Chapter 487: Taixuan Hong is Dead, Then Who is Before Me? |
"What if..." he muttered in a low voice, turning and heading towards the collapsed area of the Great Void Realm. Very quickly, he returned to that boundary.
Only a moment had passed, yet the collapse was almost complete, leaving behind only a patch of serene darkness.
Suddenly, his figure stopped. His gaze turned towards another patch of surging Nether Mist, and his expression changed slightly.
The next moment, Huang Pan slowly walked out. "It seems Heaven Lord Tang and I had the same idea."
"I do not understand the meaning of the Ghost King's words." Tang Huai remained expressionless.
Huang Pan sneered: "Stop pretending. Something that could make Taixuan Hong risk coming here to search for is probably no simple item. You also wanted to see if anything was left behind in this place, right?"
Tang Huai remained noncommittal. "It seems that item has already fallen into the Ghost King's hands."
Huang Pan's expression stagnated, and he said in a deep voice: "Heaven Lord Tang is joking. There is clearly nothing here."
"Perhaps." Tang Huai cast a faint glance at him, turned around, and disappeared into the Nether Mist.
"Fortunately, I can convert Psionic Power; otherwise, I almost wouldn't have been able to bring them out."
Wanting to bring these things from the Nether Realm to the Reality World consumed quite a lot of Psionic Power.
"However, that door should be somewhat special. It didn't consume my Psionic Power; otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible for me to bring it out."
Su Chen hesitated slightly and merely did a simple flip-through of the other materials. As for that door, he didn't dare to take it out.
"Profound Limit Celestial Light, a large amount of materials, the Four-Armed Golden Ape, the Sovereign Relic... Finally, they are all in my hands."
He calculated the harvest from this grand play. He needed to exchange the Profound Limit Celestial Light and other materials for Faith Essence, and then purchase the harvest from the Divine Blood Extraction Dispatch.
He had to verify whether those memories were truly the Seven Treasures Refinement.
"It's best and safer to sell them through the Black Market. Otherwise, there's no way to explain the origin of these things, which would inevitably make people associate them with that Great Void Realm."
"I definitely can't go myself. I'll first purchase a Nether Realm Creature and mold an Avatar." Su Chen pondered for a moment and directly opened the Universal Void Exchange.
There were quite a few Specialized Classes that required Nether Realm Creatures, and Great Heaven specialized in selling them. An 8th-Tier Nether Creature wasn't considered expensive; the cheapest one only cost twenty-eight portions of Faith Essence.
He didn't care too much about the strength aspect. It was just a vessel for his clone. After releasing it, he would definitely need to change the vessel again.
"As for this Four-Armed Golden Ape, I can accommodate it after advancing to Morning Star. What a good item..." Su Chen looked at the cyan-gold orb in his hand, inside which the chibi-style Golden Ape was sleeping soundly.
"Its strength is comparable to tempering eight or nine streaks of Morning Fire. Even if it's only a Morning Star at the Divine Dawn level, it's extremely terrifying."
Su Chen clicked his tongue. After he advanced to Morning Star, the value of the Heavenly Marks would be greatly discounted. In a short period, his own strength would simply find it difficult to reach this level.
But if he detained it in his body, he would instantly possess extremely formidable strength.
As for the Sovereign Relic, he had to study it carefully.
"I still have to look for information regarding this. I definitely won't find it through normal channels, so I'll check if the Black Market has any later."
"Now, I need to fill in the final link as soon as possible..."
Su Chen sent a message to Chu Lingyuan. After receiving a response, he stood up and left the room.
Having not returned for a few months, the changes in the Bronze Heaven were not small. The palace complex had spread over a large area. It was estimated that in a few more months, this entire section would be filled.
At that time, they would have to prepare for the expansion of the section. Of course, this was Chu Lingyuan's job.
Su Chen found Chu Lingyuan in the Council Hall. His Senior Brother was surrounded by holographic screens, with a massive amount of text and images intertwining on them.
