Alone

"I will win, I will not die!" Emperor Mu was bathed in blood, his battle robes fluttering as his gaze turned icy; the long blade in his hand had even become notched from the fighting.

Every lash of the Demon Island Vine caused the space to twist and deform, and the exhausted Emperor Mu could only grit his teeth and endure.

"I still don't know just how vast the sky outside truly is."

Emperor Mu roared; the conviction that had sustained him until now was simply to go out and see, nothing more.

"Indeed, the sky outside is vast, but it is a pity you will not live to see it." Chen Beixun's smile was sinister, though he quickly composed himself, focusing his full attention on the battle.

The Demon Island Vine had now firmly coiled around Emperor Mu, constricting him like an octopus; the air instantly solidified, leaving only the sounds of cracking bones and the grinding of flesh and blood.

"Master, Emperor Mu is dead," the Demon Island Vine communicated through consciousness.

"Sigh—" Chen Beixun let out a long sigh, lamenting, "It takes an entire galaxy to produce one Universe-level powerhouse on average, and I have seen very few Domain Lords to this day."

"You were born in the wrong era, Emperor Mu."

He then asked the Demon Island Vine, "Is the damage significant?"

"Not critical, but I am heavily injured; I underestimated this fellow's combat power," the Demon Island Vine responded in his mind.

"Very well, this battle was clearly a bit rushed; I must reflect on this," Chen Beixun said, taking the space rings of Emperor Mu and Emperor Ta from the Demon Island Vine. He checked them casually before transforming into a streak of light and departing.

In the air, he spotted many other ancient emperor-level powerhouses who had come to watch.

Everyone was shocked by Chen Beixun, but even more so, they were terrified of the Demon Island Vine. Chen Beixun ignored them, stepping onto the Gold Cloud Shuttle like a golden dot as he sped forward.

A few days later, he arrived at Center Island.

On Center Island, the air was thick with mist and water, and the woods grew in dense shade.

Chen Beixun wove through the thickets of Center Island, seeing the clouds in the sky gather like ink, pouring down like a curtain of water.

"Chunqiu, what is the exact location?" Chen Beixun asked, his speed gradually slowing as he stood upon the Gold Cloud Shuttle.

"154 meters directly ahead, 2,150 meters underground," the snail Chunqiu said, hovering beside Chen Beixun.

Chen Beixun frowned, thinking, My telekinesis cannot detect any objects; there is a major problem here! He furrowed his brows further and manipulated the Tianqu Cone to pierce the ground, drilling downward.

Inside Center Island...

"He has arrived. This kid's Demon Island Vine has impressive strength, capable of killing a Domain Lord-level powerhouse who has already crossed the threshold of the Laws," the intelligent lifeform Qishan said.

Originally, there were three candidates: Chen Beixun, Emperor Mu, and Emperor Ta. Since the latter two were dead, this heaven-sent fortune naturally belonged to Chen Beixun.

The distance of 2,150 meters was a mere instant for Chen Beixun. What came into view was a vast, circular space, with a spaceship 364 meters long from bow to stern suspended in the center.

This F9-class spaceship was named Linkong, crafted entirely from Cyan Geng Metal. Viewed from above, it resembled a B2 bomber, capable of instantaneous startup without the need for pre-flight warming. Of course, Chen Beixun was unaware of this.

"Chunqiu, what metal is this ship made of?" Chen Beixun asked with a calm expression.

"Unknown!" Chunqiu replied, shocked.

It must be an F-grade metal; it shouldn't be much worse than Huyan Bo's, Chen Beixun surmised in his heart as a transmigrator.

Chen Beixun flew around the ship several times, probing with his telekinesis and even daring to reach out and knock on it. Although the ship's hatch stood open for him, Chen Beixun remained cautious.

"Quite prudent, aren't you?" The intelligent lifeform Qishan couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration, then transmitted his voice, "Come in, I bear no malice."

Chen Beixun frowned and replied, "Senior, you are like a dragon that shows its head but hides its tail."

"Fine, fine. If you are afraid, you are free to leave," the intelligent lifeform Qishan said impatiently. As an intelligent lifeform belonging to a Marquis-level Immortal, he had never looked at a Universe-level powerhouse with any real regard.

Chen Beixun gritted his teeth, thinking, If I win this gamble, I rise; if I lose, then it's all over. He flew to the hatch and hesitated for a long time before entering.

Inside the ship, there was no opulent decoration, only a simple and rustic aesthetic.

