Chapter 1040: Disaster with a Though

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A baleful wind swept out with the aura. Combined with a strong aura of kingship, it was like a raging aristocrat howling in the midst of thousands of kilometers of dry bones in the cold wind.

Among the thousands of stars, the Solar Star was the most tyrannical and the king of stars. The Sun Palace’s disciples were like the Solar Star, tyrannical and filled with the aura of kingship.

For the sake of nurturing the tyrannical aura of the Sun Palace’s disciples, to cultivate the Sun Sutra, the Cyclic Astral Palace gave every Sun Palace disciple great authority, so they could establish their might and stand out.

This intangible internal influence colored these disciples’ frame of mind, allowing the state of kingship to remain within them, eternal like the sun with overweening pride.

When the Sun Palace’s disciples fought with regular cultivators, this aura of kingship, together with the might of the Solar Star, could frighten their opponents into trembling with just a shout.

However, these Sun Palace’s disciples found the wrong person. Trying to show off before an Emperor True Dragon—before the tyrannical Azure Dragon King—was simply a naive joke.

Xiao Chen took two steps to the left and stretched his arm out to shield Mo Chen. Then, he glared back. Suddenly, it felt like a pair of invisible eyes opened.

Faced with Xiao Chen’s glare, that horrifying and tyrannical aura of kingship vanished without a trace.

Feng Ziying and Lu Shaoyou exchanged glances, seeing a trace of astonishment in each other’s eyes.

Why had that overwhelming aura vanished without a trace with one glare?

Chen Wenjun observed Lu Shaoyou and Feng Ziying’s body language and suggested, “Senior Brothers, there is no need to kill a chicken with a knife meant for an ox. How about we let the First Elder of my clan take this?”

Lu Shaoyou thought for a moment. While this great grandmaster-level Martial Sage of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was someone he could defeat within a hundred moves, and hence not worth mentioning to him, he found Xiao Chen’s glare strange. It would be good to let a great grandmaster-level Martial Sage test Xiao Chen out first.

Lu Shaoyou slowly nodded in agreement.

“Sorry for the offense!”

Not needing to say anything more, the old man behind Chen Wenjun narrowed his eyes and leaped up. He unleashed all his aura and quickly formed hand seals.

Towering mountain ranges appeared and connected together, looking like a giant dragon raising its head. The long mountain ranges took only a small amount of time to form.

“Not bad. Even I would not dare to be careless when blocking this Dragon Head Imprint.” Lu Shaoyou nodded to Feng Ziying.

Xiao Chen smiled faintly and spread his arms out in the stance of a Kun Peng spreading its wings. Then, he pushed off the ground, like a Kun Peng taking flight, instantly traveling a long distance, and hating the sky for being too low, restricting him from moving as he pleased.

That was not all. A divine light descended as Xiao Chen suddenly executed Myriad Heaven Divine Fist, Deities Descending to bring out tenfold of his combat prowess.

“Ka ca!”

There was a crunch—as if the sky broke. In the instant the divine light entered Xiao Chen’s body, he punched.

An insignificant dragon like you dares to rear your head before the Azure Dragon King? Kneel!

Xiao Chen roared ferociously, and cracking rang out continuously. The mountain ranges of the old man started shattering, peak by peak.

When all the mountains crumbled, the old man vomited blood and shattered bits of his internal organs. “Plop!” His lifeless body fell over. Xiao Chen’s might forced him into a kneeling position, never to get up again.

Lu Shaoyou and Feng Ziying were greatly startled. With a flip of their wrists, the Solar Astral Banners in their hands slowly emerged, instantly releasing a dazzling golden light. All the light gathered in these Astral Banners as if blazing suns were rising from their palms.

As the suns rose, a vast overwhelming King’s Might gushed out like a rushing waterfall, moving vigorously.

“Just a small grain of light, and you dare to compete with the bright moon?!”

Xiao Chen glared, and a bright moon rose up behind him. The moon was like fire, blazing with a great fire that would not extinguish for a thousand years and fueled by hot-bloodedness.

Drinking the Thousand Year Flame that Mo Chen brewed had triggered Xiao Chen’s comprehension, and he seemed to have figured something out. However, it had been vague and unclear.

Now, when he saw the sun rising from the two’s palms, he finally consolidated everything he comprehended into this moon.

This move shall be named Thousand Year Flame!

With the suppression of the bright moon, the Solar Astral Banners rising from the two’s palms got forced back down. Eventually, they returned into the two’s palms, no longer giving off any light.

The blazing flame still burned.

Thousand Year Flame, the wine was something that turned people red with drunkenness. However, the flame was a foundation for hot-bloodedness, the instant of lofty aspirations, an unbridled and uninhibited passion.

As the bright moon rose high into the air, Xiao Chen laughed and threw a palm strike into the air.

All the hot-bloodedness and passion of the Azure Dragon King, all the unbridledness and uninhibition, all the loneliness and solitariness.

All these displayed themselves to the extreme in the instant the palm strike shot out. Joys and sorrows, laughter, jeers, anger, curses, and lofty aspirations were all contained in this one palm strike.

“Boom!”

The two insufferably arrogant elite disciples of the Sun Palace instantly shattered into powder. Chen Wenjun, who was at the side, vomited blood before crashing into the wall and fainting.

Flawless Bright Moon, red like wine, blazing like flames, Thousand Year Flame.

With one palm strike, the hot-bloodedness exploded, copying written heroic passion and bringing forth lofty aspirations.

