Chapter 442: The Buddha Gravely Wounded — Before the Heavenly Gate |
"This thing really devours materials." Su Chen clicked his tongue. From what he knew, several critical core materials were extremely scarce — even the combined reserves of Bronze and Xuantian weren't enough.
Fortunately, the Star-Firmament Sect would be arriving any day now, and the materials should be nearly sufficient then.
"Xuantian and Star-Firmament paid their toll, but Master didn't tell them that High Heaven would reimburse us afterward." Su Chen muttered, "Perhaps this isn't just a toll."
Xuantian and Star-Firmament weren't bringing just one or two people — virtually all their core disciples were coming. Great Heaven and Buddha Land were undoubtedly aware of this.
They certainly understood the importance of cutting the weeds at the root, but they couldn't very well attack the Bronze Sect right now.
Returning to the training room, he sat cross-legged in midair and opened his panel—
"Characteristics are significant amplifications to specific professional abilities that emerge when a Holy Class is strengthened to a certain degree. Stronger characteristics exist, but a weak characteristic won't alter the fundamental logic of the ability."
He navigated to the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree page, scanning [Calamity Star Conjunction] and [Deep-Rooted].
Perhaps because Pentaelemental Rotation hadn't been achieved yet, both abilities exclusively enhanced the Eternal Physique — there was no interaction between them.
Su Chen didn't deliberate long before making his decision. "But can it be used during the reshaping state?"
[Solar Flint Fire descends, gradually merging into the Mystic Yellow Clay coating the World-Slaying Manifestation's surface. The clay hardens further, and the reshaping process appears to have accelerated considerably. The characteristic is being nurtured, and due to its fusion with the Mystic Yellow Clay, it will be anchored to the reshaping direction.]
"Hm?" Su Chen's heart stirred. "So because it's in the process of reshaping in a specific direction, the characteristic being born will also apply to the Sky-Scars aspect?"
Nurturing a characteristic also required time. Through this strange twist of fate, the two processes had synergized.
"An unexpected bonus..." Su Chen couldn't help but grin. Characteristic nurturing had an element of randomness.
Had he used it earlier, it might have strengthened a different aspect — like enhancing Immovable Vajra instead.
Of course, that might not have been bad either. But Sky-Scars was currently his most powerful technique, and having the characteristic settle there was naturally the best possible outcome.
Su Chen gazed at his panel in satisfaction for a while, then settled into his cultivation posture and entered development mode.
His profession development had reached 9%, but he now only needed to develop to roughly 50% before he could directly use his methods to boost it further.
And with all the requirements for the Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted profession already met, his motivation was naturally even greater.
......
As time passed, the other anxious factions in the Dust Star Sea gradually pieced together what had happened to the Royal Court and the Four Great Sects' Starfires.
This was largely thanks to the Bronze Sect quietly releasing partial information — also to stabilize the teetering Dust Star Sea situation.
Learning that the cause was a powerful force from the Abyssal Void naturally caused an uproar.
For ages, many in the Dust Star Sea had believed they were the largest inhabited region in the cosmos.
No one had expected the sudden emergence of an Abyssal Void — one far more powerful than them.
The initial discovery pushed the chaos up another notch, with numerous factions fearing they'd follow in the footsteps of the Four Great Sects and the Royal Court.
But when the so-called forces from the Abyssal Void showed no signs of further rampaging across the Dust Star Sea, the situation gradually stabilized.
However, the factions possessing small-scale Starfires all began relocating, scrambling to move into the Bronze Sect's sphere of influence.
This caused property prices to surge even on remote, backwater planets.
......
The Bronze Sect, on Wei Zhenghong's floating island. The lights blazed, heads bobbed in a sea of guests, glasses clinked — the atmosphere was lively.
"Come, come... Star Seed Su, a toast to you. The Peak Star Tournament ended so abruptly — I never got to say a proper farewell."
The Star-Firmament Sect's Star Seed, Luo Yao, approached Su Chen with a glass raised, his smile warm, his posture decidedly humble.
"You're too kind, Brother Luo." Su Chen clinked glasses with him, then noticed the other man deliberately lowering his cup below his own, and couldn't help but smile wryly.
This fellow and Sheng Huaixu of the Zhenwu Sect both possessed single Divine Dawn talent, and both had been among the favorites to contend for the Star Prime title.
"Brother Tang..." Wei Zhenghong was catching up with Tang Xiuqi, the Star Seed of the Xuantian Sect.
Following the Xuantian Sect's arrival, the Star-Firmament Sect had come as well.
As a result, the Bronze Sect had been quite lively of late, and given Wei Zhenghong's personality, hosting a banquet was the natural move.
Su Chen clinked glasses with several more people, finding their faces familiar but unable to recall their names.
Then Chu Ran sidled over and sent a mental transmission. "Who would've thought — the entire Dust Star Sea, and it's our Bronze Sect standing alone at the top."
"Look at Tang Xiuqi. He's a previous generation's Star Seed, older even than Wei Zhenghong, and yet he's there making nice. And that Luo Yao — I heard he used to look down on you something fierce. He wouldn't dare show it now."
