Chapter 324: Reactions from All Sides |
Lu Huai's mind was in total chaos. After being dazed for several breaths, he barely managed to return to his senses. Looking at the white pillar of light in close proximity, he felt it was even more unimaginable and muttered to himself, "Pure and flawless, and it's actually Dual Divine Dawn!"
Could the Profound Heaven Instrument really elevate Star-Amber to the Divine Dawn Grade?
The functions and limits of the Profound Heaven Instrument had long been thoroughly grasped by the Profound Heaven Sect. The number of experiments and attempts they had made was unknown. What couldn't be done simply couldn't be done.
Yet the scene before him truly shattered his understanding.
How exactly was it done? Could it be replicated? For a moment, Lu Huai thought of many things.
Dual Divine Dawn?
Standing to the side, Qing Cang's heart trembled. Looking at this pure and flawless light of dawn before him, he similarly found it hard to remain calm. It actually succeeded? With this, Su Chen seemed to have a chance of laying a finger on that Spirit of the Vast Sun. Qing Cang suddenly realized this, but his gaze landed on Lu Huai, who seemed to have still not recovered.
The Profound Heaven Sect had controlled the Profound Heaven Instrument for many years. The sudden occurrence of this unprecedented event likely delivered a shock to Lu Huai that was far deeper than his own feelings.
However... Qing Cang's expression was subtle. Was this because Su Chen's situation was special, or was it the credit of the Profound Heaven Instrument?
"Phew."
Within the Profound Heaven Instrument, Su Chen let out a long breath. His talent had undergone countless leaps, but the sensation this time was even stronger than before. He only felt his body lighten several times over, as if the impurities deposited within had been further removed.
"My body is like a highly efficient conductive material now. It didn't just bring an increase in development efficiency." Su Chen thought to himself. An increase in energy conduction efficiency meant he would activate various abilities more swiftly, and his utilization rate of various energies would also be higher.
The body is an incredibly precise instrument. It is almost impossible to elevate a single attribute without affecting other aspects to some degree. He had long experienced this.
Not only that, he covered his heart, faintly feeling a surging, warm sensation, as if something was about to burst out.
"The ability to ignite Morning Fire?"
Su Chen murmured softly. Now was definitely not the time to delve deeply into it. It took him a while to adapt to this sensation. He then looked at the text floating on the Status Panel—
【The Unsullied congratulates the Host on a successful metamorphosis. Hoping the Host will continue to make persistent efforts to obtain relevant information regarding higher talents for it to parse.】
"Relevant information on a higher tier?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow. He wasn't anxious yet, but The Unsullied was already impatient.
"Don't worry, if there's a real chance, I'd be even more anxious than you." Su Chen muttered a sentence. He faintly felt a sense of repulsion surging from his surroundings, and his body abruptly vanished.
In the Bronze Core, at the Qin Family Compound.
A tall and robust middle-aged man with greying temples hurriedly passed through the courtyard corridor, arrived before the deepest room, and raised his hand to knock.
"Father," he called out respectfully.
"Come in." Qin Yun's voice came from the room.
The man pushed the door open and walked in. His gaze immediately fell on Qin Tianlin's corpse placed in the center, the ice crystals beneath it emanating waves of cold air.
"Lie'er, how is the investigation going?"
Hearing this, Qin Lie withdrew his gaze, looked at Qin Yun standing by the window, and responded respectfully, "Father, there has been some progress. The rumors are true; Su Chen's people indeed had direct contact with Black Buddha's Flesh Body."
"Oh?" A sharp light flashed in Qin Yun's eyes. He turned around, quietly waiting for Qin Lie to continue.
Qin Lie felt his shoulders grow heavy and hastily added, "However, it shouldn't be what you imagine."
"What am I imagining?" Qin Yun's tone was icy.
