Astral Pet Store Novel - Chapter 1108

Chapter 1108: Central Area

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

For every new star that he condensed, Su Ping became ten percent stronger.
‘There were fewer and fewer medicines in front of Su Ping, until they were all eaten up.

Su Ping opened his eyes after his cultivation session. He was rather stunned to see that all the looted medicines had been eaten up.
“They’re gone…”
Su Ping was lost for words; those medicines could have raised a dozen top Star Lords, but they were finished so quickly!

Sixty-seven… Ineed five more. This is awkward. Should I just kill Brian?

Su Ping scratched his chin and considered.

Outside the barrier—

Brian was resting. He had slowed down time, and was making the most of it to heal his wounds. His recovery was mostly complete, but there were still some internal injuries he would have to ask someone else to treat.

But overall, his condition was already stable, and he was capable of fighting again.

All of a sudden—Brian felt ill at ease, as if some sort of disaster was going to befall him.

2

What is going on?

Brian opened his eyes in confusion; he looked around vigilantly.

People as strong as him wouldn’t have such feelings for no reason; maybe someone was sneaking up on him.

He had the same feeling when Su Ping and Shuai Qianhou had ambushed him. That was why he had been able to avoid their strike.

He observed the surroundings, but didn’t see anything wrong. The sense of foreboding was gone, yet he still felt shocked and suspicious. Then, he saw that the barriers next to him had been loosened, and Su Ping walked out.
Brian immediately stopped resting in seclusion. He was about to tell Su Ping about what he felt, but then his hair stood on end the moment he saw Su Ping.

Maybe it was an illusion, but he felt he was seeing a ferocious beast.

Su Ping evinced such a strong pressure that he seemed to be a walking giant.

He immediately concealed his aura with glittering eyes once he noticed Brian’s expression; he still wasn’t able to control his own strength after exiting his seclusion.

“Have you recovered?” Su Ping asked.

Brian snapped out of his stupor; he was slightly shocked and suspicious. Without a question, that young man had significantly improved again thanks to his recent seclusion.

Did he not reach his bottleneck earlier?

Is it possible that he grasped a new perfect path?

He didn’t ask. Even though Su Ping was no longer thinking about killing him, he preferred not to risk it by asking inappropriate questions.

“Basically,” replied Brian.

Su Ping nodded. “It’s been three days. There’s half a month to go; it’s time to move.”

Brian was alarmed. He gave a slight nod and said, “I’ll try my best to help you if I’m needed.”

“Okay.”

Su Ping instantly summoned the Little Skeleton and the Dark Dragon Hound. He then took out his shield, in case anyone would attack him.

Eventually, he erased all traces around him.

“Let’s go.”

Su Ping used Void Walker, then took Brian into the mountain range. Brian had yet to master the path of space. He had his unique body movement technique, but it wasn’t as fast and convenient as Void Walker.

Only the perfect path of space could possibly exceed Void Walker in terms of speed.

After all, it was a technique that even Celestials would use; it was undoubtedly effective.

“Do you have leads in regards to the other star zones?”

“No.”

Brian shook his head. Then, he thought for a moment and said, “I pledged my loyalty to Xue Mei, a Celestial State expert. She offered me the ultimate treasure, a map of the central continent and a few tips. That’s all.”

Su Ping nodded. He had received the same things.

It seemed that there wasn’t much the Celestials could do in the test.

But their efforts were probably enough.

“You’ve cultivated for a long time. You must have grasped perfect paths a long time ago, isn’t it?” asked Su Ping again.

Brian nodded, and suddenly blushed. “I mastered a perfect path fifty thousand years ago, when your Junior Brother Shuai Qianhou wasn’t even an egg yet.”

Su Ping was lost for words. He didn’t know how to argue with that.

“Then, how come you’ve only grasped only a few paths in such a long time?”1

Su Ping asked the question which had been eating him. “If you have one perfect path, you should be able to enter the Source World, where you can grasp more paths even faster. You should have grasped all paths perfectly in the last fifty thousand years.”
Brian was stunned by the questioning; he looked at Su Ping with a weird expression. “That’s true. However… The Source World isn’t the safest place in the world.”

“Huh?” Su Ping was dazed. He suddenly remembered the finger that killed him, and realized what was going on.

