Chapter 178: Reaching the End of the Cave...
Gold Jade Law was still wearing that robe embroidered with copper coins, looking like a wealthy man, but now he was somewhat disheveled, covered in dirt and stone chips. Little De's condition was even worse; his clothes were stained with yellow mud everywhere, a shade darker than the violent ochre in his eyes, more resembling some kind of filth.
Seeing Chen Changsheng standing outside the cliff, Gold Jade Law was very surprised, and then a relieved expression appeared on his face, because he knew without asking that Chen Changsheng's appearance must be due to Luoluo.
Little De's gaze at Chen Changsheng was somewhat complicated. Over the past few years, he had often unconsciously acted in Chen Changsheng's style.
In other words, he had been learning from this opponent he once hated the most. Meeting him suddenly today, proud as he was, he couldn't help but feel a bit awkward inside.
Gold Jade Law asked, "Is Your Holiness the Pope also here to see His Majesty?"
Chen Changsheng nodded and asked, "Did you see him?"
Gold Jade Law shook his head, looking particularly exhausted, and said, "I know he's right inside, but no matter what, I can't get in."
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is the Saint well?"
Gold Jade Law said, "I haven't seen him, so I don't know."
Little De's face showed a vigilant expression.
Chen Changsheng said to him, "The Clan Chief of the Scholars told me about this location."
Little De understood the hidden meaning in those words and said, "Then it's up to you now."
The Clan Chief of the Scholars was known for his wisdom and caution. If he wasn't sure that Little De would fail, he certainly wouldn't have told Chen Changsheng where the White Emperor was in seclusion.
Chen Changsheng looked at that black cliff, sensing the power of the forbidden formation, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
To solve all the current problems, he first had to determine the situation inside that black cliff.
That was what Chen Changsheng thought, and what the Clan Chief of the Scholars thought.
Little De thought so too, so he had directly withdrawn from the Heaven's Chosen Ceremony, which he had planned for years, and came to this black cliff to start digging.
Gold Jade Law thought so too; he had arrived earlier than Little De and dug faster.
By now, Little De had been digging for two days and two nights without rest, while Gold Jade Law had been digging for four days and four nights.
Chen Changsheng had also planned to use brute force to break through the cliff and bypass this forbidden formation—a method that seemed crude and even foolish, but was often the most correct choice.
Strong cultivators like Little De and Gold Jade Law naturally understood this principle as well.
Unfortunately, they still failed.
Chen Changsheng didn't need to try again, but he wanted to go in and take a look.
……
……
The cave entrance was on the surface of the black cliff, but it wasn't straight; it slanted upward, going deep before turning upward again.
Chen Changsheng followed Gold Jade Law and Little De for a long time before reaching the end.
Looking at the clear and deep claw marks on the cave walls, feeling the lingering violent aura, he could almost see the scenes that had actually played out over the past few days.
Gold Jade Law and Little De had entered a berserk state, their bodies like small mountains, madly attacking the hard cliff rock. In the dark cave, massive lion and leopard shadows flickered from time to time.
Soon, he noticed something unusual about the cave wall. The stone wall at the very front was extremely smooth, like jade, without any cracks or even dirt.
Gold Jade Law said to him, "We tried several different directions but couldn't get around this stone wall. This means this spot is the living pivot of the formation's mechanism."
Chen Changsheng asked, "What is this stone wall itself?"
Gold Jade Law said, "It should be the legendary Star Stone, with a weight countless times greater than its volume. Even a Saint Domain powerhouse would find it very difficult to move."
Hearing the name Star Stone, Chen Changsheng remembered the national religion's heavy treasure that White Rock Daoist had once held. After a moment of silence, he stepped forward and struck the stone wall fiercely with the Stainless Sword.
With a crisp clang, the Stainless Sword remained bright and sharp as before, undamaged, but only a very faint mark was left on the stone wall.
If he wanted to shatter this stone wall with the Stainless Sword, he didn't know how many days it would take.
Chen Changsheng was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't know that Gold Jade Law and Little De, seeing this scene, showed a look of shock in their eyes.
