All five Morning Star rank experts have disappeared?
Upon hearing this news, everyone's expressions froze.
"What?!" Chu Ran was the first to break the silence. His face was filled with shock, his voice rising sharply. "Are you sure you aren't mistaken?"
People in the hall were gathered in small groups of twos and threes. Not everyone was qualified to approach this area.
Hearing Chu Ran's intense reaction, many stopped their conversations and cast curious glances their way.
'Disappeared?' Su Chen's heart was also quite shaken.
The Vast Sea Emperor's birthday banquet was one of the earliest major events he had encountered since arriving in the Dust Star Sea, and it was a massive affair involving the entire region.
After joining the sect, he had heard occasional whispers about it. Strictly speaking, he was somewhat connected to the matter, as Qin Yun was the representative sent by the Bronze Sect.
Her absence during his early days at the sect had coincidentally spared him a great deal of trouble.
After all, Qin Tianlin and his cronies would definitely behave very differently with Qin Yun around compared to when she was away.
At the very least, if Qin Yun had been present, Meng Shiyu's methods in investigating Ming Lin would never have been so gentle.
But he never expected such a massive and sudden twist to occur.
Those were five Morning Star rank expertsâprominent figures in the Dust Star Sea and the core pillars of their respective sects.
Normally, the death of even one would cause tremendous shockwaves, let alone all five vanishing at once.
Wei Zhenghong's expression was grave. "Let's go to the lounge."
Obviously, not everyone was qualified to hear the ensuing conversation.
The crowd in the hall could only watch them leave with surprised expressions, their minds swirling with speculation.
However, a few people standing nearby had unintentionally caught snippets of what Old Jiang had said.
Given the current situation, no one dared to speak up rashly. They simply stood rooted to the spot in a daze.
Su Chen followed Wei Zhenghong and the others into the lounge.
The guy Chu Ran called Old Jiang was actually named Jiang Mufeng. He ranked sixteenth on the Sacred Roll. His physical talent was at the Star Amber grade, while his spiritual talent was Profound Purple.
The reason he was known as a know-it-all was because his father was the Master of the Shadow Hall, the department exclusively in charge of the sect's external intelligence.
Once the door was shut, Jiang Mufeng finally spoke. "It's highly unlikely to be a mistake. The Royal Court locked down the capital yesterday, and not a single piece of news has come out of there since."
"My father consulted the other major sects and found that they couldn't contact their Morning Star experts either. When he reached out to the Royal Court, the other party hemmed and hawed for a long time before finally admitting that they had also lost contact."
"They lost contact too?" Wei Zhenghong furrowed his brow tightly. "Qin Yun and the others went straight to the Royal Court's capital. How could they lose contact?"
"I'm not sure." Jiang Mufeng shook his head helplessly. "The last time anyone had an informational transmission with Venerable Qin Yun was four days ago. No one knows exactly what happened in the meantime."
Although this group of people belonged to Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an's circle and were somewhat at odds with Qin Yun's faction.
She was still a Morning Star expert of their sect. If something terrible really happened to her, it was nothing to celebrate.
Even Wei Zhenghong had no hint of joy on his face, though it was hard to tell if he was faking it.
"The Royal Court didn't just kill them, did they?" Chu Ran suddenly asked.
"Unlikely." A man beside him shook his head. His name was Zhao Ming, a slightly older man with a calm demeanor. "The Royal Court aren't lunatics. Ambushing and killing five Morning Star experts out of nowhere would just force the five major sects to unite and wage war against them, wouldn't it?"
Su Chen's eyes flickered. He already had a general understanding of the Dust Star Sea's political landscape. The Royal Court and the five major sects maintained a facade of peace while competing fiercely in the shadows.
But completely tearing off all pretenses was indeed highly improbable.
That was exactly why the five major sects had felt confident enough to send their Morning Star experts to the birthday banquetâit was an unspoken agreement established over many years.
"That possibility isn't entirely zero," Shen Yi'an said slowly. Everyone's gazes naturally shifted toward him as he continued, "The Royal Court has never given up on their ambition to fuse the Flames."
Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed to varying degrees.
Wei Zhenghong frowned heavily. "Would they really go that far?"
'Never given up on fusing the Flames?'
Su Chen felt a bit lost when he heard this. 'Fuse what flames? The Sacred Flame?'
'The Royal Court has always wanted to fuse the Flames? The Flames can actually be fused?'
Su Chen couldn't help but feel amazed, a string of questions bubbling up in his mind. 'Even if they fuse the Flames, what does that have to do with these missing Morning Star experts?'
Confused but unable to ask outright in the current setting, he nudged Chu Ran, who was standing beside him, and sent out a ripple of spiritual telepathy.
Chu Ran's eyes shifted slightly before replying through the mental link, "That's right, they want to fuse the Flames. The Flames can be merged together to become much stronger and cover a wider area."
"Ever since our sect's Flame encountered problems, the Royal Court has been trying to take advantage of the situation to fuse them. If not for the two Morning Star experts who bravely sacrificed their lives back then, the Ancient King would have had no choice but to accept the Royal Court's demands."
Chu Ran sighed, unable to hide his melancholic emotions.
'Bravely sacrificed their lives?' Su Chen's eyes flashed as he pressed for more details, finally learning the truth.
As it turned out, the Flames were actually the remnants left behind by professionals after their deaths. However, one needed to be at least a Morning Star rank professional to be qualified to leave anything behind.
At the same time, the younger and more powerful they were, and the more sacred classes they had forged, the stronger the resulting Flame would be.
If they died of natural decline, the Flame they left behind wouldn't be nearly as potent.
Su Chen finally understood. "So you're saying that the reason the sect's extinguished Flame was able to be reignited back then was because two Morning Star experts gave their lives, using their own bodies as tinder to spark it anew?"
But even so, hidden dangers were still left behind.
'But just to make the Flame burn brighter... would the Royal Court really be ruthless enough to straight-up murder five Morning Star experts?'
Su Chen thought for a moment before silently inquiring, "Does the Royal Court's flame fusion merely make the Flame stronger?"
"That I don't know," Chu Ran replied, shaking his head. He then spoke up openly to the room, "Do any of you know why the Royal Court is so obsessed with fusing the Flames?"
"Opinions vary." Jiang Mufeng shook his head and explained, "Some say it's because the Royal Court's own Flame is having issues. Others claim the Royal Court has discovered a path of ascension beyond the Radiant Moon rank, and the Flame is the key to it."
"I see," Su Chen murmured thoughtfully. Regardless of which rumor was true, both indirectly proved the absolute resolve behind the Royal Court's ambition.
Zhao Ming let out a heavy sigh. "With something like this happening, who knows what kind of upheaval will sweep through the Dust Star Sea. If Qin Yun and the others truly died in the Royal Court, an all-out war is inevitable."
The group couldn't help but fall into a gloomy silence.
Wei Zhenghong shook his head. "There's nothing we can do to influence this. Besides, Qin Yun and the others might not actually be dead. Let's just wait and see how the Ancient Kings of the five major sects choose to handle it."
"Agreed." The others nodded in unison.
Jiang Mufeng then shifted the topic to another matter. "Master Qing is coming back."
"Oh?" Chu Ran's eyes lit up. "Did he bring back the Profound Heaven Armillary?"
"Word is that he did."
'The Profound Heaven Armillary?' Su Chen's heart stirred. Only then did he realize that Qing Cang had apparently been away on a trip; no wonder he hadn't seen him for so long.
As he muttered to himself, Su Chen noticed that everyone's gazes were subtly landing on him.
Chu Ran chuckled playfully. "Little Grand-Uncle, we're going to be riding your coattails this time. The Profound Heaven Armillary, man!"
'It has something to do with me?' Su Chen felt a bit bewildered and asked hesitantly, "That Profound Heaven Armillary isâ"
"You don't know?" Chu Ran was dumbfounded. The others exchanged glances, feeling even more emotional.
