The matter was handled swiftly. On the other end of the Stargate, the Starport Manager didn't dare utter a single word of complaint, imdiately opening the portal for Qing Cang.
There were two Stargates positioned outside Canglan Planet. One connected to a distant transit hub, catering to the massive spaceships that transported mineral resources. A queue of vessels lined up there year-round.
The other led directly to the core of the Sect. It was entirely devoid of traffic, allowing Su Chen's dilapidated grey-black spaceship to sway gently as it plunged inside.
Within the bizarre and motley Warp Navigation Channel, Qing Cang stood before the porthole with a vacant gaze. "Do you think Qin Yun actually knows what happened in the Lost Starfire?" he suddenly asked. "Are the deaths of those five Morning Star Tier powerhouses related to him?"
'Ask ?'
Su Chen glanced around. They were the only two people in the cramped cabin. After a brief mont of hesitation, he shook his head. "Aside from Venerable Qin Yun himself, and perhaps the Prison-Suppressing King who might not even wake up, I doubt anyone knows the truth."
"Indeed... no one knows," Qing Cang let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Then what kind of outco do you think would satisfy the other Factions?"
Su Chen fell silent for a long ti upon hearing this. "They probably won't be satisfied no matter what," he replied helplessly. "Even if the truth is that Venerable Qin Yun knows absolutely nothing and had nothing to do with the deaths of those Morning Star Tiers, the other Factions will never accept that answer."
"Exactly..." A hint of surprise flashed through Qing Cang's eyes as he nodded approvingly. "You are completely right. Five Morning Star Tiers died. They probably haven't even figured out what kind of explanation they want for themselves yet."
He spoke with deep resignation. "The Ancient King cannot easily leave the Starfire. If the other Factions and the Royal Court push too aggressively, I fear this situation will only escalate..."
Among the Five Great Sects, one or two maintained good relations with the Bronze Sect, but there were also one or two that were on poor terms with them. Not to ntion, the Royal Court was watching them closely.
Hearing this, Su Chen asked cautiously, "Within a certain range, the Ancient King can still protect the Sect, right?"
Qing Cang sighed softly. "Yes, he can offer protection, but the range is far too small. The mbers of our Sect can't just stay hidden in the core forever."
If a conflict truly broke out, the Bronze Sect would be at a massive disadvantage.
At the ntion of this topic, Su Chen couldn't help his curiosity. "What exactly happened to our Sect's Starfire?" he asked.
It wasn't as if he hadn't asked around within the Sect, but even the usually well-inford Jiang Mufeng couldn't explain it clearly.
Hesitation appeared on Qing Cang's face. After pondering for quite a while, he finally revealed, "It was caused by the Ancient King exploring the possibility of Professional Advancent."
'Professional Advancent?' Su Chen's heart skipped a beat. This was a term he had never heard before, and he imdiately pressed for details.
Qing Cang explained, "You already know the unique nature of a Morning Star Tier profession. However, it doesn't just spawn out of thin air. Its fundantal essence is still a 9th-Tier profession. It can only be born on a sufficiently powerful Life Star, combined with the right opportunities."
"The Bright Moon Tier goes without saying. For the Ancient Kings, the odds of discovering a Blazing Sun Tier Spiritual Essence, being Chosen by it, and successfully taking on the profession are practically nonexistent. They have no choice but to seek answers within themselves, searching for a path to elevate their professions to the Blazing Sun Tier..."
"The Royal Court's obsession with Fire rging stems from the exact sa reason."
"So that's how it is," Su Chen muttered thoughtfully. Qing Cang continued, "Because of this, the Ancient King delved deep into the Nether Realm to find an opportunity for advancent. That was what caused the Starfire to be entangled by the Mist Embers."
"Mist Embers?" Su Chen visibly startled at the sudden ntion of those words. That was the exact substance he had just gotten his hands on. "What exactly are these Mist Embers?" he asked urgently.
Qing Cang didn't keep him in suspense. "Mist Embers are a special thod used by the Evil Gods to trigger Falling Fire and Spirit Fall.
"A vigorous Starfire not only repels the Nether Mist but also carves out a sanctuary within the Nether Realm. If they can force a Starfire to fall into the Nether Realm, it brings massive benefits to the Evil Gods."
