Chapter 481: Tragic Heroism: Inviting the Abyss to Battle! |
"A just cause enjoys abundant support, while an unjust cause finds little support." Tang Huai shook his head and sighed. "There are too many people in the Abyssal Domain who do not wish to see you rise again..."
"Hehe... Haha..." The laughter within the Void Light gradually turned from a cold sneer into desolation. "You all are also afraid."
"It is not fear..." Tang Huai shook his head, patiently explaining, "The general trend is such; it is not the thought of just one or two families."
That voice said fiercely, "Hypocrites! It's merely because you all have the blood of my Taixuan House on your hands, so you don't dare!"
"Stubborn and incorrigible, there is no need to waste words with him." The Immeasurable Buddha's expression was indifferent. "As for what he is scheming by coming here, we can just capture him and interrogate him slowly."
"Wait!" Tang Huai shouted in a deep voice, but just as his words fell, an unexpected change occurred.
A blinding Azure Lightning arc suddenly exploded above the Void Light, piercing through heaven and earth.
The Immeasurable Buddha, who had been standing in his original spot, gradually faded away. He had already appeared outside that Void Light, his entire body wrapped in Azure Lightning Arcs, his expression quite astonished.
"Too insidious..." Su Chen's heart skipped a beat within the Void Light. The movements of these Radiant Moons were completely beyond what he could perceive clearly. If he hadn't left some methods on the Void Light during his Venerable Manifestation, he would have been caught by now.
"This is..." The Immeasurable Buddha rubbed the Azure Lightning Arc in his hand. This thing actually made him freeze for a moment and was not to be trifled with.
Hmm?
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he abruptly looked up. His expression fluctuated as the hazy firmament had already changed color. Azure Lightning crisscrossed, unexpectedly forming a massive net that blotted out the sky and covered the sun.
Furthermore, a brilliant golden pillar of fire descended from the sky, but its target was not him. It plunged straight into the void and disappeared.
In an instant, strands of Gilded Fire-Threads emerged from the void. In just a thought's time, they covered the entire heaven and earth.
"This..." Tang Huai frowned tightly, looking at the fire-threads appearing around them. Their coverage was extremely wide, and they didn't spread out, but emerged directly from the void.
Even they were encompassed within it, but this thing didn't possess any lethal power, so their bodies hadn't even issued a warning.
"Haha..."
A loud laugh suddenly came from the Void Light. "Everyone, aren't you underestimating my Taixuan House too much? Since I risked coming here, I naturally prepared some fallback plans. Although I didn't expect the lineup to be this grand, having you all perish together with me makes it worth it!"
"Haha..."
"Perish together?" Tang Huai narrowed his eyes. The other few people were somewhat doubtful and uncertain, especially Yuan Luofan and Luo Cheng, who felt even more terrified inwardly.
The Taixuan House was once a Pillar after all. Who knows what kind of methods they left behind.
"Posturing."
The Immeasurable Buddha was already in a bad mood, and at this moment he sneered continuously, "This Void Light is indeed somewhat peculiar, but it will just take some time."
"Open for me!"
"Wait!" Tang Huai shouted to stop him again, but he was still a step too late.
The Immeasurable Buddha had already raised his hand. The surrounding Buddha-light flickered and converged, and the seemingly non-threatening fire-threads trembled violently.
Immediately after, in an area in the distance, a pillar of Azure Lightning suddenly crashed down from the firmament and smashed straight into the ground.
Boom!
A hemispherical energy expanded, but didn't explode. Instead, it suddenly condensed again. The ground seemed to have a large chunk scooped out of it. At its core, an irregular black sphere trembled slightly, seemingly wanting to expand, yet seemingly unstable, but ultimately gradually disappeared.
"This Guixu Abyss almost suffered a Primordial Collapse!" Luo Cheng's expression was filled with shock and terror.
"Immeasurable, stop!" Zhuang Yi also shouted fiercely, faintly guessing something, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, do not act rashly."
The Immeasurable Buddha was doubtful and uncertain, ultimately choosing to stay his hand.
"Hahaha..." The laughter from within the Void Light became even more rampant. "Six Radiant Moons perishing together with me, haha..."