Seeing him arrive, he turned them off, sized him up, and upon finding no missing arms or legs, asked: "Is the matter with Taixuan Hong over? What's the situation?"
"There is no particular situation, that Taixuan Hong..." Su Chen pulled out a chair, sat down, and casually recounted the whole affair.
"...Swept across the Five Pillars, and then self-annihilated..." After listening, Chu Lingyuan muttered absentmindedly, couldn't help but sigh deeply: "He was quite the man. Handling his family's affairs appropriately and proving himself to the entire Abyssal Void. Putting myself in his shoes, probably no one could have done better than him."
Putting other things aside, this Taixuan Hong knew he was in a desperate situation, yet he still pulled his family out of the quagmire. This deeply moved Chu Lingyuan, who viewed the Bronze Sect as his home.
Wait... Are you resonating with Taixuan Hong too?
Su Chen looked at the continuously sighing Chu Lingyuan, feeling somewhat speechless, and changed the topic: "I want to return to the sect for a bit."
"Return to the sect?" Chu Lingyuan came back to his senses. Instead of asking Su Chen why he had this sudden inspiration, he said: "Returning to the sect is simple. Just notify the Celestial Gate Administration."
Su Chen naturally knew this, but it required Chu Lingyuan to go and notify them; he didn't have this access level.
Chu Lingyuan opened the holographic screen, operated it for a while, his cheeks twitching, and said crossly: "This High Firmament truly requires Faith Essence everywhere. Even a round trip costs a hundred."
"Alright, I've already notified them. You can go, give my regards to Master."
Su Chen stood up: "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother."
Chu Lingyuan waved his hand and reopened his previous holographic screens.
Su Chen left the Bronze Heaven and headed straight for the Heavenly Gate. Since he had already registered, the guards simply verified his identity and opened the Heavenly Gate.
"Truly unimaginable. I wonder how the passage of this Heavenly Gate is constructed."
Su Chen stepped onto the metal ground, only then coming back to his senses. Just like the last time he passed through, he experienced a few palpitations during the transit.
The transportation methods of the Five Pillars each had their pros and cons. Among them, the Buddhist Land's Dharma Wheel of Salvation was the most convenient, but every time it was used, depending on the user's tier, it consumed an extremely massive amount of Faith Essence.
High Firmament's Heavenly Gate was the most stable. Once constructed, regardless of the professional tier, anyone could pass through it at will.
However, it was very difficult to conveniently travel directly to a specific location. Great Heaven's method involved refracting through the Nether Realm into reality, which was more convenient than the Heavenly Gate and more stable than the Dharma Wheel of Salvation, making it quite mediocre in both aspects.
"As for the Machine Domain, I really haven't looked into it..." Su Chen muttered as he took out the communicator belonging to the Bronze Sect.
Just as he was fiddling with it, a pleasantly surprised voice came from his side: "Grandmaster-Uncle? I didn't expect it to be you who came this time."
Su Chen turned to look and saw a somewhat familiar middle-aged man, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.
"Ah, it's you..." Su Chen feigned sudden realization. "Are you on duty today?"
"Yes, Grandmaster-Uncle still remembers me?" The other party looked quite excited, his cheeks flushed.
"Of course I remember..." Su Chen nodded with a natural expression. After exchanging a few casual words with him, he suddenly felt the sound of howling wind, and his heart stirred slightly.
Turning his head to look, a streak of cyan light had already arrived at the edge of the Heavenly Gate. Qing Cang strode over.
"Senior Brother Qing Cang..." Su Chen went up to meet him, smiling: "Long time no see, your demeanor remains the same as ever."
"Haha..." Qing Cang laughed. "You guy, I don't know where you picked up this habit of flattering people the moment you meet them."
"That depends on the person." Su Chen shook his head. "Is Master here?"
His main purpose for returning was to contact the Spirit of the Vast Sun, but he also had to tell Old Yuan about Taixuan Hong's self-annihilation. This old man had been quite worried previously.