"The fickle world," Chu Ran remarked without mockery, simply with feeling.
With both Xuantian and Star-Firmament now under the Bronze Sect's protection, naturally they kept a low profile. Su Chen didn't give it much thought.
Chu Ran shifted topics. "I heard that the Sacred Cauldron Sect's Radiant Moon Spirit was seized by Great Heaven. The Sacred Cauldron Ancient King rallied some surviving disciples and seems to have retreated into the Nether Realm."
Su Chen was silent for a moment. "What a shame. We probably won't be able to get the Sacred Cauldron Sect's potions anymore."
With the Starfire extinguished and the Radiant Moon Spirit taken, once the Sacred Cauldron Ancient King perished, the Sacred Cauldron Sect would have nothing left to rely on — falling permanently from the ranks of a true sect.
In that situation, venturing rashly into the Abyssal Void would be tantamount to serving themselves up on a platter. But staying in the Dust Star Sea meant risking retribution from factions they'd previously butted heads with. Their only option was to find somewhere new to settle.
"The Sacred Cauldron Ancient King is getting on in years. He's probably thinking of finding a refuge before he dies — when the time comes, he can transform himself into a Starfire to shelter his people." Chu Ran sighed, then gnashed his teeth. "Great Heaven, Buddha Land — truly ruthless."
As the primary potion supplier, the Sacred Cauldron Sect had maintained good relations with the other factions and enjoyed a decent reputation. Of all the major sects, they arguably had the fewest enemies.
Chu Ran couldn't help feeling the melancholy of seeing one's fellows fall. Even though the Bronze Sect had survived, not a single member internally had a favorable impression of Great Heaven or Buddha Land — their names were spoken through clenched teeth.
"The strong devour the weak..." Su Chen's gaze was steady. If you didn't want to be eaten, you had to become stronger.
"Sigh..." Chu Ran shook his head, then fretted, "The Heavenly Gate should be finished in just a few days. Who knows what High Heaven will be like. Hopefully we can get established quickly."
No one was naive enough to think High Heaven was some paradise. They were the Ninth Heaven — but there were eight others.
Each "Heaven" represented a force no weaker than the Bronze Sect. The internal dynamics were beyond complex.
"Counting on you, Old Su." Chu Ran nudged him with his elbow.
Su Chen glanced at him. "You're going?"
"Going." Chu Ran nodded, his face alight with anticipation. "It is the Abyssal Void, after all. Got to see what it's like. If I really can't adapt, I'll come back and retire."
Su Chen chuckled. Not surprising. For young people, a vaster world held irresistible allure.
He sipped his drink, then suddenly heard an exclamation. "Holy shit — something huge happened! The Immeasurable Buddha has been gravely wounded!"
The voice came from a secluded corner, apparently some overlooked disciple of either Xuantian or Star-Firmament who'd been browsing the network since nobody was talking to him.
"What?"
"Who was wounded?"
In an instant, every gaze in the room turned that way, faces marked with shock and disbelief — surely they'd misheard.
"Feng Jie, don't spread nonsense." Tang Xiuqi reprimanded. The speaker was indeed a Xuantian Sect disciple.
The man's face flushed red. "I'm not making it up. This is—"
"There is indeed a report." Jiang Mufeng spoke up from within the crowd, his voice low and serious, his head bowed as he scrolled through a virtual screen. "The Vast Sea Emperor launched an attack, ambushing the Immeasurable Buddha at the Royal Capital. Eyewitnesses report the Immeasurable Buddha's body was nearly split in half. He was extracted by a beam of light."
"And Han Xiao was killed on the spot."
"Really?!" Tang Xiuqi looked incredulous. The Immeasurable Buddha was from Buddha Land, and his strength was not to be trifled with.
The room fell silent, then erupted into chatter as everyone huddled together, pulling up virtual screens.
After the brief shock passed, expressions of undisguised delight appeared on many faces.
"The Immeasurable Buddha actually thought he could rampage through the Dust Star Sea unchecked. If not for relying on Buddha Land — if not for the Ancient Kings fearing a Solar-rank power — they would have killed him long ago!"
With the Starfires of the major sects extinguished and their people scattered like stray dogs, morale had taken a devastating hit.
Even though no one had been particularly fond of the Vast Sea Emperor before, in this moment, they couldn't help feeling a measure of admiration.
"And that Han Xiao — he was the Vast Sea Emperor's own son, yet he turned around and slaughtered the imperial family."
At the mention of Han Xiao, every speaker's voice dripped with contempt. Nobody liked a traitor.
"That Emperor's really got some backbone," Chu Ran remarked.
Su Chen looked down at his own virtual screen. There was even a blurry recording of the ambush, though it was just a blaze of light — nothing discernible.
Only at the very end could one make out the Wheel of Salvation descending to spirit several people away.
'The Vast Sea Emperor managed to gravely wound the Immeasurable Buddha?'
Su Chen was puzzled. Others might not know, but he was well aware that inside the Flare Realm, the Immeasurable Buddha had directly withstood the siege of six people.
