Chapter 443: Arriving at High Heaven |
Those assembled were the ones heading to High Heaven. Qing Cang stood off to one side with another group — the garrison personnel. The Dust Star Sea's situation still shifted daily, and a significant contingent was needed to hold things down.
Of the seven Heads of Seat, the Bronze Ancient King was only taking two.
As for the members of the Xuantian and Star-Firmament sects, they stood even further out, driven mostly by curiosity.
The Heavenly Gate's finishing touches had been fully completed. Its surface was pristine white like jade, smooth as a mirror, without a single seam. Only countless light-conducting channels, fine as strands of hair, could be glimpsed shifting beneath its pale shell.
It stood nearly a thousand meters tall, though that was comparable only to some mid-sized Star Gates.
"Who knows what it'll be like on the other side. They won't immediately try to intimidate us, will they?" Wei Zhenghong murmured.
"Shouldn't happen. They're one of the Abyssal Void's top-tier powers, after all." Shen Yi'an shook his head, though even he wasn't entirely sure.
"Tsk..." Wei Zhenghong brought up another matter. "I heard the Zhenwu Ancient King joined Great Heaven. Some of the remaining Zhenwu disciples followed suit, and they've been gathering people in the Dust Star Sea, trying to rival us."
Su Chen's gaze flickered. He already knew about this, and it was connected to the Immeasurable Buddha's wounding.
Whether the two had coordinated beforehand was unclear, but after the Radiant Moon Spirit was purified, the Royal Court's people had departed from the Bronze Sect and hadn't been heard from since.
Following the attack on the Immeasurable Buddha, the Zhenwu Ancient King had taken his people into Great Heaven. Apparently unwilling to let the Bronze Sect monopolize the Dust Star Sea's spoils, he too was rallying forces.
But given how brutal Great Heaven's methods had been, few answered the call.
"It's starting." Shen Yi'an suddenly spoke up. Wei Zhenghong's expression sobered, and Su Chen turned to look as well.
The Bronze Ancient King had stepped before the Heavenly Gate, extending his palm. The white jade command token engraved with the characters for "Bronze" floated free, fitting seamlessly into the groove at the gate's apex.
In an instant, the Heavenly Gate trembled. Streams of blue-green light spread from the token, growing brighter, flowing across the lintel, the pillars...
The once pristine white jade gate gradually shifted to a deep, weighty bronze hue. Beyond that, the entire gate began to expand — doubling, then multiplying dozens of times over, as if cleaving the very star-void in two.
Everyone's breath caught. They stared wide-eyed at the gate's transformation as sparks seemed to fly at its center, a vortex gradually forming and expanding at visible speed.
From deep within the gate, the faint sound of bells and chimes rang out — clear, resonant, and far-reaching. The vortex slowly transformed into a curtain of misty light, which suddenly rippled with waves.
Dense fog churned forth like boiling milk, pouring outward and resolving into streams of flowing pale-gold filaments that coiled and spiraled through the air before solidifying into a bridge of light, extending down to the Bronze Ancient King's feet.
Then, figures clad in gleaming golden armor emerged in formation, bearing metallic halberds. Giants nearly ten meters tall followed, holding massive silver horns.
Great beasts crouched and pulled golden chariots — creatures resembling azure-scaled tigers with six wings on their backs, arcs of blue lightning crackling between their scales. Atop the chariots sat enormous crimson drums.
Still more figures and beasts of various kinds lined up in orderly ranks on both sides. A rough count put the number at well over ten thousand.
Finally, a towering giant in heavy armor strode out, followed by a rather inconspicuous figure behind him.
The gazes of the Bronze, Xuantian, and Star-Firmament Ancient Kings fell upon the towering giant. He didn't speak aloud — instead, a profound psionic wave surged forth like a tide.
"High Heaven — Upper Firmament Heaven Lord Tang Huai, here by the Daoist Lord's command to welcome Bronze Heaven into High Heaven!"
"Welcome, Bronze Heaven!"
The enormous horns sounded in unison, the metallic halberds blazed with light, and the crimson drums thundered.
There was no air in the vacuum, yet everyone distinctly felt tangible waves of sound washing over them — an imposing aura crashing against their faces.
The Bronze Sect members' faces flushed, but their unease had diminished considerably. At the very least, judging by this scene, High Heaven was treating them with great respect.
The members of the Xuantian and Star-Firmament sects couldn't help but look on with envy. Though they had sentiment for their own sects, not many truly wanted to leave everything behind and struggle in a place like the Abyssal Void, where the powerful converged.
And besides, this Bronze Sect didn't exactly seem constrained.
"Upper Firmament Heaven Lord?" Su Chen took quiet note. The Heavenly Gate's construction had taken time, but the Bronze Sect's communication with High Heaven had begun long ago, and a good deal of information had been exchanged.
Including themselves, High Heaven had nine Heavens. Of these, Upper Firmament, Taixiao, and Yuxiao constituted the core — the Upper Three Heavens, the mainline of High Heaven. Their Heaven Lord lineages had never been broken, standing firm throughout the ages.
