The Seventh Tower

"Ling Xuan was almost there too. The final result would soon be decided."

The geniuses of the Yanshen Universe Kingdom and Ganwu Universe Kingdom were locked in a fierce confrontation on another "battlefield."

"Even if Yanshen finishes the Trial Tower first, that doesn't prove anything. The final result will still be decided when the two of them face off in the final battle."

"Heh, they're facing the same opponents, and both are experts in the laws of fire and space. They even use similar weapons—a halberd and a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear. You could say they're competing on almost exactly the same track. We can already see the difference in their strength."

"Not necessarily. Yanmo might be holding back."

"And Yanshen is definitely giving it his all?"

After fighting his way into the Seventh Trial Tower, Cao Benqi's killing speed was finally affected a little, though not by much.

Neither the Green Mantises nor the even stronger Blood Mantises could withstand a single move from him.

But the Zerg Mother Empress on the seventh floor was clearly able to produce Zerg Warriors much faster than the Mother Empresses on the first six floors.

At first, she could just about keep pace with Cao Benqi's killing speed.

Meanwhile, Ling Xuan was still locked in combat with the ten Starry Sky Behemoths.

Although he could repeatedly strike their weak points and wound them, the third layer of the Fire God Absolute Domain Blade wasn't powerful enough to deal a killing blow.

The behemoths' regenerative abilities were terrifying, too. Often, Ling Xuan had barely been forced to retreat into the void before they had already recovered.

"They're strong—far too strong. There are only ten Starry Sky Behemoths, but each one is so absurdly powerful that they're nothing like the opponents in the earlier layers, where I could rely on sheer numbers and overwhelming firepower. Before, I could defeat opponents through surprise attacks, but now I can't use one to deliver a decisive blow."

Ling Xuan slipped into the void once again, evading their attacks. The roar of Starry Sky Beast Cang sent ripples across the surrounding space.

"I need a stronger killing move. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to use the Zhetian Method." Ling Xuan weighed his options. "Before the Genius Tournament, I'd already learned the second layer of the Fire God Absolute Domain Blade. With the Ganwu Kingdom Lord's guidance, I learned the third. When I entered the first layer of the Seventh Trial Tower, my comprehension of the Law of Space made a clear breakthrough. I should see if I can bring out the fourth layer of the Fire God Absolute Domain Blade."

Ling Xuan closed his eyes. In his mind, the moves of the Fire God Absolute Domain Blade flowed endlessly, continually aligning with his newly comprehended Law of Space.

Time passed, second by second.

A day later.

It could work!

Whoosh—

Ling Xuan emerged from the void once more, appearing like a phantom behind Starry Sky Beast Cang's neck.

Flames surged around him, and crimson-gold patterns on the Fire God Absolute Domain Blade flashed wildly, as if countless suns were burning within the blade.

His strength and Law Comprehension poured into the blade like a rising tide. The fourth layer, "Sun Piercing Slash," burst into action.

The instant the blade fell, the world around him lost its color.

It was as if all the light in the space had been absorbed by the strike, turning into a pitch-black rift that slashed down toward Starry Sky Beast Cang.

Sensing the threat of death, Starry Sky Beast Cang let out a world-shaking roar. Its scales stood on end as it tried to block the fatal blow.

But before that blade light, which fell like the collapse of the heavens, its resistance seemed utterly feeble.

Where the blade passed, the behemoth's planet-sized body split in two without a sound, like tofu sliced by invisible threads.

Blood poured down like a crimson waterfall, staining the void for tens of thousands of miles around.

"Roar!"

Another behemoth charged at Ling Xuan with a roar. He immediately retreated into the void again.

"It worked." Seeing the behemoth he had killed outright, Ling Xuan felt his confidence surge.

He darted through the void, waiting for the right moment to emerge and kill a Starry Sky Behemoth with one strike.

One, two, three...

Before long, he had picked off all ten Starry Sky Behemoths one by one.

As soon as he entered the seventh floor, Ling Xuan had hidden himself deep in the void.

