Chapter 270: Chapter 270 The Only Chance
Cultivation? Impossible. Not in this lifetime, not ever.
Although the Dean was wielding a sword to chop at him, Chen Pingping still refused to submit, his pride unyielding, preferring death to capitulation.
「Night fell!」
Only then did the two of them quiet down. The Dean, dragging the half-dead Chen Pingping, brought him to a secluded spot deep within the academy. He looked up at the night sky and sighed softly, "I’m doing this for your own good!"
Nonsense! Chen Pingping thought, swallowing a few Spirit Pills to rapidly heal his injuries. He then said, "I suspect you’re doing this on purpose."
"His Majesty suspects you," the Dean said.
"..."
This was a serious matter. If Chen Pingping’s identity were revealed, he would no longer have a place to call home within the Spirit Realm.
Chen Pingping looked at him, and for a moment, didn’t know what to say.
His thoughts were in disarray.
What was the point of him joining the academy? Why did the Dean forcefully keep him here? Truthfully, he could stay away from all this.
The battle with the Golden Cicada wasn’t important. As long as the Spirit Realm’s invasion of the Heaven Martial Continent was stopped, that would be enough.
The Dean said, "His Majesty will find out; it’s only a matter of time. The only thing we didn’t expect was for it to be this fast." He paused, then added, "Don’t think I’m just fearmongering. You’re getting too close to the Little Princess, and she has the Phoenix Cauldron."
The issue was critical.
But Chen Pingping didn’t much care. A loner at heart, free to come and go as he pleased, he figured that worst-case scenario, he could just take Hei back to the Heaven Martial Continent and then lead the Wuji Sect into the Wasteland for refuge.
He spoke in a low voice, "Senior, have you ever considered that I’m actually not afraid of any of this?"
Hmm? The Dean was taken aback.
"It’s getting late. I should head back now," Chen Pingping said, getting up.
"Wait!" the Dean called out. "There’s a lead on the Undying Furnace. We’ve found a scroll fragment that has some records, more or less."
"Where is it?"
"Deep within the Endless Ocean lies Heaven Capital. The scroll fragment records that the Undying Furnace appeared in Heaven Capital fifty thousand years ago."
"..."
The Dean added, "Also, there’s news about the Emperor’s Pet War Spirit, though it’s not entirely certain."
Oh? Chen Pingping turned back. "Where?"
The Dean uttered four words: "Purple Gold Divine Clan."
...
The academy’s investigation speed was indeed fast, he had to admit. But Chen Pingping couldn’t help feeling it wasn’t very reliable.
The Endless Ocean isn’t a Life Prohibited Zone. Could such a place really hide the Undying Furnace? And then there’s the matter of the Emperor’s Pet War Spirit. The Purple Gold Divine Clan, huh!
Chen Pingping wasn’t keen on contacting this race, said to be mythically powerful.
Sigh... Chen Pingping let out a soft sigh. He’d been sleepless all night. After a long hesitation, he took out a Paper Talisman and finally crushed it.
Wen Yuqing’s scolding voice came from the Void, "Damn brat, what do you want? Are you about to die? Can’t you see I’m busy?"
Faint sounds of battle also reached him from there.
Chen Pingping mustered his courage and said, "Master, I missed you."
He had expected Wen Yuqing to tell him to "Get lost!" but instead... she suddenly said, "Me too."
Chen Pingping was deeply moved. "Master, where are you?"
Wen Yuqing answered, "Heaven Capital."
Chen Pingping: "..."
The power of the Paper Talisman gradually dissipated, and silence returned from the Void. But Chen Pingping’s heart was in turmoil.
Heaven Capital! There were still sounds of battle from that direction. That means Wen Yuqing is fighting.
Chen Pingping abruptly stood up, his face filled with anxiety. "What kind of battle could last this long?"
The last time he crushed a Paper Talisman, Wen Yuqing had been busy, and she was still busy now.
The sun had not yet risen; in the dim, hazy light, Chen Pingping kicked open the door to the Little Princess’s room.
She exclaimed, "Pingping, what are you doing? You can’t just barge in like this! I’m still young!"
"Get up! There’s news about the Undying Furnace. The academy found out it appeared fifty thousand years ago in Heaven Capital, deep within the Endless Ocean!" Chen Pingping said urgently.
Next, he went to the Saintess’s room and kicked open her door as well.
Unexpectedly, the Saintess was scantily dressed, her collarbones exposed. When she saw Chen Pingping suddenly barge in, her face flushed red with anger.
