Chapter 478: Blocked, the Radiant Moons of the Five Pillars Descend |
Because he previously had to detain Nether Realm Creatures and also find Zhou Lin's group, Su Chen didn't have the time to specifically search for it.
His figure suddenly dissipated, and in a few breaths, he appeared near a stream of Void Light in the distance.
Its color leaned towards crimson. Su Chen sensed it slightly. "There is no danger. It's probably a Rift."
This type of Rift-like Void Light was the most numerous. Once you fell in, you would randomly appear elsewhere in the Guixu Abyss, making them impossible to guard against.
Utilizing the Flash-Shadow Body, his speed was incredibly fast, crisscrossing through the streams of Void Light. Sometimes, he would even charge straight into the Void Light, which meant he could handle the danger within.
But other times, as soon as he approached a certain stream of Void Light, Su Chen would quickly dart away as if avoiding a venomous snake or scorpion.
"The threat it brings me is no less than that of Zhou Lin..." Su Chen glanced at the dark purple Void Light not far away, roughly memorized its location, and then darted in another direction.
The Tower of Storms stood by the Sea of Storms in the Universal Disaster Zone. This was a boundlessly vast sea of thunderstorms, where billions of deep blue and pale white lightning bolts wove into a net in the void.
The tower itself was matte black and angular, comprising over a hundred floors. The lowest floor was so massive that it was comparable to a giant continental plate.
Not daring to delay, he hurriedly got up, pushed the door open, and walked out. On one side of the horizon was the surging Sea of Storms, where one could see specialized airships shuttling and traversing through it.
Counting from the top down, this was already the 12th floor of the Tower of Storms. Only high-ranking members had the qualifications to reside here, so the overall area wasn't considered large.
"Taixuan Hong..." Without stopping, Song Liao headed straight for the central elevator shaft, making his way to the very top floor.
As one of the students of a Morningstar Deacon, his status within the Tower of Storms wasn't considered low, granting him the right to meet the Tower Lord.
However, after reaching the top floor, he was still stopped by the guards there. Only after waiting anxiously for a long time was he granted an audience with the Tower Lord.
On the top floor of the Tower of Storms, only two giant halls stood. He walked briskly toward the one on the left, knocked, and entered. The hall was filled with dense vapor, clouds and mist intertwining like a sea, within which celestial bodies could vaguely be seen rising and falling.
"Grandmaster..." Song Liao hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground. The person before him was one of the two Tower Lords of the Tower of Storms, Yuan Luofan, known as the Thunder Lord.
From amidst the ethereal clouds and mist, a voice drifted over. "You are Zhou Lin's student, right?"
"Yes, Grandmaster actually still remembers me." Song Liao's voice sounded somewhat excited.
"I remember. You came to see me with him a few years ago." Yuan Luofan's voice was indifferent. Without reminiscing too much, he asked directly, "What matter brings you here in such a hurry, even claiming it concerns the rise and fall of the Tower of Storms? If you don't have a reasonable explanation, I won't show favoritism."
Crackle— As his voice fell, a purple electric arc the size of a hair strand exploded not far in front of Song Liao. The sound wasn't loud, but it made his whole body turn cold.
He didn't dare delay and hurriedly said, "Master sent me to report that he has discovered Taixuan Hong's tracks."
"Who...?"
The voice in the clouds and mist was no longer tranquil. Song Liao could clearly sense the surrounding mist rolling toward the central area, being entirely absorbed by the sturdy old man sitting cross-legged in the center. The entire grand hall instantly cleared.
Song Liao couldn't help but look up, only to see this Tower Lord bare-chested, muscles knotted, beard and hair completely white, staring fixedly at him with a pair of eyes.
"Are you talking about that Taixuan Hong whom the Five Pillars are all searching for?" The Tower Lord was clearly not calm inwardly, asking again as if to confirm.
"Yes, it is exactly him." Song Liao nodded repeatedly.
