Chapter 795 – 300,000 Spirit Essence Stones
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The Asura Divine Kingdom Branch Division was located on the back of a 30,000 foot high snowy mountain range. The branch division started halfway up the mountainside and built upwards toward the mountain peak. Here, there was plentiful heaven and earth origin energy. With the support of the array formations, various luscious spirit trees and spirit plants grew in maddening luxury, with countless marvelous spirit flowers and spirit grass. And in the higher areas there were snowy peaks capped with white ice that hadn’t melted for tens of thousands of years. With these two divergent scenes placed together, it was indeed beautiful to behold.
The Asura Divine Kingdom’s architectural style was borrowed from the ancient times. Many buildings here were formed from pure black obsidian, giving off a very heavy feeling.
Lin Ming landed down early and walked right towards the outside of the Asura Divine Kingdom Branch Division’s entrance.
“Halt! Identify yourself!”
Two tall guards blocked Lin Ming’s path.
“I am a martial artist of the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom. I heard that the Divine Kingdom’s branch division is offering a generous bounty to any martial artist that can capture the evil man who stole their Divine Kingdom’s inheritance. I’ve come to gain a more specific understanding of the situation.”
The two guards looked Lin Ming up and down. Although his late Revolving Core cultivation wasn’t too high, it was still pretty decent when compared relative to his young age. They estimated he came from some formidable influence.
If the Asura Divine Kingdom wished to capture Lin Ming within the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom they would have to depend on the local powers of that area. For martial artists like Lin Ming who seemed as if they came from local forces, they could be considered as a guest of the Divine Kingdom’s branch division.
“Pull your mask down!” A guard said.
Lin Ming didn’t hesitate, immediately pulling off his wood spirit jade mask and revealing an exceedingly ordinary face. This was the appearance Lin Ming had taken after using an appearance changing technique.
Back when Lin Ming was in the Seven Profound Martial House, the Deputy House Master Bi Luo had been a master of appearance changing techniques. Not only he could alter his appearance but also copy a person’s voice, temperament, and even their aura. When Lin Ming had strayed into the Southern Wilderness, that was all because Bi Luo had changed into Qin Ziya’s appearance without Lin Ming even noticing.
Afterwards, when large scale beast tides erupted throughout the entire Divine Phoenix Province, Lin Ming had rushed to Green Mulberry City to assist them. Bi Luo had been lying in wait there to assassinate Lin Ming, but the end result was that he had been killed by Lin Ming instead with the dreamland enchantment. Bi Luo’s special appearance changing technique had also fallen into Lin Ming’s hands.
It wasn’t known just which ancient ruins this appearance changing technique had originated from, but the rank was quite decent. Although it couldn’t be considered too profound an appearance changing technique to the current Lin Ming, it was still more than enough to fool two guards with lower cultivation.
“You may enter.”
The guards didn’t doubt him. If they really did examine him then it would be easy to discover that there was something off with his appearance. The Asura Divine Kingdom definitely had methods to do this. However, the key was that they never imagined Lin Ming would willingly enter into their Asura Divine Kingdom Branch Division.
To him, this was the lair of the tiger. There were three top 100 ranked Destiny Decree masters personally guarding this area as well as several other Destiny Decree masters in attendance. These Destiny Decree masters had come from the Nine Furnace Divine Kingdom, Sublime Smelting Divine Kingdom, and even the Seven Star Divine Kingdom, all of them various heroic elites that had come to capture Lin Ming alive.
Coming here to cause trouble was simply a death wish. Moreover, this area had the support of the Asura Divine Kingdom. Anyone coming here first had to overcome the tremendous hurdle of the Asura Divine Kingdom’s name.
After Lin Ming passed through the entrance, he placed his wood spirit jade mask back on again. There were many masters present in this branch division; he didn’t believe that his crude appearance changing technique would be able to fool all of them.
