Chapter 223: Investing In Wang Xuan

Chapter 223: Investing In Wang Xuan

The lamp, resembling a small lantern, was about twelve or thirteen centimeters in height with a full-bodied design. Cast from an unknown black metal, it connected to a chain at its top, ending in a large ring, easily held in hand.

"How does this work?" Wang Xuan weighed it, finding it surprisingly heavy. He mused that a direct hit on an opponent's head could create a bloody wound. Intricate patterns adorned the lamp, including ancient designs of birds and beasts, with a small arrow engraving at the center catching his eye.

Injecting some transcendent matter, the lamp faintly glowed, showing some reaction. Through repeated attempts, he gradually deciphered the exotic artifact's usage; it wasn't complex but required the infusion of transcendent matter accumulated within.

In an era where myths decayed, such objects would degrade to mundanity. The Sun family likely activated it with X-matter or similar substances collected from mystic lands or transcendent planets.

Now, with its transcendent matter depleted, the lamp dimmed, rendered unusable. "Even infusing mystic factors works," Wang Xuan discovered. As energy accumulated and sank into the lamp, it stood ready for activation.

Tiny flames flickered. Upon activating the small arrow engraving with his mind, the symbols flowed, and a dark red arrow nearly launched forth. These mystic runes targeted the spiritual realm.

He quickly retracted his action, extinguishing the lamp's wick. The consumption was significant during this process. No wonder the transcendent wielded by the Sun family could only attack a few times before the lamp extinguished. In an era where myths faded, Newstar lacked abundant transcendent matter, making it a costly tool to use.

Wang Xuan refrained from injecting more transcendent matter. Powerful as it was, the lamp seemed like a bottomless pit, insatiably consuming whatever was fed into it.

Wang Xuan contemplated a visit to Qian An's estate, considering utilizing the mystic factors within the half-copper wall of the Daoist temple to nurture the ancient lamp.

After a thorough examination and probing with his spiritual eye, he discovered more layers to the lamp's engravings than he initially activated. "This lamp is remarkable; the power it's shown is just the tip of the iceberg, closely tied to the caster's spiritual level."

His eyes lit up with excitement. If he could activate the deeper layers of runes within the lamp, it could potentially become a terrifying weapon. "I'll head to the Qian family tomorrow, use their Inner Landscape, and feed the lamp first." His anticipation for the lamp's full potential grew.

His brow furrowed as he pondered how to revive Old Chen. He had figured out how to use the lamp to produce arrows and light barriers, but extracting the small arrows from Old Chen's body remained a mystery.

The dark red arrow inside his own body had been crushed and erased by his mystical sceneries, with faint red light dissipating into the void. However, he dared not disturb the three arrows in Old Chen's spiritual realm, fearing they might explode.

Then, he stumbled upon a method. Activating the runes at the lamp's base, the dark red arrows in Old Chen's spiritual realm trembled and disintegrated into faint red glows, drawn out towards the lamp. "It can be used like this too?"

Whoosh! The three dark red arrows flew out and were absorbed by the lamp. The effect was immediate; Old Chen's eyes opened, reviving from his lifeless state. He gasped in pain, his head throbbing from the long entrapment in his spiritual realm. He also felt a pang in his arm, recalling the near loss of his limb while in a comatose state earlier.

"Did I survive?" He marveled at his narrow escape and clenched his teeth in anger, eager for retribution.

Wang Xuan briefed him succinctly, "The situation is grave. We're up against the super conglomerate Sun family. It's either they annihilate us, or we turn their world into a river of blood."

"Sun family, these bastards, you're on my list now!" Old Chen's gaze in the unlit room shone like lightning. He knew he needed to heal, especially his nearly severed arm, which required a few days of recovery.

Suddenly, both men looked up towards the night sky outside the window. Looming like dark clouds, massive battleships approached slowly, hanging ominously over Su City from all directions - a clear sign of the Sun family's rage.

"This is the stronghold of the Qian and Li families. The Sun family might be a super conglomerate, but they wouldn't dare destroy a metropolis with millions of lives just for a show of force," Old Chen stated calmly, unshaken.

"We must grow stronger. They're pushing me forward, step by step," Wang Xuan remarked, gazing at the night sky. While he knew the Sun family wouldn't dare to annihilate the city, the sight of those daunting battleships still ignited a sense of urgency in him.

