Chapter 788: Unfathomable
Chapter 787: Secret Land of the Supreme Sky Sect
The sect leaders of the various sects would go exploring in the starry heavens when they became Martial Emperors, adventuring in the depths of space and seeking their fortuitous encounters.
Normally, there would be a Supreme Elder holding down the fort in the sect, to prevent enemies from invading or in case of a Demonic Calamity, while the inner sect’s First Elder managed the matters of the sect.
The Supreme Sky Sect was no exception. To a certain extent, every sect’s inner sect’s First Elder had the same rights as the sect master.
The First Elder’s family name was Han. Xiao Chen had met him once before to take an exceptionally long leave to go explore the world. However, he did not know why the First Elder was looking for him now, so he asked out of curiosity.
Shui Lingling smiled mysteriously and replied, “Just go, and you will know. Come with me.”
The two soared into the air. Under Shui Lingling’s lead, they flew increasingly higher. Soon, they approached the inner city. However, she did not show any signs of wanting to land.
Xiao Chen felt very curious. He looked up and used his sharp Spiritual Sense to peer at the boundless sky above. Eventually, he felt a fine distinction somewhere, but he could not put his finger on what exactly it was nor could he find it. It was like a faintly discernible feather floating in the air.
Shui Lingling took out a jade strip and tossed it up. A bright light flashed, and a spatial gate opened in the space. She stepped through that door and vanished right before Xiao Chen.
Suppressing the suspicions in his heart, Xiao Chen quickly followed after, rushing in right before the spatial gate closed. When it closed, it happened silently, attracting nobody’s attention.
Xiao Chen walked through the spatial gate for an unknown length of time, and then a scene opened up before him. Unexpectedly, there was a paradise within, a whole new world.
When he looked up, the starry sky looked strange. It was very bright with no trace of darkness at all. However, the lights of the stars, both bright and dim, were distinctly visible, making one marvel.
There were mountain ranges in the place, covered in lush greenery. He could see pavilions as well as strong Spirit Beasts running around.
A large platform in the middle of the mountains had hundreds of warships parked on top of it.
When Xiao Chen checked the auras of those warships, he discovered that even the lowest grade of them was Sage Grade Secret Treasure. A closer look found plenty of King Grade Secret Treasures.
In the Sky Dome Realm, the Noble Clans treated the King Grade warships as clan treasures to be passed down. However, this place actually had so many of them.
Thousands of floating palaces drifted in the air, surrounded by spiritual clouds. Based on the Spirit Vein’s origins underneath the palaces, each of the palaces had at least four Rank 1 Spirit Veins.
When Xiao Chen and Shui Lingling appeared, strong Mental Energy directed at them came out of the floating palaces.
These probes of Mental Energy circled Shui Lingling once and then focused on Xiao Chen. He frowned slightly. He used his Spiritual Sense to lay a barrier around himself. However, a few particularly strong ones pierced the barrier, clearly seeing everything within.
Xiao Chen could not help but feel fear in his heart. Those with particularly strong Mental Energy were definitely all Superior Grade Martial Sages. In terms of cultivation, they were not weaker than the Extreme Yin Old Man.
Being spied on by others did not feel good. Such a situation had not happened in a long time ever since Xiao Chen’s Purple Thunder Divine Incantation advanced to the sixth layer.
Xiao Chen’s face sank, and the purple Lightning Talisman in his sea of consciousness suddenly circulated. His Spiritual Sense carried the immortal will of thunder as it swept out.
When those probes of Mental Energy noticed the Spiritual Sense containing the will approaching, they turned aside, not daring to clash against it directly.
Some of the Mental Energy could not get away in time, and Xiao Chen’s Spiritual Sense devoured it. Dull groans came from various palaces. Clearly, they suffered a little bit.
Xiao Chen asked in astonishment, “First Senior Sister, what is this place?”
Shui Lingling answered, “This was where the ten thousand years of the Supreme Sky Sect’s accumulations are. It is also where all the elites of the entire sect are. Soon, you will be one of them.”
Suddenly, Xiao Chen understood. It turned out that the outside Supreme Sky City was only a facade. This place was the actual foundation of the Supreme Sky Sect.
No wonder Xiao Chen had felt it was strange. How could the Supreme Sky Sect—a Rank 9 sect—have so few true inheritors? Furthermore, not many Martial Sages showed their faces in the sect.
It turned out that all these people ran over here. When a cultivator advanced to Martial Sage, their lifespan would extend by five hundred years.
In the Kunlun Realm, about one in ten thousand cultivators could advance to Martial Sage; this was an extremely minute chance, much less than in the Sky Dome Realm.
If it were not for the Kunlun Realm’s vast Spiritual Energy and horrifying population size, there would not be so many Martial Sages.
However, once one advanced to Martial Sage, their extended lifespan meant that they could live for very long. The Martial Sages of the past few hundred years were all gathered here.
Most of the people in this secret realm were Martial Sages. Aside from them, there were the Supreme Sky Sect’s previous batches of true inheritors, who were mostly only a step away from Martial Sage.
These people were less than a hundred years old and were the focus of the Supreme Sky Sect’s nurturing. They were considered a reserve elite force. If the older-generation Martial Sages fell, the half-step Martial Sages could immediately replace them.
Their presence would guarantee that a sect would remain standing for a long time and never fall. Once this reserve force dwindled, the rank of the sect would automatically drop within five hundred years.
Such situations were common in the Kunlun Realm. Although there were many Rank 9 sects, few could remain around over a long time.
“Little Girl Ling, who is this little fellow?!”