"Master Qing truly treats you well," Chu Ran sighed in admiration. "The Profound Heaven Armillary is from the Profound Heaven Sect. It's their most precious treasure, and one of the rare items in the entire Dust Star Sea capable of directly elevating a person's talent."
'Directly elevate talent? It's that incredible?' Su Chen's heart gave a jolt.
Chu Ran rolled his eyes slightly and continued, "Looking at it this way, you must have Profound Purple talent. You've certainly trained hard enough; no wonder you could withstand the corruption of the eerie divine power."
He spoke with absolute certainty. Su Chen had no idea why he would guess that, so he simply kept his mouth shut.
Shen Yi'an explained in a gentle voice, "The Profound Heaven Armillary is most effective on Profound Purple talent. It offers a certain probability of elevating it to the Star Amber grade."
Since Qing Cang had gone out of his way to get the Profound Heaven Armillary for Su Chen, the group logically concluded that Su Chen's talent hadn't yet reached the Star Amber grade.
'It only works up to Profound Purple talent? Then doesn't that mean I can't use it?'
Su Chen couldn't help but ask, "Is there no way to elevate Star Amber to Divine Radiance?"
"Divine Radiance..." A strange look crossed everyone's eyes. Even Shen Yi'an and Wei Zhenghong's expressions flickered slightly.
Assuming Su Chen was just purely curious, Jiang Mufeng explained, "The gap between Divine Radiance and Star Amber is astronomically huge. Furthermore, it seems to require certain innate factors. Even within the Profound Heaven Sect, no one has ever heard of an artificial elevation to the Divine Radiance grade."
Su Chen nodded in realization. 'This Divine Radiance grade... is definitely not simple.'
However, come to think of it, the Talent Rankings were truly overflowing with monstrous geniuses. The absolute bare minimum on that list was a single Star Amber talent.
Even the thirtieth rank already possessed a single Divine Radiance talent.
"Is there an even stronger talent above Divine Radiance?" Su Chen asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"That..." The group hesitated, evidently lacking knowledge on the subject.
It was Jiang Mufeng who finally spoke up, "Rumor has it that the Royal Court has been exploring the ultimate limits of talent, but whether they've found any answers remains unknown."
Su Chen nodded and dropped the subject. As the topic shifted back to the Profound Heaven Armillary, the group's enthusiasm soared.
Although the disappearance of Qin Yun and the others was a major incident, it didn't directly affect them. The Profound Heaven Armillary, however, was a completely different story.
Even though Qing Cang had requested it for Su Chen, now that it was being brought back, Su Chen naturally wouldn't be the only one allowed to use it.
Chu Ran possessed dual Profound Purple talents, so he was understandably eager.
Jiang Mufeng then mentioned, "Tang Xiuqi is here too. He's probably planning to use the Fortune Bronze Core to fulfill some specific class requirement."
""
Su Chen actually knew about the Fortune Bronze Core. It was a special mechanism within the sect that could simulate the specific environmental conditions required for professional class advancements.
'It seems every sect has its own unique specialty. I wonder what kind of good stuff the other sects have?' Su Chen decided to look into it properly once he returned.
After chatting for a while longer, the group left the lounge. After all, the banquet outside was still ongoing.
Su Chen sought out Wei Zhenghong to bring up Ming Lin.
"You want to insert someone into the Patrol Squad?" Wei Zhenghong thought for a moment. "You should talk to Chu Ran about this. His father is one of the squad's commanders."
'Is that so?' Su Chen truly hadn't expected that. He turned and approached Chu Ran, who was currently boasting loudly to someone else.
Su Chen shot an apologetic look at the person Chu Ran was talking to. The man clinked his glass with Su Chen's and tactfully excused himself.
"Insert someone into the Patrol Squad?"
Hearing the request, Chu Ran waved his hand dismissively. "Just give me the name, and I'll arrange it for you."
Su Chen pondered briefly before adding, "It's just one person right now, but there might be more later."
"No problem. If you wanted to plant someone in a core department like the Law Enforcement Squad, it might be a bit tricky. But the Patrol Squad? Piece of cake." Chu Ran remained entirely unbothered as he casually picked up a crystal-clear pastry and popped it into his mouth.
