World Lord Dong Xuan

Underground in Ruins No. 32, aboard the spaceship.

"Young master Dongguan Qiong Luo, the Qiongluo Ship has waited here for many years. Welcome back," a neutral voice said.

"Who are you?" Dongguan remained wary.

"I am Qiong, the intelligence that controls this ship," the little figure of light replied.

"So, what now?" Dongguan relaxed a little.

At the same time, a faint excitement stirred within him.

I might not have a cheat like signing in for stat points, but an inheritance like the Yunmo Star Ship's would be pretty good too.

In that moment, he had already planned it all out: after dealing with the Golden-Horned Behemoth and Nolan Mountain, he would enter the Genius Battle and sweep through the cosmos, eventually becoming an Immortal, a Universe Venerable, a Universe Master, and the strongest being in the universe. He would even pass through reincarnation, enter the Origin Continent, and then pursue a future in Hunyuan.

Seeing the dreamy expression on Dongguan's face, Qiong felt a little puzzled, but he continued, "First, we must verify your identity. If everything checks out, you will receive the inheritances of my former master, Domain Lord Xia Lan Qiong Luo, and her husband, the previous patriarch of the Qiong Luo Race, World Lord Dong Xuan Qiong Luo."

"What exactly is going on?" Dongguan asked.

The name Dongguan was one of the few things preserved in his earliest memories. Qiong Luo seemed somewhat familiar too.

"Please verify your identity first. Only then can I tell you everything," Qiong said firmly.

"Fine, let's verify it. What do I need to do?" Dongguan asked helplessly.

Everything aboard this spaceship was controlled by the intelligence before him. He had no choice but to follow its instructions.

I just hope being a transmigrator won't cause any unexpected problems.

A platform bearing a sharp spike floated up from the cabin floor.

"I need to collect one drop of your blood," Qiong said.

Dongguan extended his hand. The Black God Set shifted, exposing his left hand.

The spike pierced his ring finger effortlessly, without even depressing the skin, and drew a little blood.

The platform retracted.

"Is that it?" Dongguan watched the tiny wound on his finger heal before the Black God Set covered it again.

"Please wait a moment," Qiong said.

Three, two, one.

Three seconds passed. Qiong opened his eyes-or rather, the spots where the little light figure's eyes were grew brighter.

"Verification complete. Welcome, Dongguan Qiong Luo, the new master of the Qiongluo Ship and the new patriarch of the Qiong Luo Clan."

A rainbow-like light swept over Dongguan's entire body.

"Now can you tell me what's going on?"

"Of course. Qiong and the Qiongluo Ship are at your service."

Images were then projected throughout the cabin, and Qiong began his explanation.

"The Qiong Luo Race is one of the many human peoples in the vast universe. We possess a third-grade bloodline among cosmic humans. Our people reach Star Level upon adulthood and encounter no bottlenecks before Universe Level. The clan's homeworld is Qiong Luo Star, in the Qiongluo Star System of the Donghua Starfield, which falls directly under the Dry Witch Universe Country."

He began with an introduction to the race.

The images showed the cosmos, a star system, a thriving planet, and various three-eyed humans. Some looked remarkably like Earthlings, apart from the extra eye on their foreheads.

"If we reach Star Level as adults, why was I stuck below Planetary Grade for so many years?" Dongguan had become a High-level War God long ago, yet had only broken through to Planetary Grade a year earlier.

"Simple. You lacked energy. Having no bottlenecks does not mean you need no accumulation. You still need sufficient cosmic energy to break through. Moreover, all Qiong Luo people cultivate both as warriors and through spiritual force. At Planetary Level, they undergo a transformation in which their spiritual force and physical strength resonate and reach equilibrium, supporting each other from then on. This is a talent unique to our people," Qiong explained.

"Even without other resources, members of the Qiong Luo Race can absorb cosmic energy in a normal cosmic environment and continue advancing until they reach Star Level. It is simply very slow."

Qiong then moved on to the next section.

"More than three billion years have passed since the Qiong Luo Race first rose to prominence. During that time, we have experienced three rises and three declines."

This was the history of the Qiong Luo Race.

"In the beginning, Qiong Luo Star was merely one of many primitive planets. After making contact with the wider universe, our people proceeded with extreme caution, concealing the location of their planet. Their bloodline was only sixth-grade, but fortunately, ordinary members of the race could reach Planetary Grade, qualifying them to register as Universe Citizens."

As he watched the introduction, Dongguan realized that Qiong Luo Star had been fortunate. It had developed normally along the way, never suffering disasters such as having its planet discovered and its people sold into slavery.

"Eventually, the clan amassed enough wealth to register with the Dry Witch Universe Country and purchase its own homeworld."

"What followed was Qiong Luo Star's first rise."

"Originally, neither Qiong Luo Star nor the Qiong Luo Race bore their current names. That changed because a genius entered the cosmic Peak Genius Tournament held by the Giant Axe Arena, fought his way into the top ten, and became a core genius of one of the Human Race's five great powers."

"That genius was named Qiong Luo. The clan therefore decided to rename both itself and its planet after him. At the same time, to celebrate his success, the great Dry Witch Country Lord personally ordered that several star systems, including the one containing Qiong Luo Star, be bestowed upon him. That star system was renamed the Qiongluo Star System as well."

"The Qiong Luo Ancestor lived up to those expectations. He won the Universe Level Qualification Battle and entered the Giant Axe Secret Realm. Later, at Domain Lord level, he was dispatched to serve as an Inspector Envoy for the Giant Axe Arena's Dry Witch Branch. During those tens of thousands of years, the Qiong Luo Race flourished. The Qiong Luo Ancestor also had descendants, who became the clan's royal family. Their surname was Qiong Luo."

