Chapter 384: Sage Coffin
These kinds of Spirit Herbs were very rare. They were even rarer than Spirit Herbs for increasing cultivation or replenishing Qi and blood. Otherwise, Bai Lixi would not have had a difficult time finding such herbs.
When Xiao Chen searched with his Spiritual Sense, there were only six stalks of such Spirit Herbs above five hundred years old.
Furthermore, they were situated quite far from each other. Xiao Chen spent an hour collecting them all.
This was especially true for the final stalk. Someone else had nearly found it first. Xiao Chen fought with this person and chased him away before he managed to get his hands on it.
Xiao Chen threw the Scarlet Blood Flower into his Universe Ring. He revealed a satisfied smile, thinking to himself, Success!
Xiao Chen managed to obtain all of the Spirit Herbs that he urgently needed. In addition, he had picked some Immortal Ranked Spirit Herbs along the way. Others’ harvests could not compare to his.
Xiao Chen spent the rest of the time casually looking for more valuable Spirit Herbs to exchange for Spirit Stones. There was no need for him to rush anymore.
“White Robed Bladesman, Xiao Chen, it seems like you have had a big harvest!”
A familiar, melodious voice came from behind Xiao Chen. He turned around and saw Yue Chenxi.
In this herb garden, where plants filled every inch, and a medicinal fragrance spread throughout, Yue Chenxi looked even more beautiful. Others could not help but cast a few more glances her way.
Jin Wuji stood at her side. A big smile filled his face. Clearly, he had obtained the item he wanted. However, when he saw Xiao Chen, a hard-to-trace killing Qi flashed in his eyes.
Xiao Chen smiled gently and said, “It’s alright. How was your harvest?”
Yue Chenxi played with her fine black hair and shook her head, “I was not as fortunate as you. I could not find what I was looking for. However, I did manage to find some Spirit Herbs for increasing cultivation.”
Just at this moment, at the end of the herb garden, loud cries echoed throughout the space. The people present quickly gathered there.
Xiao Chen looked over curiously. He discovered that the gathering place of the crowd was outside the herb garden. Xiao Chen had not scanned that location with his Spiritual Sense earlier, so he did not know what was there.
Jin Wuji’s expression changed, and he said, “Let’s go take a look!”
Xiao Chen and Yue Chenxi quickly followed Jin Wuji as he rushed over. When they arrived, Xiao Chen discovered another small herb garden at the end of this larger garden.
However, there were no precious Spirit Herbs in that small herb Garden. Instead, dark brown flowers occupied the space.
A Sage Coffin made of white jade lay in the center of the smaller garden; it looked very dignified.
“Sage Coffin! It really is a Sage Coffin! It is made completely out of Platinum-Colored Glazed Jade. Only a Martial Sage could rest in such a coffin!”
“We struck it rich this time! The burial goods of a Sage are all extremely valuable!”
“If this was a Sage about to break through to a Martial Emperor, a Quasi-Emperor, after a thousand years, there might even be a Sage Treasure, allowing one’s cultivation to double!”
According to legend, if a cultivator reached Quasi-Emperor before they died, their corpse would not rot for a thousand years.
If the corpse’s Daos were properly preserved, the cultivation and experiences of the Sage would condense into a supreme Sage Treasure within the corpse.
As for a Martial Emperor expert, there was no need for them to go through so much trouble. When they died, they would definitely leave behind a Sage Treasure. Furthermore, it would be a higher ranked Emperor Treasure.
The two hundred-odd cultivators present all revealed excited gazes as they exclaimed in astonishment.
The scarred man in black within the crowd also revealed an excited expression. He said in a very audible voice, “The news is correct. There really are the remains of a Sage. The Sect Leader will be pleased with this.”
Xiao Chen remained quiet and revealed a pondering expression. He carefully observed the structure and shape of the small herb garden.
He soon discovered something interesting. At the edges of the large herb garden, there were subtle indents.
This small herb garden was within an indent. The Spiritual Energy of the larger garden flowed toward the small herb garden.
There was only one reason for this, and that was to nourish the Daos and nurture a Sage Treasure. There was definitely a Sage Treasure in this Sage’s remains.
Xiao Chen thought to himself, This senior really made a lot of effort to leave treasures for his descendants.
After the senior’s descendants obtained the treasure maps, they could enter the island to cultivate or obtain treasures every few years. This would guarantee the strength of the clan’s disciples, passing it down uninterrupted.
The Demonic Beasts and combat puppets left behind to guard the treasures were a test for the clan’s disciples. This forced them not to be lazy. To obtain treasures, they had to have a certain level of strength.
If the clan did not have enough strength, they would have to wait for a talented disciple of the next generation to obtain treasures. This created a system where the fittest survived.
This allowed the clan to flourish and never decline. After a thousand years, after the clan obtained the Sage Treasure in the senior’s body, the clan could rise to power.
However, this Quasi-Emperor senior did not expect his descendants to be too useless.
Not long after the senior died, his descendants were all slaughtered, and the treasure maps were scattered throughout the Devil Savanna.
As Xiao Chen thought about all this, the two hundred-odd cultivators, including Jin Wuji, anxiously rushed to the small herb garden.
