The soul was the core of a living being, and soul enslavement was irreversible.
"Once the soul has solidified, it's really hard to separate..." Chen Beixun grimaced in pain, beads of sweat streaked with blood running down his forehead.
Chen Beixun sensed the five crystals in his sea of consciousness.
"The secret technique says that once I form the fifth crystal, my soul's strength will rise to another level."
"The secret technique says, 'Transform the five elements and establish the path of life. Transform the four symbols, arrange north and south, and suppress east and west...' Why does this sound so familiar?"
"Must be a translation issue."
"But after learning this secret technique, I feel like... my comprehension has improved quite a bit."
"During my time wandering the universe, I had already cultivated my domain to the ninth level. As for the ethereal laws that World Lords talked about, I only understood a little of the basics."
For an ordinary Star Level warrior, comprehending a domain was already quite an achievement. Chen Beixun had mostly relied on painstaking cultivation, guidance from secret techniques, and piles of treasures. To comprehend a domain at a low Star Level through his own comprehension alone would have been a blessing.
Back then, Chen Beixun had seized the chaos on a slave planet to escape. He had braved countless hardships on his journey, rising from a lowly slave to a Universe Mercenary and, finally, to a Universe Level powerhouse.
It was no small feat.
"I've made it this far." Chen Beixun released several Sound-Direction Clan members from his World Ring. The strongest among them was only at Planetary Level 5. Their eyes shone with suspicion, but above all, fear.
"You don't need to be afraid. I'm just... going to run a little experiment. And don't waste your breath!" Chen Beixun said coldly.
The Sound-Direction Clan members exchanged glances but dared not speak. At this point, no amount of resistance or defiance would do them any good.
Chen Beixun faced them and closed his eyes. An invisible force burrowed into their minds and reached for their souls.
Several cries of pain rang through the cabin. Before long, only intermittent whimpers remained.
"It's over. They're all idiots now." Chen Beixun sighed as he looked at the Sound-Direction Clan members lying on the floor.
"No. I have to master Soul Control." His eyes were icy, sending a chill through anyone who saw them.
An unknown amount of time passed after the first experiment...
Chen Beixun looked at the Sound-Direction Clan members who had just undergone the experiment. "I'll let you go after a while. There's no need to be afraid."
He was in a good mood.
"I've mastered the first chapter of Soul Control!" Chen Beixun sat cross-legged on the animal hide, elated. Then he ordered Chunqiu to release Luoduo.
Bzzzz—
A coffin made of C-grade metal slowly rose from the ground and stood upright before Chen Beixun. As it opened, a young Sound-Direction Clan member with a pair of curved horns on his forehead appeared before him.
The Sound-Direction Clan valued bloodlines, and the number of horns marked a person's bloodline rank. A one-horned member could reach Apprentice Level 6 upon adulthood, while a two-horned member could reach Apprentice Level 9. A three-horned member would even reach Planetary Level upon adulthood. Their genetic bloodline was far superior to Chen Beixun's mediocre one.
"Who are you?" Luoduo warily eyed the man before him, then glanced at the Sound-Direction Clan members behind the man. A sense of unease welled up inside him. "That day, some strange force grabbed me. I got dizzy and passed out, and when I woke up, I was in this iron coffin."
"I'm just running an experiment. You don't need to be afraid. You can ask them if anything happened to them." Chen Beixun stared straight at him, then turned to the others behind him.
The Sound-Direction Clan members shook their heads. A few of the bolder ones said, "Nothing's wrong. We're still alive after the experiment."
"But—" Before Luoduo could finish, a Universe Level pressure erupted from Chen Beixun.
"A-An Ancient Emperor!" The pressure pinned Luoduo down, forcing him to kneel before Chen Beixun.
"Please, sir, calm down! I, Luoduo... boldly ask to become your... your disciple!" Luoduo gritted his teeth and forced out the words.
"Good, good. You've got some courage. Let's see if you're worthy." Chen Beixun said coldly, then waved his hand and put the Sound-Direction Clan members behind him back into his World Ring.
"Don't resist. I just want to see what you're capable of." He wore a stern expression and spoke coldly.
"Yes," Luoduo replied with utmost respect.
Chen Beixun furrowed his brows and activated Soul Enslavement.
In an instant—
An invisible force invaded Luoduo's sea of consciousness. It then turned into a streak of golden light and entered his sea of consciousness, leaving a mark at the source of his soul.
"It worked!" Chen Beixun was overjoyed.
Luoduo looked at Chen Beixun with nothing but genuine reverence. Then he spoke. "Master."
"Ha ha ha, good, good." Chen Beixun was delighted. It was the first time in three hundred years that he had laughed so unrestrainedly.