"I won't hide it from you all. I have already planted Cyan Light Divine Thunder in this area and within this Void Light. These Gilded Fire-Threads will capture even the slightest fluctuation."
"Any of you, whether you want to run, leave, or attack me, or even have hidden mental fluctuations, will trigger the Divine Thunder."
"Of course, you are Radiant Moons after all. The target of the Divine Thunder is not to kill you, but to collapse this Guixu Abyss!"
A method of mutual destruction!
Tang Huai's expression darkened. He finally understood that the ambush methods around the Void Light that could be seen at a glance were merely superficial. These Gilded Fire-Threads and Cyan Light Divine Thunder were the true methods.
Zhuang Yi's expression wasn't good either. Just what was this Taixuan Hong looking for here to have set up such explosive means?
The Immeasurable Buddha's expression changed. Hesitating to pelt a rat for fear of smashing the vase beside it, he didn't dare to move anymore.
The pupils of the Radiant Moon from the Machine Domain turned. "If ten more Divine Thunders of the level just now strike, it would be enough to trigger a Primordial Collapse. If hundreds of them erupt simultaneously, the Gravitational Vortex induced by the collapse would be difficult for even us to escape from..."
Yuan Luofan and Luo Cheng's hearts pounded with fear. Truly worthy of being a former Pillar of the Abyssal Domain; striking out meant taking six Radiant Moons down with him.
If they heard of this in the outside world, they would probably praise it as well, but if they were two of the seven people perishing together, that would be bad.
The Tower of Storms hadn't been established for long, and they hadn't really made a move against the Taixuan House. It would be too unfair to die here.
But right now, it was impossible for this Taixuan Hong to let them leave alone.
"Of course..." A voice came from the Void Light again. "You can also take a gamble and see if you can simultaneously intercept all the Divine Thunders the moment they are triggered."
The expressions of the crowd varied. They would be gambling with their lives! Given their age, they weren't impulsive youngsters like Taixuan Hong. If they could avoid gambling, it was best not to.
Su Chen was also quite nervous at this moment. He was unsure if these seven guys exerting force simultaneously could intercept them.
He had set up these methods while using Venerable Manifestation. The first trigger would only detonate one Divine Thunder, but a second trigger would detonate everything, including this Void Light.
He could only exert a slight influence, but he couldn't completely stop it. If these guys really wanted to gamble, he couldn't stop them and could only accompany this body to its death.
However, he wouldn't be able to send the items in his hands to his Main Body either.
After a long while, Tang Huai spoke slowly, "Why must you resort to such a method of perishing together? You don't necessarily have to die... it's not like there is no method to strip the Chosen's identity."
"Hehe?" The voice in the Void Light sneered. "Heaven Lord Tang, don't you feel ashamed saying such words? What is the difference between stripping the identity of the Chosen and death?"
"Making us perish with you won't have any impact on the overall situation," Tang Huai said in a deep voice.
"As long as it makes me feel comfortable, that's enough. I want the Abyssal Domain to see what the swansong of Taixuan truly is!" The voice in the Void Light was cold and resolute.
The Immeasurable Buddha, who was the closest, raised his vigilance to one hundred and twenty thousand percent, keeping an eye on the others' movements. If anyone wanted to run, he would definitely follow at the first instant.
At the same time, he couldn't help but regret in his heart. He had been impulsive after all, coming to such a deep area. If a collapse really occurred, this bit of distance could very well be the difference between severe injury and death.
"Wrong..." Tang Huai shook his head, calming down instead, and said, "No one will know, and furthermore, we might not necessarily die here."
"If you detonate whatever Divine Thunder that is, whether we die here or not, once we get out, all remaining members with the surname Taixuan will have their bones ground and their ashes scattered."
Tang Huai stared at that Void Light. "Causing the extinction of all your clansmen just for your own personal comfort, is it worth it?"
"Now that the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith has been found, no one is pursuing the remaining members of the Taixuan Clan. You have to think carefully whether you want to do this!"
Truly worthy of being the Sovereign of the High Heavens; every word drew blood. Yuan Luofan and Luo Cheng exchanged a glance. They both actually had some concealment methods.
