Nine Astra Skies

“Crack, crack, crack!”

Every golden egg was smashed by Ye Chen and the fluid inside flowed out.

Finally, these few dozen golden eggs had been smashed to pieces by Ye Chen.

“Master Lion, what are these golden eggs?” Ye Chen asked. The golden eggs looked like they were still a long way from hatching.

“When this Soul Pagoda opened and so many treasures appeared out of a sudden, I knew that something was not right. The appearance of these golden eggs confirms my speculation. If these golden eggs were to hatch, it’d grow into a special type of Spirit Beast and a catastrophe would ensue. Don’t even think that you can control a Spirit Beast. Spirit Beasts and mystical beasts are different. Spirit Beasts like to hunt and kill humans, Celestial Beasts, and mystical beasts. Generally, they can survive on a diet of plants, tree bark, and also mineral rocks yet their favorite food is the soul of humans, Celestial Beasts, and mystical beasts! Swallowing a soul allows them to evolve and become more powerful. When they go berserk, they wouldn’t care less whether or not you’re their master,” Master Lion explained with some trepidation.

Ye Chen nodded. He recalled that the Spirit Beasts had a Tianyuan ancient coin nestled inside their heads. Were these Spirit Beasts created by the people of Tianyuan Ancient City? Why did they create so many Spirit Beasts?

Looking at the smashed golden eggs, Ye Chen could not help but smile bitterly. He initially thought that the golden eggs were some treasure. Since the golden eggs were not treasure, then he would check out the purple light buried under the ground.

Ye Chen flew ahead.

At the same time, about fifty kilometers away from Ye Chen, a fierce battle was taking place.

A group of sixty over Mystique Rank masters were frantically slaying a swarm of mantis Spirit Beasts. Out of these sixty over Mystique Rank masters, there were some from the Temple of War, some from the Tribunal Council, and some from the bloodlines of ancient Beast Clans. All of them looked at the nest of golden eggs below with shining greed.

This nest of golden eggs looked like a great treasure in their eyes. They would not allow it to fall into someone else’s hands!

“Hurry up and grab those eggs!”

“Stop them!”

The group of them were snatching the golden eggs as they were killing the mantis Spirit Beasts. It was utter chaos.

“Got one!”

“I got one too!”

“Let’s go!”

Over twenty golden eggs were snatched up. As soon as they grabbed the eggs, they flew into the air.

A Mystique Adept master from the ancient Black Fire Leopard bloodline wrapped the egg inside a cloth and flew away with a few of his clansmen. He shifted into human form. He had dark skin. While he was not as tall as those from the Thunder Beast Clan, he had firm muscles and looked very strong. Their bodies were covered with black stripes. This was a unique trait of the Black Fire Leopard Clan.

The man was extremely curious about the golden egg in his arms, so he opened the outer cloth slightly and peeked inside. He saw the strange runic pattern on the golden egg and was puzzled. These runes seemed to contain a mysterious power. As he stared at the runic seal, he felt like the runes on the golden egg were twisting.

What was happening? The man looked at the runes, no longer able to shift his eyes away. The runes appeared to contain a strange sucking force as if it was trying to suck in his Psyche.

An idea formed in the man’s head. He would use his Psyche to investigate what was inside this golden egg. Thus, he extended his Psyche into the egg. Suddenly, he let out an ear splitting cry and his entire body plunged toward the ground.

“What’s happening?” The man’s clansmen, upon seeing what had happened, quickly caught him and the golden egg. However, the man was already unconscious and his Psyche was inexplicably weak. He was on the brink of death.

They exchanged a look. Carefully, they rewrapped the cloth around the golden egg and headed for the way they came from.

“Send this golden egg back first!”

“Let’s go!”

Ye Chen landed on a shallow slope and probed with his Astral Body. He found that the purple light inside the ground did not dim at all. So, he began to dig on the side of the small hill. When he dug up a big hole, a purple armor came into view. He wiped off the dirt on its surface and the purple armor shined brilliantly.

The purple armor consisted only of a breastplate, just enough to protect the chest. It seemed to be made out of some sort of gemstone. The entire armor was covered with mysterious line patterns. Light traveled across it, causing the armor to flash continuously.

“It’s the Purple Demon Armor. Although it’s incomplete, there’s only the breastplate but the value of this breastplate is no less than the Storm Sword in your hand!” Master Lion said in astonishment.

“Purple Demon Armor. Just one breastplate is equivalent to the Storm Sword, is this thing so valuable?”

“Of course. Use the Storm Sword to cut it and you’ll find out.”

“This thing is too flashy to wear on the outside, looks like it can only be worn underneath!” Ye Chen looked over it. Wearing this shiny purple breastplate over his clothes was just too weird!

“You don’t understand. The Purple Eye Clan is composed of the greatest geniuses. The most outstanding blacksmiths in history came from the Purple Eye Clan!” Master Lion beamed. “This Purple Demon Armor should be a Tier Eight item. It seems to have no owner yet. You need to drip your blood on the Purple Demon Armor.”

Why did these treasures always require blood to recognize their owners? Ye Chen was a little flabbergasted. He bit his finger and squeezed out a drop of blood.

