Confronting a Highgod

This pressure was not a spiritual assault, but a natural reverence born from the absolute gap in life levels—like an ant gazing up at a mountain, vast and righteous, leaving no room for resistance.

Every living being in the imperial capital, whether busy commoners or hard-training martial artists, felt an involuntary tremor in their hearts. They stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky in terror.

There, in the azure heavens, space rippled like water. The next moment, an enormous spaceship slowly "squeezed" out of the void, revealing its awe-inspiring hull!

The ship was streamlined, nearly ten thousand meters in length, its hull a cold silver-gray. Countless complex and profound blue energy patterns were etched across its surface, flowing like living things, radiating a chilling energy fluctuation. At the most conspicuous spot on the bow, a crest woven from ice crystal patterns and winding rivers gleamed brilliantly—the emblem of the Glacier Sacred Land!

This behemoth did not fully penetrate the atmosphere. Instead, it hovered steadily tens of thousands of meters above the ground, its shadow covering nearly half the imperial capital. A thick blue beam of light, over ten meters in diameter, shot down from the ship's underside like a god's gaze, landing precisely on the widest central square before the imperial palace.

The beam condensed without dispersing, carrying a calm yet supremely authoritative spiritual will that spread clearly across the entire capital and even farther regions: "By order of the Glacier Sacred Land, I have come to receive the Core Student, Qin Zhao!"

The voice was not loud, but it echoed slowly across the entire planet.

"The ship to receive Qin Zhao has finally arrived!" Deep within the capital, Mu Han, seated cross-legged in his meditation room, spoke with excitement.

On the other side, Qin Zhao slowly rose to his feet. He felt the vast pressure from the high sky, his heart calm and undisturbed. Compared to the shock of Mu Han and the others, he understood clearly that this was merely the aura of a standard reception ship in the universe. True experts need not even appear in person; a single thought could envelop a star.

Without a word, his figure flickered, and he appeared outside the meditation room. He looked up at the sacred land's ship hovering in the sky, then lightly stamped his foot. His entire form transformed into a earthy yellow streak of light, carrying a steady, mountain-like momentum, and plunged straight into the massive reception beam.

The beam seemed to possess intelligence. The moment Qin Zhao entered, it trembled slightly, then rapidly retracted. The energy patterns on the giant ship in the sky flared up abruptly, emitting a low hum. The next moment, the hull seemed to merge into the void, shooting upward at a speed beyond the limits of the naked eye, vanishing into the blue sky as if it had never existed.

Only the lingering energy ripples in the imperial capital's square and the residual awe and longing on the faces of countless citizens proved that the shocking scene had not been an illusion.

The reception beam brought Qin Zhao into a spacious, bright, and technologically advanced transport pod. The light faded, and Qin Zhao set foot on solid ground, finding several people already waiting inside.

At the forefront was a middle-aged man clad in the Glacier Sacred Land's blue standard battle armor. His face was resolute, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, and his entire being radiated an aura as unfathomable as the vast ocean—clearly a Domain Lord-level powerhouse! Behind him stood four attendants in gray battle suits, each with condensed auras, all Universe Level experts.

The Domain Lord-level leader's gaze fell on Qin Zhao. A hint of scrutiny flashed in his sharp eyes, but it quickly softened into calmness. He stepped forward, a formulaic smile on his face: "Student Qin Zhao, welcome aboard. I am Claude, the Reception Envoy of the Glacier Sacred Land."

"Greetings, Lord Claude."

Qin Zhao bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly. He could sense that this Reception Envoy Claude was no weaker than Snow, whom he had met in the Virtual Universe. The new achievement that appeared on his panel soon confirmed this!

[Congratulations on facing the true body of a Highgod!]

[Achievement Unlocked: Face a Highgod!]

[Reward: Soul Resistance increased by 10%!]

[Name: Qin Zhao]

[Talent: Earth-style (Superior), Water-style (High)... (High and below omitted)]

[Achievements: Saint Realm, Lowgod, Erudite, Paragon's Praise, Face a Highgod]

[Secret Arts: 128 Martial Arts Secret Techniques (Perfected)]

[Insights: Earth-style Laws (Earth Element 100%, Pulse of the Earth 15%)]

[Items: None]

[Buffs: Comprehension increased by 30%, Soul Resistance increased by 10%]

"This Claude is judged by the system as a Highgod, but isn't he a Domain Lord? And he even gave me a soul resistance buff?"

Previously, Qin Zhao had always believed that Domain Lord-level experts corresponded to Paragon Highgods in the Coiling Dragon worldview. But now, this Domain Lord Claude was only judged as a Highgod by the system. It seemed the criteria for Paragon status should be at Domain Lord ninth-stage or even stronger! Although a newly ascended Domain Lord was still within the Domain Lord tier, compared to a ninth-stage Domain Lord, the gap was enormous.

He also hadn't expected that this achievement would grant him soul resistance. A 10% resistance might not seem like much, but it was enough to weaken a soul attack from a peer by a full tenth of its power! This buff would become more terrifying the later the stage, making it a highly scalable growth buff!

"No need for formalities." Claude waved his hand, his attitude quite gentle. "Supervisor Snow instructed me to bring you to the Ice Ripple Secret Realm. The journey is long and requires a universe jump. During that time, you may cultivate in your assigned rest room or enter the Virtual Universe. Now, follow me to register your basic information."

Under Claude's guidance, Qin Zhao came to an instrument on one side of the transport pod. The process was simple—it only scanned Qin Zhao's Genetic Force characteristics and Spiritual Force fluctuations, cross-referencing them with the information registered in the Virtual Universe.

"Information confirmed. Student Qin Zhao, your core permissions have been activated." Claude finished the operation and nodded. "Your rest room is in Sector B, Room 17. The intelligent assistant will guide you there. Unless there are special circumstances, do not wander around the ship. I will notify you before we arrive at the Ice Ripple Secret Realm."

"Yes, thank you, Lord Claude." Qin Zhao replied.

A Universe Level attendant stepped forward and made a "please" gesture to Qin Zhao: "Student Qin Zhao, please follow me."

Following the attendant, Qin Zhao passed through several mirror-smooth corridors and arrived before a private cabin door. The door slid open silently, revealing a simple yet fully equipped room inside. There was an ecological pod for rest, an interface connecting to the Virtual Universe, and even a small training room.

"If you need anything, you can contact me through the intelligent assistant in the room." The Universe Level attendant bowed and left.

The cabin door closed. Qin Zhao surveyed this temporary space of his own. He felt the ship vibrate slightly, followed by a strange sensation of weightlessness, which was instantly offset by the ship's simulated gravity system.

"Already entered the Dark Universe..." Qin Zhao understood. He walked to the porthole (though it was a simulated exterior view) and saw that the familiar starry sky was gone, replaced by a bizarre, kaleidoscopic scene of countless streaks of light flashing past—the view of the Dark Universe.

He wasted no time. He directly connected to the Virtual Universe and, through the K-77 account, entered the Killing Field. There was still a considerable amount of time before they reached the Glacier Sacred Land, and he needed to seize every second to improve himself.