The Lotte Family's residence in the lower world...
Inside a room about 25 meters high and covering 360 square meters.
Chen Beixun sat on the sofa, studying the Heng Divine Weapon in his hands.
The Heng Divine Weapon's full name was the Nine-Layer Hun-Tian Balance. It was a telekinetic weapon forged from a combination of the Water Origin Law and the Space Origin Law.
In its ordinary form, the Heng Divine Weapon was a white staff over two meters long and 15 centimeters in diameter. It contained 10,081 small white swords, each as thin as a cicada's wing.
The first stage was called "Illusion Change Style."
The second stage was called "Sky Escape Style."
The third stage was called "Heavenly Array Style."
The ninth stage was called "Immortal Rival."
If Chen Beixun hadn't been strong, with the Demon Island Vine at his side, would An Changyan have treated him this way?
It all came down to interests.
"'Immortal Rival'!" Chen Beixun smiled, his tone tinged with amusement. "There can't be many who can master Immortal Rival."
Very few World Lords among humans could stand against an Immortal. But there were many among the Alien Races who could, such as Golden Horned Behemoths and World Lords of the Machine Race.
"Beep, beep—!"
Chen Beixun set the Heng Divine Weapon beside him, then touched his arm with two fingers. A projection window sprang into view.
"An Changyan?" Chen Beixun opened the message and read it.
"She wants to spar with me?" A smile tugged at Chen Beixun's lips. "She's certainly eager to learn."
******
At the Slaughter Arena, on a grassy plain.
Chen Beixun stood on the grass, holding the Heng Divine Weapon, his gaze cold.
An Changyan held the Yan Shen Armament in her left hand. She extended two fingers on her right hand and crooked them at him.
Whoosh!
Chen Beixun moved. His figure flickered like a ghost, and in an instant, he was in front of An Changyan.
He clenched his left hand into a fist and drove it into her chest.
An Changyan spat out a mouthful of blood. Her body curled like a shrimp as she flew away.
"Are you a fighter or a Controller?" An Changyan's body floated in midair. The thought flashed through her mind.
Zzzzzzz—
The grassland disappeared.
Chen Beixun appeared on an island in the Slaughter Arena.
I haven't even used the Heng Divine Weapon yet, Chen Beixun thought.
He had planned to go easy on An Changyan, spar with her for a while, and get used to the Heng Divine Weapon in his hands. He hadn't expected her to be so weak.
"Chen Beixun!" An Changyan came running over, fuming. Her chest bounced with every step, an alluring sight that was also irritating.
Chen Beixun greeted her with a smile. After all, no one hit a smiling face.
"Heh, Your Highness!" He was more than a little nervous.
After all, An Changyan was his employer, and she had given him the Heng Divine Weapon.
An Changyan grabbed Chen Beixun by the hair. Since she was too short to reach him, she had to stand on tiptoe, which made her look rather silly.
Most members of the Kekumeng Race were over two meters tall. Some grew more slowly, and An Changyan was one of them.
"Are you a fighter or a Controller?" An Changyan's face flushed. Their spar had been broadcast to her parents, and she'd just made a fool of herself.
"Are you a fighter or a Controller?" An Changyan kept asking, refusing to let it go.
"I cultivate both!" Chen Beixun replied firmly.
"Both?" An Changyan's eyes shifted, mockery in her gaze.
"I'll arrange for a fighter from my family to train you properly." An Changyan's voice was incredibly gentle, like a broth that could melt bones. Her softest words sent a chill through Chen Beixun.
People on the Slaughter Arena's island glanced their way, some envious, others puzzled.
"Your Highness An Changyan." A deeply seductive voice rang out.
An Changyan, who had been about to put Chen Beixun in a chokehold, stopped and turned toward the voice.
"And you are?" An Changyan walked in front of Chen Beixun, casually jabbing him with her elbow as she did.
"The Tonglaiao Family."
"Pavadode of the Tonglaiao Family," the man said solemnly. "You may call me Pavadode."
