Chapter 437: Mobilize the Entire Abyssal Void to Find Taixuan Hong! |
"Buddha Land and Great Heaven moved way too fast." Su Chen glanced at the messages — most had been gathered and compiled by sect members.
Right now, only the Bronze Sect had the leisure for such things.
Apart from external news, there was no shortage of internal discussion about High Heaven within the Bronze Sect either.
Chu Lingyuan and Qing Cang hadn't released all the information at once, but were gradually disseminating it through carefully planted "rumors."
They had revealed details including the fact that sect headquarters remained intact and self-governing, and that a selection of people would be sent to High Heaven.
Over thirty percent were in favor, more than fifty percent weren't opposed, and about ten percent expressed worry about the future — but virtually no one was resistant.
At the very least, everyone on the Bronze Core had witnessed the Immeasurable Buddha's might firsthand. And with news of the other sects falling one after another, even those inclined to resist couldn't convince their own hearts.
"The contrast is just too stark. Otherwise, there'd be people objecting." Su Chen swept through the information casually, then noticed an unread message.
He opened it, and his eyes shifted. "It's from the Ancient King."
"Phew..." Su Chen's lips stretched into a grin. The last trace of uncertainty was resolved. He'd genuinely feared that his bargain-bin master might have a moment of insanity, leaving no way to smooth things over.
In good spirits, Su Chen carefully scanned his panel. The Unsullied was still researching the Empyrean God blood — it would probably take some time before there were results.
He switched to the dispatch page for a look.
"Oh, World-Slaying Manifestation is back?" Su Chen paused—
[World-Slaying Manifestation has brought back an item that may be of use to you. Would you like to extract it?]
"Wonder what this thing is." With a touch of curiosity, Su Chen attempted the extraction.
"Fifty drops of divine blood?"
Su Chen was surprised. With the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree's requirement of three hundred drops still looming, fifty drops wasn't enough to truly shock him, but it was still quite unexpected.
"That's already a considerable amount. Last time the Ten-Thousand-Year Lightning Arc only needed ten drops. Who knows what good stuff this is." Su Chen rubbed his hands together, but his current supply of divine blood was completely depleted.
Because he had drawn from the sect's reserves multiple times, their store of divine blood was running low as well.
"I wonder what's going on with the Royal Court's people. Are they still coming?" Su Chen pondered.
According to the previous agreement between the Bronze Sect and the Royal Court, the other side was still carrying at least two hundred and fifty drops of divine blood as payment.
The sudden upheaval in the Dust Star Sea had caught everyone off guard. He wasn't sure whether the Royal Court's people would still come to have their Mist Embers purified.
"If they don't come, I'll probably have to source materials from the Abyssal Void." Su Chen put his panel away for now. The upheaval in the Dust Star Sea had affected everything.
Including his newest Holy Class in preparation, the Verdant Wood Guest — some of the required materials were available within the sect, while others needed to be procured externally.
It wouldn't have been a big deal normally, but the sudden crisis had left the purchased materials stuck in transit, still undelivered. He could only wait.
"Sigh... I hope things settle down soon. When the time comes..." Su Chen's eyes flickered. Some within the Bronze Sect had already proposed taking advantage of this opportunity to expand their power.
The response was considerable, but the voices were quickly suppressed by the upper echelons.
They had emerged unscathed, but the other sects had suffered devastating losses. Expanding now would only be inviting hostility.
All the attacks had targeted each sect's core zones. Though the losses were severe, there were still plenty of members at external outposts.
That was a force not to be underestimated. If they provoked collective outrage, they'd really be in for it.
But as time passed, the Bronze Sect — with its Starfire still intact — held an inherent advantage in the Dust Star Sea, and in the future might have the opportunity to claim the entire Dust Star Sea for itself.
.........
Somewhere in the Nether Realm, the scene was far from desolate. Instead, it was a bustling panorama. Countless floating islands of metallic construction drifted at low altitude, their surfaces covered in dull alloy patterns.
From a distance, countless figures could be seen moving ceaselessly among them, with sprawling clusters of buildings stretching to the edge of sight.
Beneath five hazy, ring-shaped portals in the central area, a resplendent golden palace stood in solitary grandeur, with not a single figure or building in its vicinity.
Within the palace, three figures already stood. One of them, wreathed in Buddha-light and strikingly handsome, smiled and said:
"High Heaven — what a fine play. Without lifting a finger, you claimed a share of the spoils and took a Radiant Moon Spirit for yourself."
Buddha Land had moved the fastest, yet to this day, they hadn't secured a single one of the Dust Star Sea's six Radiant Moon Spirits.
Though they had breached one Royal Court and something called the Zhenwu Sect, absorbing a great deal of Starfire energy, the returns had fallen far short of expectations.
Daoist Lord Lingxiao's gaze swept over, his tone indifferent. "That still pales compared to you two — quietly locating the resting place of the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith."
"What are your intentions?" From the other side, a mist-shrouded silhouette spoke in a muffled voice. "To share dominion over the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith with us?"
