Chapter 266: Famous Throughout the Cosmos

In the core territory of the Meng Yao Zu, within a precious Cosmic Secret Realm.

In the boundless expanse of starry space, a palace radiating immense pressure hung silently.

At this moment, endless flames surrounded the palace—each cluster of black, white, purple, red… flames was as large as stars, yet still dwarfed by the towering palace.

From a distance, one could not even perceive any of this.

Because around this palace, spacetime itself was completely twisted, as if an independent dimension.

At this moment, silence reigned around the palace—a deathly stillness.

But just then…

On the vast square before the palace, a hazy light suddenly appeared, then took shape as a blue Tianlang figure over ten kilometers long—the Qinglang Zunzhe, who had just returned from the Qingkou Secret Realm to Meng Yao Zu territory.

After returning to Meng Yao Zu territory, Qinglang Zunzhe first greeted Long Diao Zunzhe, then quickly arrived near this towering palace.

And this towering palace was none other than Tianlang Dian, a supreme treasure of the flight-palace type, wielded by one of the Meng Yao Zu's Cosmic Masters—the Lord Tianlang.

"Leader!" The manifested Qinglang Zunzhe immediately prostrated himself and respectfully called out.

Suddenly, the two statue-eyes on the front of Tianlang Dian blinked, and a solemn voice soon echoed from within: "Qinglang, why have you come to me? Speak!"

"Leader!"

Qinglang Zunzhe quickly said respectfully: "Hei Lang has just perished!"

"What did you say?"

No sooner had Qinglang Zunzhe spoken than a massive figure emerged slowly from Tianlang Dian, bathed in endless flames—the strongest being of the Tianlang royal line, Lord Tianlang.

As soon as Lord Tianlang appeared, he gazed down at the prostrate Qinglang Zunzhe and asked: "What exactly happened?"

Hearing this, Qinglang Zunzhe hurriedly replied respectfully: "It's like this, Leader!"

"Earlier, I, Hei Lang, and Long Diao Zunzhe from the Shuangshou Yaodiao line entered the Qingkou Secret Realm within human territory, and clashed with the human cultivators Kuang Dao Zun Zhe, Tieying Zunzhe, and Wan Jie Zunzhe over three Void Sands!"

"We never expected that damned Wan Jie Zunzhe was so cunning—he already possessed immense strength and numerous treasures, yet secretly held back his power, waiting until Hei Lang let his guard down before striking suddenly, and then Hei Lang fell into his hands!"

"Wan Jie Zunzhe?"

Upon hearing Qinglang Zunzhe's words, Lord Tianlang paused slightly in surprise.

His mind instantly recalled a matter recently reported to him by the intelligence chief, Anye Zunzhe.

At that time, Wan Jie Zunzhe had just broken through to the Venerable Realm; he had intended to punish Anye Zunzhe, but then his disciple Tianhua Zunzhe suddenly appeared to plead on Anye Zunzhe's behalf, so he let the matter drop.

But now…

"That human upstart who just broke through has already gained the power to kill Hei Lang?"

Lord Tianlang's heart was undoubtedly filled with astonishment.

After all, his original assessment of Wan Jie Zunzhe was that even with clones, he posed little threat to the Meng Yao Zu.

Yet now, so little time has passed, and his face has been slapped by Lu Qingshan.

Thinking of this, Lord Tianlang quickly said: "Show me the full account of events, and the entire battle sequence of Hei Lang's death!"

Hearing Lord Tianlang's words, Qinglang Zunzhe immediately recounted the entire incident, and fully displayed before Lord Tianlang the battle in which Lu Qingshan killed Hei Lang Zunzhe.

"Excellent!"

After viewing the information, Lord Tianlang quickly said: "I underestimated this newly broken-through Wan Jie Zunzhe of the human race—he already possesses such power right after breaking through; he will likely advance easily into the High Venerable Realm, and with his clone ability, he may even have a chance to become a Cosmic Overlord!"

"But he dares to use my Tianlang line as his stepping stone—he is asking for death!"

Hearing this, Qinglang Zunzhe quickly asked respectfully: "Leader, what should we do?"

"Hmph!"

Lord Tianlang coldly snorted: "First, leak this news to the Insect Clan and the Mechanical Clan—they surely won't want the human race to gain another Cosmic Overlord with clones. They'll naturally go after Wan Jie Zunzhe themselves!"

