Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 686: Chapter 389 Dragon Wood Sea Region_2

Chen Mu glanced at Yan Hong, about to respond, when his gaze suddenly paused and shifted upwards.

At the same time.

Yan Hong, too, quickly noticed something and looked up, only to see that above the sea, a hundred zhang up, amidst the towering waves, a golden and magnificent ship was riding the wind and breaking through the waves, remaining majestic and unmoved no matter how the waves surged dozens of zhang into the air.

The surging waves weren’t suppressed by human strength but were instead pushed aside by a certain oppressiveness emanating from the ship. It was naturally enveloped by The Power of Heaven and Earth, clearing obstacles in its path as it forged ahead brazenly.

“It’s the Sea Calming Pearl from Tingchao Cliff.”

Yan Hong looked up at the ship that crossed the sea region, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, and said, “It’s said that Tingchao Cliff has three Treasure Vessels, known as the Sea Calming Pearl, capable of traversing the wind and waves of the Outer Sea. The entire vessel is of Treasured Artifact quality, and the ship itself can even be considered a Spirit Weapon. It’s one of the rare vessels that can cross the great seas, and that must be one of them.”

“To build such a Spirit Vessel is indeed no easy feat.”

After giving it a once-over, Chen Mu also offered his assessment.

This Spirit Vessel wasn’t particularly huge, but the materials used throughout were all rare Spiritual Objects, at the very least auxiliary materials that could forge Spirit Weapons. The amount of resources used to construct a whole vessel was enormous, and its overall value far exceeded that of an ordinary Superior Grade Spirit Weapon.

As Yan Hong said, Tingchao Cliff, an Outer Sea major sect with a thousand-year heritage, had only three such vessels.

“Perhaps it’s here to transfer people for the Xunmu Cave Heaven affair…”

Yan Hong came back to her senses and turned to Chen Mu, saying, “We’ve now reached the Dragon Wood Sea Region. Brother Mu, if you have other pressing matters, shall we part ways for now?”

“All right.”

Chen Mu replied evenly and with a slight bow to Yan Hong, he stepped forward and soon disappeared into the sea region.

Yan Hong stood still, gazing at Chen Mu’s receding figure, lost in deep thought.

After a short while.

Swish! Swish!!

Four or five figures converged rapidly from various directions, quickly gathering beside Yan Hong. Their auras were all profound, clearly all Grandmasters, and each was a formidable one within their ranks.

The leader among them had a robust aura that was slightly superior to Yan Hong’s. His aged face with gray-white whiskers, he stroked his beard and said to Yan Hong, “Ko and Wu haven’t arrived yet, but they should be here within the next couple of days… Your Highness, who was that person just now? His energy seemed unfamiliar, his concealment techniques extraordinary, such that even I couldn’t fully grasp them.”

Yan Hong redirected her gaze, shaking her head slightly, “It was a chance meeting. He claimed to come from Da Xuan, which likely isn’t false, but he might be hiding his true identity. There’s no need to delve too deeply and risk giving offense.”

Yan Zhengyang stroked his beard and said, “That person among the Grandmasters is certainly not an easy match. Your Highness should also be careful.”

Yan Hong spoke calmly, “I know my limits.”

With her status, ordinary Grandmasters indeed wouldn’t concern her much, but after witnessing Chen Mu’s earlier actions, she saw with her discerning eyes that Chen Mu was no ordinary figure among Grandmasters, possibly even a top-tier Grandmaster. That would make him worth befriending.

After all, in the vast Da Xuan Dynasty of Ninety-Nine States, populated densely with people, Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters were hard to count. However, those at the top-tier Grandmaster level, throughout the world, amounted to no more than a hundred individuals, and in the Central Prefecture, there were only about thirty.

Among them, the younger ones with the potential to ascend to the Blood Exchange Realm were even fewer. Even the Eight Princes were willing to befriend one or two of them. Although she had no intentions of recruiting talents, making acquaintances was never a bad thing. If she could retain a little friendship with them, it might be better, as they might step into the Blood Exchange Realm in the future.

It was difficult to judge a Grandmaster’s age by appearance, but having traveled with Chen Mu for a few days, and through their interactions, she had roughly discerned that Chen Mu’s age couldn’t be that great; after all, some of the old incidents she had asked him about would be known by most of the older Grandmasters.

A young top-tier Grandmaster was even more worth befriending.

“When will my brother arrive?”

After a brief contemplation, Yan Hong asked Yan Zhengyang.

