He thought of the World-Slaying Manifestation and the large item the Flash-Shadow Body had collaborated to acquire, which was worth three hundred drops of Divine Blood.
The previous piece of secret intelligence obtained by the Flash-Shadow Body was related to the Immeasurable Buddha, making it very difficult for him not to associate the two.
"Can you verify the time?" he asked the Spirit of the Vast Sun.
The Spirit of the Vast Sun, taking the form of a purple dragon shadow, fluttered around the flamelet and spat out a strand of fiery light that transformed into a string of text.
These characters were quite similar to the common language of the Dust Star Sea, so Su Chen recognized them. However, the first three words made his vision go dark—Taixuan Calendar.
The Taixuan Pillar had been wiped out in the Abyssless Realm for tens of thousands of years, so how was he supposed to use this calendar for reference?
But he couldn't blame the Spirit of the Vast Sun, as it didn't know the calendar of the Dust Star Sea either.
"Without an accurate time, there's no way to compare. I guess the Sect Master's body might be the only accurate timer."
Su Chen muttered to himself, having a gut feeling that the item the Immeasurable Buddha was demanding was exactly what he needed to extract using three hundred drops of Divine Blood.
"Hiss, what exactly is that thing, to make such a prominent figure of the Buddha Land so furious."
Su Chen looked at the Immeasurable Buddha, who was being persuaded to calm down by the Xuantian Ancient King and the others, but his curiosity only grew. "It's only going to be a few months anyway, I'll definitely know by then."
Gathering his thoughts, there wasn't much useful information left. Aside from some public conversations, even the genuine exchanges among the Ancient Kings were extremely vague.
"Thanks," Su Chen said after reading. He then reached out and handed over the fifteen portions of Faith Essence he held, watching helplessly as the Spirit of the Vast Sun absorbed them clean.
He couldn't help but feel a bit shortchanged... Su Chen pondered for a moment, then asked, "You've absorbed all the Spirituality on the Morning Star Artifact, but as for the weapon itself, keeping it is of no use to you, so give it to me."
The Spirit of the Vast Sun lowered its head. This recognized little fellow had no reverence for it at all, never even using honorifics when speaking. How strange.
However, seeing that his attitude just now was decent enough, with a clang, a deep, dark long saber dropped onto the ground.
That was more like it. Su Chen felt much more comfortable. The Sky-Scars also needed recharging, which probably required a 9th-Tier weapon, so he could treat this as a reserve for his recharging attempts.
Having basically cleaned out the Spirit of the Vast Sun, Su Chen took out the Ignition Cinders and prepared to leave.
However, with a sweep of its tail, the Spirit of the Vast Sun projected a virtual figure. Su Chen focused his eyes and saw it was none other than Taixuan Tianyi. A muffled voice echoed in his ears, "Save his life."
"?" Su Chen looked over in surprise. The Incense and Offering Sentiment hadn't been fully used yet. Last time, the Spirit of the Vast Sun asked him to spare Taixuan Tianyi's life, and now it actually wanted him to save the guy.
This Taixuan family seemed to truly have hidden advantages. If he hadn't eliminated this guy right from the start, giving him time to develop, he might have really become a Chosen.
Hmm... but... Su Chen's eyes shifted, suddenly thinking that since this guy had been staying in the Cultivation Sanctum with the Immeasurable Buddha and the others, he might know what was lost.
However, he didn't even dare to step out the hall door, let alone save someone. Although he was curious about what that item was, waiting a few months would clarify everything anyway.
He pondered, "I can't guarantee I'll save him, but if there's an opportunity, I'll try."
"Mm," the Spirit of the Vast Sun nodded and shrank back into the flamelet.
"Wait..." Su Chen called out.
A small head popped out of the flamelet, looking exceedingly adorable.
"If I want to save him, I have to prepare in advance. Is there a way for me to communicate with him secretly?" Su Chen inquired.
"It can't be done," the Spirit of the Vast Sun shook its head, but still explained, "I cannot interfere with the events happening in the Cultivation Sanctum."
"Alright," Su Chen shrugged, not taking it to heart. However, the Spirit of the Vast Sun then spat out a strand of fiery light and said, "Think of a way yourself."
"Think of a way myself?" Su Chen looked surprised. He reached out to grasp that strand of fiery light, and a massive amount of information immediately surfaced in his mind.
"This..." Su Chen carefully sorted through it. It was a ritual, or more accurately, a ritual left behind by the Taixuan Lineage that allowed members of the same clan to communicate within a certain range.
"Although I call myself Taixuan Hong, I'm not a member of the Taixuan family," Su Chen thought, feeling speechless. But as he reached the end of the information, he was stunned because this method actually consumed blood.
And he just happened to have Taixuan Tianyi's fresh blood.
"Hmm... I could actually give this a try," Su Chen narrowed his eyes. He picked up the weapon from the ground and stepped into the Fire Pillar, returning to his Cultivation Sanctum.
Reaching out to grasp Qin Yun's metal staff, he first absorbed the various types of Spirituality attached to the Morning Star Artifacts, while his mind sorted through the information he had just obtained.