"This person..." Yuan Luofan frowned deeply. As a Radiant Moon, he possessed more information and naturally knew the importance of this person.
As long as this person wasn't found, those within the Five Pillars who coveted the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith could only watch helplessly.
This person was of extreme importance. Upon suddenly hearing this news, Yuan Luofan didn't feel much joy. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Didn't Zhou Lin take a group to explore the Nether Realm? How could he suddenly discover Taixuan Hong?"
Song Liao already had a prepared response for this and explained, "Master accidentally found a Great Void Realm and discovered Taixuan Hong's tracks during the exploration process."
"A Great Void Realm?" Yuan Luofan couldn't help but be astonished, narrowing his eyes slightly, faintly feeling something was amiss. They had only been out for so long and already found a Great Void Realm? Their luck was a bit too good.
His student was warm on the outside but cold on the inside; there were likely hidden circumstances behind this matter. However, now wasn't the time to investigate. He asked in a deep voice, "How are you certain that it is Taixuan Hong?"
Song Liao explained, "Several people heard Taixuan Hong conversing with his relative, and Master severely injured him. He even attempted to destroy his spilled blood but failed to do so completely."
"There is blood?" Yuan Luofan's heart jolted as he saw Song Liao carefully take out a glass container the thickness of a thumb, containing a drop of grayish-brown blood.
With a mere reach of his hand, the container floated into his grasp. Yuan Luofan uncorked it and examined it closely, frowning. "No aura at all, it must have been affected by some means of destruction..."
With a wave of his large hand, a holographic screen was projected in front of him. After issuing a few commands, he closed it.
His gaze fell upon Song Liao again as he asked, "The entire Abyssal Domain is searching for this person, and he should know it himself. Why would he suddenly appear in a Great Void Realm?"
"This..." Song Liao hesitated and shook his head, saying, "I don't know either."
He truly didn't know. When his teacher sent him back, he only told him about Taixuan Hong and this drop of blood, saying absolutely nothing else.
Seeing his Grandmaster fall silent, he couldn't help but say, "Teacher is currently keeping an eye on that Great Void Realm, but Taixuan Hong's strength is extraordinary. He took a strike head-on and didn't die."
"The others probably can't stop him, and Teacher is unable to divide his attention to go in and search. It's now a situation of catching a turtle in a jar. Please dispatch someone to reinforce them as soon as possible, Grandmaster. Undue delay may bring trouble."
"Don't be anxious..." Yuan Luofan cast a faint glance at him. Although Song Liao was anxious, he didn't dare to urge him.
Right at this moment, the hall doors were pushed open again, and someone said, "Tower Lord, the item you requested."
"Mm." Yuan Luofan nodded. Song Liao noticed something floating by from the corner of his eye, landing in his Grandmaster's hands. Looking closely, it was a bottle of bright red liquid.
Blood?
He had a rough guess as he saw Yuan Luofan open the bottle. The fresh blood was drawn by an invisible force, slowly floating out like a live snake, head and tail connecting, then spreading out into many fine threads, finally sketching out an extremely complex Talisman Array.
A blood-red light flashed in the center, shining upon that drop of grayish-brown blood.
After a long while, this blood Talisman Array exploded, turning into streaks of light that lingered around the drop of grayish-brown blood.
"It really is the Blood of Tai Xuan..." A sharp gleam flashed in Yuan Luofan's eyes. He suddenly stood up, as if preparing to do something, but then stopped, his expression fluctuating.
After a long while, he finally said, "Take my Command Token and summon Deacons Zhou and Li to wait for me. I need to go inform Tower Lord Luo."
"Yes." Song Liao reached out and took the cerulean talisman, but then hesitated and said, "Master said it would be best if only you went first."
"Fool!" Yuan Luofan scolded, but then shook his head.
Song Liao didn't dare to say anything and left hurriedly.
"Taixuan Hong..." Yuan Luofan muttered in his heart. "This person is of utmost importance. Killing him would just be doing a favor for the Five Pillars; he must be captured alive."