"As for Spirit Fall, it is exactly what I ntioned before—corrupting a Morning Star Tier Spiritual Essence into an Evil God."
"Falling Fire... Spirit Fall..." Su Chen murmured under his breath. The real universe required Starfire to isolate the Nether Mist just to maintain enough space for survival.
anwhile, the Evil Gods relied on Falling Fire and Spirit Fall to grow stronger. This was a fundantal, irreconcilable contradiction, much like the concept of Profession Uniqueness.
"So, our Sect's Starfire has been entangled by Mist Embers?" Su Chen verified once more.
"Yes," Qing Cang nodded, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Mist Embers are ford from the condensation of Evil God Power and Nether Mist. Whether for Falling Fire or Spirit Fall, they are a crucial catalyst. Their Erosion factor is far greater than standard Evil God Power. Once entangled, it clings like a disease that has penetrated the bone."
"That troubleso..." Su Chen thought about the Mist Embers currently in his possession. No wonder they had to be purified before use; the Great Exalted truly knew what he was doing.
"Is there really no solution to these Mist Embers?" he asked, subtly trying to fish for information on how to purify them.
Qing Cang hesitated before shaking his head. "The purpose of Mist Embers isn't to kill or destroy, but to corrupt the target. Depending on what they latch onto, their manifestation varies. The most terrifying characteristic is that they fuse entirely with their target. To erase the Mist Embers is to erase the Starfire itself..."
He let out a heavy sigh. "The fact that the Starfire has been maintained until now is only because the Ancient King has exhausted every ounce of his strength."
At this point, he cast a glance at Su Chen. Mist Embers shared a common trait with Evil God Power—as long as one could withstand the Erosion, it posed no threat.
Su Chen could forcibly resist the Erosion of Evil God Power... Perhaps... Qing Cang hesitated inwardly before secretly shaking his head. The Ancient King hadn't attempted it to this day, aning that path was likely unfeasible.
As for Qin Yun, a cold glint flashed in Qing Cang's eyes. He would absolutely not allow that man to hold the entire Sect hostage.
"Such a hassle..." Su Chen muttered, completely oblivious to Qing Cang's subtle shift in expression. He sank into deep thought. 'Then how am I supposed to purify the ones in my hands?'
At the Sect's core starport, the multiple Stargates surrounding the area had completely ceased operations. Not a single spaceship erged.
The starport itself had been cleared out, yet quite a few people were still present to welco the two Venerables.
Few possessed the qualifications to stand there. Most were high-ranking echelons of the Sect, such as official Hall Masters and the like.
——
Qin Tianlin, Chu Lingyuan, and the two Star Seeds, including Shen Yi'an, were all present. They roughly divided into two camps, though the boundary between them wasn't sharply drawn.
"Su Chen isn't here. Didn't you notify him?" Shen Yi'an had been waiting for quite a while without catching a glimpse of Su Chen, prompting him to ask Wei Zhenghong.
Wei Zhenghong shook his head. "He's not at the core. I think he went to so place called Canglan Planet."
"He left?" Shen Yi'an furrowed his brows slightly. "By himself, at a ti like this?"
Wei Zhenghong pondered for a mont. "A few friends from his Ho Planet arrived and were placed into the Patrol Squad by Chu Ran. Today is their first day on duty, so he probably went to show his support."
"Besides, Canglan Planet is very close. It shouldn't be a big deal."
"Canglan Planet..."
Standing not far away, Qin Tianlin remained expressionless, but his heart stirred. Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an hadn't bothered to lower their voices, so he heard their conversation loud and clear.
He recalled that Fan Zhao had also inexplicably requested to visit Canglan Planet a few days ago, and he still hadn't been able to contact him.
Was it just a coincidence? Qin Tianlin didn't have much of an impression of this planet, only vaguely knowing it as a resource trading hub.
As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a streamlined spaceship slowly drifted out from the portal.
Its red-gold hull shimred with a warm, glossy luster under the starlight. The rear engines humd softly, spewing pale blue flas as it rged into the starport's orbit. With a gentle jolt, it locked securely into the docking bay.
Everyone's expressions tightened as they reined in their emotions. Qin Tianlin stared intently at the cabin door.
Whir—
Accompanied by a chanical hum, the cabin door slowly slid to the side, and Chu Lingyuan strode out confidently.