Not to mention, he'd personally witnessed the Immeasurable Buddha forcing his way through the Solar Flame.
"Is the Galaxy Throne really that powerful?" he murmured under his breath.
"The Galaxy Throne?" Chu Ran overheard Su Chen's muttering and looked over with sudden understanding. "Right, I nearly forgot about the Galaxy Throne. It must have been that artifact's assistance that allowed the Vast Sea Emperor to inflict those wounds."
"Too bad he didn't finish him off." Chu Ran never tired of watching a good spectacle.
"It's not that simple..." Su Chen shook his head. He harbored a quiet suspicion — was the Galaxy Throne really that potent?
The Royal Court had indeed once had an Emperor who, relying on the Galaxy Throne, had withstood the siege of the Ancient Kings — but he had perished shortly after returning.
If it couldn't even survive a siege by five Ancient Kings, how could it possibly wound the Immeasurable Buddha that severely?
It wasn't that he looked down on the Vast Sea Emperor, but from what he knew, every Radiant Moon in the Dust Star Sea had flaws. None had advanced through the proper process of tempering Morning Fire to perfection — instead, they'd been forcibly elevated by wielding borrowed Moon Fire.
No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem possible to gravely wound the Immeasurable Buddha.
"Perhaps there were other methods involved..." Su Chen speculated briefly, then abandoned the line of thought. He had no love for the Immeasurable Buddha, and was naturally happy to see this outcome.
With such juicy gossip suddenly emerging, the atmosphere at the banquet grew even more animated.
The crowd was large. Su Chen caught up with a few old acquaintances, then slipped away partway through.
When he returned to his floating island, Qing Cang was already waiting.
"Senior Brother." Su Chen landed, unsurprised.
"Mm." Qing Cang nodded. "I've already sent people to Crimson Thunder. Everyone on the list will be brought here as soon as possible. But a round trip will take more than half a year — you probably won't get to see them before you leave."
By now, the Bronze Sect's internal situation could finally be called essentially secure. No one inside was watching him, and there were no external threats.
It was time to begin gradually relocating some people from Crimson Thunder Planet.
"Thank you, Senior Brother. Time isn't an issue. Once the Heavenly Gate is complete, round trips shouldn't take long." Su Chen wasn't concerned. He didn't have some burning need for a reunion.
"Mm. There's one more thing." Qing Cang paused, his tone rather complex. "In three days, the Heavenly Gate will be finished. Make sure to clear your schedule — this time is different from before."
"Three days." Su Chen looked up toward the Heavenly Gate. The outer scaffolding had already been removed, and it appeared only the finishing touches remained.
"Senior Brother, you'll have your chance to go later." Su Chen offered comfort upon seeing Qing Cang's glum expression.
As a Morning Star, Chu Lingyuan would naturally be heading to High Heaven. Qing Cang had to stay behind to hold down the fort.
"You think I need your comfort?" Qing Cang shot him a look and said gruffly, "You still owe the sect divine blood. That Royal Court blood has been in your hands for a while now, hasn't it?"
"Uh..." Su Chen froze up, feeling a rare pang of guilt. After all, he had technically "borrowed" it. He rummaged reluctantly and produced a few metallic spheres.
"Forget it." Qing Cang nearly burst out laughing at Su Chen's expression, as if he were cutting off his own flesh.
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Su Chen immediately pocketed them again, bowing in gratitude.
Qing Cang's expression cycled through several shades before settling into a sigh. He admonished, "High Heaven is a labyrinth of competing interests. Once you're there, watch your step at all times. Don't stick your neck out. Consult Master before making any moves."
"Understood." Su Chen answered solemnly.
Qing Cang opened his mouth as if to say more, but held back. Given the kid's cautiousness, there was no need for excessive lecturing. He simply clapped Su Chen on the shoulder.
'Lao Qing's clearly uneasy...' Su Chen watched Qing Cang depart. It wasn't just Lao Qing — he himself, and even the Ancient King, probably weren't entirely at peace either.
"Three days..." Su Chen exhaled. After arriving at High Heaven, there would be no shortage of things to do — forging-type Morning Star Embers, resources to alter Holy Class attributes, and more...
......
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, the void near the Heavenly Gate was already crowded with figures.
The Bronze Ancient King stood at the forefront, with Chu Lingyuan behind him, followed by the two Heads of Seat — Lin Langtian and He Chengying — and then the three Star Seeds: Su Chen, Wei Zhenghong, and Shen Yi'an.
"...According to the information synced from High Heaven, Bronze Heaven's designated territory has only basic infrastructure. If there's no handover personnel, we'll have to rely on whoever they assign..."
Su Chen's peripheral vision swept across the group. Behind them stood many more — young faces like Chu Ran and Jiang Mufeng.
There were also some middle-aged figures. He even spotted Zhou Yunyang, whose expression mixed excitement with trepidation. All were capable hands.
The people being brought along needed to familiarize themselves with High Heaven as quickly as possible. Dead weight obviously wouldn't do.