Chapter 68

Virtual Universe, Lei Ting Island.

Lei Ting Island gathers all the powerful beings of the Virtual Universe Corporation's lineage who have surpassed the Immortal Realm, and thus is naturally extremely prosperous.

Each Immortal Spirit possesses eternal life, allowing them to accumulate vast wealth, so commerce on Lei Ting Island is also highly developed.

Along a broad, ancient street paved entirely with black stone slabs, various buildings line both sides.

Among these buildings stands a nine-story tower of immense size, its entrance surrounded by breathtaking scenery, with Immortal Spirits occasionally entering and exiting in small groups.

This tower is named "Thousand Treasures Pavilion," a high-end restaurant on Lei Ting Island; to enter, one must spend at least one hundred Hunyuan units as minimum consumption!

On the third floor of the Thousand Treasures Pavilion is a luxurious private room, featuring artificial mountains, flowing water in the center, and around it, an array of exquisite dishes and rich wines.

Beside the dining table, ten figures now gathered.

"Christopher!"

An Immortal Spirit radiating explosive flame energy smiled at the banquet's host: "You've clearly spent a fortune—these wines and delicacies together must be worth over a thousand Hunyuan units!"

"Indeed!"

Another stunning woman added: "Christopher, you've just broken through to the Immortal Realm—there'll be many more expenses ahead. You should save your resources from now on!"

"I understand!"

The banquet's host, "Christopher," quickly smiled: "I've finally broken through to the Immortal Realm after so long—everyone came to celebrate for me, so I couldn't be stingy! Don't worry—I've roamed the Outer Battlefields for years. Though my strength remains modest, I've still accumulated some wealth!"

"Christopher!"

Another Immortal Spirit looked over: "I recall you once cleared the Heavenly Bridge's twelfth level. Now that you've broken through to the Immortal Realm, your divine power should have reached eight hundredfold Boundary Lord strength, right?"

"About that."

Christopher smiled: "Unfortunately, I risked failing to comprehend the Jin Zhi Fundamental Law, spending over nine million years studying the Space Fundamental Law—and still couldn't clear the Heavenly Bridge's thirteenth level!"

Although he only cleared the Heavenly Bridge's twelfth level, Christopher's base divine power far exceeded eight hundredfold Boundary Lord strength.

Because he had a rare encounter during his Cosmic Stage!

Back then, Christopher accepted a dangerous training mission called "Blood Luo World." Though he only completed the basic task—collecting one Blood Luo Crystal—he, under his teacher's hint, used every means possible to collect eleven extra Blood Luo Crystals!

Even though the Virtual Universe Corporation offered a high buyout price of 600 points per crystal, he never sold a single one.

In the long years of cultivation that followed, he finally succeeded in fusing three Blood Luo Crystals, becoming one of the exceedingly rare "Blood Warriors" on Blood Luo Continent!

After becoming a Blood Warrior, whenever he activated the mysterious power derived from the Blood Luo Crystals, his base strength doubled—even after breaking through to the Immortal Realm, this remained true.

Thus, his current base divine power has reached eight hundredfold Boundary Lord strength, sufficient to rival those who cleared the Heavenly Bridge's fourteenth level!

Yet his understanding of the Fundamental Laws is far weaker, so his overall strength still falls short of those high-ranking military lords.

"Clearing the Heavenly Bridge's twelfth level is already quite impressive!"

Another Immortal Spirit sighed: "You and I are both End Times Secret Realm Lords. Though I broke through two million years before you, I still haven't cleared the Heavenly Bridge's twelfth level! If I'd known, I'd have trained longer during my Lord stage too!"

"Actually, I owe my breakthrough to the Immortal Realm to your reminders!"

Christopher raised his cup in thanks: "When I first received the Jin Zhi Fundamental Law's recognition, I thought I was just one step away from fully comprehending it—only needing another hundred thousand years. So I turned to studying Space Fundamental Law!"

"It was you all who reminded me how difficult that final step in understanding a lower-tier Fundamental Law truly is. That's why I abandoned Space Fundamental Law eighty thousand years ago and focused solely on Jin Zhi Fundamental Law. With less than one hundred thousand years left before my Lord lifespan limit, I finally fully comprehended Jin Zhi Fundamental Law! Had I ignored your advice, I'd never have broken through before my lifespan ended!"