The crowd's gaze imdiately shifted to the figure stepping out right behind him—it was Qin Yun. His footsteps were light and steady. His limbs were intact, his body showed no visible injuries, and his complexion was remarkably ruddy.
Seeing Qin Yun, the people gathered near Qin Tianlin all let out long sighs of relief, their anxious hearts finally settling.
Wei Zhenghong couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointnt, but he still stepped forward to greet them. "Honored Master. Venerable Qin Yun."
"Venerable Chu Lingyuan. Venerable Qin Yun."
The others hastily followed suit, offering their respects.
After bowing, Qin Tianlin hurried over, unable to hold back his emotion. "Grandfather," he called out.
"Tianlin..." Qin Yun nodded, warmly patting Qin Tianlin's back. Beside him, another middle-aged man stepped forward with a fawning expression, greeting, "Father."
This was none other than Qin Tianlin's father and one of Qin Yun's sons, Qin Guang.
His innate talent was poor, and he wallowed in mindless indulgence. To this day, he was rely a Tier 7 Professional. If he hadn't sired Qin Tianlin, he would have never been worthy of Qin Yun's attention for the rest of his life.
"You..." Qin Tianlin had so many questions he wanted to ask and so many grievances he wanted to pour out, but when the words reached the tip of his tongue, he found himself unable to voice them.
Qin Yun smiled faintly. Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, he announced in a clear voice, "Thank you all for your concern. I am completely unhard."
It was both a response and a declaration.
Many mbers of the Qin Family faction let out profound sighs of relief. Regardless of where this situation led, for now, at least, Qin Yun was alive and still at the peak of his power. That was more than enough.
Chu Lingyuan's expression remained entirely wooden.
After scanning the crowd, Qin Yun suddenly frowned. "Where is Fan Zhao?" he asked.
Everyone who should be here was present, but Fan Zhao was nowhere to be seen. Given the circumstances, he shouldn't have been absent.
This... Qin Tianlin hesitated, just about to answer. However, his father beside him suddenly exclaid, "Why is another spaceship coming out?"
Everyone instinctively turned their heads, only to see a dilapidated grey-black spaceship. Its surface was marred by mottled patchwork, and it wobbled unsteadily as it erged from the other Stargate.
Qin Guang snorted coldly and snapped, "Weren't the orders given? No spaceships are allowed in or out of the Stargates during this period! How could they make a mistake on sothing this important?"
This Qin Guang... The crowd silently shook their heads in disdain. Their eyes followed the moving spaceship, wondering which unlucky soul had the misfortune of running into Qin Yun's return right when his faction was eager to re-establish their dominance.
Though the spaceship was worn and battered, it was still a vessel capable of traversing the Warp Navigation Channel. Its materials were extraordinary, aning ordinary people couldn't simply peer through its hull.
Clang—
The spaceship docked at the port. As the cabin door creaked open, several mbers of the Qin Family had already marched forward, looking perfectly prepared to interrogate the arrivals.
But when the door fully opened, revealing the figure standing inside, their arrogance vanished. "Qing... Qing Shi!"
The Qin Family mbers standing before the hatch turned deathly pale in horror and scrambled backward.
"Junior Apprentice Brother?" Chu Lingyuan was rather surprised. "Why are you returning from the outside?"
Standing at the threshold of the cabin, Qing Cang spoke flatly, "I took a trip to Canglan Planet. I made quite an unexpected discovery."
"Canglan Planet..." Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an exchanged a aningful glance.
Qin Tianlin's brow furrowed sharply, a sudden spike of anxiety hitting his chest.
Qin Yun remained silent, rely staring intently at his youngest junior brother.
Qing Cang didn't waste his breath. With a subtle manipulation of the wind, the side hatch of the grey-black spaceship slid wide open, and two tal Cages—one large, one small—floated out into the open.
In an instant, the expressions of nearly everyone present underwent a drastic change.
Qin Yun's face imdiately darkened. "Junior Apprentice Brother, what is the aning of this?"
Imprisoned within those two cages were none other than Fang Luoxun and Fan Zhao. Fang Luoxun was curled up in a corner, his gaze unfocused and vacant. Fan Zhao, however, beca wildly agitated the mont he spotted Qin Yun, thrashing desperately against his restraints.