The more low-key, the more powerful, Chen Beixun scanned the area and thought to himself.

"I am Qishan. Congratulations on becoming the Master's disciple, his first personal disciple, and the final inheritor of the Qiongling Planet legacy."

Chen Beixun paused, secretly shocked. What? So casual? He then spoke up.

"Senior, this... I..." Before Chen Beixun could finish, the intelligent lifeform Qishan interrupted him.

"I originally intended for you to compete with the other two candidates."

"Who would have thought that your Demon Island Vine would kill them both."

"It is a pity for the trials I worked so hard to set up," the intelligent lifeform Qishan said, snapping his fingers. Three green mechanical guards, each three meters tall, appeared before Chen Beixun.

"This was the first trial, but it is useless now. I will give them to you as guards."

"A brief introduction: these are Red Gold Guards, crafted from D9-grade alloy. They are benchmarked against third-tier Domain Lords and are generally used for training sixth or seventh-tier Domain Lords; I didn't set them to be that strong. But the three of them combined are enough to annihilate a fifth-tier Domain Lord!"

"Ah?" Chen Beixun's mouth twitched as he thought, You really thought highly of the three of us!

The intelligent lifeform Qishan manifested his form—two meters tall, with green skin and sharp, curved horns on both sides of his forehead. He looked at Chen Beixun quietly and said, "Are you willing to take him as your master?"

Chen Beixun didn't even think twice before dropping to his knees with a thud, stammering, "This disciple is willing to... to... uh..."

"Marquis of Fate, Murong Shujia," the artificial intelligence Qishan chuckled, immediately projecting an image of Murong Shujia before Chen Beixun.

"This disciple is willing to take the Marquis of Fate as his master!" Chen Beixun hurriedly declared.

Qishan produced a transparent, twelve-faceted gemstone and handed it to Chen Beixun, then stated, "Absorb it. You understand—we must ensure the inheritance does not leak."

Chen Beixun didn't hesitate and absorbed it instantly; he felt a sharp pain in his mind, though it didn't last long.

"Follow me," Qishan said.

Chen Beixun stood up and followed him.

The two walked side by side as Qishan calmly recounted the deeds of the Marquis of Fate, from his rise on a humble planet to his glorious ennoblement as a Marquis, achieved by stepping over the corpses of alien races. Chen Beixun listened intently, ears pricked.

Qishan stopped before a cabin door, lifted his head, and said with a calm expression, "Time to broaden your horizons." With a wave of his hand, the door slid open.

"Take a look."

"This... what is this?" Chen Beixun gasped in shock.

"A trophy room. It houses the remains of Immortal-level powerhouses."

"This is a scale from the royal bloodline of the Monster Race, a Horned Python. Don't underestimate it; this 'Horned Python' was far stronger than some of the Immortals in the Xuyu Universe Kingdom. Your master only managed to wound it severely."

"There are twenty-three collectibles here, all slain by your master alone! Many were Marquis-level powerhouses—though admittedly, only barely."

Chen Beixun drew a sharp breath, inwardly stunned. No wonder he is titled the Marquis of Fate; to encounter him is to have one's fate sealed.

Qishan chuckled at this reaction. "Heh." He then continued, "Your master left behind treasures worth tens of millions of Hunyuan. If you include the items deposited in the First Universe Bank... well, as long as you are willing to put in the effort, reaching the World Lord level will be a breeze."

Chen Beixun closed his eyes, struggling to restrain his emotions.

"That is... that is simply heaven-defying!" Chen Beixun couldn't help but shout.

"Let me explain briefly: the Hunyuan is the unit of currency for transactions between Immortals. One trillion Universe Coins equals one Hunyuan," Qishan said slowly, glancing at Chen Beixun with interest.

Steady, don't lose your composure—but that's one trillion Universe Coins! Chen Beixun's heart raced, though he kept his face calm. "I have some treasures here; please help me evaluate their value." He then projected a list of his items.

"Oh?" Qishan looked intrigued. After a brief glance, he said, "The total value of these treasures is 7.2 Hunyuan. Including the Universe Crystals, it comes to 8.6 Hunyuan."

"Not bad."

"Alright, follow me. I'll take you for a deep-tissue aptitude scan so we can formulate a training plan." Qishan patted Chen Beixun on the shoulder.

The two arrived in the ship's training cabin.

Qishan pointed his finger at an object resembling an altar and said, "That thing is called the Black Altar."