As he walked forwards, Lin Ming’s steps were extremely slow. He looked around and observed the array formations laid down in the Asura Divine Kingdom Branch Division. All of these were defensive array formations mostly designed to resist against oncoming enemies. Lin Ming continued observing all the way until he saw the main temple grounds and he finally saw a great large-scale sealing array formation that could cut off everyone inside from the outside.
Once this array formation was activated, it would require some effort to bypass it.
“This sealing formation uses many techniques from the Realm of the Gods. It’s extremely clever and the main foundation of this array formation originates from those left behind by the Demon Emperor, such as the array formations used to seal the Eight Dragon Jade Dawn Array and the Demon Emperor’s medicine garden… the Asura Divine Kingdom really has inherited a part of the Demon Emperor’s legacy.”
Lin Ming mumbled to himself. If this array formation had come from a different school of techniques, then it would require a great deal of effort to break through. But since it came from a similar school of techniques, and especially since Lin Ming had a much clearer understanding of the Demon Emperor’s array formation techniques, it didn’t take him too long to completely see through this array formation. He had full confidence that he would be able to leave once it was activated.
“There shouldn’t be a problem with my escape path.”
As Lin Ming thought like this, he stepped into the sealing array. Then, from far off, he gradually began to hear the sounds of fighting.
After walking for about an incense stick of time, Lin Ming finally arrived at a great hall. This great hall was entirely black and was shaped like a pagoda. In front of this great hall was an open square and many martial artists were already gathered here.
Most of these martial artists had a cultivation at the Revolving Core realm and above. There were also some Xiantian realm juniors, youths that had likely accompanied their elders to visit here.
These martial artists were all divided into several obvious camps. Every camp had a high stage Life Destruction martial artist leading them. They were clearly from other fifth-grade sects similar to the Misty Stream Sect.
Within the borders of the four Divine Kingdoms, there were numerous fifth-grade sects. They were all led by the four Divine Kingdoms, with a relationship similar to how the Seven Profound Valleys and Divine Phoenix Island were related.
At this time, in the front of the square, two late Revolving Core young martial artists were engaged in a fierce confrontation. Beams of energy smashed into the defensive array, constantly causing brilliant rays of light to shine out. Relative to their age, it was already quite good to be this strong.
The sounds of fighting that Lin Ming had heard before came from here.
‘Why are they fighting?’ Lin Ming was slightly puzzled. He was just about to ask when he noticed that on a high lifted platform not too from the battlefield, there was actually a box of unknown metal there. This box was open and completely filled with stacks of spirit essence stones.
These were impressively – superior spirit essence stones!
Spirit essence stones were only divided into three ranks – ordinary, superior, and top grade.
Top grade spirit essence stones were the very source of spirit essence stone mines; they had nearly completely vanished from the world. It was considered excellent to produce even a single top grade spirit essence stone from an entire spirit essence stone mine. This was a treasure that even Divine Sea Supreme Elders would struggle over.
As for a superior spirit essence stone, each one had a value equal to 300 ordinary spirit essence stones. Superior spirit essence stones had an extremely rich origin energy inherent within them; these types of spirit essence stones had a magnificent effect when used for making breakthroughs in cultivation.
When Lin Ming decided to break through to Life Destruction, it would be safer if he could obtain some superior spirit essence stones. During the breakthrough it would help him absorb heaven and earth origin energy faster and also stabilize his cultivation.
‘There are about 1000 superior spirit essence stones in that box. That is probably the 300,000 spirit essence stone reward that the Asura Divine Kingdom promised!’
300,000 spirit essence stones, and those were proportioned into superior spirit essence stones. If he could obtain that then it would be a massive wealth!
Lin Ming was already thinking about how to rob this wealth when he found that in the main hall, not too far away from the high platform, there was a black-clothed middle-aged man meditating with his eyes closed. When he looked more carefully he could see that this man was floating an inch off of the ground – he was actually suspended in the air.
‘Sixth stage Life Destruction!’
The black-clothed middle-aged man didn’t hide his cultivation, he was clearly at the sixth stage of Life Destruction. Combined with his not too old age, he even had a slim chance of reaching the Divine Sea realm!
