The first floor of the palace looked small from the outside, perhaps only a few dozen square kilometers. In reality, it contained a vast space of its own, so spacious that it could easily hold a star a million kilometers across!
Ye Muxuan surveyed the main hall. It wasn't dim inside; a soft glow filled the space. The walls surrounding the hall were made of some unknown black material and covered in intricate patterns.
Once everyone had entered the palace, the horned man in purple robes appeared on the lawn in front of it. He reached out, and as the palace floated into the air, it rapidly shrank. By the time it landed in his hand, it was small enough to fit in his palm.
The purple-robed man gazed toward the depths of the Virtual Universe Company Headquarters mainland and gave a slight bow. Then he vanished in a flash.
Inside the palace, Ye Muxuan and the others couldn't sense the passage of time or the fluctuations of space. Then, at some point, a sudden spatial fluctuation appeared and hurled all of them outside.
Initial Universe, Chaos City.
A purple figure appeared on the empty street, a black palace materializing in his hand. Then, a large group of people suddenly appeared in the street—more than a thousand in all.
Ye Muxuan felt space shift, and in the next instant, he was standing in the street. Just then, an Immortal dressed in black came flying toward them from afar.
On a rooftop nearby, quite a few cultivators sat cross-legged, watching the scene.
"It's Receptionist No. 9."
"The little fellows from the Genius Battle just arrived. These must be the ones from the Outer Battlefield!"
"A few of the contestants in the Genius Battle hosted by the Virtual Universe Company did pretty well this time. I wonder how this batch from the Outer Battlefield will fare. Will there be any World Lords who really impress us?"
"Hard to say. I haven't paid attention to those little fellows from the Outer Battlefield in a long time."
"I did hear recently that there's a promising youngster from the Blade Race. Supposedly, he got a spot too. I wonder if he made it in this time."
"Some of the World Lords in the Core Layer of the Five Great Powers came from the Outer Battlefield. I wonder how many from this batch will get in."
"Even if some of those World Lords did well, that doesn't mean they'll choose your Virtual Universe Company. My Giant Axe Dojo is just as good."
"What are you talking about? The Primal Secret Realm of the Virtual Universe Company and the Giant Axe Secret Realm of the Giant Axe Dojo both have geniuses at the Eighteenth Layer, but is the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance any worse? We have a World Lord at the Eighteenth Layer in our Glory Secret Realm too."
"Anyway, there are two at the Seventeenth Layer in the Black Hole Secret Realm of my Cosmic Galaxy Bank this time."
"It's fine. The Blood Drop Secret Realm next door, belonging to the Cosmic First Bank, has someone at the Seventeenth Layer too."
"..."
On the rooftops in the distance, groups of mighty beings chatted freely, their imposing auras radiating without restraint. They were mostly mid- to high-ranking members of the Five Great Powers. Each had a strong sense of pride and belonging, and none of them held back during the discussion.
The Five Great Powers' lists of geniuses below the Immortal level weren't classified secrets to these people. They were all core members of the Five Great Powers and permanent residents of Chaos City. As for the Heavenly Bridge, even the weakest among them had cleared the Eighteenth Layer, and quite a few had cleared the Twentieth! So they knew fairly well what level the strongest Law Comprehension among the Five Great Powers' current World Lord geniuses had reached.
Ye Muxuan steadied himself, his instincts screaming in warning!
Without drawing attention to himself, his gaze swept rapidly around. The beings nearby, each radiating an immense aura, carried treasures within them that made him feel suffocated.
Every one of them was far stronger than him. Even Demon Blade King would only be somewhere in the middle of the pack here, as far as he could tell. In this world, the formidable auras of dozens of powerful beings spread without restraint. They were unquestionably beyond the Immortal level; every one of them carried the pressure of a Venerable. From Ye Muxuan's hazy impression, some even seemed stronger than the purple-robed man from earlier.
Chaos City was a sacred cultivation ground of the Human Race. Here, one could glimpse just a small part of the Human Race's true foundations!
In the Chaos Ruins, a pair of eyes as vast as lakes gazed through space and time, passing over the more than a thousand powerful beings in the street. At one point, his gaze paused briefly on a young man wearing black battle armor.
Beside him, a refined man in white robes watched the scene with a smile.
After releasing Ye Muxuan and the others, the purple-robed man's black, three-tiered palace transformed into a streak of light and entered his body. Then he took a step and disappeared.
"Welcome to the Initial Universe and Chaos City, everyone. I'm one of Chaos City's receptionists." The Immortal in black robes, with fine scales covering his forehead, landed before the more than a thousand powerful beings. Looking at all those unfamiliar faces, he smiled and said, "I'll be your guide from here on, and I'll explain the rules of Chaos City along the way!"
"This city is called Chaos City. It has existed longer than some of your Universe Kingdoms. It is now jointly governed by an alliance of the Five Great Powers: the Virtual Universe Company, the Giant Axe Dojo, the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, the Cosmic Galaxy Bank, and the Cosmic First Bank."
Silence!
The 1,501 powerful beings before him quietly watched the Immortal in black robes.
"Come with me, everyone. I'll explain as we go." The Immortal in black robes set off down the street, covering dozens of kilometers with each step. The weakest among those following him were Peak World Lords, so they could easily keep up. "Chaos City has existed for an incredibly long time. Among the powerful beings who came here to cultivate, one great figure after another has emerged."
The 1,501 powerful beings followed the Immortal in black robes, listening to his explanations while looking around at the uniform little buildings.
Now and then, some of the beings on the rooftops glanced down at the newcomers in the street, but most paid them no attention. They kept their heads raised, contemplating the cracks that appeared and disappeared overhead.
Those were manifestations of the Universe Origin Law!
Time in Chaos City was incredibly precious. Even a World Lord's spot could fetch tens of thousands of Hunyuan Units at auction, while an Immortal's typically cost hundreds of millions. And a World Lord, even one who had obtained a spot through the Outer Battlefield, couldn't stay in Chaos City forever.
So every powerful being who entered Chaos City treasured every moment spent comprehending the laws.
"There are many super beings in Chaos City," the Black-Robed Envoy said as he walked along the street, covering dozens of kilometers with each step while the thousand-plus powerful beings followed. "Never disturb them while they're comprehending the laws. If you do, you'll be sent out of the Initial Universe, and your chance to cultivate here will be over!"
No one said a word. They all nodded to themselves.
I still haven't been able to find the original text confirming whether the Giant Axe Dojo's first secret realm is called the Giant Axe Secret Realm or the God Beginning Secret Realm, so I've used "Giant Axe Secret Realm" for now. If anyone finds the original, sorry for the trouble, and thanks in advance!
Before you continue