Chapter 501: Battlefield Begins
After all two-thousand-odd cultivators jumped onto the huge platform, it immediately rose into the air, floating there quietly.
“Chi! Chi!”
Fifteen dragon heads blew out a strong wind and the Divine Dragon Warship shot forward quickly. Despite carrying two-thousand-odd people, it moved at a speed close to Mach 4.
The surrounding scenery flashed by quickly. After traveling for more than fifty kilometers, the sky turned gray and dark clouds churned in the sky.
The farther they went, the darker the clouds became. Eventually, they were just black, completely blocking out the sun.
When everyone looked down, the azure seawater had turned blood-red. A faint bloody scent wafted through the air.
The combination of this scent and the tang of the salty seawater made one very uncomfortable.
Xiao Chen frowned. Aside from smelling that bloody scent, he could clearly sense resentment as well.
When one stood within the resentment of a dead person, it would make one feel discomfort and apply a faint pressure on one’s spirit.
“Xiao Chen, you can sense that pressure on your spirit, right?” said Sun Guangquan, who had been silent all the while.
Nodding, Xiao Chen commented, “Yes. It would be difficult for ordinary cultivators to bring out their full power under such circumstances.”
Sun Guangquan smiled and added, “That’s right. When we arrive at the Battlefield, the closer we are to the core area, the stronger this pressure will be. It is more challenging, but it will also temper your Mental Energy. This is why so many half-step Martial Monarchs come here as well.”
While they spoke, a huge Divine Dragon Warship appeared before everyone. It was more than eight kilometers long and one kilometer wide.
It looked like a small city flying in the air. No wonder Bai Lixi said that there was no need to be too astonished at the warship under them.
The warship before them looked very tyrannical. It was on a different scale, like comparing an infant to an adult.
Figures wearing purple robes flew out from the huge warship, emitting killing Qi.
“Bang!”
The warship that Xiao Chen and the others were on docked with the huge tyrannical warship. Everyone walked over to the huge tyrannical warship like it was level ground.
Exquisite tents were pitched on the huge warship. A few Ancient Demonic Energy Cannons could be seen every hundred meters.
Feng Buyu led the Divine Dragon Palace’s people over to the crowd and explained the situation on the Battlefield. It was very similar to what Bai Lixi had told Xiao Chen.
After Feng Buyu spoke, someone came over and distributed a jade pendant to everyone. An Azure Flood Dragon was carved on the front of the jade pendant. This was the symbol of the Divine Dragon Palace.
There were hundreds of horizontal and vertical lines on the back, forming a grid of at least ten thousand small boxes.
“Black dots will appear in the boxes for every Demon you kill. One black dot represents one point. You can use this jade pendant at the cantonment to redeem the things that you want.
The person who gave Xiao Chen the jade pendant explained its purpose in detail to him.
After the jade pendants were distributed, all the cultivators immediately left the warship. They headed towards the darkness in the sky.
Xiao Chen felt a little depressed. He said, “The Battlefield started just like that? Are there no rules and regulations?”
Bai Lixi smiled and said, “It is not that the Divine Dragon Palace does not want to talk about rules or regulations. It’s just that Demons do not follow any rules or regulations. All you have to do in this Battlefield is kill all the Demons you see.”
“I will take my leave first! I’ll see you two later!”
Sun Guangquan cupped his hands at Xiao Chen and Bai Lixi before jumping towards the boundless scarlet sea.
Xiao Chen found his departure strange. He asked, “Is Elder Brother Sun not going with us?”
Bai Lixi explained, “His purpose in coming here is to go to the core area of the Battlefield. He will not come out until he breaks through to Martial Monarch. His purpose is different from ours.”
As Xiao Chen watched Sun Guangquan leave, he could not help but feel solemn. Such determination meant that Sun Guangquan was prepared to die.
Failure meant death. Although Sun Guangquan enjoyed fame and was strong enough that he would not be defeated by anyone below a Martial Monarch; he was nothing if a Martial Monarch did make a move.
Sun Guangquan was a proud person. Naturally, he would not be willing to remain stuck at half-step Martial Monarch forever. Even if he lost his life trying, he would be satisfied doing it.
Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze. He looked at Bai Lixi and said, “Your purpose should be different from mine as well, right?”
Bai Lixi nodded and smiled. “The last time, I only moved around the periphery. This time, I want to give the inner area a try. This is your first time here. It is best if you stay in the periphery. Be careful. I will be taking my leave as well.”
The three’s strengths were different. Sun Guangquan was the strongest followed by Bai Lixi. Xiao Chen was the weakest. Naturally, the place they trained at would be different.
Xiao Chen did not find this too surprising. He muttered, “Since Sun Guangquan can make an oath that he will not come out until he is a Martial Monarch, then I, Xiao Chen, will make an oath as well. I also will not come out until I become a half-step Martial Monarch!”
Deep Sea Battlefield, here I come! Xiao Chen thought to himself.
Xiao Chen had a resolute gaze, not hesitating to jump off the Divine Dragon Warship and enter the boundless scarlet sea.
Xiao Chen walked on the scarlet sea with a calm expression. Occasionally, cultivators would rush past him, leaving him far behind.
Xiao Chen was not in a rush. He continued to walk calmly like this. One hour later, three small islands appeared before him.
