My Professions Have Too Much Personality

Chapter 372 - 219: Sharpening the Knives (Part 2)

At first, everyone was a little anxious, but as time passed, they gradually calmed down. They chatted idly, and when they stumbled upon a topic everyone found interesting, things would get quite lively.

It was almost impossible to feel the passage of time here, and after who knows how long, Qing Cang gradually came to a halt.

The chatting crowd all turned to look, thinking some new mishap had occurred. Their expressions grew tense.

"Hmm... The Taiyue Hub is just ahead," Qing Cang announced. The seemingly endless Teleportation Route was finally coming to an end. A mirror-like brilliance appeared in the distance—the exit of the Star Gate.

Everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief. They had finally arrived.

"However..." His tone shifted, and everyone tensed. Qing Cang continued, "The Taiyue Hub isn’t necessarily safe."

"So, we won’t be taking the normal route."

Everyone froze. Before they could react, the color drained from their faces as the Energy Ball carrying them suddenly veered, charging straight toward the spatial barrier.

Su Chen’s heart leaped into his throat, to say nothing of the others. Their faces turned deathly pale, and they almost cried out in alarm.

Without a sound, the edge of the Energy Ball made contact with the spatial barrier. The two intertwined, the impact surprisingly gentle. It only created a series of expanding, transparent ripples.

Su Chen held his breath, watching intently as the kaleidoscopic spatial barrier drew closer.

In a flash, his world spun. When his vision cleared, he found himself in a star-filled expanse of space.

As everyone came to their senses, they quickly patted themselves down, only relaxing after confirming they were still in one piece.

Su Chen, however, was immediately captivated by a distant light. It emanated from a colossal landmass, one far more magnificent than the Balance Dao Central Hub. Its glow was visible even from this vast distance.

What was most striking were not the exhaust trails from Flying Devices radiating in all directions, nor the massive Star Gates hovering above it.

Rather, it was the myriad specks of faint light scattered around the colossal hub, like a field of stars.

"This is the Taiyue Hub, one of the eight major route hubs in the Dust Star Sea. It connects to over a hundred Star Gates. Those faint lights scattered around it are the Meteorite Zone."

"They are constructed from giant meteors, fixed in place by gravitational fields. Some people rent them long-term to store cargo or use as bases..."

The explanation came as a wave of Spiritual Power from Wan Chen. Su Chen glanced at him in surprise and offered a word of thanks.

Qing Cang swept them up again, speeding through space toward the scattered points of light. They were, in fact, irregularly shaped meteors, dotted with various metal structures. Some were even defended by massive energy cannons.

This was the periphery, where defenses were weak. Qing Cang selected a medium-sized meteor with a few warehouse-like structures, apparently serving as a temporary base.

Su Chen faintly sensed Qing Cang’s immense Spiritual Power wash over the meteor. The handful of bored guards on duty immediately lost consciousness. After being mentally puppeted into lowering the defense shield for them, they collapsed into a deep stupor.

After landing on the meteor, everyone was bewildered, unsure of Qing Cang’s intentions.

"You all wait here for now. After I confirm that the Taiyue Hub is safe, I will come back for you." Qing Cang looked at the group, his gaze lingering on Su Chen for a moment.

Everyone was surprised. Then, Qing Cang called Wan Chen and two others over one by one.

Xia Jie was last. Whatever Qing Cang told them, all of their expressions turned grave.

Surprisingly, however, Qing Cang gave no instructions to Su Chen.

Finally, Xia Jie confiscated everyone’s external communication devices. The given reason was to prevent information leaks. Although it felt strange, no one dared to defy his orders.

Qing Cang left with some of the guards, while Xia Jie quickly began to inspect the area to assess the situation.

"Hmm..." Outside the meteor, Qing Cang glanced back, his expression unreadable. With a grasping motion of his hand, the guards following him shrank until they disappeared into his sleeve.

’Now, it’s about time. I should go and meet them.’

Suddenly, a streak of light flashed across the Meteorite Zone, speeding toward the central hub.

......

Taiyue Central Hub. Only when seen up close could one discover that it was actually half of a shattered star. The ravines and fissures were filled with crisscrossing metal buildings, and Flying Devices weaved through them. It looked chaotic, yet possessed a unique kind of beauty.

