Chapter 471: The "Birth" of Taixuan Hong |
"This Thunder Membrane is different from normal Nether Realm Creatures; it was born in the Guixu Abyss and possesses a physical flesh body." Su Chen observed it carefully.
"This kind of special Nether Realm Creature has a strength far surpassing that of ordinary Nether Realm Creatures, but it can only be captured in the Guixu Abyss and cannot be brought out."
"Personification..."
His heart stirred slightly, and he saw water-like ripples appear on the surface of the Thunder Membrane's body. Its bones crackled, the vertical eye gradually vanished, and facial features evolved on its face.
Soon, it transformed into an entirely different appearance.
With a thought, he felt a blur before his eyes, and his perspective switched to the Thunder Membrane's body. He carefully experienced it, finding it quite uncomfortable. "The strength isn't that great; it's probably only at the level of three or four low-tier Sacred Classes..."
"However, I can still stack other imprisoned Nether Realm Creatures. If they are all at the strength of this Thunder Membrane, and I stack another eight, it should barely be enough to impersonate Taixuan Hong..."
"But my consciousness can only be projected within a certain range, and this thing's own intelligence is practically non-existent."
Su Chen pondered. He opened the panel and glanced at the several pieces of Morning Star Embers he had bookmarked. They all had the "Avatar" tag and were all Embers from within High Firmament, so they could be delivered very quickly.
Su Chen opened the "Class Forging" page on the panel. He still had three portions of Hei Tuo Source Power in his hands, obtained during his "descent from the mountain" as an expert earlier.
He had fleeced them from Lao Hei, but hadn't found a necessary opportunity to use them since. Now, however, was a fateful encounter.
"Hei Tuo is, after all, an expert at playing with the mind. I wonder if it can forge what I want..."
[The Forge of Vocations shatters the three portions of Hei Tuo Source Power and forges them into the body of the Nine Hells Thunder Evolution. A subtle, wondrous change occurs within it, and a Vertical Eye Emblem faintly surfaces above its head...]
[The Nine Hells Thunder Evolution has been strengthened—Nether Pupil: When the avatar and the main body are both in the Nether Realm, consciousness can descend into the body at any time.]
"Good ol' Hei!" Su Chen couldn't help but let out a breath. His luck was good this time, saving him the expense of purchasing Morning Star Embers.
Moreover, even if he fused Morning Star Embers, he wouldn't necessarily obtain what he wanted. He could only say that Lao Hei was indeed worthy of being an expert in this field.
"As long as we're both in the Nether Realm, distance can be ignored. That's another piece of the puzzle. But it's not like I can just look up at the sky and roar 'I am Taixuan Hong' and others will believe me." Su Chen thought for a moment and attempted to summon the panel.
"It can actually be summoned. Does this mean this thing isn't tied to my body, nor my Psionic Power, but rather my main consciousness?"
Su Chen was thoughtful, muttering in his heart, "Heavenly Sovereign, do me a favor. Can you manage to get some aura or something from the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith?"
[The Solar Marrow Calamity-Transcending Heavenly Venerable sensed your will. Doing this is somewhat risky for him, but he is willing to try.
The Sovereign of the Purple Zenith was enveloped in a haze of flame. The Heavenly Sovereign silently arrived at his side, unleashing a wisp of Tribulation Light, attempting to sever a wisp of aura from him.
Stimulated, the Sovereign abruptly opened his eyes, a flash of wrath crossing them. The Heavenly Sovereign was sent flying horizontally, sustaining significant injuries, but still clutching a white flare in his hand.]
[A wisp of aura from the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith: Aside from carrying a trace of might, it seems to have no other use.]
"Good brother!" Su Chen's sturdy body shook, and he snorted coldly. "It's just a wisp of aura, is there a need to be so angry? He even injured my brother."
He didn't know if this Sovereign was acting like this because those requirements hadn't been completely fulfilled, or because he was too aloof, or perhaps both.
Aside from giving a few good things when he obtained the Selection, up until today, there had been a total harvest failure.
Although that thing directly erased the Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted's profession requirements, there was also a portion that was snatched by his good brother, the Heavenly Sovereign.
"Good brother, if there's a chance in the future, I will definitely make him bow and submit before you." Su Chen comforted him, then thought, "With this, I have a part of the proof. If I wasn't the Chosen, where would I get a portion of the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith's aura?"
"Since the Heavenly Sovereign got it for me, I won't have to trick the Remnant Spirit into finding a way. I'll deal with him later."
If the Heavenly Sovereign was unwilling to act, or failed to obtain it, Su Chen still had a backup plan, which was the Remnant Spirit currently kept in the dark by him. This guy definitely had other methods.