"Luoduo, what level is your Wood Spirit Domain?" Chen Beixun asked, admiration in his eyes.
"Master, my Wood Spirit Domain is at the ninth level!" Luoduo replied respectfully.
"Mm, good, good, good!" Chen Beixun sensed that, given time, this young man would surely become a dominant powerhouse who commanded respect across the region. He might even reach the Immortal realm.
The strongest being Chen Beixun had ever met was an Immortal God. As for a Universe Country Lord above that? He had heard of one, but never seen one.
"Luoduo, perhaps you'll reach the Immortal realm one day. But... I'll have to leave it to fate." Chen Beixun sighed inwardly.
"Alright. I'll give you some treasures and secret techniques. Go and cultivate diligently." Chen Beixun flipped his hand, producing a long saber, several white stones, and a helmet that connected to the Virtual Universe.
"This saber is called Fuyecheng. It's a fifth-tier weapon, created by a powerhouse far above the Ancient Emperor realm. He named it after his hometown. There are secret inscriptions on the blade. Study them carefully. I've noticed that you use a saber, so this is the best weapon for you." Chen Beixun pointed at the saber.
"These are Wood Spirit Stones, which help with cultivation. And this is a helmet that connects to the Virtual Universe. Anyway, put it on, and you'll find secret techniques inside..." Chen Beixun introduced each item one by one.
"Thank you, Master!" Luoduo replied respectfully.
Chen Beixun merely smiled.
A few days later...
On a relatively flat stretch of ground.
Chen Beixun hovered in the air and looked down at the Sound-Direction Clan members. "You can leave."
After Chen Beixun put them through all those experiments, their numbers had dwindled considerably. Fewer than eight hundred remained.
"Thank you, sir!" the Sound-Direction Clan members said.
Those few days had been sheer hell for them.
Chen Beixun gave them a casual glance, then left.
Inside the spaceship's rest cabin.
Only two people were in the cabin.
"How is Luoduo's cultivation going?" Chen Beixun asked.
"Master, I've broken through to the fourth level of the Materialization Realm. I still don't understand the seventy-three secret inscriptions on the Fuyecheng saber," Luoduo replied respectfully.
"Mm, keep cultivating." Chen Beixun stroked his chin, inwardly amazed. "Not bad! That genetic Evolution Agent worked well. It actually let Luoduo reach Planetary Level 4 in such a short time."
The Bloodline Evolution Agent was a treasure the Virtual Universe Company provided for its members. But Chen Beixun wasn't a member of the Virtual Universe Company. He had obtained two doses after leaving the World Lord World, when he used the Demon Island Vine to kill a Universe Level warrior. He had used one dose himself and given the other to Luoduo.
"Chunqiu, let's leave this planet tomorrow," Chen Beixun said.
"Understood, Master," Chunqiu replied.
After so much time had passed, the Temple on Tianwen Planet had begun to realize that something was wrong.
The underground world of Tianwen Planet.
In an underground palace on Tianwen Planet, a white-robed man sat at a round table, looking puzzled.
"It's been so long. Have the two Holy Messengers still not set off?"
The palace was almost completely empty. There was only a single round table in the main hall, with five people seated around it.
"High Priest, the Holy Messengers haven't responded for the past three days. They did respond a few days ago, though." Chunqiu had intercepted and forged those messages.
"They only had two locations to visit. How could it take them this long? By a normal estimate, they should be about thirty percent of the way back by now." Although the white-robed man was puzzled, he didn't suspect that the Holy Messengers had been harmed. After all, they represented Tianwen Planet, and harming one was a capital crime punishable by the annihilation of one's entire clan.
The white-robed man kept thinking it over, but something still felt off.
"Lisi, take dozens of Bone Hall guards to Dili Planet and look for the two Holy Messengers. If the Bone Hall elders ask, tell them you're going to Dili Planet to sweep out the Anti-Saint Alliance," the white-robed man ordered.
"Yes, High Priest." An armored warrior with a blue face and tusks replied, then headed out.
In the stratosphere above Dili Planet... inside a spaceship.
"Chunqiu, how long will this trip take?" Chen Beixun asked.
"About three days. We need to avoid Tianwen Planet's detection systems and conserve fuel," Chunqiu replied.
Chen Beixun nodded, thinking to himself, "The ship's maintenance and fuel issues have never been resolved. Ever since I left the World Lord World, I've changed ships constantly while flying around. Most of those ships were abandoned or destroyed."
"This ship is already an antique, a million years old. Most of its parts are worn out, and its drive has lost a full twelve percent of its power."