"Yes!" Another Immortal drained his cup and said: "I too thought I was one step away from fully comprehending Wind Fundamental Law—but that one step held me back for over a hundred thousand years!"

"Hahaha, no matter what, we've all broken through to the Immortal Realm now!"

"Exactly!" Christopher raised his cup again.

After much drinking, Christopher's gaze turned to Lu Qingshan beside him: "Brother Qingshan, if only all of us could be like you—after becoming Immortal, your strength still surges forward!"

At these words, all eyes turned to Lu Qingshan.

These were all geniuses from the same generation as Lu Qingshan, who later joined the Virtual Universe Corporation.

Back then, Lu Qingshan met his old acquaintance "Ross" during a mission, and through Ross's introduction, he joined this circle.

But at the time, Lu Qingshan had only cleared the Heavenly Bridge's tenth level, making him the weakest in the group, so he had little presence.

Yet as his strength steadily rose, he naturally gained everyone's attention and envy.

"Hahaha…"

Lu Qingshan raised his cup and humbly said: "I'm just lucky! Keep working hard, and your strength will keep rising too!"

"Brother Qingshan!"

Another Immortal Spirit, "Gallup," who had also cleared the Heavenly Bridge's fourteenth level, sighed: "It's not easy for us to improve like you! When we first met, I'd already cleared the Heavenly Bridge's fourteenth level—but now you've gone from tenth to fourteenth, and I'm still stuck at fourteenth!"

"I suspect that even when you become a Marquis Immortal like Lu Xiusi, I'll still be stuck at the Heavenly Bridge's fourteenth level!"

Hearing this, Lu Qingshan paused slightly.

Gallup's words echoed his own earlier thoughts about Yarvis!

Back then, when Lu Qingshan cleared the Heavenly Bridge's fourteenth level, Yarvis had only cleared the eighth—yet now Lu Qingshan remained at fourteenth, while Yarvis had cleared the twentieth!

But in truth, even Gallup before him was already a rare super-genius in the Human Realm!

"Becoming a Marquis Immortal isn't easy at all!"

Lu Qingshan raised his cup again: "Maybe you'll break through before me, Gallup!"

"By the way…"

Another Immortal Spirit suddenly said: "It's been so long—where are Lu Xiusi and Ross?"

At this, everyone's hearts tightened.

Even as Immortal Spirits, they were not absolutely safe.

Originally, this circle—including Lu Qingshan—had fourteen members.

Over a million years, two Immortal Spirits had already perished, one of them a high-ranking military lord!

Lu Xiusi and Ross are now in the perilous Outer Battlefields…

"Could they have encountered danger?" one Immortal asked anxiously.

"Probably not."

The banquet host, Christopher, hurriedly said, "When I contacted them earlier, they were already on their way back to the barracks base; they shouldn't have encountered any danger!"

"Could it be they were delayed by something? Shall I send them an email to ask?"

Just as Christopher was about to send an email to Lu Xiusi and the other...

"No need!"

A voice rang out beside everyone: "We have arrived!"

Immediately after, the private room door opened quickly, and two figures appeared before Lu Qingshan and the others: it was 'Storm Marquis' Lu Xiusi and 'Purple Radiance' Ross.

"Lu Xiusi, Ross!"

The banquet host, Christopher, quickly stepped forward to greet them: "You two are late this time; you'll have to drink a few extra cups later!"

"That won't do!"

Gallup, standing nearby, couldn't help but tease, "Clearly the two of them are late; how can they drink more of such fine wine? They should be watching us drink instead!"

Hearing this, everyone nearby burst into laughter.

Although there was a certain gap in strength among them, the difference was not too great, and having spent millions of years together, their relationships were still very good!

"I'm afraid you don't know yet..."

'Purple Radiance' Ross walked to the dining table, downed a cup of fine wine in one gulp, and then said seriously, "Something major has happened to our human race this time!"

"What major event?"

Everyone immediately became interested; Gallup even asked directly, "Did our human race produce another Universe Venerable?"