Qin Lie's Adam's apple bobbed. Not daring to say much more, he bit the bullet and continued, "The person who had direct contact with Black Buddha is named Ming Lin, but it wasn't a secret contact; it was a routine investigation."
"More accurately, those two under Su Chen had been suspecting Black Buddha's Flesh Body all along."
"Suspecting Black Buddha's Flesh Body?" Qin Yun frowned. He walked slowly to the side of Qin Tianlin's corpse and rested his hand on the ice crystal.
Qin Lie's eyes followed Qin Yun's figure as he explained, "That's right. Not long after the Dark Moon Group arrived, the Patrol Guard named Teng Liang submitted a suspicious report to the Order."
"Ming Lin is his direct superior, which is why he went for further investigation. And according to my findings, this Teng Liang is quite peculiar." Speaking up to here, Qin Lie also seemed quite amazed. "It is said that last time, he was the one who discovered the lurking Divine Sons of Black Buddha and the Faceless Ghost. He seems to possess a certain talent, a kind of intuition toward Evil God Cultists."
"Perhaps it's because he comes from a Barren Planet and has fought Evil God Cultists since childhood."
"Continue with what I asked you to investigate." Qin Yun's voice was plain.
Qin Lie's expression tightened slightly, and he quickly responded, "Yes."
"Besides this Dark Moon Group, those two also submitted reports on a few other factions, but it has been confirmed that no Evil God Cultists were hiding there." Qin Lie continued to lay out his findings: "Those two also went through Venerable Chu Lingyuan's verification. They have not been polluted by an Evil God; they are perfectly clean."
"Perfectly clean?" Qin Yun murmured softly.
"The only suspicious point is that these two were temporarily transferred back from the outside by Su Chen after Dragon Abyss opened, as if anticipating that Evil God Cultists would slip in." Qin Lie hesitated, then said cautiously:
"Of course, one could also say that Su Chen is cautious by nature and has always been on guard, which is why he transferred this subordinate with a special talent." After saying that, he hastily added, "This is all my personal speculation. However, Venerable Chu Lingyuan has already let these two go back."
Qin Yun maintained a stoic silence. He knew some of Su Chen's data from Crimson Thunder Planet; that place was crawling with Evil God Cultists.
This person, Su Chen, had dealt with the Believers of Black Buddha and the Faceless Ghost from very early on.
Not long after arriving at the Bronze Sect, Fan Zhao colluded with Black Buddha and the Faceless Divine Son to target him. It made sense for Su Chen to maintain high vigilance against Evil God Cultists.
It seemed they truly couldn't be connected.
Qin Yun sighed softly in his heart. Although he had previously linked Su Chen to the matter because of the Mist Embers, he also believed it shouldn't have anything to do with him.
But for some reason—perhaps out of reluctance to give up, or some other dark thoughts—he still had it investigated.
Looking at it now, no suspicious points had been found.
Perhaps, given more time, those two under Su Chen could have truly confirmed that it was Black Buddha's Flesh Body, thereby allowing Tianlin to avoid this assassination.
"Are there any other suspicious points?" Qin Yun asked.
"None." Qin Lie kept his head down, his expression hidden. He had indeed found out a few other things—the whereabouts of some people under Su Chen were erratic—but that had started long ago and had nothing to do with Qin Tianlin's death.
His father merely suspected that Black Buddha killing Qin Tianlin was related to Su Chen, which was truly nonsense. Not long ago, Fan Zhao had allied with Evil God Cultists to kill Su Chen; how could Su Chen possibly trust Black Buddha?
He didn't want to offend Su Chen to the death just because of Qin Yun's obsession.
Qin Lie's eyes were deep. Although he was Qin Yun's eldest son, he was born before Qin Yun advanced to Morning Star. His inherited talent wasn't considered high; he was currently only an 8th-Rank Professional and wasn't highly regarded.
