Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation

Chapter 2335 (Raw 2442): Endless Cycle

The divine tree already appeared, so where was the Ethereal Immortal Palace?

The Yan Emperor Tree appeared grandly before everyone. As its branches shook, vigorous lifeforce turned into greenish droplets that scattered over the vast core region.

Everyone could see the towering tree in the core region. It had grown from a small sapling to a tree that no one could see the top of.

At the same time, it allowed one to feel the vastness of the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb’s core region. Despite being so vast and tall, it was only like a drop in the ocean within the core region.

The land where the tree grew seemed to have a magical freedom that could encompass everything.

Compared to the other outstanding talents searching for the Ethereal Immortal Palace, Xiao Chen appeared much more relaxed.

His injuries slowly healed as the green droplets rained on him.

After the lifeforce entered his body, they burned like a gentle flame, giving off warmth. It felt like the vast lifeforce that the spring wind brought as it blew over the land.

When Xiao Chen tightly clenched his fingers, the surging Divine Energy in his body gushed like the waves on a river or the sea.

Gurgling bubbles appeared in his Soul Pool, restoring his dried-up Soul Energy. His Azure Dragon Divine Seal was like an ancient deity that opened its eyes after being asleep for a long time. Then, three rings of light appeared in the Soul Pool, kicking up towering waves.

Xiao Chen’s Divine Energy gushed, his Soul Energy surged, and his mind felt restored. He had returned to his peak.

As Xiao Chen firmly grasped his right fist, he could feel the vast power in his Divine Energy and Soul Energy. This felt good.

Xiao Chen’s lips curled up in a smile.

He had been severely injured, which greatly restricted his mind and soul. The feeling of weakness was not pleasant.

“Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Two figures descended the ancient Yan Emperor Tree. It was Hao Kai and Xiao Suo.

“Big Brother, the Ninth Prince told us to come and protect you. He said that you are targeting the Ethereal Immortal Palace and will definitely end up in conflict with the other factions.”

After Xiao Suo landed, he explained why the two of them left Wang Yan.

Hao Kai followed up, “His Highness the Ninth Prince is pretty good to his followers. He let Wu Meng and the others search for Yan Emperor Fruits and told the two of us to return.”

Xiao Chen looked away from the ancient Yan Emperor Tree and said calmly, “He can only rely on himself for the final round. If Wang Yun did not occupy the ninth altar, he would be the crown prince for sure. Now, it is hard to say.”

The succession race’s third round was deeply connected to the second round.

When on the ancient Yan Emperor Tree, which grew on the dynasty’s Dragon Veins, Wang Yun and Wang Yan, who perfectly merged their Great Dao into the Dragon Veins, held a great advantage over the other princes.

The crown prince could only be either of the two.

“Is it here, or not?!” Chu Chaoyun exclaimed while shaking his head in disappointment after opening his eyes. He had been tightly clutching his Ethereal Immortal Palace key all the while.

Right now, the Martial Epoch was like withered wood. Its form remained, but its spirituality was long lost.

The momentum of the cycle of epochs could not be blocked again. The situation had already reversed once, despite the surging momentum, defeating the Black Dragon King. The Martial Epoch’s strongest Transcendent Grade Soul Tool, the Wings of Time, had no reason to appear.

At that moment, all the outstanding talents who had not climbed the Yan Emperor Tree were targeting the Ethereal Immortal Palace.

Previously, many of them remained hidden. With the current situation, they had to expose themselves even if they did not want to.

Excluding the inheritance key, there were seven Ethereal Immortal Palace keys.

Now that the situation cleared up, Xiao Chen could see who held an Ethereal Immortal Palace key.

Xiao Chen looked around and glanced at Yuan Zhen still seated on the lotus platform in the clouds and bathing in a bright Buddhist light.

Yuan Zhen, who carried the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva’s karma, frowned heavily. It seemed like something went against his expectations.

This fellow received his Ethereal Immortal Palace key from Xiao Chen, so Xiao Chen did not need to guess.

Two people—Yan Cangming and Zhen Yuan—stood side by side on a mound in the distance. Clearly, those two held an Ethereal Immortal Palace key.

The scarlet-dragon-cloak-clad Xi stood with Ming Xuan and Yang Qing. A third Ethereal Immortal Palace key was definitely with him.

