"Master! Master!" Babata's voice, so excited it was almost shrill, suddenly exploded in Hu Yanbo's mind. "A King-level Immortal! You've really become a King-level Immortal?! Chaos City... Chaos City truly is our holy land!"
Babata continued shouting incoherently in his mind, "King Rank! Across the entire Ganwu Universe Country, your strength definitely puts you in the top five now! No, the top three!"
"Haha! Now those so-called kings and marquises of the Ganwu Universe Country aren't even worthy of carrying your shoes!"
Listening to Babata's excited cries, Hu Yanbo's smile faded slightly, while his thoughts took a different turn.
Top three?
He shook his head inwardly.
The Ganwu Universe Country covered a vast territory, and its reserves of strength ran far deeper than they appeared.
From what he knew of the original story, even without counting the races under its protection, the Universe Country was full of hidden powerhouses.
Phantom Spirit King had strange, unpredictable methods and had risen to fame very early. That strength was said to approach True Yan King's.
Then there was Blood Demon King, who had supposedly joined the Hongmeng Alliance long ago. His strength and status were far beyond those of a second-rate fighter like Demon Hand King.
Beyond them, the Ganwu Universe Country surely held other veteran King-level Immortals who kept a low profile but possessed genuine power.
Thinking it through carefully, although his strength had soared upon entering King Rank, even securing a firm place in the Universe Country's top ten would probably be far from easy.
"Master!" Babata's voice suddenly rose, filled with undisguised urgency and killing intent. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find Demon Hand King right now! It's time he paid for hunting us down all those years ago!"
The smile remained on Hu Yanbo's face as he calmly shook his head again. "There's no hurry, Babata. No hurry."
He gazed into the distance, as though he could see through the barriers of the Initial Universe to the starry expanse where they had once fled in desperation.
Revenge?
Right now?
Demon Hand King couldn't do anything to me, but I couldn't do anything to him either!
That fellow might be a fraud who was only Barely King Rank, but his application of Void Divine Power happened to be at the same level as mine.
Although I was an Initial King, and my physical offense and defense had already crossed the threshold of King Rank, with immense power behind every punch and kick...
Yet when it came to Soul Attack, which demanded more sophisticated techniques, his use and understanding of Void Divine Power remained at the level of a thousand years ago, when he had just broken through to Marquis.
It was like an ordinary person suddenly being filled with an ocean's worth of divine power, gaining the terrifying strength to move mountains and fill seas.
But how could that power be controlled precisely?
How could it be converted into the most effective offense and defense?
How could it be incorporated into soul techniques to unleash all manner of subtle wonders?
Such knowledge of "application" could not be acquired overnight.
It required enough time to develop, as well as astonishing talent to comprehend. Neither could be lacking.
Otherwise, everyone in the universe would have studied the soul path.
After all, soul-defense treasures were far rarer than physical-defense treasures. A true soul master could often kill without a trace, annihilating an opponent's soul with a single glance-an extremely efficient method.
Physical annihilation was far more troublesome. Not only did it consume immense amounts of divine power to destroy an opponent's divine body, but one also had to remain wary of powerful physical-defense treasures, making a one-hit kill difficult.
At that thought, Hu Yanbo's mind raced.
He had been in the Swallowed Star universe for a thousand years, and the first goal he had set for himself-
To disregard Demon Hand King's pursuit and truly live freely in the Primal Universe-had now been fully achieved.
Now, even if he stood still and let Demon Hand King attack, the man's paltry methods probably could not even force his divine body to reconstitute, let alone annihilate him completely.
Then his next goal was-revenge!
Kill Demon Hand King!
Repaying every grudge had always been his guiding principle as he ventured through the universe.
Whenever he thought of how he would almost certainly have "died right after spawning" if the system had not arrived, icy killing intent rose from the depths of his heart.
His first goal had taken a thousand years.
How long would this second goal... take?
However much of a fraud Demon Hand King was, he was still King Rank.
To guarantee the complete destruction of a King-level Immortal, even the weakest kind, it generally took the overwhelming strength of a Peak King to crush them and prevent them from using their various means of escape, Hu Yanbo thought.
Peak King...
That meant he would need at least two more "advance" breakthroughs like the one he had just experienced before he truly possessed such overwhelming power.
That time could pass quickly.
Given the right opportunity, perhaps a single life-or-death battle or a session of guidance from a Venerable would let him swiftly meet the repayment conditions.
It could also pass slowly.
Without a fortunate opportunity, the requirement to spend ten thousand years cultivating in Chaos City alone would take no small amount of time.
But regardless, he had found a clear path forward.
Other King-level Immortals, even those who had once possessed extraordinary talent, lacked the confidence to say they would definitely become Peak Kings in the future.
Hu Yanbo was quite pleased with this. He was just about to take out some fine wine in his residence and relax for a while-
"Master!" Babata's voice sounded again, this time with a hint of urgency. "An incoming call from Void True King!"
With a thought, Hu Yanbo accepted the call.
Three projections appeared. Besides Void True King, King Qian Cang also appeared in the image, both men wearing undisguised smiles.
"Haha, Hu Yanbo!" Void True King spoke first, his voice booming. "Congratulations on officially entering King Rank!"
"You've gone and caused another huge stir without saying a word!"
King Qian Cang also smiled and nodded in agreement. "Indeed. The speed of your advancement has delighted us both."
He paused, then his tone turned slightly teasing. "You should see the looks on those old fellows' faces in the alliance now!"
"When I overruled all their objections and gave you a top-tier contract, they did plenty of grumbling behind my back. Now every one of them is rushing to call you 'the second Mengsui King.' They're so enthusiastic you'd think they were the ones who spotted your talent at first glance and recruited you!"
Hu Yanbo merely smiled faintly at that, unsurprised.
In the universe, strength was everything. Once someone demonstrated enough value, there was naturally no shortage of praise.
Then King Qian Cang changed the subject, his tone growing somewhat more formal. "Hu Yanbo, now that you've reached King Rank, the alliance should bestow a title upon you, as is customary."
"Your circumstances are rather unusual, though. You advanced so quickly that you never even had a proper Marquis title."
Void True King nodded beside him and added, "That's true."
In the universe, addressing a powerful individual directly by name was a grave sign of disrespect.
It was not merely a matter of etiquette, but an unspoken rule-a title carried a powerhouse's history, law path, and illustrious battle record.
Calling them directly by name implied, to some degree, disregard for their strength and achievements. It could easily lead to unnecessary conflict.
Thus, addressing one another by title was the most basic form of mutual understanding and respect among powerhouses throughout the vast universe.
Before you continue