Cosmic Secret Realms varied enormously in danger and value depending on their location.
Those within the Human Race's territory, or under its complete control, had often been cleared out, modified, or even partially refined by mighty human beings. Their dangers had been greatly reduced, and their environments were relatively stable. Some even allowed subordinate races to settle and reproduce within them.
Naturally, the rare treasures and special resources in such realms had long since been plundered, or were under the Human Race's orderly management, leaving them with limited value.
Public secret realms, however, were entirely different!
They were usually located along the borders between the territories of major races, or in the vast, unclaimed Cosmic Wilderness, beyond the absolute control of any single power.
The rules in these realms were chaotic, their environments harsh and unpredictable, and their native creatures powerful and bloodthirsty. More deadly still... they were open to experts from every faction, making them true lawless lands of the universe.
After countless experts had explored them over long ages, the most precious treasures at the heart of these public secret realms had long since been plundered.
Yet they continued to produce resources that held considerable appeal for Immortal Gods, drawing the various factions into endless, year-round battles. They were scarcely less dangerous than the Outer Domain Battlefield!
After ending his conversation with Void True King, Hu Yanbo immediately immersed his consciousness in the Virtual Universe Network, connected to the Universe Mercenary Alliance's internal database, and began searching for all available information on the Nether God Secret Realm.
A torrent of data poured into his consciousness, quickly giving him a clear overview of the realm:
The Nether God Secret Realm lay in the buffer zone between Human Territory and the demon race's territory. Both sides had discovered it simultaneously during a massive tide of cosmic energy roughly a million eras ago.
Because of its sensitive location and its exceedingly strange internal environment, neither side had managed to bring it fully under control. It had ultimately become a typical public secret realm.
The resources that the realm continued to produce, and that drew competing factions to it, chiefly included supreme auxiliary materials such as nether soul crystals, dark god flowers, and void marrow.
These supreme auxiliary materials were precisely the targets of Marquis Glorious Light and Marquis Rock's current mission.
Hu Yanbo swiftly browsed the intelligence, his gaze finally settling on the most crucial piece of information:
Because of the realm's restrictive rules and the value of its resources, Universe Venerable level experts now very rarely entered the core region of the Nether God Secret Realm in person. Most experts currently active within the realm were Immortal Gods from various factions, including a number of King-level Immortals...
The strongest enemies are King-level Immortals... After reading this information, Hu Yanbo immediately felt reassured!
When an Initial King Immortal encountered a Peak King expert, the disparity in strength was often a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold!
With such a gap, if the Peak King expert was willing to burn some divine power, the Initial King's immortal body would be completely annihilated. Even the chance of escape was minuscule; death was almost certain!
High Kings, however, were entirely different!
The foundation of their divine bodies stood firmly above thirty thousand times world lord power. Their control over the laws was deeper, their means of survival more varied, and their secret techniques more refined.
Even against a Peak King, though they would still be outmatched, their immortal bodies would not be annihilated. They could therefore be said to have almost nothing to fear.
Unless they encountered an even more terrifying being.
But beings like those...
As Hu Yanbo swiftly browsed the intelligence, he understood.
Beings of that caliber had long since set their sights beyond the resources that the Nether God Secret Realm could continuously produce, such as nether soul crystals and dark god flowers.
In that case... once I leave Chaos City and advance my law comprehension to High King on credit, the realm will become far less dangerous.
I might even... be able to accomplish a great deal!
Having made his decision, Hu Yanbo immediately submitted an application to leave the Initial Universe to Chaos City's management system through the Virtual Universe Network.
As the Human Race's central sacred ground, Chaos City strictly regulated all arrivals and departures. Every trip required review and approval from the Virtual Universe System.
His application was soon approved.
Hu Yanbo boarded a standard vessel reserved for Chaos City. It slowly departed the ancient city suspended at the entrance to the Initial Universe's passage and headed toward the Primal Universe.
Just as the ship left Chaos City and was about to enter the passage-
Deep within Chaos City lay the Chaos Ruins, a place that seemed to contain endless spacetime, the beginning and end of all things.
A pair of eyes that seemed to hold the entire universe's cycle of birth and destruction slowly opened. Their gaze appeared to pierce layer after layer of space, lingering briefly on the unremarkable vessel.
"This little fellow... is rather interesting." A calm, unruffled voice echoed through the ruins.
"After nearly a thousand years of observation, he's proven decisive, his rate of improvement is astonishing, and his resolve is quite strong... he doesn't seem like a pawn planted by another race."
After all, if a spy from another race gained the opportunity to enter Chaos City, wouldn't they do everything possible to remain undercover for as long as they could, wishing they could put down roots here and steal more secrets?
Yet this fellow was eager to leave after less than a thousand years, and his motive seemed quite straightforward... to rescue old friends?
An exceedingly faint, almost imperceptible trace of scrutiny flickered through those eyes, then faded back into stillness.
"Forget it."
"He's only a little fellow at King Rank. Even if he is somewhat unusual, he isn't worth excessive attention."
The Chaos City Lord slowly withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes once more.
A being like him had witnessed the Human Race's rise and fall over countless millions of years, and had seen extraordinary geniuses as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Very few had truly matured and reached the Universe Venerable realm.
Hu Yanbo's performance was certainly remarkable, but that was all.
Had his rate of improvement not been so exceptional among the countless Immortals who came to Chaos City, the Chaos City Lord would not even have spared him that glance.
Of course, that fleeting glance had left an exceedingly faint favorable impression in the Chaos City Lord's mind-an Immortal youngster with potential, who valued his bonds and seemed to harbor a few secrets.
Nothing more.
Hu Yanbo remained completely unaware of any of this.
The vessel smoothly entered the passage with its distorted flow of time, then successfully emerged into the Original Universe.
Hu Yanbo did not linger at all. Following the guidance signal it received, the vessel immediately headed toward the centralized Divine Kingdom teleportation site within the Virtual Universe Company's main headquarters.
A moment later, the sight before him left even Hu Yanbo, who had already attained King Rank, somewhat awestruck.
It was an immensely vast artificial void, filled with countless gigantic metal platforms of intricate, complex construction. Each platform radiated powerful spatial fluctuations and was inscribed with unimaginably elaborate law secret patterns.
Countless streaks of light rose, fell, and shuttled between the platforms. They were experts from the Human Race and even its subordinate races, traveling through this place to every corner of the universe.
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