Chapter 441: Abundant Rewards — Reshaping the World-Slaying Manifestation |
"Is that you?" Huang Pan's figure appeared not far away. His face was sallow, his eyes half-lidded and languid. "Your Zhenwu Sect was crushed by the Immeasurable Buddha. If you want revenge, you shouldn't be looking for me."
"I'm not here for revenge." The Zhenwu Ancient King shook his head, his gaze cold and piercing. "I want to join Great Heaven."
"Join Great Heaven?" Huang Pan's expression momentarily froze, and a strange look crossed his face. Those words were utterly foreign — he didn't think he'd ever heard anyone say them.
After a prolonged silence, he finally responded, "You should be aware of Great Heaven's reputation in the Abyssal Void."
"Naturally." The Zhenwu Ancient King's expression was indifferent. They'd kept Taixuan Tianyi in their hands for a long time, and the questions they'd asked most frequently had been about the various Pillars of the Abyssal Void.
"Feeding on Nether Realm Creatures. Every last one of them, completely unhinged."
"You know all that and you still want to join?" Huang Pan was genuinely puzzled. Great Heaven rarely absorbed outside members. Even when they did, it was by forcing people in. No one had ever joined voluntarily.
Of course, this applied to Morning Star and Radiant Moon-level individuals. After all, in their eyes, low-tier practitioners barely counted as people.
"Because you're powerful." The Zhenwu Ancient King was succinct.
"And in the short term, I have no way to reach any other factions in the Abyssal Void."
He had a feud with the Bronze Sect, so borrowing their route was obviously out of the question.
Buddha Land had stomped out the Zhenwu Sect, so they certainly wouldn't give him the time of day. Right now, Great Heaven was the only faction within his reach.
Huang Pan fell silent again. These two reasons struck him as somewhat flimsy. He mused, "You realize that joining Great Heaven isn't just a matter of words. You'll have to hand over your Radiant Moon Spirit."
"I know." The Zhenwu Ancient King said. "As long as you help me fulfill two conditions, I'll hand over the Radiant Moon Spirit."
Huang Pan's brow furrowed. "What conditions?"
"I want Buddha Land and the Bronze Sect to pay the price." The Zhenwu Ancient King's face contorted with ferocity, murderous intent radiating from him.
He had now fully ascertained that after the Immeasurable Buddha's descent, the Bronze Sect had warned Xuantian and Star-Firmament — but not the still-standing Zhenwu Sect.
Old debts and new grudges alike — he naturally had no intention of letting the Bronze Sect off. And as for Buddha Land, the very orchestrators of Zhenwu's destruction — there was no swallowing that indignity.
"That's..." Huang Pan's cheek twitched. The Bronze Sect now belonged to High Heaven. Buddha Land went without saying. This fellow's opening demand would pit Great Heaven against two Pillars of the Abyssal Void.
"You overestimate your own value. We can't possibly agree to that." Huang Pan shook his head.
"You're afraid?" The Zhenwu Ancient King sneered.
Huang Pan gave a cold snort. "It's not fear. It's that you're not worth the cost — you're not valuable enough for us to pay that kind of price."
The Zhenwu Ancient King's expression darkened. "If that's the case, then there's nothing more to discuss."
"Hold on..." But Huang Pan stopped him.
The Zhenwu Ancient King glanced back, and Huang Pan said at a leisurely pace, "You've got the cause and effect backward. We can't go and offend High Heaven and Buddha Land because of you joining us. But we can shelter you after you offend High Heaven and Buddha Land yourself."
"You want to use me as a blade?" The Zhenwu Ancient King caught on.
"Is that a problem?" Huang Pan asked.
He continued unhurriedly, "The Immeasurable Buddha's greed knows no bounds. His methods are ruthless beyond measure, and yet he still wants to establish a new Buddha Land in this Abyssal Void. He's currently proselytizing at the former Royal Court's territory..."
