Sky Erosion Palace Lord's Attention

In the distant void shrouded with thin mist, an incomparably towering palace floated.

Space around the palace twisted and rippled, faint bands of light encircling it as if spatial forces converged there.

Though the void outside the palace was silent, a dignified and ancient power permeated the air, commanding reverence.

This was the Sky Erosion Palace.

Because of this palace's existence, the many powerhouses of the Blood Luo World had been cowering within that world from the endless ancient era until now, never daring to emerge.

The ninth floor of the Sky Erosion Palace held only a single great hall, vast and unobstructed.

The hall stretched tens of thousands of kilometers in both length and width, and its height was also tens of thousands of kilometers—even a planet could be placed inside it.

At this moment, an inconceivably great existence stood there, gazing into the endless void beyond the Sky Erosion Palace.

He wore a silver robe, yet upon closer look, the robe seemed to produce countless phantoms, faint golden threads visible on its surface—but blink, and the robe was merely silver again, illusory yet real, impossible to see through.

Like a god-king above the nine heavens, he looked down upon the countless subjects in his divine kingdom below.

He had brownish-red hair, crystalline skin, black eyes, and a vertical crease on his brow.

Though of ordinary stature, before him even giants felt as if they faced the boundless heavens and earth, acutely aware of their own insignificance.

This one man seemed vaster and more majestic than the void outside the palace.

He was the being who alone had intimidated the entire Blood Luo World for endless ages, one of humanity's three top Universe Overlords... the Sky Erosion Palace Lord!

That day, in the mist-shrouded void, a mysterious palace suddenly appeared, shaped like a medieval castle, its surface seeming to be covered in a thin layer of frost and snow, radiating boundless chill.

"Oh?" The corner of the Sky Erosion Palace Lord's mouth seemed to curl into a hint of a smile.

"One doesn't visit the Hall of Three Treasures without reason. You, the famed Ice Universe Venerable, why come running to my Sky Erosion Palace for no cause?"

"Haha, can't I just come to see you without a reason?"

A black-armored, silver-horned man flew out from the castle-like palace, heading straight for the ninth floor of the Sky Erosion Palace.

This visitor was none other than the Ice Universe Venerable, who had presided over the genius battle that included Feng Hui.

As an ancient high-level Venerable and a fellow member of the Virtual Universe Company's lineage, despite a considerable gap in strength, the Ice Universe Venerable and the Sky Erosion Palace Lord shared a decent friendship.

The two walked side by side into the reception hall on the ninth floor of the Sky Erosion Palace and sat down facing each other.

The Sky Erosion Palace Lord smiled as he looked over: "Ice Universe, don't I know you? You wouldn't come to my place for nothing. Speak—what's the matter?"

"Haha, then I'll be direct."

The Ice Universe Venerable smiled slightly. "Recently, a new Cosmic Secret Realm has emerged. According to the Venerable who discovered it, it's definitely of the highest grade—even Venerables will face danger inside."

Cosmic Secret Realms were peculiar realms naturally formed during the evolution of the vast universe.

Normal cosmic evolution might produce planets, stars, and the like... but due to special circumstances, bizarre Cosmic Secret Realms could appear, rivaling or even surpassing the size of a galaxy.

The Sky Erosion Palace Lord shook his head slightly. "You know I'm focused on secluded cultivation now, seeking a breakthrough to Universe Master. I won't bother with the excitement of such a Cosmic Secret Realm."

"Of course, I know you won't go." The Ice Universe Venerable chuckled. "So actually, I came here to—"

"To borrow a Supreme Treasure from me, right!" The Sky Erosion Palace Lord shot him a glance.

The Ice Universe Venerable's expression stiffened slightly.

He had indeed come to borrow a Supreme Treasure... After all, among the human cosmic race, those who possessed Supreme Treasures were generally high-level Venerables or even Universe Overlords.

Among such super existences, those familiar with him and not planning to venture out anytime soon were few and far between.

And the Sky Erosion Palace Lord, who owned many Supreme Treasures, lived in seclusion, and hadn't made a move in eons, was clearly the best choice to borrow from.

Seeing the Ice Universe Venerable's expression, the Sky Erosion Palace Lord couldn't help but laugh.

"Go on, which treasure of mine do you want to borrow?"

