Chapter 178: Reaching the End of the Cave, Hearing Bad News
Jin Yulu was still wearing that embroidered robe covered in copper coins, looking like a wealthy man, but now he was somewhat disheveled, covered in dirt and stone chips. Xiao De’s condition was even worse; his clothes were stained everywhere with yellow mud, even darker than the violent earthy yellow in his eyes, resembling something more foul.
Seeing Chen Changsheng standing outside the cliff, Jin Yulu was very surprised, and then a look of relief appeared on his face, because it was obvious that Chen Changsheng’s arrival must be due to Luoluo. Xiao De’s gaze at Chen Changsheng was somewhat complicated. In the past few years, he had often unconsciously acted in Chen Changsheng’s style. In other words, he was learning from this opponent he had once hated the most. Suddenly meeting him today, someone as proud as him inevitably felt a bit awkward inside.
Jin Yulu asked, “Is the Pope also here to see His Majesty?”
Chen Changsheng nodded and asked, “Did you see him?”
Jin Yulu shook his head, looking particularly exhausted, and said, “I know he’s right inside, but there’s no way in.”
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then asked, “Is the Saint well?”
Jin Yulu said, “I haven’t seen him, so I don’t know.”
Xiao De’s face showed a wary expression.
Chen Changsheng said to him, “This location was told to me by the Clan Leader of the Scholars.”
Xiao De understood the hidden meaning in these words and said, “Then now it’s up to you.”
The Clan Leader of the Scholars was known for his wisdom and caution. If he wasn’t certain that Xiao De couldn’t succeed, he definitely wouldn’t have told Chen Changsheng the location of the White Emperor’s seclusion.
Chen Changsheng looked at the 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 this black cliff.
Chen Changsheng thought this way, and the Clan Leader of the Scholars thought this way.
Xiao De also thought this way, so he had directly withdrawn from the Heaven’s Chosen Grand Ceremony, which he had planned for years, and came to this black cliff to start digging.
Jin Yulu also thought this way; he had arrived earlier than Xiao De and dug faster.
Up to this point, Xiao De had been digging for two days and two nights without rest, while Jin Yulu had been digging for four days and four nights.
Chen Changsheng had also just considered using 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 individuals like Xiao De and Jin Yulu naturally understood this principle.
Unfortunately, they still failed.
Chen Changsheng didn’t need to try again, but he wanted to go inside and see.
……
……
The cave entrance was on the surface of the black cliff, but it wasn’t straight; it slanted upward, going deep before rising again.
Chen Changsheng followed Jin Yulu and Xiao De for a long time before reaching the end.
Looking at the clear and deep claw marks on the cave walls, sensing the still-lingering violent aura, he could almost see the scenes that had actually occurred in the past few days. Jin Yulu and Xiao De had entered a berserk state, their bodies like small mountains, madly attacking the hard cliff rock, with giant lion and leopard shadows occasionally appearing in the dark cave.
Soon, he noticed something unusual about the cave wall. The stone wall at the very front was very smooth, like jade, without any cracks or even dirt.
Jin Yulu said to him, “We tried several directions but couldn’t get around this stone wall. This means this spot is the heavenly pivot of the formation.”
Chen Changsheng asked, “What is this stone wall itself?”
Jin Yulu replied, “It should be the legendary Star Stone, possessing weight countless times greater than its volume. Even a Saint-level expert would find it hard to move.”
Hearing the name Star Stone, Chen Changsheng recalled the national treasure of the Church that the White Stone Daoist had once held. He was silent for a moment, then stepped forward and struck the stone wall fiercely with the Stainless Sword.
With a crisp clang, the Stainless Sword remained bright and sharp, 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 Jin Yulu and Xiao De, seeing this scene, had a look of shock in their eyes.
Besides its unimaginable density and weight, the Star Stone’s most famous trait was its hardness. Jin Yulu and Xiao 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? Xiao De had fought against Chen Changsheng’s sword in the North Military Command Alley back then and hadn’t thought it was so terrifying at the time, but now he realized it must be because Chen Changsheng’s sword cultivation had greatly increased 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 heavenly pivot?”
Jin Yulu said, “It should be that the Empress used the power of the tidal waves to push the Star Stone and seal this place.”
Xiao De suddenly said, “The Star Stone can absorb starlight.”
Chen Changsheng didn’t understand why he suddenly said this, but a moment later he realized, and his expression became heavy.
Starlight wasn’t the light of stars, 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 profound and unfathomable, and he didn’t care about the Star Stone’s influence or interference, he was still resting and healing his injuries deep in the black cliff. Why would he add trouble for himself?
All these clues ultimately pointed to that possibility.
“Whether it’s the Heaven’s Chosen Grand Ceremony or the alliance with the Demon race, it turns out it has nothing to do with our Demon race, but is the ambition of the Great Western Continent. If His Majesty has already returned to the Sea of Stars.”
In a very short time, Jin Yulu aged a lot, and his voice trembled.
This possibility wasn’t too great. When a Saint-level expert returned to the Sea of Stars, the entire continent would sense it—this was a celestial omen. Back when the Azure-Clad Man had just died, the Herder Empress eight hundred thousand miles away had known the news. When she plotted to harm Bie Yanghong and Wuqiong Bi, she had to activate the Red River Forbidden Formation beforehand—that was the principle. Not to mention 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 shake.
Xiao De said solemnly, “Even if His Majesty is fine now, the situation might be very dangerous. In the battle with the Demon Lord, His Majesty was severely injured. Now the Empress has used this method; it’s likely that His Majesty’s injuries haven’t improved but have worsened day by day. If a few more days pass, the worst-case scenario might really happen.”
Thinking of that possibility, Jin Yulu and Xiao 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 died or lived 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 Herder Empress’s ambition. If it was the latter, it meant the White Emperor truly agreed with the Herder Empress’s idea of allying with the Demon race. With such a Saint watching from the shadows, what could he do?
Now, speculating that the White Emperor might be severely injured, imprisoned by the Herder Empress’s methods, and continuously weakened—this situation was actually the best.
It indicated that the Clan Leader of the Scholars had been pretending to carry out 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 could be resolved.
At this moment, a clear and piercing crane cry suddenly came from outside the cave.
Chen Changsheng went out of the cave, took the note, looked at it, and 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 awakened, and Bie Yanghong had fallen into a coma.