Chapter 472 - 434: Volcanic Anomaly, Which Senior?
"Wait?"
"Wait for what?"
The message from the True Treasure Pavilion surprised Su Ye.
The message was quite brief, with little information, but Su Ye could sense... a slight change in the True Treasure Pavilion’s attitude?
From giving up to showing concern?
Perhaps they intended to take some action.
The reason for this change wasn’t hard to guess.
’The True Treasure Pavilion also knows about the secrets hidden within the changes in Volcano State...’
’No, if they knew, they wouldn’t have done nothing for the past three hundred years, showing no intention of investigating...’
’Or perhaps the True Treasure Pavilion had some suspicions about Volcano State’s secrets but didn’t take them seriously. This time, the Star Casting Hall’s unusual movements must have finally caught their attention.’
Su Ye reasoned through it, piecing together a logical chain of events.
’As for why the Star Casting Hall, after carefully laying its plans, suddenly decided to get personally involved... Wait, was it me?’
As Su Ye thought this, a slightly stunned expression appeared on his face.
It made sense.
If not for his sudden appearance, the Candle Python Cave could have crushed the Flame Alliance with conventional warfare.
Why would the Star Casting Hall need to get involved personally, exposing its identity and adding to the risk?
"Er..."
Su Ye raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit helpless.
’If I think about it that way, the Star Casting Hall’s hatred for me is probably higher than I imagined, isn’t it?’
’Still, the True Treasure Pavilion’s change in attitude and suspected additional investment is a good thing for me. It’ll share some of the pressure from the Star Casting Hall.’
It’s easier to fish in muddy waters.
With the Star Casting Hall being the sole dominant power in the Day Flame Sea Region, Su Ye’s room to maneuver was quite limited.
But with the True Treasure Pavilion entering the scene, they could at least provide some help. Or, to put it another way, the True Treasure Pavilion could take the fall for a thing or two...
’Doing a good deed without leaving a name... secretly killing a few Star Casting Hall Golden Cores and pinning it on the True Treasure Pavilion... That shouldn’t be a problem, right?’
’I’d be contributing to the True Treasure Pavilion... they should be glad I’m not asking for contribution points.’
Su Ye rubbed his chin, thinking it was perfectly reasonable.
It couldn’t be helped.
’I have my own difficulties.’
The Ghostly Flood Dragon’s advancement required it to devour items with high energy values.
According to Su Ye’s experimental analysis, these high-energy items needed to contain at least a certain amount of the Power of Rules!
For example, the cores of fourth-tier creatures, especially the Golden Cores of Golden Core cultivators, seemed to have the most significant effect when fed to Jiaojiao!
’Fellow Daoists, don’t blame me for being ruthless.’
’I have no choice. I have a spirit ship to raise...’
Su Ye pressed his palms together and muttered a few words.
Besides that, Su Ye was also very curious about the secrets within Volcano State.
Even though the details were still unknown, judging by the attitudes of the Star Casting Hall and the True Treasure Pavilion, one could only imagine the opportunities it contained!
’For something that even the Nine Sects of the Inner Sea, with all their resources, covet so much... an opportunity like this is truly tantalizing...’
...
「Several months later.」
The atmosphere in Cloud Sea Immortal City had changed slightly.
The True Treasure Pavilion’s message had told the Flame Alliance to simply wait, but they couldn’t just sit around idly.
Therefore, during this period, the Golden Cores of the Flame Alliance, including Su Ye, dedicated some of their energy to reorganizing their forces and rebuilding their fleet.
At the same time, they dispatched spies to infiltrate Volcano State.
—It was worth mentioning that after occupying Volcano State, the Candle Python Cave had restrained themselves somewhat, refraining from carrying out an extermination-level massacre.
Of course, small- and medium-scale massacres and things like refining techniques with human lives were still unavoidable.
It was the nature of demonic cultivators. Their Magical Artifact restrictions, their own Secret Techniques, their cultivation methods...
All of them required vital blood and living souls.
Volcano State, with its population in the hundreds of millions, was a natural treasure trove for the demonic cultivators of the Candle Python Cave.