"According to our time estimates, Qing Cang and his group should have arrived at the Taiyue Hub five days ago. Why is there still no word from them?"

In a luxurious room, a burly man with a copper-green beard paced back and forth, his face etched with impatience and urgency.

"Lin Langtian." He looked at the back of the man standing before the window. The man was slender, dressed in a well-fitting black suit, and did not respond.

"Hu Qi!" He turned and looked at the slightly overweight man sitting on the sofa.

"Wu Feng..." Hu Qi stood up, his voice gentle as he soothed, "Don’t get agitated. Perhaps they were just delayed for a few days in the Teleportation Route."

"Sigh..." Wu Feng sighed, a deep worry flashing in his eyes, and couldn’t help but complain:

"Junior Master Qing Cang is far too deferential to the Ancient King. He didn’t even try to talk him out of it. How could that power he split off be wasted on that Desolate Planet? If he had brought it with him, would we be this anxious?"

"What kind of talk is that? The Ancient King has his reasons. Junior Master Qing Cang wouldn’t advise against it. If it were you, would you dare?" Hu Qi retorted with a hint of displeasure, then added:

"Besides, this was a personal request from that Star Seed. If he tried to persuade him against it, wouldn’t that offend the Star Seed?"

"Hah..." Wu Feng sneered, full of dissatisfaction. "Junior Master Qing Cang certainly knows how to play the good guy, taking only three people along—and a bunch of worthless nobodies at that."

"Watch your words." Lin Langtian, still by the window, had turned his head, his gaze fixed icily on Wu Feng.

Only then did Wu Feng remember that among the group Qing Cang took was Lin Langtian’s daughter, but he didn’t seem to care. "Was I wrong? If he had taken Qin Tianlin along, what business would that Su Chen have there?"

"He’s the most dazzling Talent in our Sect. A pity he wasn’t even born yet for the last Great Selection."

"I don’t know what Qing Cang was thinking. Even if he and Venerable Qin Yun had their conflicts, this is a matter of great importance concerning the Star Seed. How could he choose who to bring based on personal relationships?"

Hu Qi said in a heavy voice, "Wu Feng, since the Ancient King agreed, he must have his own considerations. Your words are what’s stirring up conflict within the Sect."

"You..." Wu Feng retorted, "You’re one of Venerable Qin Yun’s disciples too. Why are you siding with an outsider?"

"That Su Chen is the chosen heir of Venerable Red Sun. By generation, we should be calling him Junior Master. How is he an outsider?" Hu Qi frowned and snapped, "Say one more word like that, and don’t blame me for turning on you."

Wu Feng was left fuming but could only manage a cold snort.

Lin Langtian remained silent, lost in thought.

Just then, the expressions of the three men flickered. They all turned toward the door as a frantic knock echoed. A voice reported from outside, "Chairman Lin, Master Qing is here."

"Hmm?" Lin Langtian’s expression shifted. He immediately opened the door to greet him, only to find Qing Cang stumbling forward, his face deathly pale.

"Junior Master Qing Cang? What happened? Who ambushed you? Was the Spiritual stolen?"

Wu Feng immediately fired off a volley of questions.

"What’s the rush!" Hu Qi snapped. "Let our Junior Master speak."

Qing Cang looked terrible. He clutched his chest, his face ashen, and lowered himself into a chair. In a heavy voice, he said:

"We were intercepted in the Teleportation Route by people from the Royal Court. The Spiritual is still here, but Su Chen and the others... I was forced to eject them from the Teleportation Route. They are lost."

"As long as the Spiritual is safe, that’s all that matters." Wu Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

"Safe, my ass," Hu Qi shot back with a frown. "If the Royal Court captures Su Chen and puts him in stasis, the Spiritual we’re holding will become useless."

As long as a Star Seed doesn’t die, a new Chosen One cannot be selected, rendering the Spiritual useless.

This kind of thing had happened more than once in the history of the Dust Star Sea. Special methods would be used to keep a Star Seed barely alive, thus preventing the faction holding the Spiritual from initiating a new Great Selection.

In every case, resolving the trouble came at an enormous cost.