A few days later, Xu Changqing successfully smuggled himself from a life-bearing planet near the Eternal Star Domain into the Eternal Kingdom.
Looking at the streets filled with steel everywhere, he felt dazed and thought to himself, I once fantasized about entering a cyberpunk world. It actually came true.
Having seen the things he had dreamed of during his Mortal Period, he no longer felt excitement or anticipation. There was only endless calm, along with the haziness of old memories.
Everywhere he looked was a sci-fi scene. Steel skyscrapers thousands of meters tall stood all around, while railways floated through the air, winding across the sky. The silver tracks radiated a cold gleam.
On the streets, some people rode greatswords. Strange patterns were carved upon the blades, a fusion of runes and technology. Blue-white halos flowed across the swords, their lines like glowing streams.
The hilt was a jet device. With a slight activation, blue flames and hydrogen gas burst forth.
Stores lined the streets, densely packed and dazzling. At a glance, they looked like the lights of countless homes.
Others drove hovering cars through the air, entering black holes suspended overhead.
The wondrous sights left Xu Changqing dazzled.
There were many pedestrians on the road, dressed fashionably. Some were not human at all, but purely mechanical beings.
One silver robot lay in an alley, wires tangled behind it, with a white charging cable plugged into its body.
This world looked chaotic, yet there was no trash anywhere, and everything was spacious. The shops on both sides of the street sold unknown goods, all sorts of glowing stones.
"Hey, look, that person is playing an ancient! I have to say, he's so handsome, especially that flowing white hair reaching all the way to his waist." Some young women cautiously pointed at Xu Changqing on the street and whispered to their sisters.
Who knew how many tens of thousands of years ago, the Eternal Kingdom had already developed into a technological world. Xu Changqing's attire had been outdated for countless years.
Some women even blushed as they ran up to Xu Changqing and stammered, "Handsome, can we exchange contact information?"
Xu Changqing merely glanced at them. Without speaking or responding, he walked away.
"Hmph, what's the use of being handsome? He has no manners at all. He's not even as handsome as my readers."
Xu Changqing altered his appearance.
His long hair vanished, becoming a white side-parted style that reached his eyelashes. His swordlike brows made him look somewhat cold and stern.
His original black robe had become a black combat suit, brimming with technological sense. It looked as though it had been forged from meteoric iron and gleamed with a metallic luster.
As he walked down the street, dreamy streams of light fell over his body. At this point, few people paid attention to him anymore.
After all, the Eternal Kingdom did not lack handsome people.
After walking for nearly two hours, he arrived at a massive platform. It was forged from iron refined from meteorites, with faint starlight drifting across its surface.
The platform was enormous, at least the size of five or six football fields. A gigantic pillar stood in the square, with an equally enormous screen above it.
Many people had gathered here as well. All sorts of noise and clamor filled the air, making the place resemble a marketplace.
Although Xu Changqing could not understand what they were saying, people naturally considered their thoughts while speaking. Thus, he released his Divine Sense and instantly grasped the meaning of their words.
"As expected of an expert from the Starry Sky. Even Qi Pei lost. He used a second-tier treasure medicine, yet he was still defeated. That's truly unbelievable."
"Look at it this way—if he weren't strong, how could that slave dare to enter the Ancient Road alone? How could he dare to chase someone all the way into our star domain by himself?"
"The show is about to begin. I heard an unparalleled Heavenly Pride is coming to challenge that Heavenly Pride from beyond the Starry Sky."
"What a pity. We can only watch from the square. If I had Shattered Gold Stone, I could go watch their battle in person."
The endless discussions spread through the air, making it rather irritating to hear.
Xu Changqing's expression remained unchanged, though he was somewhat curious. He followed some people onto the platform.
Several soldiers clad in silver armor stood guard on the platform. Behind them was a black hole, seemingly surrounded by silver metal. Countless patterns and streams of light revolved around it.
Creatures lined up one after another. A fully mechanical being swaggered forward and tossed out five stones of different colors before the soldiers allowed it through.
Seeing this, Xu Changqing also took out five ores that emitted five different substances and handed them to the soldiers. Unsurprisingly, he was allowed inside as well.
A few days ago, those three women had possessed plenty of these stones. According to them, the stones contained the Power of Five Elements and the Laws of Five Elements.
By collecting such stones, one could extract the substances and laws within them, then mix them with a Destiny Stone to create a precious body-tempering liquid.
But it seemed useless to him, so he might as well spend them.
Entering the passage, he found a golden metal road and followed the creatures ahead.
After a while, he finally heard the commotion. With a flash of light, a massive arena appeared before him.
It was a circular arena, surrounded by rows upon rows of seats. Huge screens stood on opposite sides.
