The three of them chatted for several hours, mentioning some matters regarding the Crimson Thunder Planet. Before leaving, Ming Lin took out several more letters, and only then did they leave this place.
They had just arrived, yet they had to turn back again. However, they were also extremely delighted in their hearts. It was inconvenient for Su Chen to return home in glory, so he could only have them do it on his behalf.
Those were 8th-Rank Professionals! On the Crimson Thunder Planet, only the first-generation Chief Judge had reached this level, and it was only a lower-tier profession at that.
But the sect's 8th-Tiers were guaranteed to be at least upper-tier professions, making them tyrannical to the extreme.
Su Chen saw the two off. Still clutching the Black Gold Casket in his hand, he turned to glance at the Main Building, but then walked toward the Nether Tower instead.
'He's heading to the Nether Tower. Could it be he wants to go to the Nether Realm?'
The Remnant Spirit attached to the Morning Star Embers was somewhat surprised. Having spent some time on both Qin Yun and Qin Tianlin, he was naturally familiar with the Nether Tower.
People from this Bronze Sect didn't exactly enjoy going to the Nether Realm.
'This Su Chen... first he collects Evil God Power, and now he's heading to the Nether Realm?'
Reaching this point, the Remnant Spirit ironically wasn't in much of a rush. Since Su Chen was already A Sure Thing, he wanted to see exactly what Su Chen planned to do.
Pushing open the main doors of the Nether Tower, Su Chen walked inside, then turned around and closed them.
Only then did he open the Black Gold Casket in his hands. A faint wisp of crimson light illuminated the entire Nether Tower.
He lowered his head, glanced at it, and reached out to pinch these Morning Star Embers. Text immediately surfaced on the Status Panelâ
[Morning Star Embers: Left behind after the death of all Morning Stars. By melting it into oneself using a special method, Profession Power can be extracted. If the profession is incomplete, some requirements will need to be supplemented. Note: There are fragmented Spirit Shards attached to it. Please erase them before using.]
It can truly extract Professional Abilities?
Su Chen looked at the description in quite some astonishment. What others said was what others said, but only the text on the Status Panel made him truly believe it.
It was just that there seemed to be some uncertainty.
As for the Remnant Spirit being attached to it... Su Chen wasn't surprised at all.
Pinching it in his hand, he waited for a moment, but his brows gradually furrowed.
The Remnant Spirit was also wondering: 'Didn't Su Chen enter the Nether Tower to go to the Nether Realm? Why is he just looking at these Embers?' What kind of quirk was this, to insist on inspecting it inside the Nether Tower?
He couldn't understand.
He waited and waited, only to find Su Chen making no other movements. Just as the Remnant Spirit was pondering to himself, he realized that the other party's gaze remained fixed, staring unblinkingly at these Morning Star Embers.
In his eyes, there was neither the excitement of obtaining a precious treasure, nor curiosity and explorationâonly a sheet of calm.
'If he still doesn't make a move, I'm going to act...' Although the Remnant Spirit wasn't impatient, that was only because he wanted to figure out what Su Chen was trying to do. Naturally, he had no time to waste keeping this fellow company.
However, right at this moment, Su Chen suddenly spoke. His voice was deep and calm. "Are you still not going to make your move?"
Who was he talking to? It was incomparably silent inside this Nether Tower. Aside from himself, there was only Su Chen. Could it be...
In a split second, even though the Remnant Spirit had no physical form, he felt a creeping sense of horror spread through his entire being. An unimaginable speculation surfaced in his mind.
He's talking to me?
He discovered that there are Spirit Shards attached to these Morning Star Embers?
How is that possible?!
Although he had lost all his Primal Source, Spirit Shards inherently possessed their own Might. Even those Morning Stars couldn't detect him, so how could Su Chen possibly discover him?
The shock brought by Su Chen's words was truly too massive. The Remnant Spirit suppressed his emotions. He didn't know how Su Chen had discovered that there was an anomaly on the Morning Star Embers.
But after a brief moment of astonishment, what the Remnant Spirit felt more was a kind of excitement. After all, the more secrets Su Chen held, the greater his harvest would be.
Su Chen furrowed his brows. Looking at the charcoal that still showed no reaction, he sighed, "Taixu, if you don't make a move, I'm going to make mine."
"Tai... Taixu?"
The Remnant Spirit shuddered violently. Faint ripples even surfaced on the exterior of the Morning Star Embers.
How could he know my name?!
Earth-Shattering Waves surged within the Remnant Spirit's heart. These two words spilling from Su Chen's mouth made him feel as if he had seen a ghost.
Previously, he thought Su Chen merely knew there was an anomaly with the Morning Star Embers. But the two words the other party spat out left him trembling in terror.
His name was something even Qin Yun was unaware of; it was his deepest, most hidden secret, yet it had actually been called out in one breath by this young man before him.
Su Chen's face remained a sheet of calm. His gaze even looked somewhat deep and profound.
Just who exactly is he?
