After bidding farewell to the gatekeeper Chi Yi, Luo Feng followed his directions into the Inner Domain of Nine Regions Palace.
With Chi Yi's directions, Luo Feng found his way easily. Once inside the Inner Domain, a palace steward came to greet him and led him to a grand hall.
"Lord Galaxy, by custom, every new domain lord must first pay a visit to the chief steward upon arriving at Nine Regions Palace. He has already given me instructions. Please follow me," said the steward, Kong Shenyi.
"Sorry for the trouble, Steward Kong," Luo Feng said politely.
They entered the hall and came to a palace within it. Above the palace's main entrance were the words "Wu Chen."
Luo Feng already knew that the chief steward of Nine Regions Palace was Saint Lord Wuchen, a powerful Saint Realm expert. Rumor had it he was at the Eighth-Origin High-Grade Saint Realm, ranking among the top three Saint Realm experts of You Mountain.
"Chief Steward, I've brought Galaxy," Kong Shenyi said respectfully from outside the door.
"Galaxy, come in. You may leave," came a raspy, weathered voice from within the palace.
After Kong Shenyi left, Luo Feng stepped inside without hesitation.
An array. The moment Luo Feng entered, he sensed a shift in space and time. Before him lay a lake with a pavilion at its center. An alien figure sat at a tea table inside the pavilion, but from this distance, the figure was too indistinct for Luo Feng to make out.
Space on the Origin Continent was extraordinarily stable. Hiding one space within another would require a God King's methods at the very least. What he saw clearly fell short of that; it was merely the arrangement of an array.
"Come over, Galaxy," Saint Lord Wuchen said.
"Yes." Luo Feng followed the walkway to the lakeside pavilion. At last, he could see Saint Lord Wuchen clearly.
Wuchen wore an azure Daoist robe and had a refined, easygoing air. His hands and face were blue-gray, and his features were handsome and delicate. His ears were rather small—adorable, as someone on Earth might put it. Long azure hair fell naturally over his shoulders. His appearance and attire suited human tastes remarkably well.
"Galaxy greets the chief steward," Luo Feng said respectfully.
"Come, sit." Wu Chen gestured to the seat opposite him.
"I've heard you easily defeated someone at the Eternal True God Pinnacle and took a Saint Realm expert's attack without injury. Among the Nine Regions' domain lords, you must be number one." Saint Lord Wuchen smiled at Luo Feng, his narrowed eyes seeming to peer straight through him.
Luo Feng met his gaze, then shook his head with a smile. "Those are only rumors. As for how I actually compare, I haven't fought any of the other domain lords yet."
"Hm? Impressive indeed."
Wu Chen stared at Luo Feng in astonishment. Now he understood why people called Galaxy the foremost domain lord.
Willpower might have been Wu Chen's weakness, but his was still top-tier within the Saint Realm. Yet he could not affect the silver-armored human before him in the slightest. That meant the man's willpower was no weaker than his own.
"Good! Very good!" Wu Chen could not help praising him. The more he looked at Luo Feng, the more he liked him.
"It's been a very, very long time since a talent like you appeared among our Nine Regions' domain lords. The last one to reach the Saint Realm did so fifty-eight Eras of Reincarnation ago," Wu Chen said.
"You flatter me, Chief Steward," Luo Feng replied modestly.
Wu Chen waved a hand. "Nine Regions Palace is charged with cultivating Saint Realm experts for the empire, but producing even one is incredibly difficult. The last was Palace Master Lihua, who has some ties to you."
"Palace Master Lihua came from the Universe Ocean. She's highly talented, but more importantly, she took over the Primal Universe. Her potential is immense. Even His Majesty the God King thinks highly of her and had God King Tong Yuan take her as his disciple. Her status and authority may be no less than mine."
Wu Chen's expression shifted when he mentioned Palace Master Lihua. Luo Feng could not tell whether it was jealousy or resentment.
She took over the Primal Universe, and God King Tong Yuan accepted her as his disciple? Luo Feng had a sinking feeling, and his expression changed. He had not expected Palace Master Lihua to have such a background. Taking over the Primal Universe was one thing, but being God King Tong Yuan's disciple was the real trouble.
God King Tong Yuan was one of the You Mountain Empire's three God Kings. He excelled at illusions, and his strength was second only to that of You Mountain God King.
You Mountain God King was an ancient God King whose fame had spread countless ages ago. God King Tong Yuan, by contrast, had become renowned for his strength only in the last few Eras of Reincarnation. Though less famous than You Mountain God King, he was the one outsiders spoke of most. He was far better known than Shadow God King, who ranked third.
Rumor held that God King Tong Yuan had an unpredictable temper and would even act against those beneath the God King level. He might not kill them outright, but his Time-Reincarnation Technique could trap even a Saint Realm expert in an endless cycle. If their willpower failed and they succumbed to the illusion, their consciousness would sink into it forever—no different from death.
One Saint Realm expert in the You Mountain Empire had angered him and was still lost in Endless Reincarnation.
"I know you and Palace Master Lihua have a serious conflict, but don't worry. God King Tong Yuan won't lower himself to attack you." Wu Chen seemed to have noticed Luo Feng's change in expression. He smiled. "Palace Master Lihua is proud by nature and looks down on everyone. I don't much like her, and we've had our differences. I even taught her a harsh lesson once, but God King Tong Yuan never made a move against me."