This person's strength wasn't much. After being hunted for so long, the Taixuan House had long lost any powerful living entities. The most troublesome part was finding Taixuan Hong himself.
Now that Zhou Lin had stumbled upon him through a strange twist of fate, it was truly the will of the universe favoring them.
As for Zhou Lin's suggestion to hide it from the other Tower Lord, he scoffed at it. How could it possibly be hidden?
This Taixuan Hong was of extraordinary value, but could only be used to exchange for some benefits from the Five Pillars; it couldn't make him a Radiant Sun.
If he hid it now, how would he face the other Tower Lord when the matter was eventually exposed? Would they endlessly infight?
However, just as he walked out of the hall doors, he ran into someone head-on.
"Tower Lord Yuan..." The newcomer's voice was gentle, his figure slender. It was impressively the other Tower Lord of the Tower of Storms, Luo Cheng.
"You're heading out?" Luo Cheng also seemed somewhat surprised to run into him.
"I was just about to go find you to discuss something." Yuan Luofan explained.
"What a coincidence..." Luo Cheng was astonished. "Then we'll have to discuss it later. Old friends have come to visit."
"Old friends have come to visit?" Yuan Luofan was surprised. Just as he was about to say something, both his and Luo Cheng's expressions simultaneously changed, and they couldn't help but look outside the tower.
There, they saw several figures standing in the void. There was an eerie, sinister one like a mass of writhing shadows, one with a dharma wheel on his back and Buddha-light like a sea, and a vast Vital Aura that rushed toward them like a tidal wave.
On the seventh floor of the Tower of Storms, who knew how many people looked over in astonishment at this moment, their hearts palpitating with fear.
"Why are there so many people?" Luo Cheng's expression was one of astonishment. "Wasn't it just Tang Huai? And why does it look like they're here demanding accountability..."
"Ghost King Huang Pan, Tang Huai, the Immeasurable Buddha, and Zhuang Yi of Longevity..." Yuan Luofan scanned them with a single glance, his expression uneasy. They were all acquaintances. Except for the Machine Domain, the Five Pillars were all present.
Coming at this precise moment, he inevitably thought of Taixuan Hong.
"But I only just received this news, how do these people know?" he couldn't help but think.
And those four people before him had already landed not far from the top of the tower.
Huang Pan cast a glance over, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth, his words holding deep meaning: "Are the two of you preparing to head out?"
"We were just preparing to go welcome you all." Luo Cheng was startled inwardly, but didn't show it on his face, probing at the same time, "I thought only Heaven Lord Tang was coming. I didn't expect all of you to arrive."
Huang Pan feigned sudden realization: "So you were coming to welcome us. I thought you were about to make a run for it."
"Why would you say that?" Luo Cheng was puzzled.
The Immeasurable Buddha furrowed his brows tightly, having no mood for idle chatter here, and asked directly, "Where is Zhou Lin?"
It really is because of this matter... Yuan Luofan's heart jumped: Were there other people in that Great Void Realm? The Five Pillars received the news even faster than he did.
"Zhou Lin?" Luo Cheng frowned, his mind racing. Puzzled, he asked, "I wonder what you seek our Tower's Senior Deacon for. If he has caused any offense, I apologize to you all on his behalf."
"If he is in the Tower, summon him immediately." The Immeasurable Buddha was completely blunt. Ghost King Huang Pan cast an extra glance at him.
"He is not here..." Yuan Luofan said in a deep voice.
"Where did he go?" The gazes of several people all converged, filled with suspicion mixed with astonishment.
Yuan Luofan didn't answer, but instead said slowly, "I also only just learned of this..."
He figured that he probably couldn't hide it at this point. Even he didn't know what Zhou Lin went to do, yet these guys came straight for him, clearly having obtained definitive intelligence.
"He really did discover Taixuan Hong!" the Immeasurable Buddha interrupted, shouting his question fiercely.
