Endless Hunyuan Space—First Domain of Cultivators—
The Yuan Clan's Eleventh Hunyuan World—Origin Continent
At the heart of the Origin Continent lay a small world, separate from all space and time and exceptionally close to the core of the Hunyuan World. Countless precious materials and treasures that even mighty God Kings would covet were scattered about like rubbish.
At the summit of a mountain in this world stood a small stone platform, radiating strange silver-white fluctuations. A middle-aged man in colorful patchwork clothes lounged upon it.
A jade-green gourd floated in the air, occasionally pouring transparent liquor that gave off a chill into the cup in the man's hand.
Now and then, colorful lights gathered in his tipsy eyes. They contained all the latest intelligence from the Hunyuan World and the surrounding Hunyuan Space.
In the distant void, a short, hunched Daoist boy holding a horsetail whisk strode toward him. Each step seemed to cover only a few feet, yet carried him across vast distances.
The Daoist boy flicked his whisk and bowed. "Inspector Daoist Tuorong pays his respects to Yuan."
The boy was an ordinary clone of Daoist Tuorong, the World-Level Hunyuan expert who served as the First Domain's inspector, responsible for watching over numerous regions.
The middle-aged man lying down was naturally Yuan, the first and most powerful Lord-level expert among the cultivators of the Endless Hunyuan Space.
Yuan drained his cup and gave an impatient laugh. "You little hunchback, shouldn't you be out doing your rounds? What brings you to my Hunyuan World to see this clone of mine? Did that old Bi Fang find out I'd finished brewing the Void Ice Spirit Liquid and send you over to mooch some liquor?"
Tuorong replied gleefully, "A few days ago, this clone ran into a troublesome Hunyuan lifeform and lost a bit of cultivation. I figured I could recover faster by drawing on the Hunyuan World's origin, without delaying my patrol. I never expected such a pleasant surprise!"
Yuan's old face froze. He'd let his guard down! He rose, intending to sneak away.
Tuorong wasn't a fool. With a casual wave, he locked down the space, then stepped forward to snatch the jade-green gourd from Yuan's hand. "Come on, share some with me."
Yuan couldn't forcibly break the space lock, so he could only put on a stern front. "I'm a Lord-level expert! How dare a mere World-Level subordinate like you defy your superior?"
Tuorong scoffed. "Old Thief Yuan! Your Main Combat Clone is far away. What can this one clone do to me?"
The man and the boy grappled on the stone platform like a pair of common street thugs...
No one knew how their contest ended, but Yuan seemed to lose. Reluctantly, he poured liquor from the gourd into a small porcelain flask Tuorong had produced, muttering under his breath that Void Ice Spirit Liquid was difficult to brew and that he only got a drop every few Chaos Eras.
Tuorong laughed heartily. He no longer mentioned recovering his cultivation, tucked the flask away, and strode off.
Yuan watched him go, his eyes shifting as he seemed to think of a way to get even.
Then he, too, burst into laughter and lay back down as though nothing had happened, continuing to drink by himself. Great experts were lonely; a little horseplay now and then was fun.
Southern Origin Continent—Edge of the Universe Ocean—
Quicksand Danger Zone
This was a favorite place for elite True Gods and even ordinary Void True Gods from the southern frontier to explore. It wasn't especially dangerous, and anyone patient enough could find some decent treasures and materials.
Suddenly, three powerful God King phantoms chased one another into the Quicksand World, tearing through endless waves of sand and making the entire danger zone tremble.
The True Gods scattered in alarm. The power radiating from God Kings at full speed could easily grievously injure them—or even disperse their divine power and kill them—if so much as a trace reached them.
A few well-informed figures recognized the three God Kings and quietly began exchanging messages.
The one fleeing at the front was none other than the legendary God King of Jin. No one remembered his original name. One of the Origin Continent's top powers, he had commanded a mighty force and dominated the continent for countless years.
