Chapter 495 - 221: Preparations of All Parties: Entering Celestial Star Island (Part 2)
Chapter 495: Chapter 221: Preparations of All Parties: Entering Celestial Star Island (Part 2)
For example, items like the Star Array for Defense or the Beidou Green Sword Talisman for offense might have extraordinary effects inside the Relic.
"Interesting."
Xiao Chen looked at the recommendations below, suspecting they were just advertisements.
Of course, while the information above was crucial, it alone wasn’t worth Five Thousand Spirit Stones.
The truly important part was the final three paragraphs.
Fairy Suruo, the head disciple of the Celestial Sound Sect, had made a brief appearance on June 25th in a Marketplace in the Sea of Darkness.
She was accompanied by more than six companions and had purchased two Li Hong Butterfly Silk Ribbons.
According to reliable intelligence, the Yin Corpse Sect’s six True Disciples plan to use this excursion into the Relic to determine their next head disciple.
The person most likely to win the position is named Zhang Gongxian.
He is said to possess exceptional talent, capable of controlling six Refined Corpses simultaneously.
On June 29th, a Golden Core Magical Combat took place forty thousand miles south of Darkness Island.
In less than forty-five minutes, a local Middle Stage Golden Core Cultivator was killed.
Based on the traces of Magic left at the scene, the killer is suspected to be an heir of the Hidden Dao Lineage, the Flame Manipulation Sect, who has emerged into the world.
To ensure their clients could recognize these individuals, Chaohui Pavilion had thoughtfully included illustrations of Fairy Suruo and Zhang Gongxian below the three paragraphs.
Xiao Chen studied the illustrations several times, silently memorizing their faces.
Backed by a Major Sect or a Hidden Dao Lineage, their strength was bound to far surpass that of ordinary Cultivators.
Barring any surprises, these three would be his main competitors on this trip to the Relic.
.
"Golden Light Taoist, you’re back so early?"
As Yu Zhenyang stepped into the pavilion, his eyes fell on the illustrations at the bottom of the document. "Wow, what a beautiful fairy!" he exclaimed.
Even though it was a monochrome Ink and Water painting, the artist’s skill was superb.
So much so that he could feel the divine aura of a peerless beauty just from the portrait.
"What fairy?"
Cao Mingjie, following behind him, took a closer look, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Whoa, which fairy is this? She looks... uh... so delicate and pretty."
He trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words.
Xiao Chen simply handed over the papers. "You’ve never seen her before? This is the current head disciple of the Celestial Sound Sect, Fairy Suruo."
"Since you’re all here, you should look over this intelligence too. It’s best to be prepared."
’Since we agreed to go to the Relic together, there’s no reason to hide this intelligence.’
’As long as I don’t spread it around too much, Chaohui Pavilion won’t care.’
"It’s going to last for seven days!"
Yu Zhenyang’s brow furrowed. "In that case, we’ll need to prepare more Talismans. We’ll run out otherwise."
Cao Mingjie considered it seriously. "We brought plenty of Spiritual Materials, but they’re not related to celestial phenomena."
"Should we go buy some materials now?"
Ma Wenbo, drawn by the conversation, chimed in with a reminder, "The local merchants are bound to be well-informed."
"I’m afraid that by now, any Spiritual Materials related to celestial phenomena are either sold out or have had their prices jacked up."
"We’d be better off preparing more of our usual Talismans and overwhelming the opposition with sheer numbers."
...
The three of them discussed for a while and quickly formulated a new plan.
It was quite comprehensive, covering everything from Talismans and Elixirs to Spiritual Artifacts and Arrays.
Most of their plan was based on the Three Immortals Sect’s accumulated experience from past Relic explorations, and it all sounded perfectly logical.
It was only then that Xiao Chen learned they had already explored many Relics in the Inner Sea.
Although those were all previously discovered Relics, the experience had allowed them to befriend many other cultivators who enjoyed exploration.
It was thanks to these connections that they had received advance news about the new Relic opening in the Outer Sea.
"Golden Light Taoist, we’ll have to trouble you to go and see if there are any Falling Star Stones for sale out there."
Yu Zhenyang drew a quick sketch. "If you find any, bring a batch back. But regardless, let’s reconvene here in four days."
With so much to prepare, the three of them couldn’t spare the time to go out themselves.
Xiao Chen readily accepted. "Sure, leave it to me."
Over the next four days, he not only scoured Darkness Island again but also visited the other islands, large and small, within a fifty-thousand-mile radius.
Unfortunately, as expected, all the materials related to celestial phenomena were already sold out.
But his trip was not a complete waste.
While asking about Spiritual Materials in the area, Xiao Chen unexpectedly learned that the Fu Bing Sect’s Left Protector had also arrived near the Relic.
Judging by the title, this Left Protector, whom he had never met, was likely even stronger than the Right Protector he had encountered before.
’Another potential rival.’
On his way back to Darkness Island, Xiao Chen also spotted a Golden Core Cultivator dressed in red robes and wearing a Sun Scarf.
Judging by his attire, he was likely from the Five Thunders Temple.
He recalled hearing before he’d left the Nanlao Sea that the Five Thunders Temple had committed a large force to hunting Yin Spirits.
’It seems they didn’t forget to send someone to explore the new Relic as well,’ he thought.
Since he didn’t recognize the man, Xiao Chen had no idea how powerful he was.
’Another possible rival.’
"Golden Light Taoist, you’re back just in time."
The moment he landed on the Spirit Ship, Yu Zhenyang handed him a stack of Talismans. "Here are six Ice Soul Cold Light Talismans. They have some offensive power and can also restrict an enemy’s movement."
"And here are twelve Guiyuan Thick Earth Talismans. Take them for self-defense."
"This Talisman works best when you’re standing on the ground. It can automatically draw on the earth’s energy to increase its defensive power by ten percent."
Xiao Chen was a little surprised. "You made all these in just four days?"
As far as he knew, a Tier Three Talisman Maker could typically only create about three Tier Three Talismans in a single day.
Although the act of Talisman Painting might not look difficult, the processes of preparing the materials, condensing one’s Divine Sense, and guiding Spiritual Power were anything but simple.