Chapter 1404 (Raw 1395): Old Friends are Still Around
I cannot use the Jadeite Relay Station’s transportation formation?
Xiao Chen was stunned for a while before he reacted. He had not thought about this problem at all.
“Why did you not say so earlier?”
If the Jadeite Sovereign had said something earlier, Xiao Chen would not be in his current predicament, left with only one day to think of a solution.
Xiao Chen did not like failing to deliver on his promises. If he knew he could not fulfill a promise, he would not agree. Since he already promised Wen Ziran, he would definitely go.
Now that the transportation formation could not be used, how was he to rush to the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor in one day?
The Jadeite Sovereign said helplessly, “I said at the start that the Jadeite Pavilion was connected to this relay station. Otherwise, why would I send away all the other cultivators? If it would result in interference, why would I go to such lengths? I thought you realized it.”
Damn it, the Jadeite Sovereign really did say that. I was too fixated on the Destruction Throne that I forgot.
What should I do? Xiao Chen could not help feeling at a loss.
“Jadeite Sovereign, how long does it take to get to another relay station that has a transportation formation leading directly to the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor?”
“It takes at least two days.”
Two days would not be enough at all. By the time Xiao Chen rushed over, the Saber Dao tea party would be almost over already.
Inside the war chariot, Xiao Chen frowned heavily, trying to think of a solution.
“How long does it take to reach the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor if traveling directly from here?”
The Jadeite Sovereign thought for a while before answering, “You will need about one and a half days. Of course, this is assuming you are traveling in a straight light. When flying in the Starry Heavens, it is hard to avoid running into meteors and even clusters of them. You might even run into a starry heaven storm.”
In reality, no one would do that. There were too many accidents waiting to happen by traveling alone in the Starry Heavens for a long time. The risk was simply too high.
Furthermore, the Jadeite Sovereign still had not mentioned the possibility of running into an Astral Beast, which would pose greater trouble.
One and a half days are enough!
Light glinted in Xiao Chen’s eyes. Only this path was viable; he could do his best to make it in one day.
“Jadeite Sovereign, we will meet again in the future. The Destruction Throne is of great use to me. My thanks cannot suffice to convey the gratitude I feel.”
Right after Xiao Chen spoke, the Cycle War Chariot turned into a beam of black light and charged off, disappearing from the Jadeite Sovereign’s view.
The Jadeite Sovereign looked up, somewhat surprised. “This is too risky. Does this Saber Dao tea party hold that huge an attraction?”
After being a recluse for several hundred years, the Jadeite Sovereign viewed all sorts of gatherings with indifference.
In reality, Xiao Chen’s decision was not due to the attractiveness of the Saber Dao tea party but to his promise to Wen Ziran. He needed to keep his word.
Xiao Chen did not want to become a person who broke his promises.
The black war chariot carved out a path of light that extended out continuously through the vast Starry Heavens.
The two mutated flood dragons pulsated with a dragon’s aura. Any meteors in the way were burned to ashes. As Xiao Chen traveled as fast as he could, he would even make a move himself, shattering some of the meteors that flew over.
At such a fast speed, the wheels of the war chariot seemed like they would burn up.
However, it still was not enough. The vast Starry Heavens appeared boundless. Amid the many resplendent stars, Xiao Chen could not even find the silhouette of the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor.
Suddenly, Xiao Chen’s expression sank in the war chariot. A cluster of meteors currently about fifty kilometers in front was headed his way, howling as it moved.
This pile of meteors was extremely large and moved in a dense pack. If Xiao Chen wanted to avoid them, he would have to make a large detour.
“Sharp Spirit Finger!”
“Whoosh!” A corner of the war chariot opened up, and a resplendent purple light turned into a beam that shot out ferociously.
Countless explosions resounded. Everywhere the beam of light passed, it forcefully carved out a path in the meteors.
When the curtain closed again, the black war chariot moved in a flash, safely traveling through.
Opening the star chart, Xiao Chen searched for the position of the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor. He frowned slightly as he figured out how to get to the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor smoothly.
---
As Xiao Chen barreled through the Starry Heavens, the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor entered its busiest period. The opening ceremony of the tea party would soon begin.
At the center of the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor was a plaza with ancient carvings. This plaza was circular and had more than one thousand stone pillars arranged in concentric rings. The closer to the center, the fewer the stone pillars in the ring.
