Chapter 515: Xuan Shu? Source Realm? |
Since that Bearded Man could manipulate things to change his location, could it be that he didn't know the Abyss had long been destroyed?
Or perhaps, this Primordial Return-to-Void Realm inherently had some special mechanism that made everyone think this was very reasonable?
Su Chen was speculating in his heart, while Zhang Feng asked: "I wonder which divine bloodline Brother Jiang Yang comes from?"
Su Chen paused, but didn't mention the Buddha Land again. Instead, he said: "High Heaven."
"So it's High Heaven." Zhang Feng nodded thoughtfully.
Su Chen didn't let him continue asking, but instead asked: "Deacon Zhang, I have lived in High Heaven for a long time and know nothing about external affairs. What kind of place is this Xuan Shu of ours?"
"You don't know?" Once these words were asked, Zhang Feng's expression was somewhat strange. Even Living in Seclusion, how could one not know about this Xuan Shu?
It couldn't be that he had never communicated with outsiders since birth, right?
He cursed silently in his heart, but since the other party asked, Zhang Feng answered readily: "This Xuan Shu was established by the Sovereign, gathering all the people with extremely high potential in the Abyss. There are those from the Six Great Divine Bloodlines, as well as other Factions of the Abyss. They are unified and cultivated here, and can also learn from others' strengths to make up for their own shortcomings."
And Zhang Feng added another sentence: "All successive Sovereigns were born in this Xuan Shu."
This place was the true location for selecting the Sovereign. Su Chen understood, and deliberately showed some excitement: "Presumably this place must be full of talents, right?"
"Naturally." Zhang Feng nodded, always feeling that this guy sent over as an exception was somewhat strange, but he only executed orders from above and wouldn't ask much.
"Let's not stand here either. Your Excellency's data will take some time to synchronize over. Let me take you to your residence first."
"Alright." Su Chen readily agreed and followed Zhang Feng forward. After crossing the boundless pale golden metal corridor in front of them, they arrived at the Plaza of Xuan Shu, suspended in Space.
Coming face to face was an erected giant black stone stele with golden characters flashing continuously on it.
"Why does this stone stele look a bit familiar? It seems to be the one I saw during the Ranking List Updates in the Martial Proof Hall before."
Su Chen found all this very novel, and couldn't help but stop when seeing something familiar.
The top name was Longge Wudi, Source Return Talent, Refined Twelve Divine Fires, possessing the Longevity Root, Longevity divine bloodline...
Su Chen was naturally extremely familiar with this kind of Leaderboard ranking. What he cared about were the words behind.
Source Return? This was the Talent above Azure God, why did the name feel somewhat strange.
At the first instant of seeing it, the Unsullied jumped out—【The Unsullied learned the name "Source Return", birthed a desire in his heart, and hopes to obtain the blood of Source Return for research.】
"Sigh, the Azure God hasn't undergone Metamorphosis yet, and this is assigning me a task again."
Su Chen was quite speechless. This Longevity Root was truly passed down in one continuous line. In this Abyss, there were also people riding on the Might of the Longevity Root to stand above everyone else.
And their surname was also Longge. Was the inheritance unbroken, or did they change their name?
Su Chen looked at the second person, Taixuan Ji, Source Return Talent, Refined Twelve Morning Fires, possessing Violet Extreme Flame, Taixuan divine bloodline...
Someone from the Taixuan House? The two lineages of Longevity and Taixuan were actually both passed down from the Abyss, never changing hands?
Su Chen was quite shocked. For the Abyss to encounter such a great disaster, yet these Six Pillars could preserve themselves, it was indeed impressive.
Su Chen looked further down, and they were all people he didn't recognize.
Zhang Feng explained from the side: "This is the Xuan Shu Ranking. All those aspiring to the position of Sovereign will pursue and compete within it."
"..."
Su Chen was thoughtful, while this person sighed with emotion: "Some time ago, the five people who came as exceptions were all extraordinary, leaping to become high-rankers in one bound. The most formidable person actually reached seventh place, truly Unimaginable."
