Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~
Emerald waves crashed onto the crimson beach. Strange penguin-like creatures squawked and flapped their tiny wings wildly as they chased the retreating surf in great groups.
Two figures slowly appeared on the horizon.
"We made it." Chen Beixun was overjoyed as he gazed at the desolate, despondent beach.
The Hun-Jin Sea was the most dangerous of the three regions.
"We're not far from Thousand Blade Land." Chen Beixun breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "Pick up the pace. Let's get through!"
Thousand Blade Land was actually an island in the Hun-Jin Sea.
At the center of this enormous island was a meteor crater with a diameter of 50,000 kilometers, which occupied most of Thousand Blade Land.
A 1,008-meter stone pillar stood in the middle of the crater, its surface covered in unknown inscriptions resembling hieroglyphs.
All kinds of weapons—knives, swords, axes, and more—were planted around the pillar, as if some kind of wild, ancient ritual had once taken place there.
"Thousand Blade Land." Chen Beixun stood at the edge of the meteor crater, gazing down.
Every time he moved, a few thin or thick clods of earth crumbled away from the fragile ground.
Suddenly,
several low sounds drifted over, like Buddhist chants.
This sound had been named the Ularos Sound, after Ghostly World Lord Ularos. In his homeland, Ularos meant "the unknown and the future."
Universe Adventurers who spent a long time within range of the Ularos Sound would be driven out of their minds and eventually lose their reason if their will and consciousness were not strong enough. They would die here in Thousand Blade Land.
"This sound is so strange!" Pavadode furrowed his brow, the lines between his eyebrows forming a "川." The Ularos Sound had left him dizzy and lightheaded.
Chen Beixun walked over to Pavadode and patted him on the shoulder. "That's normal. It's like this for everyone."
"Huu—" Pavadode let out a long breath and gradually adjusted.
Chen Beixun's eyes were calm as he explained carefully.
"The sound has a unique ability to distinguish between people. What those at Star Level hear is different from what those at Universe Level hear."
"The closer you get to the stone pillar, the stronger the impact of the Ularos Sound."
Pavadode nodded, then said, "This sound seems to have a unique effect that trains consciousness and will."
"That's right." Chen Beixun nodded gravely. "I plan to cultivate here for a while. The inscriptions on that pillar will greatly help me comprehend the Origin Law of Earth!"
When Pavadode heard that the inscriptions would greatly help him comprehend the Origin Law of Earth, he couldn't help grinning.
It's like heaven is helping me!
The two of them soared into the sky and flew toward the stone pillar.
The deeper they went, the stronger the Ularos Sound's impact became. They stopped when they were 35,000 kilometers away. That was one reason why no one had taken the pillar away. The main reason was that a powerful expert had forbidden it.
Once the scramble for treasures in this World Lord World was over, this place would inevitably be turned into a secret training ground for cultivating elites.
"To reach the center, you'd probably need a World Lord's consciousness." Chen Beixun sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, silently enduring the impact of the Ularos Sound.
The Ularos Sound directly pressured Chen Beixun's consciousness. Under these conditions, even thinking became difficult.
Beside him, Pavadode was drenched in cold sweat as he adjusted a device. Its purpose was to fly over to the stone pillar and relay the inscriptions back to them.
Although this method was bound to produce some errors, and some advanced inscriptions could not be transmitted, they had no other effective option.
"His will is so strong!" Pavadode couldn't help exclaiming.
More than 300 years of hardship and the unique cultivation method of the Twilight Art had made Chen Beixun's will far stronger than that of other Universe Level experts of the same rank.
Cultivating the Soul Path required more than comprehension and talent. Consciousness and will were also crucial, as they directly affected the power of Soul Attacks.
The seventh day after they entered World Castle.
Chen Beixun opened his eyelids, which felt as though they were being pulled down by a thousand-ton weight. His vision was tinged with crimson.
"Pavadode!" Chen Beixun shouted hoarsely.
"What... what is it?" Pavadode immediately stood and reached out to help Chen Beixun up.
Chen Beixun's legs felt as though they were filled with lead, making it difficult to move.
"It's... too hard!" Chen Beixun struggled to force out a few words. The Ularos Sound's impact over the past seven days had pushed his will to a whole new level! But the side effects were obvious too: constantly resisting the sound had left him mentally and physically exhausted.
Everything had its limits. His will had indeed improved, but his physical strength had remained the same.
Without Pavadode, Chen Beixun might have passed out right there.
"Little brother, don't push yourself!" Pavadode carried Chen Beixun on his back and left the meteor crater.
Afterward, they found somewhere to rest.
"How's your Law Comprehension coming along?" Chen Beixun asked. His voice was so weak that he sounded as though he'd just recovered from a serious illness.
Pavadode said, "I've improved a lot!"
Chen Beixun's face was deathly pale. He managed a smile and nodded, barely moving his head.
"Get some rest." Pavadode took a bottle of liquor from his Space Ring, tipped his head back, and gulped it down. Then, still wanting more, he handed it to Chen Beixun.
Chen Beixun took it and had a swig.
"Whoa!" Chen Beixun bared his teeth and exclaimed, "That's strong!"
In an instant, Chen Beixun turned bright red, like a red-skinned duck.
Pavadode smiled as though his little trick had worked. "The Sixth Highness gave it to me."
"The Sixth Highness?" Chen Beixun sprawled on the ground and muttered, "Nice. You've got quite a few brothers and sisters."
After resting for half a day, the two set off.