"We’re leaving! Hurry up! We’ve found the location of the Undying Furnace!" Chen Pingping said, then hastily retreated from the room.
He had informed the two young women.
He looked towards Lin Yuexin’s room, hesitating.
Finally, he made a decision: his ties with Lin Yuexin would end here! The place he was going was extremely dangerous. Even his Master was still fighting there now. It was easy to imagine that bringing Lin Yuexin along would just be an added burden. The Saintess was different; she wouldn’t be a burden he had to carry. Lan Xiuzhi had the Phoenix Cauldron. He had to hurry and use it to find the Undying Furnace before the Earth Chicken completely absorbed the Ancient Phoenix’s essence blood and Divine Soul. As for what to do after finding it, he hadn’t figured that out yet. It just couldn’t fall into the hands of the three great imperial dynasties or the Purple Gold Divine Clan. That would be good enough.
In the hazy morning light, the three of them quickly fled the academy, heading into the distance...
Little did they know that the elderly Dean had already seen through Chen Pingping’s little scheme. He stood atop a high wall, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile. "This kid has quite a temper."
Lin Yuexin stood beside him, her expression wooden.
The Dean then said, "I know you two don’t see eye to eye. Perhaps there are some misunderstandings. But... the Six Tao of Reincarnation is your only chance. If you can seize it, you’ll have the strength to take revenge. If not, I’m afraid your life will remain like this."
He felt quite helpless. Lin Yuexin had talent and comprehension, yet her heart was too heavy, burdened by hatred.
"I understand." Lin Yuexin nodded. "Teacher, since you already know Chen Pingping’s identity and origins, why do you still protect him? Is it for my sake?"
She couldn’t comprehend the Dean’s actions.
The Dean chuckled. "You don’t understand."
Lin Yuexin fell silent.
"He’s different from others. That’s what I can see for now," the Dean said. "Alright, you should go. Be careful on your journey."
After sending Lin Yuexin off, the Dean returned to the depths of the academy, to that neglected Taoist Platform. He gazed at it for a long while before stepping onto it.
With a single thought, Divine Brilliance burst forth.
The Taoist art he was channeling was actually the method Heng Ba cultivated!
Inconceivable.
Academy records stated that the art within the Taoist Platform hadn’t been comprehended by anyone for ten thousand years. No one had thought that the Dean would be the one to grasp it.
His Divine Sense entered a world of darkness and he called out, "Ancestor."
"Speak!" came Heng Ba’s weary voice.
"Chen Pingping has gone to Heaven Capital," the Dean said respectfully.
Heaven Capital... Heng Ba’s emotions suddenly surged—excitement, trembling, unwillingness, defiance...
Deep in the darkness, a pair of demonic eyes blazed with fire.
He laughed loudly, yet his laughter was filled with sorrow. "Heng Ba was incompetent! Unable to save our Lord! Heng Ba deserves death!"
The Dean said, "Ancestor, you have already done very well. Chen Pingping indeed has a connection to our Lord. Upon learning our Lord’s location, he rushed over immediately. He was very anxious."
The original plan was to use the Undying Furnace to lure Chen Pingping to Heaven Capital, hoping he could help rescue the trapped Wen Yuqing. However, he hadn’t expected Chen Pingping’s relationship with Wen Yuqing to be so significant. Through some unknown means, Chen Pingping learned of Wen Yuqing’s location ahead of time, which is why he departed in such a hurry.
This greatly exceeded expectations.
However, there’s still the matter of the Golden Cicada... And then, the three great imperial dynasties. With Chen Pingping, Lan Xiuzhi, and the others leaving in such a hurry, the one in the deep palace must have already received news.
He needed to handle the ensuing problems.
"The Way of Heaven, Wuji Yang, Tai Ji Yin! In the name of Heng Ba, I ignited the Heavenly Fortune Tao! It cost a vast amount of my essence blood to divine our Lord’s location! Hahaha..."
"I wonder if I, Heng Ba, will live to see our Lord again."
The Dean asked, "Ancestor, are you sure Chen Pingping can do it?"
Heng Ba replied, "He has Sacred Soldiers on him. He just needs to find our Lord. With our Lord’s power, the Sacred Soldiers can definitely be reawakened."
An hour later, the Dean exited that place and headed towards the Imperial Palace. He had to intercept the powerful experts dispatched by His Majesty to buy some time for Chen Pingping and his group.