Chapter 6718 Key

Li Canghao had just executed countless experts, and now, his attention turned to Long Chen.

Standing beside Long Chen, Qu Yingying shivered in fear.

Had the palace master been driven mad by slaughter? Was he going to kill whoever stood before him next?

Remembering how she had cursed him, Qu Yingying grew even more afraid. She hid behind Long Chen.

“You’re the fool. As the palace master, you reduced the Starry River Palace into this state. You are so foolish that no medicine can possibly cure you!” retorted Long Chen.

“You—!” Li Canghao was about to curse Long Chen, but halted midway. He seemed to realize that such words did not suit his status.

Instead, he said, “I stopped Li Zimo from attacking you twice. I made my stance clear. You clearly had the power to kill her, yet you held back and allowed things to reach this point. Tell me, don’t you think you’re foolish?”

Long Chen sneered. “You clearly knew what Li Zimo was up to, yet you let her keep gathering allies, turning the Starry River Palace into this pathetic mess. Now, you want to use me to clean it up? You want me to play both villain and savior? Hmph, is a sanctimonious fool like you any better than me?”

“You—!” Li Canghao was furious, barely forcing down the curses at his lips.

“What do you know?! If not for obeying my ancestors’ instructions, I would have long since put them in their place! This is all because of you!”

“Because of me?” Long Chen asked disdainfully.

“Of course, because of you-”

Just then, starlight flashed. Li Canghao, Long Chen, and Qu Liushang vanished from the plaza.

The rain of blood continued to fall. The stench was suffocating, like tears shed by countless newly departed souls. Everyone stood beneath the rain, unmoving, as if frozen in a nightmare.

They were hoping to slowly wake up. If they moved and found that it wasn’t a dream, they didn’t know how to face the reality.

...

Inside a palace hall, Qu Liushang lowered his hands as he released the seal. He said nothing.

Bringing them here had been instinctive. He knew the exchange between those two was not suitable for the disciples to hear.

Qu Liushang was disappointed in his master. He couldn’t comprehend why his master would do something so rash and foolish.

Li Canghao looked at Long Chen coldly.

He said, “You fool, you are the person our Starry River Palace has been waiting for ever since its construction. All the successive palace masters before me died waiting for you. And when you finally arrive in my era, I find that you’re a complete fool who can’t even understand my hints.”

Long Chen stared at him, looking a bit surprised. Had the consecutive peak challenges truly been prepared for him?

However, since Li Canghao’s attitude was irritating, Long Chen cursed, “If you weren’t a useless fool, why would you need to wait for me? To put it frankly, you lack the ability yourself, but you put the blame on others. I look down on people like you the most.”

“You—!”

Li Canghao trembled with rage, pointing at Long Chen. “Count yourself lucky that I completed creation through destruction three times and tempered my temper! Otherwise—”

Shaking his head, Long Chen countered, “You should count yourself lucky too. I’ve also completed creation through destruction three times. Otherwise, with you shouting like some big shot right in front of me, I’d have slapped you already.”

“I—” Li Canghao was incensed, on the verge of losing control. Qu Liushang hastily grabbed him.

“Master,” Qu Liushang said urgently, “this disciple begs you not to waste time on meaningless quarrels. What is the Starry River Palace supposed to do now? A great era is descending. Heavenly geniuses are sprouting like bamboo after spring rain across all races.

“Neighboring factions have grown rapidly during this time. They are watching us, using us as a measure of their strength. They may come to exchange pointers—or launch probing attacks—at any moment. Once they learn what has happened here, they may very well go for the kill. Instead of arguing with Long Chen, can you tell me what we should do now?”

His voice trembled at the end. It was the first time he had ever spoken to his master so bluntly—proof of how close he was to collapse.

Li Canghao glared at him. “Why are you asking me? He is the one the Starry River Palace has been waiting for. Ask him what he intends to do.”

“What...?”

Qu Liushang looked between Long Chen and his master in confusion. Gritting his teeth, he vanished.

Now, it was just Long Chen and Li Canghao in the palace. Both of them glared at each other, neither of them saying a word.

In the end, Li Canghao spoke first. In his calmest voice, he asked, “Can we talk nicely?”

“If you can, I feel like I can,” Long Chen replied.

Li Canghao took a deep breath. “Everything that happened in the Starry River Palace was my responsibility, but Heavenly Sovereign Yaochen had set it up this way. I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Long Chen’s anger quelled slightly at that. Perhaps he had misjudged this old fellow.

“Maybe you’re right,” Li Canghao said quietly. “It was my uselessness that led to this. If I had the ability, I would have opened the Starry River Sovereign Palace myself. But I didn’t even have the courage to try.”

He sighed. “Still, saying this now is meaningless. This is the key to the Starry River Sovereign Palace. Perhaps once you enter, you’ll find the answers you seek.”

Li Canghao placed an octagonal tablet into Long Chen’s hand. It was as heavy as a mountain, star diagrams flowing across its surface. Terrifying astral fluctuations radiated from it.

Those fluctuations carried the sense that, if unleashed, they could destroy the entire Starry River Palace. Yet, the key formed a faint spiritual resonance with Long Chen.

When Long Chen studied the key, Li Canghao continued, “That’s right, this is also the key to controlling the starry river. When you entered the management department for the trial, you activated the formation. Was that what gave you the confidence to act without restraint?”

Long Chen did not respond. That was because Li Canghao was entirely correct. It was this trump card that allowed him to act without hesitation.

Being able to mobilize the palace formations at will meant he had gained their recognition, and that made him fearless within the Starry River Palace.

Long Chen had sensed it clearly: even if Li Canghao tried to use the formations against him, he would fail.

Even without the formations, Long Chen feared no one—not even someone who had undergone creation through destruction three times. Even if he could not win, he could always leave.

Long Chen tightened his grip on the key. Astral energy flowed into it.

Space trembled faintly, and Long Chen instantly vanished.

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