It was not like one’s strength would advance with this seal—even if sealed for a million years, one’s cultivation would still be how it was a million years ago. And one would even age somewhat due to the change of time’s flow.
It was incomprehensible!
Ling Han lowered his voice and said, “Lord, what connection do you all actually have with this ancient kingdom?”
“Eh, didn’t you know that this ancient kingdom was called Purple Moon Kingdom?” the Lunar King responded laughingly.
Ling Han paused, and blurted out, “You’ve all established this ancient kingdom?”
“Of course. At that time, His Majesty led us, the Eight Great Kings, to unify the whole realm. The so-called five great sects were all beaten into a pulp, and we even snatched clean all their amassed resources, leaving them with no means left to seal any elites, breaking off their inheritance with no way to pass it on!” The Lunar King guffawed while reminiscing as she continued. “But someone from their upper ranks actually managed to hold out. Then, when we awoke, that previously defeated foe appeared so energetically again, how preposterous!”
Without inhibition, she did not lower her voice and was clearly heard by the people in the near vicinity immediately. And there was no one that wasn’t flustered with shock at hearing it.
So it turned out that this empire was so powerful that it once unified and ruled the whole realm, even the five great sects suffered a crushing defeat, and they were making a comeback now. No wonder their strength was horrifying—in just a few short months, they had already taken possession of nearly half of the lands in the middle state.
The Lunar King pondered, then pointed out something. “But during that time when we ruled over the realm, it had only been three thousand years since the last Reckoning, so there were not that many elites of the five great sects that had been sealed. Now, it’s a different matter. It has been almost ten thousand years, so their elites would have increased at least twofold. Moreover, we still have four Kings who have yet to awaken, and that is why we are unable to destroy them all in one go.”
This was already alarming enough, only four kings had awakened, yet they were already so ferocious. If all the eight Kings appeared together, it was indeed possible that they would once again conquer the whole realm; furthermore, Ma Duo Bao himself had yet to make a move, and he was a real elite whose battle prowess had emerged superior over multiple generations.
Ling Han mulled over it, and asked, “Why did you all seal yourselves for so long?”
“The time was not right.” The Lunar King shook her head. “The natural environment was too poor at the time. Martial arts had yet to achieve the peak, and power of the nation had also not reached the highest degree, as such…” She made a gesture that signified splitting open the skies. “Although His Majesty’s battle prowess has been the strongest in history, but he still could not compete, so we had no choice but to seal ourselves, awaiting an appropriate time to arise.”
Now was indeed a good time—the martial arts environment was heating up again, and the overall ability level of the realm had reached the strongest level in these ten thousand years, and so, naturally, the stronger would be the power of nation that they could borrow.
They would still have to possess strength. If they could not beat them with one shot, then they’d fight again after a nap.
“Given what you said, this place is yours?” Ling Han asked.
“Of course, why else did you think I chased after that damn Alchemy Pavilion?” The Lunar King humphed.
“That thing which has sprouted legs is an Alchemy Pavilion?” The corners of Ling Han’s mouth twitched momentarily; after all, it was his first time witnessing a building that sprouted legs and flew. It had practically gained a life of its own.
“That Alchemy Pavilion was forged from a divine metal; in fact, it is actually equivalent to an alchemy furnace. Furthermore, it has been nurtured endlessly by the precious Qi of the Earth that His Majesty has gathered—the longer the period of time, the stronger the effect,” the Lunar King continued. “But it was also because we overslept that that divine metal has been nurtured for too long by the precious Qi of the Earth, which allowed it to gain sentience, and it couldn’t even recognize myself or the Flame King!”
Ling Han probed, “Then you all still did not succeed?”
“No!” The Lunar King was furious. “The divine metal has practically gained a life of its own. Taking account of the time, it has been about two millenia at the very least. Being nourished by the precious Qi of the Earth day and night, this damned Alchemy Pavilion also became considerably impressive. From the looks of it, if His Majesty did not make a move personally, there would likely be no one in this world that could deal with it.”
Wasn’t that putting Ma Duo Bao on too high a pedestal?
But upon further thought, he was the number one in battle prowess since ancient times, so there would never be too many compliments and praise that he deserved.
Ling Han couldn’t help being curious, and asked, “What kind of alchemy art was that?” He was the Alchemy Emperor, and naturally was very much interested in anything related to alchemy.
“Tai Ji Star****,” the Lunar King answered.
There was an immediate change in Ling Han’s countenance as he said, “That is a divine pill!” High-level Heaven Grade pills were considered divine pills. There were even some Shattering Void Tier cultivators who were still unable to consume them, as their bodies would explode from the sheer strength of the pill. The Tai Ji Star**** was one of the highest quality alchemical pills among them all; it was capable of increasing the strength of one’s divine sense.
But exactly how strong, that Ling Han wouldn’t know, because he was not at all familiar with the hierarchy of the Immortal Grade’s levels.
“That’s right, it was part of our plans to consume it after successful concoction… but, unexpectedly, that damn Alchemy Pavilion actually dared to ignore me!” The Lunar King was practically about to die from fury.
