However, after Xiao Chen grabbed its tail and refused to let it go, it could not do anything. Xiao Chen swung the Black Rock Crocodile to the ground, not giving it a chance to move at all.
The Black Rock Crocodile let out a horrifying shriek, rumbling endlessly. Everyone watched as Xiao Chen twirled the Black Rock Crocodile around like a whip.
For some reason, sympathy welled up in everyone's heart. That Black Rock Crocodile was really unlucky.
After a long time, the Black Rock Crocodile's shrieks grew softer and softer. Finally, there was no sound. Suddenly, Xiao Chen felt the Black Rock Crocodile's hard tail loosen.
A group of previous true inheritors exclaimed, "What a freak." They quickly flew over to take a look. They saw that the Black Rock Crocodile was badly mangled, no different from mud.
If they had not seen it before, they would not have been able to tell that this was a Rank 2 Astral Beast, the Black Rock Crocodile. It was as strong as an Inferior Grade Martial Sage.
When Cui Hao flew over, he was speechless. An Astral Beast actually died just like that. He smiled bitterly and said, "Xiao Chen, go and see if there is an Astral Core."
Any Astral Beast could fly freely in the Starry Heavens. By absorbing the energy of the universe, they had a chance of producing an extremely precious energy crystal core — an Astral Core.
Xiao Chen scanned the pile of flesh and blood with his Spiritual Sense twice. Then, he discovered a crystal core with extremely dense energy. Joy appeared on his face as he stretched out his hand.
A suction came out, and a white Astral Core appeared in Xiao Chen's hand.
The eyes of the others lit up, revealing envious expressions. They said, "Unexpectedly, an Astral Core appeared. This Xiao Chen is really lucky. Although the white Astral Core is an inferior Inferior Grade Astral Core, it is more than enough to sell for a few thousand Black Astral Coins."
When Xiao Chen heard the discussions of the surrounding people, he carefully put away the Astral Core. He asked, "Black Astral Coins? Cui Hao, what is a Black Astral Coin? "
Cui Hao also had a somewhat envious expression in his eyes. He explained, "Black Astral Coins are essentially the same as Astral Coins. However, they contain denser Astral Iron and are worth even more. All the large trading centers in the starry heavens use Black Astral Coins for transactions."
"However, your luck is really good. The chances of an Astral Core appearing in a Rank 2 Astral Beast and below are pitifully low. This Black Rock Crocodile is just an ordinary Rank 2 Astral Beast."
As soon as they set off, Xiao Chen already had such a harvest. For the rest of the journey, the true inheritors of the previous batches all rubbed their eyes and searched for hidden Astral Beasts.
He managed to find several Astral Beasts. After a few battles, he managed to kill quite a few Astral Beasts. However, none of them had condensed an Astral Core.
Upon seeing this, the Vice-Hall Master smiled without saying a word. Along the way, he was like a spectator, neither pointing out the hidden Astral Beasts nor lending a helping hand.
He allowed the group of disciples to freely fight the Astral Beast.
The unknown black lava flowed downstream in the riverbed. From time to time, bubbles would appear and float out. When the bubbles burst, there would be violent explosions.
The entire riverbed was covered in such bubbles. A heavy smell of sulfur spread in the air, making everyone frown.
This river was the Black Water River that Xiao Chen and the others saw in the distance. What flowed in this river was not water but this somewhat disgusting lava filled with intense energy.
The group of fifty killed all sorts of Astral Beasts along the way and finally arrived at the riverbank. When they saw this scene, they were not very surprised.
After all, anything could happen in the boundless starry heavens. A river flowing with black lava was not something strange or incomprehensible.
The Vice-Hall Master looked around before fixing his gaze on the black forest on the other side of the river.
"Xiao Chen, Cui Hao, I'll leave this place to you. I'll make a trip to the forest and be back soon."
After saying that, his figure gently drifted over the wide black river and headed for the black forest, slowly disappearing from everyone's sight.
Clearly, this was not Cui Hao's first time dealing with this matter. After giving some instructions to his fellow disciples, he returned.
Along the way, the group had not fought many battles. However, they were still somewhat fatigued. So they closed their eyes to rest or chatted idly. Their tones were filled with anticipation.
Xiao Chen looked at the black forest. If he did not guess wrong, the Vice-Hall Master should have gone in to hunt Astral Beasts of Rank 3 and above.
The Vice-Hall Master left only Astral Beasts of Rank 2 and below. Then, he let the group of people in and left them alone.
Based on the fact that the Vice-Hall Master did not run into any Rank 3 Astral Beasts along the way, it was easy to figure this out.
Indeed, not long later, sharp roars came from that black forest. Clearly, an intense battle was taking place.
"When we enter that black forest tomorrow, we should fight on our own," Cui Hao said as he tossed out a flask of wine, sitting across from Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen caught the flask of wine and took a swig. Then, he asked, "How long have you been in the Heavenly Battle Palace? It looks like you are already very familiar with this experiential training."
Cui Hao took a sip of wine and smiled somewhat disappointedly. "It has been about ten years. The experiential training is usually like this. They hunt down Astral Beasts that can kill us in an instant. Then, they scatter us and toss us in to fight on our own."
