Wan Chen's eyes were cold as he stepped forward. He did this not only because Hu Qi had intended to kill him along with the others, but also to sell Su Chen a favor and get into the Ancient King's good graces.
Otherwise, with Xia Jie and the others too intimidated by Hu Qi's authority to speak up, no one would dare question the Ancient King if he made an arbitrary decision, but it would inevitably spark unsavory rumors.
With them acting as witnesses, Wu Feng passing judgnt, and the Ancient King executing the sentence, it was the most ironclad approach.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Lan Hao and inwardly shake his head. 'What an idiot,' he thought. 'Missing the beat by half a second just cost him an opportunity he won't be able to make up for in this lifeti.'
Everyone harbored their own thoughts. Just as Qing Cang was about to speak, the Ancient King's booming voice echoed out. Looking up into the distance, he demanded, "Are the people of the Royal Court still planning to make a move?"
'The Royal Court?'
Qing Cang's expression shifted slightly. He abruptly looked into the distance to see two figures who had appeared at so unknown ti. His face darkened. "Prison-Suppressing King!"
Lin Langtian's expression turned solemn as he shouted sternly, "Is the Royal Court trying to break the rules? The Great Exalt of Crimson Flas and Echoing Thunder has already chosen his successor, aning he belongs to our Bronze Faction. The struggle for succession has long since ended!"
'Prison-Suppressing King?'
Seeing everyone on high alert, Su Chen followed their gaze and spotted a refined, mild-mannered middle-aged man. However, Su Chen didn't dare to underestimate him in the slightest.
Within the Royal Court, anyone holding the title of a King was undoubtedly a Morning Star tier powerhouse.
'Good heavens...' Su Chen was secretly astonished. 'The Royal Court actually mobilized a Morning Star tier.'
"You misunderstand. We were rely passing by and ca to pay our respects after sensing the Ancient King's presence."
"The Ancient King truly lives up to his na; his rewards and punishnts are incredibly clear-cut." The Prison-Suppressing King wore a polite smile and bowed slightly. "Since we have paid our respects to the Ancient King, we will take our leave."
He spoke cleanly and decisively. The mont his words fell, he turned around and left with Ni Chuan.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Su Chen couldn't shake the feeling that the man had cast a final, lingering glance in his direction before departing.
'They left just like that?'
Su Chen was quite surprised, but as he glanced at the phantom of the Ancient King looming overhead, realization dawned on him.
Causing such a massive commotion was likely a calculated move to intimidate any potential enemies lurking in the shadows.
'Thankfully, the Ancient King was thorough in his considerations...' Su Chen thought to himself, realizing that he had vastly underestimated the significance of a Morning Star tier's spirituality.
All these major factions were mobilizing solely for this spirituality; he himself was nothing more than an added bonus.
As the figures of the Prison-Suppressing King and Ni Chuan vanished into the distance, the majestic phantom of the Ancient Bronze King also shattered into streams of light, gradually fading into nothingness.
Qing Cang breathed a sigh of relief. By now, the worst of the crisis should have passed.
Although his master's power had been completely expended, no one would be foolish enough to gamble on whether it was truly his final strike.
The Prison-Suppressing King wouldn't be willing to pay an exorbitant price just to test the waters either. Barring any unexpected developnts, they were finally safe.
"Your Excellency Su Chen..." Xia Jie bit the bullet and spoke up, his voice low. "Just now..."
"It's nothing." Su Chen shook his head, his tone mild. "Commander Xia, there is no need to take it to heart. It is completely understandable."
He could naturally understand their hesitation. However, understanding their choices didn't an he wouldn't distance himself from them.
"That's good, then." Xia Jie smiled bitterly. He opened his mouth to say more but ultimately swallowed his words. In the grand sche of the massive faction, he was a nobody anyway.
Lan Hao's expression was hesitant, a faint trace of regret flashing through his eyes. Given the current situation, however, it wasn't appropriate for him to say anything either.
He couldn't exactly say, "Sorry, I wasn't fast enough to speak up in ti."
That would sound rather bizarre. Xia Jie had an excuse to explain himself because Hu Qi had called him out by na.
'Father told not to get too close, and that rely smoothing over our relationship would be enough.'
In the end, he could only console himself with this thought.
"Let's head back first."
