Chapter 1496
Chapter 1496 (Raw 1476):
Back on Heavenly Star Island, after the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign left, the other honored guests took their leave as well.
Given the commotion and Xiao Chen's severe injuries, he clearly could not speak about the Dao. However, this commotion gave everyone an objective view of Xiao Chen's strength.
When these people left, many of them left behind their treasured panaceas for treating injuries for Xiao Chen to express their concern. This could be considered as them taking a side.
However, right now, Xiao Chen was in no mood to bother about these minor matters. The three palm strikes of the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign allowed him to see the actual distance between himself and a Prime.
This was especially so for the last saber strike, when he reversed time and traveled to the past.
In the end, this peak saber strike landed on the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign's face and left only a small saber wound. Thinking about it was heartbreaking for Xiao Chen.
He had traveled to the past and damaged his own body only to obtain such a result. He could not help feeling like he had lost out.
After the remaining Primes checked on Xiao Chen's injuries and found that he was not fatally injured, they took their leave.
With Xiao Chen's current cultivation, he could recover very quickly from anything short of lethal damage, with the aid of medicine and his physical body.
Hence, there was no need to worry too much. Most of the Primes left; only Ying Zongtian remained behind.
"Big Brother Ying, there is no need to worry. I will recover quickly with a period of recuperation," Xiao Chen said as he stood up.
Ying Zongtian smiled and said, "Are you chasing me away? Originally, I came here to deliver something to you. Now, it looks like I'd better keep it for myself."
"What thing?" Xiao Chen asked out of curiosity.
"The Martial God Medallion, the Martial God Medallion that the Thunder Sovereign gave me, the Martial God Medallion that allows one to command the entire Martial God Palace," Ying Zongtian said seriously, enunciating every word and placing heavy emphasis on them.
When Xiao Chen heard that, he was stunned. The Dragon's Gate Elders by his side were also startled.
Clearly, they had not imagined that Ying Zontian would want to pass the Martial God Medallion to Xiao Chen.
"There is no need to worry. I have changed my mind. You are already under enough pressure. If I put more on you, it will not be good. Just properly recuperate from your injuries."
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly and said, "I really did not expect Big Brother to think so highly of me. However, I do not intend to manage the Martial God Palace. Even so, if the Martial God Palace needs help, I'll be the first one there."
Ying Zongtian revealed a gratified expression and nodded. Then, he said, "You probably gained a lot from the confrontation with the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign. I'll remain on Heavenly Star Island for the duration. If you need to, you can come over at any time to ask questions."
Xiao Chen's eyes lit up with joy. "Many thanks, Big Brother Ying. After I have recovered, I will definitely come over and seek your advice."
"Haha! Good, I'll be waiting." Ying Zongtian agreed without hesitation as he laughed loudly.
Having an exchange with the current Xiao Chen was exactly what Ying Zongtian wanted.
---
Three days later:
Xiao Chen was alone at the summit of Dragon's Gate Mountain.
He had withstood three palm strikes from the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign and even forced the other party to make an oath. To others, this was something very incredible, ruthlessly shaving off the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign's spirit.
However, the bitterness Xiao Chen felt was indescribable.
He was very clear on what exactly the distance between him and the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign was. Simply put, it was cultivation.
The other party's cultivation was much higher than Xiao Chen's. However, he could not improve any further; there was no space for him to do so.
As long as the Emperor's Door in his Heart of an Emperor did not open, his cultivation could not increase.
Xiao Chen stood up and looked at the clouds around the summit. He muttered to himself, "Could it be that my cultivation will stagnate for the rest of my life, unable to improve any further?"
This was truly tragic. If Xiao Chen's cultivation could not grow, even with another hundred years, he would not be a match for the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign.
That day, when Xiao Chen received the second palm strike from the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign, he understood that he was no weaker than the other party in terms of Martial Techniques. With sufficient cultivation, he could have received the blow easily.
Unfortunately, the other party overwhelmed technique with strength. No matter what Xiao Chen did, he could not avoid the force of that palm strike entirely.
As for the third palm strike, managing to receive it was completely a stroke of luck. At the last moment, Xiao Chen's Great Dao Energy erupted at full force. Only then was he able to break through the time and space around the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign.
If not for disrupting the other party's rhythm in the past, with the might of that third palm strike, Xiao Chen would have died without a doubt.