The innermost ring of stone pillars had only thirty-six stone pillars surrounding one unique black stone pillar.
The ancient stone pillars had stood there for a long time. Each of the stone pillars had an ancient bladesman carved on it. The stone pillars at the previous tea party at Heavenly Cauldron City had been borrowed from there.
Each stone pillar represented a spot for discussing the Dao. It was clear that the nearer to the center one was, the nearer they would be to the core position.
Those with any strength whatsoever would not be willing to just sit in the periphery and watch others happily discuss the Dao.
Many invited bladesmen and cultivators who came to watch the excitement had already arrived outside the central plaza.
The ancient stone pillars emanated a profound aura. When the wills of the many distinguished bladesman predecessors gathered together, the aura was like a vast sea raging endlessly and yet as steady as a mountain. Winds and clouds gathered in all directions and remained there.
“This should be the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor’s famous Predecessor Stone Sculptures, right? They are really majestic!”
“I heard that the will of the bladesmen in the stone sculptures still have not faded away even after several hundred thousand years. I wonder if it is true or not.”
“Of course, it is true. During the previous tea party, the Azure Dragon King discussed the Dao over tea, causing the ancient Saber Dao’s wills to manifest. The past and present faced each other; it was a true spectacle.”
“The Azure Dragon King…what a pity. If he were around, this tea party would be even more marvelous.”
“Haha! This is the golden age, the age where talents contest with each other. The Azure Dragon King Xiao Chen’s time was over long ago. There is nothing to regret.”
“That’s right. Now, the new-generation ten great bladesmen are not at all inferior to the Azure Dragon King of back then. They might even surpass him.”
“The Ghostly Bladesman is stepping up!”
Suddenly, a figure soared into the air, appearing like a sharp saber as he charged into the clouds. His body gave off the sound of a berserk saber, causing wind and thunder to rumble without end.
“Let’s go!”
All the bladesmen who were invited or came over on their own initiative could no longer wait. They all immediately soared into the air, trying to claim a spot for themselves.
Unveiling their sharpness, the bladesmen all appeared like sabers. The bladesmen of different paths competed with each other.
The sky filled with saber lights crossing in the sky of the central plaza. For the sake of a spot on a stone pillar, the many bladesmen started fighting.
Boundless clouds churned actively. The new generation of bladesmen in this golden age were all very impressive.
When Wen Ziran saw this spectacle, he revealed a satisfied expression. He was someone who enjoyed a bustling scene. Otherwise, he would not put down his status and go about personally inviting bladesmen to the tea party.
He was someone who sincerely loved the saber and also hoped that this tea party would be organized well. At this moment, fifty thousand kilometers of thunderclouds churned. The saber lights filling the air flashed, dazzling as the various bladesmen pitted their sharpness against each other.
This was the scene that Wen Ziran loved.
However, he suddenly thought of an old friend, and the smile on his face disappeared. If that old friend were still around, this tea party would be even livelier.
However, was that old friend still around?
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, a flash of resplendent saber light flared up among the innermost thirty-six stone pillars in the central plaza. The saber light gathered, and an ancient bladesman stood up holding his sword.
Wen Ziran stopped thinking and looked over. He said softly, “So, it is the Ghostly Bladesman Zhao Feng leading the charge.”
Not only that, but Zhao Feng also managed to activate the bladesman’s will in the stone pillar, attracting attention from everywhere. The many cultivators around were shocked, letting out surprised exclamations endlessly.
This was the first time they saw such a scene, and they could not help praising it.
If it were in the past, Wen Ziran would definitely be shocked. However, during the previous tea party, that old friend of his managed to activate all the ancient predecessors’ wills while still a Martial Sage.
Now, these bladesmen of the golden age were mostly Martial Emperors. The weaker ones were at least a quasi-Emperor. With such strength, activating the will of a predecessor was nothing too incredible.
After Zhao Feng took the lead in landing, the various new-generation bladesmen started to take their places, activating the various ancient bladesmen’s wills one after another.
The light figures of the predecessors gave off bright lights that competed with each other. They scattered the clouds and chased away the sunlight; only the light of countless stars shone down. The stars were like lamps dotting the sky of the plaza. It was like one could extinguish them just by reaching out.
The honored guests filled most of the one thousand stone pillars. Wen Ziran knew that it was time for him to go up and host the event.
