Guilty of possessing a treasure?

These platforms for Divine Kingdom Teleportation were cast from special metals and inscribed with powerful isolation techniques. They effectively blocked outside perception, providing considerable protection for the coordinates of the travelers' Divine Kingdoms.

Hu Yanbo used his Divine Kingdom as a relay here and ultimately arrived inside a star relatively close to the entrance of the Nether God Secret Realm.

Fortunately, whatever else he might have lacked during his early years roaming the universe alone, he had accumulated countless remote coordinates, hidden relay points, and escape routes.

This was also a survival instinct shared by most lone adventurers-to obtain resources and avoid danger, they often had to put in more effort and explore farther than the core disciples of the five great factions. Their knowledge of the universe was broader, more varied, and more practical.

Hu Yanbo slipped silently out of the blazing stellar matter and hovered in space.

He waved his hand.

Hum!

The space ahead rippled slightly, and a blood-red triangular spaceship appeared out of thin air!

All three "corners" of the triangular spaceship were incredibly thin and sharp. Faint secret patterns, too subtle to make out with the naked eye, fitted seamlessly across its entire hull. Those patterns naturally gave the Yunmo Star Ship an even more formidable, razor-sharp aura.

"Wow! Master! Master!" Babata's excited cries immediately rang out in Hu Yanbo's mind. "Is this... our Yunmo Star Ship? It feels completely different!"

"These law secret patterns... they're perfect!"

As Hu Yanbo looked at his transformed ship, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. "After formally joining the Universe Mercenary Alliance and gaining Core Member privileges, I found an opportunity to send the Yunmo Star Ship to a master craftsman within the alliance who specializes in spaceship modifications. I asked him to upgrade and reinforce it!"

"It was only returned recently."

Hu Yanbo flew aboard. "The master truly had extraordinary skill. He brought out almost every last bit of potential in the Yunmo Star Ship's original materials and structure. In terms of craftsmanship alone, it's nearly perfect."

"If I want it to undergo another transformation, I'll need to find an immortal metal lifeform and have it fuse completely with the Yunmo Star Ship. Then the ship will possess the properties of a living being. It will be able to grow and repair itself, and even gain certain special abilities. Its value would be on an entirely different level."

Before he finished speaking-

As an Immortal God, Hu Yanbo always kept a sliver of his consciousness connected to the Virtual Universe Network unless he was in deep secluded cultivation.

At that moment, his mind stirred as he sensed the arrival of a new message. The sender was listed as "Marquis Rock."

Just as expected, Hu Yanbo thought.

Radiance only barely qualifies as a Marquis. A Peak Marquis could slowly annihilate her body. But Marquis Rock is different. As a High-level Marquis, even I would have to burn divine power to annihilate her.

Besides, she isn't called Rock for nothing.

Hu Yanbo opened the message.

"Dark Corrosion Cavern." -Rock!

At the sight of those coordinates, Hu Yanbo frowned slightly. Information about the Dark Corrosion Cavern instantly surfaced in his mind.

The Dark Corrosion Cavern... according to the alliance's intelligence, although it lies on the outskirts of the Nether God Secret Realm's core region and has a complex environment, its danger rating isn't particularly high.

It's nowhere near those dangerous places in the secret realm where even King Rank experts might fall. Those usually active there are mostly Immortal Army Lords, or Marquis Immortals like Rock and Radiance who go there to search for specific resources or carry out missions.

With their Marquis Level strength, the two of them should have no trouble protecting themselves in the Dark Corrosion Cavern if they work together... how did they end up being hunted by King Rank experts, or even pushed to the brink of death?

A thought flashed through Hu Yanbo's mind, sharpening his gaze:

Unless they stumbled upon some much more precious treasures deep inside the cavern! And while obtaining them, they were discovered by King Rank experts of an alien race who were also operating in the secret realm!

Their treasure brought disaster upon them! Hu Yanbo instantly reached the most likely conclusion. That's the only explanation for why King-level Immortals would covet what they have and hunt them down!

Once he realized this, his sense of urgency intensified!

Treasures stirred greed, especially treasures valuable enough to make King Rank experts act!

Radiance and Rock might be in even greater danger than he had anticipated!

"Babata! You'll be fully responsible for monitoring the detection equipment. Notify me immediately if anything unusual happens," Hu Yanbo instructed gravely, then turned and headed for the ship's resting quarters.

The cabin door slid open and closed without a sound.

He sat down cross-legged. Now that he had left Chaos City and was no longer under the gaze of those great beings, he could improve his strength further.

With a thought, his consciousness sank into the depths of his mind.

The mysterious advance panel quietly appeared. An advance on High King comprehension of space law.

[Available advances: One]

[Available advance: High King]

[Repayment condition: Experience a life-and-death battle!]

[Take the advance?]

[Yes/No]

Hu Yanbo's gaze swept across the panel, and a thought stirred in his mind. What if... I take an advance on Peak King comprehension of space law?

[Peak King: Unavailable for advance]

So... it won't work. Hu Yanbo understood. He was not particularly surprised; instead, a glimmer of insight dawned on him.

Thinking back, the reason I could take an advance and break straight through to Initial King while I was still a High-level Marquis was probably that I'd studied the Nine Universes Chaos Stele ten full times in Chaos City beforehand! That gave me an incredibly solid foundation!

But now... Hu Yanbo assessed his current state.

I've only just broken through to King Rank. Although I fused with the Abyssal Seal, it mainly improved my techniques for applying the laws. There hasn't been a qualitative leap in the absolute depth of my understanding of law essence.

My accumulated foundation is nowhere near as substantial as it was last time... naturally, the system has judged that I can't support another major leap, especially across the enormous threshold between High King and Peak King.

Once he understood this, the faint trace of regret in his heart dissipated.

High King... that's enough!

At that level, as long as I don't run into those monstrous experts at the very limit of King Rank, I'll be strong enough to roam the Nether God Secret Realm unhindered and carry out the rescue!

Just as Hu Yanbo was about to select "Take a High King advance," a subtler, more precisely targeted idea flashed through his mind like lightning!

Wait!

Taking a direct advance to High King would certainly improve my fundamental strength across the board.

But with the rescue imminent and time running short, what I need even more is a specialized ability that can drastically improve my survival and mobility!

His gaze suddenly sharpened. His consciousness swiftly engaged with the advance panel on a deeper level as he tried to submit a more specific request!