Chapter 125: Delving into the Vein, Admonitions from Chen Changsheng

Chapter 125 – Delving into the Vein, Admonitions from Chen Changsheng

The revelation struck Gongsun Huaiyu like a thunderclap, leaving her heart in a state of utter turmoil.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Brother Nalan was the biological younger brother of the Yao Guang Saint Son.

Chen Changsheng paid no heed to her astonishment. He rose, stretching his limbs with a predatory grace.

“For tomorrow’s Heavenly Talent Assembly, there are a few commands you must carve into your soul.”

“First, you are to avoid conflict with anyone. That includes Fang Qiancheng.”

“Second, you are strictly forbidden from delving into the depths of the mineral vein.”

Under normal circumstances, the headstrong Gongsun Huaiyu would have pressed for a reason, her curiosity getting the better of her.

But the girl standing before him now chose only to bow her head in compliance.

“Young Master, are these rules absolute? Are there no exceptions?”

“None. Even if Fang Qiancheng spits in your face, you shall not break them.”

“Furthermore, you must ensure the others abide by these restrictions as well.”

“Even Zi Ning?”

“Even her.”

Gongsun Huaiyu pursed her lips, her gaze hardening with newfound resolve. “Young Master, rest assured. I shall not fail you again.”

“Hehehe…”

Chen Changsheng let out a low, satisfied chuckle as he observed her transformation.

“A fall into the pit is a gain in your wit. It seems you have truly grown, girl.”

With that, he vaulted off the rooftop and vanished into his chambers.

Secrecy is the soil in which success takes root; a single leaked word is the frost that kills the harvest.

To ensure the coming gambit remained flawless, the most prudent path was to leave everyone in the dark.

The old Gongsun Huaiyu would have pried until she reached the bottom of the matter, or perhaps she would have cut corners when the orders became inconvenient.

Now, however, she asked no questions. She harbored no resentment toward the unknown.

This cold, disciplined growth was exactly what Chen Changsheng required.

Time flowed like a river, and a day vanished in the blink of an eye.

When the dawn of the fifth day broke, the Heavenly Talents gathered like a sea of stars outside the entrance to the mineral vein.

The masters of the Great Holy Lands and various sovereign powers had also descended upon the site.

The second trial carried the stench of mortality; no sect leader wished to see their prized seeds withered by an unforeseen catastrophe.

Yet, a subtle shadow hung over the gathering. The Eastern Wasteland contingent found themselves ostracized by the combined weight of the Middle Heavens’ elite.

Wan Yan Yue and her companions were relegated to the furthest, most desolate fringes of the vein’s entrance.

Even the Purple Mansion Holy Land, though not as severely shunned, failed to secure a vantage point near the front.

Should disaster strike within the depths, the Eastern Wasteland and the Purple Mansion Holy Land would find themselves too far away to receive immediate salvation.

The architect of this isolation was none other than the Son of the Forbidden Land, Fang Qiancheng.

In the face of a Forbidden Land that had endured since the primordial era, few forces possessed the spine to stand in open defiance.

“Chen Changsheng, once you step into this vein, the line between life and death becomes blurred.”

“If fear has gripped your heart, you may crawl away now. I promise no one will laugh too loudly.”

Fang Qiancheng stood not far off, his voice dripping with casual provocation.

Chen Changsheng’s eyes turned to chips of ice. “The winner of this hunt is yet to be decided. I suggest you rein in your arrogance, lest it choke you.”

“The spiritual resonance within this vein is chaotic, capable of smothering even the sharpest Divine Sense.”

“If one is too loud, it becomes terribly easy for a hidden cudgel to find the back of their skull.”

“Is that so?”

“Then I shall wait with bated breath.”

Fang Qiancheng flashed a disdainful sneer before leading the Western Continent talents into a dark, yawning tunnel.

Chen Changsheng matched his coldness, leading his own group into a separate shaft.

The mineral vein possessed countless maws, but they all eventually bled into a central labyrinth.

In this sunless, winding purgatory, the laws of the world were thin—a perfect cradle for murder and plunder.

The Mine Tunnels.

After advancing through the gloom, a fork in the path appeared before Chen Changsheng.

The left passage plunged toward the lightless depths of the vein, while the right meandered toward the safer periphery.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Chen Changsheng veered toward the left.

But as the others moved to follow his shadow, Gongsun Huaiyu stepped forward, her body a physical barrier across the leftward path.

“We take the right.”

Confusion rippled through the group.

Ye Hensheng frowned, his voice cautious. “Miss Gongsun, what is the meaning of this?”

“There is no meaning. I simply wish to walk the right path, and you all shall accompany me.”

Zi Ning’s temper flared instantly.

“And who, exactly, made you the sovereign of this group?”

“Since when do you dictate our movements? I shall walk where I please. What can you possibly do to stop me?”

Gongsun Huaiyu did not offer a rebuttal. She simply stood her ground, a silent, unyielding sentinel blocking the way.

Ye Hensheng narrowed his eyes, glancing at Chen Changsheng’s receding back and then at the resolute girl before him.

“Miss Zi Ning, stay your anger,” Ye Hensheng urged. “Miss Gongsun surely has a reason for this sudden stubbornness.”

“How about this: we split our strength.”

“Some shall go to assist Brother Chen, while the rest follow Miss Gongsun. These tunnels are a web; there is more than one path to the heart of the vein.”

The fire in Zi Ning’s chest cooled slightly. A large group was indeed a conspicuous target. Splitting their forces seemed a shrewd deduction of the Dao.

“No!”

Gongsun Huaiyu’s rejection was sharp and absolute.

“No one is permitted to take the leftward path.”

“You—”

“Miss Zi Ning, peace,” Ye Hensheng intervened again, acting as the grease between the grinding gears. “If Miss Gongsun is so adamant, let us simply choose another route.”

“Brother Chen’s prowess is formidable. If we hover at his side, we may only act as shackles upon his feet.”

Faced with Gongsun Huaiyu’s impenetrable wall of resolve, Zi Ning seethed, but Ye Hensheng’s diplomacy prevented a total fracture.

Driven by Gongsun Huaiyu’s fierce insistence, the group eventually vanished into the right-hand tunnel.

“Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation… Ghost Shadow Maze Formation…”

Chen Changsheng strolled through the dark tunnels with a leisurely air. Every time he crossed a junction, he flicked his fingers, weaving a trapping formation into the air.

These constructs were fragile; any Heavenly Talent could shatter them in the time it took to draw a breath.

Curiously, he made no attempt to rush into the deep. Instead, he prowled the middle layers of the vein like a spider weaving a web across the essential thoroughfares.

Once he had marked the paths, he produced a map provided by the Kunlun Holy Land.

The assembly was meant to test strength, not navigation; it would be a farce if the geniuses of the world spent their days merely wandering a maze.

Chen Changsheng’s finger traced the parchment until it settled on a crimson dot at the very center.

Looking at that mark, even he felt a cold shudder crawl down his spine.

“Now… how do I goad them into dragging that horror into the light?”

“If anyone discovers my hand in this, I shall likely be flayed alive.”

After a moment of cold calculation, Chen Changsheng’s body erupted in a Vertical Golden Light. He sank slowly into the solid stone of the floor.

To ensure his tracks were buried, he had to once again approach that terrifying presence.

The anomalies at the end of the mine tunnels were merely the leaking aura of the thing buried beneath.

The horror rested three thousand feet below the tunnel floors.

If he were to “accidentally” hollow out the intervening rock and ore, the barrier would thin.

Once the “clue” was exposed, it would only take one meddlesome fool with itchy fingers to trigger the catastrophe.