Without a doubt, this person was one of the Asura Divine Kingdom’s three Demon Envoys, a character ranked in the top 100 masters of the Destiny Decree!
And floating beside this black-clothed middle-aged man was a half square foot wood spirit jade box. This jade box was surrounded by layers upon layers of seals and a wild Giant Demon image was carved into the grain of the box. Although Lin Ming couldn’t see what was inside, he could already guess what it contained.
That box must contain the God Transforming Pill!
300,000 spirit essence stones and a God Transforming Pill!
Unfortunately, that God Transforming Pill was far too close to the black-clothed middle-aged man. It was extremely unlikely that Lin Ming could hope to steal away that box from such a close range.
‘This Asura Divine Kingdom Branch Division also has two more Demon Envoys, but they aren’t in the vicinity. To send out a Demon Envoy to greet these guests is already giving more than enough face.’
As Lin Ming thought this, he turned towards a 20 some year old youth and casually asked, “Why are those two fighting onstage?”
The youth was originally excitedly watching the battle occurring in front of him and didn’t feel too good being disturbed by Lin Ming. He was about to ignore Lin Ming when he saw that Lin Ming’s cultivation was at the late Revolving Core realm. Then, he patiently explained, “They are struggling to rank on a talent list. If the Asura Divine Kingdom wishes to use these fifth-grade sects’ intelligence networks and connections to search for Lin Ming, they naturally have to provide some benefits. Besides posting a bounty reward, they have also promised to cooperate with us in order to cultivate some talents.”
The youth pointed towards the high platform. Lin Ming saw that on the high platform, besides the 300,000 ordinary spirit essence stones’ worth of superior essence stones, there was also a list. On the list was written the words – superior talent, medium talent, ordinary talent.
There was space left below every rank. It was apparently ready to be filled with names.
As Lin Ming saw these he immediately understood what was happening. Divine Phoenix Island had also once held a similar plan throughout the Divine Phoenix Province – the larger sect would help the smaller sects raise their talent. This wasn’t too expensive for the larger sect and the smaller sects actually obtained a great advantage for their future talents. At this time, the young heroic elites were now competing against each other for the title of superior talent.
“What an interesting competition.” Lin Ming’s lips curved up in a grin. He had come for two reasons today.
The first was to steal, and the second was to mess this place up.
As for provoking the anger of the Asura Divine Kingdom, that was simply a joke. Lin Ming had already been tagged on their kill list anyway. If it wasn’t for the fact that so many other heroic young elites were present at the Nine Flowers Banquet, Lin Ming wouldn’t have minded killing Situ Chuan and Situ Feng there at all.
At this time, the match onstage had already ended. A short-haired youth holding a saber had won. He laughed out loud and said, “I, Tu Yifeng, will take the title of superior talent!”
As he spoke he leapt onto the high platform and raised a brush, ready to write his own name onto the talent announcement list.
But at this time, a loud jeer spread in the air. “Tu Yifeng, if you want to be ranked first then ask my sword first!”
This rampant voice seemed familiar. Lin Ming glanced around and saw that the bamboo hat youth from the restaurant, Yan Junxuan, was actually here. The one who spoke just now had been him.
It was just that Yan Junxuan had already put his bamboo hat away. The scar still showed at the corner of his eyes, accentuating his arrogant expression.
By Yan Junxuan’s side was a old man with long eyebrows. He was wearing gray clothes and his cultivation was at the fifth stage of Life Destruction. It was obvious that he was the Honorable Master that Yan Junxuan spoke of in the restaurant.
‘This old man’s fire of life is weak; I guess he’s already around 2000 years old. To only be at the fifth stage of Life Destruction at 2000 years of age, he can only be arranged at the end of the Destiny Decree. It’s impossible for him to ever make another breakthrough in his road of martial arts. Since their Misty Stream Sect is involving themselves in this matter then they might be thinking of giving that God Transforming Pill to Yan Junxuan. Heh, no wonder that Yan Junxuan was so arrogant in the restaurant, as if the God Transforming Pill had been specifically prepared for him.’