The Profound Heaven Holy Land’s Wenren Yu and Dao Yan stood together. Wenren Yu definitely had one Ethereal Immortal Palace key.

Xiao Chen and Chu Chaoyun had one key each. The last key should be with the Silver Dragon King’s group.

Xiao Chen looked over, and a strange look appeared in his eyes. The Dragon God Crown Prince Qin Ming had actually stood up.

Coincidentally, Qin Ming’s gaze happened to meet Xiao Chen’s. A flash of icy murderous intent gave Xiao Chen a slight chill.

Xiao Chen sighed, The ancient Yan Emperor Tree’s vigorous lifeforce treated his injuries, allowing him to return to his peak.

Qin Ming ended up close to death, nearly crippled. Now that he returned to his peak, he would reach a whole new level.

“Honorable nephew, there is no need to lower yourself to his level. Finding the Ethereal Immortal Palace is more important. His Majesty once instructed that the Wings of Time took priority.”

The Silver Dragon King feared that Qin Ming could not endure and would end up charging over rashly.

After being beaten to a pulp, Qin Ming had remained unconscious. He did not know how horrifying Xiao Chen was when wielding Heavenly Slayer.

If Qin Ming thought that he could defeat Xiao Chen after his rebirth, it would be bad.

“I know.”

Qin Ming showed a cold and stern expression, appearing somewhat unresigned. However, he still slowly withdrew his gaze.

Xiao Chen smiled calmly, not caring about it.

The previously chaotic scene settled down under the towering tree.

The other guests headed up the ancient Yan Emperor Tree together with the princes.

Even if this round did not have much to do with the guests, the hidden Yan Emperor Fruits were worth fighting for.

Not only did the Yan Emperor Fruit have the miraculous effect of extending lifespan, but legend also said that it could even increase the boundlessly ethereal Luck.

The higher one’s cultivation, the more one could sense the existence of fate. Naturally, the guests would desire Luck more.

Compared to the illusory Ethereal Immortal Palace, which housed the Wings of Time, they were more interested in the Yan Emperor Fruits.

Where was the Ethereal Immortal Palace?

The people holding Ethereal Immortal Palace keys appeared somewhat confused, like Chu Chaoyun.

Xiao Chen looked at the silent Chu Chaoyun and suddenly said, “Have you considered that the Ethereal Immortal Palace might not appear if the inheritance keys are not around?”

“How do you explain it?”

Xiao Chen said after some thought, “Actually, I was thinking this. For tens of thousands of years, there had been predictions about the Ethereal Immortal Palace’s appearance. However, none of them were right. If it were just once or twice, we could blame it on the standard of these diviners. However, there were thousands of failed predictions, so there must be another reason.”

Chu Chaoyun’s eyes lit up. He had never heard of this consideration before.

“I believe that there have been people who gathered all seven keys before, just lacking the inheritance key. Since the inheritance key is missing, even if the Ethereal Immortal Palace appears, one cannot enter. So, what difference would it make whether the Ethereal Immortal Palace appeared or not?”

Chu Chaoyun said, feeling enlightened, “Are you saying that the Ethereal Immortal Palace or some sort of formation can sense the presence of the inheritance key?”

“That’s right. This is my guess. Otherwise, there is no explanation for tens of thousands of failed predictions.”

Xiao Chen lowered his head and casually fiddled with his finger. Then, he murmured, “It is merely a guess. After all, the inheritance key was lost long ago, so we cannot test this out.”

Right after Xiao Chen spoke, Chu Chaoyun looked at Jiang He.

“Don’t look at me. I really do not know where the inheritance key is.”

Jiang He showed a helpless expression as he tried to explain. If he knew where the inheritance key was, he would have said it long ago. Not just anyone could endure Xi’s torture.

“Boom!”

Xiao Chen kept his head down and fiddled with his finger, then suddenly looked up. This action seemed casual, but the instant he looked up, the Azure Dragon image behind him turned substantial. His long hair fluttered, showing his sharpness. Then, he executed Firmament’s Rage towards the sky.

The rage of a Great Desolate Eon Ancestor Dragon formed a huge palm. The Five Element Divine Lightning in the palm cycled endlessly, creating an immortal nation.

“Bang!”

