Chapter 468: The So-Called Primordial Return-to-Void Realm, Celestial Constellation |
"I knew it. It's worth fifty drops of Divine Blood, after all. How could it just be a single streak of Profound Limit Celestial Light?"
Su Chen's gaze swept over the text on the panel. This was the hidden information from the scene just now.
There were two crucial pieces of information: "Primordial Return-to-Void Realm" and "Sovereign Relic."
He knew about the Sovereign. He had seen it when searching for information earlier; it likely referred to the Sovereign of the Abyss, a ruler from a far more ancient era.
But he had never heard of any Primordial Return-to-Void Realm.
"Minor Realm, Middle Realm, Great Realm... what is this Primordial Realm?" Su Chen muttered. He opened his token and searched for a while, but couldn't find any relevant information.
"Another piece of blocked information?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow. In this Abyssal Domain, there wasn't much information that couldn't be found through conventional channels. Previously, it was only information related to Eldritch Gods and Mist Source.
Now, there was this Primordial Return-to-Void Realm.
"Perhaps it's a tier above the Great Realm." Su Chen rubbed his chin. Since he couldn't find any information, he could only deduce it himself.
"However, according to Taoist Wood's records, tracing back to its source, the largest Great Void Realm discovered in the Abyssal Domain so far swallowed roughly five hundred and fifty Life Stars."
"That is already larger than the Dust Star Sea, but it is only classified as a Great Void Realm."
Su Chen's eyes flickered. "If a Primordial Realm is above a Great Realm, how massive must the scale of the Starfall be to form a Primordial Realm?"
Recalling the so-called Sovereign Relic, Su Chen's heart skipped a beat. "Could this Primordial Return-to-Void Realm have been caused by the initial eruption of the Nether Realm sweeping across the entire Abyssal Void?"
The place where the Five Pillars resided was called the Abyssal Domain, but based on his estimation, it should be far less massive than the true Abyssal Void. After all, the Nether Mist didn't exist back then.
"If it swallowed the entire Abyssal Void..." Su Chen clicked his tongue, but then his brows suddenly furrowed. "That's not right either. If the Nether Realm swallowed nearly all the Life Stars, where did the current Life Stars come from?"
Life Stars were different from Barren Planets; they nurtured Professionals and could even give birth to natural professions. Their formation process was extremely complex and difficult.
Although the current universe didn't have galaxies like his past life, it was still difficult to find a single Life Star near dozens or hundreds of Barren Planets.
"Perhaps it was only a part of the Abyssal Void?" He further revised his guess. "This seems to be the only possibility."
"Could the Primordial Return-to-Void Realm be the important place Old Yuan mentioned the Pillar Lords were heading to?" Su Chen's heart stirred slightly.
Not long after the Bronze Sect arrived, the Dao Sovereign of High Firmament and several other Radiant Suns seemed to have joined forces to go to an extremely important place. It was estimated they would need some time to return.
Before the Bronze Ancient King and the other Heavenly Lords headed to the Dust Star Sea, they had mentioned it to him, but neither he nor the Bronze Ancient King had paid it much mind.
"It seems to match up. Only a place like this is worthy of several Radiant Suns joining forces to explore." Su Chen pondered. "Then this Sovereign Relic that fell from it must definitely be a good thing."
To fall from a place that required several Radiant Suns to join forces to explore, and to be a relic of the Sovereign of the Abyss... it was undoubtedly a treasure among treasures.
"However..." Su Chen wasn't blinded by all its grand titles. Although the item was good, it was located within a Great Void Realm in the Nether Realm.
With the name of the Dao Sovereign overseeing things, the danger level within High Firmament was far lower than in Red Thunder or within the Bronze Sect; there was almost no danger of losing one's life.
But the Guixu Abyss happened to be one of the exceptions. Who knew how many Professionals died in it every year, and Morning Stars were no minority among them.
Although he had the Venerable Manifestation to preserve his life, it had a time limit and couldn't be used indefinitely.
"Profound Limit Celestial Light, Sovereign Relic... they aren't strictly necessary for me." Su Chen pondered briefly, then remembered those two guys from just now.
"Zhou Lin and Gu Hong. These two guys are nine out of ten times Morning Stars, otherwise they wouldn't dare explore a Great Void Realm. Let's look up their backgrounds first."
He casually pulled up the Abyssal Star Ranking. Compared to the Star Potential Ranking which only recorded one hundred people, this Star Ranking recorded the vast majority of Morning Stars in the Abyssal Domain, totaling 2,134 people.
These were the ones who had made it onto the ranking. Of course, there were some who hadn't, but according to the estimates of many busybodies, the total number of Morning Stars in the entire Abyssal Domain shouldn't exceed 3,000.
Su Chen entered the name and searched. The dazzling array of names vanished, leaving only a single line.
[Rank 987 — Zhou Lin, Senior Deacon of the Storm Tower, refined Six Paths Dawnfire...]
