Chapter 529 - 294: Arriving Together
"Wu Yue..." Li Qing was put on the spot, but her expression didn’t change. She simply said softly, "What you’re saying is a possibility, but so is what I’m saying. We must consider every angle."
"What if Qin Yun truly doesn’t know? Must we force her to prove her innocence with her life?"
"Qin Yun knows," the Peng King suddenly said. All eyes immediately turned to him.
Qi Heng’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
The Peng King’s voice was somber. "The Prison King left us a message, but it wasn’t much. Only two words: ’Qin Yun’."
"The Prison King left a message?" Li Qing’s gaze sharpened, and the others stared intently at him. "Why weren’t we told about this before?"
Even Wu Yue was now frowning deeply, staring at the Peng King.
The Peng King was unconcerned, saying leisurely, "I didn’t mention it earlier because I wanted to catch the Bronze Sect off guard. Otherwise, what would we do if they claimed Qin Yun had vanished without a trace?"
"And you only tell us now? How can we trust you?" Li Qing’s brow furrowed.
The Peng King scanned the group and extended his palm. A wisp of purple flame flickered to life within it. The temperature wasn’t particularly high, but a slight change came over everyone’s faces.
Suspended within the flame were two words formed from a flow of crimson mist: Qin Yun.
Seeing this purple flame, the others were mostly convinced.
Li Qing sighed inwardly. Wu Yue’s expression was cold as he said,
"In that case, the Bronze Sect must give us an explanation. The Royal Court and the other major Sects have all shown the Bronze Ancient King deference by using the Peak Star Conference as a cover to prevent things from getting too ugly. We can only hope that Ancient King understands our position."
"So, are there any objections now?" the Peng King asked leisurely, retracting the purple flame in his hand. "This time, we’re going to get to the bottom of it all."
The other Venerables’ expressions shifted. Qi Heng’s eyes narrowed as he asked, "What if the Bronze Ancient King insists on protecting Qin Yun, no matter the cost?"
The Peng King’s expression was calm. "That’s why we must first ascertain the Bronze Ancient King’s situation."
"A while ago, the Ancient King Stele showed an anomaly, sparking speculation across the galaxy. We all came here together, and the Profound Turtle King even made a personal trip. Between that and this business with Qin Yun, if the Bronze Ancient King had even a sliver of strength left, he would have certainly forced himself to make an appearance."
"And if he doesn’t..." The Peng King paused, his tone layered with implication. "Then we’ll have to notify the other Ancient Kings and have them persuade the Bronze Ancient King to consider the bigger picture."
Wu Yue sneered, Li Qing remained silent, and the remaining man, who looked rather scholarly, still hadn’t spoken a word.
The Profound Turtle King sighed. "Jin Siye and I shared a bond, after all. But alas..."
Everyone wore a different expression. Jin Siye was, in fact, the name of the former Bronze Ancient King.
...
"Brother Luo."
Outside the door, Han Xingliu greeted the slightly older man, then his gaze shifted to the young man at his side. "This must be the other Star Seed from the Star Dome Sect, Zhang Yuan."
"That’s right." Luo Yao’s gaze swept over Han Xingliu before he turned to the young man beside him. "Zhang Yuan, this is Han Xingliu, son of the Hanhai Emperor. You’ve surely heard of him."
Zhang Yuan quickly offered a greeting. "I’ve heard so much about you. It’s an honor to finally meet."
"You’re too kind," Han Xingliu said with a faint smile, not paying much mind to Zhang Yuan. His gaze rested solely on Luo Yao. "The last time we met was at the Peak Star Conference hosted by the True Martial Sect."
"Indeed." Luo Yao nodded, his tone carrying a certain indescribable nuance. "Last time, I could only be a spectator, while Brother Xingliu advanced quite far. I imagine you’re feeling quite confident this time around."
"Haha," Han Xingliu said, waving his hands dismissively. "I’m just a few years older, Brother Luo, you don’t have to tease me. With you and Sheng Huaixu in the running, how could I possibly take the title of ’Peak Star’?"
Though they spoke with smiles, there was no real warmth in their eyes.
Given their age, this was the last conference they were eligible to participate in.
Even for someone like Luo Yao, who was only forty-two or forty-three, it felt like a raw deal, but there was nothing to be done. The rules were the rules.
No matter who it was, victory was a must.
After exchanging a few more superficial pleasantries, they both tacitly avoided the sensitive topic of the Peak Star title.