During this time, Volcano State was in chaos due to the activities of these demonic cultivators, and tragedies were rampant... However, it hadn’t been turned into a complete dead zone, which provided an opportunity for spies to infiltrate.
After all, the Flame Alliance had controlled Volcano State for a long time. Unless the enemy used a once-and-for-all method like an extermination-level massacre, it was nearly impossible to stop their spies from infiltrating.
Relying on the intelligence passed on by these spies, the Flame Alliance gained a relatively deep understanding of the current situation in Volcano State.
「Night. Yiyue Palace, the study.」
Su Ye leaned back in a leather chair, holding a jade slip.
He infused a wisp of Magical Power into it.
BUZZ.
The jade slip flickered, and a recorded voice emerged.
"Recently."
"The Spiritual Qi in Volcano State has been boiling, and the temperature is scorching. The area near the supervolcano is like a purgatory of magma, where even Crystallization Realm cultivators can barely last for a moment."
"According to our observations."
"Even the Dragonoid variant race has evacuated their entire clan from the vicinity of the volcano."
Before this, the Dragonoids had stayed hidden within the volcano, keeping to themselves and not interfering with the Flame Alliance.
But now, they had actually evacuated the area. Given the Dragonoids’ resistance to high temperatures, for even they to be unable to withstand it...
One could only imagine how high the temperature near the supervolcano must have climbed!
"At the same time, there are abnormal spatial fluctuations throughout Volcano State. I saw it with my own eyes: a golden gate of light appeared in mid-air, suspected to be a passage."
"Afterward, cultivators from the Candle Python Cave gathered there and attempted to enter the gate of light."
"However, these gates of light don’t seem to be able to accommodate high-level cultivators... At least, the Candle Python Cave only sent in Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"This hasn’t been confirmed. It’s also possible that the Candle Python Cave was being cautious and sent in low-level cultivators to explore first."
"Also, that gate of light was not permanent. It lasted for less than four hours before collapsing... Of the ten Foundation Establishment cultivators who set out, only three returned, and all of them were injured."
HUM.
The jade slip dimmed and fell onto the desk.
Su Ye stroked the jade slip. Its smooth, cool, and lustrous surface felt nice to the touch.
He pondered.
’A gate of light?’
As Su Ye murmured the words, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.
’A Grotto Heaven?’
’Or rather, a Divine Kingdom?’
The description in the jade slip inexplicably reminded him of the Mist Forest Divine Kingdom, which he had personally entered before.
The same drastic environmental changes, the same kind of spatial passage... according to the jade slip’s description, the current situation in Volcano State was clearly a sign that a Divine Kingdom was about to open!
"That can’t be right," Su Ye frowned slightly.
’The Yaoguang Islands are a region of the Spiritual Mechanism Immortal Dao. How could there be a kingdom of deities here...’
Huh?
Wait a minute.
Su Ye propped his chin on his hand, a glint in his eyes as he realized his train of thought was wrong.
’No!’
’In the distant past, the Yaoguang Islands belonged to the Divine Land World... It’s very possible for there to be ruins of a Divine Kingdom here!’
’Even...’
’It might not just be a Divine Kingdom, but an ancient battlefield from when the great powers of the Immortal Dao fought the Southern Deities?!’
Su Ye’s heart skipped a beat.
"Investigate further and report back. Spare no expense."
He channeled his Magical Power, using his finger as a pen to write his directive on the jade slip.
He shook a small bell to summon an attendant.
But...
Nothing.
No attendant, no response. Even... when Su Ye activated his Divine Sense, he found its power was sealed, only able to extend a few hundred meters.
And beyond those few hundred meters, Yiyue Palace, Cloud Sea Immortal City... it was as if they had all vanished, replaced by a pitch-black void!
HISS!
’A high-level cultivator!’
Su Ye’s pupils contracted abruptly, his heart tightening.
’Thankfully, I don’t have a habit of talking to myself. All my thoughts stay in my head.’ Su Ye steadied his mind, rose to his feet, and cupped his hands in a salute.
"I wonder which senior is playing a joke on me?"
"Would you care to show yourself?"