Because he could also summon the panel in this body, Su Chen didn't extract this wisp of aura, lest certain people in High Firmament discover it.
"It would be even better if I could also obtain the Taixuan family's bloodline, but it's a pity Brother Tianyi's blood was used up previously." Su Chen thought for a moment, but estimated that the Taixuan family's blood shouldn't be too precious an item.
He opened the Cosmic Void and attempted to search. A large list of items popped up.
[Blood of Tai Xuan—Divine Dawn (1L packaging)—Great Heaven: Quoted price: ten Faith Essence. From a certain Divine Dawn talent possessor among the descendants of the Taixuan family. The life essence is thin, but can be used as a ritual medium.]
"They're actually selling it publicly?" Su Chen's brows couldn't help but furrow. He suddenly thought about how all Five Pillars were searching for Taixuan Hong; driving carriages and horses wasn't as effective, but many factions lacked the Taixuan family's blood.
Selling this stuff was indeed a good business.
He roughly looked through it. The main sellers came from three parties: Great Heaven, Buddha Land, and Machine Domain.
"The Taixuan family is truly miserable." Su Chen sighed. "Brother Tianyi, I can only clear my name as quickly as possible now, so they'll stop targeting the remaining members of the Taixuan clan."
There were no true descendants of the Taixuan family in the Abyssal Domain. They were either treated as Human Stock in Great Heaven or as Arhats in Buddha Land, seemingly human yet not.
The remaining two or three branches were all within the Nether Mist. In such a short time, the people of the Abyssal Domain hadn't caught them yet, but it was only a matter of time.
Since blood could also be purchased, he wasn't lacking anything. "Although it's Divine Dawn blood, as long as it's blown to smithereens at that time, no one will be able to tell."
After the Guixu Abyss collapsed, everything would be untraceable, and even Radiant Suns would be helpless.
"Next, I need to prop up the strength of this body. The imprisoned Nether Realm Creatures can be swapped out. If it really doesn't work out, I'll just buy eight Nether Realm Creatures and stuff them in first."
Before that, he naturally had to harmonize the Nine Hells Thunder Evolution into the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree as well.
Crackle—The uppermost branch of the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree was filled with lightning arcs, and the Power of the Elemental Cycle from the roots surged upwards.
[Tree Follows the Will: The avatar can invoke the abilities of the Sacred Classes harmonized with the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree. Note: If the avatar invokes them, the main body cannot.]
"Hmm?" Su Chen was slightly stunned, the corners of his mouth breaking into a wide grin. "Hah, this makes things simple. It can directly invoke the Sacred Classes on the tree..."
"This way, I don't need to buy ordinary Nether Realm Creatures. Wouldn't it suffice to just go to that Guixu Abyss, catch some special Nether Realm Creatures, and stuff them in?"
"However..." Su Chen's mind changed tracks. "Arcane Artifacts and Sky-Scars cannot be transferred. The avatar will probably have difficulty invoking them."
"Let's try it out..."
His heart stirred, and a majestic Great Strength instantly welled up within the body, which made Su Chen astonished. "It can actually be done?"
"Isn't this a bit too overpowered? The Sky-Scars and Arcane Artifacts are clearly in my main body, yet I can still invoke them across a distance. Is this truly something the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree can accomplish, or is it relying on the panel's might?"
Su Chen couldn't quite figure it out, but for him, this was excellent news.
"Everything is nearly ready... but now I have to let this thing out." Su Chen naturally couldn't just let the avatar go out by itself; its identity couldn't be explained at all, nor could it enter the Nether Realm.
"I still have to go out for a trip, but it's just as well..." Su Chen opened his token and sent a message out. A moment later, there was a response.
He waited a while, finding the Office of Law to exchange a batch of physical Faith Essence. It only took about ten minutes before someone delivered it.
Only then did Su Chen activate the token, gradually submerging into the Nether Realm.
...
"Star Seed Su..." Jiang Ce was already waiting here. When he saw Su Chen appear in the area, he immediately approached.
"Brother Jiang is quite fast." Su Chen glanced at the approaching Jiang Ce.
"I wouldn't dare accept the title of Brother. Just call me Jiang Ce." Jiang Ce looked awkward, and even quite constrained and uneasy.
Previously, Su Chen was just an Outer Realm Star Seed, and he didn't mind chatting and bantering with him. But now, the other party was first place on the Lingxiao Hidden Star Ranking, and could probably crush him to death with a single finger.
"Don't be a stranger." Su Chen shook his head. "Brother Jiang is older than me, so you are worthy of the title 'Brother'."
