Martial Peak Chapter 1868 - Earth Vein Crystal and Dragon Scale

Chapter 1868, Earth Vein Crystal and Dragon Scale
Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain &Dhael Ligerkeys
The harvest was huge, but Yang Kai still had not found what he needed.
However, he was not in a hurry and instead calmly cast his gaze on a few boxes which were placed in the most inconspicuous corner.
There were a total of three boxes over there, arranged one by one. If his guess was not wrong, the Star Emperor Token should be hidden in one of these boxes.
The Star Emperor Token was related to the key he needed to enter the Star Boundary and seek a higher Martial Dao, so Yang Kai naturally cared very much about it.
As of now, he had collected six of the nine tokens, and with the one from Purple Star, that would make seven, leaving just two more to gather before he could open the passage to the Star Boundary.
This was why he had put in so much effort here on Purple Star.
When he came to the three boxes, Yang Kai examined them for a while to confirm there were no barriers protecting them before reaching out and opening the first.
Inside this box there was something that resembled a crystal.
Yang Kai soon showed a weird look on his face as even after carefully investigating this crystal, he was unable to determine what it was. This crystal was round, pure, and flawless, while somewhat resembling a Saint Crystal.
However, it was definitely not a Saint Crystal.
A single piece of Saint Crystal could never have been preserved inside Purple Star’s Vault.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and picked up this round crystal from the box but after lifting it up, his expression only became stranger as he found no discernable energy fluctuations coming from it at all, almost as if it was just a useless decoration.
When he probed it with his Divine Sense though, his face abruptly changed as he whispered in amazement, “this powerful?”
At that moment, he felt an unimaginably mass of energy inside this unremarkable crystal!
This energy was vast like an ocean, and when Yang Kai poured his Divine Sense into it, he was stunned to discover that he simply could not estimate its total amount, as if it was endless, causing his heart to pound slightly.
“Is it really some kind of Saint Crystal?” Yang Kai was a little unsure as he could feel that the energy contained in this crystal had no impurities and could be easily absorbed and refined by a cultivator. This thing could absolutely be used as an auxiliary to cultivate, just like a Saint Crystal, but how could any Saint Crystals possess such powerful energy?
Yang Kai tried circulating his Secret Art to absorb the energy inside the crystal and found the process was incomparably smooth, the energy simply flowing into his meridians from his palm without resistance.
Yang Kai immediately felt refreshed, as if he was being enveloped by this massive warm energy.
After only a moment of absorption, Yang Kai found that he had taken in a few hundred Saint Crystals worth of energy, but this round crystal actually showed no signs of change, as if the energy it contained was limitless.
“Is this an Earth Vein Crystal?” Yang Kai suddenly remembered a rumour he had once heard, and his eyes lit up.
Earth Veins were the results of massive amounts of World Energy accumulating and solidifying underground over eons of time. Earth Veins could not be moved or transferred and where one existed, the ambient World Energy would generally be richer. Great forces would try to build their headquarters on top of Earth Veins so their disciples could have better cultivation environments.
The more powerful the Sect was, the more it tried to occupy an excellent Earth Vein.
Earth Veins were divided into three grades, with the most inferior type being quite common. Beneath every Spirit Mountain and River, there would be at least one Low-Grade Earth Vein. Mid-Grade Earth Veins, however, were few and far between, with High-Grade ones being extremely rare.
Below High Heaven Sect, there was a highest of High-Grade Earth Vein, which was why its ambient World Energy was so rich.
Earth Veins were not just divided by grade, but also by size. Some Earth Veins occupied vast areas while some only extended a few kilometers, every size was possible.
Legend had it though that in the highest quality Earth Veins, where World Energy had gathered in one place for many, many years, a crystal core could form, an Earth Vein Crystal!
Earth Veins could not be moved, but Earth Vein Crystals could be carried with you.
Carrying an Earth Vein Crystal was equivalent to carrying the highest quality Earth Vein on the person. With an Earth Vein Crystal, there was no need for a cultivator to have Saint Crystals anymore as they could simply absorb energy from the former, causing their cultivation speed to increase hundreds, if not thousands of times over.
Yang Kai had never seen an Earth Vein Crystal before and had only heard rumours about them.
But now, in this Purple Star Vault, there was actually an Earth Vein Crystal!
This was a Heaven defying treasure, and although it could only be used by one person at a time, unlike an ordinary Earth Vein that could be shared by a whole family or Sect, with this crystal, a cultivator being unable to cultivate quickly was simply impossible.
Holding this Earth Vein Crystal, Yang Kai’s grin nearly reached his ears.
At his current level of cultivation, there were very few things in this world that could hold his interest, but this Earth Vein Crystal was undoubtedly one of them.
Putting the Earth Vein Crystal into his Space Ring, Yang Kai did not think too much before picking up the second box.
Upon opening it, Yang Kai saw a special token lying inside. A faint Emperor Pressure pulsed from this token as the character for ‘Emperor’ was carved on its face. What else but the Star Emperor Token could it be?
Yang Kai stored this away with no trace of politeness.
At this moment, he had officially obtained his seventh Star Emperor Token.
Yang Kai then cast his eyes onto the last box.
The two previous boxes had an Earth Vein Crystal and a Star Emperor Token inside, both of which were priceless treasures, so Yang Kai was naturally looking forward to what was in this third box.
Upon opening the box though, Yang Kai did not even have time to see what was inside before his face drastically changed and he was forced to circulate his Secret Art madly to suppress the boiling of his blood.