Of course, there was also the Azure God Rebirth Technique. He wanted to see if he could get it as soon as possible to help out the Unsullied, who still hadn't shown any activity.
"He is. Ancient Heaven Lord and Pei Heaven Lord also returned from outside not long ago. They should be discussing the next plan right now."
Qing Cang casually beckoned a flight vehicle. Su Chen boarded the flight vehicle and listened to Lao Qing say: "Currently, more than sixty percent of the factions originally in the Dust Star Sea are willing to relocate near the sect."
"However, Zhenwu Ancient King has set up a rival stage here and gathered quite a few factions as well. The two Heaven Lords went personally to handle this matter earlier."
Su Chen looked thoughtful. Gazing into the distance, he couldn't help but ask: "Why does that Starfire look like it has shrunk a large circle?"
"The Celestial Constellation Rune Array. Precisely because of this thing, we have a large enough area to accommodate the other factions from the Abyssal Void." Qing Cang explained briefly.
"Expelling the Nether Mist on a massive scale. It's indeed a good item. I really haven't learned much about this." Su Chen suddenly realized.
Qing Cang then added, "Then you definitely don't know the method to relocate Life Stars either?"
"Relocate Life Stars?" Su Chen's heart stirred. "High Firmament has this kind of method?"
"They do, and it's quite mature." Qing Cang nodded, full of anticipation: "Many factions have already reached an agreement and are relocating their Life Stars over as well. By then, this place can be called a Thousand-Star Domain."
"What about Crimson Thunder Planet?" Su Chen immediately asked.
"Don't worry, Teacher has long prepared properly." Qing Cang said.
"Teacher is indeed thoughtful." Su Chen couldn't help but say. Only by completely relocating the Crimson Thunder Planet over would it truly be free from the sea of suffering.
Qing Cang glanced at him and hesitated: "I heard you swept the top ten and made a name for yourself in High Firmament?"
"Senior Brother knows too?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow.
"It's just separated by a single door, after all." Qing Cang shook his head, hesitantly expanding a psionic wave: "Although it helped the Bronze Sect establish a foothold greatly, wasn't it a bit too high-profile? What if it's exposed..."
"What's exposed?" Su Chen looked at him in confusion.
Qing Cang looked deeply at him, also unsure, and shook his head: "Nothing, just talking nonsense."
While the two were chatting idly, they had already arrived at the Ancient King Palace.
In the hall, Yuan Shuo, who was pondering while facing a star map, was slightly stunned and said with some surprise: "Su Chen is here..."
"Su Chen?" Gu Lin and Pei Song on the left and right were also somewhat surprised. "He came back so quickly?"
This was the territory of the Bronze Sect, so they naturally couldn't casually release their perception. But when their words fell, it was the Bronze Ancient King who was puzzled: "What came back so quickly?"
"Does Primordial Sovereign not know about Taixuan Hong issuing a Grand Challenge to the Five Pillars?" Pei Song feigned surprise, though he actually wasn't surprised.
Transmitting intelligence across the Heavenly Gate was very troublesome, requiring the coordination of several departments. Without cultivating connections within High Firmament for a long time, one simply wouldn't have this capability.
"Who?" Yuan Shuo immediately looked over, almost losing his composure, his quantum brain operating at high speed.
Taixuan Hong issued a Grand Challenge to the Five Pillars, and Su Chen is exposed?
No, that's not right. The two of them just heard Su Chen's name and didn't show any other abnormalities.
Pei Song stroked his beard and sighed with emotion: "This person appeared in a Great Void Realm and was blocked by several Radiant Moons. However, he actually had some methods on hand and unexpectedly pinned down the Five Pillars' Radiant Moons."
"What?" The Bronze Ancient King almost crashed. Taixuan Hong appeared in a Great Void Realm and pinned down several Radiant Moons?
What kind of fantasy tale is this? Could someone be impersonating Taixuan Hong?