“There are ancient creatures in the Source World. Not even Celestials would go there casually. You can only get to that place if you hold the special Heaven Path Stone. Otherwise, you will surely be obliterated the moment ancient creatures notice you!”
Brian assumed that Su Ping was too young a cultivator to know the dangers of the Source World.

However, Su Ping had already mastered two perfect paths, namely the path of fire and the path of chaos.4

However, he didn’t encounter the ancient creatures in the Source World. Was he one of the lucky dogs?

3

Su Ping gave a slight nod. He had already realized what was going on.

‘There were guards in the Source World; he couldn’t enter it easily, even if he had a perfect path. He wouldn’t have dared to go there without the system.

Whenever he died there, the energy points needed for resurrection were unbelievably massive.

However, he would gladly pay the cost because the training over there was very effective.

1

“What’s the Heaven Path Stone?” asked Su Ping again.

“I’s a special stone in the universe that contains a unique power which resembles that of Heavenly Tribulations; it helps you hide yourself in the Source World. However, such stones are extremely rare; even Celestials have only a few of them. Besides, the power on the stones fades away very fast; it’s
impossible to store them,” confessed Brian.

Su Ping was greatly enlightened.
He had been through too many Heavenly Tribulations in cultivation sites, so he could emulate their aura, which helped them escape the attention of the guardians after he entered the Source World from the Archean Divinity.
As for the others, they had to count on the Heaven Path Stone.

1

After all, not everybody had the privilege of experiencing hundreds of Heavenly Tribulations and examining them carefully.

The system is truly great! Su Ping remarked in his heart.

1

The trip was rather boring; neither of them was really talkative, so they simply remained silent.

‘They avoided the beasts along the way, as hunting was pointless and only a waste of time.

They moved along the edge of the continent, finally arriving at the rendezvous point of another branch continent two days later. Alas, the place was already empty and the auras were covered.
“It seems that the people of other branch continents have left for other regions.” Su Ping stopped with glittering eyes.

“We can wait in the central area,” Brian suggested.

Su Ping nodded. That was the only thing they could do.

Some of the people of the other eleven branch continents were possibly hunting other candidates, and some could be searching for the key like Brian was.
But either way, they would eventually reach the central area.

That is, unless someone found the key in advance and hid somewhere.

“The central area will be the final battlefield.”

Brian seemed to have realized something at that moment. He said, “Madam Xue Mei told me that the central continent will shrink as time goes by. Its edges will collapse into the void. Anyone who hides by the edge will fall into the void.
“There are ferocious beasts that the Celestials sent into the void; they’re not restricted by the rules on the continent. Anyone who falls there will surely die!
“This trial is all about screening and filtering. The Celestials won’t allow any lucky dogs to progress. The final battlefield will be the central area…”
“Seriously?”

Su Ping was stunned by the news told by Brian.

He hadn’t really heard about the matter when speaking with his master.

Brian confirmed something upon noticing Su Ping’s doubting face. He said, “Yes. I thought you knew it; but it seems that your master didn’t tell you that.”

Su Ping’s expression suffered a slight change.

He didn’t think Brian was lying to him.

It was unnecessary.

But why did his master keep such matters a secret from him?

If another Celestial revealed the information, his master could have also done it.

Is it possible that my master didn’t keep it a secret, and only told it to Junior Brother Qianhou? Su Ping suddenly thought of the possibility—

But he immediately frowned again.

Why did their master treat them differently and keep information from others?

Even if my master wanted Junior Brother Qianhou to get the legacy and thought that we were just helpers, he shouldn’t have done that. Were we already seen as pawns destined to be abandoned?

Su Ping’s eyes glittered.

The whole thing could be explainable, if they were considered pawns.

No wonder Junior Brother Qianhou asked him whether or not their master knew of his combat ability.

Maybe, his junior brother had already been aware that they were only helpers to help Qianhou win the legacy.

Did my master abandon me because he thought I was too weak? Or maybe, my master was vigilant of the system he couldn’t see?

Su Ping’s eyes glittered; he thought that both options could be the reason.

He suddenly felt some pain.1

Even though he hadn’t talked much to his master, the latter had truly trained himself well!

Elder Yan—his master’s pet—had personally taught him, and devoted all resources possible to him without sparing any cost!

Maybe his master had been sincere back then.