The images contained many written characters Dongguan could not understand. Only after Qiong translated them into Chinese could he follow along.

"But the good times did not last. The Qiong Luo Race's first rise was followed by its first decline."

"After tens of thousands of years of rapid development, during which the Qiong Luo Ancestor evaded numerous assassination attempts by alien races, he finally broke through to World Lord. He left his post as Inspector Envoy and departed the Dry Witch Universe Country."

"We thought this would be an opportunity for further growth, but disaster ultimately struck."

"The Qiong Luo Ancestor fell, cutting short the flourishing clan's growth. Worse, while he was alive, the clan had claimed too many benefits. Many powers now had their eyes on us, and we were in mortal danger."

"Our influence steadily contracted. In the end, we even abandoned our holdings in other star systems and could only hold out within the Qiongluo Star System. At our peak, our glory surpassed that of a mid-tier cosmic nation. At our lowest, we were worse off than an ordinary low-tier one. We rose because of one man and declined because of one man. Such is the cruelty of the universe."

Qiong's tone grew heavy as he spoke of this.

"Fortunately, after several million years of decline, a new powerhouse emerged from the Qiong Luo Race: Donghua Qiong Luo. He was a descendant of the Qiong Luo Ancestor. Initially, he was unremarkable. When he entered the Genius Battle, he failed to place in the Top 1000 in Dry Witch Universe Country. Later, he ventured into the Outer Domain Battlefield."

"During the Qiong Luo Race's decline, we faced restrictions on every front. In particular, we had offended too many enemies while the Qiong Luo Ancestor was alive. They had cowered before him, but after his death, they struck hard."

"Most of those powers did not even have a World Lord. Even after the Qiong Luo Ancestor fell, they were no match for our clan individually. Unfortunately, there were too many of them. Even a mighty tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves. Outside powers even extended their reach into the Qiongluo Star System."

"Nor did they resort to direct violence. Instead, they steadily eroded the clan's foundations through economics, politics, and every other avenue. For the clan's development, World Lords, Domain Lords, and even Universe Level cultivators risked everything on the Outer Domain Battlefield. Success meant returning with great wealth and perhaps achieving a breakthrough themselves. Failure meant vanishing without a trace. Lord Donghua Qiong Luo was one of them."

"At the Qiong Luo Race's most desperate moment, Lord Donghua returned. By then, he had become an Immortal Expert. Upon his return, he took revenge, severing the grasping hands of the various powers and even wiping some of them out. However, mindful of the lessons of Qiong Luo's era, Lord Donghua occupied only a single starfield. He was close to becoming a Marquis."

Close to becoming a Marquis meant he had not actually attained the rank. Compared with Hu Yanbo, who had barely qualified as a Marquis, he was more or less only lacking an undying body.

"After he pledged allegiance to the Dry Witch Universe Country, even actual Marquises would not move against the clan unless enormous interests were at stake. With Lord Donghua's support, the clan entered its second era of prosperity. Although it was not as dazzling as Qiong Luo's era, it was by far the longest, lasting nearly three billion years. Our starfield was consequently renamed the Donghua Starfield. Over that long span, our bloodline also rose from sixth-grade to third-grade, just one step away from a second-grade bloodline whose members reached Universe Level upon adulthood."

At this point, Qiong's expression changed slightly.

"At first, the passage of time alone can raise a bloodline from tenth-grade to ninth-grade or eighth-grade. Further improvements become increasingly difficult. There are no first-grade bloodlines anywhere in the Dry Witch Universe Country. The Dry Witch Country Lord's own race is an example of a second-grade bloodline. The Qiong Luo Race only managed to attain a third-grade bloodline because our foundation was good enough, our people worked hard enough, and we underwent a harsh process of selection along the way."

Few images accompanied this section, but Dongguan could guess what "harsh" meant.

After all, bloodlines could not be identical throughout an entire race. Among Earthlings, for instance, there were differences between the descendants of Planetary Grade cultivators and those of ordinary people.

At its simplest, this "harshness" might involve separating bloodlines through something like a caste system, until the upper and lower bloodlines became distinct. More horrifying still would be the kind of terrible selection practiced by the losing side in World War II.

"About ten million years ago, after being unable to advance for a long time, Lord Donghua left sufficient contingencies for the clan and entered the Outer Domain Battlefield again. This time, he never returned."

"This was the clan's second decline. Compared with the first, it was far less severe. Thanks to the contingencies Lord Donghua left behind and the efforts of our people, the Qiong Luo Race remained a major power in the Donghua Starfield. We also had the connections Lord Donghua had cultivated and his friendships with various parties. Although we declined, we were not in crisis."

"Still, a power with an Immortal is fundamentally different from one without. Remembering our past glory, our people all dreamed of rising again. Though this was called our second period of decline, our circumstances were much better. Yet without another Immortal, we would inevitably decline over time. Immortals live forever. World Lords may have long lifespans, but those lifespans are still finite."

Qiong paused and adjusted the projected images.

"Our people's hopes were not entirely in vain. Over those three billion years, although no genius like the Qiong Luo Ancestor emerged, some ranked among the best in the Dry Witch Universe Country. Some even entered the cores of the five great powers, albeit at the bottom of their ranks. For various reasons, however, no second Immortal emerged."

"Then another unexpected genius appeared. This time, however, he did not emerge through the Genius Battle. He was your father, Dong Xuan World Lord."

A figure appeared on the screen. He wore azure robes and looked somewhat like a Huaxia Earthling, though he had three eyes. Water seemed to flow around him, and mist rose through his surroundings. Between his brows were two marks, one depicting flowing water and the other a great tree.

On closer inspection, his face resembled Dongguan's. He was just as handsome, but carried an added air of wildness and abandon.