"Whoosh!"
A sonic boom rang out. Suddenly, a person appeared beside Xiao Chen. Without needing to guess, Xiao Chen already knew who it was.
For someone to arrive silently before Xiao Chen, taking him by surprise, it naturally had to be Ying Zongtian; there was no other possibility.
"What's wrong, Little Brother Xiao Chen? Are you still feeling vexed over that day's battle?" Ying Zongtian asked soothingly as he smiled and patted Xiao Chen's shoulder.
Xiao Chen nodded and sighed softly, "I feel that I truly hit a bottleneck. Furthermore, I am unable to see any hope of defeating the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign."
Ying Zongtian was not surprised. Many of the Ninth Heaven Martial Emperors of the Kunlun Realm who could not break through to Prime ended up like Xiao Chen.
While there was clearly still more in front, the path was blocked off. Their cultivation stagnated, unable to advance.
No matter how much effort one put in, one could not progress. It was not because of their bodies but because there was nothing further in this Kunlun Realm.
Even if one was one of the fortunate existences—one of those one-in-ten-thousands who managed to advance to Prime—one would quickly reach this bottleneck as well.
This was the grief that all the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm faced. This was the indescribable grief of all the cultivators born in this abandoned land.
Ying Zongtian withdrew his smile and sighed, "Now you understand what I was talking about back then, right?"
Back then, after Ying Zongtian discovered Xiao Chen's identity, he immediately chose to support Xiao Chen.
It was because he thought highly of him, believing that he could surpass Prime. At that time, he was like the current Xiao Chen, full of grief but completely helpless.
"I do. I remember Big Brother's words like it just happened yesterday. I ask heaven, is there Martial God after Prime?!"
Xiao Chen thought about the past and sighed with sorrow. Unexpectedly, in a few short years, he ran into the same troubles as Ying Zongtian did.
Ying Zongtian's handsome face revealed a grave expression. He sighed softly and said, "Martial God? How distant. Perhaps this Martial God is just our own delusion. We are mere frogs in a well, thinking that the world is only so big."
"Big Brother Ying, why the need to be so pessimistic?" Xiao Chen consoled.
Ying Zongtian smiled and said, "Let's not talk about this. You've already recovered from your injuries, right? I'm here today to tell you that the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign is not as difficult to defeat as you think. Actually, I hope that you do not take him as your target to reach."
Xiao Chen showed a startled expression. This was really surprising. "Why?"
"You must feel like you ended up in a very sorry state in the exchange three days ago. However, he is, in fact, the one in a worse state. He is merely a pitiful worm. So what if he is the strongest in the Kunlun Realm? After leaving this abandoned land, what would he count for?"
Ying Zongtian revealed a mocking expression as he continued, "Don't use him as your target. He is just a coward that does not dare to walk the Kunlun Road. The distance between the two of you is not as big as you think."
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly and said, "But, right now, I have no way to advance my cultivation—"
Ying Zongtian interrupted Xiao Chen, asking, "How many strands of Primordial Energy do you think I have?"
"Rumor has it that a Prime has more than ten thousand strands of Primordial Energy."
Ying Zongtian guffawed when he heard this. "What nonsense! If I really had so many, do you think this body of mine would be able to take it?"
"This…"
This rebuttal stunned Xiao Chen. He truly never considered this problem. If a body could gather so much Primordial Energy, how strong would the physical body have to be?
"I'll tell you this, the number of strands of Primordial Energy a Prime has is the same as yours—only one thousand strands!"
Ying Zongtian continued, "A Ninth Heaven Martial Emperor has only nine hundred strands of Primordial Energy, but you have one thousand. The moment you jumped off the Emperor's Road back then, you already broke the shackles on your body."
Feeling confused, Xiao Chen asked, "Then, why do I feel that the energy of my body still has an enormous disparity with the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign's? Could it be a misperception?"
"It is not a misperception; it's real. Your state of cycle can support your Primordial Energy. The Great Dao you comprehended can also do that and increase the might of your Primordial Energy."
At this point, Ying Zongtian crossed his arms and looked at Xiao Chen. "However, you never thought that the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign's power of faith and will of divine light can support his Primordial Energy as well."
When Xiao Chen heard this, it felt like a smack on the head with a stick. He was suddenly enlightened, and everything became clear.