However, the Celestial State legacy made everything different; the Celestial experts were also competing against each other, so naturally, trivial figures such as him would eventually be sacrificed when bigshots exchanged blows.
It seems that the chance for a new Celestial expert to emerge will truly change the paradigm of the universe.

However, no matter who wins the legacy in the end, there will be a new Celestial expert for all of humanity, right?

Su Ping found it hard to understand.

Is the chance to become a Celestial really that precious?

If a catastrophe were about to happen to the universe, shouldn’t every genius be a precious warrior in the future?

Su Ping was unable to wrap his head around it. Maybe there was a misunderstanding; maybe he was just overthinking.

His expression changed quickly, which scared Brian; the man thought he had misspoken.

He sympathized with Su Ping; he would have felt uncomfortable too if his master would have exclusively told the information to someone else.

Besides, Su Ping was an even greater genius than Shuai Qianhou was.

It seemed that not even Shen Huang was aware of that.

After all, Su Ping had mentioned that Shen Huang didn’t teach him how to condense double small worlds. Shen Huang would have probably prevented Su Ping from entering the trial after assessing Su Ping’s true strength.
In Brian’s eyes, even without the legacy, Su Ping would have still been able to enter the Celestial State with his own capabilities!

Which of the twelve Celestials in the universe had made Su Ping’s achievements back in the Star State?

Brian wasn’t an idiot who had just cultivated for a couple of years. He had been a Star Lord for tens of thousands of years; he knew of many great events of the universe. Also thanks to the forces backing him, he was aware of many top secrets too.
Sacrificing Star Lords that have been born in the past 100,000 years, and winning the favor of a new Celestial expert…”

Su Ping took a deep breath. Maybe Celestials hadn’t seen a new member in 100,000 years; it was a fair deal to sacrifice all the Star Lords for a qualification.

Su Ping clenched his fist and said, “If the Celestials want us to brutalize each other in the central area by reducing the continent, let’s just try our luck there!”

Brian glanced at Su Ping; he had no idea what was on Su Ping’s mind, but they were already on the same boat; he had no retreat. Besides, he had decided to move forward.

He didn’t think he would lose to anyone except Su Ping, provided they didn’t use the ultimate treasure.

“Okay.” Brian nodded.

Su Ping immediately moved towards the center of the central continent.

Half a day later—Su Ping ran into a Star Lord who was in hiding, but the guy was really weak. Su Ping didn’t attack him after detecting him.

Since the continent was shrinking, those who had won the skies would eventually head to the central area. So, the mediocre Star Lords would lose the key, even if they were lucky enough to find it.

‘The Star Lord was rather surprised to find that Su Ping would spare him. Once Su Ping was leaving, he summoned his courage and asked Su Ping’s name.

The latter didn’t consider it a big deal; he left his name and went straight away.

Su Ping encountered a few more Star Lords on the way. All were relatively weak; they had escaped from the Celestial’s disciples of their star zones during the chaos.

Su Ping interrogated them; he didn’t get a lot of useful intelligence, so he simply allowed them to leave.

Two days later, Su Ping reached the center of the continent.

He concluded that it was indeed the center, based on the coverage of the continent he remembered and the distance of his travels.

Su Ping sat down on a hill and asked, “Did Xue Mei mention how small the continent would become eventually?”

Brian nodded. “Smaller than a branch continent. It’ll be the size of a tier-3 planet; even if our senses are weakened here, it will still be possible to detect the entire area. Then, it’ll be allies and ultimate treasures the tokens that matter.”
He continued, “I was going to find the key, watch the others fight, and eventually take advantage of the situation.”

Su Ping glanced at him. Considering the guy’s golden flag, nobody would have dared to attack him until the very last moment—

Besides, he would become a great threat to others if he made other allies.

Half a day later—

Su Ping and Brian woke up from their meditation. They opened their eyes and looked at each other, both realizing what they were thinking.

“We’re surrounded,” whispered Brian.

1

Su Ping nodded and stood up. He looked around and said loudly, “Which star zone are you from, my friends? Instead of acting in such secrecy, why not come out and meet?”

His voice echoed in the valley they were in.

There was nothing but silence.

Su Ping’s eyes were cold as he gathered a scorching blade of flames in his hand, to suddenly cut the void open.

