âD*mn it, d*mn it!â
âChu Kuangren, how dare you kill my spiritual thought clone! Just you wait and see, I will destroy the Black Heaven Sect!â Great Sage Zhang Guang grumbled.
At that moment, a voice echoed throughout the palace hall.
âCalm down now.â
The voice sounded frail and old.
Upon hearing the voice, Great Sage Zhang Guang immediately recollected his composure. âForefather, why are you awake?â
Great Sage Zhang Guang was confused. The forefathers of the unknown lands had lived for countless years and they rarely showed themselves as they were always in deep slumber to slow the progress of their Heavenly Deterioration Stage Five.
Yet, the palaceâs forefather was now awake to caution him.
What was going on?
âA few days ago, I was awakened by a frightening aura from afar. I wasnât the only one as the other old ones felt its presence too. That aura was simply too⦠terrifying.â
This made Great Sage Zhang Guang concerned. What kind of entity could possibly strike such fear into his forefather?!
Then, he remembered. âItâs the Headless Lady!â
âThatâs right,â said the frail voice.
âBut what does this have to do with me seeking revenge from the Black Heaven Sect?â Great Sage Zhang Guang said puzzledly.
âWhen my spiritual thought was wandering around Firmament Star, I learned a great deal about Chu Kuangren. One of them was his visit to the Scaled Clan in the deep sea, and rumor has it that he even fought one of the cultivators from the Bottomless Chasm during his visit. After your spiritual thought was slain, Chu Kuangren did ask you to witness the fate of the Bottomless Chasm for your own. This is the reason why Iâve come to stop you!â
âPlease elaborate further, Forefather.â
âA few days ago, I received news that the Headless Lady has caused a mess in the Bottomless Chasm. Amongst the Seven Great Chasm Dwellers, four of them were killed. In the end, the Headless Lady left, leaving the Bottomless Chasm in a devastated state. This incident happened on the same day Chu Kuangren visited the Scaled Clan,â said the frail voice.
At that point, Great Sage Zhang Guang had no reason to distrust his Forefather. His eyes widened in shock as he said, âForefather, do you mean Chu Kuangren is somehow related to the Headless Lady? And that the Headless Lady helped Chu Kuangren to destroy the Bottomless Chasm?â
âBut howâs that possible?! Itâs written in the archives that the Headless Ladyâs origin is none but a mystery. Never has it been known that she has worked together with anyone else. Howâs it plausible that she would help Chu Kuangren to destroy the Bottomless Chasm?!â
Then, the frail voice replied, âRegardless of the reason, itâs unwise to provoke Chu Kuangren just for a spiritual thought clone.â
âForefather, could this be a coincidence? Perhaps Chu Kuangren is using this incident to intimidate us?â Great Sage Zhang Guang hypothesized.
âAs long as thereâs a possibility, we should ensure that whatever happened to the Bottomless Chasm does not repeat here. Otherwise, you shall bear all the sins of this palaceâs downfall!â
The frail voice cautioned sternly.
âUnderstood.â Great Sage Zhang Guang nodded reluctantly.
After that, the frail voice no longer said anything else. It seemed like its presence had left the hall.
Great Sage Zhang Guang pondered for a while longer before retrieving his communication compass. âThird Elder, find all the archives that contain any records of the Headless Lady and bring them to my room.â
There was a hint of confusion in his eyes.
âAs long as Chu Kuangren is alive, no one else can see the light of day. The chances for the Heavenly Golden Palace to ascend into the Emperor Realm will be even tougher.â
âBe it to avenge my spiritual thought clone or to help my orthodoxy ascend into the Emperor Realm, Chu Kuangren cannot stay!â
âBut first, I need to find some ways to deal with the Headless Ladyâ¦â
â¦
Black Warrior Domain, Empyrean Peak.
The fights between the empyrean walkers had since concluded with Chu Kuangrenâs flawless victory. His overwhelming dominance over the host of Heavenly Golden Imperial Physique was a frightening tale for all to hear.
