A Sudden Decision

It took nearly a month, but Shi Yan finally found his way out of the maze surrounding the Silver Token Space.

"Whoosh!"

Shi Yan, clad in bright white scale armor, slowly emerged from a wall of light that stretched from heaven to earth.

Ripples spread across the wall's surface, as if it were a lake.

"A whole month just to get out... If this weren't the Core Region, it wouldn't take me this long even to travel from the edge of Universe Boat to the Void Wormhole deep in the Inner Domain, would it?" Shi Yan gave a self-mocking smile.

But it wasn't his fault. The spatial traps in the maze shifted constantly, sometimes appearing without warning. Even Shi Yan couldn't react in time and would be transported somewhere else.

Fortunately, the intelligence Three Saints Palace had left behind about Universe Boat included an algorithm for calculating where the spatial traps would transport someone.

The algorithm was extremely complicated. If he had no information at all and had to figure it out from scratch, it would naturally take endless time. If he was unlucky, even three Reincarnation Eras might not be enough.

But with the specific algorithm in hand, a True God's rapid thought process made the calculations relatively easy.

Even so, it had taken Shi Yan a full month.

Looking around, Shi Yan found himself in a void.

"The Silver Token Space lies deep within the Core Region of Universe Boat. To reach the Inner Domain from here, even the nearest route passes through 146 regions..." Shi Yan recalled the map left behind by Three Saints Palace and muttered to himself.

These 146 regions were, in the language of the Universe Ocean, 146 danger zones—places that threatened the vast majority of True Gods.

This was already the shortest route, and it included several shortcuts that Shi Yan could take only because he had the Silver Token.

Without the Silver Token, he would have to pass through at least twice as many regions.

As he considered this, a refined, two-story silver building appeared beside him. It was the Guardian Tower.

"The Guardian Tower was modified and reinforced by generations of Founders. Apart from being unable to fight directly, it's no worse than a flying palace at God King Level. It's perfect for exploring danger zones."

With that, Shi Yan flew into the Guardian Tower and entered a secluded cultivation chamber on the second floor. He then directed the tower along his planned route.

"That General of the Universe Boat really went to a lot of trouble... Even as he was dying, he still activated 'Modular Defense Mode' on Universe Boat." As he controlled the Guardian Tower, Shi Yan couldn't help complaining.

Universe Boat was originally a super war fortress. Under normal circumstances, it would have required large numbers of personnel at different levels to operate, so its interior naturally wouldn't have been filled with danger zones.

This was one reason the races of the Universe Ocean had long debated whether Universe Boat was a man-made creation.

Only after examining the Memory Stone left behind by the Old Sage had Shi Yan learned that the many danger zones inside Universe Boat were part of something called "Modular Defense Mode." It was generally activated only after enemies breached the interior or some of the personnel rebelled.

When it had ample energy, even Eternal True Gods couldn't recklessly venture into these danger zones.

But Universe Boat had been abandoned in the Universe Ocean for countless ages. The Chaos Airflow it absorbed, along with the occasional discarded miniature universe that drifted its way, was nowhere near enough to replenish its energy.

With its energy depleted, Modular Defense Mode was far less powerful.

Of course, Universe Boat had actually been destroyed by the might of the Primal Universe. The General of the Universe Boat had activated Modular Defense Mode before his death purely to make life difficult for the beings of the Universe Ocean who would explore the vessel in the future.

Shi Yan, however, felt that the General had overplayed his hand.

"If not for this Modular Defense Mode, the Origin Will of the Primal Universe probably wouldn't have allowed the damaged Universe Boat to drift near the Primal Universe." Shi Yan gave a dry laugh.

The Origin Will wouldn't let lifeforms from the Universe Ocean easily obtain information about the Origin Continent or guidance to higher levels. Without Modular Defense Mode, Universe Boat might have wandered the Universe Ocean for endless ages without ever approaching the Primal Universe.

Take Jin World, for example. If not for the World Beasts appearing, the Origin Will wouldn't have guided Jin World here. And as soon as the World Beast Disaster ended, it immediately guided Jin World away.

Once you knew more, it was actually fairly easy to understand the Origin Will's way of doing things.

After mulling it over for a moment, Shi Yan quickly turned his attention elsewhere. He left part of his consciousness to guide the Guardian Tower and sank the rest into cultivation, beginning to sort through what he had gained from the Book of Three Lives.

"Once I've finished organizing my insights into the Path of Time, I'll start studying the Path of Heart Power, then work on the Time Envoy Cultivation Method," Shi Yan planned.

"Whoosh!"

The elegant, two-story silver metal pavilion flew through the Core Region of Universe Boat. The harsh environment, dangerous traps, and sudden appearances of puppet creatures were all powerless to hinder the Guardian Tower.

The tower broke through every obstacle and flew steadily along Shi Yan's planned route, while its master's strength steadily improved.

While Shi Yan was making his way out of Universe Boat's Core Region, Qing Huan was also keeping busy as he explored the Inner Domain.

