novelraw Chapter 35 – Martial King's Treasury
Chapter 35 – Martial King's Treasury
In the dense forest of Yaqi Mountain, two figures swiftly moved, weaving through the trees.
As they drew closer, the battle swords on their backs trembled more violently.
Luo Xiu constantly used his life perception to sense the surroundings. Suddenly, he detected the aura of a human martial artist, and soon, a figure appeared in his line of sight, sprinting towards him at high speed.
"It's him!"
Focusing his gaze, Luo Xiu saw the other person carrying a sword on his back. The trembling sensation from the Shadow Sword was emanating from the sword on the other person's back.
"Boom!"
When they were about ten meters apart, the dark-skinned youth suddenly emitted an earth-yellow glow, snapping off a section of a large tree trunk with a crack and hurling it directly at Luo Xiu.
The tree trunk was massive, whistling through the air with great force, showcasing the youth's incredible strength.
"Snap!"
The Shadow Sword unsheathed from behind, and with wood chips flying everywhere, Luo Xiu gracefully landed, slicing the incoming tree trunk into pieces mid-air.
The Shadow Sword in his hand trembled violently, as if it was out of control, causing Luo Xiu to frown.
Five or six meters away, the dark-skinned youth, with piercing eyes, stared intently at the Shadow Sword in Luo Xiu's hand.
"Kid, give me the sword in your hand," the youth demanded, his tone harsh.
"Why should I give it to you?" Luo Xiu sheathed the sword, as its violent trembling would otherwise hinder his performance.
The dark-skinned youth had attacked him immediately, and the intense resonance between the two swords indicated something unusual. Naturally, Luo Xiu wouldn't hand over the sword.
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" the youth asked coldly, eyes fixed on Luo Xiu.
"You can try," Luo Xiu replied without fear. Through life perception, he gauged that the youth's strength was similar to the white-robed youth he had killed earlier.
"In that case, I'll have to make a move."
The dark-skinned youth narrowed his eyes, clenched his fists lightly, and his knuckles cracked audibly.
"Bang!"
The dark-skinned youth stepped forward, causing the ground to shake violently, like a fierce tiger pouncing, appearing directly in front of Luo Xiu. His fist, imbued with true qi, emitted an earth-yellow glow, with a fierce and unmatched force.
Luo Xiu's eyes focused, and he immediately executed the Dragon-Tiger Fist, his fist enveloped in Deathly Black Flame.
He knew that against such a Qi Sea Realm expert, he had to give his all to contend with him.
"Boom!"
The two fists, both infused with true qi, collided, creating an invisible shockwave that rippled through the air, lifting the dead leaves and branches on the forest floor, showcasing the ferocity of their clash.
"Thud, thud, thud!" Luo Xiu retreated three steps, while the dark-skinned youth stood firm like a rock, unmoved.
"The power of black flame, you actually possess elemental power!" The dark-skinned youth's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
"Also?" Luo Xiu was equally surprised, recalling the earth-yellow glow on the youth's fist earlier. That power was extremely strong, and he had thought that a single punch would damage the youth's vital meridians, but the dark-skinned youth was unharmed...
"My physique is special. Even in the Body Refining Realm, the inner qi I cultivated contained earth attributes. It seems you also have some special physique, otherwise, without reaching the Innate Realm, it's impossible to cultivate elemental power."
The dark-skinned youth spoke in a deep voice, unaware that Luo Xiu's power came not from a special physique but from absorbing the Severed Fire Yang Meridian.
Moreover, Luo Xiu didn't just possess a single elemental power!
Life attribute, death attribute, flame attribute, and the fusion of these into the White Flame of Life, Deathly Black Flame, and Life and Death Extremes Qi...
Gazing intently, Luo Xiu observed the dark-skinned youth's vital meridians. He found that, like other Qi Sea Realm martial artists, they emitted a cyan glow, but the dark-skinned youth's meridians also had an additional layer of earth-yellow glow.
The reason his punch hadn't damaged the youth's vital meridians was due to that earth-yellow glow's protection.
This was something Luo Xiu had never seen in other martial artists.
At that moment, the dark-skinned youth attacked again, his fingers curved into a claw, with earth-yellow light flickering between his palm and fingers.
Luo Xiu prepared for battle, the Heaven's Life and Death Cycle spinning rapidly in his dantian, as Deathly Black Flame gathered in his hands.
"Bang!"
Another fierce collision ensued, and Luo Xiu felt the opponent's true qi was incredibly heavy, with a force that made his fists ache intensely.
Once again, he retreated three steps, while the dark-skinned youth didn't pursue, instead looking at his own palm with a grim expression.
"What a strange black flame." After two exchanges, he felt the black flame true qi from Luo Xiu invading his body, scorching his meridians and flesh, even his earth attribute true qi struggled to resist.
Seizing the moment while the dark-skinned youth was in a daze, Luo Xiu flipped his hand, retrieving the Human-Grade Mid-Tier Battle Sword he had obtained from the white-robed youth's storage ring.
"Thunderclap Nine Swords!"
The sword light flashed like lightning, tearing through the air, accompanied by black flames, reaching the dark-skinned youth in an instant.
"Hmph, my true qi excels in defense, you can't harm me."
The dark-skinned youth remained calm, directly punching to resist the sword's edge, but in the next moment, his expression changed drastically.
"Poof!"
Blood splattered, and with a sharp pain in his right hand, the dark-skinned youth quickly retreated, his face filled with uncertainty.
"So that's it!" Luo Xiu's eyes lit up. Although the youth's vital meridians were protected by the earth-yellow glow, with enough attack power, they could still be breached and injured.