He had even been suppressed for years by Qin Guang using Qin Tianlin. Now, Su Chen was rising like the sun, while Qin Yun's peak was almost past, and his successor Qin Tianlin had died prematurely. The Qin Family had no one to carry the banner.
If they offended Su Chen to the death now, would they have good days ahead?
His father might not know it yet, but this was already the consensus among the middle and lower tiers of the Qin Family, and even some of the higher-ups.
"Mm." Qin Yun waved his hand, unaware of his eldest son's thoughts.
Qin Lie understood and nodded, "Father, I'll take my leave."
He turned to leave but heard a sound of surprise from behind, instinctively turning back to look.
"Hmm?" Qin Yun's figure was already standing by the window at some point, his gaze burning as he looked outside.
Qin Lie followed his gaze and saw a straight white pillar of light piercing deep into the Starry Expanse in the distance. It looked ordinary but faintly possessed a bizarre magic that drew his attention.
"This is the Light of Divine Radiance." Qin Yun's brows were tightly knit as he muttered in his heart, "Pure and flawless, and it's Dual Divine Dawn! How could a Dual Divine Dawn talent suddenly pop out of Copperheart?"
Xiao Linfeng? He thought of the only Dual Divine Dawn talent in this Peak Star Tournament.
Dense symbols surfaced within Qin Yun's pupils. His field of vision extended infinitely, piercing through layers of obstacles, looking straight at the source of the pillar of light.
It was a Floating Island, but its core was hazy, interfered with by some power, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
This Floating Island was also a part of Copperheart, constructed personally by the Bronze Ancient King. While one could still see some sights with the naked eye, it was incredibly difficult to investigate any situation using other abilities.
Strange... That seemed to be the Floating Island where Lu Huai resided.
Could it be the Profound Heaven Instrument?!
Qin Yun was doubtful and uncertain. How could the Profound Heaven Instrument elevate someone to Divine Dawn Grade talent, and a Dual Divine Dawn at that?
But there seemed to be no other possibility. A layer of gloom covered Qin Yun's face as the few Star-Amber Grade individuals in the Order flashed through his mind.
Wei Zhenghong wasn't there; Shen Yi'an, Su Chen.
Could it be...
Qin Yun's hands suddenly clenched, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
Qin Tianlin had just died, yet a new Divine Dawn Grade had been born in the Order, and a Dual Divine Dawn to boot.
No matter who it was, his feelings at this moment could not be described as good.
Dragon Abyss. The stationed members of the Five Great Sects and the Royal Court had moved over long ago, situated quite close to each other to coordinate in watching over that Hao Ri.
On the top floor of a tall building, a battle record was playing on the Virtual Screen in front of Han Xingliu. Both figures on the screen were faceless. One body was dark gold, the other was a kind of blood gold. It was playing back at many times slower speed.
Boom!
The dark gold figure was smashed to the ground by a single slap from the blood gold figure.
"Molten Casting Sacred Profession at the 6th-Tier, the Bronze Sect really held back a big one." Han Xingliu's brows were tightly knit. He had watched this battle record an unknown number of times, yet his heart still throbbed unavoidably.
"That dark gold one should be Qin Yun's Indestructible Vajra, possessing extremely strong physical and elemental defense capabilities." A somewhat hoarse voice came from beside him; it was the Black Tortoise King lying in a metal chair, his eyes half-closed:
"As for Su Chen, the characteristics on his body seem somewhat similar to the Indestructible Vajra, yet not quite. His speed, defense, and power seem very balanced."
"But I don't seem to have seen a similar Holy Class."
Han Xingliu nodded upon hearing this. "As for exactly what Holy Class it is, the Royal Court doesn't have a specific deduction either. A few people have gone to try; this Holy Class is indeed very strong."
"However, the consumption seems to be very large as well. Su Chen can last a minute at most before he can't hold on."
"It's not the Holy Class that is strong, it's Su Chen who is strong. This Qin Tianlin also has the Indestructible Vajra, yet he's completely not a match." The Black Tortoise King couldn't help sighing, "Truly unimaginable."