Now it had all vanished like a dream. Shi Kingdom had risen abruptly and destroyed several powers in succession. Even Jin Kingdom, a top power with a God King of its own, had not been spared.
God King of Jin maintained his high speed as he fled deeper into the Universe Ocean. He was a God King of the Treasure Refining Path, and his divine body was only average among those at the third level of divine power. His fighting strength was far below either God King Shifeng or God King Shiyu behind him, let alone their combined pursuit.
His only chance was to risk venturing deep into the Universe Ocean and look for an opportunity to enslave a World Beast! God King of Jin knew the odds were slim, but he could only take the risk. It was better than being suppressed and enslaved, condemned to endless darkness with no hope of ever seeing the light again.
Behind him, God King Shifeng issued threats from time to time, while God King Shiyun tried to persuade him with kind words.
God King Shifeng said, "You're planning to head deep into the Universe Ocean and enslave a World Beast before it has matured, right? You must have heard about the power the Origin Will of the Primitive Universe can wield over the Universe Ocean!
"Give it up, God King of Jin! When their kingdoms were destroyed, plenty of powerful figures who bore deep grudges went into the Universe Ocean to enslave World Beasts. Countless experts have ventured in, but only Zimu has succeeded so far. You have no chance!"
A God King's will was unshakable, especially when fueled by the hatred of a destroyed kingdom and fallen family. God King of Jin maintained his terrifying speed without replying. He broke through the boundary of the Quicksand Danger Zone and vanished into the vast Universe Ocean.
The two God Kings of Shi Kingdom had no choice but to stop. Unlike God King of Jin, they couldn't rely on subtle changes in the Origin Will of the Primitive Universe's obstructive force to choose their direction once they entered the Universe Ocean. They risked losing their way.
If they ventured too far and lost their bearings, they would have to either foolishly risk approaching the Primitive Universe or remain lost near the edge of the Universe Ocean for countless years. Neither prospect was worth it.
God King Shifeng said bitterly, "God King of Jin is slippery, just as you'd expect from someone of the Treasure Refining Path. He's got all sorts of tricks. Even though he's far weaker than us, he still managed to escape our ambush!"
God King Shiyun replied indifferently, "It doesn't matter. Does he really think World Beasts are so easy to enslave? Ridiculous! Big brother, send a message to our third brother and have him suppress the area outside the Quicksand Danger Zone. Notify the local powers to suppress and enslave every Void-Level and Eternal-Level expert who emerges from reincarnation in this area over the next few dozen Chaos Eras.
"God King of Jin is doomed, but we still need to guard against him leaving behind a legacy—or, however faint the chance, successfully reincarnating into the Primitive Universe... Those mere True God ants might be as talented as they like, but the powers here wouldn't dare defy the will of our Shi Kingdom...
"We've gained a great deal from destroying several kingdoms this time. Let's go back and study our gains. We'll have a better chance when we reach that danger zone..."
God King Shifeng readily agreed, "I'll do as you say, second brother..." The three brothers had roamed the Origin Continent together for countless years and were inseparable, but God King Shifeng still couldn't quite fathom his second brother. The three of them also tacitly regarded God King Shiyun as their leader...
The Supreme Rules did not allow any being from the Origin Continent to enter the Universe Ocean. Yet there was always a sliver of hope; entry wasn't entirely forbidden. Instead, the Origin Will of the Primitive Universe was permitted to obstruct God King of Jin.
Without the Supreme Rules' permission, the Primitive Universe's Origin Will was nothing to fear. But with that permission, the Origin Will could wield the power of the Primitive Universe... and control the Universe Ocean. The closer one got to the Primitive Universe, the more terrifying its power became.
God King of Jin struggled onward, feeling the terrifying power around him grow stronger and stronger. At last, he understood more deeply why so few of the countless experts who had ventured here over the ages had ever succeeded.
If he forced his way through, he would die! If he had nothing to live for, he wouldn't have feared taking the risk. But he had to avenge his kingdom and family! He would have to find another way.
