But the thing that surprised him the most was another matter entirely.
'This universe doesn't seem to have the concept of galaxies.'
According to Wan Chen, the planets governed by the Bronze Sect all existed independently. They didn't rely on galaxies or anything similar, but rather depended on the Bronze Sect's Eternal Silence Star to repel the Nether Mist.
'How bizarre...' Su Chen figured this matter was once again related to that baffling Nether Mist.
The minor interlude brought about by Lan Hao didn't cause much of an impact. After his fight with Wan Chen, he barely showed his face, spending his days holed up in his room.
Su Chen similarly stayed in his room, working to advance his class progress.
Ti flowed on. One day, inside his room.
Within a specific area constructed by the Spiritual Pressure Ring, Su Chen's body was enveloped in thick clouds. Black electrical sparks constantly burst forth from the milky-white cyclones. His bones cracked and popped, as if being forcibly stretched and reconstructed by an invisible giant hand, while a hum resembling the clash of tal and stone echoed from deep within his chest.
Not only that, but various bizarre illusions faintly surfaced within the mist—towering skyscrapers, cozy rooms, hideous mutated beasts, and more.
[Cloud Dragon Body Forging thod has advanced to the Master tier. Gained Ability 1 - Cloud Body: Slightly increases movent speed.]
[Mirage Sea ditation thod has advanced to the Master tier. Gained Ability - Calming the Sea: Slightly increases ntal resilience.]
These were the minor enhancents gained from simultaneously raising both his body-forging and ditation techniques to the Master tier.
The transformation ended swiftly. Su Chen exhaled a breath of turbid air, his body feeling significantly lighter and more agile.
[Mantra Law Lord: 30%]
[Calamity Inspector: 30%]
The developnt progress of both his classes had reached 30%.
"That was fast," he couldn't help but sigh in amazent. Only a little over a month had passed since he received the Great Exalt's blessing.
He estimated that before the end, he could push his developnt progress close to 60%.
'This double experience card sure is handy. I wonder if I can farm it off Wan Chen and the others,' Su Chen mused inwardly. Wasting no ti, he brought up the body-forging and ditation thods he had prepared before setting off.
[Radiant Fla Body Forging thod]
[Glazed Heart Lamp ditation thod]
However, the Radiant Fla Body Forging thod required the assistance of high-intensity external flas, and he currently lacked the ability to generate the fire elent himself.
He had originally brought along Earth Fire Crystals to assist him, but now, he had a much simpler thod.
Su Chen gently twisted the Spiritual Pressure Ring on his wrist. Selecting a crimson fla icon on the projected virtual screen, wisps of fire imdiately materialized within the localized gravity field swirling around him.
"This thing is truly convenient," Su Chen exclaid with another sigh. Stripping off his clothes, he employed a unique breathing rhythm to draw the external flas into his body through his nose, mouth, and pores.
At first, he only felt a warm current flowing into him.
But soon, that warm current morphed into searing steel needles, forcibly piercing and expanding pathways throughout his body.
His skin flushed an unnatural crimson as if branded by a searing iron, and the mont sweat seeped from his pores, it instantly evaporated into white steam.
Su Chen simultaneously circulated his ditation thod to carve out the outline of the Heart Lamp. Initially, there were only a few crooked and jagged lines, but the physical pain he felt subsided significantly in tandem.
Just as he barely managed to reach the introductory level for both techniques, the smart panel beside his door suddenly lit up.
Detecting the commotion, Su Chen cast a glance at it, his brow twitching slightly. "We're here?"
Displayed on it was a notification informing him that they had arrived at the ruins.
Calculating the ti, it seed about right. Su Chen walked over to the window and peered down. He found that the spaceship had already begun its descent, though the outside was completely engulfed in the hazy gray Nether Mist, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
Tidying up briefly, he stepped out of his room to find everyone already gathered in the cabin.
Lan Hao was also present. His expression was placid, betraying no hints of his inner thoughts.
Seeing him arrive, Chong Jingtian glanced over and continued his previous sentence, "The people from the other cities have all arrived and set up a gathering point below. Please be patient, everyone. Allow to go down and notify them."
This group of people had been notified right after Su Chen and Hong Xuan faced the Great Exalt's spirituality, so they had departed rather early. As for the group transporting the eerie divine power, they were still on their way.
"Alright," Qing Cang replied. During the journey, it was unknown what he and Chong Jingtian had discussed, but the two seed to have reached so sort of agreent.
Chong Jingtian led Zhou Yanwu, Xia Hanshi, and the others off the spaceship first.
Su Chen remained leaning against the porthole. As their altitude continuously dropped, he finally caught faint glimpses of so structures and the spaceships docked all around.
It looked like a temporarily constructed settlent. The base material was White Crystal, which possessed a certain repelling effect against the Nether Mist, thus making the area a bit clearer.
These settlents encircled a core area, which consisted of a crimson tallic surface that glead with a dull luster akin to solidified lava. Most of its surface was covered in a grayish-white calcified gri.
Only the central area exposed a giant tallic door. However, its color was grayish-black. A layer of energy mbrane coated its surface, faintly circulating with all sorts of peculiar symbols. It looked completely out of place with its surroundings.
