Qian Yu looked at those six words, and a flicker of wild joy flashed through his eyes.
Chaos City Lord!
Had he finally made his decision?
He rose to his feet and looked toward the City Lord's Mansion.
"Let's go!"
Without the slightest hesitation, his figure flashed, and he vanished directly from his residence.
Chaos City, City Lord's Mansion.
Qian Yu stood before the ancient, imposing gates and took a deep breath.
Over the years, he had come to the City Lord's Mansion more than a dozen times. Every time he comprehended the Chaos Stele, he had passed through here.
But this time, his purpose was completely different.
He lifted his foot and stepped through the gates.
After passing through the broad corridors of the outer compound, he followed the familiar paths with ease. But soon, he stopped.
Ahead stood an even more heavily guarded structure—the Inner Mansion.
Two armored guards stood before its entrance.
An unsettling aura lingered around them. The pressure they exuded far surpassed that of ordinary Immortals.
"Stop!"
One guard lowered the spear in his hand and eyed Qian Yu coldly.
Faint lightning flickered in his eyes, and his voice was deep and imposing.
"The Inner Mansion is a restricted area. Outsiders are forbidden from entering."
Qian Yu stopped and bowed respectfully.
"I am Qian Yu. I have come to pay my respects to the City Lord."
The Thunder Guard looked him up and down, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.
"Do you think the City Lord is someone you can see whenever you wish?"
There was a trace of arrogance in his tone.
As a gate guard for the Chaos City Lord, he had seen far too many powerful beings seeking an audience, including quite a few Universe Venerables. Why should this mere Realm Lord qualify?
Qian Yu smiled faintly, his expression calm.
"Sorry for the trouble, but please announce me. I truly came at the City Lord's command."
The Thunder Guard froze slightly.
At the City Lord's command?
He looked at Qian Yu and muttered inwardly. Without an order from the Chaos City Lord, how could a mere Realm Lord dare come to the Inner Mansion?
"Wait here."
He turned and entered the Inner Mansion.
A moment later, he emerged. The coldness on his face had vanished completely, replaced by barely concealed surprise.
"Your name is Qian Yu?"
Qian Yu nodded.
"Go in."
The Thunder Guard stepped aside, his tone becoming much more courteous.
"Venerable Guiyi is waiting for you inside."
Qian Yu's heart stirred.
Venerable Guiyi.
Of course, he knew that name.
In the original work, he was the Chaos City Lord's third disciple, a Universe Venerable who remained at the Chaos City Lord's side, handling matters such as receiving visitors and relaying messages.
He had not expected Venerable Guiyi to be the one receiving him today.
"Thank you."
Qian Yu nodded slightly and walked into the Inner Mansion.
Behind him, the Immortal guards began discussing him through voice transmission.
A Realm Lord allowed into the Inner Mansion of the City Lord's Mansion was something one might not encounter even once in a hundred million years.
Deep within the Inner Mansion.
Following the broad corridor, Qian Yu soon arrived at a plaza paved with chaotic stone.
At the center of the plaza stood a bald man in crimson battle robes.
He wore a faint smile, and his entire presence was incomparably tranquil.
The moment Qian Yu's gaze fell upon him, his heart involuntarily calmed, as if he had merged into the vast cosmic starry sky.
A Universe Venerable.
And undoubtedly a powerful one among Universe Venerables.
Qian Yu stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Qian Yu greets Venerable Guiyi."
The bald man looked at him and smiled faintly.
That smile seemed to possess a power that touched the soul, making people instinctively feel goodwill toward him.
"You know me?"
Qian Yu's expression remained unchanged as he answered respectfully.
"I only just learned of you."
Venerable Guiyi smiled and did not ask further. He turned and headed deeper into the Inner Mansion.
"Follow me. Teacher is waiting for you."
Qian Yu hurriedly followed.
The two walked one before the other through the quiet corridor.
Venerable Guiyi did not speak, and Qian Yu did not ask any questions. He simply followed in silence.
Soon, they arrived before a tranquil courtyard.
A stone stele stood at the entrance, engraved with three ancient characters.
"Chaos Ruins."
"Teacher is inside."
Venerable Guiyi stopped as he spoke, stepping aside to indicate that Qian Yu should enter alone.
Qian Yu took a deep breath and stepped into the courtyard.
The instant he entered the courtyard, Qian Yu felt the world spin around him.
He had just been within the Inner Mansion of the City Lord's Mansion, yet in that instant, he had entered a vast, desolate world.
Enormous corpses lay scattered across the boundless earth.
Some were as massive as planets, while others were smaller than humans, yet every corpse contained an aura so terrifying it made one's heart tremble.
A faint scent of blood permeated the air, along with endless fluctuations of laws.
This was the ruin of a battlefield.
The ruins left behind after a terrifying battle between peak experts.
Qian Yu walked across this endless land of ruins.
With every step, he could feel the ancient, weathered aura rising from beneath his feet.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Not far ahead stood a burly man around three meters tall.
He wore an incomparably intricate, ancient dark-red battle armor, with battle boots on his feet and a scaled tail extending from beneath his battle skirt.
Two fiery red horns grew from his forehead, and strange secret patterns covered his face, making him look exceptionally ferocious.
But when Qian Yu's gaze fell upon him, he froze instantly.
What he saw was not merely a person.
It was a law.
A vast and majestic cosmic law!
The sensation was like the shock he had felt upon first seeing the Chaos Stele, except it was a thousand times stronger!
His soul trembled, his consciousness submitted, and he could not even summon a thought of resistance!
This was the Chaos City Lord.
This was an existence standing at the very pinnacle of the Human Race!
"Qian Yu."
An utterly ordinary voice rang out.
That voice seemed to pierce through Qian Yu's soul, pulling him back from his shock.
He suddenly came to his senses.
"Qian Yu greets the City Lord!"
The Chaos City Lord turned and looked at him.
Those eyes were as calm as water, yet as vast as the starry sky, making one unconsciously grow tranquil.
"Your performance has been quite good."
The Chaos City Lord spoke calmly, yet his voice carried an unquestionable majesty.
"A hundred years ago, when you first arrived in Chaos City, you could only reach the Tenth Floor of the Heavenly Bridge. A hundred years later, you reached the Fifteenth Floor. You have improved quickly."
Qian Yu listened respectfully, not daring to make a sound.
"You should have encountered some special opportunity, correct?"
"Yes."
The Chaos City Lord nodded and did not pursue the matter.
At his level, treasures and opportunities had long ceased to matter to him. What he cared about was the future of the Human Race.
He looked at Qian Yu and fell silent for a moment.
"Your talent, your opportunities, and your temperament are all sufficient."
"Are you willing to become my disciple?"
Qian Yu abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.
To accept him directly as a disciple?
Not a nominal disciple, nor an observation period of several thousand years, but to become the Chaos City Lord's disciple directly?
He forcefully suppressed the wild joy in his heart and solemnly knelt down.
"This disciple is willing!"
The Chaos City Lord nodded slightly, and a trace of satisfaction flashed through his eyes.
"Very good."
He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze settling on Qian Yu. It seemed capable of piercing through everything and seeing into the depths of Qian Yu's soul.
"From this moment onward, you are my thirty-second personal disciple."
Qian Yu knelt solemnly, pressing his forehead to the ground.
"This disciple greets Teacher!"
Before you continue