Seeing what happened to the Immeasurable Buddha since arriving in the Flare Realm resolved some of his doubts and questions.
Besides that, the most noteworthy point was Kong Ming.
"Azure God Talent..." Su Chen deliberated. The Unsullied required Azure God Blood to analyze the method of Metamorphosis. He originally thought he would have to wait a very long time before he could even possibly encounter relevant resources.
He didn't expect that a living, breathing Kong Ming would be right here in the Flare Realm.
"I wonder if I can beat him by activating all five Sky-Scars at once."
Having finished absorbing the Sky-Scars, Su Chen couldn't help but think about it. Five Sky-Scars would be equivalent to the enhancement of five Morning Star Artifacts, which would probably be terrifying.
"But, regardless of whether I can beat him or not, I might not even be able to handle the consumption myself," Su Chen shook his head. Even though Kong Ming was right in front of him, he wasn't prepared to challenge him directly.
That guy was clearly a top-tier talent of the Buddha Land, so he certainly didn't lack any resources. After all, things like Perfect-Grade Eldritch Source Power, which could reduce profession difficulty, weren't only useful to him.
Considering his age and his talent, which was a tier higher, who knew what level he had reached.
Moreover, given the damn rules of this Tower of Spirit, once a challenge began, there had to be a winner and a loser.
If he lost, he would be forced to leave this place, and he hadn't achieved his goal yet.
There would be other opportunities to obtain that blood in the future, but if he was expelled, it would be troublesome.
Reaching out, he pinched a small glass bottle, which contained a bit less than half a bottle of crimson fresh blood. A slight shake caused it to clink around inside like colored glass beads. This was Taixuan Tianyi's fresh blood.
He had specially collected it after their battle ended last time.
The ritual required the consumption of Faith Essence, but the shorter the distance, the less it consumed.
He estimated that with the distance between them, not even a single portion would be consumed. "But the Immeasurable Buddha is still there. I'll try it later when he comes out of his Cultivation Sanctum."
He put the bottle of fresh blood away. He had more important things to do right now. Taking out the Ignition Cinders, a trace of worry couldn't help but appear on his face. "There are only twelve palaces on the sixth layer. Since this guy was recognized, he has nine challenge opportunities. He couldn't have taken them all, could he?"
Su Chen still had four challenge opportunities left, which he was saving for the 8th-Tier.
However, after the Ignition Cinders connected to the Tower of Spirit, his expression slightly froze as he looked at the Virtual Screen that popped up before him.
On the sixth layer, aside from one palace that was in a dim, grayish state, the rest of the palaces were all accessible.
"He didn't challenge a single one?" Su Chen was stunned, but quickly reacted and couldn't help but curse, "Filthy rich bastard."
It wasn't that this guy lacked strength, it was purely that he didn't want to challenge them. Perhaps he looked down on these items, or perhaps they were no longer of any use to him.
"But this is good too." Su Chen glanced at the Cultivation Sanctum and discovered that it seemed he didn't need to leave; he could directly initiate challenges through this method.
"I can do this, but he shouldn't be able to. He hasn't defeated anyone who has received the Recognition of the Three Dragons."
With his thoughts turning, Su Chen had already stepped into the Fire Pillar channel and arrived at a barren land. Looking around, he found that he seemed to be standing on a desolate mountain. As far as the eye could see, mountain ranges stretched on endlessly, and large rivers surged.
"This... the Great Sun Trials on the sixth layer seem different from before." Su Chen's eyes flickered. He also intended to use this to estimate Kong Ming's actual strength.
Immediately, he saw purple light swirling before him, forming a figure that descended from the sky. His physique was well-proportioned and slender, and his face could even be considered handsome. His expression wasn't rigid; rather, he seemed quite cautious and vigilant.
He was dressed in luxurious purple clothing, with a blazing flame embroidered on his chest, very much resembling the vessel of the Spirit of the Vast Sun.
"It really is different," Su Chen grew even more vigilant. Then, he heard a sound like an exploding thunderclap in his ears as the aura around the figure burst open, and energy flares wildly surged out.
Behind him, an armored crimson giant gradually materialized, along with a three-headed purple flame frenzy dragon, unequipped armor, a giant axe that seemed capable of splitting the heavens, and a breathtakingly radiant long spear.
These energy flares pulsed with terrifying auras, gradually entangling together like a churning sea of fire. In the firmament above, they transformed into a magnificent volcano covered in flames, atop which coiled the giant and the frenzy dragon.
Within the volcanic crater, amidst the erupting magma, the giant axe and armor bobbed up and down.
"This is..." Su Chen stared intently. The mountain covered the top, the temperature rapidly soared, and the surrounding space faintly stagnated. A sense of oppression was rushing toward his face.
"Those things, could they be his Holy Class manifestations? He combined these Holy Classes together. What kind of combat method is this?" Su Chen was quite amazed, having never heard of such a thing.
He had never seen this type of combat style in the Dust Star Sea. Last time he clashed with Ni Chuan, the opponent had merely activated his abilities simply.
And it was obvious that the opponent wasn't a living person. The magnificent mountain trembled, and the crimson giant atop it flashed its eyes. In the next instant, it had already stepped across. Every inch of its muscles flowed with blazing heat like molten lava, and rolling waves of heat evaporated around it.
