Chapter 346: Chapter 206: Return to Ying Feng_2

’This Su Chen has no background. If he were to join my lineage...’ He considered many possibilities. No one in his clan had any hope of becoming a Chosen One.

’If Su Chen joins, then I won’t have to oppose him.’ As he thought, he pushed the door open and left. ’I still need to tie up the loose ends of my deal with Ni Chuan.’

Elsewhere, Ni Chuan’s expression was cold as he put away the Netherworld Stone, which was gradually turning transparent.

’That bastard Lanhai’s shamelessness is far beyond what I imagined.’

’People who try to play both sides never come to a good end.’

’As for this Spiritual...’ A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. ’There’s no way I’m letting Qing Cang take it back so easily!’

......

Without the Nether Fog, the spaceship was indeed extremely fast.

Su Chen first collected the Deceitful God’s Power being transported by Lieyang. The pilot of that ship had noticed the anomaly with the Nether Fog and hadn’t dared to proceed any further.

Then, he went to another location to intercept the Deceitful God’s Power from Yuan Capital, taking all of it. He planned to return to Ying Feng, find a secluded place, and absorb it.

This whole series of events only took three or four days.

"Ni Chuan and his people left?"

In the command room, Su Chen listened to Xia Jie’s report.

"Yes." Xia Jie had already adapted to Su Chen’s change in status and responded with a solemn expression. "According to the ship’s sensors, they just left Red Thunder Star and entered the Nether Fog."

"They just gave up like that? There isn’t some conspiracy behind this, is there?" Su Chen was suspicious and uneasy. ’The Ancient King’s power is depleted. Shouldn’t that guy be staging a comeback?’

"Senior Brother Qing Cang, what do you think?" Su Chen asked, looking to Qing Cang at his side.

"Xia Jie, you may leave first." Qing Cang didn’t respond to Su Chen. Xia Jie nodded.

With only the two of them left, Qing Cang waved his hand to conjure a barrier. Only then did he say, "Ni Chuan would never give up so easily. This departure is likely just a feint to show weakness."

"Then we should..." Su Chen asked tentatively.

"Don’t worry." Qing Cang didn’t have the bad habit of keeping people in suspense. He simply held out his hand, and a dense, bronze-green stream of data gathered in his palm, forming the illusory figure of the Ancient King.

"Master?" Su Chen was startled.

’Didn’t he say his energy was depleted? Was he lying? How cunning!’

The phantom didn’t respond; it seemed to be merely a construct of energy.

"Master’s consciousness is partially in slumber." Qing Cang closed his hand and met Su Chen’s searching gaze, finally explaining:

"Master’s power was not completely depleted. Uncle-Master Red Sun burned his Spirit Fragment to exhaust the Red Thunder Cauldron, which allowed a portion of Master’s power to be preserved."

’So that’s what happened...’ Su Chen was amazed. He then realized something. ’When the Ancient King was on the cauldron saying his energy was almost gone, could he have been baiting a trap?’

"Just watch," Qing Cang said calmly, his eyes profound. "Some may come for the Spiritual. Others may come for you."

’Those coming for the Spiritual are easy to understand. Someone like Ni Chuan could grab the Spiritual, kill me offhandedly, and then pick a new Chosen One.’

’But those coming for me alone... that’s interesting.’

Su Chen was lost in thought, but knowing the Ancient King was his safety net, he finally felt a solid sense of security.

The hull trembled faintly as they landed outside Yingfeng City. Qing Cang and the others didn’t follow, remaining on the spaceship.

Chong Jingtian, Su Chen, and the others returned to Ying Feng and went straight to find Shi Yunzhou and his two companions.

Shi Yunzhou had been anxiously waiting for Chong Jingtian’s group to return. A few days ago, the sudden appearance of a red and cyan barrier in the sky had given him a huge scare; he thought the Holy Banquet had begun.

But then, the Nether Fog had gradually thinned, eventually disappearing completely. He had far too many questions, all of them waiting for an explanation.

Wu Chenpei was also here. After Hongxuan’s death, he had been quite cooperative on many matters, so they hadn’t actually imprisoned him. Doing so would have been a hassle.

"Su Chen, you became half an apprentice to that Bronze Ancient King?" Shi Yunzhou was deeply shaken and couldn’t help but look at Su Chen.

Through the bits and pieces of information Wu Chenpei had revealed, they had managed to gain a slight understanding of the situation in the outside world.

The Bronze Ancient King was among the most powerful people in the Dust Star Sea, with a status and strength that were sky-high.

"It was just a stroke of luck," Su Chen nodded.

