Chapter 68: Gift

Luo Feng sat before the pavilion atop the mountain, drinking Black Marsh Fruit Wine infused with deadly poison, while simultaneously practicing the Great Destruction Cultivation Method—only thus could he effectively temper his will.

“This Black Marsh Fruit Wine grows more flavorful with each sip.” Luo Feng cherished the sensation that permeated his divine body and soul; there was no choice—after three rounds of divine body refinement, his body had become increasingly terrifying.

Zzzt! Mo Yu Hu darted up the mountain and bowed respectfully. “Master, the City Lord’s mansion has sent word: the Ninth Jiang Marquis has dispatched an envoy seeking an audience with you.”

“An envoy from the Ninth Jiang Marquis?” Luo Feng was startled.

“Master, shall you receive him?” Mo Yu Hu asked.

“Of course. My lord is not so arrogant as to disrespect a Marquis.” Luo Feng smiled. “Tell the City Lord’s mansion I welcome the envoy at any time.”

Many had come to visit tonight, but Luo Feng had refused them all.

Hu Yang City was a den of mingled dragons and snakes; the Eternal True Gods from various factions held no interest for him—but many of these factions were branches of great powers from the Origin Continent.

Behind these factions might lie Chaos Realm masters—or even Divine Kings.

Thus Luo Feng avoided entangling himself too deeply with their branches; the deeper the entanglement, the less control one had over one’s own fate. The best approach was to keep distance from the start.

The Eternal True Gods of these branches held low status and offered nothing valuable—yet demanded endless favors.

Di Chu Yu held sufficient rank and could offer truly substantial rewards; Luo Feng had been tempted. But only if both Di Chu Yu and Luo Feng reached the Chaos Realm through the Law Line would Di Chu Yu’s invitation become viable.

“Personal talent matters, but external resources matter just as much.” Luo Feng understood this clearly—even he might never have reached his current height without the resources provided by his Master, Mountain Guest.

On the Origin Continent, the most precious resources were controlled by the two ancient nations.

With the resources of the Yan Feng Ancient Nation’s imperial clan, I could grow even stronger—only then would I stand a real chance of helping my Master defeat his greatest enemy.

…

Mo Li Meng arrived with the white-haired youth Jiang Yuyou to visit Luo Feng; among the five great families, Mo Li Meng was the one most familiar with Luo Feng.

“Come in.” Inside the pavilion atop the mountain, Luo Feng, Jiang Yuyou, and Mo Li Meng took their seats.

“Commandant Jiang is one of the Marquis’s four personal guard commanders—in Nine Jiang City, his status surpasses that of many Generals,” Mo Li Meng explained.

Luo Feng nodded. “I’ve heard of Commandant Jiang’s name even in Hu Yang City.”

He did not wish to live beneath the gaze of a Chaos Sovereign, but he still kept tabs on basic intelligence about Nine Jiang City.

Nine Jiang City’s military was led by four personal guard commanders and sixteen Generals—the core of its armed forces. Its army far surpassed those of Hu Yang City and Xu Yin City.

“Compared to Brother Luohe, I’m nowhere near his level,” said the white-haired youth Jiang Yuyou with a smile; his strength barely matched Mo Li Xiao’s, let alone that of General Yong or Xue Yun.

“In the entire Yu Nation, few can match Brother Luohe,” Mo Li Meng added, flattering him.

“Why did Commandant Jiang come tonight?” Luo Feng looked at him.

Jiang Yuyou said, “Brother Luohe, you slew Yu Tianhu and Yu Tianyi, as well as Xue Yun. When the Marquis heard this news, he was overjoyed and immediately ordered me to rush to Hu Yang City tonight to deliver this list to you—you may choose any one item from it.”

As he spoke, Jiang Yuyou produced a scroll, which floated to Luo Feng’s side.

Luo Feng unrolled it and looked.

“Volume One of the Void Nine Refinement Secret Scripture—Divine King-level inheritance.”

"The Seven Fallen Killing Method—complete Chaos Realm inheritance."

…

Nine inheritances were listed in total.

Aside from the first, Volume One of the Void Nine Refinement Secret Scripture, all others were Chaos Realm inheritances.

Luo Feng silently marveled—the Ninth Jiang Marquis was truly generous. After all, the Duan Donghe Line possessed only three Divine King-level inheritances. The Marquis himself might have mastered several, but the ones he could freely bestow… perhaps only this one.