"I believe Your Excellency will also definitely amaze the world with a single brilliant feat."
The five people who came some time ago? Su Chen caught the keyword and hurriedly looked towards the seventh place—Tang Muchen, Azure God Talent, Refined Twelve Morning Fires, High Heaven divine bloodline...
He didn't recognize this name, so he hadn't paid attention just now, but Zhang Feng said it was one of those five Bright Suns.
He didn't know a single one of the titles of the five Bright Suns, but since he claimed to be from High Heaven... Su Chen pondered, it was probably the contemporary Dao Sovereign of High Heaven.
But aren't they Bright Suns? Why would it mark them as Refined Twelve Morning Fires?
Su Chen was somewhat puzzled. There should be many secrets hidden in this, which he temporarily didn't have the qualifications to explore.
Su Chen asked Zhang Feng to point out the other four to him. They were respectively ranked eighth, tenth, eleventh, and thirteenth.
"Lord Longge... should be Elder Changsheng, having the Longevity Root on him, yet surprisingly the weakest among the five Bright Suns. Hmm... the weakest at the Morning Star level, which somewhat surprised me. Could it be because he is too old, and his Vitality is failing?"
Su Chen muttered to himself, memorizing all the names on the stele in front of him, and then followed Zhang Feng forward, crossing the Plaza where the Xuan Shu Ranking stood.
In front of them was an expanse of meteorite Floating Islands, each with a large number of buildings on it. The scale of every Floating Island was no less than Bronze Heaven.
This place was simply too massive, and many buildings were very far apart. Zhang Feng only brought him in and wasn't prepared to introduce them one by one.
But Su Chen estimated that compared to High Heaven, this kind of talent cultivation place probably only had a difference in specifications.
Seeing Zhang Feng already soar into the Starry Expanse, just as he was about to follow, a pillar of light suddenly rose from the depths of a Floating Island, heading straight for the depths of the firmament. In an instant, it turned into a giant screen covering the Starry Sky, with two people standing facing each other inside.
Zhang Feng paused slightly, looked up, and suddenly showed excitement: "It's Taixuan Ji and Longge Wudi. These two have fought hundreds of times to chase the title of number one, all ending with Taixuan Ji's defeat."
"Taixuan's Violet Extreme Flame inherently restrains the Longevity Root greatly, but Longge Wudi is worthy of his name, forcefully withstanding this restraint."
The battle for first and second?
Su Chen couldn't help but look as well. One person was dressed in purple robes and luxurious clothes, while the other's figure was towering and imposing.
Violet Extreme Flame?
Su Chen pondered. That was the Taixuan House's reliance. It wasn't as capable of connecting Professions as the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree, nor could it provide endless Vital Aura like the Longevity Root.
But it had its own uniqueness, providing tremendous amplification for physical body-type Professions. However, with the fall of the Taixuan House, it also disappeared Without a Trace.
On the surrounding meteorites, formidable Auras also rose one after another, all Morning Stars, similarly watching.
And the battlefield of the two seemed to be in some Desolate Starry Expanse. That Taixuan Ji made the first move. Purple Flames rose around his body, condensing into a boundless Azure Dragon.
The Azure Dragon roared, and purple waves of fire swept out, sweeping across the Desolate Starry Expanse, shattering meteorites.
That Longge Wudi's expression remained indifferent from beginning to end. Faint cyan Streaking Light covered the surface of his physical body. He didn't dodge or evade, meeting the attack head-on.
The energy light was dazzling. The desolate meteorites and Celestial Bodies were blown to pieces one after another, truly dazzling the eyes.
Not long after, that Taixuan Ji suddenly stopped, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The robes on his body were already torn and tattered. He snorted coldly, seemingly disappearing, seemingly admitting defeat.
The screen shattered, and everything dissipated Without a Trace.
"Taixuan Ji lost again. Longge Wudi is still an insurmountable mountain." Zhang Feng couldn't help but feel regretful.
