Chapter 509 - 501: Lightning Armor Dragon!

Chapter 509: Chapter 501: Lightning Armor Dragon!

"Go on. Hold the Token in your hand, and you can easily pass through the Mirror Screen. However, this Mirror Screen is a Space Transmission Array Map in itself. Once you enter, the twelve of you will be completely scattered. There is no possibility of two people being teleported to the same region."

The moment he finished speaking, he saw that Mu Chen and the others were still completely mesmerized by the golden Mirror Screen. The old man’s brow furrowed. With another wave of his right hand, everyone felt a tremendous force wash over them. They lost their balance and were shoved into the golden Mirror Screen, disappearing in the blink of an eye...

As their figures vanished, Zhu Jiuqian was about to find a spot to sit and drink when he heard the one-eyed old man say faintly, "This year’s batch of new students is quite a strange bunch, especially that blue-haired kid. His Martial Artist cultivation is clearly the weakest of the group, yet he has this faint air of someone who could dominate the rest and become an overlord. Aren’t you going to tell me the reason for that?"

Zhu Jiuqian chuckled. "So you noticed? Fine. We have time, and drinking alone isn’t much fun anyway. I’ll tell you about the interesting things that have happened in the Inner Mountain over the past five years."

With that, Zhu Jiuqian filled Feng Chaoming’s wine cup and began his long tale...

After being shoved through the golden Mirror Screen, Mu Chen’s vision returned, and a refreshing sensation washed over him. This was simply because the concentration of Primordial Power beyond the screen had reached an unprecedented, incredible density. To his slight surprise, however, the once-dense Light Attribute Elemental Power had thinned out considerably after he entered. ’It must have been mostly absorbed by the flora and fauna in the mountain,’ he mused. ’Only outside the Mirror Screen, in the areas Magical Beasts refuse to enter, is the Light Attribute Elemental Power this concentrated. And all of that will be mine for the taking.’

He had just been lamenting that he could only stay here for a single day, but it seemed as if fate had other plans, giving him a shortcut for long-term absorption.

’Since I’m inside, I should start looking for a Magical Beast partner. If I find one quickly, I might even have time to absorb some Gold Attribute Elemental Power to maintain the balance in my Chaos Dantian.’

He slowly spread out his Spiritual Power and could clearly feel the change. Within his Elixir Field Space, Primordial Power was automatically circulating and being absorbed at over ten times the normal rate—nearly as fast as when he was actively cultivating. This meant that here on Holy Beast Mountain, even without entering a state of Cultivation, his special Elixir Field Space and Cultivation Technique would allow his Martial Artist Realm to advance at an astonishing pace.

As he walked onward, the view suddenly opened up. He seemed to have passed through the layer of mist, and the scenery ahead grew clear.

Looking up, he was surprised to see not mist, but a clear blue sky. It was as if the hazy golden mist visible from the outside had vanished completely.

Bright, warm sunlight streamed down. Before him lay a sea of swaying, irregular tree shadows. The air, thick with the fresh fragrance of plants, instantly washed over his soul, leaving him with an ineffable sense of relaxation.

Glancing around, Mu Chen found himself at the foot of a mountain. All he could see ahead was a dense forest filled with sturdy trees that were at least forty to fifty meters tall. The woods were rich with countless species of plants, but there was no path to be found.

He flipped the black Token from the old man into his left hand to keep it ready. ’Just as the old man said,’ he thought, ’even if someone is well-read enough to determine a Magical Beast’s realm from its physical details, how could that possibly be as fast or convenient as this?’

As he was thinking, WHOOSH! A yellow figure shot past him. He focused his gaze and was startled to see a monkey-like Magical Beast land on a nearby branch. It grinned at Mu Chen, tossed down a fruit that looked like an apple, and then turned to leave.

’This is...’

Catching the fruit, Mu Chen was overcome with emotion. In the Outer Realm, the vast majority of Magical Beasts were hostile toward humans. Eighty percent of them would attack on sight. But here, nurtured by the aura of a Saint and cleansed by the Light Attribute, the beasts’ attitudes were so much friendlier. ’Holy Beast Mountain... what a miraculous place!’

He glanced down at the Token in his hand. An orange light flashed, indicating that the Magical Beast he just saw was Tier Three, equivalent in strength to a human Grand Martial Master.

Stowing away the fruit from the monkey Magical Beast, Mu Chen didn’t dare to waste any more time and strode into the forest. His countless expeditions in the Demon Beast Forest had taught him that upon entering a mountainous and forested area, the first thing to do was climb to the nearest summit. Only then could he get his bearings and head toward the interior of Holy Beast Mountain. In the world of Magical Beasts, the closer one got to the center, the more powerful the beasts became.

The vegetation in the forest was so thick that Mu Chen had to draw his Red Refining Heavy Sword from his back to clear a path. His ascent wasn’t very fast; it took him a full thirty minutes to reach the summit of the first mountain.

