Chapter 472: If This is a Trial, I Will Accept It
As everyone entering the ruins had their own thoughts, Su Jingzhen and his group were completely sucked into the grand hall.
A blinding flash of silver light swept through, and Su Jingzhen suddenly felt as if his entire body was spinning through the heavens.
By the time he stabilized himself, his vision gradually became clearer.
Even though he had anticipated that this encounter would be anything but ordinary, he still couldn’t help but be struck with awe.
At this moment, all he saw was an ancient sea of stars shining above his head.
“This… could it be that I’m dead already?”
After a long moment of shock, Su Jingzhen muttered to himself, still struggling to believe what he was seeing.
His feet stood firmly in mid-air, the radiant starlight above warming his body.
The stars above him varied in brightness, each one seemingly emitting an ancient glow, carrying a heavy and profound presence.
“Master, can you hear me?”Instinctively, Su Jingzhen called out.
However, the only response was the vast emptiness and silence.
“Xuening, are you there?”
“Miss Ye, can you hear me?”
He called out several more times, but his efforts were only met with the same quiet stillness.
“It’s over… Miss Ye was already struggling to withstand the pressure at the gate earlier. Could it be that this time she’s really doomed? If that’s the case, then it’s my fault…”
Su Jingzhen took a few steps forward, but he still couldn’t find any of the figures he was looking for. A slight sense of guilt arose in his heart.
He could tell that during this trip to the Dantai Ruins, Ye Zhiqiu’s attitude towards him had subtly changed.
Even if one were to put that aside, Ye Zhiqiu was currently the head of the Alchemist Association’s Linjiang branch. Her presence held significant importance to the Evil Moon Sect’s Linjiang branch.
From the information they had gathered, the Alchemist Association had been quite upset with the Linjiang branch for refusing to hand over Xuening.
As a result, the headquarters of the Alchemist Association had grown close to Zou Zeyu’s Longyan branch.
Of course, it was Su Jingzhen and his group who had essentially pushed the Alchemist Association toward Zou Zeyu.
Although Su Jingzhen and his sect didn’t particularly care about this situation, with Ye Zhiqiu’s influence, some things might still be salvageable.
At the very least, it could be considered a foreshadowing.
If Ye Zhiqiu really didn’t make it this time, then the relationship between their Linjiang Branch and the Alchemist Association would be difficult to mend, if not further deteriorated.
Although Ouyang Mingyue was the apparent leader of the Alchemist Association, everyone knew that their real power lay in the mysterious and elusive president of the association. No one knew when the president would return.
For Su Jingzhen, who possessed a system, none of this really posed any fear for him. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of regret.
While he silently mulled things over, Su Jingzhen instinctively touched his waist.
Fortunately, the belt formed by Bai Suzhen was still there.
“Suzhen, can you hear me? Where is this place? I’m unfamiliar with the surroundings and my cultivation level is quite low. You’ll have to look after me for a while.”
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Realizing the unusual nature of this place, Su Jingzhen wasted no time in clinging to his powerful ally.
To him, this wasn’t something to be ashamed of.
After all, Bai Suzhen had been following him all this time, absorbing his vital energy. Wasn’t she meant to help him in crucial moments like this?
In response, Bai Suzhen did not transform into her true form but her voice echoed in his ear:
“This place is rather interesting. If you can comprehend it, it could prove to be a significant fortune for you.
You should try to figure it out yourself.
The only thing I can tell you is that there’s no serious danger here. With me around, you can act freely.
Of course, if at any point you decide to give up, just let me know, and I can easily get you out of here.”
Upon hearing this, Su Jingzhen paused for a moment, then relaxed completely.
Bai Suzhen was his ultimate safeguard. If she wasn’t worried, then there was no reason for him to be afraid either.
He recalled the scene earlier when Xuening had tried to open the door.
“Back when the door opened, it seemed like the statue of the Yunmeng Goddess in the square was the key. Could this place also be related to the Yunmeng Goddess?”
