Chapter 15: Cannon Fodder?

As soon as these words were spoken,

everyone froze once again.

Empress?

Which Empress?

There were countless individuals in this world who claimed the title of Emperor or Empress, but for Old Ancestor Qingxuan to mention her so solemnly, and for her to be linked to a powerhouse from the Upper Realm, could it be...

The legendary Peerless Empress who had suppressed the ages!?

"However..."

The Old Ancestor suddenly frowned and said uncertainly, "It was merely a sliver of an aura, extremely faint."

"It's also possible that I perceived it incorrectly. After all, she is a legendary figure... To make a definitive judgment based solely on a wisp of Imperial Aura I've never seen before is a bit too presumptuous."

Hearing this, everyone finally relaxed.

If the Empress were truly here, forget about sitting and drinking wine; they would likely be kneeling on the ground right now, not daring to lift their heads.

"However..."

Old Ancestor Qingxuan shifted the conversation, turning his gaze toward Lin Qingyue.

"Qingyue, girl."

"Since you were chosen as that person's Personal Disciple, even though you haven't officially been taken under her wing yet, surely... you must know something?"

At these words, everyone's gaze focused once more.

Gu Heng couldn't help but glance sideways at the cold Saintess beside him.

He was also quite curious.

What was so special about this Lin Qingyue that she could be favored by that so-called 'Empress'?

Facing the Old Ancestor's inquiry, Lin Qingyue's jade-like hands tightened slightly.

She pursed her lips, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes, before ultimately shaking her head.

"To answer the Old Ancestor."

Lin Qingyue said bitterly, "This Junior... truly does not know."

"You don't know?" Old Ancestor Qingxuan's brow furrowed slightly.

"Yes."

Lin Qingyue took a deep breath. "Regarding the matter of being accepted as a Personal Disciple by the Empress, from beginning to end, it was entirely arranged by my master."

"Master once said that this is an Opportunity the Piaomiao Palace hasn't seen in ten thousand years, and it is also Qingyue's destiny."

"As for why it was me, or where that Empress is, or what instructions she has..."

Lin Qingyue gave a bitter smile. "Master never revealed a single word."

"Furthermore, ever since the news of the Divine Envoy came, Master suddenly fell seriously ill and announced she was entering seclusion. She hasn't appeared since. Even when I went to bid her farewell before leaving, I only heard a few instructions through the stone door."

Seriously ill? Seclusion?

Gu Heng gazed at the bright moon in the sky, his vision losing focus.

Falling ill at this critical juncture... why did it sound so much like she was... dodging trouble?

"That old hag from Piaomiao Palace..."

Old Ancestor Qingxuan muttered, "She's usually so healthy she could wrestle a bull. How could she suddenly fall seriously ill?"

The atmosphere became subtle once again.

"Forget it."

Old Ancestor Qingxuan waved his hand. "Since you don't know, let nature take its course."

"Perhaps..."

Lin Qingyue looked at the heaven-reaching tower and said softly, "In a few days, when the Divine Envoy from the Upper Realm descends to this world, the whole truth will naturally be revealed."

At that moment,

Ye Wentian suddenly stepped forward.

"Old Ancestor."

Ye Wentian cupped his hands and said, "There is still time before the Divine Envoy descends, but the disturbances from the heaven-reaching tower... are imminent."

"Such a startling phenomenon of heaven and earth, even with the protection of the Sect's grand Formation, likely won't be hidden for long."

"Within the borders of the Eastern State, it's fine; the major Sects are all here, and I doubt they would dare to act recklessly."

But..."

Ye Wentian looked toward the Central State.

"This commotion is too great and will inevitably cause a resonance with the Laws of heaven and earth. I fear... those old monsters in the Central State who live in seclusion will also sense it."

"Once the news that the heaven-reaching tower is a supreme treasure leaks out, those old fellows whose Lifespans are nearly exhausted will surely swarm here!"

"When that time comes, our Qingyun Sect... may face a great catastrophe!"

The guests' faces turned pale instantly upon hearing this.

"No matter," Old Ancestor Qingxuan sneered. "Coveting it? Let them come!"