Han Xingliu changed the subject. "Speaking of this trip to the Bronze Sect, there is one person who’s worth our attention."
Luo Yao frowned. "Shen Yi’an. That one’s certainly not to be underestimated. The Shen Family has thrived within the Bronze Sect for many years..."
"Shen Yi’an?" Han Xingliu let out a laugh. "I was talking about Su Chen. Have you two heard of him?"
Upon hearing that name, Zhang Yuan, who had been standing aside with a dull expression, suddenly perked up. "To defeat the Tier Six, Qin Tianlin, while only at Tier Five... it would be hard *not* to hear about something like that," he said with feeling.
"That man is indeed... beyond comprehension," Luo Yao said, his eyes narrowing. "To think such a talent could emerge from a Desolate Planet shrouded in Nether Fog. I hear the Prophet Council has already designated him as a high-priority subject for observation."
"The intelligence on him changes by the day, yet the data they’ve gathered shows nothing particularly unusual about him. It’s truly astonishing."
"I’d certainly like to meet him on this trip to the Bronze Sect." Han Xingliu’s curiosity was genuine. ’If things go smoothly and the Bronze Sect merges with the Royal Court...’
’I’ll definitely have to recruit him. However, if his secrets are too significant...’
Luo Yao remained noncommittal, a flicker in his eyes. "If he keeps this momentum, the Peak Star title in the conference after next will likely belong to the Bronze Sect."
Zhang Yuan shot a glance at Luo Yao, a flicker of dissatisfaction in his eyes. Given his age, if he wanted to vie for the Peak Star title in the future, Su Chen would be a formidable competitor.
’But for Luo Yao to already be conceding the title in the conference after next to Su Chen... it’s far too premature.’
Sensing the strange tension between the two, Han Xingliu chuckled but didn’t comment. ’If the Bronze Sect hasn’t been absorbed by the Royal Court by then...’
...
Zhou Yunyang was incredibly efficient.
By the very next afternoon, he personally arrived at Su Chen’s door with the requested materials.
"Everything’s here. Please check if anything is missing, sir," Zhou Yunyang said, directing his subordinates as they carried in one metal case after another. One of them was enormous, requiring two or three people to move.
And these subordinates of Zhou Yunyang were all Tier Five Professionals.
"I have faith in your work, Steward Zhou," Su Chen said, showing his complete trust.
After the items were unloaded, the two exchanged a few pleasantries before Zhou Yunyang tactfully took his leave.
Su Chen glanced at the metal cases on the floor. As he turned to leave, the cases all floated into the air and followed him into his training room, where they arranged themselves on the floor.
Su Chen opened the largest case first. Inside lay the Thunder-Shatter Maul, and an overwhelming sense of power emanated from it.
Su Chen reached out, grasped the handle, and lifted it. Its weight alone was not to be trifled with.
He gave it a few practice swings. Crimson-purple lightning crackled from the fissures in the hammer’s head. With a spinning, horizontal sweep, the wind howled as a waterfall of molten fire poured from the hammer’s face.
"Not bad, not bad at all..." Su Chen hefted the weapon, increasingly satisfied. His Spiritual Power surged forth, gradually enveloping the entire hammer and binding it to him as a Control Secret Artifact.
Immediately, the giant hammer impossibly merged into his body. The effect was instantaneous. An endless stream of power surged through his bones and sinews.
Su Chen clenched his fist, producing a series of sharp cracks from his joints. He slowly exhaled, his breath laced with tiny, sizzling arcs of electricity. ZZZT.
’Nice. In terms of pure power amplification, it’s even stronger than the Formless True Edge...’
The maul reappeared, floating out of his body. Next, his gaze fell on the large pile of metal materials at his side. He rubbed his hands together and began upgrading his Secret Artifacts one by one.
Upgrading a single Secret Artifact consumed a significant amount of Spiritual Power, but he could afford the cost now. After five or six hours, Su Chen had upgraded all of his Control Secret Artifacts to Tier Six.
"Haaa..."
Su Chen simply held out a hand, and all the Secret Artifacts arranged before him flew into his body like swallows returning to their nest.
In an instant, his physical strength skyrocketed. His cells grew denser, his muscles became as solid as refined iron, and a terrifying power churned within him.
He hadn’t even upgraded these Secret Artifacts to Tier Seven yet, but Su Chen already had a strong feeling that he could now actually attempt to purify the mid-level Fog Ashes.