Chapter 453  : Time to Hit the Road

“Fortunately, we have Fellow Daoist Chen to lead us,” said the white-haired elder with a sigh as he gazed upon the fallen saint king. “Otherwise, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have made it this far.”

Standing atop a divine peak, his eyes blazed as if piercing through all. This was an extreme cultivation of eye technique, allowing him to clearly see the dense formation patterns beneath his feet. The lines were profoundly arcane without a hint of clues. Had he come alone, he truly would not have known how to proceed.

Embedded within each delicate tracery seethed astonishing killing intent, only temporarily dormant. If triggered, a purgatory would surely ignite with him at the epicenter, engulfing tens of thousands of miles.

“Since ancient times, none have tread here before us. Today, unexpectedly, I never thought 1 would be able to see the remains of an ancient powerhouse in this place,” remarked the Golden Crow Clan’s middle-aged man, eyes aflame peering towards a peak’s edge.

There, seated in meditation upon an azure boulder, could be glimpsed a withered figure, remarkably preserved despite unknown years. If not for the hollow void of vitality, one might assume him still among the living.

“He must have been a saint Icing in life…” murmured Su Chen, following the other’s gaze to the desiccated corpse.

He had spotted it earlier but forborne from comment. Now examining closer, he realized apart from tattered robes, the ancient remnant lacked any other artifacts, which was somewhat peculiar.

Reaching this place bespoke formidable capabilities, moreover, with inheritance at stake, trump cards would surely be deployed.

Yet all valuables had somehow slipped this relic’s grasp.

Presently, only two explanations made sense. Either the previous World-Transcending Sword Master had already stripped the formation bare. Or Ye Ruxue had looted the site.

The path now trod with the Golden Crow Clan man and the white-haired elder traced the same route as Ye Ruxue initially. With her avaricious personality, what treasures discovered would be ignored?magic

In any case, no matter how mighty in her last incarnation, for this life her past held scant worth. Now, she was but a rogue cultivator, one predisposed towards reaping benefits at that. Already Su Chen knew of several such instances of her waylaying opportunities.

Within Dachu alone had opportunities meant for Mu Qingxue instead been diverted by her intercession. If not for that, perhaps Mu Qingxue would never have fallen to the Southern Region.

In recent years and guided by memories, Ye Ruxue had seldom neglected waylaying opportunities in the East Barrens or even their present location. “What a pity!” sighed the white-haired elder ambiguously.

Together with his Golden Crow Clan companion both easily discerned no valuables lingering upon those skeletal remains. While the corpse itself seemed pristine, countless years had long ago sapped all essence and vitality. For all its lifelike appearance, the slightest contact risked scattering it to ashes.

In life, its cultivation had likely hovered around the Saint King Realm at best, far beneath the resilience of a great emperor against the erosion of time. Saint kings’ corpses inevitably lacked eternity.

“There’s nothing to pity,” said Su Chen with a shake of his head, gaze landing upon a peak rising tall amidst its shorter neighbors.

This grand mountain easily dwarfed all around it by a magnitude, even boasting a retinue of orbiting stars. Cascading radiance veiled its slopes in diaphanous mist, an immaculate realm belying origins beyond the mortal sphere.

One glimpse instantly impressed its peerless qualities.

By this point, both the white-haired man and his Golden Crow Clan companion sensed simmering excitement. If all went smoothly, their group verged on the legacy grounds of the World-Transcending Sword Master.

Upon arrival, however… Their eyes abruptly turned cadaverous at the thought. After all, they were not saints. Of the dwindling few capable of attaining such heights, saints numbered considerably less.

United against external threats, with profits at stake bonds just as readily frayed. Especially given the singular inheritance left by the fabled World-Transcending Sword Master!

Should Su Chen claim that prize, this arduous trial would conclude fruitless. Thus far, neither had managed to glean anything of value.

Hence only two alternatives took shape. Either Su Chen perished, and his inheritance split between them. Or the reverse, and they forfeited all to Su Chen’s sole claim.

“Plotting already?” asked Su Chen lightly, a sideways turn of his head.

His senses had acutely perceived both falling half a step behind, a minute shift under normal circumstances.

Yet positioned now at the base of this hallowed peak, such behavior provoked consideration. Typically those lagging aimed for the optimum angle of sneak attack.

Betrayal perhaps simmered in their hearts. But Su Chen exhibited no visible reaction as he studied the peaks above. After a lengthy pause, he remarked softly, “A narrow path lies ahead if you truly mean to ascend this summit. Mind well your steps.”

He began a measured advance, adding lightly as he walked, “The way grows steep, and should you stray, no salvation can 1 offer. When the time comes, I ask that you not wander far. Else tragedy may swiftly find you beyond my aid…” Though he left the thought unfinished, the implications stood clear enough. Mishaps befalling the disconnected would lie outside his responsibility.

“Haha… Fellow Daoist jests surely!” exclaimed the Golden Crow Clan man with feigned delight. “With you present what dangers await?”

“Furthermore…” he continued, but his next words abruptly halted, a stark shift overtaking his countenance..