231: Chapter 231 Traces of Ink Dust

Three days after The Designers' emissary left, the Investigation Department discovered an abandoned Immortal Cave at the edge of the star sea.

Director Su Yun personally led a team to investigate. When she returned, her face was as pale as paper, and she held a dust-covered Jade Slip in her hands.

When Shen Zhao hurried from the construction site back to the Council Hall, representatives from various domains had already arrived.

Everyone's gaze was focused on that Jade Slip, and the air was filled with an indescribable oppression.

Director Su Yun stood in front of the star map, placed the Jade Slip on the table, and her hands trembled slightly.

"The Investigation Department discovered a Sealed Immortal Cave within the meteorite belt at the edge of the star sea. The Seal of the Immortal Cave is very ancient, with a history of at least tens of thousands of years."

Shen Zhao frowned. "An Immortal Cave from tens of thousands of years ago? Whose is it?"

Director Su Yun took a deep breath and slowly spoke. "The owner of the Immortal Cave is named Mo Chen."

There was an uproar in the grand hall.

Mo Chen, the founder of the Shadow Society and the Chosen One of the fifth cycle.

His Immortal Cave had actually been hidden at the edge of the star sea for tens of thousands of years.

Shen Zhao picked up the Jade Slip and felt a cold aura.

It shared the same Origin with the Jade Slip containing the Origin imprint given to him by Shen Yuan, but it was much denser.

"What is recorded in the Jade Slip?"

Director Su Yun shook her head. "The Investigation Department did not open it. There is a Seal on the Jade Slip, and only specific people can read it. Shen Zhao, perhaps only you can open it."

Shen Zhao pressed the Jade Slip against his glabella, and seven-colored power surged from his palms, pouring into the Jade Slip.

The Jade Slip lit up, intertwining black light with the seven-colored light.

The Seal slowly dissipated in the light, and a massive amount of information flooded into Shen Zhao's Sea of Consciousness.

That was Mo Chen's Cultivation notes, records spanning tens of thousands of years.

As Shen Zhao read through them page by page, his expression grew increasingly solemn.

Mo Chen's notes detailed his research on the Universe cycles, his exploration of the World Behind the Door, and his observations of The Designers.

He knew the truth earlier than anyone else and began preparing earlier than anyone else.

But what he prepared for was not evacuation, but conquest.

"When the cycle ends, the Old Universe is destroyed, and the New Universe is born. The Designers will descend and harvest all Universe Origin. But if one can seize the consciousness of the New Universe before The Designers descend, one can become the master of the New Universe."

Shen Zhao read aloud the words in the notes, and the grand hall fell into dead silence.

Seizing the consciousness of the New Universe and becoming the master of the New Universe.

This was Mo Chen's goal.

Shen Zhao continued reading down.

Mo Chen's notes also recorded a place name—the Land of Origin.

That was the birthplace of the Universe's first consciousness, hiding the ultimate secret of the Universe Origin.

Only the Chosen One could enter, but those who entered never returned.

Mo Chen had been there, but he did not go deep.

He said that in the deepest part of the Land of Origin, there was a sleeping existence.

That existence was older than The Designers and more ancient than the Universe itself.

It had been waiting all along, waiting for someone who could succeed it.

Shen Zhao's hands trembled slightly.

A sleeping existence.

The New Universe consciousness had also mentioned that there was a sleeping existence in the deepest part of the World Behind the Door.

Was it the same one?

He continued reading down.

The last few pages of the notes became scribbled, clearly written in a hurry.

"The Designers have discovered my plan. They are hunting me down, and I must hide. Latercomer, if you see these words, it means I am no longer here. My Origin imprint is hidden in this Jade Slip. Find it, and you will find my legacy left behind in the Land of Origin. There is a method to counter The Designers there."

The Jade Slip ended here.

Shen Zhao put down the Jade Slip and remained silent for a long time.

Mo Chen left behind a legacy in the Land of Origin.

There was a method to counter The Designers there.

But he could not go, at least not now.

He still had to build teleportation arrays, evacuate the common people, and guard the star sea.

He could not delay everyone's path to survival just to search for a legacy.

Shen Yuan looked at him, his eyes filled with worry.

"Zhao'er, what do you plan to do?"

Shen Zhao was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"This Disciple cannot go. At least not now. The teleportation arrays have not been completed yet, and the common people have not been evacuated. This Disciple cannot abandon them."

Shen Yuan nodded and said nothing more.

Director Su Yun stepped forward and handed a new Jade Slip to Shen Zhao.

"The Investigation Department also found a star map in the Immortal Cave. The star map marks Mo Chen's activity trajectory throughout the star sea. Perhaps it can help us find other strongholds of the Shadow Society."

Shen Zhao took the star map, and his Divine Thought probed into it.

