by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
These were precisely the words that he had been waiting for.
The red liquid that had been stagnating suddenly bloomed with light. Spiritual Strength surged forward like a tsunami, and the red light soared.
BOOM!
The red light reached the peak, and then the entire stone tablet exploded into fragments.
“It… it’s off the charts…”
Chapter 1621 Eat It For Me
“The soul testing tablet… it exploded.”
Everyone was deathly silent. They were simply stunned.
A red light soared into the sky. The soul energy that had been released in that instant terrified everyone. They felt incredibly miniscule in the face of that energy.
They looked at the fractured testing tablet. That scene was one that they wouldn’t be able to forget for a long time.
In the palace, Meng Qi, Chu Yao, and Tang Wan-er laughed. This result was not unexpected at all for them.
On the other hand, the palace master was stunned. She had long since heard of Long Chen, but she only knew he possessed heaven-shaking combat power. She had never heard that he was an even more terrifying soul cultivator as he had never used soul arts in his battles.
What she didn’t know was that although Long Chen had his terrifying soul energy, he didn’t have the time or energy to train in soul arts. He didn’t even fully understand the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, so he had no time to be distracted.
That stone tablet had a powerful formation supporting it. There were records of people reaching its maximum testing value in history. However, there had never been a case of someone’s Spiritual Strength causing it to explode.
In other words, Long Chen’s Spiritual Strength had far surpassed the testing limits of the stone tablet. Now, no one knew just how high his soul value was.
“Did you see that? If you did, then hurry up. What? Don’t tell me I even need to prepare chopsticks for you before you start eating.” sneered Long Chen toward the people who had mocked him before but were now speechless.
These disciples’ expressions immediately became unsightly. They had never expected Long Chen to suddenly unleash a second burst of Spiritual Strength that not only broke past the one million point mark, but also caused the soul testing tablet to shatter.
Although they had said some big words before, how were they supposed to eat the testing tablet? Those people didn’t know what to answer.
“Eat it for me!” shouted Long Chen.
Long Chen had never had any intentions of letting these people off. They were too irritating. He hadn’t provoked them, but they had constantly insulted him. He was no saint, and if they irritated him, he would make sure that they were irritated too.
Was it very refreshing to curse others? Well, it was time to pay the price for that enjoyment.
“Brat, don’t go too far! You should know, I am-”
Pow!
Long Chen slapped him across the face with one hand and caught his throat with the other. Long Chen then used his first hand to pick up a fist-sized stone and shoved it into that person’s mouth.
Once it was shoved into his mouth, Long Chen punished his cheeks, breaking the stone and forcing the fragments down his throat.
That person was like a chicken and had no ability to resist at all. His eyes rolled back into his head.
“Sharp blades cause wounds that can be healed quickly, but the anger from insults doesn’t wear off until it’s vented. Originally, my mood was very good, but I ended up running into idiots with vicious mouths like you. You’ve ruined my mood, so you better eat all these stones for me. Even if I have to break your heads to stuff them down your throats, they’re going down.” Long Chen’s gaze swept across the others as he held onto that disciple.
Those disciples immediately felt like they were being stared at by a god of death. As long as Long Chen willed it, they would lose their lives.
“It’s over! Long Chen seems to be really angry now!” Tang Wan-er looked at Long Chen’s eyes from the image.
Meng Qi helplessly smiled. “It’s well within expectations. His temper was never good, and he almost tried to kill Han Feifei just now. As for these people, they were really dislikable. They kept trying to anger him. Well, now they’ve angered him.”
Chu Yao shrugged, expressing her helplessness. Long Chen was angry now, and no one would be able to stop him.
“Sir…” The testing disciple wanted to advise Long Chen to just have these disciples apologize and let this matter end like that.
“This matter has nothing to do with you. If this place isn’t suitable, I won’t make things hard on you. I’ll drag them somewhere else for them to fulfill their end of the bargain. But if you want to be a mediator, then I’m sorry to tell you that today, they have to either eat these stones for me or die. There is definitely no third path,” interrupted Long Chen.
Long Chen was a human, and he had emotions. Originally, he had been happy to come here, but now he had a belly full of anger.
He didn’t bully others, but he wasn’t the kind of person to take hits without hitting back. Since they wanted to irritate him, he would make sure that they weren’t having a good time.
“Who are you?! Do you know-”
Long Chen pointed a finger, and a lightning arrow flew out, causing half that person’s body to explode.
Everyone was shocked. Long Chen had attacked twice, both times too quickly for them to react and without any warning.
Everyone here was a genius, and even the weakest was a rank seven Celestial. However, by the time any of them could react, Long Chen’s attack was already done. They realized that in front of him, they didn’t even have the slightest ability to resist.
“Either eat it or die. This is the price of your foolishness. Perhaps you’ve gotten used to having a vicious tongue by relying on your status to harm others without them being able to retaliate. However, your luck today isn’t good because my good mood is gone. No one can save you now. So let me repeat it one last time. Eat it or die. You can choose for yourself.” Long Chen’s voice didn’t contain the slightest emotion, and it rang out in everyone’s ears. His icy killing intent made them all shiver.
