2012: Dawn Recruitment. We welcome those who have ample time, a sense of responsibility, and capability to join the Dawn.

The battle of the Abyss caused significant repercussions.

Yet, despite suffering a loss, the God-Eye Race chose not to publicize the event, leaving the major powers across the Sea of Universe unaware... that another existence, nearly on par with the Primal Ancestors, had emerged! As for the ultimate fate of the Silver Winged Supreme Treasure and the Extinction Divine Armor from the Abyss battle, it became a riddle, perplexing countless powerhouses as to who ultimately obtained them.

Did the strongest in the universe acquire them and then simply keep them hidden? That would truly be a tremendous waste of heavenly resources.

In the days that followed, Luo Feng never heard of any major achievements from the Giant Axe Creator either; then again, at that echelon, combat likely only occurred over treasure acquisition or deep-seated grudges.

The Abyss, a hidden space.

Luo Feng, clad in casual attire, wandered the small island, stopping here and there, entirely at ease. His consciousness, however, was deeply engaged in studying the six diagrams left behind by 'Sitting Mountain Guest' that he had just observed. Although Sitting Mountain Guest had only studied them for a few days, the six diagrams he derived were profoundly esoteric... representing the level of the strongest in the universe, enough for Luo Feng to grasp a great deal.

"Such an opportunity is rare."

"I must study them diligently to deepen my mastery of the Secret Pattern Flow. The stronger my Secret Pattern Flow becomes, the easier it will be for me to comprehend the laws," Luo Feng murmured, realizing that once his Secret Pattern Flow reached the level of a Universe Master, his comprehension of laws might accelerate tenfold or a hundredfold.

Time flowed onward.

His divine power avatar continued its cultivation, while Luo Feng navigated one perilous area after another aboard the Universe Ark, pressing toward his destination.

In the blink of an eye, more than three hundred years had passed.

God-Eye Race, First Miniature Universe.

White clouds drifted lazily, a gentle breeze swept across the land, and the Lord of Wuhun sat on the second floor of the temple, gazing out from the railing over the endless terrain.

"Wuhun, Wuhun."

A streak of light flew from the distant sky and hovered in place.

The Lord of Wuhun glanced up and smiled, "It's Anyong."

The avatar of the Lord of Anyong flew directly to the railing, landing beside the Lord of Wuhun. This 'God-Eye Race' possessed a total of seven major miniature universes. Since the Universe Masters of the God-Eye Race were scattered across these seven, they mostly left behind divine power avatars in the others to maintain seamless communication.

The Lord of Anyong also held a grudge against Luo Feng, but the Lord of Wuhun's animosity was far deeper!

Thus, whereas they were once mere kinsmen, Anyong and Wuhun were already close, and now their bond had only grown stronger.

"Why the look of urgency?" the Lord of Wuhun inquired.

"I have news of Luo Feng," the Lord of Anyong stated anxiously.

"Oh?"

The Lord of Wuhun's eyes lit up, a subtle killing intent flickering within them. Ever since Luo Feng dragged him into a near-fatal entanglement back then, he had marked Luo Feng as a true adversary. However, since that incident, he had lost all trace of Luo Feng... Even through various intelligence networks and contacts within the Original Universe powers, the response remained that Luo Feng had kept an extremely low profile, showing no significant activity even within the Human Race faction.

So Wuhun had been forced to endure.

"I thought without the Silver Winged Treasure, he wouldn't dare venture into the Sea of Universe anymore. Tell me, where is he?" the Lord of Wuhun pressed.

"He’s on the Universe Ark!" the Lord of Anyong replied.

"What? On the Universe Ark?" The Lord of Wuhun was greatly startled. "He still dares to go to the Universe Ark?"

"Not only does he dare, but he’s in the inner domain! Furthermore..." the Lord of Anyong said with resentment, "He has ventured deep into the inner domain. Ever since your incident with him, he actually entered the Universe Ark long ago. These years, he’s been adventuring within the Ark, just under a different identity."