According to the Swallowing Method, to achieve Body Merging with Void, one had to comprehend the lower-level branch of the "Body Merging with Void" profound aspect among the three great mysteries of the Law of Space. This required at least the comprehension of a Marquis Level expert.

To see through his spatial fluctuations and pinpoint his exact location, one needed the Law Comprehension of an Immortal who had reached the fifteenth level of the Heavenly Bridge.

The Trial Tower held a status equal to that of Tongtian Mountain. As a crucial trial for evaluating Star Level geniuses, its significance was comparable to that of the nonexistent Star Level Original Tongtian Mountain.

By conventional standards, the Universe Level Original Tongtian Mountain had twelve layers, the Domain Lord Level Original Tongtian Mountain had sixteen, and the World Lord Level Original Tongtian Mountain had twenty.

That meant the Law Comprehension requirement for a Star Level Original Tongtian Mountain would be the eighth level of the Heavenly Bridge.

Considering that Star Level geniuses had yet to receive training from the Five Great Secret Realms, the difficulty or standards might be lower—probably around the seventh level.

Ling Xuan's Law Comprehension was still shallow, but the Great Void Art he used was an unparalleled secret technique created by the Void Emperor.

This art simplified the complex Law of Space. It resembled a Secret Pattern Diagram for an Innate Secret Technique and didn't require the cultivator to fully understand its mysteries. They only needed to follow the diagram's instructions to activate and use it, greatly lowering the requirements. Its core principle was simply that practice made perfect.

At that moment, the Zerg Legion under the Zerg Mother Empress was on high alert, surrounding her protectively.

The Zerg Mother Empress was delicate. If Ling Xuan got close, a single strike would be enough to kill her.

In the earlier layers of the Trial Tower, his opponents had all been individuals, and he could pick them off one by one, secretly choosing targets for assassination.

But against a Zerg army commanded by a Zerg Mother Empress and continuously reinforced by the Mother Nest, slowly grinding them down would be futile. He would likely kill them more slowly than the Mother Nest could replenish them.

To break the deadlock, he had to capture the king to end the game.

So Ling Xuan concealed his figure and used the Great Void Art to sneak toward the Zerg Mother Empress. His presence was completely hidden within the void, as if he had become one with the world around him.

Beneath the dome, the Zerg Mother Empress hovered in midair, her body giving off a gentle glow.

She had an almost perfect human female appearance. Her skin was fair and luminous, like the finest mutton-fat jade, with a soft sheen.

Her eyes were a deep, dusky blue, as if they held an endless sea of stars. Every glance held an indescribable allure and mystery.

A golden ribbon etched with strange runes wound around her slender waist, which was narrow enough to fit in one hand.

Six pale-red butterfly wings fluttered gently behind her. They were as thin as a cicada's wings, yet gave off a sense of toughness. Each beat sent nearly invisible ripples of soul power through the void.

With the Great Void Art, Ling Xuan approached in silence. Just as he was about to appear and swing his blade, a Blood Mantis patrolling nearby happened to glance toward his position.

The Zerg shared their vision, and this tiny discovery was instantly relayed to the Mother Empress through their mental network.

The Mother Empress's lovely face twitched. Her languid expression instantly turned wary.

"Shhk!" The Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear tore through the void, carrying immense force as it swept toward the Zerg Mother Empress like a crimson shooting star.

But the Mother Empress reacted swiftly. Her red lips parted, and a sharp cry rang out. Her dusky blue pupils widened, becoming two bottomless whirlpools.

Ling Xuan felt a powerful soul attack rush toward him, and his consciousness plunged into an icy abyss.

Deep within his soul, the Soul Suppressing Small Cauldron rocked as it sent out waves to block the Mother Empress's soul power from invading.

But the Zerg Mother Empress's Soul Attack was immensely powerful. She was one of the greatest soul masters in the universe.

Combined with her superior Law Comprehension, her Soul Attack seeped in through every opening. The third layer of the Soul Suppressing Cauldron couldn't fully defend against it.