But no one knew if using them would trigger these Gilded Fire-Threads, so they didn't dare to act rashly.
A long silence fell within the Void Light. Everyone seemed to be able to feel Taixuan Hong's struggle, helplessness, and hesitation.
"So what? Even if you all don't die here, what difference would it make in the outcome?" The voice came again, but everyone could sense the change in tone.
"Naturally, there will be a change. We can agree to spare the remaining members of the Taixuan Clan," Tang Huai immediately said.
"Spare..."
A moment later, the voice in the Void Light changed again, seemingly having made up its mind: "I have a condition. All of my Taixuan House's Human Stock within Great Heaven must be eradicated, the clansmen subjected to Subjugating Conversion by the Buddha faction must be allowed to leave, and the Test Subjects within the Machine Domain must also be destroyed."
"In short, all persecution against my Taixuan House, both inside and outside the Abyssal Domain, must cease immediately."
"Fine!" Tang Huai didn't hesitate at all.
"Mere words are no proof. How can I trust you?" Su Chen pressed.
The crowd was instantly left speechless. You're the one making demands, and now you want us to prove it?
"I will supervise," said Zhuang Yi. He spoke in a deep voice, "My Longevity Lineage has long remained independent and has never stained its hands with the blood of the Taixuan House. Although I initiated the search for you this time, I could not bear to see the persecution of your family members by the various factions previously either."
"I will take responsibility for this matter. If anyone does not do their utmost, they will be going against my Longevity Lineage."
After a long while, a hoarse voice came from the Void Light: "The Longevity Lineage, I can still trust."
"Since that's the case, can you dispel this Divine Thunder now?" the Immeasurable Buddha asked directly.
"No..."
The answer from the Void Light made the crowd frown.
"There is one more condition." The voice was firm, emphasizing every word, "I want to issue a Grand Challenge to the entire Abyss. Any Professional beneath the Morning Star tier may come here to battle me. Once I defeat everyone, or someone defeats me, I will naturally let you all leave."
"A Grand Challenge to the Abyss?" The crowd was stunned. Tang Huai was puzzled, "What is the point?"
"I want to let the Abyssal Domain know that my Taixuan House was not defeated by man, but by Heaven!" The voice was sonorous and forceful.
Zhuang Yi couldn't help but sigh, and the expressions of Yuan Luofan and Luo Cheng also changed slightly.
"Impossible." Tang Huai shook his head. "The commotion is too great, and the duration is too long. Could it be that we have to wait here for you to fight for four or five years?"
More importantly, this matter was too disgraceful and not suitable for publicizing.
The voice in the Void Light became cold again: "Since you don't agree, then you all can try to get out yourselves. If you want to continue pursuing the remaining members of the Taixuan Clan, please feel free."
The crowd only found the situation thorny.
Tang Huai's eyes flickered as he said, "How about this, let's both take a step back. There's no need to issue a Grand Challenge to the Abyss. The strongest individuals beneath the Morning Star tier are all within our Five Pillars. Let the members of the Five Pillars come to face you. How about it?"
After waiting a while, the voice finally responded, "Fine, then let it be the younger generation of the Five Pillars. Don't bring some old fogeys over. I want to fight the strongest ones among them."
"Naturally." Tang Huai nodded. The fact that this Taixuan Hong survived a direct hit from Zhou Lin was indeed extraordinary, but perhaps he had other methods.
Only battles under the attention of the Spirit of the Vast Sun were the fairest. Judging from the time he spent fighting Kong Ming previously, he shouldn't be considered top-tier. Defeating him shouldn't be difficult.
After all, this guy was able to become a Chosen because of the lingering grace of Taixuan, not through a true selection process.
Moreover, defeating this Taixuan Hong was not without its benefits. If the Selection process for the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith was restarted, the one who defeated him might gain the favor of the Spirit of the Vast Sun.
After reaching an agreement, the expressions of the crowd relaxed a lot, but Zhuang Yi frowned. The Five Pillars had numerous personnel to come and fight one by one.
Even if this Taixuan Hong harbored malicious intent, the death of one wouldn't matter much to them, but their Longevity Lineage had very few members.
