Chapter 482: Moving at the Wind's Sound |
"But right now, there are still a few points to pay attention to..." Su Chen's thoughts turned.
According to his plan's estimation, all he needed was for his Main Body to go over, put on an act of fighting, and secretly hand over the bracelet.
However, his consciousness couldn't be split in two. If he controlled the clone, his Main Body would be in a "zombie state".
"Hmm... I can record the movements in advance. Once I'm familiar with them, it will be nothing more than conducting a pre-recorded battle, or I can just control the Main Body directly."
The clone had devoured a large number of Nether Realm Creatures. Although these creatures didn't have high intelligence overall, after accumulating them, the clone wasn't as foolish as before and could understand complex commands.
"And then, there's the specific time to notify the Spirit of the Vast Sun. Should I take advantage of the time when the people from the Five Pillars arrive to contact that stingy dragon?"
Su Chen was quite hesitant, but after some consideration, he rejected this idea.
"I can only contact it once, so the timing can't be perfectly aligned. The event hasn't happened yet; who knows what changes might occur by then."
It was understandable if the Spirit of the Vast Sun's mournful cry occurred later than Taixuan Hong's death. After all, there was the Radiant Sun's blockade, and they were separated by the Nether Realm. But if it occurred earlier than Taixuan Hong's time of death, then it would be inexplicable.
"To be safe, it's better to wait until it's over before contacting the Spirit of the Vast Sun. At worst, it will just be a slight delay."
"I'll have to keep an eye on the Main Body's side. I don't know when the notification will come; I hope no unexpected problems arise." Su Chen shook his head.
There were many things he couldn't control. For instance, he originally just wanted to find a suitable place and pull a few people over to witness Taixuan Hong's death.
But the result was that he accumulated so many good things, forcing him to figure out a way to send them to his Main Body.
"They wouldn't prevent me from going just because I'm ranked first on the Star Potential Ranking and they're worried about my safety, right..."
Su Chen muttered. After transferring his consciousness, he naturally couldn't keep an eye on things here anymore.
However, there was no need to watch. These people were all Radiant Moons; he couldn't keep an eye on them anyway.
The agreement had already been reached. If someone had a sudden inspiration and wanted to take a gamble, it wasn't something he could control either.
With a thought, his consciousness withdrew and returned to his Main Body. The loop recorded by his Main Body was interrupted, causing a momentary loss of control over the Elemental Particles, but he quickly restrained it.
Casually glancing at his Development Progress, Su Chen smiled broadly, his mood improving significantly. "28%... Not bad, not bad..."
Because he had been busy over at the Guixu Abyss during this period, he now had the feeling of picking up Development Progress for free.
"AFK development is really quite satisfying." Su Chen grinned and sent a message to Chu Linyuan, stating that he had finished his secluded cultivation and if there was anything, he could come find him in the Nether Realm.
Previously, because he had to focus on the Guixu Abyss side, he had closed off all channels to contact him. But now, he couldn't miss the summons from the higher-ups.
Chu Linyuan quickly replied, indicating that he understood.
"Master is trapped in a Great Void Realm?"
In High Firmament, within Upper Firmament Heaven, Tong Zhuo looked in astonishment at the anxious Qi You who had hurried over.
"Correct." Qi You nodded, his brows tightly knitted. "It is said that Taixuan Hong was discovered in that Great Void Realm, but he fell into a trap. The Radiant Moons of the various Pillars reached an agreement with him, inviting the Five Pillars to battle."
"Taixuan Hong..." Tong Zhuo was quite surprised. He wasn't surprised that this person was found; the power of more than half the Abyssal Domain was terrifying, and finding this person was only a matter of time.
But the current situation was truly beyond his expectations.
"To think he actually had such methods. Truly worthy of the name Taixuan..." Tong Zhuo also sighed somewhat, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. "According to what Celestial Lord Bronze said, this person spent a long time in a bitter battle with Kong Ming."
"Right now, it hasn't even been a year since that day. Within the Five Pillars, those who can defeat him can be found everywhere. Doesn't he know this himself?"
"Even if he knows, so what?" Qi You shook his head. "He's not the only one with the surname Taixuan. How could he implicate others just for himself?"
"That's true..." Tong Zhuo nodded, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Do you think defeating Taixuan Hong might make the Spirit of the Vast Sun look favorably upon the victor in the subsequent selection of the Chosen?"
Qi You hesitated. There were truly too few such examples in the Abyssal Domain. The Radiant Sun Elects were originally the strongest among the various Pillars. Of course, they had their share of defeats, but almost none had ever perished. There was no precedent to follow.
"However," he added, "judging by the situation with the Morning Star and Radiant Moon Spirits, there is indeed such a possibility."
"Then that couldn't be better." Tong Zhuo could no longer hold back, unable to wait. "Then let us go quickly, lest we be beaten to it by others..."
"This Grand Challenge must wait until the Five Pillars have all assembled before it can commence." Qi You shook his head and said.
"Then won't we have to fight over who gets to battle first?" Tong Zhuo couldn't help but frown, feeling quite speechless.