There was a boom, thent the void fell apart. The Star Lord in hiding lost his cool and ran out.

By then, some people revealed themselves elsewhere, but there were still other people who were hiding, as if thinking that Su Ping wouldn’t detect them.

“Perfect path of fire!”

All the Star Lords were rather alarmed upon seeing the sword of law in Su Ping’s hand.

Some of them recognized Brian, which was why they didn’t act recklessly.

“He is Brian from the Bloody Shadow Star Zone. He’s been famous in the universe for tens of thousands of years; I met him once in the past.”

“I didn’t know there were only two people left in the Bloody Shadow Star Zone.”

Those Star Lords whispered to each other.

Someone was in shock after recognizing Su Ping just then.

Su Ping was from the Golden Star Zone, and was Shen Huang’s disciple. Why was he together with Brian of the Bloody Shadow Star Zone?

Had Su Ping been tamed by Brian?

“Some of you are still hiding, my friends. Do you want me to force you to come out?” Su Ping’s eyes were cold. He wasn’t planning on letting anyone go, since those people had malicious intentions.

The people still hiding in deeper spaces realized that Su Ping had already realized it. Instead of hiding themselves, they simply showed up.

‘There were more than thirty people; they surrounded Su Ping and Brian.

“Brian, it’s been a long time.” A girl, apparently their leader, walked out of the crowd. She wore armor, and seemed rather attractive with her purple hair and fair skin. She coldly looked down at Brian.

She had dared to attack Brian, even though she was aware of his identity. It was clear that she was a very strong Star Lord too.

“Calivey!”

Brian’s expression changed a bit, then and said to Su Ping telepathically, “She’s a Star Lord that became famous seventy thousand years ago, even earlier than I did. I fought her once and lost; I was no match for her back then. Still, it’s been thirty thousand years since then; it’s hard to say who will win.”
Su Ping’s eyes were slightly cold. Another old Star Lord.

Star Lords usually lived for no more than 100,000 years.

“Lay spare your lives if you surrender your ultimate treasure.”

Calivey looked down at them, not considering Su Ping a big deal.

She was slightly surprised at the man who had grasped the perfect path of fire, even though he was only a Star State warrior; but nothing more.

She had heard of similar figures born in the universe more than 100,000 years prior; however, the guy was clearly dumber than them. Given his talent, instead of keeping a low profile and cultivating, he showed up to compete with all the seniors present. He was too arrogant!
Brian was rather angry. He scoffed and said, “Do you think I’m the same as I was thirty thousand years ago? You’ve never been as unlucky in the past tens of thousands of years!”

Calivey said indifferently, “I don’t want to waste my time talking to you. Let me say again: Surrender the ultimate treasure. I may spare your life, all for the sake of your hard work and talent!”

Brian sneered and said, “Is that so? For the same of your hard work, I suggest you leave as quickly as possible, or you won’t have a chance to!”

“You should have known better!”

Without further ado, Calivey waved her hand. “Go!”

Seeing how confident Brian was, she acted proudly but not recklessly.

While standing right where he was, Su Ping watched them charge in. He then said to Brian, “They’re yours.”

“It’s fine. I can hold them back. She’s all yours,” said Brian. He was very confident in Su Ping. He could already imagine how badly Calivey would be beaten up by the latter.

2

‘The next moment, Brian simply activated his constitution, dragging everybody except Calivey to another point of time with his perfect law.

Su Ping and Calivey were instantly left alone on the battlefield.

“Huh?”

Calivey raised her eyebrows upon witnessing the scene.

She had already seen Brian’s perfect law of time, and she was able to reach the point of time when he was fighting. Still, she didn’t do that, because what Brian had done was very strange.

“Theard that you’re also a genius.” Calivey looked down at Su Ping, “You condensed a small world while in the Fate State. No one else has ever done that in the past 100,000 years. You even grasped a perfect path in the Star State. You’re indeed well-tested, unparalleled geniuses. But you shouldn’t have
come here.”

“Because I’l lose?”
Su Ping walked to her, crossing dozens of meters with every step; he was only a hundred meters away from her in the blink of an eye.
“Because you’ll die!” Calivey’s eyes were cold upon seeing his opponent’s actions; the man was too arrogant and stupid; he was bold enough to enter her attack range without knowing what she was capable of. He was asking to be killed!