Yan Zhengyang bowed respectfully and said, “I was about to inform Your Highness that King of Jin has other urgent matters, so he won’t be involved in this search for the Xunmu Cave Heaven this time. Most of the other princes likely won’t come either.”

“Oh?”

Yan Hong was slightly taken aback and asked, “What has happened?”

Yan Zhengyang solemnly said, “Your Highness has been touring the Outer Sea recently and might not be aware, but not long ago, the Ice State Abyss in the Cold North Ice State opened, and something happened. Now, the princes and various factions are all paying attention to it…”

As Yan Zhengyang continued his explanation.

Surprise gradually flashed in Yan Hong’s eyes.

Chen Mu, Qiankun Grandmaster, Heavenly Demon Ancestor… and the Seven Profound Sect, even in the distant lands of the Cold North Path, such figures can still emerge. By comparison, the invitation from Xunmu Cave Heaven and the Dragonwood Island Master indeed seems less significant.

“Your Highness, what do you think?”

After stating his thoughts, Yan Zhengyang asked from the side.

Yan Hong’s eyes flashed with turmoil, but soon settled down, and she said, “This matter does not concern me, since he will not come, I will handle the Dragonwood Island affair myself, just have Yan Lao continue with the previous plan to gather people as arranged.”

“All right.”

Yan Zhengyang nodded slightly and said, “However, if King of Jin does not come, our military strength might be somewhat insufficient, and we should be more cautious in our actions. Your Highness could also invite a few more masters to accompany us.”

“Let’s try.”

Yan Hong mused.

The palace was as deep as the sea; although she came from the royal family, among the princes related to her, there was only King of Jin, Ji Xuanming. Even though the strongest among The Eight Princes was King of Jin, King of Jin was also one of the unparalleled Grandmasters ranked within the top ten in the world.

If King of Jin, Ji Xuanming, led the group, the assault on Xunmu Cave Heaven would be much more secure. Even if they encountered an old ancestor of the Spirit People Race, they would be able to manage, but without the unparalleled Grandmaster, Ji Xuanming, the team would be much weaker. Even if they invited one or two top Grandmasters to fill in, it could not compare to having an unparalleled Grandmaster.

But since it had come to this, they would have to make do.

“How about the one from just now?”

Someone suggested from the side.

Yan Hong nodded slightly and said, “He was unaware of the Xunmu Cave Heaven situation and came for other matters, but now that he knows, he most likely will not miss out. We can give it a try, and if you know any suitable figures, you can also contact them.”

“All right.”

The crowd responded in turn.

…

In the sea region.

Alone, Chen Mu moved quietly forward, his peripheral vision glancing back inconspicuously, but he didn’t pay it much mind.

He had sensed people gathering earlier and thought they were after him, but after a quick assessment, they seemed to be only Grandmaster figures, so he knew it had nothing to do with him and naturally didn’t interfere.

It seemed his guess was correct; this ‘Yan Hong’s’ identity was indeed extraordinary. To respond to the Dragonwood Island Master’s invitation, they must have gathered quite a number of Grandmasters to join forces.

However, these thoughts were quickly dismissed from his mind.

“Xunmu Spirit Liquid…”

Chen Mu revealed a contemplative look.

His trip to the Outer Sea was twofold: to follow up on information about the Sea Calming Pearl mentioned by Hua Nongying and others, and to collect resources from the Outer Sea, especially Spiritual Objects that could enhance the refinement of his Martial Body.

Xunmu Spirit Liquid was extremely precious and had a wide range of uses. Conveniently, one of its uses happened to be tempering the Martial Body!

Indeed,

It was exactly what he needed at the moment.

If he could acquire a sufficient amount of Xunmu Spirit Liquid, not only could he refine his Qiankun Martial Body to Perfection but also aim for Extreme Tempering!

Once his Qiankun Martial Body was tempered to its limit, based on past Experience, the Blood Exchange phase would be easily overcome. By then, he would not claim to be unbeatable in the world, but he would certainly need not fear anything and would no longer need to hide any aura or identity.

“Could this be what’s referred to as destiny at work?”

Hua Nongying and Hua Nongyue were willing to work for him, and they came to the Outer Sea to look for the Sea Calming Pearl. Just as he followed the lead here, he happened upon the opening of Xunmu Cave Heaven.

Perhaps, there really was something to the notion of Fate and Heaven’s Will in the world.

But this thought merely flickered through Chen Mu’s mind; after all, he never cared for any notions of Heaven’s Will or destiny. Even if there was something like a Heavenly Mandate, to him, it would be nothing more than icing on the cake.

He had reached this point relying solely on himself, never on some vague and intangible Heavenly Mandate.