"Another identity?" The Lord of Wuhun became even more confused.

"Lord Liejin!" the Lord of Anyong declared solemnly.

"What? It’s him?" Wuhun’s eyes widened. "How... how could this be? Luo Feng actually disguised himself and has been adventuring on the Universe Ark all this time? But, but how could he be so strong?"

Lord Liejin was a Universe Master who gained fame three hundred years ago during a supreme treasure contest within the Universe Ark!

Before that, no one had heard of Lord Liejin, but daring to enter the inner domain of the Universe Ark naturally proved his strength. Later, Lord Liejin himself revealed his name as 'Lie Jin,' and thus the name Lord Liejin spread... establishing him as an entity in the Sea of Universe.

That time was just a brief display of power.

In the subsequent three hundred years, there were two more treasure skirmishes, both relatively minor, yet they confirmed that Lord Liejin possessed strength nearing the ‘Fourth Tier.’

"Wuhun, this time it was in the Wave Star Sea!" the Lord of Anyong elaborated. "The Wave Star Sea is no less dangerous than the God-Slaying Ravine! Moreover, the Wave Star Sea is vastly more expansive, with several locations prone to yielding supreme treasures, attracting multiple factions. Lord Liejin intervened during a recent dispute over a top-tier domain supreme treasure. The competition was exceptionally fierce; even Lord Nazhiah from our current cycle perished with his main battle body... Then, Lord Liejin unexpectedly unleashed his full power, proving even stronger—likely at the peak of the Fourth Tier! He seized that supreme treasure in one fell swoop."

"Because many powerhouses were present in the Wave Star Sea, Lord Xuecang from the Second Cycle, who had personally witnessed Luo Feng in the Primal Chaos Mountains, exclaimed, 'You are Lord Silver Wing!' This revelation made the various experts realize that Lord Liejin was none other than Lord Silver Wing!"

As the Lord of Anyong spoke, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Seeing one's enemy shine so brightly naturally left him deeply disgruntled.

The reason Luo Feng could hide his identity was, in fact, quite normal. A powerhouse’s life aura remains constant, but their appearance can be altered easily. Furthermore, an 'aura' is generally remembered only upon direct visual contact! Or if a 'Virtual Universe' system simulates that aura for sensory detection, which other factions clearly lacked.

In previous cycles, even when constructing virtual worlds, they could not perfectly simulate the life auras of Universe Masters or those strongest in the universe.

This aspect was exceptionally difficult.

"His strength has actually become this formidable," the Lord of Wuhun frowned deeply. "When he first entered the Sea of Universe, he nearly caused my main body to perish. Even then, I had a premonition that this Luo Feng would become my great foe in the future, but I never imagined it would be so soon? He’s already reached the peak of the Fourth Tier."

"What should we do?" the Lord of Anyong looked toward the Lord of Wuhun.

The Lord of Anyong wasn't fearful, just troubled. Due to his avatars, it was extremely difficult to truly kill him. However, Lord Anyong was troubled by Luo Feng's current strength... He hadn't expected that in such a short span of years, even without the aid of the Silver Winged Treasure, Luo Feng could display such terrifying close-combat prowess!

"Set out," the Lord of Wuhun declared gravely. "We head for the Universe Ark!"

"But, but he’s already in the Wave Star Sea!" the Lord of Anyong argued. "The Wave Star Sea is deep within the inner domain... Entering from the outer domain, traversing one dangerous area after another, it would take a long time to reach the Wave Star Sea. By then, Luo Feng might already be somewhere else entirely. If we chase him now..."

"If we don't pursue him now, it will only be harder to catch him later!" the Lord of Wuhun stated firmly. "I am leaving immediately. And you?"

"Fine, I will go with you," the Lord of Anyong nodded.

"Good," the Lord of Wuhun acknowledged.

Wuhun didn't mind taking Anyong along. Anyong possessed avatars, and thanks to his divine body, his survivability was immense, making him an excellent helper for pinning down Luo Feng. At least in terms of self-preservation and stalling an enemy, Anyong was superior to the Lord of Jiujian.