Pavadode looked like a scholar, handsome and refined, with a gaze that could steal one's soul.
"The Tonglaiao Family?" An Changyan sized him up, then asked in confusion, "Never heard of them."
"Huh?" Pavadode was at a loss for words.
Everyone in the Tianchen Empire knew the Tonglaiao Family. That was what he had been taught for as long as he could remember.
Chen Beixun stepped forward and said, "The Tonglaiao Family? They hired me when I was at Star Level."
"Oh, really?" Pavadode brightened. I can have this kid put in a good word for me.
Chen Beixun smiled. "You still haven't paid me."
Pavadode fell silent.
"Let's go, Your Highness." Chen Beixun turned and walked down the broad street into the distance.
An Changyan followed behind him, occasionally landing a punch to vent her anger.
"Want to spar again?" Chen Beixun swayed aside to dodge her fist and asked with a cheeky grin.
An Changyan's pretty face darkened. "Spar with my foot!"
Chen Beixun smiled. "Which foot?"
"Get lost!"
Then she left the Virtual Universe.
Chen Beixun chuckled a few times, then raised his arm and brought up a Slaughter Arena custom-match panel.
After setting everything up...
******
At the Slaughter Arena, on a lush green field.
The field stretched far and wide. At its center, Chen Beixun held the Heng Divine Weapon. The small white swords at both ends of the weapon's staff had separated slightly.
Dozens of Universe Level 9 Controllers surrounded him.
"Kill him!"
The dozens of Universe Level 9 fighters shouted in unison.
Nine small white swords shot out from both ends of the Heng Divine Weapon in Chen Beixun's hands, forming a triangular blade.
The blade flashed silver. It moved far faster than the telekinetic weapons controlled by ordinary Universe Level 9s.
The triangular blade traced an arc, sweeping across the enemies in front of him in less than 0.01 seconds. Then, on a bizarre and unpredictable path, it flew toward the enemies behind him.
It dispatched the last few enemies cleanly.
The attack had been so fast that the dozen or so Universe Level 9s had died before they could react. They still stood in place, apparently unharmed, without a single drop of blood, as if they were simply daydreaming.
The Nine Great Divine Weapons were indeed the strongest weapons, but also the weakest. They placed enormous demands on the user's Law Comprehension and talent.
Chen Beixun had finally brought his years of accumulation to bear, barely managing to use the Heng Divine Weapon's first stage, "Illusion Change Style."
"Three days already." Chen Beixun looked at the enemies in front of him and snapped his fingers.
The world shifted at once, as if changing channels, the grassland giving way to a snowy field.
Ninety-nine Universe Level 9s stood ready. The instant they appeared, they fixed their eyes on Chen Beixun.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
Chen Beixun burst forward at top speed. His figure blurred as he raced across the snow like a phantom, instantly putting distance between himself and the ninety-nine Universe Level 9s.
He then used the Heng Divine Weapon's first stage, "Illusion Change Style," killing twenty-five enemies.
But he was also gravely wounded. His speed dropped, leaving him unable to fight on.
"Again! Again!" His eyes burned with excitement.
He trained like this for who knew how many days. Every so often, An Changyan would come by to spar with him.
Time passed, and before long, the day the World Castle opened arrived.
An ancient castle stood on the boundary between the two worlds. Its gates slowly opened, welcoming the adventurers.
Rumble—
The sound shook the heavens, spreading to every corner of the world.
It welcomed everyone like the sun, regardless of good or evil, beauty or ugliness, young or old.
As long as they were strong enough, they could find endless treasures and opportunities. Strength was everything.
The great factions were all shaken. War was about to begin.
******
Lotte Family's residence
Chen Beixun led these twenty-seven Universe Level 9s aboard the Machine Race Spaceship.
"How does Your Highness plan to proceed?" Chen Beixun asked An Changyan with a smile. A trace of wariness showed in her eyes. Without looking back, she hurried into the Machine Race Spaceship.
