"Star Crystal Lord!"
Tiga moved like lightning, arriving quickly at the place he had agreed to meet Star Crystal Lord.
At that moment, Star Crystal Lord had his eyes shut, and the radiant starlight around his divine body had grown dim.
"What happened?"
Seeing the scene before him, Tiga's expression changed at once. Though the Boundless Heavenly Pool was fraught with danger, Star Crystal Lord was powerful enough that even if he'd been defeated, he shouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.
Yet the situation was clear: Star Crystal Lord had been through a fierce battle, and his divine body had been damaged.
"Lord of Radiance! You're here!"
Star Crystal Lord opened his eyes, exhaustion showing in his expression.
But the starlight that had dimmed around him began to shine again.
"You..."
Tiga asked tentatively.
Star Crystal Lord didn't hide the truth. "It was Lord Fenglei of the God Eye Clan!"
"Lord Fenglei?"
Hearing the name, Tiga was secretly alarmed.
The God Eye Clan had operated in the Universe Sea for three Reincarnation Eras, and its ranks were filled with countless powerful experts.
Lord Fenglei was one of them. Though he couldn't compare to top fighters like Lord Wuhun and Lord Jingyan, he was still among the best. Having fused the Wind and Thunder Paths of the Beast God, his combat strength was among the peak of the fourth tier.
Looks like the God Eye Clan is taking this seriously this time!
Tiga thought, his face revealing his concern.
"The God Eye Clan is probably hunting me everywhere right now. I've dragged you into this. If things become untenable, you should..."
Star Crystal Lord had already prepared for the worst. But for Tiga, unless several True Lords attacked at once, whoever came after him would be nothing more than a rabble.
It was just that... he didn't want to expose his true strength because of an outsider.
"I understand!" Tiga readily agreed, then produced a Water Source Crystal Core.
"This can help you recover your divine power. Consider it a token of our friendship!"
As he spoke, Tiga tossed the core in his hand to Star Crystal Lord.
"Thank you!"
Star Crystal Lord didn't waste words. At worst, he'd have to pay some price. Compared to his long lifespan, this wealth was nothing.
"Don't mention it. Everyone in the Universe Sea knows how close we are. If the God Eye Clan finds you and me in the same place, they'll come after me too. That would give me quite a headache!"
Tiga made no attempt to hide his concerns.
Apart from the factions of the First Reincarnation Era, the other forces in the Universe Sea might not be on friendly terms, but they weren't lunatics.
Look at the First Reincarnation Era's experts nearing the end of their lifespans. They were practically all madmen.
Given his relationship with Star Crystal Lord, it would be hard to stop those people from attacking them—especially since the two of them were in the same region.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye. For experts like them, it was no more than a fleeting moment.
Meanwhile, the Primal Universe was bustling with activity...
At that moment, inside a grand hall in the Virtual Universe,
the top officials of the Human Race and the Hong Alliance had gathered.
At the very center of the hall, where there had originally been only two black thrones, stood a newly forged black throne.
A giant axe was engraved upon it. This was Giant Axe's seat.
"Congratulations, Giant Axe Founder!"
"Congratulations, Giant Axe Founder!"
"Congratulations, Giant Axe Founder!"
Apart from Peng Gong, Chaos, Peak, and Woz, all the other Human Race experts offered Giant Axe their congratulations.
"Enough pleasantries. The main purpose of this Supreme Council meeting is to discuss the distribution of the territories we've acquired!"
Seeing that the atmosphere had been suitably warmed up, Giant Axe skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.
"The territories of these four star regions can be used to establish four Universe Countries for the Human Race. All of you understand how important that is.
"So first, we'll discuss who should become the four Universe Country Lords."
"Does the Founder have anyone in mind?"
The one who spoke was a Universe Master who had advanced only a few eras ago. He belonged to the Thunder Dragon bloodline, one of the eight royal bloodlines of the Dragon-Man Race.
He was also the least experienced among the Universe Masters.
At that, Giant Axe Founder sat upright on his black throne. His gaze swept across the more than forty Universe Masters present before finally settling on Ancestor Suihuo.
"Senior Suihuo," Giant Axe's voice echoed through the hall. "On behalf of the Human Race, I invite you to take one of the lordships."
Ancestor Suihuo slowly rose. In the eyes of this ancient being, who had weathered every storm since the birth of the Human Race, a complex light flickered.
His reddish beard and hair drifted gently in the light of the Virtual Universe, while the ancient flame patterns on his battle robe stirred despite the absence of wind.
"Thank you for the offer, Giant Axe Founder, but..." Ancestor Suihuo's eyes showed his hesitation.
"At my age, I shouldn't occupy such an important position anymore."
"Senior Suihuo, you protected the Human Race through its most difficult times. When it comes to virtue and prestige, no one in the Human Race is more suitable than you.
"Besides, all four star regions lie along the borders between the Human Race and the other three races. They need a powerful expert to guard them...
"So I ask that you don't refuse, Senior Suihuo!"
Hearing Ancestor Suihuo's response, Giant Axe hurriedly tried to persuade him, explaining his reasons.
It was true that Suihuo wasn't among the very strongest of the Human Race, but his standing was in no way inferior to that of Giant Axe, the race's most powerful expert.
"But... sigh! Very well. I'll do everything in my power!"
Even though Ancestor Suihuo was reluctant, he accepted after hearing Giant Axe's words.
None of the Universe Masters present objected. Even they respected Ancestor Suihuo's standing.
After all, both Light Ancestor and Original Ancestor had received his help back in the day.
Though both of them were exceptionally talented, without a strong foundation of support, it would have taken the Human Race many more years to rise.
"Now that that's settled, as for the other three lordships..." Giant Axe turned his gaze toward the others again.
The hall fell silent for a brief moment.
The four newly acquired star regions came from the Machine Race, the Bug Race, and the Monster Race.
The three regions ceded by the Monster Race were the largest and richest in resources, but they were also the most strategically important.
They lay right along the border between Human Race and Monster Race territory, where clashes were bound to continue.
As for the star region from the Machine Race, though they had begun withdrawing over the years,
they would no doubt leave behind some of their technological creations. Their value...
"I recommend that Venerable Phantom be assigned to guard one of the Universe Countries!"
A voice suddenly rang out. Everyone turned toward the speaker and saw that it was none other than the Human Race's master refiner, Lord of Wisdom Light Hikari!
"Venerable Phantom?"
Before you continue