Chapter 730: Star River Throne Flame Fire Rekindled

Immediately, he shot straight up into the air with explosive force, launching a fierce assault.

“Why is he moving?” Lin Langtian and the others were momentarily stunned before their expressions changed drastically. “Wait, his target isn’t Lu Feng. It’s the Copper Shield! He’s going to attack it from the inside!”

Outside, a silent, mocking grin stretched across the Peng King’s face. It was just as he had predicted. With their combined forces attacking from both the inside and the outside, the Copper Heart would…

Hmm?

His gaze suddenly sharpened. Above the Copper Heart, a torrential flood of green data erupted into the sky, morphing into a colossal, majestic phantom.

“The Ancient King!” numerous Bronze Sect members muttered in awe, staring blankly at the sight.

The towering phantom reached out and pointed a finger. A pillar of green light shot out, arriving ahead of the incoming attack and landing directly on that section of the Energy Barrier, instantly reinforcing it.

At the same time, Qin Yun’s body convulsed violently as the torrent of data within him spilled out. Before he could even launch his attack, he was sent flying backward. He spat out a massive mouthful of blood, his already feeble aura weakening even further.

“So this is the true countermeasure the master left behind,” Qin Yun said, looking simultaneously shocked and furious.

In the distance, Qing Cang watched him with a cold expression. “I knew a leopard couldn’t change its spots.”

“You…” Qin Yun nearly choked on his own rage.

Qing Cang remained expressionless, but he sighed inwardly. He hadn’t been entirely sure if Qin Yun was genuinely repentant, and what just happened was no mere test. If Qin Yun had truly reformed, having an extra Morning Star on their side would have made navigating their current predicament much easier. Unfortunately, Qin Yun had been deceiving him all along.

“Father…” Qin Lie’s face turned pale as he staggered backward.

“Hmph,” Wei Zhenghong sneered coldly. “Just as expected.”

Qing Cang’s expression grew solemn and bleak. “You failed to grasp your final chance. Now, I have no choice but to execute the traitor first.”

As he spoke, the massive phantom coiled above the Copper Heart raised its hands.

Qin Yun felt a sudden palpitation in his chest and shrieked, “Do it now!”

The Peng King’s expression tightened. Disregarding everything else, he knew Qin Yun could still cause some trouble from the inside. He hurriedly sat upon the Star River Throne, unleashing a majestic surge of golden light that barreled straight toward the barrier.

Qing Cang grimaced. The Copper Shield wouldn’t be breached in a single strike, but he couldn’t afford to take that gamble right now. He had to prioritize defense.

Ku Baiye’s voice was dark and ruthless as he locked his eyes on Qin Yun. “I’ll deal with him!”

BOOM!

As the rippling waves of Energy dissipated, the Peng King stood up from the Star River Throne. He felt a violent surge of vitality and a metallic sweetness in his throat, but he forcefully swallowed it down. “This is the true legacy the Bronze Ancient King left behind before his departure,” he said in a deep voice. “What we saw earlier was merely its reserve Energy. I’m afraid we won’t be able to breach this anytime soon.”

“It was never going to be that simple anyway,” Lu Feng replied, entirely unbothered. “This is the headquarters of the Bronze Sect, after all. It’s bound to take some effort.”

This time, instead of waiting for the Profound Turtle King to advance, Lu Feng prepared to strike personally. But just then, his movements faltered, and he abruptly turned his head.

The Peng King also sensed something amiss, his expression shifting in alarm.

They saw the previously dormant Flame Fire suddenly boil over. Towering Fire Pillars erupted into the sky like fireworks, sending cascading waves of crimson and gold straight into the floating cyan barrier.

In an instant, the cyan Energy Barrier appeared to be painted over, inch by inch, by a flowing golden radiance. Molten ripples appeared along its edges before the entire shield seemed to ignite, exuding a majestic glow from the inside out. Golden patterns pulsed through it like veins, thrumming with radiant brilliance, making it as impregnable as a fortress.

Qing Cang froze for a second before his face broke into an expression of sheer ecstasy. “It worked! It actually worked!”

“This old fool…” On the other side, Qin Yun wore an ugly expression as he dodged a fierce, withered-leaf-yellow beam of light, retreating a great distance. He wasn’t particularly afraid of Ku Baiye given the old man’s declining vitality, but there were still several other Chairmen eyeing him like hungry wolves, even if they were heavily injured.

Since Qin Yun was already in a withered state and had just sustained severe injuries, he knew he wouldn’t fare well if they ganged up on him. His only option was to fight a retreating battle. Noticing the commotion from the Flame Fire behind him, he was instantly startled. He wondered, “The Flame Fire has recovered? But… why now of all times? Was this also part of Qing Cang’s arrangements?”

He glanced at Qing Cang, only to see the man’s face flushed with ecstatic excitement. It was obvious this development had caught him by surprise as well.

Qin Yun’s expression darkened, and he gritted his teeth inwardly. He thought, “With the Flame Fire providing Energy, the Royal Court won’t be able to break through, even with the Star River Throne. It clearly hadn’t recovered earlier, yet it suddenly restores itself now. Could it be… Su Chen again?”