If you were going to drain the pond, you should do it thoroughly. Drain it halfway and then try to refill it?
Did they really think all these local forces were cowards?
"I can't beat him." The Zhenwu Ancient King was blunt.
"I can temporarily make you stronger. But... I'll need you to bring out your Radiant Moon Spirit." A smile of uncertain meaning played at the corners of Huang Pan's mouth.
Then he watched as the Zhenwu Ancient King raised his hand and tossed over a streak of radiance.
"The Radiant Moon Spirit?" Huang Pan was stunned. He looked up at the Zhenwu Ancient King's impassive face. "You brought this thing here directly? You're not worried you won't make it out today?"
"Worried?" The Zhenwu Ancient King gave a contemptuous snort. "If I were the type to worry, I wouldn't have gotten this far."
"Interesting." Huang Pan turned the Radiant Moon Spirit over in his palm and was about to speak when a low voice reached his ears: "Bring him to me."
'Great Heaven...' Huang Pan's gaze sharpened. He looked at the Zhenwu Ancient King with an inevitably complex expression. Indeed — this kind of temperament was very much to Great Heaven's taste.
.........
The Bronze Sect. The Xuantian Ancient King stood by the window, gazing at the distant Heavenly Gate, his tone deep. "The Dust Star Sea is no longer our home."
Even though many of their people had survived, staying here was no longer an option.
Both Buddha Land and Great Heaven had struck them with force equivalent to annihilation. The enmity had been forged. Even if they wanted to let bygones be bygones, Great Heaven and Buddha Land wouldn't necessarily believe they'd set aside their hatred.
Remaining here would only invite extermination.
"Wuquan Combat Corp has relocated their base to Sumo Planet," the Vast Sea Emperor said suddenly.
"It's an unremarkable world, situated at the edge of the Bronze Sect's territory. Resources are scarce. But Wuquan Combat Corp has a Morning Star stationed there, and the planet possesses a small Starfire."
The Xuantian Ancient King naturally understood his meaning. In the past, Wuquan Combat Corp wouldn't have given such a place a second glance. But now...
His voice was flat. "In the entire Dust Star Sea, only the Bronze Sect is safe, and its Starfire still endures. Everyone will naturally gravitate here."
After briefly addressing the Vast Sea Emperor, he added, "I hear the Immeasurable Buddha has occupied the Royal Court and is establishing a Buddha Land there. Han Xiao is apparently attending at his side."
At those words, both King Peng and Han Xingliu, standing behind the Vast Sea Emperor, wore expressions that turned exceedingly ugly.
The Vast Sea Emperor's face was expressionless. "The Royal Court isn't something just anyone can lay hands on."
With the Royal Court's fire pillar gone and their status reduced to stray dogs, the Vast Sea Emperor's words carried a hint of bluster.
But the Xuantian Ancient King didn't find it laughable. Instead, he said gravely, "If you move against the Immeasurable Buddha, the Abyssal Void might have no place for you either — unless you plan to join one of the Pillars."
"The ways of the cosmos extend beyond the Abyssal Void, and beyond Buddha Land," the Vast Sea Emperor replied, his voice deep and resonant.
"With the Galaxy Throne in hand, you could at least knock out a few of his teeth." The Xuantian Ancient King sighed softly.
Though they had quarreled and clashed amongst themselves, at this point, what prevailed more than anything was a shared sense of desolation.
"You—" He was about to say something more when both he and the Vast Sea Emperor simultaneously looked toward the doorway.
The next moment, the door opened. The Bronze Ancient King and Su Chen walked in.
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the Radiant Moon Spirit in the Bronze Ancient King's hand — pure and flawless, the crimson radiance that had wreathed it completely erased.
"It's done?" The Xuantian Ancient King's heart jolted. That was far too fast.
Who had actually done it? His gaze swept back and forth between the Bronze Ancient King and Su Chen.