The world around him twisted abruptly. The golden dome became a gigantic cocoon covered in sharp spikes, each one dripping with strange, dark-green liquid.

The ground beneath his feet turned into churning, crimson blood, filling the air with a pungent stench of decay. All around him, countless compound eyes appeared and glowed ominously as they stared at him, sending a chill down his spine.

Even more horrifyingly, the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear in his hand had somehow become a writhing, fleshy tentacle. Every segment split open to reveal a mouth full of jagged teeth, which lunged toward his arm.

In the distance, the Zerg Mother Empress crouched in the pool of blood in a bizarre pose. She giggled like an innocent child as her arms stretched out like rubber bands, sharp bone spurs growing from their tips and stabbing straight toward his heart.

The danger in reality was just as deadly. Ling Xuan didn't stop his strike, but the illusion threw off his aim, and the blade only grazed the Mother Empress's delicate shoulder.

The injured Mother Empress let out a shrill, piercing screech. It was like a signal for the Zerg to go berserk; every Zerg Warrior in the area instantly went mad.

"Break!" Facing the Zerg Mother Empress's overwhelming assault, Ling Xuan immediately activated the Zhetian Method. Within the Dao Palace in his body, the five deities chanted ancient scriptures in unison.

After ten years of diligent cultivation, accumulating all manner of resources, and receiving guidance from the Void Mirror Deity, Ling Xuan's Zhetian Method had reached the Xiantai First Heaven.

Amid the majestic chant, Ling Xuan's Xiantai was perfectly clear. Waves of the Great Dao's heavenly music formed a natural defense, blocking the Zerg Mother Empress's Soul Attack.

The soul attack launched by the Zerg Mother Empress surged toward him like a raging black tide. But the waves of Dao music flowing from his Xiantai seemed almost tangible, colliding head-on with it.

Under the impact of the Dao music, the tide of soul power melted away layer by layer like snow beneath the blazing sun, vanishing without a trace.

Ling Xuan forcibly broke free of the illusion. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he raised the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear and swung it with all his strength at an approaching Green Mantis.

Wrapped in scorching waves of heat, the blade was like a divine weapon that could split open the heavens and earth. It cleaved the Green Mantis in two.

Ling Xuan's figure blurred. Ripples spread around him as he slipped into the void once more, vanishing without a trace before the other Zerg Warriors could reach him.

"Damn it, I forgot that the Zerg share their vision." Hidden in the void, Ling Xuan thought to himself, "The Zerg Warriors have surrounded the Mother Empress, and with their full 360-degree vision, getting close to her is nearly impossible."

He raced around the Zerg Mother Nest, searching for an opening, but no matter which angle he approached from, the gazes of countless Zerg converged on him.

"Looks like I'll have to reveal some of my abilities today. The Great Void Art is already exposed, so showing a little more won't matter. I'm determined to take this seventh floor—and as for first place in the Genius Tournament, who else could claim it but me?" Ling Xuan gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

If you didn't advance on the path of the strong, you fell behind. It was true that one should sometimes avoid flaunting their wealth, but revealing their value at the right moment could attract the attention of greater powers and bring Ling Xuan more resources.

As long as he didn't expose the Void Mirror, there was nothing else about him worth coveting.

Ling Xuan stopped hiding. His power at the Xiantai First Heaven erupted in full, and as divine power intertwined with Genetic Origin Energy, his aura surged dramatically.

Note: In the earlier chapters, I mentioned that the Zhetian Method could be used in the Virtual Universe. His Five Great Secret Realms were built from laws and Genetic Origin Energy, from which his divine power was born. The Void Emperor's path was based on the Origin Great Dao of the void, much like Jiefanzi's Water-Fire Origin in the original work, though it was weaker. The version had been modified by the Heart of the Martial God cheat.

This book is primarily based on the worldbuilding and setting of the Swallowed Star World, so there's no need to worry about it overshadowing the original.