Besides its unimaginable density and weight, the Star Stone's most famous characteristic was its hardness.
Gold Jade Law and Little De had tried many times—whether with their berserk true forms' sharp claws or the high-grade magical artifacts they carried—none could leave any mark on the Star Stone's surface.
Chen Changsheng casually swung his sword and cut a small opening in the stone wall. How sharp must this sword be?
Little De had fought against Chen Changsheng's sword in the North Military Command Alley back then, and at the time, he didn't think his sword was this terrifying. Only now did he realize that this must be because Chen Changsheng's swordsmanship had greatly improved over the past few years.
Chen Changsheng asked, "Since it's a forbidden formation, there should be someone who set it up. With such a heavy stone wall, who could have placed it at the living pivot of the mechanism?"
Gold Jade Law said, "It should be that Her Majesty the Empress used the power of the tidal surge to push the Star Stone and seal this place."
Little De suddenly said, "The Star Stone can absorb starlight."
Chen Changsheng didn't understand why he suddenly said that, but a moment later, he realized and his expression became heavy.
Starlight wasn't starlight itself, but the intangible energy drawn from the invisible connection between distant stars and cultivators.
The true essence in a cultivator's body was also starlight; even a Saint couldn't escape this category.
If this stone wall continuously absorbed starlight, that meant it would absorb the White Emperor's true essence.
Even if the White Emperor's cultivation was unfathomably deep and he didn't care about the Star Stone's influence or interference, he was still deep inside the black cliff, quietly recuperating from his injuries. Why would he add trouble for himself?
All these clues ultimately pointed to one possibility.
"Whether it's the Heaven's Chosen Ceremony or the alliance with the demon race, it turns out none of it has anything to do with our demon race. It's the ambition of the Great Western Continent, if His Majesty has already returned to the Sea of Stars."
In a very short time, Gold Jade Law had aged a lot, and his voice trembled.
This possibility wasn't too likely. When a Saint Domain powerhouse returned to the Sea of Stars, the entire continent would sense it—that was a heavenly omen.
Back when the Azure-Clad Man had just died, the Shepherd Empress, eight thousand miles away, knew the news immediately. When she plotted to harm Bieyanghong and the Infinite Green couple, the Shepherd Empress had to activate the Red River Forbidden Formation beforehand—that was the principle.
Let alone the White Emperor, a contemporary Saint. If he truly returned to the Sea of Stars, no matter how powerful the forbidden formation, it couldn't block the news; heaven and earth would inevitably tremble.
Little De said with a grave expression, "Even if His Majesty is fine now, the situation might still be very dangerous. In the battle with the Demon Lord, His Majesty was severely injured. Now Her Majesty the Empress has used this method. I'm afraid His Majesty's injuries haven't improved but have instead worsened day by day. If a few more days pass, the worst-case scenario might really happen."
Thinking of that possibility, Gold Jade Law and Little De's faces were very grim, but Chen Changsheng was calmer than before.
As he had thought before entering this black cliff, whether the White Emperor was dead or alive and well, it was very bad news for the human race. If it was the former, it meant that within the demon race, no one could suppress the Shepherd Empress's ambition. If it was the latter, it meant that the White Emperor truly shared the Shepherd Empress's thoughts and wanted to ally with the demon race. With such a Saint watching from the shadows, what could he still do?
Now, speculating that the White Emperor might be severely injured, imprisoned by the Shepherd Empress's methods and continuously weakened, this situation was actually the best.
This showed that the Clan Chief of the Scholars had been pretending to follow the White Emperor's decree that night; in reality, the White Emperor still supported the human race.
Then all he needed to do was rescue him, and everything would be resolved.
At that moment, a clear and piercing crane cry came from outside the cave.
Chen Changsheng left the cave, took down the note, and looked at it. His expression became extremely grave.
The White Crane had brought two latest pieces of news.
One good news, one bad news.
Xuan Yuan Po had woken up, and Bieyanghong had fallen unconscious. (To be continued.)