Flame Ruins Universe Country

After the great victory in the Purple Feather Star Domain, there should have been jubilation everywhere.

Yet that jubilation lasted less than three days.

Three days later, news from demon territory swept over the Human Race like an icy tide, dousing everyone's enthusiasm to the bone.

The Lord of Beasts had broken through to become a Universe Strongest.

He was known as the Beast Ancestor!

Fang Yan stood before the viewport of the Flightless Bird, staring silently for a long time at the urgent battle report sent from Virtual Universe Company headquarters.

"A Universe Strongest..."

He murmured to himself, then gave a bitter smile.

Although this guy would eventually be driven out of the demon race by the Dream Demon Ancestor and Shock Demon Ancestor, he was truly a problem for the Human Race right now.

"Master."

Little Fox Fairy's voice came through the sensor. She had lost some of her usual liveliness, replaced by rare solemnity.

"The Flame Ruins Lord has sent a message. He wants you at the flagship immediately for a meeting."

"Got it."

Fang Yan straightened his robes and stepped out of the cabin.

The atmosphere in the flagship's conference hall was as oppressive as the sky before a storm.

Flame Ruins King... no, he should now be called Flame Ruins Venerable.

On the seventh day after the great victory in the Purple Feather Star Domain, this ancestor of the Fang Family had broken through the bottleneck that had troubled him for endless ages during his postwar seclusion, advancing from an Invincible King into the realm of Universe Venerable.

When Fang Yan had heard the news, the corner of his mouth had twitched for quite a while.

"Seriously? I haven't even broken through to Immortal, and you've gone straight to Universe Venerable? That's one hell of a thigh falling from the sky. How am I supposed to feel as an otherworldly demon?"

Flame Ruins Venerable sat in the seat of honor, faint golden patterns flowing across the surface of his dark crimson battle armor.

"Is everyone here?"

Flame Ruins Venerable swept his gaze across the conference hall, his voice low.

"You all know about the Beast Ancestor."

Flame Ruins Venerable did not waste words and got straight to the point.

"Virtual Universe Company headquarters has issued its highest directive: suspend all territorial expansion, pull back the front lines, and enter a state of strategic defense."

A low murmur rose through the conference hall.

Flame Ruins Venerable raised a hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"Virtual Universe Company has ordered us to establish permanent defensive systems in the Purple Feather Star Domain, Cold Nest Star Domain, Northern Link Star Domain..."

At the same time, within Virtual Universe Company headquarters.

A vast three-dimensional star map was projected in the center of a conference hall.

On the star map, the Human Race's territory had been redrawn into neatly divided blocks of color.

Yuanchen Universe Country, Golden Mist Universe Country, Barbaric Universe Country...

And in the direction extending outward from the Southern Border Star Domain, a vast dark-red region had been marked separately.

That region was the territory Flame Ruins King had conquered through one hundred thousand years of warfare.

"Everyone."

A senior executive of Virtual Universe Company stood up, his voice echoing through the conference hall.

"Following deliberation by the race's supreme council, humanity will formally establish a universe country system to consolidate the resources of its newly developed territories."

"The race has decided to designate Flame Ruins's newly developed territory as a high-level universe country, Flame Ruins Universe Country, with Flame Ruins Venerable as its ruler."

When this news reached Fang Yan, he was aboard the Flightless Bird inventorying the spoils from the Purple Feather Star Domain.

Little Fox Fairy crouched on his shoulder, her tail swishing back and forth as she scrolled through a virtual panel.

"Master, Virtual Universe Company headquarters has officially issued the decree establishing Flame Ruins Universe Country."

"Mm."

Fang Yan did not even raise his head. His hands continued moving as he sorted the supplies from a Purple Feather Race Marquis's spatial ring into different storage spaces.

"Aren't you excited? There are only 108 high-level universe countries in all of humanity now!"

Fang Yan finally looked up, his face carrying his usual gentle smile.

He knew perfectly well that once Origin broke through to Universe Strongest, that number would increase at least tenfold.

After all, even the Beast Ancestor had broken through. Could Origin be far behind?

"The ancestor told me in advance. Your master knows what he's doing."

Little Fox Fairy rolled her eyes, her tail drooping.

"But speaking of which."

Fang Yan patted dust that did not exist from his hands.

"The Fang Family has become the imperial family of Flame Ruins Universe Country in one stroke. My status as the Fang Family's Holy Son has risen right along with it."

"So Master, you're basically a nouveau riche now?"

"This is called sharing in the honor."

Without changing expression, Fang Yan refuted Little Fox Fairy's slander and rose to walk toward the viewport.

Through the viewport, he could see the distant fleet withdrawing from the Purple Feather Star Domain in orderly fashion.

After the Purple Feather Race's destruction, this star domain would be taken over by the Human Race. New immigrants would arrive in the future, and new civilizations would take root and flourish here.

As for its former masters?

The cruelty of the universe was that no one cared about the name of a loser.

The founding ceremony was scheduled for three months later, on Yinghuo Star, the imperial planet of Flame Ruins Universe Country.

As the Fang Family's Holy Son, Fang Yan naturally had to attend.

But he knew that such ceremonial matters were merely formalities. What truly occupied his mind was something else.

"Late Wind..." Fang Yan murmured.

Twenty thousand years had passed since this self-created secret technique had first taken shape.

Over those twenty thousand years, he had repeatedly deduced, revised, and tested it in actual combat, pushing the fusion of the Law of Wind and Time Law to an unprecedented height.

Yet he was always short by a thread.

That final thread was like an invisible wall. It was clearly right before his eyes, yet no matter how he reached, he could not touch it.

"The difference between a top-tier secret technique and an ordinary secret technique is a qualitative transformation."

Fang Yan closed his eyes, and the relevant passages from the Chaos Conjecture surfaced in his mind.

Once he created a top-tier secret technique, breaking through to Immortal would follow naturally.

"Master, are you thinking about your secret technique again?"

Little Fox Fairy's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Fang Yan opened his eyes and sighed.

"A top-tier secret technique is easier said than done. Across the entire Human Race, someone who can create a top-tier secret technique at the World Lord stage might not appear even once in a hundred thousand eras."

"Then do you think you can do it?"

Fang Yan fell silent for a moment, then smiled.

The founding ceremony was grand and solemn.

Flame Ruins Universe Country governed three thousand star domains, countless low-level and mid-level universe countries, and its territory stretched across hundreds of millions of light-years.

Envoys from every major power gathered on Yinghuo Star, and the congratulatory gifts filled an entire small world ring.

Fang Yan stood behind the Flame Ruins Lord, wearing the formal robes of the Fang Family's Holy Son. Golden flame totems were embroidered upon his black robe, making him look refined and scholarly, like a well-read young master from an aristocratic family.

Crimson Flame King stood beside him and spoke quietly.

"Kid, how much is your 'Late Wind' still lacking?"

Fang Yan's face darkened. This guy just had to bring up something so uncelebratory on such a festive day.

"Just a thread."

"A thread?"

Crimson Flame King raised an eyebrow.

"A thread is a chasm. Countless geniuses spend their entire lives stuck on that one thread."

"...If you're so good at talking, then keep talking."