"I came here indeed to borrow a Supreme Treasure from you." The Ice Universe Venerable quickly said. "You know I excel in close combat, so I'd like to borrow a Supreme Treasure Armor."

"With that Supreme Treasure Armor protecting me, my chances of obtaining treasures in the secret realm would be much higher."

"Don't worry, I won't borrow for nothing. Once I come out of the Cosmic Secret Realm... I'll return the Supreme Treasure Armor immediately and reward you with ten Heavy Treasures."

The Sky Erosion Palace Lord waved his hand. "Do you think I lack your Heavy Treasures? Just take it and use it freely; return it to me when you're done."

With that, a cyan-blue battle armor, its entire surface covered in flowing, iridescent blue-green glaze, flew toward the Ice Universe Venerable.

"Haha, good. Since you, the Sky Erosion Palace Lord, are so generous, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

"Rest assured, I'll return it to you immediately after use. I, Ice Universe, will never be like Gan Wu."

The Ice Universe Venerable laughed, casually stowing away the cyan-blue armor.

With business settled, the two super existences, the Sky Erosion Palace Lord and the Ice Universe Venerable, chatted idly.

After all, they hadn't seen each other for many years and shared a decent friendship—the Ice Universe Venerable couldn't just take the Supreme Treasure and run.

Suddenly, the Ice Universe Venerable's brow furrowed slightly.

"What's wrong?" The Sky Erosion Palace Lord raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing serious." The Ice Universe Venerable smiled calmly.

"Among the new batch of geniuses in our Virtual Universe Company, there's a little fellow I helped named Feng Hui. He just now broke through the third layer of the Heavenly Bridge."

"The third layer? Not bad." The Sky Erosion Palace Lord praised. "He's only been in Chaos City for a little over six years, and he's already broken through the third layer. Before he leaves, he'll likely clear at least the fourth, and might even have a shot at the fifth."

"In the thirty years since the genius battle newcomers first arrived in Chaos City, very, very few have passed the fourth layer."

"Mm, I thought this batch wasn't much to speak of, but I didn't expect a decent seedling to pop out of the Doomsday Secret Realm."

Ice Universe Venerable revealed a faint smile.

"That little fellow from the Ape Race named Guge isn't bad either. His foundation is very solid, and his progress is steady."

"Both of these little fellows are quite outstanding. They might become your right-hand men in the future." The Sky Erosion Palace Lord said.

Ice Universe Venerable grinned.

After Ice Universe Venerable left.

"Feng Hui, a little fellow from the Doomsday Secret Realm. Quite interesting." This great existence murmured to himself.

Others only knew that the Sky Erosion Palace Lord was an incomparably ancient, incomparably powerful super-existence, far stronger than any Universe Kingdom Master.

But few knew that this super-existence, whose name shook the Primordial Universe and ranked within the top thirty of all humanity, had also started out in the Doomsday Secret Realm.

That was an immeasurably long time ago. Back then, the genius battle hadn't been held many times, and even the number of universe kingdoms was different from now.

The Sky Erosion Palace Lord of that time was still very immature. In the genius battle of his year entering the Virtual Universe Company, he ranked far from the top, barely scraping into the Doomsday Secret Realm.

But step by step, though he walked slowly, he walked with unwavering steadiness.

As the long years passed, most of the geniuses from his same genius battle year had fallen. The few who had broken through to become Immortals had long since stagnated.

But he alone kept breaking through and advancing, becoming an Immortal, becoming a Universe Venerable, and ultimately becoming a Top Universe Overlord, only half a step away from Universe Master!

Now, the Sky Erosion Palace Lord was a legend of humanity. He dwelled in seclusion at the Sky Erosion Palace, suppressing the Blood Luo World, focusing on breaking through his bottleneck, and had not made a move for billions of years.

Nowadays, few still knew of this past. The long years had buried too many things. He had gone from a naive little fellow to a pillar of humanity.

The conversation with Ice Universe Venerable earlier had made him take a rare moment to pay attention to Feng Hui.

Looking at the vibrant, energetic Feng Hui now, the Sky Erosion Palace Lord seemed to see his younger self—just as spirited, just as full of vitality.

And both from the Doomsday Secret Realm.

"I'll keep watching..."