Yue Chenxi glanced at the unmoving Xiao Chen. She said in surprise, “White Robed Bladesman, Xiao Chen, are you not interested in the Sage Treasure? Even if you can’t obtain the Sage Treasure, you should have no problems snatching a few of the burial items.”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and said nothing. He focused his gaze on the black-clothed bladesman a hundred meters away. This person had not advanced, either.
After that, Xiao Chen pointed at the crowd, at the few peak Martial Kings at the front. His meaning was very clear.
It was not that Xiao Chen had no interest. Instead, he had no opportunities. Even if he forced himself through the crowd in an attempt to gain a portion of the spoils, it would be for naught.
There were six peak Martial Kings remaining in the herb garden. They exchanged glances as they smiled tacitly.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
A few strong strands of saber and sword Qi suddenly sprang from the weapons of the six, striking at the other cultivators.
The strong weapon Qi struck their bodies before they could react. Those with strong defenses sustained severe injuries and lost their combat prowess.
As for the ones with weak defenses, they were immediately chopped in half, dying without a complete corpse.
The peak Martial Kings used their full power when they attacked, combining their surging Essence and strong states. They were unrivaled within this crowd.
When the six peak Martial Kings worked together, they killed seventy or eighty people within a few breaths. Several dozen more were severely injured, completely losing their ability to fight.
Many in the crowd incurred serious wounds, if not death. Since the six held nothing back, there were no cultivators with only light injuries.
After a moment, the Bloody Swordsman was the first to stop. He said in a deep voice, “The supreme treasure of a half-step Martial Emperor is not something any of you have the qualifications to obtain. Just go back and pick some Spirit Herbs in the herb garden.”
[TL note: The raws used different words here for Quasi-Emperor. This is like how Martial Sages are also referred to as Sages. For those who are not sure what ‘half-step Martial Emperor’ means, it is a peak Martial Sage that is about to become a Martial Emperor.]
The Slaughterer of Thousands, Wang He, also stopped. He slowly wiped the blood from his blood-soaked hands. He said sinisterly, “If anyone is not satisfied, they can try to challenge me.”
The other four peak Martial Kings also stopped. All six released a surging killing Qi. When combined, they formed a vast ocean that pressed heavily on the crowd.
The remaining cultivators were extremely horrified. Accompanying this horror was hard-to-express anger.
Originally, with the strength of the two hundred-odd allies, they could have fought the six.
However, no one expected that these peak Martial Kings had a tacit understanding and would eliminate their competitors.
While the crowd was caught off guard, the six killed or injured over a hundred people. As for the remaining cultivators, even if they wanted to fight, they no longer had the combined strength.
The sudden change in situation astonished Yue Chenxi.
When Yue Chenxi looked toward Xiao Chen, she saw that he had a calm expression as if he had been expecting this. Her feeling that he was unfathomable grew.
“You knew that this would happen?” Yue Chenxi could not help but ask.
Xiao Chen nodded. He said softly, “It is just logical. I had guessed this result from the way they worked together to stop the other cultivators from entering before them.”
They had not initiated a massacre in the herb garden because there were no treasures worth making such a move yet. Furthermore, the herb garden was very large, and there was more than enough to share.
Now that a Sage Treasure had appeared, it was clear that sharing would not suit the six. Why would they want to extend this benefit to all the cultivators here?
Yue Chenxi continued, “Then why are you still here? Could there still be an opportunity?”
Xiao Chen did not speak but casually looked over at the black-clothed man a hundred meters away.
“I will count to ten. I hope that by the end of it, there will not be a seventh person here. Otherwise, everyone will die!” one of the peak Martial Kings said expressionlessly.
One of the Martial Kings cursed, “This is bullying! How can you be so tyrannical?!”
Rage filled Jin Wuji, watching from within the crowd. However, he stared at the black hair in his hands with fear.
Earlier, Jin Wuji had been too close and was targeted by the Bloody Bladesman, Sun Guangquan. Originally, Sun Guangquan could have killed him, but when he saw Jin Wuji’s appearance, he merely shaved off some of his hair. Jin Wuji knew that this was the other party giving his sect some face. If he remained, they would not care about this face anymore.
“One, two, three… seven, eight…”
When the peak Martial King started counting, they felt dissatisfied. However, when they saw the numerous bloody corpses, they could only leave the herb garden helplessly. By the time the count reached eight, everyone had left.
This peak Martial King immediately stopped counting. He revealed a satisfied smile. He said, “That’s the way. Even if it were a supreme treasure, there is no point if you are not alive to enjoy it.”
“Boom!”
Just as that peak Martial King finished speaking, the black-clothed, scarred man had already reached the side of the Sage Coffin. He smashed a palm strike on the lid, causing it to fly up.
“Hu chi! Hu chi!”
The coffin lid made of Platinum-Colored Glazed Jade spun rapidly through the air. Its speed increased until it became an overwhelming tornado.
The tornado howled; the roars of tigers and wolves echoed from within. Dust flew everywhere, and petals filled the air. The weather within the small herb garden changed.
The coffin lid carried boundlessly strong winds, dust, and a surging momentum as it headed for the six peak Martial Kings.