Standing still, Su Jingzhen’s eyes swept over the starry sky above him and his divine consciousness spread outward.
However, he sensed nothing out of the ordinary.
His heart couldn’t help but sink a little.
Whether it was at Wind Bell Island in Yunmeng City or the square earlier, there had always been some clue or sign.
Su Jingzhen felt no special connection to the Yunmeng Goddess statue, nor had he gained any fortune from it.
In other words, it was highly likely that he would leave this sea of stars, which Bai Suzhen had described as a place of great fortune, empty-handed. If that were to happen, he would truly become nothing more than a “tag-along” with no real gains.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Su Jingzhen kept moving forward, heading toward the brightest star visible in his line of sight.
From his perspective, the star didn’t seem far away. However, the closer he tried to get, the further it seemed.
No matter how hard Su Jingzhen tried, it seemed impossible to approach the star. He even employed the Nether Step, using it dozens of times, yet the star only appeared to drift further away.
“What’s going on?”
Even as a transmigrator, Su Jingzhen was frequently confronted with phenomena that defied his understanding of the world. Too many mysteries lay beyond his comprehension.
Muttering to himself, Su Jingzhen glanced around his surroundings once again.
In the next instant, he was shocked to realize that despite all his efforts, he hadn’t moved an inch from where he originally stood.
All the while, he had remained in the exact spot where he had first been sucked in.
“…Suzhen…”
Instinctively, Su Jingzhen called out again.
This time, Bai Suzhen’s voice returned with a playful hint in her tone.
“Are you giving up so soon? I told you, this is a place of fortune for you. If you’re sure you want to quit, I can get you out right away.”
“Let’s not.”
Her words stoked Su Jingzhen’s pride once more. As a transmigrator, he considered himself the favored child of destiny. The concept of giving up didn’t exist in his vocabulary.
Without rushing into further action, Su Jingzhen fell into a deep contemplation.
Su Jingzhen’s gaze remained fixed on the brightest star.
From within his Niwan Palace, his divine consciousness, now at the Condensing divine consciousness stage, surged outward. For exploration, there was nothing more useful than divine consciousness.
However, no matter how much it extended toward the star that seemed so close yet remained so far, it couldn’t reach.
“Physical movement doesn’t work, and neither does divine consciousness. If this isn’t a high-level formation, then it must be some force beyond my comprehension.”
He realized that continuing this way wouldn’t help him uncover the mysteries of this place. Without hesitation, Su Jingzhen sat down cross-legged.
He began to reflect on everything that had happened since he arrived at the Dantai Ruins, especially the legends surrounding the Yunmeng Goddess.
“Dantai Clan… Dantai Clan… Dantai Clan…”
Despite pondering deeply, Su Jingzhen still couldn’t find any clear answers. The name “Dantai” echoed repeatedly in his mind.
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him, like a bolt of lightning.
The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile.
“Along the way, I’ve been so dazzled by the wonders of the Dantai Clan that I overlooked something fundamental.”
Abruptly, he stood up. With a flash of light from his storage ring, the Black Mountain Cauldron appeared before him.
“The Dantai Clan was once the foremost pill-refining force in Qingzhou.
Their essence lies in alchemy, after all.
If this sea of stars is just a trial… then I will accept it!”
Su Jingzhen retrieved a pile of medicinal ingredients and placed them beside the Black Mountain Cauldron.
These were precisely the ingredients needed to refine the Breaking Through Adversity Pill.
“Suzhen, lend me a hand!” he called out.
Although Bai Suzhen didn’t respond, Su Jingzhen felt a cool energy from the belt at his waist spreading throughout his body.
With the support of Bai Suzhen’s energy, Su Jingzhen began practicing the Python Scales Power within the sea of stars.
As a Body Cultivator, he needed to adjust himself to peak condition, and practicing Python Scales Power was the perfect way to do it.
After six cycles of the technique, Su Jingzhen’s body was in its best state. Without further delay, he reached out to the ingredients for refining the Breaking Through Adversity Pill.
