Chapter 236: The Dark Cavern Opens

And when Ye Ye Chengying appeared that night, one after another the Seven Star Pillars also showed themselves, which in turn caused quite a stir.

"That one is called Wang Chao, from the Wang clan among the three great families of Great Xia. He bears a lower eighth-grade Golden Crystal Beast Aspect. Among the Seven Star Pillars, if we're talking about defense, he is probably the strongest..."

At Instructor Xi Shan's voice, Li Luo and the others looked over. That Wang Chao was a burly young man, his skin faintly flowing with golden light. Standing there he was like a golden wall, giving off a sense of weight and impregnability.

"That is Zhong Taiqiu. His father is one of the few Governors of Great Xia who preside over three commanderies. He bears a lower eighth-grade Demon Python Aspect."

The man named Zhong Taiqiu looked rather ordinary. When he smiled his eyes narrowed into slits, giving off an unremarkable air, but if you sensed him carefully, there was a faint slippery, cold, sinister feeling.

"Governor of three commanderies."

Li Luo clicked his tongue at this. That kind of authority was no small matter—several grades above Shi Kong's old man.

But perhaps because he'd spent the last half year beating up Governors' sons, Li Luo found he couldn't quite warm to Zhong Taiqiu either.

"The girl on the far left is called Qiao Yu. She has the most ordinary background among the Seven Star Pillars, and the fact that she could rise step by step from among so many students shows her own ability."

"She bears a lower eighth-grade Lightning Aspect, has a fiery temper, hates evil like an enemy. I hear she looks down on those children of famous houses who decorate themselves with their family background. Li Luo, don't go provoking her. A young manor lord like you is born to clash with her."

The girl named Qiao Yu had a neat, ear-length crop of silver short hair, looking sharp and capable. Her fair face was quite pretty, no less striking than Ye Ye Chengying's had been. Her dress was rather plain—pale cyan top, long trousers, long straight legs.

At Instructor Xi Shan's reminder, Li Luo was a little speechless. He gave a bitter smile: "Instructor, in your eyes, am I really that kind of lecherous young manor lord?"

A smile in her eyes, Instructor Xi Shan gave Bai Bai Mengmeng a faint, ambiguous glance and said: "Aren't you?"

Li Luo shook his head helplessly. He really didn't know why the instructor had this misconception about him. Perhaps handsome people were simply born with such troubles, but that wasn't something he could choose.

"The last of the Seven Star Pillars, you've had contact with him too—the young manor lord of House House Jinque, Si Si Tianming... he's the most recent to be promoted to the Seven Star Pillars."

"Si Si Tianming, huh..."

Li Luo looked from afar at the man whose shockingly green hair stood out conspicuously in the crowd, and smiled. Toward this person, he actually didn't have any bad feelings.

At this point, the Seven Star Pillars of the Sacred Profound Star Academy had all made their appearance together.

From this one could see how much importance the Sacred Profound Star Academy attached to the opening of the Dark Cavern. Usually these people were as elusive as ghosts, and you couldn't even catch a glimpse of a single Seven Star Pillar, yet now they had all appeared.

As more and more students gathered, suddenly on a small branch of the Phase Force Tree, light condensed, and the next moment Vice Principal Su Xin's figure appeared under everyone's gaze.

In the past, Vice Principal Su Xin had always been composed and gentle, but today, for the first time, her expression had turned solemn, with a faint pressure radiating outward.

"All students, the purpose of gathering you here today, I believe you already know."

"The Dark Cavern is about to open. The dark-energized pollution within is spreading on a large scale. If it isn't purified in time, as the pollution intensifies it will eventually invade our world, and when that happens the Sacred Profound Star Academy will bear the brunt."

"Therefore this year's purification mission will also begin now."

"Because this year's pollution is especially severe, after discussion among the academy's leadership, it has ultimately been decided that the Purple Radiance squads of the One-Star Division will also participate in the purification mission. However, every Purple Radiance squad of the One-Star Division must find a Three-Star Division squad to lead them before they may enter the Dark Cavern."