At this moment, no fewer than a hundred thousand people had gathered inside. Yet for a place like this, a hundred thousand people was equivalent to only ten.
Xu Changqing casually found a seat and sat down. He touched the chair beneath him and gave it a light twist, only to discover Saint-level Runes slowly glowing upon it.
A powerful expert set up an array here to block the energy aftershocks from the center of the arena. Sitting here is absolutely safe, Xu Changqing thought to himself.
He just did not know what level of expert had arranged it.
Thus, Xu Changqing closed his eyes to rest and waited for the battle to begin.
No one knew how much time passed. More and more people filed in, and before long, every seat was occupied.
To his right sat an incomparably handsome man. To his left sat a woman of peerless bearing, breathtakingly beautiful, her wine-red hair gently swaying in the breeze.
Xu Changqing looked closely and immediately saw that neither of them was ordinary. Still, they had best not provoke him.
Soon, he noticed that this entire area was filled with young people, with no middle-aged people at all. The middle-aged people were seated elsewhere.
That struck him as rather strange.
"Brother Dao, do you think Gan Long can win?" Suddenly, Xu Changqing realized someone was asking him a question. Turning his head, he saw that it was the handsome man.
The man wore his long hair loose and was dressed in a blue robe, looking like an ancient person as well. His first impression was one of sunshine, handsomeness, and cheerfulness.
Xu Changqing shook his head and replied indifferently, "I don't know."
Yet he thought of someone.
In his memories, there was also a man named Gan Long.
He was the Holy Son of Qiankun Holy Land and had once stood against Xu Changqing, because Qiankun Holy Land and Misty Holy Land had intermarried for generations.
His ex-wife, as the Holy Maiden, should naturally have become the wife of the Qiankun Holy Son. Yet she had borne a child, and so Gan Long came to resent Xu Changqing.
Gan Long had caused him quite a bit of trouble back then. However, during the Immortal Second Realm, Gan Long was ultimately defeated by him in the Slaying Emperor Dynasty.
"Why doesn't Brother Dao make a guess?" the handsome man asked with a faint smile.
He found Xu Changqing far from simple. Merely sitting there, Xu Changqing exuded a sense of pressure. It was not deliberately released, but emerged from his unconscious movements.
For example, he saw Xu Changqing propping his head up with one hand, yawning and completely disregarding everyone around him. One had to know that everyone seated here was an expert among the younger generation.
Moreover, this was the best viewing area, specifically reserved for the younger generation.
Anyone who could so disregard the younger generation was either truly powerful or simply arrogant.
However, he had no intention of harming Xu Changqing. He merely wanted to make his acquaintance.
"Too lazy to guess," Xu Changqing said boredly. What was there to guess? The battle was about to begin.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
At that moment, several bells rang out, signaling that the battle was beginning.
Boom!
The instant the bells stopped, a dull sound echoed through the venue. An iron gate beneath the arena slowly opened, and several people dragged a cage onto the field.
"Please welcome Gan Long from Burial Emperor Star! So far, he has fought two thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine battles—and won every one!"
"However, his opponent this time is a special figure, a renowned unparalleled Heavenly Pride of our Eternal Kingdom. Can he maintain his winning streak and reach three thousand victories?"
As soon as the referee finished speaking, the cage was slowly pushed out from a dark corner. Inside it sat a young man.
His black hair hung loose as he lowered his head, his hair concealing his entire face. He wore a filthy long robe covered in stains and blood.
Upon hearing Gan Long of Burial Emperor Star, Xu Changqing had already confirmed that this was an acquaintance of his. However, Gan Long looked quite miserable now.
Seeing this, Xu Changqing remained very calm. It was only a little humiliation. He had experienced far more than this, even things much worse.
If Gan Long gave up or fell into depravity simply because he had been enslaved, then he was not worthy of being Xu Changqing's opponent.
Gan Long was now a Half-Saint as well.
Suddenly, the person in the iron cage raised his head, revealing one weary eye. He abruptly looked toward Xu Changqing in the seats, astonishment appearing in his gaze.
He sensed an aura that was extremely familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. That aura was contradictory.
His physique and talent were extraordinary. Even though Xu Changqing had concealed his aura, Gan Long could still detect a trace of it.
However, he did not speak. After looking at Xu Changqing a few times, he lowered his head again.
At this moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions. His former enemy had appeared once more. He no longer held the hatred of the past; all he felt was the joy and embarrassment of seeing an old acquaintance.
After traveling through the Starry Sky for many years, he had been captured and brought here. Every day, he was either drained of blood or forced to temper Heavenly Prides. He had already become numb.
He no longer held any hostility toward Xu Changqing. The day he was defeated, all his hatred vanished, leaving behind only doubt about life.
Before you continue