"I have guarded this heaven-reaching tower for thousands of years, and even I cannot affect it in the slightest; I can't even enter the door."

"What could they possibly do?"

"Do they really think they can just haul this tower away with enough people?"

Hearing this, the crowd's spines straightened considerably; with the Old Ancestor here, there was someone to hold up the sky if it fell.

"However..."

Old Ancestor Qingxuan stroked his chin. "Since the Central State will be sending people, we can also change our plans."

"In addition to Qingyue, we can arrange for a few more slots to enter together and seek Opportunities."

"If any of you can bring out an ancient relic or two, or gain insight into a sliver of the Laws of the Great Dao, that would be an infinite fortune."

"Let some Juniors put on an act and wander around inside. If they can come out alive, that's for the best; if they can't..."

The Old Ancestor shrugged and didn't finish his sentence.

Cannon fodder,

was needed everywhere.

"We still need to select more people?"

Ye Wentian was taken aback.

He immediately understood; the Old Ancestor intended to use human lives to test the rules of the heaven-reaching tower!

"The Old Ancestor is wise!"

Ye Wentian immediately echoed, then turned to look at the representatives of the major powers below.

"Fellow Daoists."

"This is a once-in-a-millennium Opportunity! The heaven-reaching tower has awakened, and it contains supreme immortal destiny. The Old Ancestor is merciful and is willing to share such fortune with all of you!"

"I wonder which Sect's young hero is willing to be the 'pathfinding vanguard' and enter the tower to explore?"

His voice echoed among the mountain peaks.

However, the response he received was dead silence.

The Elders of the various Sects turned into statues, each lowering their heads as if looking for something on the ground.

Opportunity? Sharing?

Bah!

Such nonsense might fool a three-year-old.

Even Old Ancestor Qingxuan, who was at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, had been seriously injured. If they sent people in, wouldn't they just be sending them to their deaths?

If it were before the banquet and they didn't know the dangers within the tower, perhaps they would have fought for a spot.

Now, knowing that even a Tribulation Transcendence expert was helpless and the risk was so immense... although wealth is sought amidst danger, no one thought their life was too long.

Especially those True Disciples; each one was like a quail, terrified of being called upon by their own Elders.

"Ahem..."

The Elder of the Wan Shou Valley gave two dry coughs.

"Sect Master Ye, this Opportunity is truly too heavy. My Wan Shou Valley Disciples... usually only know how to control beasts; they are completely ignorant when it comes to such ancient Secret Realms."

"Yes, yes!"

Beside him,

the Elder of the Divine Weapon Gate also hurriedly echoed, "My Disciples only know how to forge iron. This heaven-reaching tower is clearly filled with Formations, which is not something we rough men can crack. It's better... better to let Sects that specialize in Formations go."

"Formations?"

The Elder of the Heavenly Formation Sect immediately jumped out. "Oh my! My few worthless Disciples recently suffered Qi Deviation during their practice, and they're having trouble walking! Such a heavy responsibility is truly something they cannot bear!"

For a moment,

the various powers were all passing the buck with all sorts of bizarre reasons.

Some said their Disciples had diarrhea, some said a Disciple had just gone through a breakup and was in a bad mood, and some even said a Disciple's horoscope clashed with the tower.

In short, the meaning was clear:

If you're so capable, you go; I'm not, so I won't.

Ye Wentian looked at this group of old foxes, his teeth itching with rage.

Normally, they all boasted about their Disciples being Prodigies, but when it came to a critical moment, they ran faster than anyone!

"This bunch of trash, they won't even take a free Opportunity!"

Old Ancestor Qingxuan snorted coldly, his gaze scanning the field back and forth.

"That someone... the one who plays with birds."

The Old Ancestor looked at the Young Master of Wanshou Valley.

The Young Master's eyes rolled back, and he directly faked a faint, collapsing onto the ground instantly.

"..."

"That... Heavenly Sword Mountain, Sword Madman, right? You ranked second in the inter-Sect competition?"

His finger pointed at Ye Gucheng.

