Virtual Universe, at the very summit of Thunder Island.
Endlessly churning currents of chaos swirled and flowed eternally around the area. At their heart floated an enormous, ancient-looking round table of blue-gray stone.
Intricate, ancient patterns covered the table's surface and the six stone chairs surrounding it.
Whoosh!
Yang Zheng's figure materialized amid the currents of chaos. He looked toward the figure already waiting beside the stone table.
"City Lord!" Yang Zheng bowed slightly.
The Chaos City Lord waved a hand and said solemnly, "Yang Zheng, your strength now stands on the same level as mine. You are one of the supreme beings of our Human Race. There is no need to bow to me every time we meet."
Unless they were master and disciple, powerful beings had to address one another as equals. This was the most basic respect for their strength and responsibilities.
"Come, sit down first."
The Chaos City Lord walked over to a chair and sat down, then pointed to the second seat on his left.
"Sit here."
Yang Zheng sat as instructed. The stone chair felt cold and solid, its heavy back conveying a sense of weighty power.
His gaze fell on the ancient carvings on the round table. Some depicted three powerful beings bowing respectfully to another, others a lone warrior slaughtering foes on all sides, and still others two warriors joining forces against a group of enemies...
Before I knew it, I'd already come this far...
Emotion welled up within Yang Zheng. Even with his cheat, five or six thousand years ago, he could never have guaranteed that he would reach his current heights in that time.
Luck, timing, choices...
Even the slightest difference in any of those three would have led to a different outcome. If he had not gone to the