"I see," the Boundless Buddha said thoughtfully, a smile surfacing on his face. "In that case, let the sacrifice commence once more. I, too, shall follow you into the Flame Fire..."
It was over. Inside the temporary command center, the crowd stared at the gradually crumbling tortoise shell and the vanished mothership of the Royal Court. It felt as if a lifetime had passed. The Royal Court had arrived with overwhelming menace, only to end up fleeing in a wretched state.
"Heaven bless our Sect." Lanhai slowly exhaled, seemingly somewhat relieved. Yet, his heart could not help but tighten. Previously, he had traded the coordinates of Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator to the Royal Court for certain things.
Qing Cang hadn’t discovered anything at the time. What made Lanhai worry about this matter again was that it vaguely involved Su Chen...
Right at that moment, the cabin doors of the command center opened. It was Qing Cang, Su Chen, and the Chairmen returning.
Countless gazes converged on Su Chen, interwoven with a myriad of emotions—excitement, awe, curiosity, and sheer disbelief.
"Prepare to wrap things up," Qing Cang ordered, but a sudden, alarmed shout interrupted him.
"Brother Ku!" Lin Langtian’s voice was urgent.
Everyone turned to look and saw Ku Baiye swaying unsteadily, his figure withered and gaunt.
Qing Cang’s expression changed slightly. He hurried over and couldn’t help but say, "At your age, why try to be a hero?"
Supported by He Chengying, Ku Baiye’s breath was already as faint as a gossamer thread. "It matters not. Even without this ordeal, my life force would have been depleted within half a year anyway."
He was truly too old, already at the end of his lifespan. Tangling with Qin Yun earlier had forced him to stimulate the last vestiges of his body’s potential. Now that his mind had relaxed, he had entered his final moments.
"However, to see the Flame Fire revive makes it all worth it. Not to mention..." His murky gaze landed on Su Chen.
Su Chen was just about to squeeze his way forward when Ku Baiye shook his head and said, "I do not like bustling crowds, nor do I care for sentimentality. After I die, just scatter my ashes near the Copper Heart."
The crowd fell silent. No one spoke as they felt Ku Baiye’s aura gradually weaken until it completely extinguished. Su Chen inevitably felt a touch of sorrow as well.
"This is a joyous passing. Do as he said." Qing Cang patted Su Chen’s shoulder, and the crowd gradually began to move.
After issuing a few commands, Qing Cang led Su Chen into a lounge.
Qing Cang’s injuries had recovered somewhat, bringing a good deal of color back to his face. The look in his eyes when he gazed at Su Chen was unavoidably complex. To take a direct hit from Qin Yun head-on...
He had many questions he wanted to ask, but when the words reached his lips, he merely said, "After you entered the Fog Ashes, I saw it boiling ceaselessly until it surprisingly transformed into the manifestation of Black Tuo. Did you suffer any ill effects inside?"
With Black Tuo descending upon his body, he could continue to exploit it. Su Chen’s thoughts spun before he shook his head and replied, "I wasn’t affected at all. It was just like normal."
"Is that so?" Qing Cang couldn’t quite figure out the situation either. He had never dared to enter the core Fog Ashes to test it himself. But since the matter was already over, he didn’t dwell on it.
Su Chen, meanwhile, lowered his voice. "Senior Brother, can you give Qin Yun’s corpse to me?"
He had wanted it the moment Qin Yun died, but since Lin Langtian and the others were still present at the time, it hadn’t been convenient to ask.
"Her corpse?" Qing Cang’s eyes narrowed slightly. He subconsciously wanted to ask what Su Chen needed a corpse for, but the scene of Su Chen blocking Qin Yun’s attack flashed through his mind. He pondered for a moment before saying, "I’ll have someone deliver it to you. Try not to let others find out."
"Will do." Su Chen nodded, unable to resist rubbing his palms together. He had finally gotten his hands on Qin Yun’s corpse. By refining it into Morning Star Residue, he could once again strengthen his Permanent Body. He had been planning this for quite a while.
However, in terms of materials, he was still short five drops of Divine Blood. He let out a chuckle and said, "Senior Brother, how about a little more Divine Blood?"
"How much?" Qing Cang looked over.
"Ten... maybe twenty drops?" Su Chen probed. Seeing Qing Cang’s eyes widen in a glare, he was just about to dial it back when he heard Qing Cang nod.
"I’ll transfer them to you shortly."
Tsk. Old Qing had never been this accommodating before. Even if he agreed, he would usually ask all sorts of questions.
"Hmm... how about some Faith Essences too?" Su Chen probed further. To fulfill the requirements for his profession’s deduction, the more of that stuff he had, the better.
"Faith Essences?" Qing Cang frowned.
"I don’t need much. Twenty portions?" Su Chen grinned. Seeing Qing Cang staring at him expressionlessly, he added sheepishly, "Ten... ten portions will do."
Qing Cang explained helplessly, "The Sect doesn’t have much of this item in stock, and we still need to consume it to contact Master. I’ll transfer ten portions to you first."
With the issues surrounding the Flame Fire, they had no way to continuously explore and expand into the Nether Realm to search for the Little Deceitful God.
"Deal." Naturally, Su Chen had no objections. He was already getting a bit impatient; Qin Yun’s corpse and the Fog Source in his hands were both waiting for him to process them.
After bidding farewell to Qing Cang, Su Chen turned and left.
Watching Su Chen’s retreating back, Qing Cang’s eyes flickered. "Chu Lingyuan must be very anxious right now. I wonder how he’ll react once he finds out. And those other Sects, did they really think my Bronze Sect wouldn’t pull through? Heh... Haha... Hahaha..."
The corners of Qing Cang’s mouth suddenly split open, the curve growing increasingly exaggerated. It seemed as if he were roaring with laughter, yet not a single sound escaped his lips...
CLICK.
The door suddenly opened. Su Chen popped his head back in, looking at Qing Cang, whose mouth was wide open and whose expression had completely frozen. He hesitated before saying, "Senior Brother, I still need quite a few... well, probably a massive amount of metallic materials."
Charging the Celestial Mark required a vast quantity of metallic materials.
Qing Cang’s cheek twitched. He slowly snapped his gaping mouth shut and ground out through clenched teeth, "Get lost!"
"Will do."