With twelve percent of its drive power lost, the ship's speed and acceleration had dropped considerably. A conventional ship needed only a few minutes to warm up for flight, but Chen Beixun's ship took dozens of times longer.
"It's an antique. I'll have to upgrade it when I get the chance." Chen Beixun couldn't help sighing.
"Activate stealth at the forty-five-percent mark. Don't wait until fifty-five percent," Chen Beixun said.
"Understood," Chunqiu replied.
The ship Chen Beixun used was a Dilante Empire XC45-8 model, affiliated with the Xuyu Universe Kingdom. It was an improved version of the Dilante Empire's XC45 model, a reconnaissance ship for export and military use. Its hull was made entirely of C7 alloy, and it was equipped with one C4-type matter-separation heavy cannon and five small-caliber particle cannons. Its top speed reached 1.45 times the speed of light in the Dark Universe and ninety-two percent of light speed in the main universe. It originally cost three million Xuyu Coins. Chen Beixun had found it in a small asteroid belt, where the current market price was 150 Xuyu Coins per cubic meter.
Seen from space, Tianwen Planet looked like a heavily polluted world, with dangerously high levels of heavy metals, foul-smelling air, and green water. Ninety-one percent of the planet was ocean, leaving only nine percent as land. Storms and giant tsunamis frequently battered the planet.
In the stratosphere of Tianwen Planet, inside a spaceship.
"The planet's surface resources have mostly been exploited. In many areas, radiation levels exceed the safe limit for habitation—by about nine million times the original standard! Apprentices can't survive here, and even Planetary Level warriors may suffer all kinds of problems. In some places, the radiation can kill them!" Chunqiu reported on Tianwen Planet.
"Given Tianwen Planet's harsh environment, Master, I've already activated the protective shield," Chunqiu said.
"What's the situation in Tianwen Planet's underground world?" Chen Beixun asked, playing with a Gold Soul Stone in his hand.
"Because the underground environment is too deep, and because of some special methods beyond the planet's technological level, I can't obtain any reliable information," Chunqiu replied.
"Alright. Prepare to land, then switch to underground exploration mode. Enter an area with low radiation," Chen Beixun said.
"Maybe this planet has an Immortal treasure?!" Chen Beixun thought, unable to keep the delight from his face.
"Being excited is fine, but I can't let myself die here. Better to be cautious," Chen Beixun reminded himself.
Some time later...
"We've reached a depth of 9,854 meters. The radiation level calls for Level Three protection." Chunqiu finished docking procedures and reported.
"Chunqiu, I'm going out to scout. You're in charge of Luoduo's cultivation for now." Chen Beixun put on his armor and gave Chunqiu instructions.
"Understood!" Chunqiu replied.
Chen Beixun stepped out of the hatch. Using the spaceship's underground exploration mode, he drilled out a large area.
With his telekinesis spread out, Chen Beixun roughly determined his direction. Then he used the eighteen blades of his fourth-tier telekinetic weapon, the Tianqu Cone, to form a drill and bore forward. There were Universe Level warriors on Tianwen Planet, so using the Demon Island Vine would cause too much commotion.
The Tianqu Cone was a low-grade fourth-tier telekinetic weapon that was extremely difficult to control. Most of its users were at Universe Level or Domain Lord Level. It consisted of sixty-four flying blades and had three forms. The first form, the Flying Ring, was made up of twelve blades and had a minimum attack power eighty-five times that of a Star Level 9 warrior; its maximum power depended on the user's level. The second form, the Heavenly Path Lower Formation, was made up of thirty-two blades and had a minimum attack power two hundred times that of a Star Level 9 warrior. The third form... was omitted.
"At this stage, my Mental Power Amplitude is thirty-nine. If I use all my mental power to control the Tianqu Cone and unleash the Flying Ring, I can easily kill a Universe Level 1 or 2 warrior."
Several dozen minutes later...
With his mental power fully extended, Chen Beixun discovered a gigantic palace, about 5.6 times the size of the Forbidden City. In the main hall sat a Universe Level powerhouse.
"Universe Level 6!" Chen Beixun was shocked.
"Someone's spying on us!" The woman on the throne in the main hall sprang to her feet. A terrifying wave of air swept through the area, blowing the nearby attendants off their feet.
The woman was tall and graceful, with a voluptuous figure and long hair down to her waist. She stood nearly three meters tall, wore copper-red chain armor, and held the Seven-Star Radiance Sword.
"Ha ha, may I ask which holy land you're from, esteemed powerhouse? Why have you never shown yourself before?" The woman's gaze sharpened as she sent a telepathic message to Chen Beixun.