This battle had cemented Chu Kuangrenâs reputation amongst the younger generation. Not even the empyrean walkers were his match.
After the fight, Chu Kuangren met Xue Zheng, who was just about to leave Empyrean Peak.
From his troubled expression, it was apparent that the battle had left a discouraging impact on him.
As an empyrean walker, he was always very confident with his own ability. However, this battle today had taught Xue Zheng just how far he was from the peak!
Compared to Chu Kuangren, Xue Zheng felt that his name was not even worth mentioning.
âBrother Xue, please hold on!â Xue Zheng heard Chu Kuangrenâs voice from behind.
Xue Zheng turned around curiously only to see Chu Kuangren. âBrother Chu, what can I do for you?â
âBrother Xue, I wish to visit the Ethereal Rapture. Can you please guide me there?â
âVisit the Ethereal Rapture?â
Xue Zheng was stunned. Then, he connected the dots to the rumors he had heard about Chu Kuangren and his face froze over. He said, âBrother Chu, Iâve willingly conceded my defeat. Why must you go on a rampage? Moreover, the Ethereal Rapture is not a place where you can do as you wish!â
Chu Kuangren was dumbfounded.
Why was Xue Zheng acting all panicky? He was just planning to pay them a friendly visit. Was the Ethereal Rapture that mysterious?
Moreover, what did Xue Zheng mean by âgoing on a rampageâ?
Xue Zheng was speaking as if Chu Kuangren was planning to cause trouble in his orthodoxy.
âBrother Xue, Iâm just interested in visiting. Do you have to use such harsh words?â
âOf course I do! Iâve heard about all your stories. The Murong clan, the Shang clan, and the Sky Emperor Palace⦠None of those places were left in one piece after your visit.â
Only then did Chu Kuangren finally comprehend Xue Zhengâs reaction, but he felt misunderstood. After all, could he be blamed for all those incidents?
Those incidents began with the orthodoxies provoking him. Otherwise, Chu Kuangren would not need to resort to such violent measures.
âBrother Xue, be rest assured that my plan for this visit is to purely look for the Celestial Chalcedony. I have no intention to cause trouble,â Chu Kuangren said firmly.
Barring his battle with Xue Zheng today, there was no resentment between Chu Kuangren and the Ethereal Rapture. Chu Kuangren was confident that there would be no unpleasantries happening from his visit.
Xue Zheng looked at Chu Kuangren skeptically and said, âThis is a fairly important matter. Iâd need to revert this matter to the Sect Leader first.â
âThat of course,â said Chu Kuangren.
Not long after.
Xue Zheng had finished his discussion with the Ethereal Rapture through his communication compass, so he looked at Chu Kuangren and said, âSect Leader has allowed me to invite you to the Ethereal Rapture.â
âThank you.â
Chu Kuangren breathed a sigh of relief. If the Ethereal Rapture insisted on keeping him away, he would not know where else to seek his Celestial Chalcedony.
Although the lower-graded ones could still summon the Astonishing Cloud of Seas Formation, its power would be greatly compromised.
Chu Kuangren sought to do only the best.
With that, Xue Zheng and Chu Kuangren made their way to the Ethereal Rapture.
âBrother Chu, mind if I ask what these Celestial Chalcedonies are for?â
Curious, Xue Zheng asked during their journey.
Apart from assisting in the cultivation of certain unique techniques, the common use of the Celestial Chalcedony did not differ much from a regular soulstone.
âBrother Xue, Iâm sure youâre aware that the Celestial Chalcedonies are excellent ingredients in establishing a formation,â Chu Kuangren said.
âOh, youâre planning to use it for a formation.â
âThatâs right.â
Chu Kuangren said. Of course, the specifics of the formation were not something he would reveal that easily.
Xue Zheng did not ask any further as well.
âBrother Chu, are you not afraid that by threatening the Heavenly Golden Palace, they would mess with the Black Heaven Sect?â Xue Zheng moved onto a new topic of conversation.
âDo they dare?!â
Chu Kuangren snorted coldly, his eyes glaring with hostility.