Lin Langtian swept his gaze over the group, taking in their varying expressions before issuing the order. He swept them up in his power and led them back toward the Bronze Faction's garrison at the Taiyue Hub.
Along the way, countless hidden gazes secretly sized them up.
"What's the situation with Hu Qi?"
Halfway through their journey, Su Chen transmitted a ntal fluctuation, taking the initiative to ask Wan Chen.
"Hmm..." Wan Chen pondered. He completely understood what Su Chen was getting at. After briefly organizing his thoughts, he replied,
"He is the eldest disciple of Venerable Qin Yun."
'Qin Yun...' Su Chen's gaze instantly grew profound. The Bronze Faction was extrely complex and sprawling, but he was aware of its most formidable figures.
This Qin Yun was one of the faction's two Morning Star tier powerhouses.
Simultaneously, he was a student of the Ancient Bronze King, making him soone Su Chen technically had to address as Senior Brother.
Blessed with the Twin Star Amber talent, he had been chosen by the Great Exalt of Fierce Gold and Severed Peaks during his initial selection. From there, he advanced by leaps and bounds until he ignited his Morning Fire and ascended to the Morning Star tier. He was the very definition of a favored child of heaven.
"Over the years, his family has branched out considerably. The talents of his descendants have mostly been rather ordinary, but he has one direct grandson who currently possesses a physical-type Divine Radiance talent, nad Qin Tianlin."
"However, there haven't been any vacant spiritualities in recent years, nor have any new ones been born, so..."
Wan Chen left the rest unsaid, but Su Chen already understood. The man had set his sights on the Great Exalt of Crimson Flas and Echoing Thunder.
The enemy had already revealed themselves. If Hu Qi dared to make a move, the mastermind behind the scenes was undoubtedly Venerable Qin Yun.
'No wonder the Ancient King acted so decisively. If he hadn't used such thunderous thods to intimidate them and firmly state his stance, that person would likely have pushed for a mile after taking an inch.' Su Chen's expression flickered with uncertainty.
He wasn't so naive as to think that the Ancient Bronze King would actually do anything to Venerable Qin Yun over this.
After all, the other party was one of the only two Morning Star tiers in the Bronze Faction, and also his disciple—soone who had accompanied him for perhaps hundreds of years.
In the eyes of outsiders, the highest predictable achievent Su Chen could reach was rely the Morning Star tier, and even that wasn't guaranteed.
To expect one of the core pillars of the faction to be punished solely for this incident was a pipe dream, and Su Chen knew it.
The fact that the Ancient Bronze King had killed Hu Qi on the spot to serve as a warning to Qin Yun was already an excellent outco.
"With Hu Qi dead, that Venerable should reel himself in for a while," Wan Chen added.
Su Chen nodded, finally finding a mont to express his gratitude. "Thank you for testifying on my behalf earlier."
"That Hu Qi wanted to kill too, so testifying was only natural." Wan Chen waved his hand dismissively. "Don't ntion it."
Su Chen felt a subtle sense of amusent in his heart, wondering just how badly his training projection had beaten this guy up.
Soon enough, the group arrived at the Taiyue Hub.
The Bronze Faction had its own garrison here—a massive complex of buildings dedicated to purchasing external supplies and serving as a temporary residence.
The guardian of the Taiyue Hub was already waiting there, conversing with Qing Cang and the others.
Only after confirming that there wouldn't be any more battles did he breathe a sigh of relief. He smiled wryly. "In the future, if sothing similar happens, please give us so advance notice so we can make preparations."
'Preparations? Even we weren't prepared,' Lin Langtian grumbled inwardly.
Qing Cang, anwhile, rattled off the identification number of the teorite they had temporarily occupied, instructing the personnel at the Taiyue Hub to contact its owner so they could claim compensation from the Bronze Faction.
"We won't rest here for long. We set out imdiately to return to the faction."
After dealing with the trivial matters, Lin Langtian made the announcent.
Naturally, no one voiced any objections. After quickly gathering their things, they headed to the docking port and boarded a small spaceship to travel just outside the Taiyue Hub.
"It's an entire fleet?"
A short while later, Su Chen clicked his tongue in quiet amazent as he stared at the fleet suspended in the starry void. No wonder they had to take a small spaceship to get here.
A fleet of this size obviously couldn't dock within the ports of the Taiyue Hub.