Pei Song didn't find the Bronze Ancient King's surprise unexpected. They were also quite stunned when they learned of this matter. He continued: "This person was unwilling to resign himself to fate, but also knew he couldn't leave. He proposed conditions: first, to protect his family; second, to issue a Grand Challenge to the younger generation of the Five Pillars, seemingly wanting to prove that he was not inferior to others."
"The top five on High Firmament's internal Star Potential Ranking all went. I still don't know what the result is. Since Su Chen has already returned, I estimate it should be over."
Thoughts surged in the Bronze Ancient King's heart. Su Chen had personally admitted that Taixuan Hong was his disguise.
Since Taixuan Hong was trapped in the Great Void Realm, who was the person standing outside?
"He's here..." Pei Song looked outside the hall. Yuan Shuo composed his mind and looked at Su Chen, who followed Qing Cang in. He very honestly bowed to him and addressed him as "Master."
Then he turned to the two sides, greeting them respectively, addressing them as "Ancient Heaven Lord, Pei Heaven Lord."
"Truly a young talent." Pei Song chuckled lightly. He had been staying in the Dust Star Sea during this period, so this was his first time seeing Su Chen.
He didn't look that arrogant and impulsive; where did that immense hostility to sweep the top ten come from... Gu Lin sized him up and asked directly: "Finished fighting with Taixuan Hong?"
Qing Cang beside him was startled.
"Reporting to Ancient Heaven Lord." Su Chen nodded: "It can be considered finished."
"What was the result?"
Su Chen was concise and to the point: "Taixuan Hong swept the Five Pillars. Chang Geming voluntarily admitted defeat; no one was his opponent."
"Swept the Five Pillars?" Gu Lin's voice pitched up considerably.
Pei Song's movements stiffened, and he asked in shock and doubt: "This person could actually sweep the Five Pillars?"
The Bronze Ancient King stared fixedly at Su Chen, his emotions surging, having too many questions he wanted to ask.
Silence reigned in the hall for a moment before Pei Song couldn't help but marvel: "He truly lives up to the name of Taixuan. Where is he now?"
"He detonated the Great Void Realm and self-annihilated." Su Chen summarized in one sentence.
"Dead?" The Bronze Ancient King spat out a single word, seemingly shocked.
"Dead." Su Chen nodded.
Qing Cang muttered inwardly beside him: Did I really guess wrong?
"Pinning down Radiant Moons, sweeping the Five Pillars, and detonating the Great Void Realm. It can be called tragic and heroic." Pei Song sighed softly, not too surprised by this result.
Regardless, since he was caught, even if he made a few Radiant Moons perish with him, it was impossible to let the guy run away.
"Indeed not inferior to others." Gu Lin nodded. "A sword's edge is sharpened by grinding. If not for years of displacement and wandering, such a proud person could not have been cultivated."
Listening to the two's sighs, and then seeing Su Chen standing with his hands down and eyes lowered, the Bronze Ancient King felt somewhat unimaginable in his heart.
How was this grand play staged, and how did it deceive those Radiant Moons?
It wasn't like just anyone jumping out and claiming to be Taixuan Hong would make others believe them.
Moreover, he could actually pin down Radiant Moons, forcing them to compromise. This time, there was no other Taixuan Tianyi jumping out to perform a blood sacrifice, nor was there the Spirit of the Vast Sun cooperating to help Su Chen succeed.
Pei Song then asked: "Since Taixuan Hong has self-annihilated, I fear the selection for the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith's Chosen will be restarted soon. Has this matter been finalized?"
"It was said to be in preparation, but the specific time is unknown." Su Chen replied.
Right, there's also the matter of the Chosen... The Bronze Ancient King's expression hardened slightly. Regardless of how Su Chen managed it, it seemed he indeed made the vast majority of people believe that that was Taixuan Hong.
But the Spirit of the Vast Sun couldn't be deceived. Since a Chosen already existed, it wouldn't select a new Chosen.