This palm strike happened to meet the palm strike of Yuan Zhen, who attacked without any warning.

Sitting on the lotus platform in the sky, Yuan Zhen proclaimed, “Everything is empty and void. Only Buddha is supreme!” Then, he used the supreme Buddhist Might and sent out a golden Buddha palm that covered the sun and sky.

The two palms clashed, producing loud sounds and strong winds.

This broke the surrounding clouds. The shock waves and strong winds shook the towering ancient Yan Emperor Tree endlessly.

Several of the guests searching for Yan Emperor Fruits on the tree felt like the world was crumbling.

The weaker guests instantly got flung off screaming.

“Retreat!”

Xiao Chen tugged on Jiang He and turned into a flash of purple electric light as he moved back.

After Xiao Suo landed, he tightly gripped the Scarlet Blood War Banner. He and Hao Kai showed grave expressions as they shielded Xiao Chen, Chu Chaoyun, and Jiang He.

The shock waves from the two palm strikes lingered in the air. The lightning palm and the golden Buddha palm materialized horrifying mysterious phenomena.

To others, this vast space seemed to have turned into a terrifying forbidden land.

Yuan Zhen bathed in a gentle Buddhist light as he sat on the lotus platform, slowly passing through the forbidden land formed by the shock waves. He looked around and stared at Jiang He.

Yuan Zhen’s target went without saying.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Three figures arrived in an instant. Xi charged over with Ming Xuan and Yang Qing.

“Xiao Chen, it looks like you are not the only one who figured out the crux of the problem,” Chu Chaoyun commented.

Jiang He felt uneasy, a bitter smile plastered on his face. After all, the one targeting him was the unfathomable Yuan Zhen.

Furthermore, Jiang He had already experienced the means of the three charging over on the ground.

Jiang He cursed endlessly in his heart. However, the one he cursed was not these people but his heartless father.

Father, you have caused harm to your child… If you really know the location of the inheritance key, you should have told me. At the very least, it would not lead to this situation where I can’t even explain.

“Hand this person over to me.” Xi cut directly to the chase.

“Sure.”

Xiao Chen agreed straightforwardly, startling Jiang He and Xi. “However, you have to give me the scarlet dragon cloak you are wearing in exchange for him.”

Xi revealed a faint smile. The scarlet cross appeared in the depths of his left eye again. Then, it turned into a fiercely burning scarlet flame.

“Ka ca! Ka ca!”

This strange scarlet flame ignited in the deepest depths of his left eye and continued burning endlessly. It seemed like it burned through the barriers of another world, traveling through a boundless distance as it came out of the eye and hovered at Xi’s forehead.

The instant that scarlet flame came out of the eye, the horror from the depths turned substantial as it pressed forward.

It seemed incredibly fitting with Xi’s smiling face.

“Whoosh!”

When faced with this substantial horror, Xiao Suo and the others had to move a few steps back before they could stop.

Even so, they still did not dare to look at Xi’s face.

“Xiao Chen, do you know who are your friends and who are your enemies here?” Xi asked, still smiling; he did not take advantage of the time he suppressed Xiao Suo and the others with his aura.

Xiao Chen looked directly at Xi and replied calmly, “The ones to my front and my sides are my friends.”

The front naturally referred to Xiao Suo and Hao Kai. The sides referred to Chu Chaoyun and Jiang He.

“Wrong!”

Xi did not hesitate to say “wrong.” He showed a serious expression, radiating an undeniable charm.

“The old epoch is declining, and the new epoch will start soon. The epochs fall and rise in an endless cycle. Do you truly understand the meaning of an endless cycle? This is great momentum, something that no one can stop and not get involved in. Aside from me, these people by your side are either forced by circumstances or do not have a choice. They could betray you! Abandon you! Kill you!”

Xi’s emphasis on every word sounded like thunder, ringing in Xiao Chen’s mind and attacking the weakest spot in his heart.

Betray you! Abandon you! Kill you!

These three sentences echoed endlessly in Xiao Chen’s mind, lingering without scattering.

Xiao Chen appeared shaken. He had thought of a similar problem when Chu Chaoyun sought to cooperate with him before.

Xi’s words meant that no one could be trusted, aside from him.

Why is Xi so confident? Is he really one of Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun’s backup plans, knowing my Azure Dragon bloodline identity?