Luo Feng, who had always held a grudge against Emperor Yan, felt a surge of anger. The Tribulation Armor was his own possession; whether he used it or lost it had nothing to do with Emperor Yan! He was here under the command of Teacher Zuo Shan Ke to retrieve the Tribulation Armor. All Emperor Yan needed to do was hand it over. Why the incessant chatter?
Despite the fury boiling inside, Luo Feng could only suppress it.
Emperor Yan smiled at Luo Feng. "Junior Brother, cultivate diligently. Reach the level of a Universe Venerable as soon as possible, and you can use the Tribulation Armor sooner."
"Second Senior Brother," Luo Feng returned the smile. "Even without the Tribulation Armor, I survived countless pursuits by powerful experts from all races across the universe. If I had the armor… naturally, my strength would increase greatly, and I wouldn't die so easily. Second Senior Brother need not worry for me; just give me the Tribulation Armor."
"Do not harbor wishful thinking!" Emperor Yan suddenly roared, the sound directly shaking Luo Feng's soul.
"A supreme treasure like the Tribulation Armor is intensely coveted even by Universe Masters. How can you hold such a careless mindset?" Emperor Yan fixed his gaze on Luo Feng, his aura spreading out, making Luo Feng feel as though he was pinned down by endless mountains. "Though this Tribulation Armor is yours, it was ultimately refined by Teacher Zuo Shan Ke at immense cost. You must absolutely guarantee it won't be lost."
"Your Senior Brother is only looking out for your best interests!"
"Cultivate well. Once you reach the Universe Venerable level, your Senior Brother will naturally deliver the Tribulation Armor," Emperor Yan boomed, the sound resonating into Luo Feng's soul.
However, Luo Feng’s will was exceptionally firm. Even without the Tower Bead guarding him, his willpower and consciousness were at the level of a Universe Hegemon. Emperor Yan, on the other hand, was merely a powerful Universe Master skilled primarily in close combat. Relying solely on his voice to change the mind of a Universe Hegemon was clearly insufficient.
"Second Senior Brother, are you perhaps unwilling to give me the Tribulation Armor?" Luo Feng stared intently at Emperor Yan.
"Hmph."
Anger instantly surged through Emperor Yan, and the entire hall was engulfed in an endless tide of fury. That pressure bore down directly on Luo Feng as Emperor Yan’s low voice resonated, "Third Junior Brother, your Senior Brother has been ordered by Teacher Zuo Shan Ke to safeguard this Tribulation Armor for billions of years. It will be given to you when your strength is sufficient! Now, although you can barely drive the armor, your strength is still too weak. I am considering this for your own good! If the Tribulation Armor were lost, wouldn't that disappoint Teacher Zuo Shan Ke?"
"Then that is unnecessary," Luo Feng remained completely unmoved. "If the Tribulation Armor is lost, I will explain it myself to Teacher Zuo Shan Ke."
"Explain? How will you explain it?" Emperor Yan snapped.
"Then it will be none of your business, Senior Brother," Luo Feng replied curtly.
"It's simply that you’ve become arrogant after achieving some minor success," Emperor Yan shook his head.
Luo Feng looked back at Emperor Yan, his voice calm. "Second Senior Brother, let’s dispense with the rest. I came today specifically for the Tribulation Armor. Will you give it or not?"
"Your strength isn't enough!" Emperor Yan began to speak...
"Since Second Senior Brother refuses to give it, and I lack the ability to forcibly seize it, then I must report this matter to Teacher Zuo Shan Ke. If Teacher Zuo Shan Ke deems that the Tribulation Armor should remain in Second Senior Brother's hands, I naturally will not disturb you again," Luo Feng gave a slight bow. "I will take my leave now. No need to see me out."
Luo Feng turned and walked away!
Emperor Yan’s expression shifted upon seeing this.
From start to finish, he had never dared to say outright 'no'! He had been hoping Luo Feng would retreat on his own accord. If Luo Feng truly backed down, then Emperor Yan was certain that given Teacher Zuo Shan Ke’s character, he wouldn't interfere. After all, it would be Luo Feng voluntarily giving up claiming the Tribulation Armor for the time being.