An Changyan had taken plenty of beatings from Chen Beixun in the Slaughter Arena. She was bad at it, but loved to fight.
She had made progress. An Changyan had gotten fairly familiar with the Yan Shen Armament and could just barely use its first stage, "Phantom Sword Style."
An Changyan had eight siblings, and she was the youngest. Next was her older sister, An Changheng. The most talented of them was her second brother, An Huanyu.
An Huanyu was already an Immortal, and a King-level Immortal at that. He was also a King-level Immortal skilled in the fusion of Time and Space.
Chen Beixun couldn't help but marvel when he heard about it.
(A note: When a World Lord steps into the realm of an Immortal God, he connects with the Origin Land of the Universe and the Sea of Laws. Vast amounts of energy then flow in, transforming his body into an Immortal Divine Body.)
(Because of this transformation, it seems Immortals can't have children. So assume their children were born before their parents became Immortals. Also, An Changyan was adopted.)
Space and Time, the two higher laws, were the most difficult to master. There were three paths: Space as the primary law and Time as the supporting law; Time as the primary law and Space as the supporting law; or, the most difficult path of all, cultivating both laws equally.
Few Immortals wanted to encounter a King like An Huanyu on the Outer-Domain Battlefield or in a secret realm.
First, he'd lock down space, then stop time, and finally finish his opponent off.
There was no defense against it!
Outside the World Castle, spaceships filled the sky like locusts.
It seemed the major organizations didn't want to fight on a large scale outside the World Castle.
A pyramid-shaped spaceship cut through the crowd as if no one could stop it.
"A Machine Race Spaceship! And an E-class one!"
"Damn!"
Countless ships gave it a wide berth.
They even opened a path for it, clearing the way.
Inside the Machine Race Spaceship's control cabin.
"We've arrived!" Chen Beixun stood up at once, full of ambition.
"Disembark!" An Changyan ordered. The ship's hatch opened, and everyone filed out.
Why not fly straight in? The World Castle's gate was too small for a spaceship to fit through.
An Changyan led the group, several powerful figures following behind her. They cut an imposing figure.
"Move!" Pavadode shouted at the dense crowd in front of the gate.
The crowd immediately parted, opening up a path.
Chen Beixun followed at the back of the group and instinctively lowered his posture.
Damn, old habits die hard! Chen Beixun laughed at himself.
"Your Highness, let's take a look around Thousand Blade Land later," Chen Beixun transmitted to An Changyan.
An Changyan turned to look at him and replied, "Aren't we going straight to Slanted Axe Tower? That's the safe place!"
The World Castle was divided into three regions: Thousand Blade Land, Hun-Jin Sea, and Slanted Axe Tower.
Thousand Blade Land got its name from the tens of thousands of Tier 3 Force Weapons embedded in the ground.
At the entrance to the World Castle.
Looking inside from the outside, all they could see was blackness—absolute darkness.
Pavadode and Chen Beixun stood side by side. An Changyan and her guards were all inside Chen Beixun's World Ring.
Each placed a hand on the other's shoulder.
"Let's go!"
Pavadode and Chen Beixun stepped inside together.
The world spun around them.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures appeared out of nowhere above a vast blue sea, plummeting toward it at high speed.
Stop!
Chen Beixun and Pavadode hovered in midair.
Chen Beixun raised a hand in front of his face, shielding his eyes from the sudden, blinding light.
"Damn it! Hun-Jin Sea!" Chen Beixun spat viciously, as if Hun-Jin Sea had a personal grudge against him.
Bang!
A gigantic, glowing creature, whale-like in shape, leaped out of the water, sending towering waves crashing outward!
A Heng Divine Weapon appeared out of thin air in Chen Beixun's hand. Without hesitation, he used its first level, "Illusion Change Style."
A streak of silver light flashed past.
In less than a second, the glowing creature, as huge as a whale, had been shredded into bloody fragments!
The fragments rained down like blood, turning everything in sight crimson.
In an instant, the blood rain froze into ice crystals.
They struck the silent sea.