Ling Han smilingly said, “No need to rush, there’s still a long time to go.”
Even if the five great sects were suppressed, opening up the skies was easier said than done. All the people had to submit willingly. If not, power of the nation would merely be akin to poison.
“Oh, right. Since you’ve managed to enter the Tool Pavilion, what kind of precious tool did you get?” the Lunar King casually asked.
Ling Han took out the Revere Life Sword, and answered, “This tool here.”
The Lunar King inhaled sharply as she responded, “The number one killing sword has actually fallen into your hands? And yet, the fatty actually claimed that there was no one in this world apart from him who could obtain that sword.
“You’re so lucky, kid. This precious tool was forged by his majesty’s own hands. Also, it is the only one, its mighty ability… is unimaginable!”
Chapter 725 - Fighting Jia Ming Again
Translator: Henyee Editor: Henyee
Ling Han couldn’t restrain his mirth; Fatty Ma was really not being modest, proclaiming himself as number one, and even the sword he’d forged was also the number one sword in this world. He weighed the sword in his hand and remarked, “This sword is not bad.”
“Of course this sword is not bad, it was no ordinary Level Ten precious metal that was used to forge it. Instead, it was made with a small portion of divine metal as its foundation, then on top of that, His Majesty added a hefty portion of Level Ten precious metal, refined in every way possible, and finally shaped it into a tool,” the Lunar King pointed out. “Furthermore, His Majesty even engraved on the sword… a short note, ‘if it were not because I don’t wield a sword, I would certainly snatch it back’!”
Ling Han asked curiously, “Then, what kind of array do the array patterns engraved on it form?”
“Haha, I leave it for you to ask that Fatty Ma about it yourself.” The Lunar King spread out her hands, not willing to clarify it.
“Since the Tai Ji Star****could not be recovered, I have also lost interest in this place,” the Lunar King continued. “I am not in the mood to waste time, as I have to locate the other four kings as soon as possible. When the moment comes, the Eight Kings will unite. I feel excited just thinking about it.”
“Let’s go!” She mounted the demonic lion and rode off without a second thought.
Such a huge treasure, yet she actually appeared not overly concerned with it. She was truly nonchalant. It also further showed that she had strong enough confidence… she couldn’t care less about what others referred to as treasures.
“Young man, this is for you!” The Lunar King tossed something over.
Ling Han caught it and saw that it was a crystal rock. He extended his divine sense inside, and instantly, a three-dimensional map appeared in his mind. Every nook and corner, any place, could be infinitely magnified to display even the most minute of details.
Hey, this was a map of this Mystery Realm!
Ling Han recognized it immediately. At the beginning, there was a wide plain, then it was the sea area, followed by plains again, and desert; it was utterly identical to the places he had passed through before.
There were also signs marked on the map, which indicated that the region up ahead was the Beast Garden. He already knew that this current region was the Tool Region. It had originally been a massive land of flames. But in the wake of the decline of the Purple Moon Kingdom, the flames had burnt up everything, turning the land into a desert.
There onwards, it was the Herb Garden, where a lot of Spiritual Herbs grew, and situated at the rear of the Herb Garden was the Imperial Palace of the Purple Moon Kingdom. Inside it, there was a place called the “Lang Ya Library”, and there lay hidden a lot of secret techniques that had been gathered by the Purple Moon Kingdom all those years ago.
The Lunar King even specifically marked a line of words: Earth Overturning Seal.
It was a Mystical Power!
Ling Han couldn’t help but be moved, he had already mastered three Mystical Powers, and was profoundly aware of the power that a Mystical Power held; naturally, he would not mind learning another Mystical Power.
Although it was said that one should not bite off more than one could chew, there was also a saying that declared an abundance of abilities would not weigh one down!
If it was unsuited for him, then he would merely not need to spend too much time and energy to study it.
Ling Han withdrew his divine sense and uttered, “We should also go.” He wanted to take a look at the Herb Garden to see how flourishing this Herb Garden was after at least two millenia.
“You think you can still leave?” Jia Ming humphed, his eyes sweeping across with an unfathomable and frosty gaze, not bothering to hide the killing intent in their depth.
Ling Han gave out a slight oh, and said with a laugh, “I have actually forgotten about you, pardon me, pardon me. To be honest, with your current appearance, I truly could not recognize you!”
“Filthy mouth!” Jia Ming’s gaze riveted upon him as he declared, “Do you dare to fight me?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. A Deity Transformation Tier cultivator is asking me whether I dare to fight him, you have the gall to even mention it?” Ling Han laughingly countered.
Jia Ming humphed coldly nevertheless, then responded, “You and I are of somewhat similar age, your level is inferior to mine because you are too useless, so whom could you blame?”
Ling Han let out a snicker. Indeed, a fight of the same age, or perhaps a fight of the same level, could all be considered to be fair. Just that with age such as theirs, such geniuses indeed could not afford a one to two years’ gap. For example, Ling Han already had the confidence that he would advance to the Deity Transformation Tier before the age of twenty. By the time he was at Jia Ming’s age, who knew, maybe he would already be in the Heaven Tier.
