Just a Glance

At the exit of the Ancestral God Secret Realm's Bauhinia Island, a crude E-class spaceship drifted through the void at sub-light speed. Chen Qing sat bored inside, lightly tapping out an unknown melody. "Spirit Butterfly, park the ship in that open area ahead. Save them some effort."

"Yes, Master."

The bait had been cast now, but thanks to the treasure's nature, he had no idea how many would come. What excellent opponents, yet ruined by some nameless fool—and the treasure he'd left was nothing but a chicken rib.

On Glory Plaza, many King-Rank powerhouses from various races gathered in clusters. In recent days, they rarely discussed the "God-Gifted Continent," instead focusing on Venerable Beishan and Green Jade King. Even some Venerables had inquired about the matter. "I heard Venerable Beishan has set out. At a Venerable's speed, he'll find him soon enough."

"Not necessarily. Green Jade King might find a place to hide—that would be hard to track."

"Then the Human Race would be furious, hahaha!"

"Look, the Human Race's Seven Sword King is here. Why don't you ask him?"

"You've got the guts—you go ask!"

"Seven Sword King, which corner has that old pedant of yours crawled into now?"

The moment the words fell, the plaza went silent. Seven Sword King's face darkened like charcoal as he coldly stared at the Northern Territory Alliance. "King Huijing, you're asking for death!"

"Hmph, calling yourself a king is an insult to us true powerhouses. And you still have the nerve to claim you're a peak race."

Seven Sword King turned away without acknowledging King Huijing, though inwardly he harbored some resentment toward Green Jade King. But this wasn't the time for that. He looked instead at King Lishuo and the others. "Can you contact Green Jade King? And where's Chaman King? I haven't seen him."

"Only Chaman King has had contact with Green Jade King. We've reached out to Chaman King but received no reply. However, due to a clan mission, he's already returned to the Initial Universe, so we've also informed the higher-ups."

"What did the higher-ups say?"

"They told us not to interfere."

Hearing King Lishuo's words, Seven Sword King fell silent. Since the higher-ups had granted him a title, his strength was naturally beyond question. And from the intelligence on the hidden treasure site, Green Jade King's power was certainly no joke—otherwise, scum like King Huijing wouldn't still be lingering here. They'd likely have set off already, because even the worst treasure from the main peak was a major treasure, not an ordinary one, and possibly even a supreme treasure!

If they could beat Venerable Beishan to it, those alien races would be even more delighted, dealing a heavier blow to the clan.

But no matter how strong, he was still only an invincible King-Rank. Against an ordinary Venerable, he might hold his own for a bit, but Venerable Beishan was at the middle tier—the gap was too vast. Hopefully, he wouldn't disgrace the clan.

"Then we wait!"

In the secret realm, Venerable Beishan glanced toward the "Land of Divine Gift," a bloodthirsty grin spreading across his face. "Green Jade King, I hope you're smart. If you hide, not only the Human Race but every Venerable in the universe will be your enemy from now on!"

'A powerhouse cannot be humiliated'—that's not just an empty saying. It's a rule recognized by the entire universe."

With that, he didn't bother choosing a direction—he simply teleported straight toward the "Land of Divine Gift." As long as he showed his face, even if he didn't find him, it wouldn't be his problem.

"He's appeared!"

Chen Qing sat cross-legged in the void, his heart as still as water, imprinting the surrounding several light-years of space into his mind. On his lap rested the weapon he had forged in the secret realm. "One, two—"

Twenty-three Venerables in total. It seemed the City Lord had quite some faith in him. No one from the Human Race or the Hong Alliance was present—probably a test of his mettle, since he had Giant Axe's divine power crystal on him. They likely wanted to use this chance to take him away.

These Venerables merely watched from a distance. Chen Qing paid them no mind, quietly waiting for the main event.

"Heh, waiting for death right here!"

Venerable Beishan stopped tens of thousands of kilometers away, his single eye beginning to glow red as he raised his iron pestle treasure. Chen Qing said nothing, didn't even open his eyes. Spirit Burning activated silently, the surging power masking the fluctuations of world energy. The longsword at his feet split into countless tiny blades, dancing around him, drawing upon the laws to form a spherical abyss—black and bottomless. "Hahaha, fine goods! A top-tier major treasure! Even if you burn your divine power, you're still dead!"

As his words fell, Venerable Beishan also ignited golden flames. The iron pestle blazed with golden light, piercing straight through space and stabbing into the black watery sphere, sending ripples through it and even shattering the surrounding void. "Middle tier after all—lacking a bit in power. Domain: Quake Seal!"

Just as the abyss seemed about to collapse, it suddenly stabilized. Venerable Beishan's single eye nearly bulged out. To block his attack directly without relying on a treasure meant they were on the same level—and that would make him a disgrace among Venerables from now on.

"He blocked it! Looks like his gene level isn't low—at least a hundredfold."

Watching the water sphere gradually stabilize, Venerable Tianhua couldn't help but sigh. Though he didn't want to admit it, Green Jade King's strength was indeed at the Venerable level, and ordinary Venerables couldn't do a thing to him. The other Venerables' minds began to stir—after all, a top-tier major treasure was a rare find, and this couldn't exactly be called bullying the weak anymore.

Chen Qing assessed the force. Fortunately, his domain was special, and with his innate secret technique Quake Seal, defense was no issue. But that was enough—drag it out any longer, and he'd be surrounded and beaten. He had no taste for that. And he couldn't use illusory divine power. He'd try, with his special state of mind, to imprint the Lotus Seed directly into Venerable Beishan's heart—otherwise, with so many Venerables watching, they'd definitely discover he was a World Lord.

The moment Chen Qing opened his eyes, Venerable Beishan's body went rigid. His divine power suddenly became unresponsive, as if facing a natural enemy, unable to muster any strength. A voice echoed in his heart: "One flower, one world!"

"No—!"

Venerable Beishan's sudden scream startled the surrounding Venerables. Someone even cried out in shock: "What's happening? Weren't they fighting just fine?"

"No, look at Beishan's expression! What did I just see? One glance, and he instantly enslaved a middle-tier Venerable!"

"Another soul master! Let's go!"

At Thunder Mountain in the Virtual Universe, Chen Qing was summoned once again by Chaos City Lord. The City Lord looked at the young man before him, sighing with emotion—too young, barely over three thousand years, not even past this era's genius battle. "Your move this time has made you famous. The outside world acknowledges you as Venerable-level, and not an ordinary one. Do you need to change your title?"

"Just 'Venerable Green Jade' will do. If I change it, it'll be next time."

"Very well. This time, the clan doesn't even need to spread your fame—the alien races have probably already spread it everywhere. I've even heard they say you let them hit you to no avail. But now the aliens are certainly suspicious. Though it won't immediately affect the clan, they'll definitely target you personally. In clan warfare, there are no rules."

"I understand. But if I do run into them, there's no need to worry. I'm confident in that."

Chaos City Lord gave Chen Qing a deep look. Given his nature, he wouldn't be blindly confident—there were clearly more secrets. "Alright. But I still need to arrange for you to join the Hong Alliance. That way, you'll have more channels to gather resources."