The spatial distance between them seemed like nothing to it. With a sweeping chop of its hand, tyrannical, raging flames surged over like a heavenly river, covering half of the firmament.
Su Chen had already entered a combat state, and various Mystic Tools quietly escalated. With each escalation, a continuous stream of warmth rose within his body, which was the Physical Stamina returned from consumption.
A crimson aura exploded, and the surface of his skin took on a blood-gold hue. He also transformed into the Immovable Vajra, surrounded by pitch-black flames.
Boom!
A deafening roar exploded, and the entire challenge space trembled. Su Chen raised his hand to meet the strike, instantly shattering tens of thousands of spatial fissures, and scorching heat waves rolled out like a physical substance.
However, this challenge space wasn't an ordinary place, and no damage was visible.
Su Chen remained perfectly still, the surrounding Cinderless Flame greedily devouring the escaping fire to strengthen itself. Yet, he also felt a violently overwhelming power surge through him. His body shook slightly, and faint but resilient streams of warmth rose from within.
Enduring the blow head-on, his eyes filled with astonishment. "The intensity of this strike has far exceeded the upper limit of the 8th-Tier and is comparable to the 9th-Tier. This guy must definitely be one of the core members of the Taixuan Lineage from back then."
His strength was impressive.
The fact that he was able to withstand Ni Chuan before was largely due to his Limit Break ability, but of course, he wouldn't use it casually now.
Using the True Brilliance Talent at his current rank came with a significant cost. He believed the opponent must have a cost too, but the opponent was clearly not a real person, so exchanging such costs wasn't worth it.
He also wanted to see what other tricks this combat style had, so he simply stood his ground without attacking.
Subsequently, accompanied by an explosive roar, the three-headed giant dragon on the magnificent mountain danced wildly and swooped down, covering the sky, while purple flames erupted from the purple-robed youth's body.
As the crimson giant and the three-headed giant dragon descended into the purple flames, they seemed to faintly strengthen significantly. Moreover, the formless armor and broad-headed giant axe all fell onto its body, arriving right in front of him in the blink of an eye.
"This is the unique talent of the True Brilliance level that Taixuan Tianyi used last time." Su Chen grew even more surprised. "In the Great Sun Trials on the third layer, there were no guys possessing the True Brilliance Talent."
Furthermore, the proficiency with which this person used it was certainly not something Taixuan Tianyi could compare with.
He suddenly remembered something. Could this be the Ascension Refining that the Remnant Spirit mentioned?
Could Ascension Refining refine not only Morning Star Fire?
Boom!!
Beams of light and flame crossed the sky, crisscrossing and extending amidst explosive roars. Fire and lightning intertwined, and upon collision, clusters of energy spheres burst open.
"Without activating the Sky-Scars, combined with the abilities of the Inexhaustible Titan, as long as the intensity of the battle is high enough, I can already hold out for a very long time."
Su Chen tossed and turned, darting about. Although the consumption from all his abilities activating simultaneously was like opening a floodgate, the replenished Physical Stamina was also extremely terrifying.
Having roughly figured out the bottom line of this combat style, he no longer tangled with these anomalous phenomena. Activating his Flash-Shadow Body, he instantly appeared in front of the purple-robed youth.
Air waves exploded, wrapping around pitch-black Cinderless Flame, aiming a punch straight at the face. However, the opponent's reaction speed was extremely fast. His body also turned into tens of thousands of fiery paths that collapsed and completely merged into the magnificent volcano above his head.
The flame giant attacked again. Su Chen furrowed his brows and struck directly at the core. His left hand single-handedly blocked the chopping giant axe, black flames erupted, and his right hand forcefully smashed into its chest, shattering it entirely.
Thanks to his Main Profession abilities, as the battle time increased, his strength also gradually enhanced. This flame giant was no longer his match.
When the flame giant shattered, a sky full of fire had completely enveloped him.
Su Chen, however, only felt a chill in his heart. In the instant his figure vanished, a condensed and brilliant line of light cleaved through. It was that long spear that had been bobbing up and down in the volcano's crater, crimson red like blood.
"This must be his trump card level move..." Su Chen's brows locked tightly. No matter how he used his Flash-Shadow Body, he couldn't shake it off. Its speed was extreme.
Not only that, the volcano in the firmament had been covered by purple flames and was gradually descending, making the space increasingly obstructed. If the intensity of his Flash-Shadow Body hadn't improved significantly, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep up with the spear's speed right now.
"Without using the Sky-Scars, it will be very difficult to defeat him."
A draw, an advantage, and the strength needed for victory were completely different levels. It was unknown how old this guy was, but having activated the unique talent of True Brilliance, his strength was indeed formidable.
But the Sky-Scars needed recharging, which consumed metal materials. Should he still use Limit Break? Su Chen deliberated for a moment and decided to use Limit Break.
He still had several challenges to face afterward. As long as he controlled the time well and used it only for an instant, the cost of Limit Break would just be suffering for a few days.
But the Sky-Scars had to be recharged using metal materials, and trading that against a non-living entity was a bit of a loss.