Chapter 585 321: The Sun's Plot

"Of course not." Sun's voice was nonchalant. "I used that Fan Zhao as a base, forged a wisp of Holy Power, and helped your grandson make a name for himself. You should be thanking me."

"Thank you?" Qin Yun's expression darkened. "You old ghost, you really think you're a Spirit Fragment left by a Sun Tier master? If I reveal your true identity to the other Sects, what's left of your consciousness will probably be wiped out instantly."

Sun sneered, "Then why didn't you expose me just now? If we hadn't worked together to sacrifice those Morning Star Tier Professionals, you wouldn't have made it out alive either."

"You expose me, we die together."

Hearing this, Qin Yun's face twitched.

"Qin Yun, you're no saint either." Sun's words were filled with scorn. "In the deal we made, you were supposed to find me a Divine Dawn Level body. Instead, you put me in your grandson's body and sealed my consciousness."

"What? Did you want me to become his nourishment? You underestimated me."

Qin Yun's face was ashen. He had indeed underestimated his opponent. He never expected a Spirit Fragment could bypass his seal.

After venting, Sun didn't press the issue, instead changing the subject. "However, I can tell you straight: I had nothing to do with Qin Tianlin's death. When he died, I was dragged out and exposed for all to see."

"You think this is what I wanted? And that Black Tuo, he was coming for your grandson. Even after discovering my existence, he wasn't the least bit surprised. He already knew."

'He already knew? How could he have known...?' Qin Yun's expression changed slightly. He had placed Sun's Spirit Fragment into Qin Tianlin's body, and only two people knew about it. He wouldn't have leaked it, and it seemed unlikely Sun would either. So who else was there?

Suddenly, his eyes twitched. A name came to mind—Qin Guang!

Although his son didn't know about Sun's existence, he had provided those Professionals for Qin Tianlin to plunder their Professions.

Later, he was captured by Netherworld Creatures and taken to the Nether Realm. It was highly likely that he had revealed the Traits of the purple flame, which Black Tuo then indirectly learned about, leading to this whole mess.

'But...' Qin Yun's brows furrowed deeply. 'There are still things that don't add up. Black Tuo killed Qin Tianlin. And then what?'

'Sun still exists. What did Black Tuo gain?'

'After being silent for several years, the other Deceitful Gods have probably encroached on much of his faith and territory. This was a major loss for him. Unless... there's something I don't know.'

But Sun said, "You can go ask him to his face."

"Ask who? Black Tuo?" Qin Yun retorted. "Are you kidding me?"

Sun's tone was indifferent. "He's only been silent for a few years, not completely dead. Sooner or later, you'll have your chance."

"And you think he'll tell me?" Qin Yun's expression was grim.

The flame flickered, and a low whisper emerged from it. "That's why you have to help me, so I can help you."

"Help you? What do you want?" Qin Yun focused his mind, on guard.

"I want a body. Su Chen's body."

Hearing that name, Qin Yun instinctively frowned, then shook his head. "Wishful thinking! Su Chen is being protected by..."

He trailed off, suddenly freezing. A thought struck him: Fog Ashes!

There was another matter within the Bronze Sect that could be related to Black Tuo: the Fog Ashes wreathed in Flame Fire.

According to his speculation, the improvement in the Fog Ashes' Flame Fire was most likely due to Su Chen. This might have attracted Black Tuo's attention.

'But Su Chen was the one who purified the Fog Ashes. Why would he target Tianlin?'

'Could it be that Black Tuo didn't know who it was, and only targeted Tianlin because he suddenly became a top contender, attracting his attention?'

Qin Yun's thoughts raced, and his frown deepened. 'No, that's not right either. Su Chen defeated Wei Zhenghong long before Tianlin's rise.'

'Besides, that still doesn't explain how Black Tuo knew about Sun's existence.'

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out, and a wave of frustration washed over him.

"What about Su Chen?" Sun keenly sensed the hesitation in Qin Yun's words.

"It's nothing." Qin Yun's voice was cold. "An Ancient King is paying very close attention to him. Whoever touches him dies. Besides, in your current state, how could you possibly possess his body?"

"That's why I need your help."