He had heard Xia Hanshi ntion that this was the joint blockade established by the four cities. The materials used had been brought out from the ruins and were fundantally in the shape seen before them; they had rely overlaid it upon the door, each applying their own thods.
And to enter from anywhere else was practically impossible.
That seemingly inconspicuous crimson tal was far more resilient than the grayish-black giant door.
"So this is the ruin..." Su Chen muttered, unable to hide his disappointnt. He had assud it would be sothing extraordinary, but it turned out to just look like a subterranean cavern.
It wasn't just him; Wan Chen and the others, including Qing Cang, also looked sowhat let down.
As the ground drew ever closer, nurous heads could be seen popping out. Chong Jingtian and the others had already landed on the ground and were seeking out their respective leaders to explain the general situation.
Without a second thought, Su Chen knew that the crowd below would inevitably be struck with shock.
anwhile, Qing Cang swept his gaze downward and said, "Wait here for a mont."
Without waiting for everyone's response, he hurried away.
'Where is he going...?'
Su Chen couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. Standing to the side with Wan Chen's trio, they had nothing to say to each other and simply waited in silence.
Qing Cang returned to his room, quickly set things up, and summoned the miniature bronze figure from within his body. Bowing respectfully, he said, "Master, we have arrived at the ruin left behind by Martial Uncle."
"Mhm." The miniature bronze figure nodded. A radiance flickered in its pupils as streams of data faintly surfaced. Glancing down, its gaze seed to pierce through layers of obstacles.
"So it is Junior Brother's Crimson Lightning Cauldron..." the miniature bronze figure sighed.
'It's actually the Crimson Lightning Cauldron?' Qing Cang was mildly startled inwardly. He then listened as his master continued, "Back when I was seeking an opportunity for advancent, your Junior Martial Uncle clashed head-on with an eerie deity, his fate unknown."
"To return to his ho planet, he must have been seeking sothing. What a pity that the Crimson Lightning Cauldron is severely damaged. Its energy has been depleted, leaving only its basic operations running."
"I see..." Qing Cang suddenly understood. "No wonder Chong Jingtian ntioned that they weren't particularly powerful back then, yet they were able to enter this ruin and even bring out half a stone slab."
After a slight hesitation, Qing Cang spoke up again, "Master, I have conducted an initial evaluation of that Su Chen. His character is resolute and steady, and he is exceptionally sharp. He hasn't forgotten the grace of his holand's cultivation. Barring any unexpected circumstances, I plan to take him in as a disciple once this is over."
Ordinarily, there would be no need to report such a matter. However, since the opportunity presented itself, he naturally wanted to boost Su Chen's presence. If his master rembered Su Chen, there would be plenty of benefits in the future.
"Mhm." The miniature bronze figure nodded, not paying it much mind. Suddenly, its pupils flared with intense light, a massive torrent of data surging within them. It let out a sound of surprise. "Oh? Junior Brother actually left behind a wisp of ntal fragnt. Wait here."
"ntal fragnt?" Qing Cang froze. Before he could process what was happening, he saw the miniature bronze figure transform into a streak of light, piercing through the layers of obstruction and vanishing from sight.
He hurriedly exited the room and returned to the cabin, asking Su Chen and the others if they had noticed anything unusual just now.
"We didn't notice anything," they all shook their heads, completely baffled.
Qing Cang furrowed his brows slightly, gazing at the crimson tallic ground below. The spaceship beneath their feet vibrated faintly; it had already landed on one side of the gathering point.
The hatch opened. A large crowd had already gathered at the entrance, led by Chong Jingtian. These were all the individuals in charge of the four cities stationed here.
They ca in all shapes and sizes. None of them were foolishly reckless enough to step forward and probe him. Instead, the gazes they directed at Qing Cang were faintly laced with awe and reverence.
"Your Excellency, we have already discussed the matter and are ready to open the ruin at any ti," Chong Jingtian was the first to speak. He then added, "However, this ruin has its own internal detection chanism. Individuals who are too old, possess a class rank that is too high, or have an aptitude that is too low are unable to enter."
'This must be the basic operational rule left behind by the Crimson Lightning Cauldron.'
Qing Cang speculated that his Martial Uncle, returning to his ho planet on the brink of death, must have wanted to select the next person capable of inheriting the mantle of the Crimson Fla Resounding Lightning Great Exalt.
Unfortunately, the Nether Mist rolled in and isolated everything. The Crimson Lightning Cauldron was also nearly destroyed, leaving only its rudintary functions intact.
If it were an intact Crimson Lightning Cauldron, there would be nothing he could do against it either.
But in its current state, he could attempt to breach the restrictions, though he feared it would take so ti.
Furthermore, his master had already entered it. Qing Cang pondered for a mont before saying, "In that case, prepare to open it."
Chong Jingtian nodded. He imdiately led his people toward the tallic gateway. The leaders of the four cities lined up in the four cardinal directions, simultaneously raising the prismatic keys in their hands.
As energy was poured into them, the tips of the keys erupted with four-colored pillars of light. They converged at the do to form a massive energy crystal cluster, which then projected straight down onto the giant door.