He knew that the Flame Fire’s previous improvements were almost certainly due to Su Chen purifying the Fog Ashes.

He thought, “No, it should be the Residual Spirit. But why would the Residual Spirit resolve the crisis of the Flame Fire?” As he continuously backed away, a sliver of panic rose in his heart. He wondered, “Wait… it’s not impossible. He’s currently Su Chen. If the Bronze Sect falls, it would be detrimental to him as well.”

For all his careful scheming, he had completely forgotten to account for the Residual Spirit. The entity’s abilities were indeed capable of solving the Flame Fire’s issues. If that was the case, his previous defection had thoroughly severed his only chance at survival.

“The Flame Fire has recovered! It’s completely restored!”

On the Copper Heart, across the Floating Islands, and inside the temporary command post, all eyes turned toward the Flame Fire. The euphoria of a narrow escape surged through their hearts. Their faces flushed red, and they felt dizzy, as if intoxicated.

Zhou Yunyang’s breathing grew heavy as he waved his hands excitedly, entirely missing the dark, gloomy look that flashed across He Peiting’s face beside him.

“This Flame Fire…” Lu Feng’s face twitched, his fists clenching tight.

“Why now?” The Peng King’s expression was incredibly ugly. With the Flame Fire supplying Energy, they wouldn’t be able to breach this place even if they had another three years.

“Someone’s coming out of the Flame Fire,” the Profound Turtle King suddenly remarked, utterly bewildered. “How could it be…”

Lu Feng and the Peng King squinted at the sight, their expressions shifting slightly.

The Peng King was even more astounded. “Su Chen? Did he restore the Flame Fire? But he’s not even a Morning Star…”

“This man…” Han Xiao’s face darkened as he stared at the somewhat blurry figure on the screen.

They weren’t the only ones; everyone noticed the silhouette slowly drifting out of the Flame Fire.

“Is that… Su Chen?” Lin Langtian looked amazed, unable to hold back his question. “Did he resolve the Fog Ashes?”

A flurry of thoughts crossed his mind. No wonder the Flame Fire had steadily improved ever since Su Chen arrived.

“Su Chen!” Qin Yun’s gaze narrowed. A fierce, almost maddened glint flashed in his eyes. “It was you after all. Since things have come to this, even if I must die, I’m dragging you down with me!”

He had already concluded that the Residual Spirit had betrayed and entirely abandoned him. Now that the entity had purified the Fog Ashes and turned the tide of the battle, absolutely nothing Qin Yun said to defend himself would matter anymore.

“Damn it! Damn it all!” Qin Yun’s withered body trembled violently. In an instant, he transformed into a towering, burly Vajra and charged straight toward Su Chen.

“Qin Yun, don’t you dare!” Ku Baiye’s eyes widened in fury as he hurriedly chased after him.

However, Qin Yun was a Morning Star after all. Even gravely injured, he was still vastly superior to a Tier Nine Professional with failing vitality like Ku Baiye.

“Oh no!” Qing Cang snapped back to reality, his face turning pale.

Because Qin Yun had been fighting and fleeing from Ku Baiye and the others, he was currently much closer to the Flame Fire than anyone else.

“He’s going to attack Su Chen.” Lu Feng’s expression relaxed slightly. Now that the Flame Fire had been reignited, breaching the Copper Heart was already a near impossibility, let alone taking Su Chen away. Since their mission was hopeless, watching Su Chen die wasn’t a bad consolation prize.

“What a pity…” the Profound Turtle King sighed.

“What the hell?”

Su Chen had barely emerged from the Flame Fire when his heart skipped a beat. A streak of golden light, carrying a terrifying aura, was closing in on him at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye.

He wondered, “What is that… Qin Yun?” His heart trembled, and without a moment’s hesitation, he activated the True Radiance Attribute: Limit Release!

Su Chen’s pupils contracted sharply as a bizarre power erupted within him. Immediately after, dense crimson flames spewed from his body, twisting and churning in the void like a suddenly erupting volcano. Golden arcs of electricity crackled through the fire, dancing wildly like spirit snakes as his physical attributes skyrocketed in an instant.

Golden light spilled from his eyes as he cranked up his Secret Artifact Enhancement, elevating everything to Tier Nine in a flash. He had relied entirely on the Great Heaven Pill to purify the Fog Ashes just now, and he was doing the exact same thing again.

He thought, “It’s not enough…”

With berserk power boiling through his veins, an unprecedented, violent urge to vent his destructive impulses swelled in Su Chen’s chest.

“Celestial Mark Hammer!”

It was his first time using the Celestial Mark. Faint sounds of striking iron echoed from within his body as two distinct Celestial Marks took effect on his armor and hammer, instantly pushing them up to the level of Morning Star Artifacts.

His boiling aura practically solidified, rolling outward like a tidal wave. The terrifying buffs, which were already overwhelming him, ascended to yet another level!

He had no idea what was happening outside or why Qin Yun was suddenly dropping out of the sky the moment he emerged. But facing this opponent, Su Chen knew he couldn’t afford to hold back. He unleashed absolutely everything he had!