Ten years sounded like a long period of time, but in Cui Hao's eyes, he didn't see many traces of time.
Given Cui Hao's talent, he could definitely advance to Martial Sage before the age of fifty. After advancing to Martial Sage, his lifespan would increase to five hundred years.
Ten years was indeed nothing in the long years that followed. However, at this moment, Cui Hao's expression appeared somewhat gloomy, looking very lonely.
"Xiao Chen, what is the Tianwu Domain like now? Have you heard of these people?"
Suddenly, Cui Hao changed the topic, asking a question that had nothing to do with the experiential training. He mentioned several names, asking if Xiao Chen knew them.
Every time Cui Hao mentioned a name, Xiao Chen would shake his head, indicating that he had not heard of them. When Cui Hao heard that, the originally gloomy expression in his eyes turned even more sorrowful.
Only when Cui Hao mentioned a name did Xiao Chen answer, "An Junxi. This person is very incredible now. He fought to a draw with the Divine Martial Gate's Feng Wuji and became the new Holy Scion of the Tianwu Domain. He is now the most famous demonic genius."
When Cui Hao heard this, he was stunned at first. Then, he burst out laughing. He laughed somewhat crazily. He took a big gulp of wine and said, "The waves of the river are endless. Ten years ago, the glorious and brilliant young talents were unrivaled. I did not expect that ten years later, no one would know of them.
Xiao Chen suddenly understood. It looked like the names that Cui Hao mentioned were incredible people back then, comparable to the seven giants of today. They were all glorious and famous.
Unfortunately, the age of geniuses had arrived. These names, which could have been passed down for generations, were overshadowed by the radiance of the later generations. The more tragic ones became the stepping stones for others.
During ordinary times, becoming a half-Sage at the age of thirty was already a startling matter. However, in this age of geniuses, they were just ordinary geniuses, unable to cause any ripples.
Of the seven giants, which one of them did not become a half-Sage before the age of thirty? They killed the older-generation half-Sage evil cultivators like they were pigs or dogs.
Although they were full of lofty sentiments and lofty aspirations, the waves at the front did not have the time to express their aspirations before they were smashed to death by the waves at the back on the beach.
Furthermore, it was the kind of ruthless stride that surpassed them, leaving them so far behind that their backs could not be seen.
The peak of the age of geniuses only regretted being born at the wrong time, coming too early. To the cultivators who pursued the Great Dao for thousands of years, this was truly a kind of sorrow.
Outsiders would not be able to understand that sorrow.
"An Junxi! An Junxi! Ten years ago, that brat could not even last a hundred moves against me. Now, even the mythical Holy Son cannot subdue him."
After Cui Hao finished the wine in the flask, he poured it a few times. When he discovered that there was no water left, he casually tossed the wine flask into the surging black water. With a 'bang,' it shattered into pieces.
Xiao Chen remained silent. No wonder Cui Hao lost his composure when he heard that An Junxi had such accomplishments. It turned out that there was such a secret behind it.
Cui Hao glanced at the previous true inheritors not far away, resting with their eyes closed. He said, "Xiao Chen, did you know? If nothing unexpected happens, most of the people in the Heavenly Battle Palace will advance to Martial Sage before the age of one hundred.
"In ordinary times, becoming a Martial Sage before the age of one hundred might not be considered an absolute genius, but they will definitely become an overlord. After entering the Heavenly Battle Palace, these people all have all sorts of dreams in their hearts. However, you came and shattered all these dreams. "
Feeling suspicious, Xiao Chen asked, "Me?"
"Actually, I have to thank you for coming early. Otherwise, if a large group of people came, it would have been even more unbearable.
"Although they have always been in the Heavenly Battle Palace, they know a little about the age of geniuses. They more or less guessed the ending. Your arrival only woke them up," Cui Hao said in a somewhat sullen voice.
Cui Hao said in a low voice. Although he was talking about them, whether he admitted it or not, he, Cui Hao, was indeed one of the people who had been beaten awake.
This time, the two chatted for a long time. Cui Hao talked about the geniuses and outstanding talents of his generation, the names of those who had been outstanding in their time.
Xiao Chen also talked about the current Tianwu Domain, about the seven giants who were undefeatable, about the demonic geniuses like the Sovereign Noble Clan's Yan Shisan, and about the various outstanding talents of the Tianwu Domain.
In the end, Cui Hao drank too much and slowly fell asleep, leaving only Xiao Chen to talk.
Xiao Chen spoke of his own story, his experiences along the way. He recalled many things and remembered many people's names.
These names were once famous existences in the Sky Dome Realm. Now, no one knew where they were. No one knew if they would rise up again one day.
Toward the end, Xiao Chen suddenly understood something. The problem that perplexed him not long ago suddenly became clear.
For the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation to break through from the sixth layer to the seventh layer, one had to undergo a Lightning Tribulation and a Heart Tribulation. Furthermore, if one was not careful, one would die, turning into ashes.
At that time, Xiao Chen was indeed afraid. He was afraid of losing. He was afraid that after he died, he would have nothing. He was afraid that the fame that he had worked so hard for would be gone in an instant.
Xiao Chen thought too highly of himself. He worried that after he turned into dust, he would be forgotten by the later generations. Hence, he felt afraid.
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