"Ha..." Daoist Lord Lingxiao chuckled lightly. "There are only the Five Pillars in the Abyssal Void. Three of us already know about this. What's the point of hiding it from the remaining two?"
"Moreover, once the Celestial Lord of Bronze Heaven arrives, this matter won't stay secret anyway. Surely you're not thinking of killing my Bronze Heaven's Celestial Lord?"
"We wouldn't dare." The World-Honored One shook his head with a smile.
"Indeed. Better to notify the remaining two and find that Taixuan Hong first," Great Heaven nodded, speaking in measured tones. "Once we find him, we can select a new Chosen from among the Five Pillars."
"Select a new Chosen?" The World-Honored One smiled. "If a new Chosen appears, would the others truly stand by and watch a faction with two Solar-rank beings emerge?"
A single faction possessing two Solar-rank beings would be extraordinarily powerful. No matter how fine the words spoken beforehand, when the time came, restraint might prove impossible.
"Find Taixuan Hong first," Great Heaven emphasized. "Regardless, we all share a blood feud with the Taixuan House. If this man is allowed to grow, he'll inevitably become our enemy."
Daoist Lord Lingxiao's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't argue. He simply shook his head and sighed. "A pity. After ten thousand years, the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith returns to the Taixuan House. If the story got out, it would make for quite the tale."
"Let's notify those two first, and decide what to do after we find Taixuan Hong." The World-Honored One nodded, a glint flickering in his eyes, inwardly lamenting — he'd been hoping to keep the man under his own control.
Whether or not they could actually find Taixuan Hong — on that point, the three were in unanimous agreement.
Mobilizing the entire Abyssal Void's power to search for a single person — no matter who it was — there would be no escape.
.........
Mount Tai Nexus. In normal times, starships came and went in an endless stream, but now traffic had thinned considerably. The Star Gates that once blanketed the sky above the nexus had dwindled to barely a dozen still active.
"All four Great Sects — destroyed!?"
King Peng stared at the news on the virtual screen before him in disbelief. Standing beside him, Han Xingliu wore an equally horrified expression.
Last time they emerged from a Star Gate, the Royal Court's Starfire had vanished.
This time, the disturbance was even greater — all four Great Sects were gone!
"Unbelievable..." King Peng murmured in shock. They had spent barely ten days in the Star Gate corridor, and the Dust Star Sea had been turned upside down.
King Peng's expression darkened as realization struck. "They have the means to cross interstellar distances in an extremely short time."
"But why was the Bronze Sect unaffected?" Han Xingliu came to his senses too, looking puzzled. "The other sects fell one right after the Royal Court's Starfire was extinguished, but to this day, the Bronze Sect remains completely unharmed."
"Could it be that they've already surrendered completely?"
"No." King Peng shook his head. "If submission were enough to guarantee safety, the other sects wouldn't have been destroyed."
"Then do we still go?" Han Xingliu couldn't decide.
King Peng's brow was deeply furrowed as well. Events were shifting too rapidly. They had assumed that the ripple effects from the Royal Court's Starfire being extinguished would take a long time to reach the other sects.
They never imagined it would all be over within a mere ten days.
Though their destination — the Bronze Sect — still stood, they now lacked the nerve to go.
After a moment of deliberation, King Peng made his decision. "I'll go see what's really going on. You take the Galaxy Throne and the Radiant Moon Spirit and hide."
"You're going personally?" Han Xingliu's face tightened. "Send someone else."
"No." King Peng shook his head, his expression shifting. "I don't trust anyone else..."
"Your Highness!"
Suddenly, a voice tinged with excitement and joy rang out from the control console.
"What is it?" Han Xingliu looked over immediately.
"A special frequency detected — someone is using Royal Court communication equipment to contact us, and the clearance level is extremely high. It appears to be... the Emperor!"
As the words fell, the cabin went silent for a beat, then erupted into overlapping voices of commotion.
"Father?" Han Xingliu blanked, then hurried forward. "What's the situation?"
"This is a communication request from two days ago..." The operator hadn't finished before Han Xingliu's sharp command cut through: "Call back!"
"Right away." The operator scrambled to work the controls. The noise around them died away, leaving only a series of quiet beeps echoing through the cabin.
After a long while, the screen suddenly flickered. A face that normally carried an air of authority appeared — though at this moment, it looked somewhat weary.
"Father!" Han Xingliu looked up, his eyes reddening despite himself.
"The Emperor..." Stifled sobs broke out around them. King Peng's own emotions surged. He drew a deep breath and gradually composed himself.
"Where are you?" The Vast Sea Emperor seemed to exhale in relief as well, but went straight to the point.
"At Mount Tai Nexus. We were debating whether to continue on to the Bronze Sect," King Peng replied.
'The Bronze Sect...' The Vast Sea Emperor's gaze flickered. After the group had parted ways that day, he had traveled to a larger Star Gate node, where he learned that the Bronze Sect had actually suffered no losses at all — it remained completely intact.
When he first learned of this, fury surged through him. He felt he'd been played by the Bronze Ancient King and immediately contacted the others.