After the Remnant Spirit had shuddered with unease for a moment over the two words "Taixu," he finally noticed that threads of crimson-gold light were faintly radiating from the surface of Su Chen's skin. Behind him, a blurred figure without facial features gradually formed, exuding a radiant, imposing Might.
"This is..."
His heart leapt in shock. No matter how unbelievable it was, he had no choice but to accept reality.
It seemed that all of his schemes were within Su Chen's expectations.
'He knew about my plot with Qin Yun long ago. He also knew long ago that I was attached to the Morning Star Embers. One could even say that entering this Nether Tower was also to find a quiet place to make a move against me!'
It isn't me scheming against him; it's him scheming against me!
The Remnant Spirit was horrified, unable to spare the effort to think about how Su Chen could have learned these things.
Upon the Morning Star Embers, threads of light patterns intertwined, weaving like spirit snakes. They condensed into a stream of flowing purple light, stabbing straight toward the center of Su Chen's brow.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
A palm formed from pure flame light and arcs of lightning, containing world-destroying power yet not leaking a single trace, struck out later but arrived first, snatching that Streaking Light in its grasp.
In the center of the palm, a cluster of blinding purple light suddenly exploded, blooming fiercely.
"Morning Star power?! Where did this Morning Star power come from?"
Taixu became increasingly alarmed and suspicious. He mobilized the tiny bit of Primal Source he had extorted from Qin Yun's body, intending to break open this palm, but he was completely unable to break free.
He thought of Su Chen's Star Seed identity.
"The Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted? But he's only a Star Seed; how can he possess this kind of power?"
Everything happening before his eyes left Taixu unable to figure it out. Although he was a Spirit Shard and not the true Taixu, his breadth of knowledge was unimaginably vast.
Yet, ever since entering this Nether Tower, every single event that occurred made it impossible for him to maintain his calm.
Su Chen looked expressionlessly at the palm before him, which was as dazzling as a collapsing star. His confidence didn't stem solely from the Great Exalted.
This Remnant Spirit's origins were extraordinary. If he relied solely on the Great Exalted, he wouldn't have such great certainty. It was because, during his Deduction, he had already learned that this fellow, in order to escape from the several Ancient Kings, had abandoned the vast majority of the Primal Source carrying him, entrusting himself to Qin Yun's body.
Furthermore, Qin Yun's body had been almost completely hollowed out and was under house arrest. Added together, how much Might could the two of them possibly unleash?
What's more, he currently only needed to deal with this Remnant Spirit alone.
If the Great Exalted couldn't even manage this, then all those Mist Embers would have been wasted for nothing.
Text had already surfaced on the Status Panelâ
[The Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted has received your instruction and manifested his form, preparing to subdue this Remnant Spirit seeking to usurp the host's body.]
The molten gold palm slowly closed. The purple flames spewing from between the fingers churned and roared like a living creature, turning into tiny specks of light that were then devoured by the Great Exalted.
Within the inner layer of that wisp of purple flame, swirling currents churned. A gray mist, like a swimming fish detecting the constantly rising water temperature, became irritable and uneasy, yet had nowhere to escape.
The Great Exalted phantom behind him extended another palm. The two closed together, and Crimson Flame and Golden Thunder burst forth within the palms.
Su Chen couldn't help but sigh emotionally. As expected of a commanded request, the Great Exalted executed his idea with extreme rigor. He suppressed the commotion to the absolute minimum, not spilling over in the slightest, even within this square inch of space.
"Crackle, crackle!"
The dazzling ball of light before his eyes contained power that terrified even Su Chen. Faintly, waves of booming sounds could be heard from within, as if a world were overturning inside.
"This absolutely should not be the outcome!" The Remnant Spirit gnashed its teeth, realizing that the tiny bit of Primal Source he had painstakingly accumulated from Qin Yun was about to be completely obliterated.
At that time, he would be left with only Spirit Shards, completely devoid of any power to resist.
The Remnant Spirit was extremely unwilling to accept this, nor could he believe that he would actually suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of this youngster.
That final thread of Solar Remnant serving as his vessel, which was also his trump card, completely and utterly shattered, like a dying star suddenly exploding in the void.
The flame light tore through the silence of the Nether Tower. Even Su Chen felt the temperature start to climb. The Great Exalted's closed palms suddenly swelled, bulging and heating up like a balloon. In the blink of an eye, they expanded to the size of a millstone.
The crimson and purple flames devoured each other, intertwining and evolving. They transformed into a ceaselessly spinning, magnificent Ball of Light with undulating ripples on its surface.
Su Chen's heart palpitated slightly. If this thing exploded, it would probably turn him to ashes.
But exactly at this moment, deep within the Great Exalted phantom, a wisp of purple flame as slender as a silk thread quietly surfaced. Merging as one with the Solar Remnant the Remnant Spirit had erupted with, it unexpectedly entwined and fused rapidly like a magnet attracting iron.
In an instant, the fireball before him seemed to be smoothed out by an invisible hand. The violent flame light retracted, turning into a halo of warm, flowing light.
"This is a Solar Remnant? How can you also control..."
