Chapter 167: Attention

Yanfeng Ancient Nation, Yan Capital.

Yan Capital was the city of Yanfeng Ancient Nation's first Emperor, Emperor Yan. Here also stood another palace, Yanqiong Palace. Emperor Yan and Yanqiong were the earliest-born Shenwang of the entire imperial clan; their paths were similar, yet Yanqiong remained trapped at Shenwang Second Layer, unable to advance further.

Deep within the ancient Yanqiong Palace, a vast world had been carved out.

Within this world.

The world contained countless volcanoes, and howling black winds! The black winds swept countless streams of magma into the sky, scattering them wildly.

"This Luohe…"

The entire continent of the world suddenly sat upright—it was a humanoid monstrous beast, its back adorned with countless volcanoes. With every natural breath from its nostrils, it generated violent black winds; its golden eyes radiated terrifying might.

On the world's membrane wall, countless secret runes flowed, and invisible energy descended repeatedly, washing over the massive monstrous beast's body.

"A Chaos Realm guest minister? How dare he enter the Infinite Space?" The massive beast's single golden eye burned with fury.

"Emperor Fu!"

"Emperor Fu!"

The massive beast spoke directly.

The countless secret runes on the world's membrane coalesced naturally into a figure—it was none other than the current Emperor of Yanfeng Ancient Nation: Emperor Fu!

Emperor Fu gazed at the massive beast and sighed inwardly, then spoke: "Brother Yanqiong, what do you need?"

"In the Infinite Space, I encountered Luohe." The massive beast's voice boomed, its might far exceeding what it had shown in the Infinite Space. "How did a non-imperial, Chaos Realm cultivator gain entry? I suspect Emperor Chu violated the ancestral rules…"

"You misunderstand Luohe."

Emperor Fu said, "He earned the opportunity through his own strength."

"A Chaos Realm transcendental? How could he possibly earn it himself?" the massive beast demanded.

"You are imprisoned here in your true form, wholly focused on refining the Hunyuan bloodline, so you know too little of the outside world," Emperor Fu replied.

"I've kept track of the outside world's powerful figures. What could I possibly not know?" the massive beast retorted.

Emperor Fu shook his head slightly: "Over a hundred cycles ago, Luohe continuously contested for celestial treasures along the border, forcing Thunder Ancient Nation to surrender one entry slot to the Infinite Space in exchange for his withdrawal from the border conflicts."

"With his absolute top-tier strength as a Chaos Realm transcendental, his prolonged involvement in these conflicts would have overwhelmed Thunder Ancient Nation," Emperor Fu said. "So yes, he truly earned his opportunity through his own power."

The massive beast fell silent.

So that was how it was?

The negotiations between Thunder Ancient Nation and Luo Feng were highly secretive and had never been made public.

"Earned it himself?" The massive beast sneered. "He only participated in the border conflicts because of his status as a guest minister of Yanfeng Ancient Nation! Only then could Thunder Ancient Nation suffer such a loss."

"If he were a wandering Chaos Realm cultivator outside the Yanfeng Ancient Nation, he wouldn't even have the qualification to join the conflicts."

The massive beast said, "He leveraged our guest minister status to gain such benefits! Shouldn't the slot have gone to the imperial clan? We could have simply rewarded him!"

Emperor Fu fell silent, gazing at this former elder of the clan—once wise, once respected.

"Brother Yanqiong, haven't you noticed how deeply the Hunyuan bloodline is corrupting you?" Emperor Fu said. "Even with my arrays suppressing the pollution, you're already this volatile? Without my arrays, you'd likely lose control entirely."

The Yanfeng Ancient Nation publicly claimed that those who cultivated the Hunyuan bloodline never lost control.

In truth…

Those who failed to maintain sufficient clarity were never released.

"I am perfectly clear," the massive beast said, staring at Emperor Fu. "We are the imperial clan. Our clan boasts countless powerful figures—we deserve the best resources of the Origin Continent! We grant guest ministers the chance to exchange for legacies and resources—that's already mercy! Should we give them such freedom? In my view, guest ministers entering sacred lands should obey our imperial clan's commands."

"Ordinary guest ministers enjoy sufficient freedom," Emperor Fu said. "You must remember: the guest minister system was established by the Ancestors."

"Does the Ancestors' decree mean it can never be changed? Are the rules set countless eons ago still always right?" The massive beast roared in fury.

Emperor Fu's gaze turned cold.

The massive beast's heart jolted—he realized he had been reckless.

"Emperor Fu, I once helped you," the massive beast said, looking at Emperor Fu.

"Brother Yanqiong, I've never forgotten your favor, which is why I've always aided you," Emperor Fu said. "I built this world for you. I've gifted you countless treasures and resources. I've always hoped you could truly remain clear-minded."

"I still need…" the massive beast began.

"You already owe the clan dearly," Emperor Fu cut him off. "You once borrowed vast resources to attempt breaking into Emperor rank. You failed. You cannot repay that debt—and yet you keep demanding more. Brother Yanqiong, you must understand… the imperial clan has more than just you. Resources cannot all be yours."

"You'd rather give them to Luohe and these guest ministers? Not me?" The massive beast's frustration boiled over.

To be eternally imprisoned—this torment was unbearable.

"You owe the clan dearly," Emperor Fu said. "But Luohe and these guest ministers? They earn everything through merit. They owe the clan nothing."

