Chapter 2319: The Gateway Opens

Donglin Yanxue sat alone in the gloomy gave, leaning against the wall powerlessly. She stared straight at the entrance.

She was alone after Jian Chen’s departure. Injured and basically unable to protect herself, she immediately became nervous and unsettled. Uneasiness filled her heart.

Dazed, Donglin Yanxue could not help but think of the days when Jian Chen had carried her as they fled through this world filled with danger.

Against Qing Shan, the eight Radiant G.o.dkings that she should have been able to count on the most abandoned her without any hesitation, fleeing for their lives. She was left her alone and helpless. Yet, Chang Yang, who was clearly the weakest, always remained by her side. Even when she had now become a burden, he still did not abandon her, going through thick and thin together instead. This deeply touched Donglin Yanxue.

These matters also allowed Donglin Yanxue to truly see what kind of person Jian Chen was.

At this moment, there were a series of footsteps outside. Donglin Yanxue immediately became anxious as she called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s me!” Jian Chen’s voice rang out from outside. With that, he entered the cave.

Donglin Yanxue immediately became relieved when she heard Jian Chen’s voice. She asked, “How’s the situation outside?”

“It’s all peaceful.” Jian Chen sat back down where he was before. The light in his eyes flickered as he said in thought, “The strange mist scared away all the vicious beasts. Even though the mist is gone now, the vicious beasts still aren’t bold enough to return to their territories, so I didn’t come across a single one when I checked the surroundings.”

“We were trapped in the mist for a very long time earlier. Although I don’t know how long it was, it seems like it was almost a year. The gateway will open again before long. We only need to wait here quietly.”

“But the greatest threat to us is not the vicious beasts. It’s Qing Shan,” Donglin Yanxue did not lighten up at all. She had already given up on searching for Radiant Origin Pearls. She only hoped to leave here alive.

“Qing Shan might have left the World of Moon and Star. After all, so much time has pa.s.sed. If he doesn’t leave and the elders of the Radiant Saint Hall flood in when the gateway opens, he’ll be done for,” Jian Chen said calmly.

“That’s just your guess. What if Qing Shan hasn’t left? Chang Yang, I feel like we’ll be slightly safer if we hide even further away,” Donglin Yanxue said in worry.

“Alright. Let’s continue on our way then,” Jian Chen was helpless. In order to avoid Donglin Yanxue’s suspicions, he could only fly further away while carrying her.

Now, Donglin Yanxue no longer rejected Jian Chen like before. When Jian Chen carried her, she actually experienced a strange feeling.

Time pa.s.sed silently. Unknowingly, the year-long trial had come to an end. With elder Mu Zhong at the lead, over a dozen elders stood in a single line on the stage within the sacred hall.

Of course, since the Radiant Saint Hall was a peak organisation on the Desolate Plane, they had far more elders than that. Only a portion of them stood on the stage.

The various lords of the peaks gathered below the stage. Some Hallowed Saint Master who were not Radiant Saint Kings but possessed extraordinary status were there as well.

Jian Chen’s junior sister, Bai Yu, also happened to be one of them.

“The year has elapsed. Senior brother is finally going to come out of the World of Moon and Star. I wonder what kind of world it is. I have to properly ask senior brother when he comes out,” Bai Yu stood in the crowd and stared at elder Mu Zhong. Her face was filled with eagerness and some excitement.

“I hereby announce that the year-long trial in the World of Sun and Moon has ended. Which three of the five candidates will be eliminated will be decided by the number of Radiant Origin Pearls they’ve obtained. Now, let’s open the gateway!” As elder Mu Zhong’ called out, the ancient seal in his hand immediately emitted a powerful pulse of energy. He waved it at the sky, and the s.p.a.ce there immediately pulsed. It twisted into a gateway.

“The gateway has been opened. Come out, candidates!” Elder Mu Zhong called out. His old voice boomed through the gateway, echoing in the World of Moon and Star to a range of a million kilometres.

Elder Mu Zhong was the oldest elder in the Radiant Saint Hall. Not only did he hold great prestige, but he was also one of the three strongest elders. He was equivalent to a Ninth Heavenly Layer Infinite Prime, making him only second to the eight vice-leaders in terms of status.

As the gateway opened, all the Radiant G.o.dkings gathered below looked at the gate in the sky and began discussing.

“It has finally ended. I wonder which two candidates out of Gongzheng Xin, s.h.i.+ De, An Da, and Donglin Yanxue will move on to the next round and contend for the position of Chosen Saint…”

“Isn’t it obvious? It has to be Gongzheng Xin and Xin Bin. After all, they were the first two to condense a late four-colored soulcore out of the five candidates…”

“Not necessarily. Although Gongzheng Xin and Xin Na were the first, An Da and s.h.i.+ De aren’t weak either. They also have late four-colored soulcores…”

“How can you forget about Donglin Yanxue? You can’t forget that her strength skyrocketed in the past two years, basically breaking through a minor cultivation realm each year. In just two short years, she went from an early four-colored soulcore to a late four-colored soulcore. It was completely illogical…”

“Donglin Yanxue’s abrupt advance was probably through relying on something foreign pulling her up. Her foundation is nowhere near as firm as Gongzheng Xin’s or Xin Bin’s. They can’t be compared…”

“Don’t forget that there’s Chang Yang beside Donglin Yanxue. Although his cultivation is weak, he’s still someone related to vice-leader Xuan Zhan. Who knows what trump cards he is hiding. If he did all he could to a.s.sist Donglin Yanxue, we really wouldn’t know who would place first in the first trial…”

…

As they waited patiently, the Radiant G.o.dkings began an intense conversation around the five candidates.

The elders on the stage all looked at the gateway eagerly.

Time pa.s.sed second by second. The gateway was gaping, but unexpectedly, no one emerged.

“There’s something off,” elder Mu Zhong frowned. His eyes seemed to s.h.i.+ne as he stared straight at the gateway. The unusual situation suddenly made him uneasy.

“Elder Liu Shui, elder Xia Feng, go into the World of Moon and Star and check on the situation immediately,” elder Mu Zhong said to two elders beside him sternly.

Immediately, two elders rose up. The Laws of the Hallowed descended, and with a flash, they disappeared into the gateway.

All the peak lords gathered around the stage seemed to sense that something was off as well. They all calmed down as they stared straight at the gateway.

Very soon, elder Liu Shui and elder Xia Feng returned. They landed on the stage with ugly faces and said grimly, “Horrible news. We can’t sense elder He Tian’s presence at all, and we’ve found elder He Tian’s blood and the traces of a battle nearby. Elder He Tian might have met a bad end.”

“What did you say?!” Elder Mu Zhong’s face changed drastically.