At the same time, a shocking dragon roar sounded from his body.
The Verdant Dragon Bone Sword shot out uncontrollably and transformed into a giant dark green dragon, floating above him, its giant head staring down at the third jade box, seemingly transfixed by the object inside of it.
Yang Kai glanced up at his Dragon Bone Sword which had assumed its dragon form and quickly formed a series of seals to take it back into his body. Even after completing this though, Yang Kai felt his blood rampaging, like something inside this third box was calling out to it, making it run wild.
Yang Kai looked into the box cautiously and found that what was inside was a single, palm sized scale.
This scale had the same shape as a fish scale, but there were many mysterious patterns on it and it was releasing a kind of ancient and savage aura that caused one’s heart to palpitate just from a mere glance.
“Dragon Scale!” Yang Kai exclaimed in shock, “It’s actually a Dragon Scale!”
He had never imagined that what was inside this third box would be a Dragon Scale, a genuine Dragon Scale!
Yang Kai possessed a Golden Divine Dragon Source and had cultivated Monster Race’s Monster Transformation Secret Technique while his Dragon Bone Sword was refined from a piece of dragon bone and Dragon Bead. In this world, it was likely no one had a better understanding of True Dragons than Yang Kai.
So when he saw this scale, Yang Kai knew that it was an authentic Dragon’s Scale.
This was a scale from a legendary Ancient Divine Spirit Dragon!
The Dragon Pressure that radiated from this scale was so strong it was almost tangible and it resonated strongly with the Golden Divine Dragon Source in Yang Kai, making it impossible for him to calm his raging blood.
Ancient Divine Spirits only existed in legends. True Dragons, true Phoenixes, Qilins, Pixiu, all of them were Ancient Divine Spirits, but no matter which, no one alive had ever met one.
If Yang Kai had not obtained the Golden Divine Dragon Source and Dragon Bone Sword and heard personal testimony from Yang Yan, he would also probably believe Ancient Divine Spirits were nothing but myths.
His Golden Divine Dragon Source was obtained from Tong Xuan Realm’s Dragon Valley and the Dragon Bone Sword’s components were obtained from the Flowing Flame Sand Field, and both had ancient history to them. Now, in Purple Star Vault, Yang Kai had found a piece of authentic Dragon Scale.
Yang Kai’s eyes shined brightly as his heart filled with excitement.
Such a piece of Dragon Scale, and even the Dragon Bone Sword, to others, would only be excellent Artifact Refining materials, but they had a far more profound use for Yang Kai.
The first half of the Monster Transformation Secret Art Chi Yue had given him described how to draw out power from the Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body to transform himself into the shape of a Dragon and enhance his strength; however, this was still only borrowed strength.
The latter half of this Secret Art was about how to integrate various parts from ancient Monster Beasts to acquire the Divine Abilities of those Monster Beasts.
For example, if Yang Kai could integrate this Dragon Scale into his body, he would obtain defense like a true Dragon’s.
Even the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword and Yang Kai could fuse together, essentially replacing his spine with True Dragon Bone.
This was an unimaginable improvement and once successful, Yang Kai’s strength would surely soar.
However, up until now his strength had not been high enough for Yang Kai to dare attempt something like this, so he had always used the Dragon Bone Sword as an artifact instead. Now that he was a Second-Order Origin King though, he was nearly qualified to attempt this assimilation.
If he could take in his Dragon Bone Sword and this Dragon Scale, Yang Kai would be able to display some of a Dragon’s Divine Abilities.
This was almost unimaginable.
Yang Kai thought it would be difficult to see another authentic Dragon material in his lifetime, but now he had found a Dragon Scale here.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm the excitement in his heart, Yang Kai stretched out his hand to grab the Dragon Scale but unexpectedly, before he could, a terrifying force erupted from it and bombarded him.
This power swiftly wrapped around Yang Kai’s hand and held it tightly in place while simultaneously exerting a terrifying pressure, causing creaking sounds that make it seem like his bones would crack in the next instant.
Yang Kai showed a look of surprise at first but quickly recovered and coldly snorted, “Dragon Transformation!”
As soon as these words fell, a golden light burst forth and a billowing Dragon Pressure erupted from his body. The hand that Yang Kai stretched out suddenly became thicker as Dragon Scales condensed from his Saint Qi began to appear on its surface. Soon, Yang Kai’s right hand looked exactly like a Dragon’s Claw.
Dragon Pressure filled the air as faint howls and roars resounded.
Although this was a Dragon Scale, it had fallen off countless years ago whereas Yang Kai’s Golden Divine Dragon Source was essentially alive and came from an extraordinary true Dragon; how could a mere Dragon Scale resist its prestige?
The power which was locking Yang Kai’s arm in place was steadily worn down under the aura of his Golden Divine Dragon Source.
Soon, a dense crackling sound filled the air as the power from the Dragon Scale collapsed.
Yang Kai grasped the Dragon Scale and lifted it up, observing it for a moment before smiling and placing it back in its original jade box before tossing it into his Space Ring.
Once the Dragon Pressure dissipated, Yang Kai dismissed his Dragon Transformation and the atmosphere inside Purple Star’s Vault was restored to normal again. However, looking around, this small Vault was now completely empty, making it seem somewhat desolate.
Outside the door, Ji Jun paced back and forth anxiously, glancing at the gate to the Vault from time to time, but not seeing Yang Kai appear.
[That bastard is definitely ransacking the Vault!] Ji Jun understood what was happening, but was powerless to do anything about it, making him feel like his heart was being repeatedly stabbed.