"I remind you once more: the guest minister system was jointly established by the two Ancestors! It is absolutely beyond your right to question." Emperor Fu stared at the massive beast. "You should also understand: in the Ancestors' eyes, your life and a guest minister's life are likely indistinguishable."

The massive beast grew even angrier.

He knew it well.

The imperial clan fought among themselves on the Origin Continent, and some Shenwang had perished—yet the Ancestors never intervened. "Focus on refining your heart," Emperor Fu said. "You should seek counsel from Emperor Ming. If your spiritual will could reach even two or three percent of his, you'd long ago have suppressed this corruption and remained perfectly clear, becoming a new Emperor." In this current cycle of the Origin Continent, Emperor Ming's spiritual will is unmatched. Bowing before him is no disgrace."

"I've already sought his counsel," the massive beast grew more frenzied. "But he humiliated me again and again—made me serve him, made me his attendant, made me his gatekeeper… How can I endure this?"

"You once humiliated him too," Emperor Fu said.

"He was weak then," the massive beast said.

"To him, you are weak now," Emperor Fu said. "Reflect deeply. In my view, your only chance to become an Emperor… is to seek counsel from Emperor Ming."

With that, Emperor Fu vanished.

"Ha! Seek counsel from him? Even if I am imprisoned forever, even if I fade into oblivion, I will never again submit to his humiliation." The massive beast grew even more frenzied.

…

Emperor Fu stood within his own created world.

"The imperial clan, showered with too much favor from the Ancestors, still feels it isn't enough. Even that pitiful share given to guest ministers—they want to take it back," Emperor Fu sighed. "These foolish fools… do they truly believe the Ancestors care for them?"

!.

"The Ancestors are beings who existed several cycles ago."

"How much affection can remain for descendants separated by several cycles?" Emperor Fu shook his head.

The Sacred Ground: Infinite Space.

The imperial clan's tyranny meant nothing to Luo Feng—he simply kept his distance.

"Thankfully, this is the Infinite Space, where everyone's power is roughly equal. If I were outside… they'd probably just slap me with a palm," Luo Feng mused with a smile.

According to his intelligence, Shenwang Yanqiong was an ancient Shenwang Second Layer, rumored to have switched to cultivating the Hunyuan bloodline, and with the imperial clan's resources and secret treasures, his power was unimaginable.

Yet Shenwang Yanqiong remained extremely reclusive on the Origin Continent, rarely appearing.

"Many ancient beings are nearly impossible to encounter outside, yet here in the Infinite Space, you meet plenty," Luo Feng found the Infinite Space intriguing.

In the Infinite Space, everyone was granted a standard Shenwang-level body. Want a stronger body? You must forge your own path to cultivate—but so far, no one in the Infinite Space had forged a path strong enough to reach Shenwang Second Layer.

Thus, everyone's body was generally at Shenwang First Layer.

Only spiritual will might vary significantly.

"Emperor Ming's spiritual will is truly terrifying," Luo Feng thought, recalling Emperor Ming. In all his time in the Infinite Space, Emperor Ming's spiritual will was the only one Luo Feng was certain surpassed the Ultimate Shenwang realm.

Vast and overwhelming, it was a qualitative difference.

"Hmm?" Luo Feng suddenly sensed a spiritual entity ahead. "Lucky break—I found one."

Luo Feng had nine avatars, each scouting different areas, always heading toward the most secluded spots.

He didn't mind the scarcity—once he found a spiritual entity, he immediately assigned one avatar to claim the territory.

One avatar claiming just one spiritual entity wouldn't attract the greed of major factions. But in reality, Luo Feng's multiple avatars scattered across the land had collectively claimed a significant number of spiritual entities.

Of course, only someone with many avatars could do this.

In the Infinite Space, those who had forged new paths and could still manifest avatars were exceedingly rare.

…

In the Eastern Pole Region, within a grand ancient palace.

A woman in blue robes sat quietly. The palace naturally manifested a vast array, its countless secret runes flowing and shifting constantly.

"Emperor Fu is truly remarkable—merely through arrays, he has reached Emperor rank. Compared to him, I still fall far short," the blue-robed woman marveled. Suddenly, she fixed her gaze on a shifting rune within the array. "Ah? This hidden segment has finally been deduced. Shenwang Wuxiang shouted Luohe's name inside the palace, and then vanished from the Infinite Space… His disappearance is tied to Luohe. The 'Mist Envoy' of Shadow Heaven Realm was slain, and the cause of death also points to Luohe."

"The Lord of Shadow Heaven Realm… just let it go? No further reaction?"

"This Luohe… is no ordinary person."

The blue-robed woman observed the array.

On the Origin Continent, she could use arrays to reflect traces and deduce countless secrets. The more world traces she reflected, the more accurate her deductions became.

"Perhaps I should invite him to join my side?" A thought arose in her mind. She immediately used the array to deduce—suddenly, the array reflected the world as if showing its future evolution.

"Though unclear, it seems like a wise decision? This Luohe… appears favored by the Supreme Rule," the woman was surprised. She had long known that the Supreme Rule showed favoritism.

The more brilliant and radiant a cultivator, the more favor they received.

Even beast-like entities like Jiebeasts were born with favor—rising smoothly to Ultimate Shenwang, growing faster the more they destroyed and devoured.

Ordinary cultivators began as ordinary, but gradually, some emerged as radiant ones.

"If he's favored by the Supreme Rule, he's even more worth inviting," the woman decided. In place, a single thought shot across vast distances, arriving at Xiangjie City of Yanfeng Ancient Nation.

(End of Chapter)