Su Chen still had his head raised, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused. He suddenly thought of one thing. The Profession information and various techniques of this place could be brought out.
Then could things like Resources and Materials be brought out?
Thinking of this, his heart couldn't help but palpitate. The Longevity Root, Violet Extreme Flame, and perhaps other things, if placed outside, were all heaven-defying good things that couldn't be found anywhere.
If they could be brought out, this place was the greatest Treasure Vault of this Primordial Return-to-Void Realm, right?
Su Chen's Thoughts wandered. He didn't know if passing the second Trial normally would bring one to this place.
Probably not. It should be that the Bearded Man deliberately sent him here.
Could this place be the Source Realm?
Su Chen had a Sudden Inspiration. The Intelligence from the Flash-Shadow Body previously mentioned that these Bright Suns entering the Primordial Return-to-Void Realm wasn't just for the Abyss Pillar, but even more to attempt entering the Source Realm.
For several Bright Suns to bear it in mind so much, the Source Realm was definitely not simple.
"I have to confirm whether the high-level Materials and such inside here can be brought out." Su Chen suppressed his somewhat palpitating state of mind.
"Your Excellency Jiang Yang, let's go..." Zhang Feng spoke. For this Morning Star who came as an exception to stop and ponder at every turn, it was truly strange.
Su Chen naturally nodded and followed him to a residence based on a meteorite. It looked extremely massive in scale and was covered with various buildings.
"This is Your Excellency's residence. All basic facilities are readily available." Jiang Feng brought him to land on it. The metal floor paved to the end of his field of vision, and people were already waiting here.
Su Chen took a glance. These were all mechanical puppets, not real people. The so-called basic facilities should also just be those things that assisted Ascension Refining.
After listening to Zhang Feng's explanation, as he was preparing to leave, Su Chen asked again: "Deacon Jiang, where are the residences of those five who were exceptionally promoted some time ago?"
"Those five————" Zhang Feng pondered briefly, "They are also nearby. I will give you the coordinates."
"Hmm... Your Excellency doesn't seem to have a Communicator on you?"
He thought for a moment, reached out and took out a palm-sized metal disc, handing it to Su Chen.
Su Chen took it familiarly, injected Psionic Power, and it projected a Holographic Screen, "No identity verified."
"Your Excellency's data hasn't synchronized over all this time. I don't know what happened..." Zhang Feng fiddled with it for a while, but smiled and said: "It has synchronized over. Let me bind the Xuan Spirit for you."
"Synchronized over?" Su Chen was stunned, only to see the words "No bound identity" on the Holographic Screen before him dissipate, presenting completely different data.
【Jiang Yang】
【... One hundred and twenty years old, member of High Heaven's Upper Firmament Heaven...】
It almost perfectly matched what he had just said. Su Chen's heart palpitated, and a chill immediately rose in his heart, his entire body going numb. He seemed to faintly feel a prying gaze coming from nowhere directly falling on him.
This tm... it was just waiting for me to make up an identity myself, right?
Was it the Bearded Man, or the Primordial Return-to-Void Realm itself?
Su Chen remained silent for a moment and added Zhang Feng as a friend. The other party sent five coordinates, followed by five names.
"Many thanks, Deacon Zhang." Su Chen composed himself.
"No harm." Zhang Feng waved his hand and took his leave.
Su Chen picked a room, sent all those mechanical puppets out, and carefully sorted through the information obtained so far.
"This place doesn't operate disorderly. There is something manipulating it in the dark, just not sure if it has an independent consciousness." Just now, Su Chen even had the idea of fleeing directly, but he had stayed here for so long before and nothing had happened.
Moreover, the other five Bright Suns had also stayed here, so there shouldn't be any problem.
"It will take a year to wait for the third Trial. It should be the intensity of Six Paths Dawnfire..."
Su Chen naturally couldn't really wait here for a year now; there were still matters outside waiting for him to handle.