Just as Xiao Chen and Shui Lingling were speaking, a floating palace in the distance flew over. The fog formed by Spiritual Energy parted, and an old man in high spirits walked out with a smile.
When Shui Lingling saw this old man, her eyes lit up. She could not help but smile gently as she said, “How rare for Martial Uncle Qin to be so free! You have come out of closed-door cultivation. I came to visit you several times but ended up being refused entry.”
However, the old man with the family name Qin laughed loudly. He said, “I don’t know what you are thinking. Your purple bow is a high-quality Sage Grade Secret Treasure already. If you upgrade it again, it would be peak quality. This old man cannot bear such an expense.”
“Miser,” Shui Lingling muttered.
She then introduced this old man to Xiao Chen. This old man was Elder Qin. He had advanced to Martial Sage five hundred years earlier and reached the peak of Superior Grade Martial Sage long ago.
Elder Qin was a grandmaster-level Martial Sage. His strength was unfathomable, and he was an expert in refining Secret Treasures. He administered the sect’s Equipment Forging Pavilion.
Xiao Chen understood that even though this Elder did not put on any airs, based on Shui Lingling’s introduction, he was a rather major character within the Supreme Sky Sect.
“This junior is Xiao Chen. Greetings to Elder Qin.” Not daring to be overly casual, Xiao Chen performed a cupped-fist salute in greeting.
The Equipment Forging Pavilion’s Elder Qin glanced at Xiao Chen and revealed a contemplative expression, wanting to see through Xiao Chen completely. However, he felt like there was a layer of fog around him that hindered his inspection.
Without any other choice, Elder Qin gave up and said, “Brat, you are rather complicated. No wonder Elder Bai and the others suffered under your hands earlier. They are probably too ashamed to come out and see anyone.”
When Shui Lingling heard this, she could not help being slightly startled. The Elder Bai and others that Elder Qin spoke off were major characters in the Supreme Sky Sect. They had lived for several hundred years and had unfathomable strength. All of them were grandmaster-level Martial Sages.
If these people could take another step forward, they would become people who stood at the top—Martial Emperors. Unexpectedly, they suffered under Xiao Chen’s hands.
When such a person praised Xiao Chen like that, no matter how thick his skin was, he would still feel embarrassed. Any one of these people could kill him with a twitch of a finger.
“Senior is joking.”
Elder Qin smiled and said, “I am not just joking. Brat, do you have any interest in Secret Treasures. I am old already, and the disciples I accepted are all inept. If you are interested, this old man does not mind accepting one final disciple.”
Xiao Chen was stunned. He could not understand how this had led to Elder Qin accepting a disciple.
However, Elder Qin seemed rather serious about this. He continued, “This old man is the Pavilion Master of the Equipment Forging Pavilion. Once you become my disciple, you will not lack for Secret Treasures in the future. You will be able to throw away those ragged Secret Treasures you are wearing now.
“Wait, that’s not right. There is still a low-level Sage Grade Secret Treasure that is not completely refined yet in your body. Hehe, this pagoda had good potential for alterations. Become my disciple, and I will immediately upgrade it to a peak Sage Grade Secret Treasure.”
When Shui Lingling heard this, she raised her pretty eyebrows and smiled. “Elder Qin, you are really great. When my Junior Brother came over, you quickly offered Secret Treasures and your services in upgrading his Secret Treasures, yet I already asked you to help me upgrade my bow to peak Sage Grade Secret Treasure multiple times.”
When Old Qin heard this, he laughed loudly and said, “Your bow was originally a Magic Treasure of the Immortal Epoch. Its current might is probably no weaker than a King Grade Secret Treasure’s. This old man really cannot afford the resources needed to upgrade it.”
“Stingy!” Shui Lingling pouted.
Elder Qin smiled embarrassedly and said, “Junior, have you thought it over properly? If you follow me, when you break into the boundless starry heavens, you will not want for Secret Treasures.”
Xiao Chen could not help but feel somewhat interested. No matter what, the other party was a grandmaster-level Martial Sage. He had five hundred years of experience and unfathomable strength. Furthermore, he knew how to refine Secret Treasures.
Accepting this person as a master would benefit him a lot. However, the thing that made Xiao Chen hesitate was that he liked his freedom. He would not be able to avoid the rules that came with having such a master.
“Hahaha! Old Qin, a blacksmith like you wants to take in such a good seedling? You are dreaming too much. Have you even asked if I agreed to it yet?”
Resonant laughter rang out as several palaces flew over. A few old men parted the spiritual fog and appeared before Xiao Chen.
Shui Lingling felt somewhat shocked. She quickly greeted, “Elder Bai, Elder Qi, Elder Lie, and Elder Wu, why are you all here?”
The people who came were all grandmaster-level Martial Sages. Of the group, there was one person who made Xiao Chen feel immense pressure in his bones.
Even the purple Lightning Talisman in his sea of consciousness trembled a bit as it spun around continuously. When it did so, its Immortal scripts lit up, and then the situation changed slightly for the better.
Xiao Chen cautiously measured the old man whom Shui Lingling addressed as Elder Bai with his eyes. This person had to have comprehended a will as well. Furthermore, it was of a much higher level than his.
Elder Qin immediately fumed and glared at the group. “Old Bai, Old Qi, what are you bunch of old fogeys doing here?”
Elder Bai laughed and replied, “You are not the only one with good eyes. This fellow has a bone age of only twenty-three, but he has already formed a hundred Heavenly Sage Laws and the will of thunder. Of course, we will not let such a good seedling just go to waste.”
[TL Note: Bone age is considered to be a means for accurately determining age. The logic is that many things can be faked, especially appearances and records, but only the bones cannot lie.]
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