Within the main hall of the Hongmeng Hall, deep inside the inner city of the Virtual Universe Hongmeng City, numerous Universe Masters were gathered.

"I only heard about this from the second Era of Reincarnation; I don't know if it's true or not." Lord of Flint looked around anxiously. "Luo Feng was kind to me. If he's in danger..."

"That news must be false," Lord of Void Gold shook his head. "When I entered the Universe Boat with Chaos, Chaos strictly warned Luo Feng. Moreover, Luo Feng's own strength was weak; he shouldn't have ventured into the inner domain only to end up in the God Annihilation Ravine! Furthermore, with his meager power, how could he possibly fight against Lord of the Five Vanishings and the others like that?"

"Indeed."

"Right." The Universe Masters present nodded in agreement.

In the first Era of Reincarnation, the 'Lord of the Five Barrennesses' could stand as an equal to City Lord Chaos.

"Don't fret. I happen to have some connections with several Universe Masters from the Purple Moon Holy Land. I'll inquire," Lord Peng Gong said with a chuckle. Immediately, the more than ten Universe Masters present all turned their gaze to him. Lord Peng Gong was usually low-key, but his strength was on par with City Lord Chaos, granting him immense status.

Lord Peng Gong's expression gradually settled into solemnity.

"It's confirmed."

Lord Peng Gong swept his gaze across the hall. "Luo Feng did indeed reach the God Annihilation Ravine in the inner domain of the Universe Boat and fought against Yin Tuo, Lord of the Five Barrennesses, and Lord of Ultimate Arrow. Afterward, the Lava Demon God appeared, inflicting unprecedented severe damage upon 'Yin Tuo,' forcing Lord of Ultimate Arrow and Lord of the Five Barrennesses to enter the magma sea. Among them, Lord of Ultimate Arrow perished, while Lord of the Five Barrennesses managed to traverse the magma sea, though his losses are likely substantial."

"This..."

"Is this real?"

The Universe Masters of various races in the main hall of the Hongmeng Hall were utterly shocked and stunned.

Ultimate Arrow dead?

Yin Tuo severely wounded, and the Five Barrennesses forced to cross the magma sea?

"Peng Gong, are you certain?" Lord of Void Gold couldn't help but ask. This was a joke; Lord of Ultimate Arrow was his peer in strength.

"Certain," Lord Peng Gong nodded. "I'll summon Chaos now."

A moment later, City Lord Chaos arrived and, upon learning the news, was also stunned. His first action was to immediately summon Luo Feng: "Luo Feng, get over here right now."

"Teacher, Lord Peng Gong, Lord of Void Gold, esteemed sirs..." As Luo Feng materialized in the hall, he greeted everyone with a sweep of his gaze.

"Lord of the Galaxy."

"Lord of the Galaxy," they all spoke, their voices laced with a hint of reverence. Previously, because Luo Feng was a newly ascended Universe Master, the other Universe Masters hadn't held him in high regard, merely maintaining civility. But this incident was too massive—it led to the demise of Lord of Ultimate Arrow, severely wounded the supposedly unkillable Yin Tuo, and forced the mighty Lord of the Five Barrennesses to risk crossing the magma sea.

Incredible!

"The matter between you, Yin Tuo, Lord of the Five Barrennesses, and Lord of Ultimate Arrow... is it true?" City Lord Chaos began.

"Yes," Luo Feng nodded. "Yin Tuo took two kicks from the Lava Demon God; even his Golden Scale Armor must be damaged. As for Yin Tuo himself, even if he survives, little of his divine body is likely left."

"Lord of Ultimate Arrow's Dao Heart Realm artifact is in the hands of Lord of the Five Barrennesses. It's probably true that he's dead."

"Lord of the Five Barrennesses crossing the magma sea—his sacrifice is probably significant too."

Luo Feng's candidness made the hearts of City Lord Chaos, Lord of Void Gold, and the other powerhouses pound. This was sheer desperation!

"And you?" City Lord Chaos pressed.

"I, of course, had no choice but to cross the magma sea as well," Luo Feng replied.

Instantly, the hearts of the assembled Universe Masters clenched with dread. Crossing the magma sea? That was suicidal.

"I managed to survive and cross over, arriving at the Blazing Water Lake, but I was then hunted by Lord of Sealing, Lord of Pan Ke, and Lord of You Ya from the Purple Moon Holy Land... along with that lucky survivor, Lord of the Five Barrennesses. The four of them teamed up to pursue me..." Luo Feng stated directly. "My teacher summoned me right when I was fleeing for my life."

"Four of them? Lord of Sealing and Lord of the Five Barrennesses?" City Lord Chaos held his breath.