As for why he didn’t just use his Primordial Power to fly at a low altitude—this was Holy Beast Mountain. To release Primordial Power here was to signal provocation and an intent to fight. Mu Chen remembered Chu Aoqing’s words clearly: do not use even a trace of Primordial Power.

Along the way, he encountered a few more Magical Beasts, but the Token showed they were low-level, mostly adult beasts of Tier Three or Tier Four. None of them showed any inclination to approach him, so Mu Chen paid them no mind.

Once he reached the summit, the view opened up before him. A chain of rolling mountains spread out clearly in his sight. It was a vast ocean of green. On the distant peaks grew some exceptionally tall trees, which he could see clearly even from this distance.

"This scenery is truly beyond anything in the Outer Realm," Mu Chen sighed in admiration.

Holy Beast Mountain was immense, and the journey was arduous. In the blink of an eye, four hours had passed. Mu Chen had climbed to the top of a dozen different peaks to survey the area, only to find he had covered just a fifth of the distance. He was still a long way from the center of Holy Beast Mountain.

At this rate, he estimated it would take at least another twenty hours to reach the center of the Beast Mountain. Moreover, the deeper he ventured, the taller the peaks and the more difficult the climbs became.

Fortunately, as he continued to climb and press onward, the level of the Magical Beasts he encountered gradually rose. Tier Five and Tier Six Magical Beasts appeared one after another, and he even spotted some common Seventh Rank Magical Beasts. To his even greater delight, he had already encountered several High-tier Magical Beast Cubs on his journey.

Unfortunately, not a single Magical Beast had shown any affinity for him. This came as a surprise. He wasn’t conceited, but considering his talent and luck, it was decidedly abnormal that not one beast had shown him any friendliness after four hours of travel.

Furthermore, whenever he made eye contact with a Magical Beast, it would adopt a very strange expression. The feeling he got from them was one of... shyness and shame.

’Why would that be...’

He frowned. Relying solely on physical strength for such high-intensity climbing and path-clearing was draining. No matter how robust his constitution, even Mu Chen got tired and thirsty. He took a deep breath, planning to pull a waterskin from his Storage Ring for a drink. But when he took stock of its contents, he realized with embarrassment that he must have left in too much of a hurry today, as he hadn’t brought any water.

"Ugh..." With a helpless sigh, Mu Chen could only bite the bullet and head down the mountain. But just as he descended to the halfway point, he discovered a crystal-clear lake in a valley on the other side of the mountain.

Seen from the summit, the lake looked like a giant sapphire set amongst the mountains, reflecting the sunlight that streamed from the sky. It was like a paradise on earth.

’Perfect! A place with water is bound to have numerous Magical Beasts, and there will be no shortage of powerful ones among them. Maybe I can find my Magical Beast partner here.’

Without a moment’s delay, Mu Chen hurried down the mountain. Perhaps because he now had a clear goal, his pace was much faster, and he reached the bottom in just a short while, his thirst completely forgotten.

From a distance, he could already see some Magical Beasts drinking by the lakeshore. He halted, slowed his pace, and approached cautiously.

Soon, he witnessed an incredible sight that made his heart tremble.

’What is that?!’

A dozen or so massive Earth Dragons lingered by the lake, drinking. They were clearly a single pack. Their bodies were an earthy brown, and they were covered in Scale Armor that reflected a metallic light—no, to call it mere Scale Armor would be an understatement! That metallic luster was no different from true plate mail! They were like descendants of ancient tyrannosaurs, exuding the aura of a Venerable Overlord!

Atop their heads, a single, spiraling silver horn jutted toward the sky, periodically crackling with wild bolts of lightning. The mere sight of it created the illusion of being pierced through.

’Lightning Armor Dragons! Why are they in this area?! This makes no sense!’

Mu Chen’s shock reached its peak. Why? Because the Magical Beasts that had appeared before him were the one and only clan on the continent to establish a foothold in the Holy Beast Territory while only at the Venerable Realm!

A Venerable Beast clan with a foothold in the Holy Beast Territory! What did that even mean?! It was as if a Martial Artist at the Venerable Realm possessed territory, wealth, and Cultivation Resources on par with a Saint! It meant they could meet a Saint without bowing to a difference in status! Their philosophy was simple: So what if you’re a Holy Beast? I can still look you straight in the eye!

And the reason they could achieve such a feat was that they were one of the few outsiders among Magical Beasts. It was no exaggeration to say that among High-tier Magical Beasts, only the Lightning Armor Dragon lived in a way that all other Beast Types found incomprehensible! They lived in groups!

That’s right. From the time they were cubs, they didn’t split off to grow up on their own. Instead, during their youth, they would choose the single Lightning Armor Dragon with the best aptitude and talent in the pack to be their Clan Leader! Every generation had a Clan Leader, and that leader would guide them all the way to the continent’s peak!