Jiang Ce gave a bitter smile, but his expression couldn't help but brighten. Previously, when Su Chen called him Brother Jiang, he didn't feel much, but hearing it now felt distinctly different.
"What matter does Star Seed Su wish to discuss with me?" He didn't dally and cut straight to the point.
Su Chen explained, "It's like this: while reviewing materials about the Abyssal Domain, I learned about Five Pillar City and am quite curious about the place. However, the people of our Bronze Heaven are all newly arrived, so I reckon no one can act as a guide. Therefore, I can only trouble Brother Jiang."
"Five Pillar City." Jiang Ce understood, looking thoughtful. "That place is indeed magnificent. Since Star Seed Su is interested, then let's make a trip there."
Su Chen had boundless prospects, so Jiang Ce naturally didn't mind clinging to this thigh.
"Sorry for the trouble."
"Not at all. I was idle anyway." Jiang Ce waved his hands repeatedly and led Su Chen toward another area, introducing it as they walked. "To get to Five Pillar City, we need to pass through an Abyssal Rift."
Su Chen had already reviewed some general information when he arrived. This Abyssal Rift was a method similar to a Star Gate, but due to the characteristics of the Nether Realm, it was much faster than a Star Gate.
The Nether Realm was vast and boundless. Exploring it could only rely on these Abyssal Rifts.
Soon, they arrived at an Abyssal Rift station. There were numerous deep rifts here, all propped open by metal brackets covered in densely packed, glowing symbols.
There was a considerable number of people coming and going, each having to undergo an inspection. They hurried back and forth, many looking exhausted and lethargic, not even bothering to cast a glance at others.
Jiang Ce led him to the rift leading to Five Pillar City and they stood at the back of the line.
"Eternal Dragon Heaven—Jiang Ce"
It was soon their turn. The inspection system called out the name, and the guard gave a rough check before waving him through. His gaze then landed on Su Chen behind him, and he couldn't help but freeze, as if having recognized him.
"Bronze Heaven, Star Seed—Su Chen"
The inspection system meticulously called out the name. The surrounding guards all cast surprised glances, sizing him up several times before looking away.
Many of the people queuing in front and behind also craned their necks to look, wearing expressions of surprise and whispering among themselves.
Only some practitioners who had just returned from outside and didn't know who this person was merely glanced over before hurrying away.
"Is the inspection finished?" Su Chen looked at the somewhat dazed guard beside him.
"Oh, oh... it's done, it's done." The guard snapped back to his senses, somewhat embarrassed, and hastily let him pass.
Although Su Chen's name was out there, very few had actually seen him in person.
As he followed Jiang Ce into the Abyssal Rift, Su Chen only saw a bizarre kaleidoscope of light for a fleeting moment before his vision suddenly broadened, and faint noises surged from afar.
This was a giant city far larger than Lingxiao Underworld Domain. At a glance, countless floating islands with metal structures hovered in the low sky.
He and Jiang Ce were currently standing on an exceptionally large metallic floating island.
The continuous cluster of buildings on the ground stretched endlessly, and various flight vehicles zipped through the firmament. But what drew the most attention were the five gray, ring-shaped portals in the central area.
Below them lay a resplendent palace, surrounded by a large, empty area.
"That is the Five Pillar Palace, where the five Radiant Suns convene to discuss matters. Beside it are the Pillar Gates, which are much more stable than Abyssal Rifts, but are only activated when major events occur."
"Under normal circumstances, everyone comes through the Abyssal Rifts at our High Firmament encampments." Jiang Ce explained by his side.
Su Chen nodded, withdrawing his gaze from the central area and looking down, his voice profound. "It truly is an unimaginably vast city. They should sell everything here, right?"
"Yes," Jiang Ce agreed, faintly sensing a deeper meaning in Su Chen's words. "Jointly created by the Five Pillars, it's a place where all factions in the Abyssal Domain gather. No matter how far apart they are in the reality world, they can meet face-to-face here in the Nether Realm in an instant. They sell basically everything."
"Let's go down and take a look around..." Su Chen said.
"Alright." Jiang Ce nodded. The two arrived at the edge of the floating island and summoned a flight vehicle. It bore the exclusive insignia of High Firmament, indicating high access level.
"That is Buddha Land's floating island..." The flight vehicle hadn't gone far when Jiang Ce pointed at a massive floating island in the distance that seemed to cover the sky, upon which Buddha-light was dazzlingly brilliant.
"That one belongs to Machine Domain..." He pointed again, and Su Chen looked over. It had sharp edges and was entirely covered in energy conduits that sprawled across the metal floating island.