"Heh, so it's you, Ancient Emperor Longzun. I'm a junior from Fanwu Land, a cultivator who came to pay my respects to the Source Tree," Chen Beixun replied telepathically.
Fanwu Land was a moon of Dili Planet, and it had many cultivators.
The Source Tree was in an underground world. Legend had it that it had grown from a heavenly meteorite. It bore a strange fruit, and an ordinary person who ate one could advance from the Materialization Realm to the peak of the Material Realm. An Ancient Emperor at the peak could break through to the legendary Immortal Realm, or Domain Lord Level.
"Mm, the Source Tree is about to bear fruit. There aren't many Ancient Emperors in this era. To cultivate to this level must have taken extraordinary luck," Ancient Emperor Longzun sent telepathically.
"According to ancient records, the Source Tree usually bears five to nineteen fruits. I came here for one of them, too."
"Six thousand years ago, a man who defied the odds and defeated an Ancient Emperor rose to the Immortal Realm by devouring that fruit. He tried to break through this world's limits, but a strange black fog swept him away. No one knows what happened to him," Chen Beixun said with a sigh.
Chen Beixun felt sorry for the people in this star system. They were trapped here their entire lives, and so many powerful warriors had emerged among them.
With proper cultivation resources, perhaps they could produce several World Lords.
Chen Beixun had the Virtual Universe's coordinates to get out. It would just take some time.
"Alright, outsider. How long are you going to keep up this act?" Ancient Emperor Longzun sent telepathically.
"Damn it." Chen Beixun cursed, then frantically urged the Tianqu Cone to break through the rock wall and flee at full speed.
"Wait, wait! We can negotiate!" Ancient Emperor Longzun sent an anxious telepathic message. As a martial warrior, how could she possibly catch up with Chen Beixun, who was armed to the teeth? When she sensed him, she had roughly calculated his speed.
"Negotiate about what? You're at Universe Level 6, and I'm at Universe Level 1. Should I negotiate with you using my life?" Chen Beixun thought.
"Emperor Mu has reached the peak of the Ancient Emperor realm. Once he eats the Source Tree's fruit, how will you escape?" Ancient Emperor Longzun chased after him, sending an anxious telepathic message.
"I'll escape in my spaceship, you idiot! Can he outrun a ship that travels at 1.45 times the speed of light in the Dark Universe?" Chen Beixun cursed inwardly.
"Please, I just want to leave this place! Take me with you. At the peak of the mid-tier Ancient Emperor realm, wouldn't I be able to sweep through everyone?" Ancient Emperor Longzun sent, anger creeping into her message.
"Here, you're a powerhouse. Out there, Universe Level warriors are everywhere! A special-class Stellar Level genius from the Virtual Universe or the Giant Axe Dojo could beat you senseless!" Chen Beixun thought. He couldn't be bothered to argue with this primitive.
Seeing that he wasn't responding, Ancient Emperor Longzun cursed furiously.
Chen Beixun was getting annoyed, so he sent a telepathic message. "Keep talking and I'll publish this place's coordinates and contact a bunch of slave traders. Then we'll see how you like being sold to some pervert."
On the verge of collapse, Ancient Emperor Longzun sent back, "You dare to fight me one-on-one?"
"I don't. Goodbye, primitive!" Chen Beixun zipped away at top speed.
Ancient Emperor Longzun's violent aura nearly condensed into droplets. She punched the surrounding rocks into dust, raging, "I-I'll notify the inheritance grounds of all the major temples. You're finished, you bastard!"
Bang!
Several crimson vines burst out through the rock wall above Ancient Emperor Longzun. The deafening sound echoed through the narrow passage for a long time.
"Huh?" Ancient Emperor Longzun froze at the sudden turn of events. Then she reacted, gripped her sword, and cut through the vines attacking her. The severed vines rapidly healed and grew back.
Suddenly, a brilliant white light burst from around Ancient Emperor Longzun and expanded rapidly, forcing the surrounding rock away to form a spherical space with a radius of 25,410 meters.
"Heh, I'm Universe Level now. The Demon Island Vine is almost at Level 8. You'd better explain yourself." Chen Beixun said calmly.
On the surface, he seemed composed, but inwardly he was at a loss. "Damn it... I'm too used to running away."
Looking back on his life, he had reached Planetary Level at twenty-six, Star Level at ninety-seven, comprehended a domain at 114, begun focusing on his domain at Star Level 6 when he was 125, reached the fifth level of his domain at 176, reached the seventh level at 247, failed to make it past even the first qualifying round of the Universe Genius Competition at 255, reached the ninth level of his domain at 256, and was now at Universe Level 2.