"Refined Six Paths Dawnfire six years ago..." Su Chen's gaze swept over it. This Star Ranking was different from the Star Potential Ranking; it only updated once every ten years. The last update was six years ago.
"Storm Tower..." He looked at the other party's faction background and searched again.
These conventional searches only yielded public information, but this was exactly what Su Chen needed.
"Stationed at Storm Lake for generations. They mainly breed and sell local fish specialties there. The faction has two Radiant Moons coexisting, and currently has seven Morning Stars..."
"I might have to face two Radiant Moons..." Su Chen frowned at once. "In that case, I can't call Old Yuan back to make a preemptive strike."
The Radiant Moons of the Abyssal Domain had no flaws and were overall stronger than the Radiant Moons of the Dust Star Sea. Old Yuan was already proclaimed the strongest in the Dust Star Sea. Even if he could match a standard Radiant Moon of the Abyssal Domain, he wouldn't be able to suppress them.
Even if he knew there were good things in a Great Void Realm, obtaining them wouldn't be a simple matter. It was highly likely they would run into people brought by Zhou Lin during the exploration process.
"If it really comes down to it, I can just put on an act of going out for a period of time, then submit this coordinate and take the fixed reward."
Su Chen couldn't help but think of this. Discovering a Great Void Realm would directly grant a reward of one hundred portions of Faith Essence. After all, it was basically impossible for such a place to be completely barren; there would always be some good things.
"But trading fifty drops of Divine Blood for just one hundred portions of Faith Essence feels a bit like a bad deal." Su Chen shook his head. "Let's see what the process of exploring the Guixu Abyss entails first, and if there's any possibility of snatching the prize."
He truly didn't know much about how to explore the Guixu Abyss. Taoist Wood's article basically only contained theoretical summaries, with very few detailed steps.
However, he didn't need to personally make a trip to know the specific details. There was simply too much experience within High Firmament, and a casual search yielded a massive amount of articles.
After spending some time, Su Chen gained a rough understanding of the exploration process for the Guixu Abyss.
The Guixu Abyss was extremely special. It wasn't a truly existing world, but rather evolved from the Nether Realm. Fragility and uncertainty were its greatest characteristics.
One might encounter all sorts of bizarre things in it, or lifeforms that had once existed on a certain Life Star, or even past scenes, as well as some special Nether Realm Creatures unique to the Guixu Abyss.
Conventional Nether Realm Creatures didn't walk the path of Professionals, so their strength was limited. But those born in the Guixu Abyss, twisted from the Professionals who died there and the ethereal Professional Spirituality, would give birth to extremely powerful Nether Realm Creatures.
Although they couldn't leave the Guixu Abyss they were born in, the strength they could exert within it was no less than that of Divine Dawn, or even True Radiance Professionals of the same tier.
"...The most dangerous aspect is the fragility of the Guixu Abyss itself. It has a limit to the power it can bear. Once that limit is touched, a collapse phenomenon will occur. This collapse involves the Nether Realm itself. Even if a Minor Void Realm collapses, any Radiant Moon present within will be severely injured..."
"With such high danger, no wonder that Zhou Lin didn't enter immediately even after killing Gu Hong. Even Morning Stars wouldn't dare explore a Great Void Realm carelessly. If it collapses, even a Radiant Moon would be crushed to death on the spot."
"It's probably impossible for Old Yuan to take me to snatch the prize. The time consumed would definitely be significant. However..." Su Chen's eyes flickered. After understanding the details carefully, a wonderful idea suddenly struck him.
"If that's the case, then this place is simply too wonderful. It's far more perfect than I initially anticipated. Perhaps I can cause a huge commotion. Right now, all the Radiant Suns are absent..."
"There's just one thing missing." Su Chen grew interested and began cross-referencing the coordinate system.
"...When other factions in the Abyssal Domain want to explore the Guixu Abyss, the vast majority set out from Five Pillar City..."
Five Pillar City was an area jointly constructed by the Five Pillars of the Abyssless Domain within the Abyssal Domain.
"If nothing unexpected happens, even if I use the 'Abyssal Rift' to reach that place, it will still take several months. I should have enough time..."
"If I use this place as the stage, then many details will need to be adjusted... I'll also have to ask the Remnant Spirit..."
Various thoughts intertwined in Su Chen's mind. His body was gradually enveloped by elemental power as he entered the development state.
...
In the Dust Star Sea, at the Bronze Sect, one could clearly see layers upon layers of thick, robust light patterns winding around that massive Starfire. Any single one of them was as thick as a mountain range.
They seemed to be extracting the power of the Starfire, vanishing into the void along those light patterns, seemingly constructing something more exquisite and with a higher utilization rate.
The Bronze Core didn't look much different from before, except there were many more unfamiliar faces. Those familiar faces would occasionally look up at the Starfire, faintly seeing those thick light patterns, a flash of worry seemingly crossing their faces.
A streak of cyan light flashed past, landing before the Ancient King Palace. Qing Cang paused his steps, subconsciously straightened his attire, and took a slow breath before stepping into the hall.