The Sun family's four massive ships lingered near Suzhou until late into the night, their cold murderous intent and determination felt by all observers. Many were sleepless, but Wang Xuan slept soundly. Fear was not in his nature, and while the Sun family's technological weaponry was a current enigma, Wang Xuan knew things would be different if he entered the city where the Sun family was based.

Old Chen spent the night in silence, drinking Earth Immortal Spring water and practicing the Sixteen-Foot Golden Body technique to heal. Fueled by a burning desire for retribution, he was eager to regain his peak condition.

Going through messages on his phone, he noted some old friends had prematurely mourned him. Another "false death" made him feel somewhat helpless.

That night, the Sun family, too, was seething with anger. It had been years since a core member of a super conglomerate had died. They faced humiliation and severe provocation with the tragic death of one of their young heirs, Sun Chengquan, leaving no remains.

Wang Xuan left Qian An's estate contentedly, having successfully fed the ancient lamp in secret. Meanwhile, Zhong Cheng spent a pleasant morning, almost calling that girl who criticized his judgment, but eventually held back.

Zhong Qing mused, “Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie are still in a precarious situation. The Sun family is a behemoth, especially with their deep connections to the stars. The waters run deep.” She knew why Chen Yongjie was so severely injured - it was due to a powerful relic, and the Sun family’s vault certainly held more rare treasures.

Whispering, Zhong Cheng asked, “Do we have anything like that? Maybe we could lend Wang Xuan something?”

“There must be something in our vault, but we can’t access it,” replied Zhong Qing quietly.

Zhong Cheng, surprised at her willingness, exclaimed, “You’re actually considering it? And not scolding me?”

“With our great-grandfather in slumber and our conservative grandfather, it’s unlikely they’d intervene. I think Wang Xuan is a powerful superhuman. If you help him now...”

“So it was Wang Xuan who acted last night?” Zhong Cheng was immensely shocked, despite rumors in the wealthy circle about the young man’s danger.

Pointing at himself, Zhong Cheng asked, “You want me to bring a treasure to Wang Xuan?”

Zhong Qing glanced at him, “Would you rather I go? You’re on good terms with him. Visiting him in Su City isn’t a big deal. At worst, grandpa will scold you or confine you for a few days.”

Nodding seriously, Zhong Cheng said, “Right, I might just get beaten. But if Wang Xuan wins this, I’d be bringing a powerful ally to our family.”

Frowning, he added, “But we can’t open the vault. Do we have a treasure to give?”

Zhong Qing whispered, “Great-grandfather gave me a beast-skin bag before entering seclusion. He called it a treasure and asked me to keep it safe. I’ve seen him with it in his study.”

Zhong Cheng exclaimed, “Grandpa is so biased!”

That afternoon, Zhong Cheng flew to Su City and headed straight to the Wellness Pavilion. Many knew of his good relations with Wang Xuan, making his presence there unsurprising.

When Chen Yongjie saw the beast-skin bag, he didn’t sense anything unusual until he touched it. Activating the bag, it almost sucked in Wang Xuan!

Had Wang Xuan not reacted swiftly, dodging away and surrounding himself with mystical scenes, he would have been sucked into the glowing beast-skin bag.

“Now it makes sense. Every time in the secret lands, when Grandpa Zhong and I were chased and in dire straits, after splitting up, he always emerged unscathed while I often ended up bleeding...” Chen Yongjie had a realization, followed by a sense of betrayal.

Having accumulated enough super material over time in the secret lands, the beast-skin bag was now ready for immediate use.

That evening, Zhong Cheng left, not staying long. The next two days passed quietly without any attack from the Sun family. Chen Yongjie kept a low profile while recovering.

On the third morning, Chen Yongjie suddenly set out, appearing in a city two hundred miles away, heading in the direction of the Sun family's stronghold.

“Just Chen Yongjie alone marching towards our Sun family? He'll die on the way!” remarked someone from the Sun family.

Meanwhile, the Sun family sent people to the Wellness Pavilion, intending to confirm whether Wang Xuan was indeed a superhuman.

But Wang Xuan had already made his move. As Chen Yongjie appeared in another city, Wang Xuan walked into a grand hotel in Su City and sat down in a beverage shop next to it.

Shortly afterward, the Sun family's person in charge in Su City mysteriously drowned in the hotel's swimming pool.

The news spread quickly, drawing attention from all quarters. It marked the beginning of a fierce clash between the superhumans and the Sun family.