The two women Long Chen had spoken with were shocked. They had never imagined that the kind and warm man would instantly transform into a life-reaping demon king.
One of the disciples quivered and knelt. He grabbed a piece of stone, crushed it, and placed the fragments in his mouth. He really ate it.
He had no choice but to eat it. Long Chen had locked onto the people who had provoked him with his Spiritual Strength. As soon as they resisted, they knew that Long Chen’s lightning attack would mercilessly cut them down.
If they didn’t eat it, they would die. If they ate it, they would only lose face. In the end, under the threat of death, they submitted.
Following the first one, all those experts, who had said that Long Chen would have to lick their shoes if he didn’t succeed, bent down and crushed a piece of stone, putting the bits into their mouths.
Seeing them start eating the stone, Long Chen’s expression softened slightly. He turned to the testing disciple. “Can I enter now?”
“Yes, of course!” The disciple personally led the way for him, bringing him away from this place.
Once Long Chen left, the disciples eating the stones finally stopped. Their expressions were frighteningly gloomy.
One of the disciples punched a rock, raging, “What a bully! How dare he humiliate us like this?! I’m going to report this to my grandfather. We’ll mobilize the entire sect’s power to kill him!”
“I’d advise you to endure it.”
A man with a sword on his back and a strong aura spoke indifferently from the crowd.
“What do you mean?!” raged that person. If this man wasn’t a rank nine Celestial, while he was just a rank seven Celestial, he might have already attacked him.
“Before this, I went to the Eastern Xuan Region and attended a convention. I
think this person comes from the Eastern Xuan Region,” said the sword-bearing man.
“So what if he’s from the Eastern Xuan Region?” That person had yet to understand what the sword-bearing man was saying.
“The Eastern Xuan Region?”
However, other people let out startled cries.
“Could it be…” All their expressions changed. When the Eastern Xuan Region was brought up, they thought of one person.
That person had challenged and defeated the entire Eastern Xuan Region. He had annihilated dozens of sects. Both the Righteous path and the Corrupt paths were shaken by his slaughter. During the Dragon Slaughtering Convention, he had killed until there were mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
“Heavens, is it really him?!” The woman who had pushed into Long Chen due to the crowd covered her mouth, filled with shock.
Back then, she had felt him to be familiar, but she couldn’t recall knowing such a person. Now, she finally recalled where she knew him from.
Her heart pounded. Not even in her wildest dreams would she have thought that she’d end up intimately touching such a legendary figure by chance.
However, she was curious. Didn’t the stories say that Long Chen was cold-blooded and merciless? He had slaughtered countless people with his vicious means. However, even when she had crashed into him, and when he had saved that other woman, he had only punished the evildoers. Although his methods were tyrannical, they were righteous too. He didn’t seem as a bad a person as the stories made him out to be.
“Is it really… him?” The disciple who had spoken quivered. The others in the same position as him also quivered. They began to sweat.
“I was too far away at the time to see his face. But his face… it’s very familiar.” The sword-bearing man didn’t say anything more after this. Instead, he went to register.
After hearing that, the others didn’t dare to say any more vicious words. Some of them came from top sects, but Long Chen had destroyed at least a hundred sects on his own. How could they dare to provoke him further? Although they weren’t sure it was him, their courage had been broken.
In the end, everyone obediently registered. From start to end, they didn’t bring up that name again, as if it was taboo, as if saying it would bring bad luck on them.
Long Chen didn’t make those people finish eating the whole stone tablet. However, they had to eat at least a bite. This way, they could count as even.
Being led by the female disciple, as soon as he entered a set of gates, a peaceful and natural air rushed over him.
Chapter 1622 I’ll Play
Once he was past the inner gates, what was reflected in his eyes was a mountain stream and a waterfall cascading down like a heavenly ribbon from the sky. All the colors of the rainbows sparkled within it as the sunlight fell on it.
The spray of water reflected the green surroundings. There was a stone path winding through this beautiful scenery. This was a world beyond the clamor of the mundane world.
The beauty of this scenery couldn’t compare to the Spirit World, but it was still amazing and refreshing. Long Chen’s anger started to naturally fade upon seeing this sight.
Just by soaking in the scenery, he felt his heart open and his mind grow clearer. This was a mystical energy, and it was no wonder the Skywood Divine Palace’s disciples looked to be so relaxed without any anger.
Living in such a place for a long time would naturally influence them. The calm of the mountain, the life of no greed, they naturally made them feel at peace.
“It really is a good place,” praised Long Chen.
The disciple leading him sighed with relief upon seeing Long Chen’s irritated expression fade away. She smiled and said, “Follow the stone path forward. Not only can you enjoy the scenery, but there are also all kinds of wild fruit you can taste. Feel free to pick them as you please, as long as you don’t damage the tree. You’ll also see other young cultivators just like you, and you can share your cultivation experiences and understanding. That way, everyone can get stronger together. However, do your best to control your temper. The Skywood Divine Palace doesn’t like fighting and killing.”