But seeing that the others had no objections, he pondered for a moment and didn't speak either. At least defeating this Taixuan Hong would have some benefits for the Selection.
"Someone needs to go out and inform them about this," Tang Huai pondered and said.
"The two from the Tower of Storms, you go out."
This time, Taixuan Hong was very straightforward and directly called out their names.
Yuan Luofan and Luo Cheng were both very surprised and hesitated, "The two of us?"
"Since an agreement has been reached, and your Tower of Storms hasn't really made a move against my Taixuan House, naturally it is up to you two to go out and inform."
Su Chen grasped the Golden Spark and barely managed to erase the fire-threads around the two of them, forming a pathway.
This was a control method left behind from Venerable Manifestation. He could only barely control it now because he was the one who left it behind in the first place.
This Taixuan Hong is actually quite reasonable, the two thought to themselves. In the blink of an eye, they darted out and stopped outside the area of the fire-threads.
Tang Huai also couldn't help but sigh in relief. Looking at the situation, the other party was indeed aiming for an agreement.
He hesitated slightly, not daring to use mental transmission, and just said aloud, "Go tell Huang Pan to come down."
"Alright." The two agreed and walked slightly further away, avoiding triggering the fire-threads due to the commotion caused by moving too fast.
"What was that commotion? Who is fighting?"
Above the Great Void Realm, Huang Pan stared at a certain spot. It was blurry, with faint Azure Lightning appearing.
Not long after, he narrowed his eyes. Two figures flew up from below; they were impressively the two Tower Lords, Yuan Luofan and Luo Cheng.
"Why did you two come out? Is there a situation?" Huang Pan seemed to have sensed something.
"There were indeed some accidents." Luo Cheng gave a bitter smile.
"Oh?" Huang Pan's sallow old face showed an inquiring expression.
"...We found Taixuan Hong, but..."
Luo Cheng recounted the general situation to him.
"So that's how it is..." Huang Pan's eyes were filled with astonishment. Azure Lightning and Golden Flame... It was indeed the method used last time. Fortunately, he was mindful and didn't go down together.
"Since he had such methods, why didn't he kill Zhou Lin and leave earlier?" Huang Pan couldn't help but ask.
"...He seemed to be looking for something and didn't expect you all to come so quickly..." Yuan Luofan was somewhat embarrassed. If it weren't for the people from the Five Pillars, their Tower of Storms alone might not have really been able to intercept this guy.
Huang Pan was stunned and thought deeply, "Then what he was looking for must be a good thing. But..."
His mind turned. Forget it... After this Taixuan Hong dies, I'll go see the Spirit of the Vast Sun. If the Selection process can be restarted, naturally I won't have to care so much.
"Your Excellency, why don't you come down with us first to confirm the situation with Heaven Lord Tang and the others?" Luo Cheng urged.
"Actually, there's a simpler way." Huang Pan wore a half-smile. "If the three of us join forces and strike a few times downwards, prompting its collapse, wouldn't that kill this Taixuan Hong?"
This Guixu Abyss was a single entity. The difficulty of attacking from the outside to cause it to collapse was far greater than attacking from the inside.
"This..." Luo Cheng and Yuan Luofan were shocked and terrified.
But they heard Huang Pan laugh heartily, revealing several large yellow teeth. "Just a joke, just a joke. I still trust you two. As for going down, I won't. I still need to notify the Five Pillars as soon as possible."
What a joke! Who knows if that Taixuan Hong harbored malicious intent? What if he lured him down too, went back on his word, and immediately detonated that whatever Divine Thunder, taking him down with them?
"As for eradicating the Human Stock, Tang Huai doesn't have any in his hands, yet he agreed so quickly on our behalf. Heh..."
"Issuing a Grand Challenge to the members of the Five Pillars... This way, the Main Body can grandly and openly come over."
Within the Void Light, Su Chen let out a long sigh of relief. The overall situation was barely on track. To deliver the items to his Main Body, he truly took great pains.
On second thought, he inevitably shook his head: "Tianyi brothers, this is all I can do for your Taixuan House. If everything goes smoothly, no one should pursue the remaining members of your clan anymore. As for revenge, don't even think about it..."