"Meanwhile, I will report this to the two Yao Ancestors—our Meng Yao Zu elders will not let him off easily!"

"Yes, Leader!" Qinglang Zunzhe quickly nodded.

"Also!"

Lord Tianlang added: "You borrowed Tan Yue's Yan Chihuo Tower, yet still allowed Hei Lang to be killed right before your eyes—this time, even his resurrection will require you to bear some responsibility!"

"Here's what I'll do: Hei Lang's resurrection time is still short; after he revives, he must not be without powerful treasures for protection. Prepare for him a powerful weapon and a powerful armor!"

"As for the resurrection cost, let him bear it himself!"

"This…"

After hearing Lord Tianlang's words, Qinglang Zunzhe hesitated slightly, then quickly nodded: "Yes, Leader!"

Lord Tianlang's status within the Tianlang line was absolutely supreme; since Lord Tianlang had spoken, Qinglang Zunzhe, even if unwilling, could only agree.

Soon after, Lord Tianlang began resurrecting Hei Lang Zunzhe.

Seeing this, Qinglang Zunzhe felt profound emotion.

This was the immense advantage of being a royal clan member!

For ordinary Meng Yao Zu races, or even Wang Zu members, when a Venerable Realm cultivator perished, they had to wait for the clan's high council to reverse spacetime collectively to resurrect them.

But with Lord Tianlang in the Tianlang line, as long as he wished, he could resurrect any fallen cultivator within the clan at any time.

Soon, under Lord Tianlang's reversal of spacetime, the recently deceased Hei Lang Zunzhe was swiftly resurrected.

"I, this…"

Hei Lang Zunzhe first blinked in confusion, then upon regaining awareness, immediately prostrated himself: "Thank you, Leader, for reversing spacetime to resurrect me!"

"Mm."

Lord Tianlang nodded slightly, then looked at Hei Lang Zunzhe: "Hei Lang, though I have resurrected you, do not forget you have already died once!"

"From now on, remain within the clan and cultivate diligently, and also instruct the younger generation. As for the cost of this resurrection, repay it gradually."

"Yes, Leader!" Hei Lang Zunzhe quickly nodded.

"Enough. You may leave." No sooner had Lord Tianlang spoken than his figure vanished instantly before Qinglang Zunzhe and Hei Lang Zunzhe.

…

And just as Lord Tianlang reversed time and space to resurrect Hei Lang Zunzhe, news of Lu Qingshan slaying Hei Lang Zunzhe of the Meng Yao Zu spread rapidly across the vast universe, carried by the Meng Yao Zu, Kuang Dao Zun Zhe, Xin Feng Zunzhe, and others.

Especially among the human race, which could utilize the Virtual Universe, and the many allies of the human race within the Hong Meng, the news arrived with exceptional speed.

One must understand that attaining the Venerable Realm already grants the qualification to lead a race in surviving within the universe, and even qualifies one to join a top-tier, or even peak, power.

Just as within the Hong Meng, there exist weak races possessing only a single Universe Venerable.

If this were the stage when the Primitive Star opened, the fall of a Universe Venerable would be relatively common; even Universe Overlords and Universe Masters might fall.

But now that the Primitive Star has been closed for a long time, news of a Universe Venerable's fall remains rare.

Especially among peak races, it might take millions or tens of millions of years before even one Universe Venerable falls.

Precisely for this reason, upon learning that Wan Jie Zunzhe Lu Qingshan had slain Hei Lang Zunzhe of the Meng Yao Zu camp, the entire human race, and indeed the whole Hong Meng, fell into a minor tremor.

In a remote region of the universe, extremely far from human territory, lay the domain belonging to one of the ordinary universe races: the Lord Jinjiao race.

And in the very core of this domain stood a colossal continent with a diameter reaching ten trillion kilometers; this was the holy land of the Lord Jinjiao race.

At this moment, within the Holy City inside the Lord Jinjiao race's holy land, the race's leader, the Universe Overlord 'Xiluo', was discussing matters with a group of Lord Jinjiao elders.

"Elders!"

Xiluo looked at the dozen or so figures surrounding him, then spoke: "Since I built the Holy Stele, thousands of epochs have passed!"

"During these thousands of epochs, the geniuses of my Lord Jinjiao race, due to the Holy Stele, have cultivated at speeds far higher than in the past, and even a new Hei Fengwang Immortal has emerged!"