Luo Feng nodded.

"What do we do... What is to be done now?" City Lord Chaos frowned deeply. "You are at the Blazing Water Lake. Even for me to reach you would take decades. And the Giant Axe Creator is still in the Apex Peak Realm... Who can save you?"

"There's no time to save him," Lord of Void Gold shook his head.

Lord Peng Gong also furrowed his brow.

Luo Feng, however, stated plainly: "Teacher, please rest assured. Having fought to this extent, Lord of the Five Barrennesses and I are locked in a life-or-death struggle... At worst, this disciple will sacrifice his main battle avatar. I will not shrink back in the slightest. They are pursuing me right now, and I cannot be distracted. I must take my leave first."

Luo Feng bowed, and whoosh, he vanished.

"Life or death?" City Lord Chaos, Lord Peng Gong, and the others were completely suspended in anxiety, yet they were powerless.

"Impressive."

Meanwhile, the other Universe Masters, especially those from the subsidiary races of the Hongmeng Alliance, felt a tremor in their souls. Killing Lord of Ultimate Arrow was one thing, but now he was fighting Lord of the Five Barrennesses to the death and engaging with Lord of Sealing of the Purple Moon Holy Land. This was sheer madness! They normally wouldn't dare provoke terrifying existences like Lord of Sealing or Lord of the Five Barrennesses.

"Luo Feng, run! Run! See how long you can run! If I don't kill you, how can I maintain any standing in the Universe Sea?" Lord of the Five Barrennesses roared. "You are finished! Absolutely finished!!!"

"Finished? Killing relies on strength, not on your mouth! Shut up!" Luo Feng shot upward at great speed toward a distant location.

Luo Feng was currently flying at the highest point.

Lord of Pan Ke and Lord of You Ya were closest to him, less than a hundred million kilometers beneath him. At their speed, a hundred times the speed of light, they could close that distance in mere seconds.

Lord of the Five Barrennesses and Lord of Sealing were chasing him diagonally from another direction; they were significantly farther away from Luo Feng... Lord of the Five Barrennesses was over a hundred billion kilometers distant, and Lord of Sealing was even farther.

"Hooosh~~"

The higher he flew, the colder it became.

At the very top edge of the Cold Wind Belt was the eternally swirling and permeating Freezing Lake Thunder Fire.

At a glance, endless flames covered the deepest reaches of the entire high altitude. The Freezing Lake Thunder Fire had existed like this for ages, occasionally exhibiting major fluctuations that rippled downward, sometimes even impacting the Blazing Water Lake below and freezing the entire lake solid.

If it didn't ripple downward... it remained perpetually in the highest sky.

"The very top is the Freezing Lake Thunder Fire!"

"He's been flying up here for several days, and it's all Freezing Lake Thunder Fire. Why does Silver Wing Lord Luo Feng keep flying upward? The Freezing Lake Thunder Fire is intensely cold; even top-tier palace treasures will freeze and shatter within it. It's terrifying. However, it seems he must possess a peak-tier palace treasure."

Swish!

Luo Feng in the high sky instantly plunged into a blood-red pyramid, riding the Blood-Red Pyramid directly into the endless Freezing Lake Thunder Fire above.

"You Ya... Come inside," Lord of Pan Ke also took out a silvery-white sphere marked with complex secret runes. As the two of them entered in succession, the silver sphere quickly burrowed into the vast Freezing Lake Thunder Fire.

A long time later, "Fleeing into the Freezing Lake Thunder Fire? No matter where you run, you cannot escape!" Lord of the Five Vanishings' eyes burned with raging fire. Immediately, his Extinction Divine Armor disassembled, quickly condensing into the Five Beast Gods, and he positioned himself inside them, controlling the Five Beast Gods... and dove into the Freezing Lake Thunder Fire.

A moment later, Lord of Sealing also rode a peak-tier palace treasure and plunged into the Freezing Lake Thunder Fire.

"Strange."

"Luo Feng's speed has slowed down."

"Yes... He's decelerating. Truly bizarre." Lord of Pan Ke and Lord of You Ya, who were following Luo Feng closely, were perplexed.

"Feng Long, Luo Feng's flight speed has decreased," Lord of Pan Ke relayed.

"Just follow him. The front is the dead end; he can't escape," Lord of Sealing replied.

As Luo Feng slowed down, Lord of Pan Ke and Lord of You Ya, knowing they couldn't catch him, also slowed their pace. However, the pursuing Lord of the Five Barrennesses and Lord of Sealing maintained maximum speed.

One slowing, one accelerating.