For them, these Immortal Spirits, many things were important; even Christopher breaking through to the Immortal Realm was a very worth-celebrating event for them.

But what Ross just said was 'something major has happened to our human race'!

One must know, how vast is the territory of the human race?

For a peak race like the human race in such a vast universe, even the fall of dozens of King Marquis Immortals would not count as a major event!

The last time a major event occurred in the human race was over a million years ago, when Dream Moon King broke through to the Universe Venerable realm on the Outer Battlefield!

"Although it isn't that, it's not far off, and I feel this matter is even more important than our human race producing a Universe Venerable!" Ross poured himself another full cup of fine wine and downed it in one gulp.

At this moment, everyone's curiosity was fully piqued by Ross's words, so they naturally paid no attention to his opportunistic drinking.

Even Christopher specifically walked over to refill his cup, then said, "What exactly is this major event? Ross, speak quickly!"

"Hahaha..."

Ross quickly said with a smile, "This news is very shocking; Lu Xiusi and I were able to know this so quickly only because we happened to be on the Outer Battlefield! Do you remember Prince Alvis from the Primordial Secret Realm?"

"Prince Alvis?"

"I heard Prince Alvis has already conquered the World Master-level Primordial Sky-Piercing Mountain; was he assassinated by alien spies?"

"Didn't those alien spies fail to find Prince Alvis's whereabouts?"

"That's for sure! However, after Prince Alvis conquered the World Master-level Primordial Sky-Piercing Mountain, those alien spies went mad, each trying desperately to gather information. Not long ago, our intelligence department destroyed a base of Insect Race spies; I heard the leader was a Marquis-level Initial Immortal enslaved by an Insect Race powerhouse!"

"None of your guesses are correct!"

Amid the curious gazes of everyone, 'Purple Radiance' Ross continued, "Actually, Prince Alvis had long ago used an alias to go to the Outer Battlefield, and it was the Seventh Outer Battlefield where Lu Xiusi and I are stationed!"

"Just half a day ago, Prince Alvis, in his World Master body, annihilated a Marquis Peak powerhouse from the Mechanical Race camp in the Twin Vortex Domain of the Seventh Outer Battlefield, but his identity was exposed for some reason, so countless King Marquis powerhouses from the other three camps rushed there, attempting to kill Prince Alvis!"

"At this critical moment, Prince Alvis not only showed no fear but directly broke through his constraints and entered the Immortal Realm amidst the siege of countless alien powerhouses!"

"It is said that at that time, thousands of alien King Marquis Immortals arrived, yet after Prince Alvis broke through to become Immortal, he actually annihilated over three hundred alien King Marquis powerhouses in one go, including dozens of Marquis Peak and Marquis Limit powerhouses!"

"It is said that after this, Universe Venerables from the other three camps disregarded the rules of the Outer Battlefield and chose to appear personally and act! Although a Universe Venerable from our human race also appeared at that time, Prince Alvis relied on his own strength to hold off an alien Universe Venerable, and only then did he leave the Outer Battlefield under the protection of our human race's Universe Venerable!"

"This..."

After hearing Ross's words, everyone in the private room was stunned.

Only after a moment did everyone come to their senses.

"Prince Alvis is too terrifying; he was able to annihilate over three hundred King Marquis Immortals in one go!"

"Yes! This is truly too terrifying!"

The group was now utterly shocked.

One must know, the strongest among them was 'Storm Marquis' Lu Xiusi, who had conquered the fifteenth layer of the Sky-Piercing Bridge.

But even Lu Xiusi, facing the weakest King Marquis Immortal, would not have a chance to struggle.

Yet Prince Alvis, having cultivated for only tens of thousands of years, was able to annihilate hundreds of King Marquis Immortals in one go, and even survive against a Universe Venerable!

"Prince Alvis's current strength should be considered King Marquis Invincible!"

"That is certain! However, Prince Alvis will surely break through to the Universe Venerable realm before long!"

"This is simply too unbelievable!"

"Yes! I thought Venerable Dream Moon was already impressive enough, but I never expected our human race to have a terrifying genius like Prince Alvis!"

