Having left the space of the Black-Patterned Stone Pillars, Luo Feng pressed onward toward the deeper regions of the Universe Ark, where the environment naturally grew more harsh and perilous! Compared to the deaths caused by intense battles, the inherent natural dangers of the three great Restricted Zones were the true executioners responsible for the downfall of Universe Masters. Even in areas where danger was supposedly verified over long periods, unexpected events could still flare up at any moment.
Unexpectedly.
Within the three great Restricted Zones, the unexpected was a constant possibility.
“Roar—” A world-darkening, deep-cyan gale swept across endless space and time. Under the freezing cold contained within this limitless tempest, the expanse was utterly solidified, without the slightest ripple. Its chill was enough to instantly shatter and annihilate the divine bodies of Universe Masters. If it brushed against a Universe Master’s divine body, it could slice off chunks of flesh as if honed by a blade.
A single streak of bloody-red light pierced through the layers of gale, advancing at high speed.
“The deeper we go into the Ark, the more dangerous it becomes.”
“In fact, many areas require the use of Palace-type Supreme Treasures to traverse. I suspect everyone who has reached this depth must possess a peak Palace-type Supreme Treasure,” Luo Feng mused from within the warm and comfortable core control room of the Star Tower. He sat on a soft sofa, a delicate tea set resting on the coffee table before him—a set specially prepared for him by his wife, Xu Xin. The tea leaves were, naturally, the finest selection.
Amber-colored tea steamed in his cup, releasing wisps of hot vapor.
“Even as a Universe Master, even though my strength rivals that of the Ice Peak Master, I must remain inside the Star Tower,” Luo Feng said, raising his cup. “The many dangerous areas I’ve passed through—normal gales, cold currents, flying debris—could easily destroy a top-tier Palace-type Supreme Treasure.”
A top-tier Palace-type Supreme Treasure was something that even the full might of a Universe Master could hardly damage.
Yet, the natural environment within the Universe Ark possessed that level of destructive capability. And this was only the “Inner Region”—specifically, the deeper reaches of the Inner Region. “That space with the Black-Patterned Stone Pillars actually serves as a boundary. The danger before it is slightly less severe, but everything past it is distinctly more terrifying.”
“This is just the Inner Region! Its natural environment surpasses the full attack power of a Universe Master.”
“If the core region is like this, how terrifying must it be? Any slight power ripple must far exceed the strength of a Universe Master themselves,” Luo Feng thought inwardly. “No wonder even Universe Masters possessing Ultimate Supreme Treasures might perish in the core region.”
“Fortunately, I have the map.”
Luo Feng felt even greater relief. When he originally obtained the black token, the secret chamber space it led to contained an incredibly rich collection of maps compiled by successive owners of the space. Even with the Star Tower, Luo Feng would not have dared proceed from the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar space toward the “Cyan Token Space.” But with the detailed map, he dared to choose an alternative route!
“This map is extremely important. I believe the other existences within our human race group also urgently need it. If every member of our human race possessed this map, the number of Supreme Treasures we could obtain might increase significantly,” Luo Feng nodded slightly, and immediately, his consciousness, far away in the Original Universe’s ‘Endless Abyss,’ entered the Virtual Universe.
Of Luo Feng’s current avatars and incarnations: the Abyss Avatar had long been stationed in the Milky Way Galaxy, occasionally traveling to Purple Thorn Island of the Ancestral God Sect for inheritance; the God-Power Avatar was in a secret space in the Ninth Abyss, deciphering the secret patterns; and the Demon Killer Race Avatar was currently transformed into stone within the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar space, honing its will.
Life in the universe is countless, but as long as a being possesses thought, it inherently possesses will!
The Black-Patterned Stone Pillars had remained untouched by any powerhouse to this day precisely because their will impact was too immense—no powerhouse, regardless of life form, could touch the pillars themselves. The vast expanse of rock where the Demon Killer Race Avatar was located was enormous.
The flow of time differed in various regions of that giant rock. The entire stone was situated within a time flow interval of 3000 to 3120 times normal speed.
Under such intense pressure, the Demon Killer Race Avatar’s usual will-honing efficiency, combined with studying the secret pattern maps and laws, was clearly much lower—only about one-tenth of normal efficiency! However, because the time flow there was vastly accelerated, researching the secret pattern maps and laws was still significantly more efficient than doing so in the outside world.
At the summit of Thunder Island in the Virtual Universe.
“Teacher,” Luo Feng called out directly while standing amidst the swirling chaos energy.
A golden-robed figure approached from the end of the energy currents. Luo Feng initially had a smile on his face, but upon seeing the expression, his expression shifted slightly. He clearly saw that the chaotic energy currents subtly changing around the approaching golden figure were producing bizarre scenes: the genesis of all things and living beings as if creating heaven and earth, and scenes of world-destroying annihilation.
These various scenarios flickered into existence and vanished intermittently.
“Luo Feng,” City Lord of Chaos approached, his eyes seeming even deeper and more distant.
“Teacher,” Luo Feng immediately bowed. “Congratulations, Teacher.” He was not foolish; he could clearly perceive that City Lord of Chaos had achieved a breakthrough.
City Lord of Chaos smiled faintly. “It is merely a slight breakthrough, still a considerable distance from becoming a Universe Master. However, this breakthrough has allowed me to vaguely sense that final boundary. The path I walk, the Dao I advance upon, is viable. If I can cross it, I will become a Universe Master.”
“Congratulations, Teacher, congratulations!” Luo Feng was overjoyed.
To become a Universe Master, the hardest part was discovering a path—a path untrodden by other powerhouses. Many powerhouses chose one path or another, but some “paths” were not true routes to the pinnacle; perhaps they were dead ends! Since City Lord of Chaos was already immensely powerful, his breakthrough now allowed him to sense that final boundary. This kind of sensation leading to the ultimate peak was extremely accurate.