He was genuinely curious — what method could resolve Mist Embers this quickly?
King Peng and Han Xingliu exchanged a glance — relieved, yet incredulous.
'He said half a day and it was actually half a day?'
This thing had been in their hands — they'd thrown every method they had at it, and none had made the slightest impact on the Mist Embers.
Yet in the Bronze Sect's hands, it was resolved in barely half a day.
'Su Chen...' A gleam surfaced in the Vast Sea Emperor's eyes, then gradually faded.
For a moment, the room fell silent.
"Vast Sea." The Bronze Ancient King called out.
Only then did the Vast Sea Emperor take back the Radiant Moon Spirit. After carefully confirming that not a trace of Mist Embers remained, even he couldn't help the tremor in his heart.
"King Peng," he said suddenly.
King Peng understood at once, reaching into the void to produce a metal case. He presented it, saying, "This is the remaining two hundred and fifty drops of Evil God blood, as we previously agreed."
Su Chen's heart leapt, but he didn't act rashly.
Only after receiving the Bronze Ancient King's subtle glance of approval did Su Chen step forward and accept the case from King Peng's hands.
"Go on ahead." The Bronze Ancient King instructed, well aware that the Evil God blood had been Su Chen's request and something he needed.
"Yes." Su Chen acknowledged.
"You two step out as well," the Vast Sea Emperor said to King Peng and Han Xingliu.
The three took their leave of the Ancient Kings and exited the room together.
Fortunately, the corridor here was wide enough for three to walk abreast, though there was an undeniable awkwardness between them.
After all, not long ago King Peng had been outside the Bronze Sect issuing challenges. Now he was humbly asking for help.
Strictly speaking, beyond the divine blood that Su Chen had requested, several other agreements between the Bronze Sect and the Royal Court — particularly trade-related demands — could no longer be fulfilled.
The Bronze Ancient King hadn't reneged. He simply wanted to prevent any possible retaliatory behavior from the Vast Sea Emperor — call it buying goodwill.
"Star Seed Su... would you like to come sit at my quarters?" Han Xingliu forced a smile onto his face and extended the invitation.
Su Chen blinked. This was what — the third or fourth time Han Xingliu had invited him? But this time, the attitude and the underlying intent were entirely different from before.
Still, Su Chen declined as he always had. "No thank you. I still have things to take care of. I'll head back."
Han Xingliu nodded, at a loss for what to say.
Su Chen descended the stairs and left without lingering.
The moment he boarded his flight vehicle, he couldn't wait to feed the Mist Source to the Heavenly Sovereign.
[Sun-Mirror Calamity-Slaying Sovereign has absorbed the Mist Source you offered. He feels refreshed from head to toe. In gratitude for your generosity, he will do his utmost to provide you with some assistance.]
[Sun-Igniter (one-time use): Can be applied to a Holy Class to slowly nurture a weak characteristic that aligns with its style.]
[Calamity Breaker (one-time use): Calls down Tribulation Light to lash your own body, stimulating development progress — up to 30%.]
[Venerable Manifestation (one-time use): Briefly transform into the Sun-Mirror Calamity-Slaying Sovereign.]
A keen gleam appeared in Su Chen's eyes. All three rewards were incredible.
Nurturing characteristics went without saying. The Doppelganger's [Incinerate My Mortal Husk] characteristic had already demonstrated its potency — directly granting a threefold boost equivalent to the base enhancement.
And that was a characteristic born only after multiple rounds of strengthening. Now he could nurture one from scratch.
Stimulating development progress was equally self-explanatory. To this day, apart from Abyssal Void potions, he hadn't encountered anything else capable of boosting development progress.
"Thirty percent... Combined with Primordial Breath Potion, that's practically a fifty percent boost..."
Scenery flowed past the windows. Su Chen swallowed hard and ran the numbers. "Meaning, once I develop to fifty percent, it's effectively the same as being fully developed?"