At this moment, everyone in the private room exclaimed in amazement.

And just then, 'Purple Radiance' Ross continued, "It is said that Prince Alvis used the alias 'Sky Eater' on the Outer Battlefield, so now those alien powerhouses all call him Sky Eater King!"

Sky Eater King?

Hearing Ross's words, the others in the private room felt nothing, but Lu Qingshan's heart suddenly trembled violently.

One must know, before Luo Feng rose in the original work, the human race had only three top-tier Universe Dominators, one of whom was the Sky Eater Palace Master who had guarded the Blood Luo Continent for countless ages!

Lu Qingshan had once visited the Blood Luo Continent in the Primordial Secret Realm before; at that time, he was transporting a batch of precious resources for a King Marquis Immortal.

However, now there is a 'Lord Youhou Holy Hall' above the Blood Luo Continent, so according to Lu Qingshan's deduction, the one currently guarding the Blood Luo Continent should be the You Hou Zhi Zhu of the Virtual Universe Company faction.

"I have joined the Virtual Universe Company for so long, yet I have never heard of the Sky Eater Palace Master!"

Lu Qingshan thought silently in his heart: "With Prince Alvis's peerless talent, plus the title 'Sky Eater King' now, he must be the Sky Eater Palace Master from the original work!"

"Moreover, the Sky Eater Palace Master's ability to possess top-tier Universe Dominator strength in the original work must be because he possessed a special life form with a life gene level thousands of times higher; once he breaks through next, his strength will likely soon reach High-Level Universe Venerable; I just don't know how long it will take him to establish the reputation of a top-tier Universe Dominator!"

Thinking of this, Lu Qingshan couldn't help but sigh, "This is the most dazzling peerless genius in the history of our human race! Less than tens of thousands of years have passed, and my work hasn't even ended yet, but he has already broken through from a mere Universe-level to a King Marquis Invincible! Even if this experience cannot compare to Luo Feng in the original work, placed within the vast universe, he is absolutely the most terrifying, most heaven-defying genius!"

In truth, Lu Qingshan had originally assumed that Alvis would at most be like the Eclipse Flame Zifeng Zunzhe in the original work—becoming a Fengwang-level Undying after tens of thousands of years, becoming a Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe after hundreds of thousands of years, and ultimately, after cultivating through long ages, possessing the combat power of a high-tier Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe.

But he never expected that Alvis would actually be the master of the Sky Eclipse Palace, possessing the strength of a top-tier Cosmic Hegemon!

Just then, 'Storm Marquis' Lu Xiusi suddenly turned his head to look at Lu Qingshan: "Brother Qingshan, I heard you're quite familiar with His Highness Alvis?"

Hearing this, the gazes of everyone around all converged on Lu Qingshan.

One must know that Lu Qingshan becoming Lei Huanwang's disciple had already made them quite envious, and now they hadn't expected that Lu Qingshan actually had dealings with a genius like Alvis again…

No!

It should be said—a super powerhouse like the Sky Tian Tian Shi Wang!

"I only once escorted His Highness Alvis on duty, that's all!"

Lu Qingshan said with a wave of his hand: "You can't really say we're that familiar!"

"That's still quite impressive!"

Lu Xiusi quickly said: "Once His Highness Alvis breaks through to the Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe realm, he'll surely recruit many Undying Gods under his banner. When the time comes, Brother Qingshan, you could completely go give it a try!"

"If you could have a Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe as your backer, your position within the company would definitely improve a great deal!"

Hearing this, the surrounding people all looked enviously at Lu Qingshan.

Yet in his heart, Lu Qingshan secretly shook his head.

Although his relationship with Alvis was fairly decent, he had never thought of serving under Alvis!

Right now he and Alvis could still barely be considered friends; if he truly went to serve under the other, wouldn't that relationship change in nature?

If he really were just an ordinary Undying, then although such a choice would be rather awkward, for him it would also be very suitable!

But Lu Qingshan possessed a golden finger like the Myriad Heavens Chat Group—given enough time, let alone a Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe, even a Lord of the Cosmos would not be his end!

Thus, naturally he had no need to go serve under a friend like Alvis!

(End of this chapter)