Qi You shook his head and immediately added: "We don't know the exact situation yet, but Celestial Lord Yuxiao has already agreed with the Eternal Dragon Heaven Lord that this time, the Eternal Dragon Heaven Lord will lead you all there."
"Us?" Tong Zhuo revealed an inquiring expression.
"The top five on the Star Potential Ranking, if they have time, will all go." Qi You explained.
"The top five..." Tong Zhuo paused slightly. Who knows who he thought of, but the gloominess in his eyes flashed by in an instant. He nodded faintly and said: "As it should be."
An extreme area of the Abyssal Domain—The Boiling Sea. This was a cosmic dead zone where blazing golden liquid surged like waves, and the extremely high temperatures scorched the void into distortion.
Deep within, obsidian-like stones were scattered about. On one of them sat a naked man, his brows tightly knitted. Veins like tree roots unexpectedly grew from the underside of his thighs, spreading into the stone below.
After a long while, a streak of light drifted over and stopped. It seemed scattered and erratic, yet was extremely stable amidst the high temperatures.
The young man abruptly opened his eyes, the doubt within them flashing by in an instant. He reached out, grabbed this wisp of streaking light, and pressed it into his glabella!
A moment later, his expression became somewhat unsightly as he said: "Taixuan Hong... Bullying a guy whose family is ruined and dead is meaningless. I'm not going."
He shook his head, yet the streaking light from his glabella drifted out again, gradually turning into a blurry figure. The voice carried a hint of helplessness: "Ming'er, if he loses to you, that Taixuan Hong will at least retain some dignity. If he loses to a guy like Xu Yingshen, who knows how he'll be humiliated. Are you willing to see that?"
"Xu Yingshen?" He fell silent for a long time, then slowly stood up. The roots extending from under his body gradually retracted, and the giant stone he sat cross-legged on also cracked and crumbled.
"Taixuan Hong has invited the Five Pillars to battle... The top five of the Star Potential Ranking can all go, led by the Eternal Dragon Heaven Lord. Are you going or not?"
As soon as Su Chen welcomed Chu Linyuan in, before the door was even closed, he explained his purpose for coming.
During this time, Su Chen had been focusing on his Main Body. Upon knowing that Chu Linyuan had come looking for him, he guessed it was probably about this matter.
"...Inviting the Five Pillars to battle..." He invited Chu Linyuan to sit down and casually brewed a cup of tea, feeling quite surprised inwardly. He thought there would be a selection process and not so many people would go.
Yes, in his opinion, five people were already too many; that was the Nether Realm after all.
Right now, it seemed several Radiant Suns had gone into that Primordial Return-to-Void Realm. Werent they afraid of being caught in one fell swoop by the Final Ruin?
These top five were the elite of the elites.
"Yes..." Chu Linyuan reached out and took the teacup Su Chen handed him. The curling steam obscured his face as he sighed: "Truly worthy of having once been a Pillar of the Abyssal Domain. Even at a dead end, he could still force several Radiant Moons into a dilemma where they can neither advance nor retreat."
Chu Linyuan hesitated and said: "Junior Brother, I think this matter carries some risks. How about you refuse it?"
Refuse? I worked so hard to achieve this situation, how could I possibly refuse?
Su Chen feigned deep thought, seemingly considering it, but then shook his head: "Have the others refused?"
"That hasn't happened; they have all agreed. It is said that even Du Yunfei, who was in secluded cultivation, was pulled out." Chu Linyuan shook his head.
"Then that's it." Su Chen shook his head. "That Taixuan Hong is the Chosen of the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith. If one defeats him, there might be benefits when the Selection process is restarted in the future."
"Sovereign of the Purple Zenith..." Chu Linyuan was stunned, unable to help but glance at this little junior brother before him. He wants to compete for that position?
His heart couldn't help but flutter. That was a Radiant Sun... If he succeeded.
"Senior Brother, this is a rare opportunity. I still must make the trip." Su Chen seemed to have made up his mind.
"Mm." Chu Linyuan took a sip of tea to conceal the soaring imagination in his heart. If Su Chen became a Chosen, wouldn't their Bronze Sect be immortal for all eternity?
No, no, that's thinking too far ahead, too far ahead. Chu Linyuan shook his head repeatedly, forcing himself to calm down. Although Su Chen was already extremely extraordinary, the Five Pillars were also full of hidden talents. Furthermore, in terms of talent, he was still a notch below...
"Is Senior Brother still worried?" Su Chen looked at Chu Linyuan, who was shaking his head inexplicably.
"No, it's not that..." Chu Linyuan was somewhat embarrassed, waving his hand and saying: "I was thinking about other things. According to Qi You's notification, you will assemble at the Abyssal Zone in three days."
"I still have some matters to handle, so I'll take my leave first."
Chu Linyuan left somewhat hurriedly. Su Chen was quite puzzled, but then inevitably felt excited: "The Sect's side is much simpler than I imagined."