Mo Chen was somewhat absorbed in the figure under the bright moon. It seemed like she saw Xiao Chen’s grief, loneliness, passion, hot-bloodedness, as well as many other things she was familiar with.

Thousand Year Flame, red with drunkenness, a hot-blooded flame. This palm strike infused comprehensions from the wine cup as well as all sorts of emotions from Xiao Chen.

Mo Chen had never heard of or seen such a Palm Technique before. It was unimaginable.

When the bright moon vanished, Xiao Chen slowly landed. Mo Chen stepped forward and asked softly, “Is this Palm Technique Thousand Year Flame?”

Xiao Chen turned and smiled faintly. “Indeed, you are the only one who can understand this Palm Technique. However, it is not perfected yet. There are many places that still need to be improved and altered. It should be able to become more powerful.”

Mo Chen shook her head and said with certainty, “I feel that this Palm Technique need not pursue the greatest strength. Why must a Martial Technique pursue killing?

“Your Palm Technique is carefree and uninhibited. There are joy and sorrow, all sorts of emotions, passion and hot-bloodedness, lofty aspirations, all contained in one palm strike. If you focus on only its might and killing power, that is too unfortunate. Perhaps, in the future, you might not be able to bring out the aura and emotions of today.”

Xiao Chen entered deep thought. Mo Chen’s words perplexed him briefly, and he got caught up in contemplation.

“Haha! Of course, this is only my opinion as a female, a small thought as I stood at the side and watched. Perhaps it is wrong. There is no need to care about it.” Mo Chen smiled faintly.

Xiao Chen returned her smile warmly. “How can it be? You are right. Perhaps the Thousand Year Flame is really as you said. Quickly, go and get the Book of Heavenly Works before the undue delay causes more trouble.”

Mo Chen nodded and reached into the blazing flame, then grasped the bound bamboo leaves—the Book of Heavenly Works—in her hand.

When the flames extinguished, she looked down and made a strange face. “Hey, my jade pendant is missing.”

Is there something about this?

Xiao Chen looked over curiously. Indeed, that was the case. Mo Chen’s jade pendant had disappeared from the indent in the stone pillar that was carved with all sorts of formation lines.

That jade pendant must have been some kind of energy that can activate the formation. After the formation is activated, the energy is spent. Hence, the jade pendant disappears.

Ao Jiao analyzed rationally from the Immortal Spirit Ring.

Xiao Chen thought for a while and agreed that it was likely the case. He looked up and said, “Let’s go. It’s not our concern.”

Mo Chen suddenly squinted, not moving away. “Wait a moment. The shape of the indent changed. Take out your jade pendant and compare them.”

Xiao Chen took out his flaming phoenix jade pendant and did so. To his pleasant surprise, they matched completely with no differences at all.

Mo Chen said excited, “Quickly, put it in. My phoenix jade pendant got me the Book of Heavenly Works. Logically speaking, your jade pendant should get you something of similar value.”

Xiao Chen could not help but be tempted. Unexpectedly, the sword handle, which he had kept for ten years, from the Sky Dome Realm’s Fire Li Sect branch found its counterpart in the Fire Li Sect headquarters.

Wait a moment. Don’t act rashly, Ao Jiao warned from the Immortal Spirit Ring.

Ao Jiao had seen more of the world than Mo Chen had. She felt that something was wrong with the formation lines of the stone pillar—they looked like a sealing formation that resulted in great destruction.

Decide for yourself. There will definitely be something to gain. However, it will cause a relatively large commotion.

Xiao Chen gave Ao Jiao’s words some thought. Naturally, she was likely to be correct. However, giving up like this on an opportunity before him would be such a pity.

The opportunity was right before him. If he did not grasp it and then regretted his decision, he would have to wait for one hundred years.

To bet or not to bet?

Bet!

Xiao Chen steeled his heart and waved to Mo Chen. “Mo Chen, stand behind me!”

Mo Chen also felt that the formation lines on the stone pillar might be hiding something very destructive. After she heard Xiao Chen’s call, she moved behind him.

After taking time to calm himself, Xiao Chen carefully and cautiously placed the phoenix jade pendant he held in the indent.

The moment he seated the pendant, the formation lines on the stone pillar started to glow. A liquid similar to lava flowed, and eventually, a flame flared up, burning fiercely.

However, the results were rather surprising. Nothing came out of the flames, to the disappointment of the anxiously waiting Xiao Chen and Mo Chen.

One minute…two minutes…three minutes…there were no changes. As the flame burned, no treasure appeared. It was not like before, where the Book of Heavenly Works emerged the moment the pendant was inserted.

Xiao Chen laughed bitterly. “It looks like we overthought this. Maybe the treasure was taken away already. Or perhaps it’s been too long, and the formation lost its effects.”

There were only these two possibilities. However, that was fine as well. This was initially an unexpected development. If there was something, it would be a pleasant surprise. If there was nothing, he did not need to be overly disappointed.

“Ka! Ka! Ka!”

Just then, cracks appeared on the surface of the entire stone pillar. As the cracks spread out, the entire Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion began to shake violently.

The shaking intensified. Rocks started falling from the ceiling of every floor, injuring some unlucky cultivators.

Cracks appeared in all the walls as they shook continuously.

All these signs pointed towards one conclusion—the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion was collapsing.

“Run! Quick, run! The Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion is collapsing!”

Immediately, panicked footsteps resounded. Cultivators on every single floor started to run out for their lives.