A small square table was placed in the hall, with three distinct figures sitting on three sides.
"Master..." Qing Cang walked in, first bowing to the Bronze Ancient King seated at the head, then bowing to the young man wearing a jade crown on the left: "Ancient Heaven Lord."
He then bowed to the elder on the right, "Pei Heaven Lord."
Both men nodded in response. They were precisely the Taixiao Heaven Lord, Gu Lin, and the Sangwu Heaven Lord, Pei Song.
Only then did Qing Cang report, "...The people brought by the two Heaven Lords have already finished constructing the Celestial Constellation Rune Array. According to their estimates, once the Starfire is completely integrated into it, the coverage area of the light will increase by thirty times, and the Nether Mist repulsion range will increase by a hundred times."
When mentioning these numbers, a faint tremble could be heard in Qing Cang's voice. What kind of concept was this?
Although the Dust Star Sea wasn't small, the Starfires of the other Sects and the Royal Court had already been extinguished. It was only a matter of time before the Nether Mist swept over.
Their Starfire could only protect so much territory. Even if they wanted to swallow the entire Dust Star Sea, it wouldn't be very likely.
But this method of High Firmament was truly impressive, instantly bringing out the full might of the Starfire in a truly terrifying manner.
The only downside was that, by doing this, the Starfire could no longer be used as a power core.
The Bronze Ancient King's movements also paused slightly, a touch of marvel appearing on his wooden face. "This effect is one-third better than our previous estimates. It truly lives up to being High Firmament's grand array."
"It also exceeded our expectations." Taixiao Heaven Lord Gu Lin picked up his teacup and took a sip, a smile on his face. "The efficacy of this Celestial Constellation Rune Array is fixed. The reason it has such might is still because this Starfire of Bronze Heaven is truly astonishing."
"The heritage passed down through generations of ancestors has finally manifested as foundation. With such a massive coverage area, it should be enough to swallow the vast majority of factions in the Dust Star Sea."
"Since that is the case, let us proceed to the next step," Pei Song also said with a chuckle.
The Bronze Ancient King nodded. "I will soon issue a notice to the entire Dust Star Sea in the name of High Firmament. For any faction willing to come to Bronze Heaven, as long as they pay a certain price, we can shift their Life Stars for them."
Shift Life Stars?
Standing to the side, Qing Cang couldn't help but click his tongue. Such methods were unheard of in the Dust Star Sea.
Gu Lin stood up and chuckled, "I heard that the Great Heavens and the Buddha Land are also trying to create safe zones, unwilling to let us monopolize it. Unfortunately, they lost the initiative, and their methods are cruel. Aside from Bronze Heaven's enemies, I'm afraid no one will be willing to enter..."
Pei Song chimed in, "Bronze Heaven has always been generous in the Dust Star Sea, so it doesn't have many enemies. It is truly blessed by heaven and earth. Given time, it will inevitably become a Giant Heaven within our High Firmament."
The two of them exchanged words, nearly praising the Bronze Sect to the high heavens.
The Bronze Ancient King remained silent for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "The words of you two truly make me sweat with shame. I still don't know if the people below can hold onto this chair of mine. I am merely forcing myself to hold on."
Pei Song and Gu Lin exchanged a glance, their expressions subtle. They naturally understood the issue of Bronze Heaven's continuation. This was also the first severe problem they had to face.
According to the experience of Heavens that had integrated previously, they mostly exhausted all their efforts to cultivate a successor. If they truly couldn't cultivate one, then there was nothing that could be done.
Of the three Star Seeds of this Bronze Heaven, only that Su Chen seemed somewhat promising. As for the other two, they didn't even have the qualifications to be registered.
And the fact that the Bronze Heaven Lord hastily used the Profound Limit Celestial Light on Su Chen led most of them to deduce that this Heaven Lord didn't have much lifespan left.
When the time came, the ownership of this massive benefit in the Dust Star Sea would likely spark a dispute within High Firmament.
Gu Lin chuckled and said, "Primordial Sovereign is overthinking things. The Profound Limit Celestial Light has already been used on your young disciple. Cultivating him into a successor will definitely not be a problem."
"Indeed..." Pei Song nodded. "I heard that Primordial Sovereign's young disciple was able to take a blow from a Morning Star head-on while only at the seventh rank. He is definitely no ordinary figure."
Take a Morning Star head-on?
Gu Lin couldn't help but pause, looking at Pei Song in astonishment. A seventh-rank taking a Morning Star head-on? Did this old fellow say that right?
To live long and not die is to become a thief... The Bronze Ancient King's gaze swept over. This Sangwu Heaven was skilled at creating Plant Seeds, and was also extremely skilled at extending lifespan, far exceeding Professionals of the same rank.
These two guys had been staying with him ever since they arrived, but Pei Song had discreetly sent his subordinates to gather quite a bit of information.
As for this Gu Lin, he had been a Heaven Lord for less than 500 years, far inferior to this Pei Song.