"Hmph... Luo Feng!" Killing intent flickered faintly in the Lord of Wuhun's eyes.

"Once we catch him, he is finished," the Lord of Anyong ground out.

Facing their looming demise, those Universe Masters from the First Cycle could only pin their hopes on the strongest in the universe. Unable to struggle for themselves, their actions became all the more frantic.

Time marched relentlessly forward; it would not halt for anyone.

Across the vast Sea of Universe, the Original Universe, countless miniature universes, countless living beings were born, countless lives perished. For the powerhouses, it was but a moment of quiet contemplation—perhaps equivalent to the entire lifespan of another creature.

Although the Lord of Wuhun and the Lord of Anyong set off in pursuit, they were too far from Luo Feng, and crucially, they lacked his future trajectory. Naturally, catching him would be extremely difficult, though even if they did, it would be far in the future. However, this so-called 'far future' meant little to beings like the Lord of Wuhun, who had lived for nearly three cycles.

The 620th year since Luo Feng entered the Universe Ark.

Virtual Universe.

The palace atop Thunder Island.

"Black Continuum Stone Pillar!" City Master Chaos exclaimed. "You intend to go to the Heaven-Reaching Demon Pillar to temper your will? There are many places to hone one’s will, and plenty closer than the Demon Pillar. Why choose that one?"

"Yes," Luo Feng nodded gravely. "There are many places for will tempering, but the closer one gets to the Heaven-Reaching Demon Pillar, the faster the time flow accelerates. This allows the disciple to save significant time! Near the pillar, perhaps ten thousand years pass for me while only one year passes in the outside world. This grants sufficient time to temper my will and ample time to study and comprehend the laws."

"I find your decisions increasingly difficult to fathom," City Master Chaos sighed. "However, your progress is equally incomprehensible. Since you've already decided to reach the Heaven-Reaching Demon Pillar, I won't press the issue."

City Master Chaos was indeed filled with emotion.

His disciple—after the battle in the Wave Star Sea, Luo Feng’s fame exploded, causing the Human Race faction to panic immensely... City Master Chaos included. They had assumed that Luo Feng, who had been quietly laying low, was merely biding his time due to the loss of the Silver Winged Treasure, but they never expected him to become even more heaven-defying.

The most shocked were City Master Chaos, the Giant Axe Creator, and a few others.

Because they knew Luo Feng had not yet ascended to the Universe Master level!

To achieve 'top-tier standard' without even being a Universe Master? That was too much against natural law. Because of this, City Master Chaos and the Giant Axe Creator personally sparred with Luo Feng in the 'Virtual Universe,' only to discover that while Luo Feng’s divine power was equivalent to a Universe Master whose life gene had reached 'a hundred times amplification,' his secret techniques were incredibly potent!

The secret techniques Luo Feng simulated and unleashed using the Mad Demon Extermination God Armor—they were already fused with the strongest secret techniques! Even City Master Chaos and the Lord of Wuhun were not significantly superior to him in this regard.

It was then that Luo Feng finally disclosed that he followed the Secret Pattern Flow path!

Although he was only at the Universe Master level... he had already created the strongest secret technique for a Universe Master! Furthermore, he could activate the third layer of secret patterns for that supreme treasure.

"Over these past few centuries, through comprehending those six secret pattern diagrams, studying the ancient secret patterns, and especially through the life-and-death combat in the Wave Star Sea battle, I gained enlightenment, and my mastery of the Secret Pattern Flow finally broke through the bottleneck, reaching the Universe Master level. I have already created the strongest Universe Master secret technique, 'Lie Jin,' and can activate the third layer of the Mad Demon Extermination God Armor's secret patterns."

"When activating the third layer of the Mad Demon Extermination God Armor's secret patterns, while my divine power is slightly lacking, my actual strength qualifies as peak Fourth Tier. Once I advance to Universe Master, and my divine power catches up, I will reach peak Fifth Tier—equivalent to City Master Chaos."