"God King Tong Yuan is a God King. As long as you don't offend him, he has no reason to attack a junior. The man who defied him before was a fool. He wouldn't even show a God King respect, so he had his punishment coming."
As Wu Chen spoke, he drained a cup of strong liquor.
"Try some," he said with a smile.
Luo Feng drank a cup as well. His whole body felt as though it were catching fire, every cell boiling.
"Chief Steward, what wine is this?" Luo Feng asked in surprise.
"Hahaha! Good, isn't it?" Wu Chen laughed. "It's called Blazing Flame Wine. Most people never get to taste it. None of the other domain lords who visited me had your luck. A single cup must cost several hundred Qiankun Units."
"Then I really am fortunate." Luo Feng was stunned. "Thank you, Chief Steward."
Wine that cost several hundred Qiankun Units a cup was something only the most powerful Saint Realm experts could likely afford. Ordinary ones would hardly bear to drink it.
As they continued talking, Luo Feng found Saint Lord Wuchen easy to speak with and genuinely attentive to him.
Luo Feng later learned that the You Mountain Empire was, in practice, divided into two major factions. One was led by God King Tong Yuan, and the other by Shadow God King.
God King Tong Yuan's faction was the Mountain Alliance, which he commanded. It brought together the leading powers within a ten-billion-light-year radius of You Mountain, as well as those in You Mountain City. Its authority and influence were vast. The Mountain Alliance had many branches across the Nine Regions, and those branches recruited promising talents early. Many of those talents eventually became members of the alliance.
Shadow God King's faction was centered on the Nine Regions. It relied on natural selection—and then a second round of selection. For those who were not recruited by the Mountain Alliance but still wanted to enter the core of the You Mountain Empire, becoming a domain lord of the Nine Regions was their only path. Overall, the faction was somewhat weaker than the Mountain Alliance.
The Mountain Alliance had twelve Saint Realm experts. Nine Regions Palace had only five.
Wu Chen belonged to Shadow God King's faction.
Shadow God King was also the Palace Master of Nine Regions Palace and Wu Chen's direct superior.
Palace Master Lihua, the last Saint Realm expert to emerge from the Nine Regions, had even joined God King Tong Yuan's camp. Several dozen Eras of Reincarnation had passed without another reaching the Saint Realm. Now that Wu Chen had met someone with potential, he naturally paid him special attention.
"I don't hold out much hope for the other eight, but I do have high expectations for you. Your willpower must have reached Saint Transformation long ago, and you're strong enough to withstand a Saint Realm expert's attack. Your potential far exceeds theirs."
"Remember, in the You Mountain Empire, potential is part of your strength. Once you finish with the Primal Chaos Stele, I hope you'll challenge the Nine Dragons Tower. The farther you get, the more attention you'll receive. Your status will rise, and you'll gain more resources."
"As long as the God Kings see your value, then when you face Palace Master Lihua in the future, you can at least be sure no one else will act against you. What happens between you and her can be settled by the two of you. Even God King Tong Yuan won't be able to interfere."
"I've said enough. Steward Kong will take you to the Primal Chaos Stele next. As for what comes after that, I'm sure you already know the path."
Saint Lord Wuchen looked at Luo Feng. Of all the Nine Regions' domain lords, Luo Feng was the one who satisfied him most.
"Thank you, Chief Steward!" Luo Feng said with heartfelt gratitude. Wu Chen's concern reminded him of Zhen Yan and the Primal Chaos City Leader, even though this was their first meeting.
"Go on." Saint Lord Wuchen smiled faintly and waved a hand. In an instant, Luo Feng found himself outside the entrance.
Impressive. Luo Feng marveled at Saint Lord Wuchen's strength. When he recovered his bearings, he saw that Kong Shenyi, the steward who had led him here, was waiting nearby.
"Lord Galaxy, the chief steward has instructed me to take you to the Primal Chaos Stele," Kong Shenyi said respectfully.
Luo Feng nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, Steward Kong."
The Primal Chaos Stele stood where the Nine Dragons Mountain Range converged, at the belly of the Nine-Headed Dragon. According to legend, You Mountain God King had erected it there to seal the Nine Dragons' baleful energy. Only after the stele was established did the range gradually become habitable and, in time, take the form it had today.
The Primal Chaos Stele was more than a dozen light-years from Nine Regions Palace, but Luo Feng's ship traveled at 9,400 times the speed of light. They arrived before long.
Ahead, Luo Feng could already see an enormous stone stele hundreds of millions of kilometers tall. It gleamed gold from top to bottom, countless golden secret patterns flowing across its surface. A hazy golden radiance spread from it, making the entire stele look like a mountain of shining gold.
Seen from outside, the entire Primal Chaos Stele seemed veiled by some kind of boundary. Its outline was indistinct and impossible to make out clearly.
"We're here."
Luo Feng and the others landed before the Primal Chaos Stele, where its guardian was stationed.
"Lord Galaxy, the Primal Chaos Stele is just ahead. This is restricted ground, and ordinary people cannot enter. Only the stele's guardian can activate its array. Show him your Domain Lord Token, and he'll open it," Kong Shenyi said.
Luo Feng spotted a figure sitting cross-legged in the distance, as still as a boulder. That had to be the stele's guardian.
"Sorry for the trouble, Steward Kong." With that, Luo Feng walked toward the guardian.