As Vice Principal Su Xin's voice rang in everyone's ears, it also drew some low murmurs of surprise. Many gazes from the higher-star divisions turned toward the One-Star Division side—after all, this was the first time even One-Star Division squads were being sent into the Dark Cavern on a purification mission.

On the Four-Star Division side, the Eldest Princess furrowed her slender brows slightly and said: "It seems the pollution inside the Dark Cavern this time is even more severe than in previous years."

Although the Sacred Profound Star Academy was only letting the Purple Radiance squads of the One-Star Division enter this time, this was clearly only an initial trial. In the future, this tier will continue to be opened up, and by then the Golden Radiance squads of the One-Star Division might also have to enter.

This was enough to show that the situation inside the Dark Cavern was even more grim.

And as the Eldest Princess of Great Xia, her worry was naturally heavier than others'. After all, the Sacred Profound Star Academy was also within Great Xia. Once the Dark Cavern truly lost control and erupted, not only would the academy suffer damage, but Great Xia itself would encounter a devastating blow.

This was something she could not tolerate under any circumstances.

Beside the Eldest Princess, Gong Gong Shenjun also nodded and said with a solemn expression: "I don't know exactly what the situation is deep inside the Dark Cavern. I once suggested to the academy that they open the Dark Cavern and let all the various powers of Great Xia participate in helping to suppress it, but the academy only said the timing wasn't right."

The Eldest Princess said: "Presumably the academy has its own considerations. After all, the Dark Cavern is a matter of great importance; if anything goes wrong, the consequences would be too severe."

"Perhaps," Gong Gong Shenjun said slowly, gazing at Vice Principal Su Xin's figure.

At this moment Vice Principal Su Xin's voice rang out once more: "For this opening of the Dark Cavern, as usual, the first batch will be the Purple Radiance instructors who will enter first, advance first, and clear away some of the overly powerful aberrations, while also going deep into the Dark Cavern to lend the Principal assistance."

"The second batch will be the Four-Star Division squads, mobile-clearing any that slip through the net."

"The Three-Star Division squads and Two-Star Division squads will use the various safe purification points inside the Dark Cavern as their bases to carry out purification missions."

After laying out the many arrangements in an orderly fashion, Vice Principal Su Xin's expression grew even more solemn. She looked at the several Purple Radiance instructors beside her and said: "Arrangements complete. Next..."

"Prepare to open the Dark Cavern."

Hearing this, the several Purple Radiance instructors also nodded with solemn expressions.

The next instant, the world's energy began to boil violently. Under the awed gazes of the many students, they saw Vice Principal Su Xin and the other several Purple Radiance instructors' figures seemingly transform into suns of energy of differing colors. That vast, overwhelming phase force was like the sound of tides flowing set in motion between heaven and earth.

An inexplicable pressure covered the entire academy.

Whoosh!

Immediately after, several phase-force light-rainbows suddenly shot forth, weaving together in midair as if forming a complex, ancient light-pattern. The light-pattern descended slowly from the void and landed upon the trunk of the Phase Force Tree.

Boom boom!

At this moment, the Phase Force Tree suddenly began to tremble violently. This incomparably massive sky-piercing great tree was like an awakening giant beast. Its branches spread and tangled like dragons, and finally, at its base, gradually formed an ancient gateway roughly several tens of zhang in size.

The gateway was as if cast from ancient wood, emanating an extremely primal aura, with wondrous light-patterns spreading and interweaving upon it.

Creak.

With the appearance of the ancient-wood gateway, the tightly shut heavy wooden doors now slowly opened a crack.

Beyond the crack, all was dark.

Wooo!

It seemed a bone-chilling, sinister wind howled out from within, causing the temperature across the plaza to plummet. An inexplicable sense of fear welled up in every student's heart.

They stared in dread at the dark crack of the ancient-wood gateway.

Inside there... was that the so-called Dark Cavern?