"What aning?" Qing Cang's tone was glacial. "Fan Zhao colluded with a Divine Son of the Evil Gods in an attempt to assassinate a Star Seed! I caught him red-handed!"
"What?!" The crowd recoiled in collective shock upon hearing those words.
Colluding with a Divine Son? Assassinating a Star Seed?
Many gazes unconsciously darted toward Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an. Both of them were right here, which ant...
Wei Zhenghong's expression shifted slightly, while Shen Yi'an frowned deeply.
Qin Tianlin was struck dumb with shock. 'Martial Uncle Fan Zhao actually went after Su Chen?'
'No wonder he's been acting so secretive lately and paid absolutely no attention to the theft of the Spirit Fire.'
'That idiot!'
Qin Yun's gaze swept over Fan Zhao in the cage. Seeing the pathetic pleading in the man's eyes only fueled his surging fury.
'Colluding with the Evil Gods and getting caught in the act? Useless trash!'
He didn't bother demanding evidence or anything of the sort. If Qing Cang was parading them out in the open like this, he had absolutely secured ironclad proof.
Chu Lingyuan's expression shifted as he asked in a low voice, "What about Su Chen...?"
Qing Cang didn't answer imdiately. His face was exceptionally gloomy, causing the expressions of many onlookers to turn subtle. This was especially true for the Qin Family faction; seeing Qing Cang's unsightly complexion, a few with poorer emotional control couldn't even hide the glimr of excitent in their eyes.
Qin Tianlin also caught on at this mont, feeling a surge of joy in his heart. 'If Su Chen was truly killed, trading Fan Zhao's life for it would be entirely worth it!'
Qin Yun's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Perhaps... Fan Zhao wasn't so completely foolish after all.'
Wei Zhenghong looked incredibly distressed, his fists clenched tight. Whether out of personal friendship or objective logic, he absolutely did not want Qin Tianlin to take Su Chen's place.
Shen Yi'an's brow remained locked in a tight frown.
Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, the gloomy mask on Qing Cang's face suddenly lted into a light chuckle as he stepped aside.
Feeling completely speechless in his heart, Su Chen walked out, the protective cyan airflow swirling around his body gradually fading away.
'This Old Qing really knows how to play people like monkeys.'
"He's still alive!" Wei Zhenghong exclaid, his face lighting up with joy.
This... Qin Tianlin's emotions had just been strapped to a rollercoaster. Unable to control his facial expressions any longer, his face utterly plumted.
A muscle twitched in Qin Yun's cheek, but he forced his face back into a blank mask.
"Hahahaha!" Chu Lingyuan suddenly burst into uproarious laughter. "Junior Brother, oh, Junior Brother. You truly know how to keep people in suspense..."
Qing Cang's tone was deadpan. "I just wanted to see who among you was like Fan Zhao, desperately hoping for Su Chen to die."
Within the Qin Family faction, the individuals who had just failed to hide their glee instantly turned deathly pale. They were terrified that this Qing Shi would use this as a pretext to slap them with charges of colluding with the Evil God Cults.
The calamity of the Evil Gods, along with the accompanying Nether Mist, had plagued the entire Dust Star Sea for tens of thousands of years.
Due to the unique nature of the Evil Gods, frontal wars rarely occurred. Instead, it was always a battle of insidious Erosion, creating an exceptionally bizarre political landscape.
The Royal Court and the Five Great Sects all shared a policy of brutal suppression against the Evil Gods. Even so, incidents of people colluding with Evil God Cultists still happened from ti to ti, though the severity of the punishnts varied drastically.
Within the Bronze Sect, however, because of the ongoing crisis with their Starfire, their stance was undoubtedly the most draconian of all.
Qing Cang stared straight at Qin Yun, his voice icy and detached. "Since Venerable Qin Yun has returned, and Fan Zhao is a disciple under your tutelage, it is only fitting to ask: how should this person be dealt with?"
Dead silence fell over the surroundings. Countless pairs of eyes locked onto the scene. Qin Yun had just returned, and his faction had been dormant for too long. Coupled with the imnse external pressure they might face, he needed to project overwhelming strength no matter what.
Yet Qing Cang's maneuver was no different from a resounding slap across the face.
Qin Yun remained utterly expressionless. After a long, agonizing pause, he finally stated in a hard, rciless tone, "If the investigation proves this to be true, execute him without rcy."
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