Maiden Galaxy

Chapter 97: Black Crystal Centipede

A copper-nickel arrow was fired, drawing a white arc of light, shooting straight into a pile of vines a hundred meters away in the cave. There was a squeal. A field mouse had been shot through.

"Your Highness, nicely done."

Xi Wu was a bit astonished, applauding in praise.

Little Sister Xi Wen also was impressed: "To be able to control the Black Raptor Breathing's quintessence in such a short time, Your Highness is truly a genius."

Just now, Chen Mo tested the Black Raptor Breathing, locking his breathing onto a little field mouse inside the cavern. The mouse scuttled through the vines. Even though it escaped the range of a warrior's sight and hearing, he was able to perceive the traces of its breath through the air. This was a very good technique to use in tracking a person. Of course, the warrior he locked onto could not have too powerful a cultivation, otherwise may be detected instead and sustain serious injury.

Chen Mo patted off his hands, stowing his weapon.

The Xi Siblings wanted to say something but hesitated.

"I learned a bit of the Powerful Brown Bear Bow Arts before in Azure Dragon Town. I had to polish some of it myself." Chen Mo knew what they were skeptical about.

The respect in the siblings' eyes immediately gushed like the Yellow River. Just a bit of polish was able to compare against the archery they had honed since they were little. This Highness was simply a genius. What legendary cripple was this, that was utterly ridiculous.

"You two said you wanted to follow me?" Chen Mo asked.

"Of course." The Xi Siblings confidently said. With a cultivation as high as Big Brother's or Chen Mo's, the Siblings could not keep up. The talent Chen Mo exhibited right now was perhaps even more formidable than their Big Brother. The pair sincerely acknowledged allegiance to Chen Mo.

"However, I don't want a crowd of trash following me. Go obtain Chuan Province's jinshi¹ first." Chen Mo interrupted.

The siblings were taken aback.

"What? Can't do it?" Chen Mo seemingly smiled.

"Do you want us to obtain jinshi?" Xi Wu asked.

Xi Wen added: "Your Highness' meaning is that you don't want our tokens?"

Chen Mo nodded matter-of-factly. This assessment required one to gather ten tokens. To him, this was not a problem at all. Chen Mo's objective was to obtain that Crystal Grass outside the forbiddance, to enter the court examination as Chuan Province's first place candidate. Furthermore, since the siblings wanted to follow him, he of course needed to test them. In the future, if they reached the court examination in Chang'an, they would be monitored together.

"Many thanks, Your Highness." The siblings gratefully said. They also placed great importance on this Divine Warrior Examination. Originally, they thought they would lose their chance having lost to Chen Mo. They did not expect him to be so good with words. In an instant, they had even more unswerving admiration for Chen Mo.

Chen Mo used the Clear Breeze Bright Moon Escape, moving towards the forbidden zone in the cave. Seeing his body techniques move like a cool wind, suspended like a bright moon, floating about lithely, the two were astonished.

"This body technique is not a normal martial learning." Xi Wu exclaimed.

"It should be a special ability of some sort." Martial learning was only a change in style, but an ability was exceptional, able to come and go from hell, unpredictable and brilliant. Only True Qi warriors were capable of using it. Of course, high-quality abilities and chants were very rare.

"Okay, Little Sister, don't be lovestruck."

Xi Wu unhappily said to his still staring little sister.

"Big Brother, His Highness Chen Mo is even more outstanding than we imagined." Xi Wen gently smiled. "I originally thought that Hanshan's question to Shide was a fluke. Now, it seems his ability is real."

"Only those who have tempered themselves through trials can have even brighter understanding of the hardships and true essence of the path of martial arts." Xi Wu nodded. "We must also work hard. We cannot fail His Highness Chen Mo's expectations. With His Highness' talents, perhaps his future cultivation will advance very quickly." They also knew about the rumor regarding Chen Mo's meteoric rise in three months. They did not believe it before, feeling it overexaggerated.

"Yes." Xi Wen earnestly nodded.

The siblings naturally did not hold extravagant hopes of going to that forbiddance to pick Crystal Grass. However, helping obstruct those with evil intentions for His Highness Chen Mo was nevertheless easily in their grasp. The pair glanced around, noticing that the breaths of warriors had already appeared in the surroundings. They raised their bow and crossbow, immediately blending into the vines.

…

Bang.

Countless arrows shot out from the walls. Chen Mo dodged left and right, and a sculpture on one side suddenly spurt out a burst of raging flame. After a while, Chen Mo finally made a harrowing escape from those mechanisms.