Their destination was Slanted Axe Tower. It stood on a stretch of land and looked like an axe had been struck into the ground, which was how it got its name.
Seven days had passed, and the various factions had divided up their territories.
Virtual Universe, Tianchen Island.
"The situation has stabilized. There are 17 organizations occupying Slanted Axe Tower." Li Di kept his eyes closed, thinking to himself.
By occupied area, Win Pavilion controlled 12% of the land, Axe Battle Star controlled 11%... and Longheng Star controlled 2.54%.
"Lie Yun, Ruan Feng," said an Immortal with a bull's head and a burly build. "What do you think of the current situation?"
"Heh, Sitonggu, Sitonggu!" Lie Yun, an Immortal, chuckled and pointed at the projected battlefield map. "Look there. Axe Battle Star is closest to the central region. Once the treasure appears, Axe Battle Star will definitely come under attack from multiple sides."
Ruan Feng adjusted his clothes and said solemnly, "Not necessarily. Axe Battle Star is the most skilled at using the strategy of making distant allies while attacking nearby enemies."
Ruan Feng tapped the stone armrest beside his throne, leaned forward, and turned to Sitonggu. "Besides, Win Pavilion and the Cosmic Bone Alliance, the two greatest threats, don't share a border with Axe Battle Star!"
"And besides, besides, the three factions are far apart."
On a throne near the corner of the round table sat an Immortal who had just broken through his limits. He was broad and stout, with a pair of sharp, curved horns on his head. He looked like a horned bear.
The Violent Bear Immortal's eyes were as small as cracks in a wall. He stared intently at the battlefield map, looking exceptionally serious.
"An Changheng's younger sister?" The Violent Bear Immortal's face stiffened. Whatever had crossed his mind, he did his best to suppress a laugh.
"That An Changheng is such a show-off on the Outer-Domain Battlefield. Several Alien Race Immortals chased him all over the place. I heard he was so scared he wet his diaper."
The Violent Bear Immortal rubbed his chin. "I hope you're not as much of a clown as your sister, picking fights when you're weak and can't win."
Within the territory occupied by the Lotte Family at Slanted Axe Tower, An Changyan suddenly sneezed, as if she'd sensed something.
"That's strange." An Changyan rubbed her head. "Never mind. I won't think too much about it."
"Chen Beixun said he had a plan to discuss. I'd better hurry over."
Within the territory occupied by the Lotte Family at Slanted Axe Tower,
Chen Beixun, Pavadode, and An Changyan sat on the ground, discussing tactics and making plans. In truth, there were only two of them. An Changyan was just there on the side...
Chen Beixun said, "This is a bit too conspicuous."
An Changyan said, "Yeah, yeah."
Pavadode said, "From a tactical perspective, this is the best way to infiltrate."
An Changyan said, "Yeah, yeah."
Chen Beixun said, "That won't do! We need to scout the area further before deciding."
An Changyan said, "Right, right."
Chen Beixun said, "..."
Pavadode said, "..."
"Your Highness..." Pavadode looked as if he didn't know what to do. Then he asked gravely, "How's your practice of the second stage of the Yan Shen Armament, the Sky Piercing Style, coming along?"
An Changyan seemed to catch his meaning. Like Chang Kaishek, she was very fond of micromanaging. She could be called a "micromanagement master."
"Why is it that whenever you talk about plans and tactics, the two of you just ignore me?" An Changyan asked, her face flushed.
Chen Beixun stood up straight and said, "Your Highness, the best plan you've ever made was... not making one!"
"Me? Me?! Me!" An Changyan gritted her teeth and said resentfully, "I studied all kinds of great works on strategy when I was young..."
An Changyan opened her little mouth and went on and on.
Studied the four characters 'great works on strategy,' right? Chen Beixun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Of course, he didn't dare say it aloud. This wasn't the right time.
Chen Beixun sighed to himself. I really want to use the Demon Island Vine to mess with her again. He was overwhelmed with melancholy and could only sigh in vain.
An Changyan had been talking for six whole hours, torturing Chen Beixun and no one else.
Good thing I muted the sound. Chen Beixun sat on the soft sofa, quietly watching An Changyan yammer away on his right.
"Forget it. Take your time playing around. I'm going to the Slaughter Arena." Chen Beixun closed his eyes and sent his consciousness into the Virtual Universe.
The Slaughter Arena...
On a grassland,
Chen Beixun stared coldly at the man lying in front of him.
A layer of white frost covered the man's face, and white vapor streamed from his nostrils. Chen Beixun had just chopped him into a human stump.
"You were mocking me?" The man died after saying that.
"No, I was just thinking about how you dodged my lethal blow," Chen Beixun said silently.
Bzzz—
The grassland disappeared, replaced by a bustling plaza.
"After my twenty-seventh battle, I've mastered the second stage of the Heng Divine Weapon, the Sky Slash Style." Chen Beixun looked at his win-loss statistics panel.
2,451 wins! 252 losses!
He'd encountered plenty of powerful opponents.
In one battle, Chen Beixun had faced an opponent with incredibly refined saber techniques and astonishing Law Comprehension. Chen Beixun had barely been able to fight back and had been utterly crushed!
You had to eat one bite at a time. Too much, and you'd choke.
Cultivation was the same.
Beep beep—
"Why is An Changyan suddenly messaging me now?" Chen Beixun wondered, raising his arm. From the message she'd sent, he learned that
she wanted him to go to the Lotte Family and take care of something.
He set out immediately.