The islands were very small; they seemed to be only a few hundred meters wide. Many talisman scripts floated around each islet, forming an interlinked defensive formation.
The formations of the three islets seemed to be faintly interlinked as they gave off an indistinct spiritual light.
If the earlier Divine Dragon Warship was considered the main cantonment, these three islets would be an outpost. Its purpose was to allow the troops to make preparations for an attack.
Countless cultivators flew miserably to the islets through the pitch-dark sky.
Immediately, cultivators would rush over to check their injuries and treat them. It seemed that these islets were not just an outpost but also a supply station and critical care center.
“This friend in front, please wait for a while.”
Someone called out from behind, so Xiao Chen looked back. He saw a small team of ten people rushing over to him.
The person leading them wore blue heavy armor with a great sword on his back. He had thick eyebrows and a wide forehead. On first glance, one could tell that he is a cultivator who used brute force.
This person was a peak Superior Grade Martial King and looked very alert. Xiao Chen turned around and asked, “What’s the matter?”
That person smiled and said, “Let me introduce myself first. I am Wu Quan, a disciple of the Great Chu Nation’s Great Sword Gate. These are the companions that I have invited to come with me. We are preparing to enter the Battlefield together. I noticed that you are a peak Medial Grade Martial King. Why don’t you come with us?
“Once we go past these three islands, we will be in the Battlefield. It would be easier if we worked together as a team.”
Xiao Chen thought about it for a while. Then, he cupped his hands and smiled, “In that case, many thanks, Brother Wu. However, my cultivation realm is lower; wouldn’t I slow you guys down?”
Wu Quan smiled. “You won’t. Cultivation Realm is not the only indication of a person’s combat prowess. I noticed that you are able to walk on water freely; your shoes are not even wet. You must be very skilled at Movement Techniques. My team is short of such people.”
Xiao Chen smiled and did not say anymore. He accepted the invitation.
He did not know what this Deep Sea Battlefield was like. It would be good for him to join a team and familiarize himself with the environment first.
Following that, Wu Quan introduced Xiao Chen to everyone. Aside from Wu Quan, the rest snorted disdainfully at Xiao Chen, clearly showing their disinterest.
In their group, although there were no half-step Martial Monarchs, there was no one weaker than Superior Grade Martial King. So, they all looked down on the Medial Grade Martial King Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and ignored them. Then, he followed the team forward.
The farther in they got, the darker the clouds became. It looked like ink was spilled in the sky, blotting out all the sunlight.
Although it was clearly day, the entire place seemed dark. They could see only five hundred meters around them. If they wanted to see farther, they would have to circulate their Essence to their eyes to do so.
No wind blew across the surface of the sea. The faint bloody scent in the air seemed very dense, making everyone uncomfortable.
The resentment felt very heavy, putting a formless, substantial pressure on their spirits.
“Xiao Chen, we’ve already arrived at the Deep Sea Battlefield. Go look around. If you see any Demons, come back and let us know.”
The person who spoke was the vice-captain of the team—Ping Xingteng. Like Wu Quan, he was a peak Superior Grade Martial King. However, he looked down on Xiao Chen a lot.
When Wu Quan invited Xiao Chen, Ping Xingteng had a very unsightly expression on his face. However, as Wu Quan was the captain, Ping Xingteng could not voice his displeasure and had to endure it.
Xiao Chen was not very happy with Ping Xingteng’s commanding tone. However, he did not say anything. He just quickly left the place.
After fifteen minutes, Xiao Chen returned. He said calmly, “There are ten middle-ranked Blood Demons three kilometers to the southeast. There are six or seven of the Ghost Race five kilometers to the north. There are dozens of high-ranked Shadow Demons six kilometers to the east. As for the nearest Demons in the other directions, they are currently fighting with other cultivators.”
Before coming, Xiao Chen had read some books, so he had a simple understanding of the eighteen races of Demons. Thus, he could identify the Demons in the Battlefield by name.
Wu Quan smiled and said, “Brother Xiao is indeed skilled at Movement Techniques. There probably are not many people who can do this. You have saved us a lot of effort.”
Ping Xingteng smiled coldly, “What is the point of being good at Movement Techniques? Is that of any help when we are fighting?”
Xiao Chen did not wish to argue with Ping Xingteng. So he smiled and said, “Brother Ping is right. I will just watch later and not give you guys any trouble.”
Ping Xingteng’s lips twitched. “It’s good that you know. Wu Quan, what do you think? Which of the three directions should we go?”
Wu Quan analyzed it for a while before saying, “The Ghost Race is hard to deal with; we will not go to the north. The Shadow Demons are weak but they are problematic in large numbers. Let’s go to the southeast. We can safely deal with ten middle-ranked Blood Demons if we put in some effort.”
“I think so as well. They are just middle-ranked Blood Demons. They are not too powerful,” Ping Xingteng said as he nodded.
Xiao Chen had encountered middle-ranked Blood Demons before in the Demon Battlefield. They were about as strong as a Superior Grade Martial King.
However, everybody was experiencing a suppression on their Mental Energy in the Deep Sea Battlefield, which would prevent them from bringing out more than ninety percent of their strength. Furthermore, this was Demon territory; the Demons’ strength would not be affected.