Mountain Guest's Miniature Universe was devouring the Primal Chaos Currents of the Universe Ocean, expanding without pause.
Outside the Miniature Universe, the Insect Race Empress and Hengmu Lord watched from afar, filled with envy and awe. They had seen Luo Feng's and Origin Ancestor's Miniature Universes expand and evolve, so Universe Evolution itself was nothing new. What they had never imagined was that it would happen to Mountain Guest.
If a fourth great Sacred Land Universe were to appear in the Universe Ocean, the likeliest candidate had been Humanity, which had obtained an Ancient Inheritance.
After all, no one in the Universe Ocean had ever seen Mountain Guest enter Jin World. Yet he had broken through first. Watching him, the Insect Race Empress felt a surge of frustration. She, too, had obtained inheritances and treasures from Jin World, but she still saw no hope of a breakthrough.
How did Mountain Guest break through? The Insect Race Empress longed to break through and pass through reincarnation herself.
The Miniature Universe below had been expanding for nearly half a month. It had already grown to rival the East Emperor Holy Land's universe, reaching a diameter of 3.3 billion light-years, and it was still expanding.
3.7 billion light-years.
3.9 billion light-years.
At that moment, Lord Lishan, a Universe Master of Hongmeng, was flying past.
When he saw the enormous Miniature Universe ahead, he froze in astonishment.
"That looks like Mountain Guest's Miniature Universe! It's 3.9 billion light-years across, and it's still growing!" Stunned, Lord Lishan teleported closer. He stared at the universe as it furiously swallowed Primal Chaos Currents, his eyes wide with shock.
"A fourth great Sacred Land Universe is about to appear in the Universe Ocean."
Lord Lishan understood that Mountain Guest's Miniature Universe was becoming a Sacred Land Universe. He was excited but not envious. His existence was anchored to Humanity's Primal Holy Land, so he was effectively eternal and had little to worry about. Seeing Mountain Guest's Miniature Universe expand, he knew this would be momentous news.
"The other races haven't reacted at all. They probably don't know yet." Excited, Lord Lishan immediately spread the news.
In an instant, word that a fourth Sacred Land Universe had appeared swept through every race in the Universe Ocean like a hurricane.
The Demon Race.
"What?"
The two Demon Race Progenitors, Demon Ancestor Zhen and Dream Demon Ancestor, both found it absurd.
"Progenitors, it's absolutely true! One of our Universe Masters has confirmed that Mountain Guest has broken through," the Demon Race Universe Master reporting to them said hurriedly.
"Mountain Guest... Incredible," Dream Demon Ancestor murmured.
As soon as they confirmed the news, the two Demon Race Progenitors made the same choice as the Insect Race Empress and headed straight for Mountain Guest's Miniature Universe.
The Demon Race has several True Gods, but even Dream Demon and I have no confidence in passing through reincarnation. The others have even less. Once two more Reincarnation Eras have passed, we'll be forced to attempt it. If we fail, our race will perish. But if we can place some of our people in Mountain Guest's Miniature Universe, part of our bloodline may survive, Demon Ancestor Zhen thought.
There was no hope of finding refuge in one of Humanity's Miniature Universes.
Since the Original Universe Era, the Demon Race and Humanity had been mortal enemies. Though the Demon Race had later given up its ambition to contend with Humanity, the hatred ran too deep to erase. If the Demon Race's True Gods failed to pass through reincarnation, their race would vanish from the Universe Ocean. The emergence of Mountain Guest's Sacred Land Universe gave them a glimmer of hope that their bloodline might endure.
At the same time, the Machine Race's Father God reacted much as the Zerg and Demon Race had.
The Crystal Race, Prison Race, Star Behemoths, Northern Frontier Alliance, Ancestral God School, and other factions also received the news.
They were utterly shaken.
A fourth Sacred Land Universe had appeared in the Universe Ocean. This was an event of staggering importance.
Mountain Guest hid his strength well. Was it an Ancient Inheritance? Even if Luo Feng gave him one, he shouldn't have broken through this quickly. Star Ancestor fell silent. He and Mountain Guest had some history, and he himself had played a part in nurturing Luo Feng years ago. Now Luo Feng shone so brightly that he had become a legend of the Universe Ocean.
Mountain Guest's breakthrough only deepened his sense that the man was unfathomable.
Not just anyone could raise someone as brilliant as Luo Feng.
Primal Chaos City Leader was also Luo Feng's teacher. But in Star Ancestor's eyes, it was Luo Feng who had helped Primal Chaos City Leader reach his present heights, rather than the reverse. Mountain Guest was different. Star Ancestor had always felt that, beyond Luo Feng's own insight, Mountain Guest had played an essential role in his rise.
Should I seek refuge in Mountain Guest's Miniature Universe?
Partly because of Mountain Guest's influence in the past, Star Ancestor was not ready to abandon his hope of passing through reincarnation. The moment he set his sights on refuge in someone else's Sacred Land Universe, he would be giving up on Transcendence of Reincarnation. If he did not believe he could achieve it, how could he ever succeed?
He had also obtained an important inheritance in Jin World and still longed for Transcendence of Reincarnation. Even if he remained uncertain when the time came, he could seek refuge then.
Of course, most others did not see it that way.
The True Gods of the Crystal Race, Prison Race, and Northern Frontier Alliance, at least, had little confidence in passing through reincarnation. Naturally, they wanted to leave their peoples a chance to survive.
Humanity was equally stunned.
In Humanity's eyes, if a fourth Sacred Land Universe appeared in the Universe Ocean, it should have belonged to them!