Its scale wasn't particularly massive—it was rely a small fleet. The outer hulls of the warships weren't made of smooth tal plating; instead, they featured complex surfaces composed of countless interlocking gears, mortise and tenon joints, and etched runes.
Under the starlight, every intricate line shimred with a mysterious glow, intertwining shades of verdigris and dark gold.
The flagship was a colossal vessel shaped like a triangular obelisk, flanked on both sides by spindle-shaped escort ships covered in energy circuits resembling ancient oracle bone script.
Upon boarding the flagship, they found their quarters had already been arranged. The security detail on board was exceptionally high, primarily consisting of Tier 4 and Tier 5 professionals.
Lin Langtian looked around at Su Chen and the others. "You've all had a tough ti. There shouldn't be any more danger from here on out, so go get so rest."
"Yes, Seat Commander..." the crowd nodded in agreent, and Su Chen chid in with the sa title.
Lin Langtian hesitated before speaking, a trace of helplessness in his voice. "Little Martial Uncle, there is no need to address like that."
The gap in seniority was simply too vast. He was already used to calling Qing Cang 'Martial Uncle', and now an even younger one had suddenly appeared, making him feel thoroughly awkward.
"Oh, right..." Su Chen nodded, not daring to act arrogantly. Based on the life-bearing planets under its rule, the Bronze Faction was divided into seven stellar regions, and Lin Langtian was the Seat Commander of the 'Dubhe Seat'.
In terms of personal strength and the vast resources and forces he could mobilize within the Bronze Faction, he was second only to the two Morning Star tier powerhouses.
As the group dispersed, Su Chen made his way to his room, but he couldn't shake the faint sensation that soone was watching him.
'I think it's that guy, Wu Feng...' Su Chen abruptly turned his head, only to see the man staring straight ahead, conversing with Qing Cang and Lin Langtian.
'This guy...' he muttered inwardly. This Wu Feng was the Hall Master of the Bronze Faction's Punishnt Hall.
Earlier, when confronting Hu Qi, he hadn't hesitated for a second before ordering his imdiate execution. He seed to be the type of person who drew a strict line between reward and punishnt.
Still, given his current circumstances, Su Chen genuinely didn't dare to let his guard down.
anwhile, in a certain room aboard the fleet, just before the ship entered the star gate, a virtual projection slowly materialized. Clad in a pale gold robe, the figure's eyes reflected a deep sense of weariness and apathy.
"Venerable..." The figure already present in the room imdiately dropped to his knees, calling out with utmost reverence.
Qin Yun cast a fleeting glance at the figure on the floor and remarked coolly, "Hu Qi is certainly getting better at keeping in suspense. To think he wouldn't even co to claim his reward in person."
The kneeling man shuddered violently. With his straw-like hair falling limply framing his cheeks, he cautiously raised his head. "Venerable... Director Hu... he... he's dead..."
The projection in the room flickered and blurred for a mont. Qin Yun narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"
The man on the ground blurted out the words like rapid gunfire, "Director Hu fell into a trap! Qing Cang wasn't heavily injured at all—it was a setup! Su Chen was carrying the Ancient King's power. The Director was caught red-handed and executed on the spot!"
In an instant, the projection dissolved, and it did not reform for a very long ti.
"Executed on the spot..."
In another location, Qin Yun waved away the personal guards who had rushed in. The floor of his luxurious chamber was completely covered in a dense web of fine cracks.
His brows were furrowed tightly as he stared at the dazzling sun in the distance, murmuring, "The spoils were ant to stay within our own family anyway. Why couldn't it have been my Lin'er?"
"Su Chen..."
He simply couldn't understand. Did a Junior Brother who had been dead for years really command that much lingering affection and respect?
Or perhaps... Qin Yun seed to realize sothing, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Having survived the corruption of the Deceitful God's power, don't tell you're having the whimsical idea of letting him..."
His voice trailed off, his expression filled with uncertainty.
"Yue'er..."
Lin Langtian stepped out of his cabin and called out to stop Lin Yue just as she was about to leave. He brought her into his room and remained completely silent, scrutinizing her with a highly suspicious gaze.
"If you have sothing to say, just say it." Lin Yue shivered, feeling an unsettling underlying aning in her father's stare.
"Are you and that Su Chen..." Lin Langtian hesitated. "There's nothing going on between you two, right?"
