415 The Emperor of Qingzhou’s Secret Treasure
“What if someone decides to hide until the end of the extended time period? After one, two, or even three or four failures, more and more people would realize what’s happening,” Qin Huai pondered. “At that point, we might truly struggle to meet the conditions.”
The old lunatics from Wuji Mountain might have also understood these laws, but it’s very likely they did so after failing a few times. They lost the capacity to gather everyone in one spot, which hindered their entry into the level-zero array.
The biggest challenge Qin Huai and the others currently faced was gathering everyone together, something Xiang Mingfeng was already attempting. While the first attempt wasn’t very successful, they should have one or two more opportunities.
Both of them started searching for Xiang Mingfeng in the forest. On the third day, they finally found him.
“Brother Xiang!” Qin Huai called out, approaching quickly with Fang Huo.
Xiang Mingfeng was huddled with She Wanshan, Le Ji’an, and Gou Jie from the Thousand Divination Tower. They appeared to be engrossed in discussing myths and legends — Qin Huai overheard mentions of the ‘Emperor of Qingzhou.’
“Brother Zhou, Brother Fang!” They appeared a little surprised to see the two.
“Do you guys have so much free time?” Fang Huo teased. “You’re not practicing or planning the next move, instead, you’re sitting around discussing the legend of the emperor of Qingzhou?” Despite his teasing, he seemed eager to join in the conversation.
“So you were saying that the emperor of Qingzhou was able to ward off the eight kings of Great You, right? The eight kings must have been very strong,” Fang Huo continued.
“The eight kings of Great You are all talk,” Le Ji ‘an responded with a dismissive smile. “The so-called eight kings were vanquished by the emperor of Qingzhou with just eight punches.”
Fang Huo sat beside them, chuckling at Le Ji ‘an’s remarks. “I’ve read the Biography of the Kings of Great You. Each of the eight kings experienced extraordinary celestial phenomena in their lives, possessed unusual bloodline power, and was incredibly powerful.
“Furthermore, they had Emperor Youyu, the supreme figure of Great You, as their mentor. Within twenty years, they emerged as victors in the half-nether realm, becoming an invincible force among their generation. Their strength can’t be underestimated. It’s just that the emperor of Qingzhou was exceptionally strong.”
Qin Huai listened with interest as the top geniuses of Qingzhou discussed the myths and legends of the Great You. These stories were believed to be from ten thousand years ago, and whether they were true or not was already a mystery.
Although he was merely a listener, Qin Huai could sense the enthusiasm of these top talents of Qingzhou as they delved deep into these mythological stories. When anyone among them made a bold claim, they would substantiate it with references from books. He found it quite curious why they suddenly decided to discuss this topic.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Qin Huai asked, “Why did you start discussing this all of a sudden?”
Their conversation paused. Xiang Mingfeng then said, “I have a daring theory.”
Qin Huai listened attentively.
Xiang Mingfeng cleared his throat and continued, “I happened to recall a record from the Book of Qingzhou that states that Qingzhou was a bronze producer. The emperor of Qingzhou was also known for his interest in bronze and frequently wore bronze artifacts.”
“Then, Brother Le and Brother Gou also remembered some other records about the emperor of Qingzhou.”
Gou Jie chimed in, “The emperor of Qingzhou was said to have divine abilities that could cause plants to grow and die. He could create a whole new world and draw thousands of enemies into it.”
These stories about the emperor of Qingzhou flowed smoothly, as if they all knew them by heart. Qin Huai listened carefully and started piecing together what they might be suggesting.
“So, you’re suggesting that this bronze realm could be the remnants of the emperor of Qingzhou?” Qin Huai asked.
Xiang Mingfeng nodded. “If these records are correct, then the bronze realm could be a test established by the emperor of Qingzhou to find worthy inheritors for his legacy.”
“The similarities are too striking to ignore,” he continued. “Whether it’s the bronze or the descriptions of the plants and flowers… If this isn’t a trial by the emperor of Qingzhou, what else could it be?”
Qin Huai’s brows furrowed. “So, do you have any other theories?”
Gou Jie smiled. “That’s why we’re hypothesizing that the key to the level-zero array is hidden somewhere in the bronze realm. Or perhaps it’s a method or treasure to fulfill the nearly impossible condition of the illusion realm’s great slaughter.”
Qin Huai fell silent. Though some of the myths and legends they discussed might contain exaggerated elements, the striking similarities with the bronze realm were indeed suspicious. Could it be that his guess was incorrect, and the real answer to the level-zero formation was a key left by the emperor of Qingzhou?
However, he then realized that no one was necessarily wrong. Both his deductions and the findings from Xiang Mingfeng and others could be correct. He either needed to single-handedly annihilate all the gathered geniuses in the illusion realm quickly or they needed to find the key or treasure left by the emperor of Qingzhou to directly enter the level-zero array.
“So, Brother Xiang, are you suggesting we should focus on finding the key left by the Emperor of Qingzhou within the array?” Qin Huai inquired.
“No, we need to do both.”
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