"Me?" Qin Yun scoffed. "Since you're disguised as a Spirit Fragment from a Sun Tier master, why didn't you offer to exchange for Su Chen's body just now?"

"This is the Bronze Sect's territory. If I had mentioned it, the Bronze Ancient King would have probably annihilated me on the spot."

Sun had no doubt about the decisiveness of such a figure. When their fundamental interests were at stake, they would act faster than anyone.

"You're quite clever," Qin Yun sneered. "You don't dare, but you want me to do it?"

Sun immediately followed up, "If the Bronze Ancient King were no longer an obstacle, would you help me?"

A glint flashed in Qin Yun's eyes. "Cut the crap. What's your plan? If you had the power to deal with an Ancient King, you wouldn't be in this situation."

Sun was evasive. "You don't need to know the specifics. Of course, I can't deal with them myself, but it might not be impossible to make them disappear for a while."

'Them? As in, all the Ancient Kings? Not just my master?' Qin Yun's eyes flickered. "Help you? What's in it for me?"

"Qin Tianlin's death is regrettable, but wouldn't you rather see a grandson of yours achieve the Sun Tier?" Sun's voice was low.

A "Heh" escaped Qin Yun's throat. "Don't try to fool me with that. You think I don't know what state you're in?"

"Forget the Sun Tier, then. What about helping you reach the Moonlight Tier?" Sun didn't press for an answer. "Just wait and see. It won't be too late to decide once my plan succeeds."

Qin Yun took a deep breath and didn't respond. The protective barrier around the flame vanished, and with a soft inhalation, the purple flame entered his body. His gaze then fell back upon Qin Tianlin's corpse.

"Sun... Moonlight... Su Chen..."

...

Outside, as time passed, news began to spread from Dragon Abyss. It was claimed that Qin Tianlin—grandson of the Bronze Sect's Venerable Qin Yun and ranked second on the preliminary list—had been suddenly attacked and killed.

The news caused an uproar, and discussions erupted everywhere.

"Where did this rumor come from? How could someone like him just die suddenly? Who would dare attack him? This is the Bronze Sect's territory!"

"Was it another Sect or the Royal Court?"

"How could it be another Sect? All the Sects' Star Seeds are here. If they really made a move, it's hard to say who would suffer the greater loss!"

Many people simply refused to believe the news, suspecting it was just a rumor. But soon, a follow-up message arrived: the attacker was Black Tuo.

A Great Deceitful God acted personally?

Everyone found it incredible. Although the various Deceitful God Sects had coexisted with the Dust Star Sea for many years, they were still a mystery to most people.

To say nothing of a Great Deceitful God of Black Tuo's level. Had anyone even heard of such a being descending into the physical world?

"That Qin Tianlin actually managed to make Black Tuo act personally?"

Amid their astonishment, they grew even more confused. What was so special about Qin Tianlin that would warrant Black Tuo's personal intervention?

"Could it be because he, a Tier Six, defeated He Muyang and the others?"

"No way. That was shocking, sure, but what does it matter to a Great Deceitful God?"

"Besides, Su Chen is even more impressive than him. If that were the reason, why kill the number two guy and not number one?"

All sorts of news flew about, but many still found it hard to believe, until they noticed more and more heavily armed Town Guard Army soldiers on Dragon Abyss, who began conducting inspections and interrogations. Only then did they tentatively start to believe it.

For a time, an atmosphere of fear and paranoia set in. Everyone felt at risk. If even Qin Tianlin could be attacked and killed, what chance did anyone else have?

However, for the truly powerful upper echelons, there were no ripples.

A Great Deceitful God on Black Tuo's level was even more terrifying than an Ancient King. If he personally set up a death trap, most people in the Dust Star Sea would have no hope of survival.

...

"So this is the Morning Star Essence?"

At the Floating Island Port, Su Chen swiped his fingertip across the sensor on the alloy case's lid. With a soft BEEP, the case opened. A blast of extremely cold white mist billowed out. In the center sat a glass container, about two-thirds full of a pitch-black liquid.

"Why is it black?"

Su Chen picked it up and held it before his eyes, observing it carefully. He gave it a shake and saw the black liquid in the container scatter like rolling beads, colliding with each other ceaselessly before finally merging back together after a long moment.