Using the Human-Grade Mid-Tier Battle Sword to execute the Thunderclap Nine Swords was naturally much more powerful than Luo Xiu's fists.
"Stop!"
Just as Luo Xiu was about to strike again, the dark-skinned youth suddenly shouted.
"What? You started the fight, and now you want to stop just because you say so?"
Luo Xiu sneered, his sword technique unfolding like a black curtain, enveloping the dark-skinned youth.
"Poof! Poof! Poof!..."
Blood flowers bloomed, forcing the dark-skinned youth to retreat continuously, his body covered in several cuts, blood flowing, and his once-proud earth attribute true qi unable to withstand Luo Xiu's sword edge.
However, Luo Xiu didn't go for the kill, and the dark-skinned youth's injuries were superficial, only making him look battered.
With a flourish of his sword, Luo Xiu sheathed it with a clang, smiling slightly, "Alright, now you can speak."
"You..." The dark-skinned youth was so angry he nearly spat blood, his expression dark, though it was hard to tell due to his naturally dark complexion.
"What do you mean 'you'? You attacked me first, so I gave you a small punishment. Otherwise, given your earlier threat to kill me, do you think you'd still be alive now?" Luo Xiu retorted coldly.
"Hmph!" The dark-skinned youth knew Luo Xiu was right. Otherwise, those sword strikes wouldn't have targeted non-vital areas but rather his critical points.
"Clang!"
The dark-skinned youth drew the long sword from his back, revealing a snow-white blade, trembling violently.
Luo Xiu's gaze fell on the connection between the hilt and the blade, noticing an engraved character 'Light'.
"The sword in my hand is called the Lightsaber, and yours is the Shadow Sword," the dark-skinned youth explained.
"What connection do these two swords have?" Luo Xiu asked.
The dark-skinned youth glanced at Luo Xiu, "These two swords, known as the Twin Swords of Light and Shadow, were crafted by a fifth-tier Swordsmith Master seven hundred years ago."
"A fifth-tier Swordsmith Master?" Luo Xiu's face showed surprise, but then he frowned, "Are you making this up? A fifth-tier Swordsmith Master could forge Earth-Grade War Armaments, yet these two swords are clearly just ordinary Human-Grade Low-Tier War Armaments."
War Armaments are divided into Heaven, Earth, and Human grades, each with low, mid, high, and top tiers.
Only a fifth-tier master skilled in forging could create Earth-Grade War Armaments, while Heaven-Grade War Armaments are mostly legendary, beyond even the reach of top ninth-tier forging masters.
As far as Luo Xiu knew, the top master in the Qingyun City Forging Guild was only third-tier, and a fifth-tier forging master would be considered elite even in the entire Yunlong Prefecture.
"What do you know? The fifth-tier master I mentioned isn't an ordinary forger but a master specialized in swordsmithing!" the dark-skinned youth retorted.
Martial artists use various weapons, and some forgers specialize in one type, highly regarded by martial artists who use similar weapons.
"The Twin Swords of Light and Shadow he forged aren't ordinary weapons but keys!" the dark-skinned youth continued, applying wound medicine.
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"Keys? Keys to what?" Luo Xiu pressed, sensing the youth might not be fabricating.
"Keys to a treasury! And not just any treasury, but one left by a Martial King!"
"The Martial King's Treasury?" Luo Xiu's eyes gleamed.
He was no longer a naive youngster, having been guided by the Master of the Martial Hall, learning that beyond Body Refining Martial Apprentices, Qi Sea Martial Artists, and Innate Martial Masters, there were even more powerful beings.
Above Innate Martial Masters were Spirit Refining Martial Sects, known as Martial Grandmasters, capable of Aerial Flight and Skywalking!
Above Spirit Refining Martial Sects was the King Realm, known as the King of Martial Dao, referred to as Martial Kings!
The Free Spirit Sect became the top power in Yunlong Prefecture and a dominant force in Tianwu Kingdom because it had a Martial King-level expert!
Reaching such a realm would allow one to converse equally with powerful forces like the Free Spirit Sect.
"The treasury was left by my ancestor. To open it, both the Lightsaber and Shadow Sword are needed. I have the Lightsaber, and you have the Shadow Sword. I can take you there," the dark-skinned youth offered.
Naturally, he wouldn't reveal the treasury's location now.
"Who was your ancestor, the Martial King?" Luo Xiu inquired.
"Martial King Buchen! Also a fifth-tier Swordsmith Master, and I'm his descendant, Bu Fei."
"Why should I trust you?" Luo Xiu stared at Bu Fei, "Why would you share your ancestor's treasury with me?"
Sensing Luo Xiu's distrust, Bu Fei snorted, "Believe it or not, if the Shadow Sword wasn't with you and I wasn't your match, do you think I'd tell you this?"
Luo Xiu pondered the credibility of Bu Fei's words. A treasury left by a Martial King was highly enticing, enough to tempt even a powerful force like the Free Spirit Sect, let alone Luo Xiu, a mere Qi Sea Realm martial artist.
However, he also knew there were no free lunches in the world. Bu Fei must have ulterior motives for telling him this.
"How long will it take to reach the treasury?" Luo Xiu asked, not wanting to miss the Free Spirit Sect's assessment.
"A month should suffice," Bu Fei replied.
"Alright, I'll go with you. But you'd better not play any tricks, or I'll kill you. I assume you wouldn't gamble with your life, right?" Luo Xiu finally decided, planning to be cautious and retreat if anything seemed amiss.