He withdrew his sharpness and gently pushed off with his feet, leaping higher into the air step by step. Everywhere he passed, many cultivators performed cupped-fist salutes to greet him.
This Saber Sovereign’s disciple gained fame long ago. He was very strong. Even if he did not display any of his sharpness, no one dared to underestimate him.
Among the innermost thirty-six stone pillars, aside from the black stone pillar in the center, there was still one empty spot.
This was not a coincidence. Everyone knew that this spot belonged to Wen Ziran. No one tried to snatch it or even dared to try.
When Wen Ziran sat down, the stone pillar immediately lit up with a beam of light. The light coalesced into an ancient bladesman predecessor.
As this predecessor appeared, stars completely filled the night sky, and the Starry Heavens lit up completely.
“Brother Wen, didn’t you say that the Shadowless Saber Sovereign would be attending this tea party as well? How come I don’t see him?”
The one who spoke was the Corpse Race bladesman Xing Feng, who had always been arrogant and spoke very straightforwardly without a care.
These words also echoed the doubts of everyone. However, to give Wen Ziran face, they could not ask in public.
The Shadowless Saber Sovereign did not hold the saber with his hand. He moved about without leaving any traces and possessed an illustrious reputation.
However, this person was very low-profile and rarely appeared in public. Many bladesmen were unconvinced of his strength. Every bladesman had their pride. Without truly facing defeat at his hands, they would not be willing to submit, no matter how illustrious his reputation was.
“I also have long heard of the Shadowless Saber Sovereign’s great name and would like to see for myself whether if it was just an empty reputation. What a pity.”
“Haha! A person who does not dare to even get off his chariot, he must just be acting mysterious. How strong can he be?”
With Xing Feng breaching the topic, the focus of discussion immediately shifted to the Shadowless Saber Sovereign. This embarrassed Wen Ziran somewhat, and he did not know how to answer.
After all, he had previously said with great confidence that the Shadowless Saber Sovereign would be coming. Now, that person had not arrived. He could hardly avoid being blamed.
---
At this very moment, the Shadowless Saber Sovereign being spoken about had been rushing frantically for an entire day before finally seeing the vague silhouette of the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor.
However, based on the silhouette, he would still need half a day to arrive.
After one day of high-intensity rushing, Xiao Chen appeared somewhat fatigued. He was already using his fastest speed, but the environment of the Starry Heavens was too complex. Hence, he still would not make it.
Looking in the direction of the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor, Xiao Chen showed a sullen expression in the war chariot. Am I going to be late?
Absolutely not!
Since Xiao Chen promised Wen Ziran that he would come, he would definitely arrive on time. Light flashed in Xiao Chen’s eyes inside the war chariot.
Suddenly, he unleashed the saber intent in his body, releasing thousands of saber lights that launched out of the window, making the black Cycle War Chariot look even more resplendent than the stars in the Starry Heavens.
The thousands of saber lights suddenly gathered together and landed on Pride, which was at the front of the chariot. Immediately, the saber gave off a dazzling and piercing radiance. It emanated saber intent and kicked up boundless strong winds.
“Buzz!”
Pride shot out with a ‘clang’ and pierced through space, carrying all of Xiao Chen’s saber intent and vanishing into the stars.
---
At the central plaza of the Heavenly Saber Mountain Manor, Wen Ziran, who was on a stone pillar, faced the censure of everyone. He smiled bitterly and said, “I’m really sorry. It is possible that the Shadowless Saber Sovereign could not make—”
However, before Wen Ziran could finish speaking, something strange happened in the plaza.
A sun abruptly appeared in the sky that was lit by the stars, overwhelming all the starlight.
The manifestation of this blazing sun was too sudden. No one was prepared, and all their eyes were temporarily dazzled. Their hearts filled with shock.
Before the crowd could even raise any doubts, that sun descended. “Buzz!” It landed directly in the plaza, on that unique black stone pillar at the very center.
What’s going on? Did the sun fall down?
There was only the howl of strong wind, and everyone’s hair was blown about; no one could open their eyes.
At this moment, the light figures of the predecessors scattered. The bladesman sculptures on the stone pillars came off one after another, falling continuously.
When the strong wind was over and the light stopped flashing, everyone’s eyes recovered. They squinted and discovered a saber on the center black stone pillar.
“It was not the sun falling. It was a saber!”