"It really happened?" Wu Chenpei couldn’t hide his shock. Hongxuan’s most perfect plan had only envisioned Su Chen reaching his current position.

"Then the Holy Banquet?" he couldn’t help but ask.

Chong Jingtian explained, "Su Chen asked the Ancient King to intervene. For the next six months, the Nether Fog will not appear. We’ll have enough time to survey the planet and eliminate the Ghost God Followers..."

"That’s... wonderful." Shi Yunzhou and the other two breathed a long sigh of relief. The huge weight on their minds had been lifted.

Not only was the crisis resolved, but Su Chen had also leaped the dragon gate. They wouldn’t have even dared to dream of such a good outcome.

At Chong Jingtian’s side, Zhou Yanwu’s expression was complicated. ’Now that the Holy Banquet crisis is over, should we still leave Red Thunder Star?’

Wu Chenpei felt a bitter taste in his mouth, his expression complex. ’From now on, we’ll have to defer to Ying Feng. I wonder how much longer I have to live.’

The others still had to discuss what came next, but Su Chen wasn’t interested. He left and contacted Bu Siqi and Teng Liang to meet at Old Xia’s residence.

"Ling Yue!" Bu Siqi exclaimed as he entered, his eyes nearly popping out when he saw the three people standing behind Su Chen. "You guys got out?"

Teng Liang, who had come after hearing the news, also looked deeply moved.

"Senior Brother Bu, it’s been a long time," Ling Yue said with emotion. "It’s all thanks to our Little Junior Brother."

"Badass," Bu Siqi was speechless. He didn’t know what had happened over there, so he just gave a thumbs-up.

Then, he lowered his voice, asking curiously, "You got all three of them out, so what about... you-know-who..."

"Our master’s wife is out too," Su Chen nodded.

"Tsk... It had to be you," Bu Siqi sighed in admiration. "She was the Teacher’s greatest obsession."

Immediately, a suggestive look appeared on his face, and he said teasingly, "Seeing the state of our three junior brothers, our master’s wife must be quite young, right? If I remember correctly, they were probably not even thirty back then."

Su Chen’s expression was odd, his gaze evasive. He looked like he wanted to speak but stopped himself. A wicked grin spread across Bu Siqi’s face. "I wonder if the Teacher can still perform..." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Perform what?" Before he could finish, a cold voice drifted over.

Bu Siqi’s face froze. He didn’t know when Xia Hanshi had appeared coolly behind him. Ji Rou was by his side, a gentle smile perpetually on her face.

"N-Nothing!" Bu Siqi shook his head rigidly. A moment later, he saw Xia Hanshi walk right past him and couldn’t help but mutter to himself, ’The old tree is really blooming again.’

’Usually, he would have slapped me across the face by now.’

Xia Hanshi had everyone sit down and concisely recounted the general course of events.

But Bu Siqi only heard one thing. He swallowed hard and couldn’t help but ask, "Junior Brother, you became a student of that Bronze Ancient King?"

"Does that mean I’m the same generation as that Qing Cang?"

THWACK!

Xia Hanshi didn’t move, but Teng Liang couldn’t take it anymore and slammed a fist onto his head, eliciting a string of howls.

After some horseplay, the group found themselves sitting together at one table, a rare occasion. Bu Siqi was excited, raising his glass to drink heartily.

It was only 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, but Su Chen drank with them straight through until 7:00 or 8:00 at night. Ji Rou, unable to hold her liquor, went upstairs to rest.

Partway through, Ming Lin also rushed over after hearing the news. As one of the people who had experienced it firsthand, he had witnessed the entire process and was even more emotional about it.

After a few rounds of drinks, he brought something up. "Not long after the Chief returned, he stripped Wei Yufan of his Core Seed status and expelled him from the Judicial Court."

"The charges were numerous. Deserting his post while dealing with the Faceless Ghost, disobeying orders, and he committed a number of offenses in Yingfeng City as well..."

"The Judgment Department has already crippled him. Now he’s just a ruined husk."

"Oh?" Su Chen paused for a moment before draining the wine in his hand.

Xia Hanshi sneered. "He certainly acts fast. And quite thoughtful, leaving him half-dead. Su Chen..."

Stripping him of his Core Seed, expelling him from the Judicial Court, and leaving him half-dead—it was obvious he was being left for Su Chen to vent his anger on.

"Pointless," Su Chen shook his head.

Xia Hanshi nodded, not surprised. His eyes lowered. "Teng Liang."

Even as a ruined husk, he didn’t plan on letting him go.

"Understood," Teng Liang nodded, his voice flat. "Not a trace will be left."