Free Web NovelChapter 394: Chapter 377: Dragon Cave
Mo Chen smiled faintly, ignoring Wang Meng’s defenses as he continued his attack, completely unconcerned with any potential losses.
"The one who injured you is a Minor Perfection expert—a Minor Perfection Second Layer, to be precise. It’s a miracle you’re still alive."
"Second Layer?"
"Heh. When your Life Mark reaches Fifty Layers, it will form a loop, allowing you to comprehend the Celestial Dao once. In other words, only from this moment on can you truly be called a Cultivator. After reaching Minor Perfection, your Elemental Power undergoes a transformation every ten layers, which directly changes how you use Celestial Power. At the Fifth Heaven, you reach Great Perfection and can once again come into contact with the Celestial Dao."
Mo Chen took a long drag from his cigarette. He had to admit, this kid Wang Meng was truly a skilled Go player. It had been a long time since he’d met his match.
"Senior, are Life Artifacts and Holy Statues really that important?" Wang Meng asked, casually placing a white stone.
Mo Chen paused for a moment. "Ahem, ahem. This chatting is distracting me from the game. Let’s call it a draw for now. Allow this old man to give you some proper instruction."
"Grandpa, you’re cheating! You always do this when you’re about to lose!"
"You little rascal! Whose side are you on?"
"Big Brother is one of us! Yay!" Little Cheng made a face. "I’ll go get some fruit."
Mo Chen smiled, watching Little Cheng with affection. "That child has grown up."
He took a few more puffs from his cigarette before looking at Wang Meng. "Holy Statues and Life Artifacts are treasures created when one comprehends the Celestial Dao. They are, you could say, of the utmost importance. If you don’t manifest a Holy Statue upon reaching Minor Perfection... well, I’d advise you to give up on revenge."
’Forget Holy Statues and Life Artifacts; my Sea of Fate is completely dried up. The most devastating part was that my Godhood failed me at the most critical moment. The Heaven and Earth Spirit Locking Array truly lives up to its name as an object of law. It’s so powerful that the fact a tiny crack even exists is a miracle in itself.’
"Don’t worry. Your constitution is very special. The Five Elements Body can be considered a type of Sacred Body, but... it’s all style and no substance."
Mo Chen puffed away on his cigarette.
"Senior, does this mean I have no chance at all?"
"Not necessarily. If you had been born into one of the Ten Great Sects, you might have achieved quite a bit. It’s just that, historically, no one with a Five Elements Body has ever been heard of forming a Holy Statue, let alone a Life Artifact. However, if you *could* reach Minor Perfection, you would indeed be much stronger than the average Cultivator. The difficulty is just extremely high."
All in all, Mo Chen was still not very optimistic.
"So you’re saying my talent is actually pretty good, or at least not average."
Wang Meng said with a laugh.
Mo Chen was taken aback for a second before he couldn’t help but laugh too. "You’re quite the optimist."
"I have no regrets about how far I’ve come. But as a man, I believe that a true man always gets his revenge. As long as I live, the Extreme Dao Alliance won’t see a single day of peace!"
"The Extreme Dao Alliance, you say..."
"Senior, you know of the Extreme Dao Alliance?"
"Heh, I’m just a simple man from the mountains. I wouldn’t know anything about any Alliances. However, since they are such a massive organization, you can’t afford to be reckless."
Wang Meng nodded and shrugged. "To be honest, it’s probably just a pipe dream anyway. My Sea of Fate still hasn’t recovered."
"For someone with a Five Elements Body, it’s already a miracle that you managed to cultivate to the forty-fifth layer. Like you said, you’ve already made it this far. Since you’re alive, you might as well find something to do."
Mo Chen patted Wang Meng on the shoulder. Wang Meng nodded. After dinner, he returned to his small wooden cabin and tried to circulate the Five Elements Technique, but sharp pains still flared up. Thanks to Mo Chen’s and Little Cheng’s care, however, it was much better than before.
’If he’s at the Two Heavens, then Zheng Dasheng must have over seventy layers of Elemental Power, and he has a Life Artifact besides. His strength is no small matter. But for Mo Chen to deduce so much just from my injuries... his own strength must be even more terrifying.’
’He’s clearly a Cultivator, yet he can appear as unassuming as an ordinary person. The old man’s power is truly something to be revered. But for someone so strong to be content with a simple life, he must have his reasons. Having seen the Star Alliance and the Extreme Dao Alliance, I truly feel how vast this world is.’
But he didn’t have the slightest intention of giving up. Even though his Sea of Fate hadn’t healed, he was excited. Perhaps he was just a restless person at heart, someone who craved a bigger world, who craved excitement.
During his days on Wolong Mountain, Wang Meng’s body gradually recovered. He had to admit, Mo Chen’s "folk remedies" were incredibly effective. His Sea of Fate was slowly being restored. Wang Meng himself knew some Alchemy Skill and could tell that the remedies contained principles of Five Elements complementarity. It was a good thing he had a Five Elements Body; any other constitution would be unable to utilize the Five Elements Power to such a degree. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was as tough as a cockroach.
As his Sea of Fate improved bit by bit, Wang Meng’s confidence returned. As long as he could enter Minor Perfection, he would surely be able to defeat his enemies!
At the same level, Wang Meng feared no one.
Little Cheng was a little ray of sunshine. Perhaps because she lacked friends, she was overjoyed to have Wang Meng around. She especially loved it when he told her stories about the mortal world and the Holy Hall. Whenever he mentioned Zhang Xiaopang, she would giggle uncontrollably. Watching them, Mo Chen felt a stir of emotion. As an old man, all he could say was that Little Cheng had grown up and needed friends.