Due to the long passage of time, the mechanisms were in enormous disrepair. They posed no threat whatsoever to a Three Flowers warrior.

As he rushed through the mechanisms, Chen Mo encountered several juren, however, there was no time to greet them. These juren were flying quickly away in an escape. Chen Mo's fame aside, he was first place on the Mind Trial. No one wanted to be his enemy. They only needed to be one of the top ten.

However, along the way, he saw several dead juren, all dead by a single strike.

Just like this, he infiltrated deep into the labyrinth smoothly. The dim candleflames in the surroundings from before had become even more dark. In front, a bright light suddenly appeared, crystalline as ice, bright like a will-o-the-wisp.

This should be this Martial Trial's greatest assessment, the Crystal Flower.

Chen Mo looked around, not hearing any sounds. That Crystal Flower in the darkness was abnormally brilliant, like a lantern.

Something's off.

Since one could become Chuan Province's first place candidate by obtaining the Crystal Flower, obtaining it could not be as easy as this. And in the past, the warriors who obtained the Crystal Flower were too few in number.

Is there a trap?

Chen Mo restrained his impulses and hid in the darkness, watching that Crystal Flower intently.

Exercising the Divine Hawk Eyesight to its limit, it was a pity the place was too dim. He could not see clearly. That lone shining Crystal Flower was especially glaring.

Chen MO maintained a steady mentality, sitting cross-legged in a corner, activating the Black Raptor Breathing, lying in wait.

A long while afterwards.

Finally, he heard a soft sound in the darkness.

A young warrior walked out from another corridor. This young man cautiously stuck next to the wall. When he spotted that Crystal Flower, he was wild with joy, dashing over. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped. Thinking like Chen Mo, he then had some trepidation about this Crystal Flower.

Consequently, he also craftily hid in the vines, staring at that Crystal Flower without turning his gaze.

It seemed he also apparently wanted to wait for a warrior to go test it.

The two of them waited patiently just like this.

Another moment passed, and with no other warriors coming, the youth finally could not stand waiting any longer. He took a deep breath, arched his back, and stepped forward extremely carefully.

He tiptoed towards the Crystal Flower, attentively monitoring the surroundings to determine there were no traps of any kind. This young man even picked up a few rocks and hurled them towards the Crystal Flower. Hearing the rocks clatter against the cave wall and let out clear noises, he finally dared to approach.

Afraid there would be a sudden change, the young man very quickly drew near the Crystal Flower.

Chen Mo wrinkled his brow.

Don't tell me the Crystal Flower really is this simple?

The young man drew a dagger Star Weapon, acting like lightning, slashing at the Crystal Flower. When the dagger attacked, the youth's expression was elated. Then, he heard a metallic clang and saw sparks fly.

The young man was stunned and discovered his dagger seemed to have cut into an iron plate.

Huh?

The young man's eyes widened, and he took out a Lantern Stone.

Just at this moment, a rustling sound came from the wall. The empty wall sprang to life, contorting, revealing hundreds of legs.

The young man turned pale with fright.

The Crystal Flower suddenly moved at this moment, uprooted from the wall and floating into the air. No, no, it should not be described as floating, rather, it was a massive centipede that came to life and separated from the wall.

This centipede used the cave wall as camouflage, blending in with it. Even the Divine Hawk Eyesight was unable to perceive any openings, and that so-called Crystal Flower was merely a lure on the centipede's head that enticed people. When the youth got close, this centipede immediately rid itself of the disguise, spitting out frigid air. That Crystal Flower fired a ray of light.

The youth put forth all his power to resist, but when the cold light fired, all of his skin became ice. The centipede then pounced, its hundred legs wrapping around the youth's cranium, each one stabbing into his skin like sharp swords. The warrior screamed, but he was too late to even scream before he ceased to draw breath. 

This hunt lasted no longer than an instant. An Essence Flower warrior had been killed by the centipede in a flash.

Its speed and attack method took even Chen Mo by surprise.

Fuck.

If he had gone just now, he would perhaps have been in danger.

Looking carefully, Chen Mo recognized this centipede's background.

A body with a hundred feet, every inch as abstruse as black ice. He could clearly see its blood vessels and organs. When it lay against the cave wall, its body was able to blend perfectly with the surrounding scenery, not showing the slightest deviation. Even a Three Flowers warrior would be in great danger.

Astonishingly, it was a high rank Demon Bug, the Black Crystal Centipede.

1. 進士, basically means that they passed. ↩

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