The old man's eyes were clouded, his voice distant. "Yuan Shuo wasn't considered outstanding among the previous generation of successors. His personality was wooden and dull. When Jin Siye passed the Ancient King position to him, it caused quite a few murmurs of dissent."
"However, Yuan Shuo accumulated deeply and burst forth late. After inheriting the Ancient King position, he advanced triumphantly, taking the Bronze Sect to new heights."
"If he hadn't been somewhat reckless regarding Profession Metamorphosis and been harmed by Evil Gods, the Bronze Sect would probably be even more prosperous."
"To be able to undergo the Molten Casting Sacred Profession at the 6th-Tier is ridiculous!"
Hearing this, Han Xingliu's expression looked a bit ugly. Being able to undergo one Molten Casting Sacred Profession at the 6th-Tier meant they could guarantee another at the 7th or 8th-Tier, and the diligent ones might even fuse two.
If there were three Holy Classes acting as support, a Dual Ninth-Rank Professional could also contend with a Morning Star Tier. The Bronze Sect's overall strength would skyrocket in the future.
But soon, his expression relaxed again. Even if every Dual Ninth-Rank in the Bronze Sect could fight a Morning Star Tier head-on, it merely added some advantages when facing other Sects.
To the Royal Court, it had an impact, but not a large one.
The ones who truly influenced the situation were ultimately the Bright Moon Tier.
Boom!
The Qin Tianlin on the screen fell to the ground again, his head shattering. Looking at the towering blood gold figure, Han Xingliu suddenly felt somewhat displeased.
Originally, he was just curious about Su Chen, driven by a desire to investigate. He didn't think Su Chen could stand shoulder to shoulder with him in the short term, and not being Divine Dawn Grade, he couldn't come into contact with the Spirit of the Vast Sun.
But now, having undergone the Molten Casting Sacred Profession at the 6th-Tier, his burst strength was astonishing, though the duration was a bit short.
And with the variable involving the Spirit of the Vast Sun, even Ancient King levels could participate in the competition. His hopes had suddenly been severely diminished, inevitably leaving him somewhat unhappy. He scolded in annoyance, "What exactly does the Bronze Sect mean by this? We've already given them the Marrow of the Morning Star, yet they're still dragging things out with Lu Huai and won't let him leave."
"Does the agreement Su Chen made with me back then not count anymore?"
Hearing Han Xingliu's complaints, the Black Tortoise King shook his head imperceptibly, as if he had fallen asleep.
"Today, we must get an explanation!" Han Xingliu snorted coldly, turning and leaving with large strides.
Downstairs, as he prepared to head to the flight vehicle station, he found the people around him stopping in their tracks, pointing into the distance, and faintly gasping.
"What is that thing? Why is it so bright?"
"How strange. From a distance, it looks like a single thin line, but for some reason, it catches the eye immediately."
"Yeah..."
"That's..." Han Xingliu followed the direction everyone was pointing and saw a thin white line stretching across the sky. It looked inconspicuous, yet it instantly caught one's attention.
The Light of Divine Radiance!
Han Xingliu recognized it at a glance, his expression showing surprise. "That's the direction of Copperheart."
Pure and flawless, and it's Dual Divine Dawn!
Xiao Linfeng? He immediately thought of that person, but it felt wrong.
Due to Qin Tianlin's death, currently, no non-Bronze Sect members were allowed to head to Copperheart.
Besides, why would Xiao Linfeng inexplicably activate the Light of Divine Radiance?
If there were no accidents, this Divine Dawn Grade could only come from the Bronze Sect.
How did another Dual Divine Dawn suddenly pop out of the Bronze Sect? It had never been heard of before—not even a rumor. Hidden this deeply?
Han Xingliu's expression underwent mercurial moods. The Bronze Sect seemed to be hiding quite a few secrets.