Under the terrifying pressure, God King of Jin's peak God King will seemed to be on the verge of a transformation.
Once he'd made up his mind, God King of Jin didn't hesitate. He stopped trying to heal the dreadful wound left by God King Shiyun's secret technique and began making preparations for the future.
First, he left a phantom consciousness inside his World of Jin! He also left behind a scroll containing the Lieyuan Technique, one of the inheritance opportunities Yuan had scattered throughout this Hunyuan Space. He hoped that one of the descendants born in the World of Jin would learn it and become a powerful ally in his revenge!
As he struggled to withstand the Universe Ocean's power, God King of Jin sat cross-legged, his enormous body stretching 160 million light-years across the Universe Ocean. He thought, I don't know how severe the Supreme Rules' restrictions are, so I'd better be cautious. Perhaps I can take in some disciples in the Primitive Universe and train them. They won't be as talented as those born on the Origin Continent, but they'll be better than nothing.
While I still have some strength left, I should use the materials I carry to forge a few treasures. Even if I succeed in reincarnating, who knows how many tens of thousands of Chaos Eras it'll take to reach the God King realm again?
The first was the Star Tower, a project he'd planned for a long time! God King of Jin spent more than three hundred eras in the Universe Ocean—about three million Earth years—just to bring it close to completion. Suddenly, a golden light pierced through endless space and time and merged into it, hastening its completion and making it yet another mighty God King Weapon.
He had no time to wonder where the golden light had come from. Caressing the Star Tower fondly, he hoped that one day the powerful figures of the Origin Continent would have a chance to witness its might!
He placed his remaining treasures inside his God King Weapon, the Jin King Palace. Then he continued deeper into the Universe Ocean aboard the Jin King Palace, while the ocean's power exerted a forceful repulsion.
After being gravely wounded by the two rulers of Shi Kingdom and the Universe Ocean's power, he gradually realized he could no longer advance. He couldn't even retreat. Faced with this desperate situation, God King of Jin detached a sliver of his Life Imprint and placed it inside the Jin King Palace, then performed the Reincarnation Technique.
He pinned his hopes on the slim chance of reincarnating into the Primitive Universe. Though he would abandon everything he had accumulated over countless years, that was still better than dying and leaving nothing behind.
He left his divine body where it was. Now that he was dead, only a "sliver of his Life Imprint" remained in the special state created by the Reincarnation Technique. At last, God King of Jin was no longer repelled by the Universe Ocean. Of course, he could no longer sense the Origin Will of the Primitive Universe raging helplessly in fury—or the trace of fear it felt...
Without the Supreme Rules' permission, the Origin Will could no longer restrict the flight of a dead object. The True God Level Puppets inside the Jin King Palace continued to propel it through the endless Universe Ocean...
At the instant God King of Jin's will transformed, far away in the small world where Yuan resided, Yuan suddenly stirred from his drunken slumber. He rose and said with a smile, "What an interesting little fellow. Even with such a deep grudge, he can still hold fast to himself and not lose his way... He's worth cultivating. Perhaps he'll be of great help in the future."
The way of fate was elusive. Even though this Hunyuan World was one he had created, once it began operating on its own, he could only vaguely sense what lay ahead.
He paid little attention to the turmoil of the Origin Continent, instead devoting himself to teaching promising beings. He hoped that, however faint the odds, a cultivator might transcend the shackles of life. Such a being could at least become a World-Level Hunyuan expert, easing his burden somewhat...
"I designed this Hunyuan Space so ingeniously that it might produce another eight or ten World-Level experts! Hahaha!" Yuan chuckled, somewhat pleased with himself. He raised a hand and manipulated space, sending a few things on their way, among them a streak of golden light...
The Supreme Rules, which tolerated not the slightest disobedience, also came under Yuan's influence. The odds that God King of Jin's fairly ordinary Reincarnation Technique would succeed were forcibly raised by several percentage points...
Light gathered in Yuan's eyes, where stars seemed to shimmer. A hint of anticipation glimmered within them...
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