“Yes, I just won’t talk with them. Where is Chu Yao?” asked Long Chen.
“Fairy Chu Yao has long since been waiting for you. However, it’s not convenient to open a back door for you, so you must follow through with the regular process.”
“Alright, I understand. Thank you. I’ll just stroll around.” Long Chen cupped his fists in thanks.
Once the disciple left, Long Chen continued on the stone path. An ancient mountain appeared before him on the winding path next. With each turn of the path, he saw a different scene.
This was a sea of greenery. Ancient trees and winding vines grew everywhere. The grass was like a carpet. The air was refreshing and made him feel like his troubles were being washed away.
This was a feeling Long Chen had only ever felt in the Spirit World. The Spirit race loved life. They were so kind that it was almost a bit foolish.
The Skywood Divine Palace possessed a similarly relaxing air. Even if a person was infuriated, they would feel embarrassed to release it in front of the Skywood Divine Palace’s disciples.
As Long Chen continued forward, he quickly saw quite a few people. They were in small groups, privately whispering or loudly discussing the Dao. Some people were even singing or reciting poetry.
In truth, the reason these people were here was because too many people had come to attend the Jade Lake Pageant this time. They hadn’t expected such numbers, so they had people wait here to stall for time.
The people in the crowd who were still registering would end up waiting here as well. However, waiting here wasn’t boring. There were plenty of heavenly geniuses, as well as beautiful women.
When those people saw Long Chen, they all looked at him curiously. That was because his hood covered half his face.
“Tch, he’s just trying to act mysterious. His face is definitely ugly, so he only dares to expose part of it,” sneered someone.
Although Long Chen only exposed the lower half of his face, he was well built. Just by walking, he possessed a cadence that others couldn’t describe, but it was a pleasing sight. Many women looked at him curiously, which resulted in quite a few jealous glares from men landing on him.
“It would be best if you didn’t provoke me. It wasn’t easy to get myself in a good mood again. If it’s ruined again, it won’t be as simple as eating a few stones. If you ruin my mood, then you can count yourself tough if I don’t manage to beat the crap out of you. But when I do beat the crap out of you, I’ll make you eat it,” snorted Long Chen.
Long Chen couldn’t help being speechless. Did his appearance really draw so much ire? Wherever he went, countless people would view him unfavorably.
Long Chen continued forward, and more and more people were appearing. Eventually, he reached an empty space and happened to see a mustached man who appeared to be in his early thirties. He was loudly discussing something.
“Heavens, senior apprentice-brother Wang Shan is expounding the Dao!” A startled cry rang out from behind Long Chen.
“Then we have to go listen! Wang Shan has managed to become Di Xin’s loyal follower. His meteoric rise is just around the corner.”
“Senior apprentice-brother was originally one of the Southern Xuan Region’s top experts. With a seventh Heavenstage of Soul Transformation cultivation base and his manifestation that has started to awaken, we can’t miss this chance to hear him discuss the Dao!”
Quite a few people immediately rushed over to that man. Long Chen looked around and saw at least seventy to eighty people. There were quite a few women looking at that man worshipfully.
“The Heavenly Daos are ephemeral, like ice hidden within the sea, like stars hidden in the sky. If you want to comprehend the Dao, you must have a heart like water, a mind like the void. You must use the view of a spectator to observe the world…” This Wang Shan was si
tting on a rock as he spoke.
Long Chen was a bit surprised. This person seemed to really have some skill.
“That’s why, if you want to become a supreme expert, you must be able to view things from multiple angles. That will allow you to see the truth clearer, instead of just seeing a corner of the iceberg. When you look at others, you should look at yourself first. Only once you see yourself clearly can you see other things clearly. Otherwise, a mountain could be before you, but a single leaf over your eyes can make you blind to it. Tranquility leads to reflection, reflection leads to intelligence. Only then can you be free of your seven emotions and six desires. Only then can you see things clearly. Only then will the gate to comprehension open for you. That is the best time to comprehend the Heavenly Daos,” continued Wang Shan, his voice solemn. The disciples around him were all paying close attention.
Long Chen’s lips curled into a slight smile. Shaking his head ever so slightly, he turned to leave. At first, he had felt that this person had some skill. But as he said more, Long Chen realized that this wasn’t the result of his comprehension but simply him reciting a portion of a scripture.
Such a thing might sound correct and mysterious, and Long Chen had also read through quite a few fragments of scriptures that had been passed down from ancient times. Some of those scriptures were truly written by amazing experts. Their wisdom was something even Long Chen admired.
Their scriptures were truly profound. Sometimes, a single sentence might have dozens of different interpretations. No matter how you tried to comprehend it, it would still make sense. It would still corroborate your Dao.
Such a thing was truly the epitome. Those experts had been able to summarize the countless Daos into just a few lines. However, those scriptures were also too profound for people to understand.
The inheritance and understanding of those scriptures had long since been severed. It was like the difference between an adult scholar and a child. There was no way for a child to understand a scholar’s essay on the Dao. All a child could do was recite what the scholar had said.