HSSB703: Mausoleum of the Dim Radiant Emperor
As Yan Zhaoge and Zhou Haosheng sat across from each other, the latter was silent for a long time before he asked, “Could the treasure Little Friend Yan speaks of be related to the Emperor and the past Dim Radiant Sect?”
“I too cannot say for sure,” Yan Zhaoge said candidly, “This treasure was previously obtained by this Yan from someone else, while the original owner of this treasure was once murderously pursued by the Radiant Light Sect.”
Hearing this, Zhou Haosheng instantly raised his snow-white brows slightly.
Yan Zhaoge continued, “Afterwards, analysing it myself, I could feel that this treasure is indeed related to the Dim Radiant Emperor and the Dim Radiant Sect of the past.”
Zhou Haosheng fell silent once more. Yan Zhaoge looked calmly at him.
After a while, Zhou Haosheng said slowly, “Actually, this old man too does not know about the truth behind the Emperor’s death that year.”
He paused for a moment before elaborating, “Aside from the Emperor, the higher echelons of the sect at the time mostly perished as well. Of those who remained, only a mere few were aware of what had truly happened.”
Yan Zhaoge knit his brows.
The Dim Radiant Emperor Yin Tianxia was definitely one of the peak figures amongst the experts who had surfaced following the Great Calamity.
His death had influenced things greatly. Yet, even those of the Dim Radiant Sect themselves had actually not been privy to the actual details of it, being unaware of who the opponent had been?
“Did the Three Sovereigns act? Or was he encircled and attacked by others possessing the title of Emperor?” Yan Zhaoge cut to the chase.
Zhou Haosheng’s voice was much softer now, “Our predecessors have all speculated on this, yet have not found anything concrete nevertheless. We are also powerless to seek out many things.”
His gaze was distant as scenes passed down from the ancient past surfaced within his mind.
Back then, when the Dim Radiant Sect had still been flourishing, the Dim Radiant Emperor Yin Tianxia had led numerous experts in leaving their main altar. It was rumoured that they had departed on an expedition to a distant realm.
Everything had seemed very normal at first, but who knew that they would never return in the end.
The bigwigs of the Dim Radiant Sect who had stayed behind to guard the place had tried to contact them but to no avail.
One day thereafter, the Dim Radiant Emperor Yin Tianxia solitarily returned to the Dim Radiant Sect’s main altar. On that very day, he perished just like that, seated in the meditative position.
Before his death, his disciples had asked him about what had happened. Yin Tianxia had said not a single word, only having written a strange rune amidst space.
After he perished, that rune expanded into a black hole, sucking his corpse within.
The Dim Darkness Sect’s main altar collapsed on a grand scale, the fragments surrounding the rune and Yin Tianxia’s corpse coming together to form a massive mausoleum.
The mausoleum finally vanished within the depths of the black hole. The black hole circulated, transforming into a streak of light and shooting into the horizon, thus vanishing without a trace.
Words appeared between the heavens and the earth. They read, ‘Disperse your various ways’.
Those of the sect had all been at a loss, yet knew that their Dim Radiant Sect had just suffered a great tribulation.
Thereafter, the Dim Radiant Sect that had been famed even before the time of the Great Calamity and had surged to prominence in the World beyond Worlds in that following era gradually declined.
The Dim Radiant Sect had gained quite a few enemies during its rise to prominence as well. These enemies naturally teamed up to suppress them during their period of weakness, therefore leaving them declining yet further.
Finally, light and darkness had split apart, a massive entity dispersing with the wind just like that.
Yan Zhaoge asked ponderingly, “Departed on an expedition to a distant realm…Nine Underworlds?”
Zhou Haosheng shook his head, “This old man too does not know the specifics.”
He looked at Yan Zhaoge, “The whereabouts of the Emperor’s corpse as well as the treasures that may exist alongside it are all unknown. Amongst us descendants, a mere legend remains, a legend regarding the Dim Radiant Mausoleum.”
Yan Zhaoge smacked his lips, “What Chief Zhou means is that this thing I possess could be related to the Dim Radiant Mausoleum?”
