Chapter 688: Four Five Sword Experts

Somewhere in the ruins outside the Celestial Remains, Shang Bo hid in their formation and stared at the entrance with a solemn expression on his face.

He was looking at 2 Martial Dipper Realm experts discussing some matters as they looked at where Kou Chongxue forced his way into the Celestial Remains.

They used their dipper qi to blur their facial features, and no one would be able to identify them even if they were watching. Their voices were also sealed off by some sort of invisible barrier and no one more than 3 feet away would be able to hear anything.

Shang Bo observed their gestures while they were speaking and quickly managed to deduce that they seemed really impatient.

He didn’t know if that was because Kou Chongxue managed to enter the Celestial Remains earlier than them, or if it was because the huge disturbance would definitely draw other Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors over. Perhaps, it was a combination of both.

Whatever it was, Shang Bo was sure that one of them was the person he had seen previously.

Because Kou Chongxue managed to determine that they were from the Yuanchen Sect of the Xiangyang Holy Land in the Jing Continent, Shang Bo wasn’t exactly clueless about their identities. He also knew that they were definitely panicking now that someone had entered the Celestial Remains before them.

The only problem with Kou Chongxue entering first was the fact that he had done the most difficult part of barging in! Anyone who tried to enter after him would find it much easier than before.

As the two scanned their surroundings to ensure that there was no one else around, they seemed to have reached a decision.

One of them flicked his sleeves and a small black boat appeared nearby.

The moment they stepped onto it, the boat started to float in the air. A wave of dipper qi burst forth and they charged straight into the weakened entrance of the Celestial Remains.

Rumble…

Once again, massive spatial fluctuations started to spread across the vast space.

The disturbance was far from what Kou Chongxue caused earlier. However, most of the Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors in the Azure Origin World should still be able to feel it.

Counting the time that passed, it had barely been 2 hours since Shang Xia and Kou Chongxue entered the Celestial Remains.

After the second group entered, someone else crossed the region of destruction and approached the entrance once again.

This time, the person who arrived wasn’t as sneaky as the 2 who came before him. However, the cover of the ruins provided enough concealment and he didn’t appear in Shang Bo’s sights the entire time.

Shang Bo might not have entered the Martial Dipper Realm for as long as Ji Wenlong or Kou Chongxue, but from the spatial fluctuations that were produced, he could tell that the person was probably Lu Yingwu from the Lushan Sect of the Yang Continent.

Shang Xia was correct. The Celestial Remains was above the Jiao Continent and the Jing and Yang Continents were the closest to them. That was why they managed to arrive faster than the rest the moment they discovered someone forcefully entering the remains.

No one knew if Lu Yingwu was cautious, or if he had other plans. He didn’t approach the entrance of the Celestial Remains after he arrived. Instead, he stared from afar as though he was waiting for someone else.

Indeed… Spatial fluctuations appeared not too long after and someone raced towards the entrance without concealing their aura.

Shang Bo might not be able to see that person as usual, but he could feel their aura growing closer.

“Hey, Old Man Lu, why the hell are you here? Are you waiting for me?” A shocked cry came. Even so, it couldn’t hide his arrogance.

Lu Yingwu’s calm voice rang through the air. “With such a huge disturbance so close to my Lushan Sect, it will be really strange if I come a little later. Whatever it is, Brother Hao Yun, you’re right about one thing. I was indeed waiting for you.”

“I get it.” Ancestor Hao Yun from the Great Observation Sect roared with laughter. However, his tone changed the next second. “Brother Lu, did you see the people who forced their way in?”

Lu Yingwu stared at Hao Yun and both of them maintained a certain distance from each other. After some time, Lu Yingwu muttered, “The 2 batches of people who entered should be from different factions. I believe Brother Hao Yun knows who went in a moment ago. However, there’s something off about those who went in before that. I wonder which Ancestor managed to do something like that, but the powerful sword qi does give us some clues…”

Hao Yun seemed to be rejoicing in someone else’s misfortune and he gloated, “I can’t believe someone actually went in before the members of the Jing Continent…”

“That’s probably the case…” Li Yingwu nodded slightly in response.

Not too long later, another voice came from a different direction in the ruins. “Huh? The Celestial Remains has been opened twice. Why haven’t you guys taken the opportunity to follow them in?”

Both of them turned to look at the source of the voice and saw a well built man with a ruddy expression approaching them. He exuded an air of confidence and power as he emerged from behind some broken remains.

Before he spoke, neither Lu Yingwu nor Hao Yun discovered his presence. Glancing at each other, they saw the solemn expression in each other’s eyes.

They quickly cupped their fists in greeting despite their surprise. “Senior Huang, you’re there.”

“I greet Mister Huang.”

Huang Jinghan nodded slightly before turning to look at the entrance to the Celestial Remains.

Since it had been opened twice, the spatial barrier that used to prevent anyone from entering had already turned into a massive spatial vortex.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

“Ma Chengjian of the Shu Continent, Kou Chongxue of the You Continent, Ninth Capital Swordsman from the Divine Capital Sect, and the Yifeng Swordsman of the Eternal Sect… Of them, who do you think was the first to enter the Celestial Remains?” Huang Jinghan asked suddenly.