Beyond those, the longest-standing among the other six was Eternal Dragon Heaven.
"This system of High Heaven's isn't without its downsides. If they truly encounter a Heaven with an unbroken succession, it could leverage High Heaven to grow ever stronger." Su Chen mused internally, but then thought of Daoist Lord Lingxiao.
"Then again — with a Solar-rank being presiding, of course he can keep things in check. Even if the Heavens compete internally, it strengthens High Heaven as a whole. There's no losing."
"Upper Firmament is the highest of the three. Sending the Upper Firmament Heaven Lord himself to receive us — this is already the highest possible protocol short of the Daoist Lord appearing personally." Su Chen's eyes glinted. "Master's strength ranks well among the Ancient Kings, but to warrant this level of reception, the Bronze Sect itself probably accounts for a large share."
Across the entire history of the Abyssal Void, one would be hard-pressed to find many outer realms matching the Dust Star Sea in scale. The Five Great Sects and the Royal Court's territories collectively claimed only a portion of it.
Under those circumstances, the Bronze Sect's accumulated legacy gave it a natural ruling advantage and access to resources that were not to be underestimated.
"The reception is grand, but aside from that Heaven Lord, the others' strength isn't impressive..." Chu Lingyuan and the sect's upper echelon quietly breathed a sigh of relief. If the grand reception had been accompanied by numerous Morning Stars or even Radiant Moons, it wouldn't have been merely a welcome — it would have been a show of force.
This was nearly the best-case scenario they could have hoped for.
The Bronze Ancient King had already stepped forward, greeting, "Heaven Lord Tang..."
"Primordial Sovereign, the Daoist Lord has been asking about you for some time." Tang Huai nodded, his gaze curious — he hadn't expected this Bronze Heaven Lord to be a mechanically augmented being.
"During our last conversation, I was deeply impressed by the Daoist Lord's bearing. I too have been eager for a meeting." The Bronze Ancient King replied.
Tang Huai smiled, then his gaze fell upon the Xuantian and Star-Firmament Ancient Kings standing to one side. "And those two are...?"
"Old friends of mine. They wish to pass through to the Abyssal Void." The Bronze Ancient King explained.
"I see." Tang Huai considered. "However, today that won't be possible. The Heavenly Gate is currently anchored to High Heaven's core region. They'll have to wait until after today to use the passage."
"They're in no hurry." The Bronze Ancient King nodded. Tang Huai's gaze then shifted to Chu Lingyuan, passed over him, and swept toward the group behind. "Those would be the people Bronze Heaven is bringing along?"
"That's right." The Bronze Ancient King nodded. "My disciples' talents are lacking. Please forgive the poor showing."
"Not at all." Tang Huai waved dismissively with a chuckle. "By Outer Realm standards, your people are already quite formidable. If there's nothing else, Primordial Sovereign, shall we proceed?"
"Hmm..." Yuan Shuo deliberated briefly, then nodded. "Nothing else requires attention. Let's go."
"Should anything come up, the Heavenly Gate can bring you back in an instant." Tang Huai said with a smile, stepping aside. Behind him, Qi You was discreetly sizing up everything.
'In an instant...' The Bronze Ancient King paused for a beat, then looked toward Xuantian and Star-Firmament, exchanging a glance with both.
Then he turned to Qing Cang and saw his student give a nod.
An invisible force swept out, enveloping everyone behind him as they followed Tang Huai through the gate.
BOOM!
The instant they entered, Su Chen felt light and shadow shifting wildly around him — a kaleidoscope of bizarre visions. For a moment he couldn't distinguish up from down, let alone left from right.
"What is this..."
Su Chen strained to sense his surroundings. He could clearly feel countless lights flickering, yet he could see nothing. He couldn't even sense Wei Zhenghong right beside him.
Violent, chaotic energies warped his five senses. Even with his current physical strength, he felt his mind going hazy.
He could even feel fleeting pulses of a dreadful, heart-stopping aura, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.
"What method is being used to traverse this?"
Su Chen pondered in silence. After what felt like an indeterminate span of time, his vision suddenly cleared. Starlight blazed, and a scene of awe-inspiring grandeur burst into view.
Before him floated a continent of truly colossal proportions, suspended in the star-void — like a dam bisecting an entire galaxy. Upon it stretched an endless sprawl of palace complexes.
Orbiting it were somewhat smaller landmasses — though "smaller" was only relative to the central continent. Between them, bridges of rainbow light crisscrossed, and warships and starships cut through the spaces between.
A single glance couldn't take it all in.
Su Chen felt a faint sense of familiarity — he'd glimpsed this during his deduction. But the others beside him stood slack-jawed and dumbstruck.
Surrounding the sprawling palace complexes, vast numbers of life-bearing planets orbited under invisible gravitational pull, like dazzling stellar rings.
A rough count showed they far outnumbered all the habitable worlds the Bronze Sect governed in the Dust Star Sea.