Dozens of points of light were marked on the star map, scattered all over the star sea.

Some were in the core domains, some in remote minor domains, and some at the edge of the star sea.

Every single point of light could be a stronghold of the Shadow Society.

"Director Su, send people to investigate these places. Report immediately upon any discovery."

Director Su Yun solemnly nodded. "Yes."

After the meeting ended, Shen Zhao did not rest; instead, he went straight to the Monument of Heroes.

He knelt in front of the monument, gazing at the seven-colored light at the top of the monument.

"Seniors, this Disciple has found Mo Chen's Immortal Cave and seen his notes. He had been to the Land of Origin and left a legacy there. There is a method to counter The Designers there. But this Disciple cannot go, at least not now. This Disciple has more important things to do."

The light at the top of the monument leaped gently, as if responding to him.

Shen Zhao kowtowed deeply, then stood up and walked toward the construction site.

There were still many teleportation arrays to build, and there was no time for emotion.

In the following days, the Investigation Department pursued those points of light on Mo Chen's star map with full effort.

Director Su Yun dispatched dozens of investigation squads deep into all parts of the star sea.

They visited the location of every point of light and searched every inch of land.

Some points of light were abandoned mining stars, some were desolate meteorite belts, and some were caves in the deep sea.

Every single place left behind traces of the Shadow Society.

Some strongholds were already abandoned, while others were still operating.

The Investigation Department destroyed over a dozen strongholds of the Shadow Society and captured more than a hundred members.

But Mo Chen never appeared.

Where was he?

Shen Zhao did not know, but he knew that Mo Chen must be watching them.

Waiting for them to lower their guard, waiting for them to make mistakes.

He could not let Mo Chen succeed.

Late that night, Shen Zhao was inspecting the array bases at the construction site.

The communication talisman suddenly lit up, and Director Su Yun's voice came through with a hint of excitement.

"Shen Zhao, the Investigation Department has discovered a large Shadow Society stronghold in the western star sea. The stronghold is quite large, with at least several hundred members. And... and there is Mo Chen's aura there."

Shen Zhao's hand paused slightly.

Mo Chen's aura.

He had finally appeared.

"This Disciple will go right away."

He turned and walked towards the Star Port, with seven-colored light circulating around his body.

An hour later, the spacetime flying boat rose from the Star Port and galloped toward the western star sea.

Shen Zhao stood in front of the porthole, gazing at the star sea ahead.

Seven-colored light circulated around the hull of the boat, reaching an extreme speed.

In less than two hours, the flying boat arrived at the western star sea.

Looking from afar, a huge black planet was suspended in the Void Realm.

The surface of the planet was covered with dense runes, which were slowly rotating and emanating a bizarre power of shadows.

A large stronghold of the Shadow Society.

Shen Zhao walked out of the cabin door and floated in the Void Realm.

Seven-colored light circulated within his body, resisting the erosion of the shadow power.

He slowly approached the black planet.

On the surface of the planet, hundreds of black-robed figures were busy.

Seeing Shen Zhao, they stopped what they were doing one after another and raised their heads to look at him.

Their eyes were all scarlet red, without pupils, containing only endless madness.

"The Guardian has come."

A black-robed person screamed.

"Kill him!"

Hundreds of black-robed figures lunged at Shen Zhao simultaneously, and the shadow power transformed into countless black tentacles surging from all directions.

Shen Zhao did not dodge or evade, and the qinglian sword was unsheathed.

The seven-colored sword Qi transformed into a colossal dragon stretching ten thousand zhang, directly pouncing on those tentacles.

The dragon opened its huge mouth and swallowed the tentacles one by one.

Black blood gushed out, staining the Void Realm red.

The screams of the black-robed people rose and fell, shrill and desperate.

But their numbers were too large; they were endless to kill.

Shen Zhao's power was rapidly depleting, and his complexion was becoming increasingly pale.

But he did not stop, because he knew.

These people were Mo Chen's minions.

They deserved to die.

He gritted his teeth, and his seven-colored power erupted to the fullest.

The qinglian sword slashed out a second sword, and the seven-colored sword Qi turned into countless sword shadows, pouring down like a torrential rain.

The sword shadows pierced through the bodies of the black-robed people, completely purifying their shadow power.

One after another, the black-robed people fell, turning into grayish-white points of light and dissipating.

When the last black-robed person fell, the runes on the surface of the planet suddenly lit up.

Shadow power surged out from the runes, condensing into a huge figure in the center of the planet.

That was an old man with white hair and beard, and a hunched figure.

He wore a black robe and held a black cane in his hand.

The top of the cane was embedded with a black crystal, which contained rich shadow power.

Mo Chen.

Shen Zhao gripped the qinglian sword tightly, injecting seven-colored power into the blade.