"Su Chen?" Lin Yue froze for a mont before snapping in angry embarrassnt, "What are you even thinking about?"
"Then why were you in such a rush to testify for him?" Lin Langtian's tone carried a hint of warning. "That Su Chen is certainly a handso young man, but his identity is currently a bit sensitive. It would be best to keep your distance."
"Keep my distance..." Lin Yue let out a cold laugh. "No problem, Father. You were the one who said this, so whatever you do, don't forget it."
Lin Langtian found his daughter's attitude rather strange, but he couldn't be blad for his caution. The sheer amount of trouble entangling Su Chen
was bound to be astronomical. Rather than gambling on his future potential, it was better to play it safe.
Their Lin family hadn't reached the point where they needed to take such desperate gambles.
Shortly after, he asked, "The family ntioned that you were desperately trying to contact earlier. Was there so sort of ergency?"
Lin Yue spoke expressionlessly, her voice devoid of any ripples. "I just wanted to tell you that I discovered a secret. Su Chen is incredibly strong, and I cannot beat him in a fight."
"You... can't beat him?" Lin Langtian stiffened in shock. "How is that possible? Your talent far exceeds his, and your class synergies were ticulously handpicked. Assuming you're both at the sa tier, how could you possibly lose to him?"
"You—you didn't go easy on him, did you?" Lin Langtian suspected that his daughter was deliberately inflating Su Chen's capabilities.
"Heh..." Lin Yue sneered. "My beloved father, I almost forgot to tell you. Not only could I not beat him when I restricted myself to Tier 4, but even without suppressing my tier, I still couldn't win."
"What?!" Lin Langtian's expression drastically shifted. If she couldn't beat him at Tier 4, he could still suspect her of throwing the match.
But if she claid she couldn't win even with her full power unsuppressed, he completely ruled out that possibility.
Because it was simply too bizarre. No matter how foolish Lin Yue could be, she would never use such an outrageous lie to trick him. And that was precisely what made it so incredibly hard to believe.
Given Lin Yue's formidable foundation, if she couldn't win even with the advantage of a higher tier, then just what kind of monster was Su Chen...
"No wonder..." Lin Langtian's expression morphed continuously, a sudden look of dawning comprehension washing over him. "No wonder the Great Exalt of Crimson Flas and Echoing Thunder chose him. No wonder Qing Cang was willing to stick his neck out for him..."
"This Su Chen is far from simple. If he manages to make up for his glaring shortcoming in talent, his future..."
His mind raced as he recalled that Su Chen currently had no factional backing or foundation. His gaze imdiately shifted to Lin Yue's slender figure, only to find his daughter standing with her arms crossed, staring at him with a cold smirk. It was as if she had seen right through his thoughts.
Lin Langtian's face stiffened as he rembered the words he had just spoken re monts ago.
After bidding farewell to Ming Lin, Su Chen headed straight back to his quarters. After locking the door behind him, he spread his spiritual energy outward to inspect every nook and cranny of the room. Only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Lying flat on his back on the bed, his gaze grew unfocused, his pupils reflecting the ceiling as the chaotic events of the day replayed in his mind.
'The Great Exalt's spirituality draws far too much attention, and by extension, so do I. Thankfully, the Ancient King had left behind a contingency plan.'
'With the Ancient King's explicit warning, things should settle down considerably once we arrive at the Bronze Faction. At the very least, it shouldn't be as volatile as it is now.'
'Qin Yun, Qin Tianlin...' Su Chen's eyes flickered. 'These are the real massive headaches, and they are problems I cannot resolve in the short term.'
'For now, the only thing I can do is make it impossible for them to lay a hand on . And the only way to do that is to prove my own imnse value.'
His thoughts raced as he pondered his next steps. 'This situation is fundantally different from when I first arrived in Yingfeng. Back then, I had to lay low and hide myself carefully. Old Xia was rely one of the Inquisitors, and he couldn't necessarily protect . But now, I am a Star Seed. My status grants an inherent difference in standing.'
'A Star Seed is supposed to stand out from the masses. The more unreasonably powerful I am, the more reasonable it becos. Otherwise, on what grounds would I have been chosen?'
'Looks like it's ti to show off my hard work.' Su Chen summoned his interface, gazing at the long string of class nas displayed across the projection.
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