No matter how this played out, he, Emperor Yan, could not flatly refuse, as that would truly be defying Zuo Shan Ke's command.
"Third Junior Brother," Emperor Yan called out.
Luo Feng paid him no mind, flying straight out.
"Stop!" Emperor Yan let out a low shout. The surrounding space vibrated, and Luo Feng felt the scene shift before he was instantly back inside the great hall.
Luo Feng looked at Emperor Yan. "Why did Second Senior Brother forcibly stop me? I need to go see Teacher Zuo Shan Ke."
"When did I say I wouldn't give you the Tribulation Armor? I only said your strength is still too weak," Emperor Yan frowned and scolded. "Since you insist on demanding it, I, as your senior brother, have said what I needed to say and offered the admonishments necessary. If you won't listen to me, there’s nothing I can do. If you lose the Tribulation Armor in the future… don't blame your Senior Brother!"
"This is the Tribulation Armor!"
Emperor Yan flipped his hand. A crystalline armor, perfectly transparent as if carved from a colossal diamond, rested in his palm. Faint secret patterns flowed and shifted across the transparent surface, sometimes appearing, sometimes vanishing. The entire Tribulation Armor, held in Emperor Yan’s palm… felt like an insurmountable, towering sacred mountain pressing upon the heart, causing Luo Feng to hold his breath entirely.
Luo Feng stared at the armor, his excitement almost unbearable.
The Tribulation Armor! This was it!
It had given rise to countless Soldier Armors, General Armors, King Armors, and Emperor Armors. It was the supreme treasure that Zuo Shan Ke had painstakingly prepared for his third disciple. Even 'Emperor Yan,' who stood among the peak echelon of Universe Masters, was reluctant to part with this armor, as he himself had never managed to obtain a treasure comparable to the Tribulation Armor or the Yan Shen Halberd through his own efforts over countless eras.
"Are you not taking it yet?" Emperor Yan prompted.
Luo Feng immediately reached out. Divine power, like fine threads, coiled around the Tribulation Armor. A trace of divine power drilled into it, embedding his life imprint. Simultaneously, an ancient message was transmitted directly into Luo Feng’s consciousness via the 'Tribulation Armor.'
Whoosh!
Luo Feng snatched the armor and stowed it into his World Ring.
"Second Senior Brother, I will take my leave now. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will visit you again," Luo Feng said with a smile.
"You are always welcome here, Third Junior Brother," Emperor Yan replied.
Luo Feng turned and stepped away, quickly exiting the main hall. Moments later, he left through the passage carved through the endless flames of the Void Palace Cluster. Because the Void Palace Cluster was completely isolated from the spatial fluctuations of the outside world, direct teleportation out was impossible from within the complex. Perhaps only Emperor Yan, the master of the palace, could instantly teleport out.
Whoosh!
As soon as he was clear of the palace cluster, Luo Feng instantly teleported away, then utilized the divine nation teleportation of his slave servants to rapidly depart the Yan Shen Clan territory.
Emperor Yan stood outside the main hall, leaning on the railing and gazing out. His eyes pierced through the void, watching Luo Feng depart via divine nation teleportation.
"Hmph."
"Third Junior Brother..." Emperor Yan murmured softly. "Truly formidable. The Life and Death Inheritance... the previous two monstrous candidates died, yet he succeeded."
He had verbally dismissed Luo Feng's success as luck, but deep down, Emperor Yan knew the truth. Teacher Zuo Shan Ke cast a wide net when selecting disciples. Life on Earth was as numerous as dust motes, and after billions of years, only Luo Feng had succeeded. This wasn't just due to Zuo Shan Ke's guidance, but also because Luo Feng himself was exceptional.
Emperor Yan had survived numerous trials in his past, and he knew the hurdles Zuo Shan Ke set for him were not excessively cruel.
The 'Life and Death Inheritance' his Third Junior Brother faced was terrifying!
"The Tribulation Armor has finally gone to him," Emperor Yan gradually calmed down. Although he was wary of Luo Feng, he didn't take him too seriously. After all, even if Luo Feng became a Universe Master and possessed the Star Tower, he would be at best one of the most overwhelmingly terrifying existences among Universe Masters—capable of suppressing Emperor Yan, but not enough to kill him.
