Chapter 2843: Probing

Afterwards, Jian Chen cut open his finger and sealed Kun Tian’s blood from the bottle in his finger.

When he sealed the blood, he could not help but think about the mysterious Virtuous Sage of Heaven again, “If the Virtuous Sage of Heaven really is a supreme expert who can see through my mask, then I won’t be able to hide anything I’ve done in the fifth divine hall from him. If his objective really is in line with the Heartless Child’s, then even if he knows my identity, he’ll take the initiative and cover me.”

“As I result, I probably don’t need to intentionally watch myself anymore before the Virtuous Sage of Heaven,” Jian Chen thought, but he still did not find it sufficiently ensuring. What if he was wrong?

“Looks like I need to find some time and probe out the Virtuous Sage of Heaven. At the very least, I need to confirm which side he’s standing on. That way, I can adjust accordingly for the great ceremony.”

...

The next day, Jian Chen visited the Darkstar Divine Hall alone, wishing to see the Darkstar Emperor. In the same, majestic hall, the Darkstar Emperor sat on his throne with his legs crossed serenely, as composed as a mountain.

As for Jian Chen, he bent his back slightly, maintaining a bow as he stood below.

“Kun Tian, why have you come to find me?” the Darkstar Emperor asked. His voice was extremely flat.

“Your majesty, I still have some aspects I’m not completely sure about regarding the great ceremony, so I wish to see the virtuous sage. I hope the virtuous sage can alleviate me of my doubts,” Jian Chen said from below.

The Darkstar Emperor considered his request silently before saying, “Is the Virtuous Sage of Heaven present?”

The Virtuous Sage of Heaven did not answer his first call.

Afterwards, the Darkstar Emperor called a second and a third time.

After three calls, the Virtuous Sage of Heaven still did not appear. The Darkstar Emperor immediately became somewhat helpless as a result. “The Virtuous Sage of Heaven has always been elusive. Even I can’t locate him. It’s best if you come another day.”

“Yes, your majesty!” Jian Chen showed a sliver of pity. He left the Darkstar Divine Hall after bidding farewell, returning to the fifth divine hall.

“Kun Tian, what is your reason for looking for me?”

However, soon after Jian Chen returned to the fifth divine hall, a familiar voice rang out in the empty hall.

He raised his head suddenly and immediately spotted the Virtuous Sage of Heaven’s illusionary figure. He currently hovered in the air, giving off no presence at all. Even when sweeping him with the senses of the soul, there was nothing. It was impossible to detect his existence without the naked eye.

Jian Chen’s eyes flashed. He immediately stood up and bowed towards the Virtuous Sage of Heaven. “Greetings to senior!”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “I do indeed have some things I’d like to ask senior. There are some matters regarding the great ceremony that I’m still unsure of, that I haven’t understood completely yet...”

Afterwards, Jian Chen played along and asked a few detailed questions regarding the great ceremony, as well as many questions that confounded him.

The Virtuous Sage of Heaven did not seem to be suspicious of him. He answered all of Jian Chen’s questions seriously as if he truly was working towards the success of the great ceremony.

Jian Chen could not help but develop suspicion over the Virtuous Sage of Heaven’s seriousness. He wondered whether his theory about the Virtuous Sage of Heaven’s identity was correct or not. The Virtuous Sage of Heaven was not on the same side as the Heartless Child?

“Thank you for answering my questions so patiently, senior. It’s just that the great ceremony this time is far too important to our race, and not only have I lost my past memories, but I’m even under the influence of the memories of the planetary beast. Once I lose control, even I don’t know what I can end up doing, so I feel slightly pressured inside. I’m afraid of affecting the great ceremony.” Jian Chen was deeply worried. He suddenly asked, “Virtuous Sage of Heaven, do you think the ceremony this time will fail? What if it fails?”

“Fail?” The Virtuous Sage of Heaven repeated that word quietly and sank into his thoughts. Only a long while later did he say slowly, “If it fails, then all the preparations we’ve made and prices we’ve paid for the ceremony over all these years will go to waste, and our grand wish of being able to reach Chaotic Prime will fall through too. Even that divine beast... sigh...”

“What will happen to the divine beast?” Jian Chen’s heart skipped a beat, but he asked without showing any of it.

The Virtuous Sage of Heaven pondered silently for a moment before answering, “If the great ceremony succeeds, then the divine beast will become the medium for us to wield our Grand Exalt’s residual powers. Its flesh, blood, and vitality will all vanish from the world. Perhaps you can say it will merge with this world of ours, becoming a sacrifice of the ceremony. But if the ceremony fails, not only is there the chance for the divine beast to survive, but it might even experience a great fortuitous encounter that will lead to a drastic increase in strength after merging with the blood of the myriad.”

“Our race has done so many horrific and brutal things to that divine beast. The divine beast definitely hates our race to the bone, so if the ceremony fails and the divine beast’s strength surges, it will become a potentially great problem for our race.”

Jian Chen frowned, and a sliver of cold light flashed through his eyes. He said coldly, “In other words, even if the ceremony fails, we need to kill the divine beast before it can grow, just so we can eliminate any potential future problems.”

“As long as you understand. However, there’s no need for you to fret over this. The emperor has thought through all the positive and negative consequences a long time ago. If that happens, he’ll personally eliminate this source of trouble.” The Virtuous Sage of Heaven’s figure gradually vanished. At the same time, his voice that seemed to be layered with other meaning in Jian Chen’s eyes drifted through his ear, “Kun Tian, since you’re the fifth hall master, you obviously have your own tasks to accomplish. The success or failure of the ceremony is not for you to worry about. You only need to focus on carrying out your tasks.”

With that, the Virtuous Sage of Heaven vanished completely, while Jian Chen returned to the hall master’s throne and sat back down, sinking into a long period of silent thought.

“If the ceremony succeeds, then Sacredfeather’s death is certain. If the ceremony fails, not only will Sacredfeather survive, but he’ll even experience a great fortuitous encounter. With how straightforward the Virtuous Sage of Heaven has been to me regarding Sacredfeather’s fate, it instead seems like he’s dropping me a hint, or should I say, a warning.”

“He’s warning me that if I want Sacredfeather to survive, I have to stop the great ceremony, or Sacredfeather will die...”

“And what he said at the end. The success or failure of the ceremony is not for me to worry about. I only need to focus on carrying out my tasks.”

“The success or failure of the great ceremony is something that all members of the Darkstar race should worry about. After all, it’s something major that can change their fate, yet the Virtuous Sage of Heaven said it’s something I don’t need to worry about?”

“As for my tasks, my objectives for infiltrating the Darkstar race is firstly to save Sacredfeather, and secondly, to complete the Heartless Child’s mission—stop the ceremony...”

“Why do I feel like the Virtuous Sage of Heaven was not directing what he said towards the Kun Tian of the past? Instead, it seems more like he’s implying something to my true identity, Jian Chen.”

Jian Chen sat on the throne as his eyes flickered with uncertainty. “Looks like my theory is likely to be correct...”