This Heavenly Gate was clearly not the standard means of transit. Su Chen saw no other people or vehicles in the vicinity.
"How many people must live here..." Wei Zhenghong swallowed hard and couldn't help but speak.
"Unimaginable..." Shen Yi'an murmured.
Yuan Shuo absorbed every detail before him, frantically analyzing and cataloguing everything. He could perceive far more than the others.
This place was far more than what met the eye. The energy pathways hidden deep in the void, crisscrossing in intricate networks — those were the truly staggering aspect.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
At that moment, Su Chen saw pillars of light surge from the continental plate to the upper left of the palace complex. They transformed into an azure dragon that soared through the void, coiling through the surrounding space.
"Eternal Dragon Heaven Lord — Yan Xing welcomes the Bronze Heaven Lord." The psionic wave rolled toward them like thunder.
On another landmass, a tree of cosmic proportions erupted from the ground, its billions of branches and leaves cradling stars.
"Sangwu Heaven Lord — Pei Song welcomes the Bronze Heaven Lord!"
Psionic waves rose one after another. Before long, five radiant beacons illuminated the star-void.
Yuan Shuo stepped forward. A torrent of data surged skyward, interweaving and coalescing into a mechanical colossus with bowed head: "Bronze Heaven Lord Yuan Shuo greets you all."
As the auras intertwined and clashed, even Su Chen felt his spirit stir. Chu Lingyuan gazed upward in a daze.
Below, on the palatial structures beyond the reach of their eyes, people were also looking up at the radiant lights in the star-void, staring in astonishment.
"What's going on?"
"I think that Bronze Heaven just arrived?"
"Finally. I've been curious for ages. Wonder if they're strong or weak — hopefully not even worse than Xuanwu Heaven."
"The Upper Firmament Heaven Lord went personally to receive them? That's the highest protocol possible. Does the Daoist Lord really value them that much?"
"......"
Moments later, the celestial displays withdrew. Introductions were made.
Only then did Tang Huai speak. "Primordial Sovereign, the Daoist Lord is already waiting. Follow me. Qi You, take the Bronze Heaven members to their designated territory."
"Yes." Qi You stepped forward and nodded.
After watching the two Heaven Lords depart, Qi You summoned a virtual screen. Immediately, a bridge of rainbow light extended up from below.
"This way, everyone." Qi You stepped onto the rainbow bridge and vanished in the next instant. Chu Lingyuan hesitated briefly, then beckoned everyone to follow.
"This thing..." Su Chen stepped on. His vision blurred for an instant, and the scenery was entirely different. Before him stood an expansive complex of palaces, all constructed from silvery-white metal.
Above hung an enormous shadow, slowly rotating.
They now occupied one of the continental plates, orbiting the largest central mass at the same level as the others.
But it was still quite empty. Beyond the central palace complex, there was nothing else.
"This is Bronze Heaven's territory." Qi You introduced it simply, his voice even. "It was prepared beforehand. All basic infrastructure is in place."
"Shortly, personnel from the Office of Law, Office of Equipment, and other departments will arrive. They'll help everyone become further acquainted with High Heaven."
"Thank you, Lord Qi You." Chu Lingyuan nodded. He could sense this fellow was also a Morning Star, but far more unfathomable than even Lu Feng — the strongest Morning Star in the Dust Star Sea.
"Please, no need for formalities." Qi You smiled, then asked, "Is Su Chen present?"
'Su Chen?'
Chu Lingyuan's heart tightened. Su Chen had naturally come, but why was this man suddenly bringing him up?
Su Chen, who had begun to drift apart from the group, paused mid-step and turned. "Lord Qi You, I'm here."
Qi You's gaze was calm. He'd already reviewed Su Chen's file and recognized him from the start. Asking was merely a courtesy.
He smiled. "Come with me. Those chosen by Morning Star Spirits must register separately."
Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an looked over as well. Chu Lingyuan asked with a hint of suspicion, "Just Su Chen alone?"
"Only those with Divine Dawn talent receive High Heaven's recognition." Qi You nodded. Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an's faces had already turned unmistakably stiff with embarrassment.
"Only Divine Dawn qualifies?" Chu Lingyuan's heart skipped.
"Correct." Qi You paused, not wanting to needlessly offend this Bronze Heaven. He explained, "This is High Heaven's rule. Under its internal selection criteria, anyone below Divine Dawn talent has no right to compete for the Chosen selection."
"However, those who have already been Chosen will not have their status stripped." He added this line to reassure the Bronze Heaven contingent.
But Chu Lingyuan's sharp instincts caught the implication hidden within those words. He couldn't help but ask, "Are you saying High Heaven possesses the means to strip a Chosen's status without harming them?"
Qi You nodded. "Indeed we do."
The sect members who hadn't yet walked far turned to look back, their throats tightening.
Wei Zhenghong's and Shen Yi'an's hearts both lurched.
Even Su Chen was startled. This was truly the Abyssal Void — truly High Heaven. They even had methods like that.