The practitioners coming and going all bore mechanical modification marks on their bodies to varying degrees, and some were even pure mechanical bodies.
"That one belongs to Great Heaven..."
"What about the Longevity Pillar?" Su Chen withdrew his gaze from the pitch-black floating island and couldn't help but ask.
"The Longevity Pillar has a sparse population and doesn't have a permanent residence here," Jiang Ce explained. Su Chen came to a realization as he listened to the "guide's" explanations.
"...Those are the Exploration Rifts to the Guixu Abyss, connecting through various stations deep within the Nether Realm..." Jiang Ce pointed to an area densely packed with Abyssal Rifts and a constant stream of practitioners coming and going, unable to help but say, "The Guixu Abyss is incomparably dangerous, but the rewards are also immense. Many factions rely on the Guixu Abyss for survival..."
Shaking his head, Jiang Ce pointed to the next landmark, only for his heart to skip a beat when he looked at Su Chen. He saw this Star Seed staring intently at that area of "Exploration Rifts".
"Star Seed Su... that is..." He hurriedly spoke up, but was interrupted by Su Chen, "Let's go down and take a look."
"Go down... look where?" Jiang Ce froze and asked cautiously.
"The Exploration Rifts, of course. I haven't seen the Guixu Abyss yet," Su Chen said as if it were only natural.
"The Guixu Abyss is not a good place!" Jiang Ce's heart jolted, crying out 'Oh no' inwardly. Surely this person hadn't had a sudden lapse of judgment and wanted to find a Guixu Abyss to explore?
If that were truly the case, regardless of whether there was danger or not, Bronze Heaven would probably flay and degut him upon their return, and Eternal Dragon Heaven would likely reprimand him as well.
"Just taking a casual look," Su Chen shook his head, his attitude firm as he already controlled the spaceship to descend.
"You... I..." Jiang Ce's mind was as tangled as hemp, breaking into a cold sweat as he pleaded with a tearful face, "Star Seed Su, I... I still have children at home."
"Uh..." Su Chen was speechless and took a step back with the flow. "Let's just pass through and take a look. We won't run around recklessly."
"Truly won't run around recklessly?" Jiang Ce pressed.
"Rest assured, we won't run around recklessly." Su Chen was helpless. Only then did Jiang Ce recover some of his spirit.
Right before disembarking the flight vehicle, Su Chen simply concealed his facial features, and Jiang Ce breathed a sigh of relief before following him down.
Many nearby practitioners looked over with strange gazes. After all, the flight vehicle bore the exclusive insignia of High Firmament.
Su Chen cast a sweeping glance. The overall strength of the practitioners present was uneven, with those of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth tiers all present.
There were many operators of these Exploration Rifts. Any faction could open one; some were open to the public, while others were not.
They picked an Abyssal Rift open to the public, and at the cost of ten Spirit Essence each, they stepped inside.
Rumble!
As soon as they emerged, Su Chen heard bursts of rumbling sounds. This place wasn't considered large and could even only be called a small camp. There were armored practitioners patrolling back and forth with a chilling aura.
The Nether Mist was isolated one or two kilometers away, churning incessantly but shackled by some kind of power within the camp, unable to approach.
The practitioners emerging from the Abyssal Rift all changed their expressions upon arriving here, becoming quite vigilant. No one lingered for long, quickly disappearing from the spot.
Jiang Ce looked around nervously, his heart filled with anxiety. He hadn't been to such a lawless place in a long time and felt very uneasy.
"That is the Guixu Abyss?" Su Chen looked at the flickering, unstable lights in the Nether Mist in the distance.
"It seems to be a Minor Guixu Realm discovered by this 'Falcon Group'. It's been mostly explored," Jiang Ce reminded him.
"Is that so..." Su Chen nodded. With a movement of his feet, his figure blurred, and silently, he vanished into the distant Nether Mist.
"Star Seed Su!" Jiang Ce panicked and hastily chased after him. Fortunately, he spotted Su Chen not far away and couldn't help but say, "Didn't you say..."
"Sorry, sorry." Su Chen apologized. "I was just really curious just now, so I couldn't resist. You're right, this kind of place is indeed not where we should be staying. Let's go back."
Jiang Ce was stunned, the words built up in his stomach instantly stifled. Seeing Su Chen actually turn back around, passing through the Abyssal Rift amidst the strange looks of the camp guards and returning to Five Pillar City, he was still muttering to himself.
It wasn't until they boarded the flight vehicle that a whimsical thought struck him, and he couldn't help asking, "Star Seed Su also wishes to undergo Azure Deity Metamorphosis?"