Halfway through his words, the Void Remnant Spirit seemed to have realized. The remaining wisp of grayish-white mist trembled ceaselessly as he asked in astonishment, "You... You are the person who entered that Starfire?"
The Remnant Spirit completely understood. To be able to control Solar Remnants and be so young, he possessed the qualifications to obtain Recognition.
The Su Chen before his eyes perfectly met all the criteria.
No wonder that wisp of Spirituality entrusted within Qin Yun's body that day had absolutely no reaction to Su Chenâbecause he had already obtained Recognition!
He had completely figured it out, but it was too late. His final trump card had been neutralized, and all the defenses shrouding the surface of his Spirit Shards had vanished without a trace, leaving only a cluster of mist swimming like a fish.
The Remnant Spirit let out a furious, resentful, helpless, and unwilling roar. "Just what... what exactly are you?"
Before his voice had fully faded, the roar transformed into waves of wailing. That Crimson Flame and Golden Thunder washed back and forth along that wisp of gray mist several times.
Soon after, the Great Exalted phantom condensed behind him suddenly retracted. Gripping the Void Remnant Spirit, he returned into Su Chen's body.
At the same time, many lines of text surfaced on the Status Panelâ[The Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted has brought back the Void Remnant Spirit and is preparing to Tame it.]
'The Great Exalted brought him into the place where Professional Spirituality resides?' Su Chen's heart stirred slightly. Just what kind of method was this taming?
Just as the thought arose, he faintly heard waves of terrified roars by his ears. It was none other than that Void Remnant Spirit:
"What are you?"
"Just what... exactly is this place?!"
The Void Remnant Spirit's terror was absolutely not fake, accompanied by waves of mournful, shrill wails.
'Wait, I have some things I want to ask him.' Su Chen thought to himself. The Void Remnant Spirit's wails immediately ceased.
"Taixu..." Su Chen called out in his heart.
Hearing his voice, Taixu seemed to be shocked once more and repeated, "Just what exactly are you?"
This question seemed difficult to answer. Su Chen remained silent for a moment, then simply skipped it and asked directly, "I also want to ask you this question."
Su Chen actually wanted to ask if he knew exactly what kind of place he was currently in, and even more so, wanted him to describe the situation of that place.
However, doing so would probably let this old fox sense something.
Although he had gotten his hands on this Remnant Spirit, wanting to dig out the things he wished to know and make him cooperate wasn't going to be that simple.
"Why did you say you were both The Final Ruin and Hao Ri?" Su Chen deliberately asked. On one hand, it was out of curiosity; on the other hand, it was also to continue intimidating the other party.
As expected, the Void Remnant Spirit was shocked again. "How do you know?"
He had only said these words to one person, and that was Qin Yun. It was impossible for Qin Yun to leak it to Su Chen, so how had Su Chen learned of it?
He felt endlessly terrified. This kid indeed had secrets, but these secrets were far too immenseâso immense that he found them hard to resist.
"I'm the one asking you," Su Chen said coldly.
The Remnant Spirit remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, "How about this? I answer one of your questions, and you answer one of mine..."
Before he could finish speaking, he began howling in waves. With a slight shift of Su Chen's will, he blocked off the sounds beside his ears.
This fellow had existed for an unknown number of years and was extremely cunning. Without properly taming him, even normal communication would probably be difficult.
But he wasn't worried either. Over this period, he had carefully studied materials regarding Spirit Shards. Although they were left behind after death, the inherited Spirit Shards weren't truly the person they were in life.
They had a somewhat obsessive instinct for "survival," so he wasn't afraid of this fellow not cooperating.
With the Remnant Spirit in hand, he was no longer in a rush. Pinching the Morning Star Embers, he pondered, "...This thing also needs to be researched..."
But suddenly, more text surfaced on the Status Panelâ
[The Weapon Nurturer discovered that the Spirit Shards attached to the Morning Star Embers have disappeared. It suddenly developed a yearning, hoping that you can bestow it upon it.]
Weapon Nurturer?
Su Chen froze slightly. This profession was used in conjunction with Arcane Artifacts. Currently, it was considered one of the relatively important professions in his system. However, it wasn't a Holy Class. Its estimated advancement limit was likely just 9th-Tier weapons.
Why was it suddenly interested in the Morning Star Embers?
Or could it be that the owner of these Morning Star Embers also had a similar profession?
After pondering for a moment, since the profession had a request, Su Chen naturally wouldn't refuse.
With a slight shift of his will, the Morning Star Embers in his hand vanished. Text gradually surfaced on the Status Panelâ
[The Weapon Nurturer devoured the Morning Star Embers, and its body gradually expanded. It became somewhat terrified and requested aid from the Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted. The Great Exalted was currently punishing the Void Remnant Spirit. Looking up, he wants to mobilize Eldritch Essences.]
It actually ate until it was stuffed? Su Chen was a bit speechless and agreed to the request.
[The Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted mobilized three portions of Faceless Ghost, Crimson, Black Buddha, and Sly Fox Essences, fusing them into the Weapon Nurturer's body. The Weapon Nurturer breathed a long sigh of relief and is currently refining the Morning Star Embers...]