But he only saw Ye Gucheng suddenly clutching his head, mumbling about how much his head hurt...

"..."

Old Ancestor Qingxuan was helpless and scanned again.

Until... his gaze stopped on a white-robed youth who was leisurely looking at the scenery with his hands behind his back.

Old Ancestor Qingxuan thought back to the game of chess just now, that kind of layout where every move was calculated, and that unfathomable Heart-Nature.

Most importantly...

this kid had secrets!

A mischievous smile curled on the Old Ancestor's lips.

"It's him."

The Old Ancestor raised his hand and pointed.

Ye Wentian was stunned.

Every gaze in the venue converged in the same direction.

Gu Heng raised his head blankly.

He saw everyone looking at him with faces full of expectation.

A trace of pity flashed in Lin Qingyue's eyes.

Gu Heng: "..."

Wait.

What are you all looking at me for?

"Old Ancestor, this... this isn't appropriate, is it?"

Ye Wentian quickly walked to Old Ancestor Qingxuan's side, sounding very anxious. "Gu Heng... he is ultimately just a Utility Disciple; his cultivation is only at the Qi Refining stage, and he can barely even manage sword-flight."

"This heaven-reaching tower is dangerously unpredictable, and even you were once injured. Letting him go in, how is it any different from sending him to his death? The Disciples of my Qingyun Sect, even if they are utility workers, cannot be sacrificed in vain like this!"

These words caused many Qingyun Sect Elders to nod secretly.

Yes, is a utility worker's life not a life?

Besides, even if you want to find cannon fodder, you have to find someone decent. Sending a Qi Refining utility worker in, he probably wouldn't even be able to withstand the wind blowing out of the tower's gate. If word of this got out, wouldn't people laugh their heads off?

In the crowd,

the Elder of Heavenly Sword Mountain stroked his beard as if remembering something, his expression changing as he spoke with uncertainty, "Speaking of which... Sect Master Ye's words remind me of an old matter. I remember three hundred years ago, your noble Sect had a brilliant Personal Disciple named 'Lu Changfeng', known as the 'once-in-a-millennium sword cultivation Genius of the Eastern State'. It is said he also entered this heaven-reaching tower to seek Opportunity, but after that... there was no more news of him."

As soon as these words came out, a commotion immediately broke out in the field.

"Lu Changfeng? I've heard of him too! Legend has it he achieved Core Formation at twenty and reached Nascent Soul at thirty. He was the designated next Sect Master of the Qingyun Sect at the time!"

"It's not just Lu Changfeng! My Sect's ancient records state that five hundred years ago, the Qingyun Sect also had a Saintess named 'Qin Yao', who was also a heavenly talent. She vanished after entering the heaven-reaching tower!"

"And there was also the one from eight hundred years ago..."

Names that had been sealed in dust were mentioned once again, and they all had one thing in common:

They were all the top Personal Disciples of the Qingyun Sect, they all entered the heaven-reaching tower in their prime, and then... they vanished from the face of the earth.

Combined with what Old Ancestor Qingxuan had said earlier, for a moment, the way everyone looked at the high-level members of the Qingyun Sect changed.

It turned out this heaven-reaching tower was not a place of Opportunity at all, but a death zone specifically for devouring geniuses!

Facing everyone's probing gazes, Ye Wentian's expression was a bit awkward, and he could only look to Old Ancestor Qingxuan for help.

"Ahem!"

Old Ancestor Qingxuan waved his hand. "Oh, don't mind those details! You only remember those who didn't come out, why don't you remember those who successfully did?"

"Look, a thousand years ago, that who-is-it, didn't they bring out half a fragmented immortal technique? And fifteen hundred years ago, that other who-is-it, although they were a bit crazy when they came out, didn't their cultivation also break through? There are gains and losses; it's very reasonable!"

"..."

Everyone was speechless, their hearts filled with wild complaints.

Reasonable my foot!

The successful cases you're talking about, why do they sound even worse than the failures? One got a fragment, and the other went straight-up insane. This success rate and return on investment are just too touching, aren't they?

Old Ancestor Qingxuan glanced at Gu Heng.

