Chapter 345: Chapter 206: Return to Ying Feng

Although Ni Chuan was in a sour mood, that only meant *he* hadn’t obtained the Morning Star Tier’s Spiritual nature. It didn’t necessarily mean Lan Hao hadn’t succeeded.

’Did Lan Hao really succeed at the Three Reversed Dragons?’

Lanhai found this speculation of his somewhat hard to believe. He was well aware of his own son’s capabilities.

But Qing Cang had only brought three people in total. It wasn’t Wan Chen, and it wasn’t Lin Yue, so it had to be Lan Hao.

He looked to Ni Chuan, as if for confirmation. Ni Chuan froze for a moment, then his lips parted as he burst out laughing. "HAHAHA..."

He had to admit, Lanhai’s speculation was genuinely amusing. It even lessened some of his frustration.

"You’ve really got some imagination..." Ni Chuan said, choking with laughter.

Lanhai’s expression grew even colder. It seemed he had guessed wrong. "Are you messing with me?" he demanded angrily.

Ni Chuan wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, a lingering smile on his face. He shook his head and said, "A chosen one was indeed selected. His name is Su Chen."

"Su... Chen?" Lanhai’s expression was one of complete bewilderment. He had no recollection of that name. ’Who... is that?’

Just as he was about to press for more details, he saw Ni Chuan’s expression shift. His figure abruptly disintegrated and vanished.

"Bastard!" Lanhai cursed, his expression flickering. He searched his memory, but he still couldn’t connect the name to anyone.

’What now?’

Ni Chuan’s consciousness returned from the Nether Realm, his expression grave. His body was sending him a warning—the fine hairs all over him were standing on end. Outside, there was a terrifyingly powerful Energy signature.

He went downstairs to the cabin, where Ni Bin stood before a porthole, his face a mask of horror.

He walked over for a look and was visibly shaken. In the sky not far away, pillars of red and azure light were weaving together into a dome, and the dense Nether Fog was rapidly dispersing.

’They’re... dispelling the Nether Fog?’ he murmured under his breath. ’Qing Cang couldn’t possibly possess this kind of power. It has to be the Bronze Ancient King.’

"The Bronze Ancient King is actually willing to take action. Su Chen must have requested it," Ni Bin couldn’t help but exclaim. "Talk about a meteoric rise."

Ni Chuan’s brow was tightly furrowed. "This is only a fraction of the Bronze Ancient King’s power. After dispelling the Nether Fog from an entire planet, there probably won’t be much of it left."

At this thought, a sudden impulse stirred within him, and he quickly turned and departed again.

Lanhai was still waiting for him in the Nether Realm. The moment he appeared, Lanhai barraged him with questions: "Who is this Su Chen? Are other factions targeting Red Thunder Star?"

Ni Chuan’s eyes narrowed. Deciding not to keep him in suspense any longer, he said bluntly, "Su Chen is a native of Red Thunder Star."

"A native?" Lanhai’s face fell. "Ni Chuan, I wasn’t the one who exposed you. There’s no need to keep toying with me."

"Believe it or not, this native became the chosen one," Ni Chuan said coolly.

Seeing that Ni Chuan didn’t seem to be joking, Lanhai found it even more impossible to believe. He couldn’t help but ask, "He’s one of the recognized individuals from Red Thunder Star? What’s his Talent?"

"Double Ink Jade."

"Impossible!" Lanhai said coldly. "There’s no precedent for this. Someone with Double Ink Jade becoming the chosen one? Would you believe that?"

"Of course I don’t believe it." Ni Chuan shook his head, then added, "But I saw it with my own eyes. The Bronze Ancient King said his compatibility was so unimaginably high that the Spiritual nature completely ignored his Talent."

"Unimaginably high compatibility," Lanhai murmured. "To think something like this was even possible..."

Ni Chuan had more important questions to ask, so he simply laid out the entire sequence of events.

"So... your Bronze Sect now suddenly has someone of extremely high standing—the posthumous disciple of Venerable Red Sun, considered a half-disciple by the Ancient King."

Lanhai was stunned, unable to process it for a long moment. He never would have imagined that the events on Red Thunder Star would conclude in such a manner.

’An obscure native had suddenly vaulted into the ranks of the most esteemed figures in the Bronze Sect, and had even become a Star Seed.’

’He couldn’t even begin to fathom what sort of impact this would have on the internal politics of the Sect.’

’Because in the entire Dust Star Sea, there was no precedent for something like this.’

"There’s another matter. I just saw the Ancient King use his immense power to dispel the Nether Fog on Red Thunder Star." Having said that, Ni Chuan asked, "In your opinion, after it finishes dispelling the Nether Fog, how much of that portion of the Bronze Ancient King’s power will remain?"

"Oh?" Lanhai looked up, a thoughtful light passing through his eyes. "He’s actually dispelling the Nether Fog for that planet."

"By my estimation, there should be next to nothing left. The Ancient King’s focus is on the Eternal Silence Star; he can’t spare that much power. What are you planning?"

"What do you think?" Ni Chuan shot back.

"Don’t take it too far," Lanhai said, frowning.

Ni Chuan paused, then sneered, "Trying to back out now? Isn’t it a bit too late for that?"

"Back out?" Lanhai put on a confused expression.

"You..." Ni Chuan’s expression grew cold. "You’re the one who told me about Red Thunder Star. Did you really think you could turn your back on me now and pretend it never happened?"

"It was merely a transaction. Besides, the information you previously gave me was also quite important," Lanhai said, shaking his head with an air of nonchalance. "Now that this business is concluded, so is our deal."

"As for what you do next, that has nothing to do with me."

With that, Lanhai’s incorporeal form vanished as his consciousness returned to his physical body.

He was seated cross-legged in the center of a spacious room. The walls, made of a grayish-brown metal, cast the room in a dim, gloomy light. He slowly rose to his feet, muttering, "Su Chen... Su Chen... I truly never saw this coming..."

Lanhai walked to the window. Outside, uniquely designed skyscrapers stretched to the horizon, and various models of Flying Devices zipped across the sky.

’...The family is already facing a gap in the next generation. The most talented one is my third brother’s son, but he only has a Single Profound Purple Talent... and he and I are already at odds...’