Absolute fairness did not exist in this world.
“It appears that you would not give up if I do not fight you… then let’s fight!” Ling Han entered the bleak and boundless desert, turned around, and directed his gaze at Jia Ming. The latter had left the Tool Pavilion much earlier on, and had been lying in wait for him all this while. Naturally, this was conveying a kind of determination… I would not give up until I crushed him.
Jia Ming sneered as he took out two curved blades that were shaped like the crescent moon; the blades were very short, and as he held them in his hands, it looked like his fists had grown pointed horns—while they did not hinder his punches, they also rendered destructive power.
Was this the Spirit Tool he had gotten from the Tool Pavilion?
He similarly was ranked on the ranking, though not as astounding as Ling Han and Hu Niu, but the treasure he got was certainly also not ordinary.
Ling Han did not wield the Revere Life Sword, for he wanted to test out the strength of his defense skills after he had cultivated the art of coupling toughness and softness against the battle prowess that was near to the limits of the Deity Transformation Tier to see what kind of manifestation it would bring about.
“Merely a Spiritual Infant Tier cultivator, and you dare to challenge me!” Jia Ming charged forth in large strides, striking out with a fist. His martial intent was shining brightly, leaving behind a band of light behind his fist.
Ling Han drew up both his fists, wrapped with his Origin Power, and launched himself into an exchange of blows with his opponent.
Both have cultivated Body Arts, and naturally were also more inclined to fight at close range.
In terms of Body Arts, Jia Ming was considered to be quite accomplished, and his physique’s endurance was as tough as precious metal of the same level; furthermore, his level was in fact originally higher than Ling Han’s by a whole cultivation tier. Therefore, with regards to the level of physique “strength”, both parties were similar.
But what about the soft aspect?
Amid the exchange of punches, their arms have transformed into wave-like lines, which were unceasingly surging. If these were to graze the body of any ordinary person, the strong vibration would have definitely shattered their bones. However, these two still remained in fine condition, making use of such wave motions to continuously disperse the power behind every blow they were struck with.
“Hm?” Jia Ming was surprised that Ling Han had also grasped the art of coupling strength with gentleness. Previously, when they had been exchanging blows, Ling Han had merely displayed the aspect of strength.
His physique had upped another level, and in addition to the art of coupling strength with gentleness, he was confident he could suppress Ling Han. What he did not anticipate was that Ling Han’s level had also elevated, and had grasped the soft aspect, making both parties’ defense level revert back to being of the same level once again.
Since the defense was of fairly equal standing, the deciding factor would be the strength of their attacks.
Jia Ming grinned, then gave off a laugh, revealing a ruthless demeanor as the weapon in his hands suddenly emitted a coldness akin to that of ice and frost, bringing with it terrifying energy that slashed straight towards Ling Han.
Ling Han firmly withstood this strike, but suddenly there was a spurt of blood, and a scar was left behind on his elbow.
He couldn’t help glancing at that weapon and noted that it should be a Spirit Tool of an extremely high grade. Although Jia Ming was unable to display its full strength, it had still dealt damage to his physique.
After all, his opponent’s strength was of a much higher level than his, and with the activation of his Spirit Tool, he was naturally inflicted with an injury.
However, the power
of the Indestructible Heaven Scroll was not merely reflected by the sturdy aspect of the physique, but also its ability to recover!
Clearly visible to the naked eye, Ling Han’s injury disappeared in the blink of an eye. If it weren’t for the fact that Jia Ming had stared fixedly at his wound all the while, perhaps he would not have even realized he had injured Ling Han earlier on!
Such ability to recover could only cause Jia Ming’s expression to change drastically.
Chapter 726 - Bloodline of the Earth Dragon
Translator: Henyee Editor: Henyee
A smile broke out on Ling Han’s face as he gloated. “So it appears that this time, there would only be grievance for you!”
He inadvertently revealed killing intent in his gaze—being provoked by Jia Ming time and again, he’d lost his patience. So long as he was able to kill him, he absolutely would not be merciful.
Jia Ming humphed, knowing that merely depending on the difference in cultivation tiers would not be enough to suppress and crush Ling Han. He gave out a low howl, and a weird sound escaped from his throat, while blue veins were throbbing throughout his body. It was as if there was some kind of terrifying thing trying to break out from within his body.
Ling Han dared not underestimate the battle prowess of his opponent, as he had gained the approval of the Stone of Martial Intent, prevailing over thousands of prodigies through the ages to rank 51st. Although this was not the peak of Jia Ming’s current battle prowess, still, he could not be careless.
Underestimating whichever of the prodigies could very likely plant the roots of destruction for oneself.
“Four Styles of Devil Serpent!” Jia Ming bellowed, aiming at Ling Han as he went straight for the kill. A fist struck out directly to attack Ling Han’s lower abdomen.
Ling Han raised his hand to block it, and bang , he struck his palm down on his opponent’s wrist, but the latter seemed to have turned into dough—it actually took a turn and wound around to strike again at Ling Han’s chest as the sharp blade in his hand shone with a cold light.
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 372