'It really is easier to get things done when you have friends in high places...' Su Chen sighed internally as he forwarded Ming Lin's name to him.
Afterward, he struck up conversations with the others.
Everyone present belonged to factions that were reasonably close to Venerable Chu Lingyuan.
Su Chen quickly exchanged contact information with a large number of people from various sect departments. He never knew when these connections might come in handy.
Meanwhile, in another location deep within the Penal Hall, the white metal walls looked extremely stark and cold. Guards clad in white-gold armor stood at regular intervals, radiating an intensely lethal aura.
"Fan Zhao, you lost the Spirit Flame this time. Even if another one is discovered next time, you won't get a share, will you?"
The heavy doors of the interrogation room swung open, and a man with crimson hair and thick brows walked out. He cast a cold glance at Fan Zhao, delivered his blunt remark, and strode off without looking back.
Right after, Spirit Hall Master Wen Jing stepped out and shook his head at Fan Zhao.
Deacon Feng followed cautiously behind him. He had been dispatched by the Nether Hall to assist with the investigation. He lowered his voice and reported, "We've tested him. It's not this one eitherâ"
Fan Zhao's cheek twitched. At this current stage within the sect, there truly weren't many people who needed to forge a sacred classâonly four or five in total.
Yet they had investigated every single one of them, and not a single person had successfully forged a sacred class. That meant the thief who stole the Spirit Flame wasn't among this group.
"Could someone have secretly met the requirements to forge a sacred class without reporting it?" Fan Zhao couldn't help but suspect.
"That's highly unlikely." Deacon Feng smiled wryly. "No one can complete the requirements for a sacred class without any warning signs. There would definitely be some traces left behind."
The core of the sect was only so large. Hiding something for a short period was possible, but keeping it concealed long-term was fundamentally impossible. There was always a trail to follow.
Fan Zhao understood this logic as well, but they had now hit a dead end.
He snapped harshly, "Could it have been stolen by an outsider?"
Deacon Feng opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. The vastness of the Nether Realm was unfathomable. Wandering aimlessly through it, one could easily go decades without running into someone from another sect.
The fury in Fan Zhao's heart had nowhere to vent. 'Is this Spirit Flame theft going to become an unsolved case?'
And just as the crimson-haired man had said, since he had lost this Spirit Flame, he wouldn't get a share the next time one appeared.
"I don't believe this..." He gritted his teeth, his expression twisting violently. There seemed to be only one method left: seeking out those cultists of the Eerie Gods. Perhaps with the bizarre methods of the Eerie Gods, they could find a clue.
But... just as he was hesitating, Qin Tianlin stumbled in from outside, completely panic-stricken. "Martial Uncle... Great-Aunt..."
He kept calling out repeatedly, his face deathly pale.
"What is it?" Fan Zhao's expression darkened. "Slow down and speak clearly."
Wen Jing frowned and looked over.
"Grandfather... Grandfather... Grandfather, he..." Qin Tianlin's whole body was trembling, his words broken and stuttered. "He's disappearedâ"
"What?!" Fan Zhao's expression changed drastically, while Wen Jing's eyes sharpened.
"Commander Lan, both you and I know perfectly well that Meng Shiyu died to save Lan Hao. This matterâ"
Wu Feng left his sentence unfinished. Looking at Lan Hai in front of him, he simply shook his head.
The butler served him a cup of tea. Wu Feng only glanced at it, making no move to take a sip.
Lan Hai frowned and said, "What do you mean? Meng Shiyu is Fan Zhao's student, and Venerable Qin Yun's tutelage has always been excellentâwhy is it impossible?"
"That's not what I mean." Seeing the other party deliberately playing dumb, Wu Feng spoke with clear displeasure. Right now, they only had Lan Hao's one-sided story, so naturally, he wouldn't just easily believe it.
However, based on the clues he had investigated so far, it had been Meng Shiyu who actively took Lan Hao away at the time.
To say that Lan Hao had planned this all along was also highly unlikely. The entire situation was incredibly bizarre.