Putting Aside His Contempt

After hearing the guard's words, Qin Cang smiled and entered the Inner Mansion.

That was right. Although the Yan God Clan had only been founded recently, Unity Venerable had joined Chaos City Lord's school long ago. He was even Chaos City Lord's second disciple.

It made sense, after all. Chaos City Lord was a disciple of Original Ancestor, who had been one of the earliest living beings in the Primal Universe. Those people were immensely talented; before long, they could reach the Universe Venerable level, or even become Universe Masters. Unity Venerable must have had a truly terrifying talent for Chaos City Lord to take notice of him and accept him as a disciple.

Inner Mansion.

Following the broad corridor, Qin Cang soon came upon a plaza paved with chaotic rock.

In the distance stood a bald man wearing a scarlet battle robe. A faint smile touched his face, and he seemed utterly tranquil.

Qin Cang watched him, and it was as if everything around them had disappeared.

No. This is an illusion. Break!

Qin Cang shouted inwardly. He had never expected to be given such a harsh welcome the moment he arrived.

Fortunately, Unity Venerable had only been testing him. He hadn't actually meant to kill Qin Cang. Otherwise, Qin Cang wouldn't have lasted a second. If Unity Venerable had wanted to, Qin Cang wouldn't even have had the chance to self-destruct.

That was why Qin Cang had managed to break through the illusion so quickly.

"Not bad, little one. Looks like Demon Wing Venerable has taken on a good disciple. Come along; our teacher is waiting for you up ahead," Unity Venerable said with a smile, though he was secretly astonished.

He had just used an illusion technique he'd created himself. Even though he'd held back, an ordinary Marquis would have needed a while to break free. But Qin Cang had escaped in less than three seconds. On the surface, Qin Cang might have been a World Lord, but his willpower was no weaker than that of an ordinary Peak Marquis.

Most members of the Yan God Clan had weak wills, but Qin Cang was an exception. His family had trained him from a young age, and his willpower had already far surpassed that of others at his level. In the years since, he'd made honing his willpower a top priority in his cultivation. That was how he'd gained willpower on the level of a Peak Marquis while still a World Lord. It couldn't compare to the freakish willpower of Luo Feng, whose World Lord self could rival a Universe Overlord, but it was already formidable.

From that brief test, Qin Cang had also formed an initial estimate of Unity Venerable's strength. He was probably a High Venerable, not yet a Universe Overlord.

After all, Demon Wing Venerable was a Universe Overlord, one of the most powerful among them. Unity Venerable had restrained his aura, but Qin Cang sensed that compared with Demon Wing Venerable, he lacked something—something difficult to put into words.

Unity Venerable wouldn't become a Universe Overlord until he met Luo Feng countless ages later. For now, Qin Cang guessed that he was more likely a High Universe Venerable.

There was no visible difference between a Universe Overlord and a Universe Venerable. Qin Cang was only a World Lord, so he couldn't tell whose aura was stronger. But he could sense that Demon Wing Venerable had a world-weary quality Unity Venerable lacked. It was the weariness of someone who had spent endless ages without making a breakthrough, with nothing to do but let the years pass.

Unity Venerable, on the other hand, seemed to have a sharp, enterprising edge. It was the quality of someone whose strength was continually increasing. To develop that world-weary air, all you had to do was remain stuck at the Universe Overlord level for several hundred billion eras. There was no other way.

"I've heard about you. Your talent is truly astonishing, no worse than mine was back then. But our teacher ordered that he meet with you alone, and I can't help wondering what makes you so special," Unity Venerable said curiously.

"Venerable, I'm only here to pay my respects to the City Lord at my teacher's command," Qin Cang replied.

Since Chaos City Lord hadn't explained the reason, Qin Cang couldn't say anything either. He would find out when the time came, though the news surely wouldn't remain secret for long.

There was only one Phantom Color Flowing Light Bead in the Human Race, and the requirements for using it were incredibly strict. Now that it had suddenly been used, all it took was a glance at the Human Race's current crop of rising talents to figure out who had used it.

Thankfully, only a Universe Overlord or someone stronger was qualified to inspect treasures of this sort, greatly reducing the risk of exposure. At least in the short term, there was little danger of the truth getting out.

Otherwise, the Alien Race would intensify its assassination attempts against Qin Cang by at least two more levels.

Although Qin Cang had conquered the Domain Lord Level Primal Sky Mountain, the other three major races had already ranked him No. 1 even before that. Even if his achievement became known, how much more could the assassination attempts intensify? Hiring Venerables to carry out assassinations came at no small cost.

"Our teacher has three clones. The one overseeing Chaos City is the most battle-oriented of the three, so you must show him the utmost respect and avoid offending him," Unity Venerable explained with a smile.

"Yes," Qin Cang replied respectfully.

He'd known about Chaos City Lord's three clones for a long time, but this was his first time seeing one up close. It was also his first time standing before a being on the level of a Universe Master—and one of the most powerful Universe Masters at that.

Chaos City Lord was a Fifth-Order Universe Master, second only to Universe Supreme Beings in the Primal Universe. He stood alongside such mighty figures as Lord of Galaxy and Lord of Nine Serenities. Qin Cang didn't yet know where Lord of Galaxy, Lord of Nine Serenities, and the others were, or how strong they were, but that did nothing to diminish Chaos City Lord's renown. He had earned it, one battle at a time.

This must be Chaos Ruins, Qin Cang thought as he looked at the stone stele outside the courtyard.

"Our teacher is inside," Unity Venerable said, then led Qin Cang in.

Rumble~~~

Space and time twisted. A moment ago, they had been in the City Lord Mansion, but as soon as they crossed into the courtyard, the stars seemed to shift around them, and Qin Cang felt as though he'd entered a vast new world.

Corpses lay everywhere across the boundless land. Some were as large as planets, while others were smaller than humans. Some were humanoid, while others were all manner of strange creatures. Without exception, each corpse radiated an aura so terrifying it made Qin Cang's heart tremble.

These must be the remains of the battlefield where Chaos City Lord fought the creatures that invaded the Initial Universe after Original Ancestor was suppressed. They were really reckless, daring to invade someone else's Miniature Universe.

"Teacher," Unity Venerable called out suddenly.

Only then did Qin Cang notice a burly figure standing some distance away, about three meters tall. He was much shorter than Qin Cang, who stood nearly ten meters, but the overwhelming killing intent that poured off him far surpassed Qin Cang's. It was the aura of someone who had truly slain countless powerful beings.

Chaos City Lord wore a complex, ancient-looking dark red suit of armor and battle boots. A tail extended from beneath his battle skirt.

The instant Qin Cang looked at him, he felt his soul tremble. It was as if he could see the boundless laws of the universe within this man. The vast laws were infused with an incredibly dense aura of slaughter, making Qin Cang want to kneel before him.

So this is what a Universe Master is like? I still underestimated how powerful this level is. I'd only read about it in books, so I never really felt its weight. Even after meeting my teacher, Demon Wing Venerable, and Unity Venerable in person, I hadn't thought much of this realm. I was far too naïve. This is just the aura they naturally emit while holding back. If they released it fully, it wouldn't just be me—the entire Chaos City would be annihilated in an instant.

Qin Cang's reverence for the powerful grew deeper, while his yearning for strength reached its peak since arriving in this world.