“No one knows how long the final leap will take. If I haven’t crossed it by the end of this reincarnation era, I will never cross it,” City Lord of Chaos sighed.
“Mm,” Luo Feng nodded. Only the Original Universe could nurture a Universe Master!
“You sought me out; what is the matter?” City Lord of Chaos inquired.
“Good news,” Luo Feng smiled.
“What good news?” City Lord of Chaos also smiled.
Luo Feng wasted no time on pleasantries. He pointed toward the void before him, and as his will commanded, the surrounding chaotic energy currents evolved, manifesting a colossal ship, a severed, majestic mountain peak, and a massive mountain range composed of peaks overlaid with countless cascading waterfalls and streams. Simultaneously, scenes appeared within these three structures, displaying numerous detailed locations…
“Maps?” City Lord of Chaos looked at Luo Feng in surprise. “Maps of the three great Restricted Zones?”
“I will send them to you now, Teacher. Please examine them carefully.” Luo Feng dropped the pretense. After all, the three maps were incredibly detailed and included extensive written explanations. If he tried to manifest them all himself, it would likely take three to five days to fully complete the projection.
A moment later, City Lord of Chaos, having received the maps of the three Restricted Zones, was no longer merely surprised but utterly stunned! The level of detail in these maps was simply exaggerated, far surpassing the current maps the human race possessed for the three Restricted Zones. This level of “transcendence” even made City Lord of Chaos’s heart pound with anxiety.
“Such detailed maps? This… This—even maps of the Two Great Bronze Universes might not be much better than this,” City Lord of Chaos sounded deeply excited. “Luo Feng, where did you obtain these maps? Maps of such immeasurable value are not carelessly scattered about, and one wouldn't dare carry them without sufficient power.”
Luo Feng smiled: “Your disciple had great fortune in the Inner Region of the Universe Ark and discovered a black token. Afterward, I reached the Black-Patterned Stone Pillar space and entered the secret chamber corresponding to that black token. Within that independent space, I discovered these maps.”
“A black token?” City Lord of Chaos looked puzzled. “Black tokens are not considered extremely precious. When powerhouses perish in each reincarnation era, some black tokens scatter everywhere. It’s normal for you to happen upon one. But how could a secret chamber space belonging to a black token contain such valuable maps?”
“It’s like this,” Luo Feng explained with a sigh. “Within that independent space, there was a continuous mountain range, but the rock walls had been leveled by a powerhouse from tens of thousands of reincarnation eras ago, or even further back. Afterward, they left inscriptions and secret pattern diagrams on the walls—meaning successive space masters had enriched the map over time. Although more than ten space masters intentionally destroyed parts of the map midway, when I obtained it, nearly 900 space masters had contributed to the map’s detail, resulting in the current intricacy of the three great Restricted Zone maps.”
City Lord of Chaos was momentarily speechless, then burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha…”
“The fortune of us humans, what fortune!” City Lord of Chaos nodded, laughing. “That’s right. When each space master approached their final limit, knowing their own race group was doomed, it makes sense they would leave behind the map before their end, passed down generation after generation… Your black token independent space, just this single aspect…”
“…makes it incredibly precious. All those who obtained it across the ages were truly lucky.”
“Come, come, quickly come with me to see Giant Axe. The contribution you’ve made this time is truly monumental.” City Lord of Chaos said quickly. “No matter what, the race group must greatly reward you. With maps of this detail for the three great Restricted Zones, our human race group can easily acquire several more Supreme Treasures. Our strength will continuously grow in the years to come.”
“I will pass on that,” Luo Feng immediately replied. “Since the maps are given to Teacher, Teacher can then pass them to Giant Axe.”
“Yes, that works too,” City Lord of Chaos agreed.
“Then your disciple takes his leave.” Luo Feng instantly withdrew, his figure vanishing.
City Lord of Chaos watched Luo Feng’s figure disappear, a sense of awe filling his heart. His disciple, Luo Feng, was truly extraordinary. His strength improved at a terrifying rate, bringing repeated benefits to the race group. Just as when Primal Ancestor rose or when Giant Axe Founder rose, there were always startling and astonishing events accompanying their ascensions. Every powerhouse’s rise is a legend.
“My disciple’s journey is also legendary. It seems highly likely he will stand among the ranks of the strongest in the future,” City Lord of Chaos smiled, and then proceeded to meet Giant Axe Founder.
Before the simple, unadorned temple.
“A gift from the heavens to our human race, a gift from the heavens to our human race! Hahahaha, with these maps of the three great Restricted Zones, even looking across the entire Sea of Universe, perhaps only a few forces can compare to us humans!” Giant Axe Founder roared with laughter. “After the Universe Ark incident, I didn't gain much myself, so I left the Ark and returned to the Abyss World. The Abyss World is my lucky ground. The map left after Lord Yuan Ao perished was partitioned; I was previously troubled by incomplete maps. With these additions, my progress within the Abyss World has been much smoother.”
“Chaos,” Giant Axe stated directly, “Luo Feng’s contribution this time is immense. Designate it as 20,000 contribution points.”
“Good,” City Lord of Chaos nodded.
“You must work hard too, and advance one step further to enter the ranks of the Universe Masters!” Giant Axe sighed. “When that day comes, our human race group will be even stronger! With your help then, perhaps I can try… to find a way to rescue Primal Ancestor.”
City Lord of Chaos nodded lightly. He was aware of this matter… Primal Ancestor was permanently suppressed; how difficult would it be for him to emerge again? However, as long as strength was sufficient, nothing was absolutely impossible.
PS: The new chapter, “The Fallen Universe Masters,” begins!