He saw that there was no trace of fear on the youth's face; instead, the way he looked at the heaven-reaching tower even had a bit of... expectation?

This kid is interesting.

Old Ancestor Qingxuan muttered to himself, suddenly feeling that letting him go in to die was indeed a bit of a pity.

After all, these days, finding a chess partner who could play 'Five-in-a-Row' with him was much harder than finding a Genius Disciple.

"Forget it, forget it!"

Old Ancestor Qingxuan said impatiently, waving his sleeve. "Since you're all afraid of death, then never mind. This kid still needs to stay and study the Dao of chess with me; he can't just be gone like that."

As he spoke,

he looked at Lin Qingyue. "Girl, for this trip to the heaven-reaching tower, I'm afraid it will be only you..."

Lin Qingyue's expression didn't change; she just nodded slightly.

She had intended to enter the heaven-reaching tower from the start.

Now, hearing that there was 'Empress aura' inside made her even more curious; she also wanted to know what secrets lay within the tower.

She was thinking, just about to say something.

Gu Heng's voice rang out from not far away.

"This Disciple is willing to be this cannon fodder."

"???"

In an instant,

everyone turned their heads, looking at Gu Heng with the kind of gaze one would use for a madman.

This kid is absolutely insane!

Ye Wentian's eyelids twitched wildly; he had just pulled Gu Heng out of the fire, and now the guy was jumping back in?

"Gu Heng! Do you know what you're saying?"

Ye Wentian shouted sternly.

The Elders of the various Sects were also full of astonishment; they had seen stubborn people before, but they had never seen someone so eager to rush to their death.

Lin Qingyue was stunned.

Why?

On what basis did he dare?

He had no background and only seemed a bit mysterious, but why did he choose to stand up at this time?

To show off?

Impossible.

For her?

Lin Qingyue's heart stirred slightly, but she immediately dismissed the thought.

They were just acquaintances who had met by chance, and they even had an unpleasant experience earlier. How could he possibly go to his death for her?

"Young Master Gu..."

Lin Qingyue couldn't help but speak up. "You... don't have to do this. This is my, Lin Qingyue's, Karma alone; there's no need to involve others."

Gu Heng looked at Lin Qingyue.

Under the moonlight, her face was somewhat pale, and her gaze was stubborn.

Gu Heng sighed.

Lady, you're overthinking it. I just simply need to pass by the heaven-reaching tower.

After all, the heaven-reaching tower was so large that its outskirts alone spanned hundreds of miles. His passing range couldn't even touch a hair of it.

So he could only resort to this last-ditch tactic.

As he was thinking, Old Ancestor Qingxuan's loud laughter rang out, "Hahaha! Good! Good lad!"

"You have ambition! As expected of someone who can play chess with me!"

Old Ancestor Qingxuan strode in front of Gu Heng and gave a meaningful smile. "Hmm... for this trip to the heaven-reaching tower, besides the girl Qingyue, we'll add one more slot, and it's him! A gentleman's word is his bond!"

Gu Heng laughed secretly in his heart.

He was just about to speak.

Just then,

Boom—

In the vault of heaven, the world changed color!

Pressure poured down from the Nine Heavens!

Those Disciples with weaker cultivation fell to the ground immediately, knocked unconscious by this pressure.

The Elders of the major Sects were also pale right now, their bodies trembling as they circulated all their spiritual power to resist with difficulty.

"This is..."

Old Ancestor Qingxuan suddenly looked up.

He saw that above the Guest Welcoming Hall,

the pitch-black night sky had been torn open.

Golden light spilled out,

and within it, several figures were faintly visible. They stood high above, like gods looking down on ants.

The aura of five Tribulation Transcendence Stage powerhouses pressed down, causing the Qingyun Sect's mountain-protecting Formation to let out a mournful cry.

The next moment,

an arrogant voice came from the horizon, echoing for a hundred miles.

"Hmph!"

"This barren land of the Eastern State can actually produce such a commotion?"

"Old Ghost Qingxuan, do you want to swallow such a huge Opportunity all by yourself?"