“Drip”.

When that drop of blood landed on the Purple Demon Armor, the blood turned into a network of human blood vessels and flowed across the entire armor. The next moment, the Purple Demon Armor let out a dazzling purple ray and lit up the sky.

Somewhere in Ye Chen’s consciousness, the armor appeared. He looked down and saw that the Purple Demon Armor in his hand had disappeared.

“During a battle, you can summon the Purple Demon Armor at any time. This Purple Demon Armor can help you withstand the full impact of Daemon King or Godly Venerable opponent. Sadly, this is only the breastplate. The entire Purple Demon Armor is made of seven components. It’s a signature item of the Purple Eye Clan. Back then, a large number was produced by the Purple Eye Clan, but I don’t know how many of them have been passed down.”

“Such a powerful armor can be produced in bulk?” Ye Chen was taken aback.

“Of course. There are a lot more things you have never seen,” Master Lion declared proudly.

That was natural. Considering Ye Chen’s age, his experience was certainly not as vast as Master Lion’s.

“This Purple Demon Armor is only equivalent to a Tier Eight treasure and there’s only one component, so the effects are much less impressive. You should see the super Purple Demon Armors made by some of the master blacksmiths of the Purple Eye Clan, those are truly eye-opening to behold. A Tier Nine Purple Demon Armor can completely defend against the attacks of a Boundless Stage powerhouse. Furthermore, there are Human Tier, Earthly Tier or Heavenly Tier armors!”

Wow, a Tier Nine Purple Demon Armor could withstand a Boundless Stage powerhouse! In that case, the Human Tier, Earthly Tier, and Heavenly Tier Purple Demon Armors must be unimaginably strong!

“According to legends, the Heavenly Tier Purple Demon Armor could even increase in strength according to its master’s abilities. It’s truly a masterpiece. Other than the Purple Demon Armor, they also created several powerful items. Unfortunately, during my time, the master blacksmiths of the Purple Eye Clan had disappeared one after another.”

“However, I must say that the structure of the human brain is completely different from mystical beasts. Although the mystical beasts’ lifespans are ten times longer than humans, our cultivation rate is ten times slower than you. The Purple-fire Astra Lion Clan, for example, reaches Daemon King Rank as soon as we’re born. Upon adulthood, most of us would’ve achieved Grand Supreme Stage. However, to advance a single step beyond that is as difficult as overcoming the heavens. We’re unable to break through the limitations of our bloodline and are required to cultivate ourselves for long periods. Some of the talented humans, on the other hand, can achieve one breakthrough after another. This is why, although there are a lot of mystical beasts, the most powerful contender is always human.”

“Another example is blacksmithing. You humans’ skill and craftsmanship have reached the apex of the art, yet the Celestial Beasts and mystical beasts have not even mastered the basics of iron forging.”

The strongest edge that humans possessed was the ability to wield and create tools!

With a flick of Ye Chen’s consciousness, the Purple Demon Armor appeared on his body. Another flick, the Purple Demon Armor disappeared. It was truly extraordinary. How did the Purple Eye Clan manage to create such a magical armor?

Ye Chen considered the Flying Dagger in his head. This Flying Dagger had always existed within his consciousness. Was it created like the Purple Demon Armor and could be summoned with just his thought?

Ye Chen tried a few times to summon the Flying Dagger but it did not work.

It appeared to be impossible but Ye Chen was not sure what the problem was.

Ye Chen could only investigate this matter on a later date.

Ye Chen retracted the Purple Demon Armor. This Purple Demon Armor consisted of seven components. Only when combined into a set, it would be complete!

At this moment, Ye Chen realized that dozens of Mystique Venerable masters were heading toward him.

“The blue light came from here!”

“It must be a premium treasure!”

They surrounded the area. Looking at the slightly dazed Ye Chen standing by the hill as well as the deep hole in the ground beside him, the Mystique Venerable masters’ eyes turned sharp. This young man must have kept the treasure.

“Hey, kid, we’re from the Tribunal Council. Hand over the treasure and we’ll spare your life!” A bald middle-aged man growled. He was a top Mystique Venerable Rank master. Beside him stood seven people, all of them were Mystique Rank masters as well. He was the leader of this team.

Next to the bald middle-age man, a young man pointed at Ye Chen with a fiery gaze. He shouted angrily, “It’s you! Big Brother Huyan, don’t waste your time, kill him!” Qi Nan did not think that he would meet Ye Chen again in this place. The memory of being hunted down by sea monsters gave him a strong urge to murder someone.

Ye Chen looked at the man. His expression turned cold. This was one of the two men he had encountered on the battleship on the island. Lin Qiu was already dead. Ye Chen did not expect that this man had managed to escape the sea monsters’ pursuit and survived.

“Do you know him?” Huyan Ling’s triangular eyes glanced around their surroundings. Nearby, besides the Tribunal Council, there were more than a dozen other Mystique Rank masters. Three of them were from the Thunder Beast Clan whereas the remainder came from various royal families, sects, martial art families, and even a few combatants of unknown origins. If they, too, tried to snatch the treasure, there would be complete chaos!