Like Shi Yan, Qing Huan used a false name when traveling through the Universe Ocean. He went by "Lord Liuyan."

He had little choice. Everyone in the Universe Ocean knew that Shi Yan had been forced to flee into the Core Region of Universe Boat. Whether he would ever appear again was anyone's guess.

As the only Universe Master Shi Yan had protected, Qing Huan had long been placed on the God Eye Race's kill list.

Many factions in the Primal Universe hadn't yet rushed to act, but if they happened to run into him in the Universe Ocean, they would probably be glad to do the God Eye Race a favor in secret.

So he definitely couldn't keep using the name Lord Fengtian.

Of course, unlike True Gods, whose numbers were so small that even one more or less would stand out, there were thousands of Universe Masters exploring the Universe Ocean. Qing Huan used a false name and made a few discreet changes to his Supreme Treasures. As long as he was careful, nobody could recognize him.

Take Lord of Darkness in the original story. He had explored the Universe Ocean for countless ages without anyone discovering he was human, until the war between humanity in the Primal Universe and the Coalition Camp exposed him. Galaxy Overlord Luo Feng had also spent hundreds of years exploring under the name Lord Liejin. His identity wasn't exposed until he encountered an Alien Race powerhouse who had seen him before in battle.

Thus, Qing Huan kept his identity hidden and lived comfortably enough in the Universe Ocean. Over time, "Lord Liuyan," a Universe Master who could use his Supreme Treasures to wield Fifth Order strength, gained some renown and befriended several Universe Masters from different races.

"Liuyan, what do you think? Want to explore Flowing Cloud Sea with us? A Peak Supreme Treasure appeared there several million eras ago. Maybe it'll be our turn to get lucky this time."

In a corner of the First Pillar Area in Black-Veined Stone Pillar Space, a gigantic Strange Beast that looked as if it were made of dark red molten rock spoke to Qing Huan.

The molten-rock beast looked fearsome, but at that moment its fierce head was wreathed in smiles.

"That's right, Liuyan. The three of us can explore together. As long as we don't run into a Universe Supreme Being, there are few in the whole region who can stand against us," added a strange cubic creature beside the molten-rock beast, its body seemingly formed from blocks of ice.

Qing Huan had met the two Universe Masters by chance during an expedition. Both were from the Original Universe Era and had top-tier Third Order strength. Each was the leader of a powerful race.

The molten-rock beast was called Lord Banyan Fire, while the icy cube was known as Lord Ripple Crystal.

The two came from different races, but they unexpectedly got along well and were also skilled in the Combined Strike Technique. Together, they could unleash Fourth Order might.

Yet in the Universe Ocean, where the strong were everywhere, the two still had to keep a low profile, even when working together.

"Heh..." Qing Huan merely chuckled as the two took turns urging him. "It's not as simple as you make it sound. Lord Jueyun of the God Eye Race has been stationed at Flowing Cloud Sea for a long time. What's gotten into you two lately? Have you grown a taste for courting trouble with the God Eye Race?"

The two Universe Masters exchanged a glance. Lord Ripple Crystal gave an awkward smile. "Liuyan, it's not that serious. Universe Boat doesn't belong to the God Eye Race, and Flowing Cloud Sea is huge. Do you really think one Universe Master can keep watch over every corner? We can just steer clear of Lord Jueyun."

"Exactly. Even the God Eye Race can't throw its weight around over such a minor matter," Lord Banyan Fire chimed in.

Qing Huan glanced at them and fell into thought.

He knew why the two were so eager. First, Flowing Cloud Sea had been showing signs of activity lately, and many Universe Masters had received the news. Quite a few were headed there now.

The law couldn't punish everyone. The God Eye Race might be overbearing, but with Flowing Cloud Sea now crowded with all sorts of forces, it could only accept the situation unless it wanted to make enemies of a large number of Universe Ocean powers.

Second, they wanted to befriend him.

The persona Qing Huan had cultivated in their eyes was that of a young, unaffiliated Universe Master.

Universe Masters who led powerful races, like Lord Banyan Fire and Lord Ripple Crystal, often sought to befriend promising figures like him.

They wanted to cast a wide net and plan for the long term.

If they still hadn't become True Gods by the end of this Reincarnation Era, their races would need to seek refuge with a True God. Otherwise, their entire races would perish along with the Reincarnation Era.

The True Gods of peak races couldn't even relocate all their own people, so they naturally wouldn't concern themselves with the likes of them. As for unaffiliated True Gods, ordinary Universe Masters like these two weren't even qualified to speak with them.

So they did their best to befriend promising Universe Masters like Qing Huan. If they eventually asked him for help at the end of the Reincarnation Era, he would be more likely to let their races settle in his Miniature Universe.

Qing Huan understood their motives well.

After thinking it over for a moment, Qing Huan—who had originally planned to refuse casually—suddenly had an idea. His words changed at the last moment. "All right. Let me know when you're ready to set out."