"Thus, it is evident that this Holy Stele is extremely important to my Lord Jinjiao race; I hope it will cultivate even more strong ones for us in the future!"

Hearing Xiluo's words, the many elders of the Lord Jinjiao race felt extremely excited in their hearts.

The Holy Stele built by Xiluo was absolutely vital for the entire Lord Jinjiao race.

Even several among them had once attempted to comprehend the Holy Stele, and some had gained something; let alone those Immortals, or even the little ones below Immortal status.

The importance of this Holy Stele to the Lord Jinjiao race absolutely far surpassed that of any elder other than Xiluo himself!

But just as these Lord Jinjiao elders were exchanging excited words...

"This... how is this possible?"

Krimans, the Lord Jinjiao elder who had always been responsible for handling matters related to the human race, suddenly cried out, his face immediately revealing an expression of disbelief.

Noticing this, Xiluo quickly asked: "Krimans, what is wrong?"

"Leader!"

Upon hearing Xiluo's inquiry, Krimans, snapping back to his senses, hurriedly replied: "Just now, I received a message from a friend within the Hong Meng, stating that Wan Jie Zunzhe of the human race has just slain Hei Lang Zunzhe of the Meng Yao Zu within the Qing Kong Secret Realm located in human territory!"

"What?"

"This is impossible!"

Hearing Krimans' words, the faces of the surrounding Lord Jinjiao elders all revealed expressions of disbelief.

Wan Jie Zunzhe and Hei Lang Zunzhe were Universe Venerables who had only recently broken through for the human race and the Meng Yao Zu respectively; naturally, they knew some news regarding the two.

One must understand that although the Lord Jinjiao race, including Xiluo, possessed nineteen Universe Venerables, those daring to claim they could surpass Hei Lang Zunzhe in strength numbered no more than ten.

This meant that Lu Qingshan, who had only broken through a little over a thousand epochs ago, already possessed the strength to slay half of the Lord Jinjiao race's Universe Venerables!

Facing such a situation, they naturally were unwilling to believe it.

"Wasn't Wan Jie Zunzhe only recently broken through?"

"Yes! I recall that when he broke through back then, Krimans represented our Lord Jinjiao race to present a congratulatory gift!"

"How much time has passed since then? How could he possibly slay Hei Lang Zunzhe?"

One by one, the Lord Jinjiao elders began to discuss the matter fervently.

And just at this moment...

"Do not forget!"

Xiluo quickly said: "The human race is a peak race; furthermore, Wan Jie Zunzhe is the direct disciple of the great existence of the human race, Master Lord Lord Bingfeng Zhi, and Wan Jie Zunzhe also possesses the ability to create clones!"

Hearing these words, the surrounding Lord Jinjiao elders all sighed in admiration.

Indeed!

That was the human race!

Even a common Hei Fengwang Immortal breaking through to the Venerable Realm could receive vast bestowals from the race; let alone Wan Jie Zunzhe, the direct disciple of Master Lord Lord Bingfeng Zhi!

"This time, Wan Jie Zunzhe slaying Hei Lang Zunzhe of the Meng Yao Zu is absolutely a matter worthy of celebration!"

Xiluo spoke again: "Krimans, you are the one among our Lord Jinjiao race with the best relationship with Wan Jie Zunzhe; go immediately to prepare a gift for Wan Jie Zunzhe, then accompany me to human territory to congratulate Wan Jie Zunzhe!"

At this moment, Krimans was still in a state of shock.

One must understand that his strength was merely comparable to that of Hei Lang Zunzhe of the Meng Yao Zu, yet his divine body was far smaller than Hei Lang Zunzhe's!

If Lu Qingshan could slay Hei Lang Zunzhe, slaying him would be even simpler.

"That little one who only broke through to High-Level Marquis under my guidance can now easily slay me?"

Even after receiving his friend's message, Krimans found it hard to believe this matter.

But now that Xiluo had spoken, even though his heart remained in shock, he had to respond quickly: "Yes, Leader!"

In the Initial Universe, within Chaos City.

"Come see me quickly!"

"Come see me quickly!"

A majestic voice echoed constantly around the ears of hundreds of Universe-level geniuses, instantly causing them all to cease their cultivation.

Then...

Swish! Swish! Swish...

In the vast, misty, and air-flowing Chaos City, figures from various regions successively shot up towards the sky.