The energy mbrane covering the grayish-black tallic door began to undulate violently, shrinking and rolling back like evaporating rcury.
With the mbrane peeled away, the true form of the door was revealed. Embedded in the center of the giant grayish-black tallic door was a lock core that required the simultaneous activation of all four energy streams.
The four keys streaked across the air as beams of light and sank into the lock. Accompanied by the tremor of the earth, the grayish-black giant door, weighing thousands of tons, slowly began to rise.
At the sa ti, crimson fire spilled from the crack in the door, instantly causing the temperature of the area to spike. Accompanied by the intense surging of lightning arcs, it sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Sin Fire and Punishnt Lightning!" Qing Cang's eyelids twitched. Staring at the crimson fire spewing from the entrance, he couldn't help but feel a slight palpitation in his heart.
"It's this barrier," Chong Jingtian said, landing by his side with lingering fear. "After we ca out the first ti, the entrance turned into this. It was only after losing many lives that we figured out there were requirents to enter."
"This is a Morning Star Artifact, the Crimson Lightning Cauldron. When you brought out that half a stone slab, you triggered its lockdown chanism," Qing Cang sighed.
This thing had exceeded his expectations; it wouldn't be so easily resolved.
More importantly, this place was covered in Nether Mist. He couldn't guarantee that his Mist Cloak wouldn't be breached during the process, and he certainly didn't want to get tangled up in it. Given his class rank, it would take a massive amount of effort to purge it once he returned.
'A Morning Star Artifact?'
Su Chen's heart stirred. Noticing the increasingly blazing light in the eyes of Wan Chen and the other two, he couldn't help but guess if it referred to a weapon used by those at the Morning Star rank.
"Master Qing, why don't the few of us take the stone slab and go in first? Once the spirituality is unified, this lockdown chanism should be lifted, right?" Wan Chen asked, sensing Qing Cang's dilemma.
"It's extrely dangerous inside." Chong Jingtian had also been speculating about what a Morning Star Artifact was. Hearing this, he warned, "We've sent many people in consecutively, but very few have managed to make it out."
At this, he glanced at Xia Hanshi standing behind him and added, "Furthermore, so people seem to be trapped in a peculiar area. Not only are they immobilized, but they also appear to be in a state suspended between life and death."
"A Banishnt Zone..." Qing Cang understood. "This ruin lacks energy, so the screening chanism is jamd. Those who are eliminated can't leave, leaving them no choice but to be trapped inside."
"Can they be saved?" Chong Jingtian couldn't help but ask.
"It's troubleso." Qing Cang shook his head. "That Banishnt Zone was originally an area of temporal and spatial stagnation. According to normal procedure, eliminated candidates wouldn't stay in there for more than a day. But right now, your people have probably been trapped inside for several years, if not longer."
"If you simply fish them out, the space-ti distortion will reduce them to ashes."
Hearing his words, Chong Jingtian's expression changed slightly.
Su Chen couldn't help but glance at Old Xia. He saw that the older man's expression had turned gloomy, his withered hands clenched into tight fists.
'What is Master doing?' Looking at the ruin, which temporarily exhibited no other reaction, Qing Cang also felt a pang of confusion in his heart.
"Then..." Wan Chen's expression turned hesitant. Since it was so dangerous inside, he no longer wanted to enter either. He hadn't co here to risk his life.
Lan Hao glanced at the sky and said in a deep voice, "It's better not to take the risk. Let's play it safe before we go in."
"Mhm." Qing Cang nodded. After so thought, he said, "Let's set up camp here temporarily. I'll first see how I can crack this Sin Fire and Punishnt Lightning."
He also needed to wait for his master to erge.
With Qing Cang making the decision, naturally, no one voiced any objections. There was a ready-made camp all around, and Wan Chen's group could simply return to the spaceship to rest, so it wasn't an issue.
Su Chen had even fewer objections. He still had to wait for the eerie divine power to arrive.
After giving his instructions, Qing Cang arrived at the entrance to the ruin. Seeing the spewing crimson fire and the shooting arcs of lightning, his cheek twitched slightly. Wisps of pale cyan light attached to the surface of his body, condensing into a thick suit of heavy armor.
He walked straight in just like that, gradually being swallowed by the crimson fire, leaving Chong Jingtian and the others staring at each other in dismay.
They still rembered their second expedition into this ruin. The people from Yuandu had refused to heed the warnings, and a Tier 6 Class Holder who specialized in body enhancent had marched right in.
As a result, before he had even gotten half his body inside, he was burned into a dried husk right before their very eyes. Ever since then, no one dared to approach the entrance recklessly.
It wasn't long before Qing Cang charged back out, coughing up black smoke, his expression incredibly dark.
Su Chen's expression turned peculiar. Such a disheveled appearance really didn't suit Qing Cang's usual temperant.
"This is truly—" Qing Cang gritted his teeth. He wanted to curse out loud but didn't dare, fully aware that his master was still inside.
The Mist Cloak on his body restricted him far too much, making it impossible to unleash his abilities with reckless abandon.
His primary concern upon entering was ensuring the Mist Cloak wasn't destroyed.
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