Chapter 402

Chapter 402: Ancient Dao Arena Key
The commotion on Yu Zhao’s side drew some people’s attention.

The reason it was only some was because many people present were facing the same situation as Yu Zhao.

The Ancient Dao Arena was open to the entire Cultivation World. The number of keys was not small, but not huge either. The Seven Great Sects all had at least a few keys to the Ancient Dao Arena stored away.

Now that the keys had suddenly appeared again, they were thrown into chaos as well.

Su Ming stared blankly at the five jade pendants floating in front of him, not knowing what to do.

When he had collected these five jade pendants back then, he had not known they were Ancient Dao City Keys. He had only noticed that they were the same shape and size, with a simple, old style, so he bought them cheaply as collectibles and then forgot about them.

Now he suddenly learned that these five jade pendants were related to the Ancient Dao Arena, and his mind could not keep up.

Master Qing Yan looked at Su Ming’s dazed face and could not help sighing again at his amazing luck, “What are you still standing there for!”

His cold shout pulled Su Ming’s mind back.

Su Ming’s first reaction was to try to put the jade pendants into his Storage Space. When he found that he could not, he reached out to grab them instead.

One jade pendant flew into his palm on its own.

Su Ming froze for a few breaths, then looked at Master Qing Yan, uncertain: “Master, it seems each person can only form a contract with one jade pendant. I cannot control the rest.”

Master Qing Yan looked around and found that no one else could put their jade pendants back into their Storage Spaces either.

He then looked at Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue, who were standing beside Su Ming with calm faces: “The two of you, each contract with one.”

The two of them hesitated for a moment. They glanced at Su Ming, then at Yu Zhao in the center of the Formation Array Arts, and each picked up a jade pendant.

Master Qing Yan thought for a moment and hooked a jade pendant toward himself with his Spirit Power.

Just as his fingers were about to touch it, the jade pendant flashed away like a Blink Step.

Master Qing Yan raised his brows.

He waved his hand and sent out a Spirit Incantation, sealing the space, then reached out again.

The jade pendant buzzed and trembled, stirring up a gust of air.

At this time, the voice of Dean Mo Xin came from not far away: “The Ancient Dao Arena selects cultivators under one hundred years old and above the Golden Core stage. Those who do not meet the requirements cannot form a contract.”

Master Qing Yan let out a cold laugh and lowered his arm.

The other Sect Masters and elders who had been trying to contract with their jade pendants sighed with regret when they heard this and gave up as well.

Sect Master Ji Yuan’s mouth almost twisted with joy.

He happened to have two Ancient Dao Arena jade pendants in his hands, and it just so happened that his First Disciple and second disciple were both by his side. There was nothing more to say, so he quickly urged Zhou Jin Yue and Zhang Jun to form contracts with the jade pendants.

This trip was really not a waste.

Yu Zhao held the jade pendant that had already recognized her as its master, and another jade pendant was still floating in front of her.

She could not put it into her space, and she could not contract with it herself. Keeping it would only cause trouble. She turned toward the crowd, thinking about giving the jade pendant away.

Senior Sister Zhou and Zhang Jun had already formed contracts with their jade pendants. Mu Ye, Bu Yan, Mo Ci, and the others had all gotten their own keys as well.

Her gaze swept around and in the end she found that there was no one she could give it to.

Just then, the runes in the sky changed again.

The words for “Dao Arena” disappeared. In their place, a blank sky curtain spread out, dotted with countless points of light. One cluster of lights was close together.

Someone exclaimed: “Is this a Star Map?”

Another person quickly replied: “No, it should be a map! A map showing where the keys are!”

A third voice asked: “What does this map mean? Is it telling us to go find the other keys?”

Yu Zhao glanced over it. There were more than a hundred points of light on the sky curtain. Other than the Western Region where Clarity Sound Temple was located, the rest were scattered all over, with very few in clusters.

She could already imagine how much chaos the sudden appearance of these Ancient Dao Arena Keys would cause.