More than eight hundred figures all flew toward a single direction.

Ahead of these figures, a majestic crimson palace floated in the void, and before it stood a figure clad in ancient crimson battle armor, radiating terrifying energy—it was Zifeng Zunzhe of the Virtual Universe Corporation.

The figures converging toward Zifeng Zunzhe were the universe-level geniuses who had entered the top one thousand in the recent Peak Warriors Competition and joined the core ranks of the Virtual Universe Corporation.

"Honor the Venerable!" The assembled geniuses bowed respectfully to Zifeng Zunzhe.

"Hmph!"

Zifeng Zunzhe's low grunt struck each genius's mind like a heavy hammer: "You are the worst batch I've trained in over ten million years!"

"In the safety of Chaos City, nearly two-tenths of you died—even worse than those star-level brats!"

Silence!

The geniuses stood before Zifeng Zunzhe, utterly obedient, daring not to protest.

"You have ten days before leaving Chaos City."

Zifeng Zunzhe quickly said: "Then you will face far greater dangers; I doubt many of you will remain alive long after."

"Hmph! Now hurry and train!"

"Go challenge the Heavenly Bridge if you must, or meditate on the Chaos Stele if you must! After you leave Chaos City this time, you won't know when you'll get back in!"

"Clarissa, stay. Everyone else, go!"

Clarissa was the top-ranked genius in this year's Peak Warriors Competition and had already passed the fifth level of the Heavenly Bridge—she had considerable potential, so Zifeng Zunzhe was willing to guide her.

But at that moment, Zifeng Zunzhe suddenly received an important message.

"A message from my senior brother? Could it be something urgent?"

Thinking this, Zifeng Zunzhe abandoned guiding Clarissa and quickly opened the newly received message.

"Brother Beihai, I, Wan Jie Zunzhe Lu Qingshan, have just slain Hei Lang Zunzhe of the Meng Yao Zu in the Qingkun Secret Realm!"

Reading this message, Zifeng Zunzhe froze in place, utterly stunned.

This… how could this be?

If Lu Qingshan were merely slightly stronger than him, Zifeng Zunzhe could accept it; even if Lu Qingshan had effortlessly crushed a universe-level Venerable, he could barely understand.

But what did it mean to kill Hei Lang Zunzhe?

Among the many mid-tier universe-level Venerables of the human race, the vast majority could never kill Hei Lang Zunzhe!

"Has Wan Jie Zunzhe's power surpassed mine by so much?"

Zifeng Zunzhe still could not believe it—Lu Qingshan, whose talent was inferior to his and who had entered the Venerable Realm later than him, had achieved this.

Yet his will was strong, and he quickly adjusted his state, then began to think carefully.

"What have I been doing these past years?"

"After successfully reaching the Venerable Realm and realizing how difficult it was to comprehend the Time Primordial Law, I became lax in my cultivation!"

Zifeng Zunzhe thought inwardly: "In recent years, I've devoted most of my energy to training these geniuses, hoping my subordinates would produce many Marquises of Immortality—or even a Wang of Immortality!"

"I've wasted my own cultivation on such trivial matters—how foolish!"

"If I had focused solely on cultivation, I would have already created the fourth combat secret art using complete Space Primordial Law!"

After seeing the news of Lu Qingshan slaying Hei Lang Zunzhe, Zifeng Zunzhe's heart burned with boundless longing.

Not seeing it, one might think it unrealistic.

But now, Lu Qingshan had cultivated longer than him, yet entered the Venerable Realm later.

So in Zifeng Zunzhe's eyes, Lu Qingshan's talent was inferior.

Yet now, Lu Qingshan had slain Hei Lang Zunzhe, while he had not even created the fourth peak secret art.

"I was wrong!"

Zifeng Zunzhe's face quickly broke into a smile: "Wan Jie Zunzhe woke me up—if not for him, I would have wasted even more time!"

"Now, I must resume serious cultivation! I believe that if I keep striving, I will one day catch up to—and even surpass—Wan Jie Zunzhe again!"

Thinking this, Zifeng Zunzhe gave Clarissa only brief guidance, then let her leave.

He no longer cared about overseeing the geniuses' departure from the Initial Universe, and handed those trivial duties to his subordinates.

As for Zifeng Zunzhe himself, he had decided to enter seclusion for cultivation.

(End of Chapter)