the effect of raising one’s speed at least.
Seeing that Xiao Chen could not make up his mind, Ao Jiao a.n.a.lyzed the cloak for him.
“Alright, I’ll heed your suggestion!”
Xiao Chen nodded and donned the cloak. Then he set his own Spiritual Mark on it. Before he could test it out to figure out its effect, a formless force sent him out.
His field of vision suddenly widened, and he drifted to the ground. After looking around, he discovered that he already returned to the outside world. However, something seemed wrong with the situation here.
---
Outside the Sage Mark Monument, all the cultivators discussed why Xiao Chen had not come out yet.
The discussion was particularly intense among the Ghost Race and the Corpse Race cultivators. They directly cursed Xiao Chen out loud. He had placed them in a very miserable situation previously, causing most of them to be sent out even before they made it to the Treasury Hall.
Their hate for Xiao Chen was easy to imagine, especially Wei Hua’s. He kept thinking about how he could get back what he had given Xiao Chen.
Five hundred thousand Black Astral Coins was no small sum. If not for his ancestor, the Underworld Fire Sovereign, who was even one of the four great Corpse Sovereigns and highly respected in the Corpse G.o.d Palace, he would feel like committing suicide by jumping into a river for losing this much money.
The many Corpse Race and Ghost Race cultivators stared hard at the Sage Mark Monument, waiting for Xiao Chen to come out. Once that happened, they would immediately surround him and attack, regardless of righteousness or justice.
Even if the Corpse Race and Ghost Race cultivators could not kill Xiao Chen before everyone, they would at least beat him up into a miserable state. They would make him spit out all the benefits he gained and thoroughly discredit him.
Di Wuque felt good about himself. However, when he thought about the Sage Mark Monument, he remembered how he had gotten kicked down and finally received a verbal face slap with his own words. No matter how good his self-control was, he would not help getting angry. He too waited with the others for Xiao Chen to come out.
If he could not vent his frustration, he would find it hard to bear. Today, he had to teach Xiao Chen a lesson and make his name mud.
Di Wuque’s gaze became as sharp as a knife as he stared at the Sage Mark Monument without saying a word.
---
Xiao Chen felt that something was off with the situation—but not because these people hated him to the bone or their openly displayed killing intent.
Instead, it was because no one seemed to have noticed him even though he was already out. They all continued to stare at the Sage Mark Monument.
He pondered the question and concluded that the Heavenly Sea Cloak he wore had to be the reason. It must have activated already.
Heavenly Sea…Heavenly Sea… Suddenly, Xiao Chen understood the meaning of these two words. It could not be anything else but “crossing the sea when hiding from the heavens.”
[TL note: Crossing the sea when hiding from the heavens is a Chinese idiom for achieving one’s aim by underhanded means. Although I suspect the usage here might be literal, because hiding…]
Even with Di Wuque’s strong Mental Energy, he could not sense Xiao Chen’s presence. Xiao Chen could not help but get excited. It looked like he had made the right choice.