In this environment, Wang Meng’s recovery was going exceptionally well. Sometimes he found it strange that Little Cheng didn’t seem to practice any Magic. Logically, with Mo Chen’s power, he should have had her build a foundation for Cultivation from a young age.
One day, after he and Mo Chen finished a game of Go, Mo Chen called him over. Wang Meng caught the scent of alcohol. "Heh heh, no tea today. That wild mountain tea doesn’t taste all that great, does it? But this wine is a true delicacy. It’s brewed by the Monkey Demons of Wolong Mountain. I have to steal a few jars every year."
He broke the seal on the earthen jar, and a fragrant aroma immediately wafted out.
Coarse bowls filled with emerald-green Jade Dew—it was truly a unique kind of pleasure.
The old man and the young man drained a bowl. "Seeing you, I’ve suddenly realized that Little Cheng has grown up too. Time really flies."
Mo Chen drank another bowl by himself. Wang Meng didn’t interrupt.
"Wang Meng, you’ve lived in a Cultivation Academy and survived being hunted by the Extreme Dao Alliance. For a Cultivator who hasn’t even reached Minor Perfection, that’s quite a rare experience."
"Old Mo, can I take that as a compliment?"
Mo Chen smiled faintly. "I suppose so. Our meeting was destined. I originally planned to live out the rest of my days here and let Little Cheng live the life of an ordinary person. But now I feel that would be unfair to her. She has great talent and deserves a more brilliant life. As for which path she takes in the future, that should be her own choice."
"You can’t trust the Star Alliance or the Extreme Dao Alliance, but you can’t entirely distrust them either. In other words, you have to borrow their power. Looking at the current situation, you should borrow the Star Alliance’s power to deal with the Extreme Dao Alliance."
"In my condition, what could I possibly borrow?"
"Heh, don’t sell yourself short. Your escape from the Five Elements Desert Space was no accident. From what you’ve told me, there might be a deeper connection at play. It’s hard to say anything about the person who saved you, but your dean, Lv Yuantian, is a suspicious character. There’s something you might not know: the Star Alliance is aware of the Extreme Dao Alliance’s existence. The Celestial Secret Sect is located right beneath the Five Elements Desert Space, a fact that surely hasn’t escaped them. Under these circumstances, what was Lv Yuantian’s intention in sending you all to the Five Elements Desert Space?"
Wang Meng was stunned. "I thought he was helping us hide from Hua Jianyu."
"Heh heh, look at it from another angle. If you were Lv Yuantian, an expert at the Great Perfection realm holding immense power, would you care so much about a single Holy Hall Disciple? Not unless there was something special about them."
Mo Chen stared intently at Wang Meng.
Wang Meng was completely baffled. "There doesn’t seem to be anything about me that he would need. And the Holy Hall isn’t one of the Ten Great Sects... It doesn’t seem like the Star Alliance would need to court the Holy Hall’s power."
Mo Chen shook his head. "The source of the problem lies with you. I can’t put my finger on it, but you give me a very special feeling. Perhaps you carry some kind of opportunity that you yourself are unaware of. If I can sense it, there’s no reason Lv Yuantian couldn’t."
Wang Meng had a sudden realization. ’They might be sensing the Godhood.’ "If he valued me, then why would Lv Yuantian send me to the Extreme Dao Alliance..." Wang Meng stopped, a look of disbelief on his face. "Could it be that Lv Yuantian is a member of the Extreme Dao Alliance???"
"Heh heh, maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. Or perhaps he’s just a double agent. The Extreme Dao Alliance and the Star Alliance have been infiltrating each other for a very, very long time. But none of that is the point!"
"The point is... survival!" Wang Meng declared.
Mo Chen clapped his hands. "Come! To survival! Bottoms up!"
CLINK...
"A Five Elements Body certainly can’t break through using normal methods. You need heavenly treasures to provide the strongest Elemental Power to stimulate your body’s potential. Since fate brought us together, I must help you overcome the trial of Minor Perfection!"
Though Mo Chen was old, he was brimming with heroic passion at that moment. His every move exuded a powerful aura.
It reminded Wang Meng of Xuee Zhongnan and the others, and even Lv Yuantian.
"Senior..."
"Don’t thank me. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. I’m not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. You have to agree to one condition."
"Please enlighten me, Senior."
"Heh heh, I’m old and not much use anymore. In the future, just repay this favor to Little Cheng."
"Senior, you and Little Cheng saved my life. I, Wang Meng, am not a scoundrel. As long as you have need of me..."
Mo Chen waved his hand. "Kid, you don’t have to thank everyone for everything. Just remember our agreement. The Dragon Cave is about to open. Since you want to do something, I’ll help you on your expedition there. We’ll see if you have the good fortune for it!"
"The Dragon Cave?"
"That’s right. It’s one of the Secret Realms. It opens once every hundred years, and each time, dying Giant Dragons go there. Heh. For the Giant Dragons, it is likely their final moments of peace. But for us Cultivators, it’s the best chance to strike it rich. People from all the Small Thousand Realms won’t pass up this opportunity."
Wang Meng, of course, knew the value of a Giant Dragon. Every part of its body was a treasure, and the Dragon Race had always been fond of hoarding. To call them walking treasure troves would be no exaggeration. A Dragon Cave where Giant Dragons were buried was practically a Treasure Vault within a Treasure Vault.
"Senior, if that’s the case, won’t the competition be incredibly fierce?"
"Heh heh, any Sect with even a bit of power won’t let this chance go."
Seeing the glint in Wang Meng’s eyes, Mo Chen couldn’t help but shake his head. "You’re not a greedy person, but you are a born adventurer. That’s not necessarily a good thing. Still, the essence of life is in the excitement. Otherwise, what’s the point of living a long time?"
"Senior, if we go, what about Little Cheng?"(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com and vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
