HSSB706: All or nothing
There was just a speck of that bright light initially. In the end, though, it enveloped the entire space.
It was not light that had expanded over from the distance to illuminate the darkness. Instead, radiance seemed to be emitted from the very surrounding darkness of space at this moment.
The world of darkness before their eyes instantly transformed into a world of light.
Light and dark had been reversed and overturned in that mere, short instant.
Yan Zhaoge’s gaze lit up, “Now this is a reaction shown by the true Dim Radiant Mausoleum.”
The bright radiance that enveloped the area instantly swept away the flame, also repelling that massive palm that seemed able to pluck the stars and grab the moon.
Now, mild radiance circulated amidst space once more as numerous pillars of green qi suddenly appeared before congregating to form a massive divine tree that was connected to the heavens.
The divine tree seemed to pierce through the heavens and the earth as it descended amidst the radiance.
The aura of this divine tree was much more powerful than that of the flame and the massive hand!
Yet, it was also obstructed by that bright light, unable to descend further.
Ripples like water suddenly shook amidst space as a formless existence was revealed beneath that all-encompassing radiance.
No one at all had discovered this person before this.
Even as Zhou Haosheng had beaten the grass and startled the snake, this person had managed to hold himself back, not appearing.
Now, however, he was finally revealed beneath the radiance.
Since his tracks had already been exposed, this man no longer concealed himself as he instead approached the group with Yan Zhaoge and Zhou Haosheng.
His physical frame seemed to completely ignore the restrictions of space and time as he now appeared before them.
Even beneath that bright radiance, only his faint outline could be seen, his appearance indistinct.
Yan Zhaoge’s gaze hardened abruptly, “Spatial Heavenly Scripture…”
Now, the flickering radiance grew stronger as it tried to repel this currently approaching person.
“Hmph?” That person emitted a low snort, his aura which had remained faint and indistinct before this now erupting mightily, powerful to the extreme as the surrounding space shook alongside it.
However, such great might ultimately still collided with a wall when up against that bright radiance, being obstructed by it with no way forward.
The radiance swept along Yan Zhaoge’s and Zhou Haosheng’s group, vanishing far away in an instant.
The space where it had seemed like daybreak earlier immediately dimmed, darkness hence restored.
A long, slow sigh resounded amidst space.
The next moment, that massive tree that towered to the heavens vanished, the flame dispersed and the massive palm was retracted as well.
That concealed figure that had seemed transparent amidst space vanished as well, as if it had never been there in the first place.
Amidst the radiance, Yan Zhaoge raised his palm, smiling, “The Dim Radiant Emperor is indeed well worthy of his fame. Even while he is dead, there are few who can have designs on his mausoleum.”
Those at the same level of power would not disturb Yin Tianxia’s eternal rest for no good reason.
Those whose cultivation bases were inferior would not be able to break through the restrictions of the Dim Radiant Mausoleum easily.
Zhou Haosheng sighed before saying, “If not for this, this old man would not have dared to act so perilously.”
A Dim Darkness Sect Elder beside him smiled bitterly, “That person who was formlessly concealed amidst space should be the Western Exalt? The one who wielded the towering divine tree should have been the Eastern Exalt. We have offended the two of them terribly now.”
“The one who wielded the flame seemed to have been one of the peak experts of the southern Blazing Heaven Territory.”
Hearing this, Yan Zhaoge’s gaze flickered slightly, “The Western Exalt?”
Other things aside, he could be certain that the martial art cultivated by that person who had been concealed amidst space earlier was precisely the Spatial Heavenly Scripture of the later six scriptures of the Primordial Heavenly Scriptures alongside the Life Creation Heavenly Scripture, the Aeon Light Heavenly Scripture and the Yin Yang Heavenly Scripture.
Zhou Haosheng said, “It would be fine searching for the Emperor’s mausoleum amidst this endless space, but the three will not truly go to the extent of trespassing in the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory. Thus, it will be fine so long as we are not trapped by them upon leaving the mausoleum.”
He shook his head, “The worrying one is that person whose true essence transformed into a massive star plucking hand. While his cultivation base is inferior to that of the two Exalts, he is a figure of the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory.”
The Dim Darkness Sect Elders all smiled bitterly. The Star Plucking Practitioner Guan Lide was one of those few experts inferior only to the Southeastern Exalt in the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory.
Yan Zhaoge appraised Zhou Haosheng from the side, a hint of a smile within his eyes.
This Chief of the Dim Darkness Sect was no minor figure indeed.
He had intentionally beaten the grass and startled the snake, with Guan Lide and another expert having acted as a result.
The clash between these two had also been beating the grass and startling the snake in another sense of the term.
It was the true Dim Radiant Mausoleum which had been startled as a result.
While Yan Zhaoge and Zhou Haosheng had found the path leading to the mausoleum, they had still been lacking a little something as they had been unable to determine its exact position for certain.
Knowing that Guan Lide and the others were secretly following them, Zhou Haosheng had tricked them into acting, stimulating the defensive restrictions of the Dim Radiant Mausoleum as a result and thus determining the location of the mausoleum for real.
Afterwards, they had borrowed the activation of the mausoleum’s restrictions to secretly evade.
The Dim Radiant Mausoleum had retracted its radiance and brought them away, thus causing the Western Exalt, the Eastern Exalt, Guan Lide and the other expert to lose track of them once more.
This had been a brilliant hand indeed. Yan Zhaoge even felt like clapping for him.
Of course, there would be extremely severe aftereffects as well. Quite a few powerful, major figures would be offended as a result.
Zhou Haosheng’s expression was calm, his gaze resolute, “While the Southeastern Exalt did not say it outright, he is not happy at the Emperor’s mausoleum being disturbed by others. The Star Plucking Practitioner would have acted covertly this time. Things are unlikely to blow out of proportion.”
“While this will cause many hidden dangers for us, if we do not risk it a little, when might we ever be able to restore the former glory of our past Dim Radiant Sect?”
“Moreover, successfully entering the Dim Radiant Mausoleum this time, if we profit, our strength rising greatly as a result, even the Star Plucking Practitioner might not dare act lightly against us.”
Things already having come to this point, the other Dim Darkness Sect experts could only nod in agreement.
Yan Zhaoge watched this scene rather interestedly, able to feel an ‘all or nothing’ resolve emanating from Zhou Haosheng.
He felt that self-encouragement aside, Zhou Haosheng’s earlier words had probably been for him to listen to as well.
Yan Zhaoge smiled, not speaking further as he just reminded, “Chief Zhou, if I did not feel it wrongly, those changes in the restrictions of the mausoleum seemed to guide someone else in here as well.”
While it was the Dim Darkness Sect who circulated the formation, Yan Zhaoge had been continually maintaining a mental connection with it through the metallic fragment right at its core all this while.
Now, it felt like impurities had been added to the water. It was no longer clear, yet was extremely compatible.
This meant that the other side had not forcibly broken through the restrictions of the Dim Radiant Mausoleum. Instead, they possessed treasures that were related to it as well, having made use of that earlier opportunity to integrate within as they had been guided along into this area as well.
It was most probable that it was the Radiant Light Sect who possessed such methods.
Zhou Haosheng’s face sank as he nodded slowly, “This old man felt it too. It should be those of the Radiant Light Sect, no question about that.”
“Still, with how things are, we will be able to directly enter the coremost region of the mausoleum, skipping the outer restrictions, while those accursed Radiant Light Sect people would be able to get to the outer regions at most.”
Amidst his words, the radiance gradually faded.
Yan Zhaoge watched on as the scene before him gradually grew clearer, a massive mausoleum hence appearing in his field of vision.