Unless Luo Feng ascended to become a Universe Supreme Being...
"How rare are the Universe Supreme Beings! A clan backed by a Universe Supreme Being is the Feng Peak Clan! A force guarded by a Universe Supreme Being is the ultimate superpower," Emperor Yan sighed. "They can reverse time and space to resurrect Universe Hegemons, and they can effortlessly resist the backlash of the universe. Their capabilities are heaven-defying... Wherever they go, that place becomes their domain; their words become law, and the very laws governing the universe must temporarily yield..."
"Teacher Zuo Shan Ke is one of them."
"To become a Supreme Being is to achieve true solitary dominion!" Ambition, mixed with fierce unwillingness to submit, burned in Emperor Yan’s eyes. It was this ambition that fueled his rapid strength increases. Although he benefited from Zuo Shan Ke's cultivation, his progress relied heavily on his own comprehension and breakthroughs.
He was already a top-tier existence among Universe Masters.
Just one more step... ascending to the highest echelon meant joining the ranks of the 'Universe Supreme Beings'!
What did 'Supreme Being' signify?
The mere three words 'Supreme Being' represented the absolute core meaning: the undeniable strongest! If they wished to command a faction... they could dominate a sector of the universe! If they preferred solitude... experts from all corners of the universe would dare not provoke them! If they wanted to recruit geniuses... they could simply charge into other clans and seize them, and no one would dare intervene! This was the power of a Universe Supreme Being!
"One more step, Teacher Zuo Shan Ke, and I can stand beside you. But this final step..." Emperor Yan immediately turned and returned to the main hall.
In the void of space within the Gan Wu Universe Country, in the Human Territory.
Mo Sha Luo Feng emerged from the impact crater of an ordinary, desolate planet.
"This location is approximately 3,300 light-years from my divine nation." The Mo Sha Clan clone took a stride, whoosh!—and instantly crossed a thousand light-years.
In terms of spatial compatibility, the Mo Sha Clan clone was actually superior to that of Universe Venerables. After absorbing the essence of a 'Heart of Space' and undergoing transformation into a special lifeform, the clone’s spatial compatibility reached an extremely high level, even granting it the innate secret technique, 'Domain.' At that time, it could teleport hundreds of light-years in a single burst. Now that it had reached Immortality, its divine power and consciousness were vastly superior, and its sensory capabilities were also much stronger. Its single-hop teleportation distance was now on par with Universe Venerables.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three teleports, then it tore open space and entered the spatial rift, followed by one more teleport... and it arrived directly within its own divine nation.
The divine nation was boundless, and the Endless Gloomy Sea was expanding slowly, moment by moment.
Above the Endless Gloomy Sea...
Luo Feng, who had instantly teleported into the temple radiating dazzling golden light, stepped out and immediately stood upon the surface of the Endless Gloomy Sea.
"The Tribulation Armor!" A layer of transparent armor faintly covered Luo Feng's divine body. The armor and his divine body were perfectly integrated, as if every minute component of the armor had fused completely with every cell of Luo Feng’s muscles and organs. A surging, boundless power flooded his divine body—a power that was overwhelmingly immense and peerless.
Luo Feng closed his eyes, immersed in feeling its might.
"Truly worthy of being the supreme treasure Teacher Zuo Shan Ke specially prepared for me," Luo Feng sighed softly. He had already received the relevant information when he bonded with the Tribulation Armor at Emperor Yan's residence.
The Tribulation Armor was a very unique set of battle armor.
Unlike most other treasures, which relied on law comprehension for activation, the Tribulation Armor’s activation had nothing to do with law comprehension; instead, it depended entirely on the strength of the divine body! Just as the Soldier Armor, General Armor, and King Armor required extremely high physical standards, the Tribulation Armor was the same! The stronger the divine body, the greater the power the Tribulation Armor could unleash!
"Boom!" A massive figure suddenly appeared in the distance above. It was the Golden Horned Beast.
"Let's test this Tribulation Armor," Luo Feng smiled.
Whoosh!
A crystal-clear shell detached from Luo Feng’s divine body, transforming into a beam of light that flew directly toward the Golden Horned Beast and merged into the massive divine body of the Golden Horned Beast.