“This old man thinks so, yes,” Zhou Haosheng said slowly, “The Emperor did not leave behind any relics upon his death. If one must say for certain, during the construction of the mausoleum back then, there were some fragments that were left behind. Those may be the only treasures that are related to the Emperor himself.”
Yan Zhaoge nodded slightly, taking out that metallic fragment that was half-white and half-black. He put it on the table before slowly pushing it over to Zhou Haosheng.
A brilliant light suddenly erupted within Zhou Haosheng’s eyes.
He did not reach out to take it. Instead, his gaze grew condensed to the point of being tangible as it focused intently on that metallic fragment.
Within one of his pupils, a dim yet condensed and vigorous light flickered slightly, growing milder and milder till finally it transformed into a deep, quiet darkness.
On the metallic fragment, a strange scene appeared. The white half turned incomparably dim while from the black half emanated a brilliant light.
Seeing this, Yan Zhaoge secretly nodded to himself. For an expert of Zhou Haosheng’s cultivation base, such mighty power was indeed possessed even amidst his simple, casual movements.
The metallic fragment that was half-white and half-black shook unceasingly. With it as the centre, space in the near, direct vicinity actually showed signs of collapsing.
The spirits of Yan Zhaoge and Zhou Haosheng both rose greatly, “From the looks of it, there really is something strange about it.”
Zhou Haosheng pondered for a moment before glancing up towards Yan Zhaoge, a look of inquiry within his gaze.
Yan Zhaoge nodded slightly, indicating that he could freely exert his means.
Zhou Haosheng extended a finger, lightly tapping on that metallic fragment which instantly emitted an extraordinary glow.
The nearby space collapsed completely, actually forming a tiny black dot which emitted a terrifying suction force, vaguely resembling a spatial fissure.
Zhou Haosheng moved to stabilise it before retrieving an item from his Shadow Shrinking Pouch.
Yan Zhaoge looked at it. That was clearly the tile from a roof, black in its entirety and completely lustreless as it seemed to contain a mysterious, profound aura.
It was just that this black tile was damaged.
Thinking of what that Zhou Haosheng had mentioned earlier, Yan Zhaoge knew that this should be one of the fragments of the Dim Radiant Emperor, Yin Tianxia’s power that had previously been left behind from the construction of the mausoleum following his death.
As the metallic fragment came into contact with the damaged black tile, the two began vibrating together, the surrounding space growing even more unstable.
Seeing this, Zhou Haosheng took out two more items, one made of wood and the other stone. These were clearly objects that were similar to the black tile.
Gathered together, these objects had not showed any reaction before. Yet, gathered around the metallic fragment that was half-black and half-white now, they all began vibrating together, also emitting a profound radiance.
Zhou Haosheng’s brows relaxed as a smile appeared on his face.
Yan Zhaoge observed for a moment, “Just this alone seems insufficient to determine the location of the Dim Radiant Mausoleum?”
Zhou Haosheng smiled, “A major advantage has already been seized, far surpassing those rebels of the Radiant Light Sect.”
Yan Zhaoge smiled as well, “This is indeed good news.”
Streams of light circulated amidst that dark space, seemingly guiding the way forward.
Zhou Haosheng memorised the variations in space visible within. Yan Zhaoge did so as well.
As Zhou Haosheng had done this, looking at Yan Zhaoge, he suddenly felt a little unable to smile.
While they were irrevocable enemies, both the Radiant Light Sect and the Dim Darkness Sect believed themselves to be the most legitimate descendants of the former Dim Radiant Sect.
The Dim Darkness Sect had always believed itself to be the most logical successor of the relics of the former Dim Radiant Sect.
Even less had to be said about the Dim Radiant Mausoleum. The Dim Darkness Sect would definitely want to profit from such a place all on its own.
While their relationship with Yan Zhaoge currently wasn’t bad, for the Dim Darkness Sect, they were more willing to repay Yan Zhaoge in some other area, not wishing to share the mausoleum with him.
The white-clothed old man sighed, suddenly feeling rather troubled.