"It's just that, some things need to be tested." He took out that metal disc. Its operation relied on Psionic Power, actually quite similar to High Heaven's Token, both being identity credentials.
Su Chen briefly understood it, and indeed they were exactly the same, even able to purchase things remotely, similarly consuming Faith Essence.
"This means that a set of measures currently used by the several Pillars of the Abyssal Domain was completely passed down from the Abyss, with almost no major changes."
Su Chen was thoughtful. The compression Comm-Bracelet on his hand moved slightly, and he took out several portions of physical essence, decomposing them and sending them in. The balance immediately increased quite a bit.
He was prepared to purchase a few things to test the situation.
He randomly picked a few things he hadn't heard of on the main page, bought and paid for them, and a pop-up window appeared showing a delivery time—two years.
"This is even slower than the Abyssal Domain." Su Chen frowned, temporarily unable to figure out if it really needed that much time, or if the mechanism of this place deliberately prevented him from buying it.
"If I only stay here for a year, it's obviously impossible to wait two years. Then I can only purchase internally here."
Su Chen switched to the internal page again and purchased a bottle of Potion named "Flame Dragon".
Almost as soon as the confirm button was pressed, he felt something in his heart and looked up.
The wall in front of him couldn't obstruct his vision. He already saw a brilliant golden pillar of light descending from the sky.
"Could this be————" Su Chen flashed out of the house.
The pillar of light scattered, and on the ground was impressively a Metal Box.
"Light-speed delivery." Su Chen was amazed. Looking again at the two-year mark on the interface, he was basically certain that this was the mechanism of the Primordial Return-to-Void Realm. One could only move around in this place, and only purchase things in this place.
Opening the Metal Box to look, this Potion was placed in a slender red metal canister, as thick as an arm, with dragon patterns carved on the surface. Through the spaced glass windows, the crimson Potion inside could be clearly seen.
Flame Dragon Potion, this was a Potion that could be used to assist the operation of Ascension Refining. One bottle was worth five portions of Faith Essence, truly precious.
He hadn't seen this kind of thing in the Abyss. He first put it away, soared up, and followed the coordinate guidance to a nearby meteorite Floating Island.
This was Dao Sovereign of High Heaven's residence. He attempted to visit, but no one responded, showing that he was in Seclusion and not to be disturbed.
"Interesting." Su Chen pondered for a moment, then turned back, casually picked a mechanical puppet, and put it into his compression Comm-Bracelet.
With a slight stir of his mind, he felt the world spin and already appeared outside the Formless Heavenly Gate.
He immediately opened his Comm-Bracelet and took out two things. One was that mechanical puppet, and the other was the Potion he had purchased earlier.
They still existed, their touch real and cold.
"They really can be brought out!" Su Chen's eyes flashed with strange light, without even any extra consumption, "Since these things can be brought out, then the Longevity Root, Violet Extreme Flame, and such can probably also..."
"Truly a massive Treasure Vault."
He didn't care about those technological information, Profession information, and such from before, but he couldn't say he didn't care about the things in Xuan Shu.
"Master, I cannot connect to the Xuan Shu network..." That mechanical puppet suddenly spoke.
Su Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and a wisp of Golden Flame ignited from the sole of that mechanical puppet's foot. Before long, it was turned into Pulverized to Dust.
"Unimaginable, truly Unimaginable..." Su Chen looked at the Formless Heavenly Gate in front of him and put it away.
Although it was a Treasure Vault, he wasn't prepared to go in and explore for the time being. His strength wasn't considered high now, so going in would be of no use.
Obtaining those things of not much value was meaningless. The time he could stay was limited, so naturally, he had to raise his own strength before planning anything inside.
"However, I can purchase some Potions that assist Ascension Refining. Those are rare items, which seem to be absent now, but the physical essence in my hands is already running low."
Su Chen pondered slightly. He just happened to be selling the Materials for the Azure Deity Metamorphosis, which was exactly a good opportunity to get a large sum of Faith Essence.