Naturally, this should be saved until after passing the fifty percent threshold, to maximize its value.
As for Venerable Manifestation — that spoke for itself. Though the Abyssal Void had Solar-rank powerhouses, there were only five of them in total. A Radiant Moon-level trump card still held enormous value.
Su Chen nodded with satisfaction. "The Heavenly Sovereign delivers. Unlike that Holy Sovereign..."
Though... a subtle thought crossed his mind. If the Heavenly Sovereign weren't so desperate to devour the Holy Sovereign, he probably wouldn't be quite this obsequious.
The rewards had shifted to "doing his utmost to help" — the change in tone was far too obvious.
"Tsk, tsk..."
Whimsical ideas drifting through his mind, Su Chen returned to the floating island and headed straight for the Nether Tower. He took out the metal case containing the Evil God blood.
Inside sat ten metallic spheres, their surfaces etched with luminous energy patterns.
This was clearly physical isolation to prevent reactions between different samples of Evil God blood.
Each sphere held twenty-five drops of divine blood. Su Chen took out two, and upon opening them, a thick stench of decay washed over him.
He opened his panel, absorbed the fifty drops of divine blood before him, and extracted what the World-Slaying Manifestation had obtained.
Dark light swirled. A palm-sized chunk of yellow clay gradually solidified, radiating a golden brilliance.
[Mystic Yellow Clay: Soil from the roots and stems of Buddha Land's Wondrous Nine-Job Tree. Can be used to reshape a Holy Class, guiding its growth in the direction you desire.]
"Wondrous Nine-Job Tree? The Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree can evolve?" Su Chen froze, incredulous. "Did you dig this from under their tree?"
It could only be said — the Wondrous Nine-Job Tree lived up to its name. Even the soil from its roots was this extraordinary.
"Reshaping a Holy Class, perhaps..." A wave of excitement rippled through Su Chen's heart. Sky-Scars were powerful, but the cost was steep — one use consumed a 9th-Tier weapon. Even the Bronze Sect couldn't sustain that.
He'd been trying to find improvements, but Sky-Scars' power level was simply too high. Altering the energy supply method wasn't straightforward, and there was virtually no known way to direct a Holy Class's development in a specific direction.
This Mystic Yellow Clay had arrived at just the right moment.
"Could the World-Slaying Manifestation itself want to improve too?" Su Chen mused idly, then immediately applied it to the World-Slaying Manifestation.
[The World-Slaying Manifestation has been enveloped in Mystic Yellow Clay. Stimulated, its body is undergoing subtle changes, reshaping in the direction you desire.
Attempting to alter Sky-Scars' energy supply method. This will be a lengthy process. If assisted by Morning Star Embers of the forging type, the timeframe can be shortened.]
"It actually works..." A sharp gleam lit Su Chen's eyes. He scanned the details, then frowned slightly. "But this reshaping process seems quite long. Forging-type Morning Star Embers — that's a tall order."
In the entire Dust Star Sea, there wasn't a single Morning Star who specialized in forging.
"Guess I'll have to try my luck in the Abyssal Void. Otherwise, I'll just have to be patient and wait for the reshaping to finish on its own."
Su Chen wasn't in a rush. It wasn't a necessity. Even if he couldn't find them, it would just take time.
"Tsk... Two hundred drops of divine blood left. As long as I don't run into another big-ticket item like the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree, this should last a while."
Today's haul had been immense. Su Chen was in excellent spirits. "The question is, which Holy Class should I use the Sun-Igniter on? The characteristic it nurtures will have some randomness depending on the class's style..."
"For combat, it's definitely the World-Slaying Manifestation. The Eternal Physique is already more than sufficient — combined with the Wondrous Tree, stamina is approaching redundancy..."
Su Chen pondered as he stored the remaining divine blood. Walking out of the Nether Tower, he looked up at the Heavenly Gate. "Should be nearly complete by now."