It was from the Xuantian Ancient King that he then learned the Bronze Sect had joined High Heaven, becoming something called Bronze Heaven.
The Zhenwu Ancient King had immediately urged the group to confront the Bronze Sect and demand an explanation.
But the Xuantian Ancient King and the Star-Firmament Ancient King both refused. They already knew their disciples' escape had been entirely thanks to the Bronze Sect's advance warning.
As for the Sacred Cauldron Ancient King, he had lost all interest and only wanted to find his surviving disciples as quickly as possible.
As for the Sacred Cauldron Ancient King, he had lost all interest and only wanted to find his surviving disciples as quickly as possible.
And the Vast Sea Emperor, thinking of the Mist Embers purification, hadn't responded either. Only the Zhenwu Ancient King was left cursing furiously.
'Bronze Heaven...' The Vast Sea Emperor sighed. "There's no rush for now. Wait for me at Mount Tai Nexus. I'll get there as soon as I can."
.........
Bronze Core, Su Chen's floating island. In the training room, gold and purple intertwined as a chorus of crackling sounds rang out ceaselessly.
Until a certain moment, when a voice suddenly spoke: "Sir, you have a visitor."
'A visitor?'
Su Chen's heart stirred. It was probably Luo Shuhang — the other man had told him a few days ago that the stalled materials were nearly here.
He withdrew his elemental power. Su Chen slowly opened his eyes, and his pupils instantly contracted, his heart lurching.
"M-Master?"
Someone was standing right in front of him — none other than the Bronze Ancient King, having arrived at some unknown point, his gaze deep and penetrating.
Su Chen's heart hammered twice. "When did you get here? You didn't make a sound."
"I saw you were focused on your cultivation, so I didn't want to disturb you." The Bronze Ancient King's expression was as wooden as ever. "Your control is quite impressive. These Forbidden Tome-grade body tempering and meditation methods — you're executing them flawlessly."
Inwardly, he was far less wooden than he appeared. After returning to the Bronze Sect, he hadn't alerted anyone, coming straight to Su Chen first.
At a single glance, he could tell the kid had already advanced to 8th-Tier.
Beyond that, the body tempering and meditation methods in use — others might not notice anything unusual.
But to his eyes, Su Chen was operating them in the most textbook-perfect form imaginable.
That level of precision existed only in theory. Every single elemental particle's flow had to achieve a state of perfection to pull it off.
Even standard-grade body tempering and meditation methods couldn't be executed to this degree, let alone Forbidden Tome-grade ones.
"Practice makes perfect, practice makes perfect." Su Chen rose to his feet with a sheepish grin.
The Bronze Ancient King remained noncommittal, his eyes narrowing to slits. "When did you advance to 8th-Tier?"
"A little while ago. Got lucky."
"Got lucky?" The Bronze Ancient King took two steps forward and asked with an inscrutable tone, "And your talent — did you 'get lucky' with that too?"
"Huh?" Su Chen froze. Before he could react, his bargain-bin master's palm had already landed on his shoulder.
The next instant, a terrifying gleam exploded in the Bronze Ancient King's pupils. "True Radiance!"
'Damn...' Su Chen sighed inwardly. No matter how strong Flash-Shadow Body's concealment was, it couldn't withstand a Radiant Moon's direct inspection.
The Bronze Ancient King withdrew his hand, emotions churning. He'd harbored suspicions before, and after learning about Daoist Lord Lingxiao, he'd been sixty to seventy percent certain. Now the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.
'Taixuan Hong... Su Chen... Chosen of the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith.' It was truly unimaginable. Even with his earlier guesses, the Bronze Ancient King couldn't help the tremor that ran through his soul.
But his face showed nothing. He said abruptly, "Taixuan Hong."
"What?" Su Chen blinked, his face blank with confusion.
"Ha..." The Bronze Ancient King's wooden cheeks twitched, nearly breaking into an exasperated laugh.
"Don't know who that is?" The Bronze Ancient King shot back.
"Never heard of him," Su Chen answered honestly. "Who's that?"
"A little brat I ran into in the Flare Realm. Quite the nerve on him — made a proper fool of me." The Bronze Ancient King spoke in a leisurely drawl. "I want nothing more than to flay him alive and rip out his bones."
"Uh..." Su Chen's lips twitched. 'It was clearly the Xuantian Ancient King who did all the talking with me. You didn't even say a word.'
"Alright, drop the act." The Bronze Ancient King said irritably, though with a touch of genuine curiosity. "Are you really from the Taixuan House?"
"No." Su Chen shook his head. After relaying his interaction with Daoist Lord Lingxiao to the Bronze Ancient King in the form of a report, he'd already anticipated this — his cover was probably blown.
"If you're not, then why did Taixuan Tianyi sacrifice his life for you?" The Bronze Ancient King was puzzled.
"He probably thought I was." Su Chen considered for a moment. "And part of the reason was that Brother Tianyi had been tampered with and didn't have long to live anyway."
'Brother Tianyi...' The Bronze Ancient King listened to Su Chen's matter-of-fact way of addressing the man and fell silent.