Suddenly, through the jade pendant, she received a message.

Each cultivator could only use one key. The key could not be transferred and could not be stored in a space. Seven days later, when the Dao Arena opened, the cultivators would be drawn into the arena through their keys.

By the time Yu Zhao received the message, someone had already read the contents out loud: “The keys cannot go into a Storage Space. That means we are carrying targets on us. They are clearly trying to guide people to attack!”

“Exactly,” another person said. “Even if a key cannot recognize a new master a second time, the people without keys might not believe it. Even if they do believe it, that will not stop them from wanting to kill.”

“Quick, look, some of the lights have already gone out.”

Everyone looked toward the voice.

Sure enough, some of the light spots on the map were fading and then disappearing completely.

Someone had already started attacking the key holders.

The Sect Masters and elders present could no longer sit still.

Some of them carried Ancient Dao Arena keys on their bodies, while others had stored the keys in their sect treasure vaults.

They did not have to worry about the keys’ safety, but how to assign them was another problem.

They all had to hurry back to take charge of things.

Soon, many people bid a quick farewell, and the number of people present dropped by more than half.

Yu Zhao stood in front of the Formation Array Arts, holding the jade pendant and silently thinking.

She still could not understand the link between the Ancient Dao Arena and the Heavenly Ladder.

[Could it be that the Grand Adept who will teach the Dao in the Ancient Dao Arena can answer my questions?]

[Or is there some chance inside the Ancient Dao Arena that I have not yet imagined?]

“Yu Zhao.”

She turned around and saw that the one calling her was Abbot Jie Tan, who said: “Come with me.”

Yu Zhao wrapped the other jade pendant with her Spirit Power and pulled it along as she walked toward Abbot Jie Tan.

She had thought Abbot Jie Tan had something to tell her in private.

Unexpectedly, Abbot Jie Tan did not say a single word on the way and led her straight to the door of the room where Long Fei Fei was temporarily staying.

Yu Zhao did not understand, but Abbot Jie Tan gave a mysterious smile.

Right after that, Long Fei Fei rushed out of the room.

A jade pendant was flying up and down in front of her.

“Don’t run!” Long Fei Fei shouted, as she tapped the ground with her foot. Her body moved like a light butterfly, but she still could not catch that jade pendant.

Yu Zhao swept her Divine Sense into Long Fei Fei’s room and was shocked again.

Besides the one Long Fei Fei was chasing, there were six more jade pendants inside.

That number was more than what a large sect had managed to collect.

“Yu Zhao, you came at the right time. Come help me catch it!” Long Fei Fei brightened when she saw Yu Zhao and happily called her over.

Yu Zhao could not help but laugh: “Stop chasing it. Each person can only have one.”

“Ah?” Long Fei Fei stopped and looked at Abbot Jie Tan again.

Abbot Jie Tan gave a small nod. Only then did she sigh in disappointment: “If I had known, I should have urged Master to take more disciples. I gathered all these for nothing.”

These jade pendants had been passed down and accumulated by the Lightfinger Sect through many generations.

They were finally useful, yet they could only use one. It was such a pity.

Long Fei Fei’s eyes turned. She divided the remaining seven jade pendants into two piles. She pushed the bigger pile in front of Yu Zhao and the smaller pile to Abbot Jie Tan.

“Yu Zhao, take these as my gift to repay you for saving my life.”

“Abbot Jie Tan, these are my medical fees. Please accept them.”

Yu Zhao still had one jade pendant she had not managed to give away, so she did not really want to accept Long Fei Fei’s gift. But since Long Fei Fei said it was to repay her life-saving grace, it would seem wrong not to take it, so she accepted with a smile.

“Good, good!” Abbot Jie Tan gladly accepted her share as well and praised Long Fei Fei for having a good heart.

Only then did Yu Zhao understand why Abbot Jie Tan had brought her here. He had already been eyeing Long Fei Fei’s jade pendants.