The distance between Lord of the Five Vanishings and Luo Feng shrank rapidly: sixty billion kilometers, fifty billion, forty billion... ten billion, five billion, one billion, one hundred million...

"Luo Feng, you are truly courting death! You seek death... If I don't kill you, wouldn't I be betraying your intentions?" Lord of the Five Vanishings' words were saturated with infinite killing intent.

"Five Barrennesses... You have perseverance to chase me this long. Do you know what place lies ahead?" Luo Feng gradually slowed down, his voice transmitted naturally to the ears of Lord of the Five Vanishings through his golden domain.

"That is the dead end," Lord of the Five Vanishings replied.

"Correct. It is the dead end, or more precisely, the Twelve Abysses," Luo Feng stated.

Above the space of the Blazing Water Lake lies the Freezing Lake Thunder Fire.

How is the Freezing Lake Thunder Fire born?

It originates from the Twelve Abysses—twelve immense, endless spatial voids. Six of these abysses continuously spew forth the incomparably frigid Freezing Lake Thunder Fire, while the other six constantly swallow the endless fire, forming a cycle. If the eruption intensity surpasses the swallowing capacity, the infinite Freezing Lake Thunder Fire will spill over into the Blazing Water Lake below.

And the Abysses are a dead end!

They are a dead end for two reasons: First, once one enters, there is no alternative exit; one must return through the abyss mouth. Second, once inside, only Universe Supreme Beings have any hope of survival. Even Universe Masters possessing Supreme Ultimate Treasures dare not venture in. Entering means stepping onto the path of no return.

"Abysses..." Luo Feng flew upward. The endless Freezing Lake Thunder Fire above was already being swallowed, forming a massive, distorted vortex. Before him appeared a vast, boundless Abyss Black Hole. The powerful suction force compelled Luo Feng to rely on the joint strength of the Star Tower and his Golden Domain just to resist.

"You think you can scare me? Hmph, the closer one gets to the Abyss, the stronger the suction, but the suction you can withstand is surely less than mine. You are finished!" the ferocious Five Beast Gods roared and transformed into streams of light, charging toward Luo Feng.

Luo Feng looked up at the endless, dark Abyss Black Hole above—a place far more terrifying than the magma sea. Even if he fell into the Abyss, he would have no way out.

"If you come closer, don't regret it," Luo Feng warned.

"Haha, regret is what you should feel!" the Five Beast Gods roared, their massive hooves already stamping down toward the Blood-Red Pyramid.

"I am no match for you, so..." Luo Feng shouted suddenly.

Rumble! A micro-universe instantly materialized, enveloping both Lord of the Five Vanishings and Luo Feng. The enormous micro-universe could not resist the surging suction force; in fact, it offered no resistance before being instantly sucked into the endless, dark Abyss. As the micro-universe collapsed under the suction, Lord of the Five Vanishings, who was already being sucked deep within, struggled desperately, but it was too late...

"No!" Lord of the Five Vanishings cried out in shock and rage. The Five Beast Gods frantically tried to fly back.

"It is my honor to drag Lord of the Five Vanishings with me into this dead end," Luo Feng's voice echoed in his enemy's ears.

Silence.

Outside the Abyss Black Hole, a silver sphere hovered, and a moment later, a palace appeared nearby.

"Madman, absolute madman," Lord of Pan Ke and Lord of You Ya were still somewhat shaken.

That was a dead end.

Even Universe Masters possessing Supreme Ultimate Treasures were unwilling to enter.

"This Silver Wing Lord, he is truly such a lunatic—mad at others, and just as mad at himself," Lord of Sealing looked from afar at the massive Abyss Black Hole high above, his heart trembling. He understood that Lord of the Five Vanishings was finished! He suddenly realized... how terribly misguided his choice had been to try and seize Luo Feng's treasures.

"It's fortunate he caught the Five Barrennesses and not me," Lord of Sealing couldn't help but secretly feel relieved.

Fanqie [Author's Nickname] has fulfilled his promise. The pressure was intense a while ago, causing Fanqie to pause updates for three days to readjust. During that hiatus, he went to see movies and also spent time at his computer outlining over ten thousand characters. His state of mind is much better now, and he feels more inspired in his writing. At this moment, while maintaining normal updates, Fanqie has also repaid all five overdue chapters.

Haha, these past few days, seeing Swallowed Star slipping on the charts, I desperately want to ask for votes, but I'm too ashamed to do so.

Now that updates are regular and the five overdue chapters are settled,

I finally dare to ask for some votes. Monthly tickets and recommendation tickets are far behind—I hope for everyone's support! Five votes or six votes are not too many; even one vote is not too little, hehe~~