Humanity already had two Holy Land Universes, but for a race that possessed the Ancient Civilization Inheritance, two were far from enough. They still had a chance to produce several more over the next two Reincarnation Eras. Many had even expected the fourth great Sacred Land Universe to be the Chaos Holy Land—Primal Chaos City Leader's Miniature Universe.
Instead, the Sitting Mountain Holy Land Universe had emerged first.
"Mountain Guest actually broke through. Though perhaps I shouldn't be surprised," Primal Chaos City Leader murmured.
As Luo Feng had risen, Primal Chaos City Leader felt that he, as Luo Feng's teacher, could no longer offer him much help. If anything, he had benefited greatly from Luo Feng's strength. Mountain Guest, meanwhile, was one of the oldest True Gods. He had always been deeply mysterious, and his elusive movements made him impossible to read.
Primal Chaos City Leader knew, of course, that Mountain Guest was also one of Luo Feng's teachers. Perhaps Luo Feng had shared some of the Duandong River Lineage inheritance he had obtained with him.
For Humanity, though, the news inspired shock rather than envy. Mountain Guest's breakthrough seemed to give many of its True Gods a glimmer of hope.
Among Humanity's True Gods, it was no secret that Luo Feng was Mountain Guest's disciple. As they saw it, Mountain Guest had broken through thanks to the inheritance and guidance Luo Feng had given him.
If Mountain Guest could break through with that guidance, why couldn't they? They had become True Gods through their own abilities and had their own pride. With the same guidance, they believed they could break through too.
Veteran True Gods such as True God Peng Gong, True God Darkness, True God Qing Dong, True God Huang Jian, True God Ice Peak, and True God Illusory Heart felt a quiet surge of excitement. Their talent could hardly be lacking if they had become True Gods so early. With an Ancient Inheritance to guide them and nearly two Reincarnation Eras ahead, they had enough time to attain Transcendence of Reincarnation.
The Milky Way Holy Land, Nine Realms Mountain.
News of Mountain Guest's breakthrough had reached Luo Feng long ago.
Luo Feng, of course, took it more calmly than anyone.
He had known all along that Mountain Guest would break through.
Teacher's breakthrough into a Sacred Land Universe has caused this much commotion. But before long, the shock will be even greater.
Luo Feng knew that after Mountain Guest passed through reincarnation, he would use a rebirth technique to be reborn on the Origin Continent. His current body would effectively perish, and his Miniature Universe would collapse with it. That would likely cause a far greater stir than his breakthrough had.
Could someone perish after attaining Transcendence of Reincarnation? Could a Sacred Land Universe collapse?
The races of the Universe Ocean knew very little about passing through reincarnation. They had always believed that Sacred Land Universes were eternal.
The Flame God Race.
After the Original Universe Era ended, Flame Emperor, leader of the Flame God Race, had reached the True God Realm despite flaws in his temperament.
Flame Emperor had been fiercely ambitious, but reality had crushed those ambitions time and again.
He resented Mountain Guest for favoring Luo Feng and giving him the best of everything. In Flame Emperor's eyes, Luo Feng owed all his achievements to Mountain Guest. Luo Feng's Transcendence of Reincarnation filled him with jealousy and hatred. He even wished Luo Feng had died alongside the World Beast back then.
Now that Mountain Guest had broken through, Flame Emperor felt no joy. His resentment only deepened.
Luo Feng had attained Transcendence of Reincarnation, and now Mountain Guest was about to do the same. Yet Mountain Guest had left him nothing. He could even sense that Mountain Guest had all but given up on him.
"Teacher Mountain Guest, why are you so biased? What is wrong with me, Flame Emperor? What am I lacking?" Flame Emperor roared. He could not accept being cast aside. He simply could not!
Luo Feng, whom he could once have crushed with a hand, had grown into someone he could only look up to. Even Puti, the senior disciple he had always looked down on, had surpassed him with Mountain Guest's help.
He hated it!
He did not blame his own shortcomings. He blamed only Mountain Guest's favoritism.
He, too, longed for Transcendence of Reincarnation. Only then could he exist forever. Otherwise, after two more Reincarnation Eras, the Universe Ocean would erase him.
"Aaaah!" His furious roar rolled into the distance.
Boom!
A violent surge of energy burst outward. It even caught the Flame God Race Universe Master who had come to report the news, frightening him and sending him flying.
Elsewhere.
Unlike the furious Flame Emperor, Mountain Guest's eldest disciple, Puti, waited quietly outside his teacher's Miniature Universe and watched it evolve. He was delighted by Mountain Guest's breakthrough. Mountain Guest was like a second father to him. Without Mountain Guest, he would have none of what he had today.
So he felt not the slightest resentment over what Luo Feng had received.
Mountain Guest's breakthrough had shaken every race in the Universe Ocean. Outside his Miniature Universe, lone travelers, True Gods, and Universe Masters of many races watched its evolution with boundless envy. By now, that evolution seemed to be drawing to a close. Its expansion slowed, then stopped. The universe's outer membrane ceased absorbing the surrounding Primal Chaos Currents, and everything grew still.
"Mountain Guest's Miniature Universe is even larger than the human Origin Ancestor's. It's reached 6.7 billion light-years in diameter."
"6.7 billion light-years." Everyone was stunned.
Luo Feng was a miracle, but how had Mountain Guest managed to make his Miniature Universe so vast as well?
Incredible!
"Teacher can attain Transcendence of Reincarnation too." Puti gazed at the enormous Miniature Universe, his heart brimming with excitement.
If you're enjoying the story, please vote for it. Thank you for your support!