The blade emitted a crisp sword hum, and the cyan light illuminated the darkness.

"Mo Chen."

The old man looked at him, his eyes filled with indifference.

"Latercomer, you have finally come."

His voice was hoarse, like wind blowing through withered branches.

Shen Zhao looked at him coldly.

"You betrayed this Disciple's parents."

Mo Chen nodded and did not deny it.

"Yes. They were too naive, thinking they could enter the New Universe and scout the path for the people of this cycle. But they did not know that not just anyone can enter the New Universe. Only the Chosen One has the qualification to enter."

A chilling look flashed across Shen Zhao's eyes.

"So you killed them?"

Mo Chen shook his head, a trace of a bizarre smile at the corner of his mouth.

"No, this seat did not kill them. The ones who killed them were the Abyss Clan. This seat only let them know about your parents' plan. The Abyss Clan was afraid that your parents would enter the New Universe early and snatch the Primordial Fragments. Therefore, they made a move."

Shen Zhao's fists clenched so tightly that they clicked.

"You used a borrowed knife to kill."

Mo Chen laughed, his laughter extremely contemptuous.

"Used a borrowed knife to kill? No, this seat is merely complying with the Heavenly Dao. The weak do not deserve to live; only the strong have the qualification to survive in the New Universe. Your parents were too weak, so they died. This is the will of Heaven."

Shen Zhao raised the qinglian sword, and the seven-colored sword Qi condensed.

"The will of Heaven? Are you worthy of talking about the will of Heaven?"

He slashed out with a sword, and the seven-colored sword Qi transformed into a ten-thousand-zhang long sword, piercing directly at Mo Chen.

Mo Chen raised his hand, and shadow power surged from the cane, transforming into a black shield.

The sword Qi collided with the shield, bursting out dazzling sparks.

The shield shattered, and Mo Chen was forced back several steps.

A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Not bad. You are stronger than this seat expected."

Shen Zhao did not give him a chance to speak, and slashed out with the qinglian sword once more.

This time, the sword Qi condensed into a seven-colored sword of light, piercing directly at Mo Chen's glabella.

Mo Chen sidestepped to dodge, swept his cane horizontally, and the shadow power transformed into a black dragon that lunged straight at Shen Zhao.

Shen Zhao advanced instead of retreating, slashing the qinglian sword toward the dragon.

The sword Qi collided with the dragon, bursting out countless sparks.

The dragon was slashed to pieces, turning into countless black points of light and dissipating.

Mo Chen was shaken back by the backlash, and black blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth.

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

"How is this possible? Your power..."

Shen Zhao did not answer, and slashed out with the qinglian sword once more.

This sword condensed all of his power.

The seven-colored sword Qi transformed into a ten-thousand-zhang long sword, piercing directly into Mo Chen's chest.

Mo Chen desperately resisted, holding his cane horizontally in front of him.

The sword Qi pierced through the cane and plunged into Mo Chen's chest.

Mo Chen let out a shrill scream, and his body began to disintegrate.

His eyes were filled with unwillingness, staring fixedly at Shen Zhao.

"Latercomer... You think killing me can save everyone? Too naive... The Designers have already come... They will not let you off..."

As his voice fell, his body completely dissipated, turning into countless grayish-black points of light.

Shen Zhao put away the qinglian sword and panted heavily.

His complexion was as pale as paper, and more than half of the seven-colored power in his body had been consumed.

But he did not fall, because he could not fall.

He turned around and looked at the black planet.

The runes on the surface of the planet had dimmed, and the shadow power was dissipating.

This large stronghold of the Shadow Society was completely destroyed.

Mo Chen was also dead.

But Shen Zhao knew that the true threat had not yet been lifted.

The Designers were still on their way.

He had to speed up.

He turned around and returned to the flying boat.

The flying boat rose into the air and flew toward the direction of Yongning City.

Shen Zhao stood in front of the porthole, gazing at the black planet behind him.

Mo Chen was dead, but the words he spoke still echoed in Shen Zhao's ears.

"The Designers have already come... They will not let you off..."

Shen Zhao clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He must make all preparations before The Designers descended.

The flying boat galloped through the star sea, arriving at Yongning City in less than two hours.

Shen Yuan stood on the Star Port, white hair fluttering in the wind.

Seeing Shen Zhao walk out of the cabin door, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Zhao'er, where is Mo Chen?"

"Dead. This Disciple killed him with my own hands."

Shen Yuan nodded, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

"Your grandfather and your parents can rest in peace."

Shen Zhao did not speak, but walked toward the Monument of Heroes.

He knelt in front of the monument, placing the qinglian sword in front of him.

"Grandfather, Father, Mother, this Disciple has avenged you. Mo Chen is dead, and the Shadow Society has been destroyed. Rest in peace."