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*****
If Su Wen represented the gray fraction, it meant he had been enticed by the existence of the Lord of the Netherworld.
Evidently, it was a factual reality that upon learning about the Lord of the Netherworld, he had initiated designs toward achieving the Heavenly Mutation Tier.
Whether it was Xue Aotian or Filia, both could sense Su Wen's current potential. With such potential, if he truly planned everything meticulously, he indeed stood a chance of breaking through to the legendary Heavenly Mutation Tier of Heavenly Jewel Masters.
The gray area did not signify an intent to rescue the Lord of the Netherworld. Conversely, it likely implied leveraging the entity's power to engineer his own future.
In comparison to the two extremes of black and white, the gray fraction commanded the absolute largest proportion.
The probability of Su Wen belonging to the gray category was also the highest.
Even if the color black was ruled out, his probability of being gray would only increase.
What were his intentions regarding his contact with the Lord of the Netherworld?
Was his shade of gray leaning closer to black, or was it closer to white?
If it leaned toward black, would he resort to apocalyptic methods--disregarding the survival of everyone on the continent--just to complete his breakthrough?
If it leaned toward white, it would be a reprieve. Should Su Wen find an opportunity to break through under those circumstances, he might very well help the entire continent resolve the crisis of the Lord of the Netherworld.
Su Wen had established the Academy and opened the Academic Realm; while this was undoubtedly for the good of the entire continent, no definitive conclusions could be drawn until his true objective was laid bare.
There were no saints in this world.
Su Wen's past performance had been too flawless--so perfect that no one knew his motives, his ultimate goal, or his pursuits.
And it was precisely this type of individual whose true objective, once revealed, would be the most terrifying.
Therefore, despite Su Wen's immense contributions to the continent, Filia's instinctive reaction remained one of wariness the moment he requested to observe the seal of the Lord of the Netherworld.
Su Wen did not find Filia's wariness surprising in the least.
The reason he had waited until now to propose a meeting with the Lord of the Netherworld was precisely to ensure he would not be sacrificed to such suspicions.
Only after acquiring sufficient strength did he consider coming to see the Lord of the Netherworld, or rather, the place where the entity was sealed.
"I can take you inside, but you must guarantee that you will not tamper with the seal in any way, nor communicate with the Lord of the Netherworld!" Filia's tone was grave.
Ultimately, she did not refuse Su Wen.
As the saying went, if Su Wen were truly a villain, his current momentum was already fully formed. If he wished to harm the continent, their refusal would not stop him anyway.
The Academy was simply too terrifying now.
Even though Su Wen had merely established a non-profit holy land, its existence had already captured the hearts of all Heavenly Jewel Masters and Jewel Masters, tightly binding their collective interests together.
Once he spoke out, his words might carry more weight than those of the Five Great Holy Lands combined.
What if Su Wen claimed that deep within the Snow God Mountain lay an opportunity to break through to the Heavenly God Tier?
How many people would believe him?
Would the other four Great Holy Lands believe it?
One had to realize that since the dawn of history on the Boundless Continent, the Snow God Mountain had produced the highest number of breakthroughs to the Heavenly God Tier. It was precisely because successive generations of Heavenly God Tier powerhouses guarded the mountain that the Heavenly Beast Empire--the only empire dominated by the beast race--had always stood tall in the north, remaining one of the most powerful empires.
In fact, the might of the Heavenly Beast Empire was universally acknowledged across the continent. They frequently attempted to invade other nations, and it was only because the Zhongtian Empire stood in the center to constantly block their incursions that the current equilibrium was maintained.
Otherwise, if the Heavenly Beast Empire were ever allowed to sweep south, even the empires under the jurisdiction of the Holy Lands might not be able to stop them.
All because of the Heavenly Gods!
Strength was the foundation of everything.
Fortunately, the Heaven's Expanse Palace possessed eleven pieces of the Legendary Set, granting their Palace Master the qualification to contend with a Heavenly God even while only at the peak of the Heavenly Emperor Tier.
A contest of individual strength, that is.
If a full-scale conflict truly erupted, every Holy Land possessed its own hidden trump cards. Several Heavenly Emperors working in unison certainly had the capability to battle Xue Aotian, but the Snow God Mountain did not rely on Xue Aotian alone.
The fact that successive generations of the Snow God Mountain featured Heavenly God Tier powerhouses naturally made the other four Great Holy Lands suspect they possessed some special opportunity.
If an individual with sufficient prestige were to point this out at this juncture, the four Great Holy Lands would inevitably believe it. Furthermore, under this person's command, the four Great Holy Lands might actually unite.
Su Wen clearly met these criteria.
There was no helping it; the Snow God Mountain truly did contain an opportunity to break through to the Heavenly God Tier, a fact that defied simple explanation.
It was just that this opportunity carried too heavy a burden.
Therefore, no matter what, Filia had to agree to Su Wen's request.
Because Su Wen possessed the qualifications to go and observe the seal of the Lord of the Netherworld.
"I can take you in, but you must understand that I am only responsible for guarding the entrance to the Netherworld Space. As for whether you can truly witness the seal, you will need to communicate directly with the true guardian."
"I understand."
Su Wen followed Filia as they departed.
The surrounding space shifted, and a peculiar spatial node abruptly manifested.
Su Wen could sense that this spatial node connected to a minor world, a pocket dimension.
His spatial attainments were exceptionally high, allowing him to vaguely deduce that this dimension almost overlapped with a certain space he had sensed previously--the Light and Shadow Space on Heavenly Jewel Island, which was also the venue for the finals of the Heavenly Jewel Tournament.
The Dragon Race resided there, serving as a component of the forces guarding the Netherworld Space.
Following this spatial node, Su Wen ventured deeper alongside Filia.
Su Wen could feel that they were continuously descending.
It felt as though they were heading toward the very depths of the earth.
It had to be said that the location of this Netherworld Space was incredibly deceptive.
Back then, to prevent humans influenced by the Lord of the Netherworld from locating and destroying this place, the Dragon Emperor had not only sealed the entity but had also expended an immense amount of effort on the spatial construction.
Though the spatial node felt connected to the Light and Shadow Space of Heavenly Jewel Island, it was merely the entrance that shared a similar aura; the other end of the node actually led deep underground.
Following the spatial teleportation, Su Wen arrived in a cavern. Various colors gleamed across the cavern walls, which were embedded with an assortment of gemstones.
Filia swiftly led Su Wen down an internal passageway.
As they pressed deeper, Filia finally spoke after sensing a wave of scorching heat.
"We have now reached the outer periphery of the earth's core. The primary force sealing the Lord of the Netherworld is the Dragon Emperor of the Dragon Race, and the Dragon Race excels most in the power of fire. Deep underground, by leveraging the heat of the core, he can achieve his absolute peak state. Even Aotian cannot contend with the Dragon Emperor in this environment."
Xue Aotian was already at the peak of the Heavenly God Tier, but he was still a step behind the Dragon Emperor. The Dragon Emperor himself was rumored to be on the verge of taking that final step. Coupled with this environment, the Dragon Emperor possessed power that was nigh indistinguishable from the Heavenly Mutation Tier; otherwise, he would have been unable to seal the Lord of the Netherworld.
Filia was one of the twelve guardians of the Dragon Emperor.
She continued to lead Su Wen deeper inside.
The originally dim cavern instantly opened up into a bright expanse.
Ahead lay a massive plaza. Suspended in the air above the center of the plaza were thirteen spheres of energy, their colors constantly shifting. Beneath these energies rested a colossal formation, its complexity no less intricate than the twelve-piece Consolidated Equipment Set designed by Su Wen.