Taixuan Hong? Luo Cheng was stunned and couldn't help but look at Yuan Luofan. He saw his old friend of many years nod heavily, mature and prudent: "There was indeed related information reported to me, as well as a drop of blood that had not been completely destroyed. After verification, it indeed comes from the Taixuan House. But whether that is Taixuan Hong or not, we do not have absolute certainty yet."
He really found him?
Luo Cheng found it unimaginable. The Five Pillars hadn't found him, yet they did?
There's also blood... Tang Huai was surprised inwardly. Before coming, he was somewhat suspicious. Had the news not come from the Longevity Pillar, he could never have come in such a hurry.
The Immeasurable Buddha's expression was gloomy, seemingly still somewhat unwilling to accept it. "Where is he?"
Yuan Luofan hesitated briefly, wondering if he could use this to exchange for some benefits. But after a moment, he extinguished this thought and said, "He should be in a Great Void Realm."
If he had already captured Taixuan Hong, he might still be able to find one of the Pillars to negotiate terms. But now, with four Pillars descending and Taixuan Hong not in his hands, there was simply no room for negotiation.
"To think he's in the Nether Realm..." Huang Pan was surprised. If this matter was true, then the Faith Essence paid to the God of Three Obsessions would probably go down the drain.
"Why would he be there?" Tang Huai asked instead.
"I am not clear on this matter either." Yuan Luofan shook his head.
The Immeasurable Buddha asked in a deep voice, "Zhuang Yi, exactly who gave you this news?"
"I promised the information provider that if it's true, I would keep it a secret for him." Zhuang Yi shook his head, saying indifferently, "Furthermore, as long as we confirm it is indeed Taixuan Hong, why bother investigating who provided the news?"
"Indeed." Huang Pan also nodded, then looked at Yuan Luofan. "Tower Lord Yuan, what about that blood?"
Yuan Luofan remained silent for a moment, then reached out and tossed an item over. Huang Pan caught it, glanced down at it, and tentacles spread from his palm, swallowing it up.
A moment later, he nodded: "It indeed comes from Taixuan, but this blood seems to have almost been burned away. It's impossible to determine the Life Essence Tier of its owner. It might not necessarily be Taixuan Hong; it could also be other members of the Taixuan House deliberately trying to pull the wool over our eyes."
"Whether it is or not, we'll know once we take a trip and catch him." Tang Huai glossed over it lightly. "Tower Lord Yuan, that Zhou Lin won't let Taixuan Hong escape, will he?"
"It seems it's already a situation of catching a turtle in a jar, but it's not certain there won't be unforeseen changes." Yuan Luofan sighed.
"A fine 'catching a turtle in a jar'." Tang Huai couldn't help but nod, but the Immeasurable Buddha's expression grew even uglier.
Zhuang Yi looked up and said, "If the two of you have no other matters, why don't we go together? Utilizing the Buddha Land's Wheel of Salvation, we should be able to arrive very quickly."
Yuan Luofan and Luo Cheng exchanged a glance, naturally not refusing. After all, it was discovered by their Tower of Storms. Even if they couldn't wring many benefits from Taixuan Hong, that Great Void Realm was still theirs, at the very least.
"Everyone here is a Radiant Moon. You must each bear the extra consumption," the Immeasurable Buddha said coldly.
"Let's wait for the people from the Machine Domain." Tang Huai stopped them. "They should be arriving soon."
"It should be this one."
On the scorched brown earth, Su Chen stood atop a barren mountain peak. Right above his head, two streams of Void Light intertwined, emitting a hazy, nebulous radiance.
The reason he could be certain was not only because this was the only intertwined Void Light, but also because of the terrifying aura emanating from it, which made even this body tremble faintly.
This stream of Void Light was the most terrifying one he had encountered during this period. The instincts of this body were telling him not to proceed any further.
Even when facing Zhou Lin directly, he didn't have this feeling.