Central Region

The central region of the Primal Star was a world utterly different from everywhere else.

The oppressive pressure of space here was more than ten times greater than in the outer region. The Star River Domain, which could cover fifty thousand kilometers outside, was compressed to less than three thousand kilometers here. A Universe Master's flight speed was also severely restricted. A distance once crossed in a single breath now took more than ten times as long.

In return, however, the concentration of cosmic energy here had reached a terrifying level. Rivers of energy condensed into liquid could be seen everywhere, winding across the ground and gathering into energy lakes. At the bottom of the lakes lay countless energy crystals formed over countless eras; a single handful was worth a fortune.

Qin Yuan landed on a low hill and drew the Star River Domain in to a thousand-kilometer radius around him, warily surveying his surroundings.

The central region was far more dangerous than the outer region. Not only were there more powerful members of alien races here, but more importantly, the restrictions and traps left by an ancient god king covered every corner. Some restrictions had endured the erosion of hundreds of millions of years and still possessed enough power to trap and kill a Universe Master.

"Qin Yuan!"

A familiar voice came from afar.

Qin Yuan looked up to see Lord Peng Gong and the Lord of Ice Peak flying swiftly toward him from the northeast. Both bore traces of battle. Several deep claw marks had been gouged into Lord Peng Gong's purple-gold battle armor, and a corner of the Lord of Ice Peak's veil had been torn, revealing part of a chin as fair as jade.

"Senior Peng Gong, Senior Ice Peak." Qin Yuan went to meet them. "Are you all right?"

"We're fine, thanks to the Chaos City Lord arriving in time. Otherwise, the two of us really would have met our end this time." Lord Peng Gong let out a long breath after landing, looking at Qin Yuan with eyes full of amazement. "But you, kid, you're fucking fierce! You took down four Universe Masters on your own? And two of them were fourth-tier?"

Word sure travels fast, Qin Yuan thought, but he replied modestly, "It was just luck."

"Luck, my ass!" Lord Peng Gong clapped Qin Yuan hard on the shoulder. "When I was your age, I wasn't even a Universe Master. Kid, you hid your strength well."

The Lord of Ice Peak also nodded slightly, a trace of approval in his cool voice. "It's a blessing for the Human Race to have a rising talent like you."

"You're too kind, seniors." Qin Yuan cupped his hands. "What about the Lord of Darkness and Lord Huang Jian? The city lord said they'd run into trouble too?"

Lord Peng Gong's expression grew grave. "Darkness and Huang Jian found a god king ruin on the outskirts of the central region, much larger than the one the city lord took you to. They intended to break the restrictions and go inside to explore, but they triggered the ruin's defenses and got trapped inside."

"How are things now?"

"The city lord has already gone over," Lord Peng Gong said. "He told us to come to the central region and meet up with you first, then go help together. But the Lord of Sky Wolf is moving in that direction too. I'm afraid there'll be a major battle."

Qin Yuan frowned.

It was hard to say who would win if the Chaos City Lord faced the Lord of Sky Wolf. Both were peak sixth-tier Universe Masters, evenly matched in strength. But with the restrictions in the ruin and the possibility of other powerful members of alien races, things became complicated.

"We'll leave immediately," Qin Yuan said without hesitation.

Just as the three were about to set off, a violent disturbance suddenly rippled through Qin Yuan's Star River Domain.

Someone had entered the domain!

What was more, the newcomer was extraordinarily fast, and his aura was startlingly powerful-peak fifth-tier, just a hair's breadth from the sixth tier!

"Watch out!" Qin Yuan shouted in a low voice, unleashing the Star River Domain at full strength. Brilliant starlight enveloped a radius of three thousand kilometers.

A slender figure strolled over from afar. He seemed slow, but each step actually carried him hundreds of kilometers. In the space of a few breaths, he arrived before the three of them.

He was a man so handsome as to be almost bewitching, dressed in a long, pale moon-white robe. His silver-white hair fell to his waist, and his eyes were pure gold, with the sun, moon, and stars faintly revolving within his pupils.

There were no fluctuations of a Supreme Treasure about him, nor did he release any pressure. He simply stood there in silence. Yet the faces of Lord Peng Gong and the Lord of Ice Peak turned extremely grim.

"The Lord of Stars..." Lord Peng Gong forced the words out through clenched teeth.

The Lord of Stars?

Qin Yuan was startled. Of course he knew the name. The Lord of Stars was the second-strongest member of the Crystal Race, a peak fifth-tier Universe Master who was said to have already touched the threshold of the sixth tier. In the original work, he led the Crystal Race on the Primal Star. He was immensely powerful and had once fought the Chaos City Lord without falling behind.

"Junior of the Human Race." The Lord of Stars spoke, his voice as clear as a tinkling spring. "You killed a member of my race, the Crystal Race's Universe Master, Jing Guang."

His tone was calm, as though he were stating an insignificant fact. But Qin Yuan could sense the killing intent hidden deep in those golden eyes, so thick it had almost taken tangible form.

"On the Primal Star, life and death depend on one's own abilities," Qin Yuan replied calmly. "He wasn't strong enough and died at my hands. He has no one to blame."

"Well said." The Lord of Stars actually nodded. "So I won't blame you either. I've simply come to kill you."

As his words fell, his figure vanished.

Qin Yuan's pupils contracted. Without thinking, he teleported!

At the very instant he teleported away, a silver-white beam pierced through the spot where he had stood. It was so fast that Qin Yuan's perception could catch only a blurry trace.

If he had been even a fraction slower, his head would have been pierced through.

"Not bad speed." The Lord of Stars reappeared where he had been, his tone still indifferent. "But you dodged once. Can you dodge ten times?"

He raised his right hand and spread his five fingers. Countless silver-white beams shot from his fingertips, weaving into an airtight net of light that swept toward Qin Yuan.

Every beam held terrifying penetrating power, enough to pierce the divine body of an ordinary Universe Master. They were also incomparably fast, and combined with the Lord of Stars' profound mastery of the Space Law, they sealed off nearly all of Qin Yuan's escape routes.

"Star River Domain-Starlight Shield!"

Qin Yuan activated his Domain Supreme Treasure, condensing boundless starlight into a brilliant shield in front of him.

The silver-white beams struck the Starlight Shield, exploding in bursts of blinding light. The shield shuddered violently, and countless fine cracks appeared across its surface, but it ultimately held.

"A Peak Domain Supreme Treasure?" Surprise flashed in the Lord of Stars' eyes. "No wonder you could kill a member of my race. But a Supreme Treasure alone won't stop me."