It had been quite some time since he last refined pills.
Su Jingzhen lit the fire and activated the cauldron, going through the basic steps of alchemy with ease. He quickly entered a focused state, each medicinal ingredient falling under his precise control.
At that moment, his mastery over the Dan Heart technique naturally manifested. One by one, the ingredients were placed into the cauldron. Refining and fusing them flowed seamlessly, like a well-practiced routine.
In less than half an incense stick’s time, a Breaking Through Adversity Pill flew out of the cauldron. Su Jingzhen glanced at it and smiled—superior grade!
Perfectly executed.
However, he knew well that if this was truly a trial, one pill wouldn’t suffice. After all, alchemy had its moments of luck, and any alchemist could have a streak of fortune.
Instead of storing the pill in a jade bottle, Su Jingzhen let it float in the air, suspended in the void. He returned to his alchemy process, repeating the same smooth and precise actions.
Even Bai Suzhen, coiled around his waist, silently marveled once again. “Su Jingzhen isn’t just refining pills—he’s mass producing them.”
Before long, Su Jingzhen tapped the cauldron, and another Breaking Through Adversity Pill flew out, which was also of superior grade.
Without a break, he continued refining more pills, trusting his instincts that he was on the right track.
If none of the stars in this celestial sea reacted, it meant that he simply hadn’t refined enough pills.
He didn’t opt for more complex pills like the Heart-Calming Pill, Rebirth Pill, or even the Bodhi Breaking Through Adversity Pill. Those were beyond his complete mastery, and achieving uniform superior-grade results would be difficult.
The Breaking Through Adversity Pill, however, was perfect for the task.
As time passed, seven or eight superior-grade Breaking Through Adversity Pills floated before Su Jingzhen in the void.
Yet, the celestial sea around him remained unchanged.
Still, he was not in a hurry. Like a factory on an assembly line, he continued the same process with unwavering focus.
Meanwhile, back at the center of the Dantai Ruins, in the white jade plaza where the Yunmeng Goddess statue stood, unexpected visitors arrived.
“Boom!”
A deafening explosion rang out, and one of the pavilions at the edge of the white jade plaza collapsed in an instant.
The figures of the Evil Moon Sect’s Second Elder and Zou Zeyu suddenly appeared in the plaza.
The two of them had maintained Zou Zeyu’s straightforward approach all the way here—walking in a straight line!
Every building they encountered was destroyed, and every formation they came across was dismantled.
After spending about an hour, they finally arrived at this place.
When Zou Zeyu saw the white jade plaza and the statue of the Yunmeng Goddess upon it, his expression suddenly tensed!
“The Yunmeng Goddess statue! I didn’t expect there to be one here as well!”
Both Zou Zeyu and the Second Elder were immensely shocked.
Their reaction was nearly identical to Su Jingzhen and his party when they first arrived.
Before the two could even collect themselves, two figures approached swiftly from the distance.
Tuoba Junlin and his protector, Elder Qin, had also arrived.
When Tuoba Junlin saw Zou Zeyu and the Second Elder, he wasn’t particularly surprised.
However, he too was astonished by the statue of the Yunmeng Goddess before him.
At this moment, none of the four noticed that on the other side of the plaza, hidden among the branches of a large tree, was the figure of Cang Yun from Dongxuan Academy, lying in wait.
“Having such formidable cultivation but lacking the courage to fight… Han Ning and those two old geezers are getting more cowardly with age.
What a disgrace to our Dongxuan Academy!
With my foresight, they’re only capable of scavenging on the outskirts of the Dantai Clan’s territory.
They’re utterly unworthy of their Soul Formation stage cultivation!”
Cang Yun was muttering non-stop, still extremely displeased with Han Ning and the others’ decision.
As he murmured to himself, his gaze turned toward the Yunmeng Goddess statue in the center of the plaza and the majestic hall standing before it.
His eyes burned with desire.