Three days later, Su Chen had everything prepared and left to arrive at the Abyssal Zone. There were more people here than usual, presumably all rushing over after hearing the news.
There are no walls in the world that don't leak wind. Moreover, since the top five involved several Heavens, and no strict gag order was issued, many people had heard the news of Taixuan Hong inviting the Five Pillars to battle and came to join the fun.
"Su Chen is here..." someone suddenly said, consciously making a path.
"Tsk, this guy really lives in seclusion. I heard he bought a property in the Nether Realm and hasn't shown his face for several months."
"Is he developing his Profession progress in the Nether Realm, or is he fulfilling some Profession Requirement, or perhaps harmonizing with an Ascension Refining technique? He seems to not have harmonized with an Ascension Refining technique yet?"
"Not necessarily. Some Ascension Refining techniques related to the physical body don't manifest outwardly, and this guy originally excels at Physical Augmentation..."
Hearing the noisy chatter by his ears, Su Chen paid it no mind, walking straight through the crowd to the center.
He was greeted by the sight of Tong Zhuo standing with his hands behind his back. His physique was too massive; it was hard not to draw attention.
Du Yunfei had also arrived, standing to one side with an indifferent expression. There was also Tan Qingzhu. Sensing Su Chen's arrival, they couldn't help but cast their gazes over, their expressions somewhat strange, seemingly quite unaccustomed.
This was the first time they had met since Su Chen defeated them.
If it were a normal leaderboard replacement, it would have been fine. But this guy had completely swept through the top ten in one go, acting far too arrogantly, leaving everyone unsure of how to deal with him.
Su Chen paused his steps slightly, detecting an extremely oppressive gaze.
It was impressively the Eternal Dragon Heaven Lord, Yan Xing. His cheeks were broad and square, his cheekbones slightly prominent, and his shoulders wide. He naturally exuded the majesty of someone who had held a high position for many years.
Two small dragons, one cyan and one white, lay lazily on his shoulders.
"Heavenly Lord Yan..." Su Chen greeted.
"Mm..." Yan Xing nodded, actually quite gentle: "Wait a moment, who knows what that rascal Zhong Yue is doing."
"No rush..." Su Chen nodded, scanning the people around. His gaze fell upon Tan Qingzhu, and he walked straight over, saying: "Senior Sister Tan... Thanks to your reminder last time, I actually made a small extra profit when selling the Jade Body Tree."
"You..." Tan Qingzhu glanced at Su Chen and discreetly shifted to the side.
Whether it was their contact that day or meeting again today, he seemed quite modest and amiable. It was truly hard to imagine he would pull off something like sweeping the top ten in one go.
"It's nothing, nothing." Tan Qingzhu shook her head, her attitude not enthusiastic.
Nonsense! During their battle last time, this Su Chen mercilessly sent a punch straight at her face.
Su Chen, however, didn't care at all and asked in a low voice: "Senior Sister, with all of us going over in a swarm like this, if we run into the Final Ruin, won't we be caught in one fell swoop?"
Tan Qingzhu glanced at him, but before she could speak, a hearty laugh came from beside them. Tong Zhuo walked over, "Junior Brother worries too much."
For a moment, the crowd gathered around all cast their gazes over, their eyes conveying only one message: "Fight!"
They had been waiting for Tong Zhuo to thoroughly study Su Chen and issue another challenge, but the result was that they never saw it happen.
Su Chen also didn't expect Tong Zhuo to strike up a conversation. But since the two had no direct conflict, he was also very polite: "I am willing to hear the details."
"Those Final Ruins will not make a move." Tong Zhuo first threw out the answer, then added: "Junior Brother should know about the Mist-Fall Calamity, right..."
"I know a little..." Su Chen grew somewhat interested. After coming to the Abyssal Domain, he had also looked up some information.
But he only knew that eight Radiant Moons joined forces to stir up this Mist-Fall Calamity, indirectly leading to the death of the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith and the collapse of the Taixuan Lineage.
But as for what exactly this Mist-Fall Calamity was, there was no recorded information.
"Since the Mist-Fall Calamity, the several Radiant Suns reached some sort of agreement with those Final Ruins. In situations like this, there is no need to worry." Tong Zhuo explained concisely.
"So that's how it is..." Su Chen feigned sudden realization, but felt somewhat disappointed inwardly. He thought Tong Zhuo would tell him about the origins of the Mist-Fall Calamity and such, but it turned out to just be vague prevarication.
An agreement... No wonder those Radiant Suns could head to the Primordial Return-to-Void Realm without any scruples, unafraid of the Abyssal Domain being ruined by the Final Ruins.
However, this matter probably wasn't that simple. If it were just some verbal agreement or something similar, it definitely wouldn't be able to bind those naturally treacherous Final Ruins.
"There are still many secrets regarding this matter, but it's not convenient to elaborate right now. If Junior Brother is interested, we can chat in detail some other day," Tong Zhuo added.
"Senior Brother is too polite."
Seeing the two acting like respectful brothers, the surrounding crowd couldn't help but feel disappointed. There was no show to watch.