After traveling hundreds of millions of miles and breaking through the Space Lockdown, Nuoqi could only risk getting trapped in the prison by using Teleportation. Even so, he hadn't lost his way into the prison's interior.
Leaving Prison No. 0037 and arriving near Prison No. 0021, Nuoqi found a star and burrowed inside. He needed time to recover—not only from his Divine Body injuries.
The old and new grudges of his clan's annihilation and his people's slaughter had driven him nearly mad. The boundless hatred tormented him, but it had also made him stronger.
He comprehended the complete Space Law and became a Universe Venerable.
The branch Nuoqi had protected had been wiped out. He found another branch and gave them a large amount of resources, keeping only two Heavy Treasures for himself.
He stayed inside the star to improve and consolidate his strength. Now that he had just advanced to Universe Venerable, his level had risen, and his understanding of secret techniques would change as well.
Before many King-Level Immortals broke through, their secret techniques were only so-so.
Most Elementary Venerables had broken through from Peak Kings. Their secret techniques, Divine Bodies, and other aspects were inferior to those of King-level limits and Invincible Kings.
King Zhenyan had only just broken through to Universe Venerable, yet he had nearly killed King Feijing.
"Good thing I didn't chase him. If he'd pursued me, I would've had to lead the trouble elsewhere."
Wu Yun sensed Venerable Nuoqi's location, but he found it strange that the other man hadn't left the Ten Thousand Tribulations Prison. Wasn't he afraid Wu Yun would report him to his clan, which would send a Universe Venerable to kill him?
Venerable Nuoqi was consumed by rage. He had stayed behind to take revenge, and, relying on his thorough knowledge of the Ten Thousand Tribulations Prison's terrain, he reached a hidden area after several Teleportations.
He no longer cared about his own safety. That boundless hatred had made him what he was, and after breaking through in strength, he naturally intended to make his enemies pay in blood.
As for the fact that he was a Universe Venerable, the hope of his clan's rise?
Venerable Nuoqi didn't care. He had to kill—he had to slaughter the Alien Race's King-level Immortals.
If Wu Yun reported him now, a powerful expert would immediately come to kill this native Venerable.
Venerable Nuoqi had stayed behind because hatred had clouded his judgment.
But Wu Yun, the only King to have seen Venerable Nuoqi, had no intention of notifying the Hong Alliance or Lanzang City Lord. Instead, he had the Seven Seas King inform the Machine Race's faction.
He reported traces of a native near Prison No. 0021. That was where Wu Yun had previously discovered Venerable Nuoqi, but he didn't mention Nuoqi's strength.
It was also the narrowest prison zone in the entire Ten Thousand Tribulations Prison.
The known safe area covered only a radius of ten trillion kilometers. The rest was a labyrinth, where one could easily stumble into danger.
The first traces of a native had been discovered in Prison No. 0037. Since news of the Bug Race's later clash with Nuoqi hadn't been leaked, most King-level Immortals were still searching near Prison No. 0037.
The Machine Race's faction had more advanced communications than the Monster Race and Bug Race, though none of them came close to the convenience of humanity's Virtual Universe.
The Seven Seas King spread the news with ease, and no one questioned what he said.
If the Human Faction had tried to spread this kind of information, they would've been asked to provide video footage as proof. The other three races, however, could only rely on word of mouth.
"Master, several King-level limits have sent me invitations to join forces," the Seven Seas King reported to Wu Yun regularly. "King Citian of the Machine Race is coming too."
King Citian was a renowned figure on the Outer Realm Battlefield.
He was close to being an Invincible King, had several Heavy Treasures, and excelled at group tactics. Even the Bug Race's Immortal Mother Emperor didn't intimidate him.
"The more who come, the better." Wu Yun sensed Venerable Nuoqi's location. He was still in the Ten Thousand Tribulations Prison. It seemed the other man truly had no plans to leave.
One after another, powerful warriors from the Machine Race's faction began to move. Such a large-scale shift of King-level Immortals naturally couldn't escape the notice of the other factions, and soon someone realized something was amiss.
"Why are so many from the Machine Race's faction heading to Prison No. 0021? Did they find a native there?"
"Let's go take a look. Anyone coming with me?"
Warriors from the various factions discussed it among themselves. Some dreamed of getting their hands on Heavy Treasures.
Most were simply hoping to make a fortune amid the chaos.
The Ten Thousand Tribulations Prison was no less hellish than the Star Tower. It was terrifying for King-Level Immortals, who couldn't control exactly where they landed when using Teleportation.
Teleportation worked by sensing spatial fluctuations and using them to travel. But the spatial fluctuations inside the Ten Thousand Tribulations Prison were unstable, and one could easily end up somewhere other than the intended coordinates.
What's more, the terrain was incredibly complicated and still largely unexplored. Some areas looked safe but might hide secret traps. Teleporting into one could leave you with no way out.
Inside the prison, all space was completely sealed off.
Only lofty Space Venerables, who had mastered the complete Space Law, could sense every fluctuation with extraordinary precision and control their landing points exactly.
Several days after the news spread, King-level Immortals from the Monster Race, Bug Race, and Humans began arriving one after another, alongside those from the Machine Race's faction.
The desolate Universe Secret Realm suddenly became lively. Normally, it might have a few thousand or ten thousand King-Level Immortals, but now more than a hundred thousand had gathered there.
Everyone knew that a native's treasure trove was almost guaranteed to contain Heavy Treasures, and King-level Immortals found Heavy Treasures irresistible.
A Peak King could immediately rival a King-level limit after obtaining one.
With the right Heavy Treasure, they might even kill a King-level limit. And a King-level limit who obtained one could become a standout among others of the same level.
"Master, as you asked, I've joined King Citian's side," the Seven Seas King replied excitedly. "I brought him to the star where you fought earlier, so he'd know I wasn't making things up."
"I'll direct you to lead him to the Universe Venerable," Wu Yun instructed. "Be careful. It'd be best if you can get away."
Wu Yun knew Venerable Nuoqi's current location. He was still waiting.
He would wait until enough King-level Immortals had gathered, then lead King Citian to Venerable Nuoqi. An area ten trillion kilometers across was neither large nor small.
The Universe Venerable's battle couldn't affect a full light-year, but it would certainly cause a huge commotion. Every King-level Immortal would be drawn to the scene.
As long as enough King-level Immortals gathered, even a Universe Venerable was an ant. So what if he was a Space Venerable? With a huge group of Kings working together to lock down space, who could use Teleportation?
Only Universe Overlords and Universe Masters of that level could claim not to fear a large number of King-level Immortals.
King-level Immortals arrived in groups, with hundreds of thousands crowded into an area of just ten trillion kilometers. It was hard to imagine how congested it was.
The Kings' eyesight and detection devices meant that every squad could easily detect another. At that point, clashes were bound to break out.
A month after the news had spread,
a squad from the Machine Race's faction clashed with one from the Monster Race. It was the first small-scale battle so far.
Seven Peak Kings and two King-level limits fought, and King Luoming of the Monster Race was killed.
Fortunately, the treasure trove hadn't appeared yet, so the clashes couldn't grow too large. Based on past experience, several thousand or even more than ten thousand of the hundreds of thousands of King-level Immortals might die.
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