Lu Yingwu and Hao Yun glanced at each other and shook their heads simultaneously.

“I came a little too late. Moreover, any of those 4 have cultivation above mine and I am unable to determine who entered the Celestial Remains first.” Lu Yingwu muttered.

Hao Yun added, “I arrived even later. However, all 4 of them are from our Azure Origin World. Could the person who entered be from the Azure Spiritual World?”

The Celestial Remains might be in one of the southernmost parts of the Azure Origin World and Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors of the Azure Origin World would definitely not reveal its existence to anyone else, but no one could be sure that the experts from the Azure Spiritual World were completely clueless.

After all, the worlds were about to merge and the Void Abyss was almost filled. If Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors from the other world wanted to cross over, they wouldn’t face too many difficulties.

Moreover, Lu Yingwu and Hao Yun both knew that of the 5 great swordsmen of the Azure Origin World, Huang Jinghan left out the last one, himself.

Well, that made sense as he was standing right in front of them. There was no way he could be the first to enter the Celestial Remains.

The next second, Lu Yingwu and Hao Yun thought of another possibility. Could the Yuanchen Sect have pulled the stunt to hide their tracks?!

…

Shang Xia and Kou Chongxue’s Clone had great luck indeed. They managed to run into a damaged rank five spiritual treasure the moment they entered the Celestial Remains.

On the surface, those 2 lucky freaks managed to obtain an impressive treasure. However, one could argue that Shang Xia wasn’t as fortunate as he seemed. After all, it was possible for a Yi Wood Fate Dipper to be produced if the Ten Thousand Needle Pine wasn’t damaged. Unfortunately, it hadn’t been nurtured due to the tree’s injuries.

After they harvested the fruits and pine needles without harming its foundations, they hid it well before traveling deeper into the Celestial Remains.

Their luck ended there as they didn’t run into anything else for quite some time. Moreover, they ran into several dangerous situations along the way. If not for Kou Chongxue’s Clone’s interference, Shang Xia might have suffered several heavy injuries.

“There’s no need to worry… Actually, you’re pretty lucky.” Kou Chongxue’s Clone saw the look of disappointment on Shang Xia’s face and chuckled, “We appeared in the outskirts of the Celestial Remains when we first entered. Every time the spatial barrier around the entrance weakens every 20 years, a group of Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors would enter to look for treasures. They would look around the region before leaving. God knows how many times they have scoured the area. The last time anyone had entered was less than 10 years ago! Spiritual treasures or herbs wouldn’t be able to recover and it’s already incredible for us to run into the Ten Thousand Needle Pine…”

Shang Xia didn’t know how much of Kou Chongxue’s Clone’s words were meant to comfort him, but he felt a lot better after hearing it. He eventually chuckled, “Actually, I’m more concerned with the fact that the Celestial Remains have been explored countless times by those Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors. Like you said, it has been here for countless years. There has to be many groups of experts who entered and if we ignore those treasures or herbs that had the ability to keep growing, how much is actually left in here?”

Kou Chongxue’s Clone smiled. “Firstly, it’s true that the barrier would weaken every 20 years. However, the degree at which it would weaken varied every time. It’s not like it will fully open every time the barrier weakens. It wouldn’t be as smooth as this every time.”

“Also, the treasures in this Celestial Remains might have been almost fully plundered, but there are still some left. They might have been well hidden by the owners of this Elysium back then, or they might exist in some extremely dangerous space. There might be some regions where even Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors wouldn’t dare to enter.”

“What you said might also be true. Even though the Elysium has crumbled, it isn’t fully destroyed. It still contains some special characteristics of when it was fully functional and various spiritual treasures and herbs can still grow within. Extermination origins, and even Origin Dippers might be formed!”

Shang Xia was shocked by the explanation and he only managed to process it after some time. “So… If you’re saying that an Elysium possesses the ability to nurture Origin Dippers and extermination origins, wouldn’t that mean that the 3 super powers would also be able to do the same?! Moreover, those Elysiums are at their peak state right now and they should be able to produce more than this Celestial Remains, right?”

Kou Chongxue’s Clone chuckled in amusement. “It’s good that you understand. However, many people suspect that the Mysterious Tortoise Hall, Divine Capital Pagoda, and the Everlasting Palace can’t be compared to the Celestial Remains above the Jiao Continent. They might be able to nurture some extermination origins or Origin Dippers, but they shouldn’t be at this level. After all, this place is in a state of ruin. Even so, it still possesses all those functions… There are even some that say the 3 super factions are somewhat lacking when compared to the Celestial Remains because they used some power to produce an expert at the Sixth Order of the Primary Realm. It’s either that or they used some of their power to maintain some strength that could match up to an expert of that level…”

“What if… What if they have an expert at the Sixth Order of the Primary Realm while maintaining some means to produce combat strength at that level?” Shang Xia asked.

Kou Chongxue roared with laughter and wanted to say something more. However, his expression changed the next second. “Huh? That… That’s a spirit river!”