“The Void Nine Refinement Secret Scripture—just from the name, I can guess it’s the ‘Void Primordial Dao’—not suited to me at all,” Luo Feng thought.

Luo Feng, possessing two lineages, understood clearly.

Chaos Realm Sovereigns mastered Chaos Laws.

But to become a Divine King? One must comprehend the ‘Primordial Dao’ embedded within the Supreme Rules. Like the Beast of Destruction, Mo Luo Sa, who was born with the Destruction Primordial Dao. Luo Feng had no deep study of the Void Lineage and had no intention of pursuing it.

“You may choose any one of these nine inheritances,” Jiang Yuyou said. “Each holds immense value—especially the Void Nine Refinement Secret Scripture, a Divine King-level inheritance, utterly rare and unattainable by mere luck. The Marquis holds you in high esteem and is willing to invest heavily in you. If you decline all these, you may instead choose ten million Cosmic Sands.”

Luo Feng considered, then said: “Ten million Cosmic Sands.”

Jiang Yuyou blinked in surprise.

He passed up a Divine King-level inheritance? Just as the Marquis suspected—such a powerful Eternal True God must already possess a formidable inheritance.

“Very well,” Jiang Yuyou said. “The Marquis will directly transfer ten million Cosmic Sands into your account via the Yan Feng Guild.”

“Please thank the Marquis for me,” Luo Feng said.

“The Marquis personally contacted the Nation’s Sovereign regarding you,” Jiang Yuyou said. “The Sovereign is delighted that the Yu Nation has such a talent as you. He said a great opportunity will come soon—he will dispatch an envoy to deliver it to you.”

Luo Feng rose immediately. “Please thank the Marquis—and the Sovereign—for me!”

Without the Ninth Jiang Marquis’s advocacy, conflicts among Eternal True Gods might take ages to reach the Sovereign’s ears. With the Marquis personally reporting, the Yu Nation’s Sovereign had to show some gesture—to honor his subordinate’s Chaos Realm status.

Thus, Luo Feng truly owed gratitude to both the Marquis and the Sovereign. A Divine King’s goodwill could not be taken for granted.

“Brother Luohe has contributed so much to Hu Yang City—these rewards are well deserved. The Marquis has always been this way: whoever earns merit will never be slighted,” Jiang Yuyou said. “But the Shi Nation’s Flowing Shadow Marquis may not let this rest. If Hu Yang City faces further trouble, you may still be needed.”

Luo Feng smiled. “What can one man truly influence? Ultimately, the City Lord’s mansion must lead.”

“As for conflicts between the Shi Nation and Yu Nation, rest assured,” Jiang Yuyou said. “Among Eternal True Gods, Chaos Sovereigns will not bully the weak.”

“I understand,” Luo Feng nodded.

This was not unique to Yu Nation or Shi Nation—it was an unspoken rule across the entire Origin Continent.

If an Eternal True God does not provoke, a Chaos Sovereign, for the sake of dignity, will not target the weak.

But if, like Ying Cang, one kills a Chaos Sovereign’s child, the Sovereign’s wrath and direct intervention are entirely natural.

Or if Chaos Sovereigns wage war against each other, one may do anything to survive—slaughter innocents to force an opponent to halt, swallow an entire large city to restore divine power. Before survival, dignity means nothing.

…

With the nine million Cosmic Sands from the Ninth Jiang Marquis, Luo Feng now felt more financially secure. Five days later, the ‘Beast of Catastrophe Map’ arrived.

!.

“Deputy Director,” Luo Feng greeted courteously.

The Deputy Director, a figure of gray mist, entered and handed Luo Feng a scroll shimmering with starlight: “Luohe, this is the Beast of Catastrophe Map. Since you dared to purchase it, you should know the taboos of studying it.”

“Yes,” Luo Feng nodded. As a renowned treasure for will cultivation, both of his inherited lineages contained detailed descriptions.

Moreover, with his peak Chaos Realm will, the danger of study was now minimal.

“The Beast of Catastrophe Map was painted by a certain Emperor of the Yan Feng Ancient Nation. Imperial clan members know well how to study it,” the Deputy Director smiled. “The secret method is typically passed only among Yan Feng’s great clans—it is rarely shared with minor nations.”

“This is the accompanying ‘Void Map’,” the Deputy Director said, flipping his hand to produce another scroll. “When combined with the Beast of Catastrophe Map and the secret method, the will cultivation effect is maximized.”

Even rolled up, the Void Map seemed to contain infinite spacetime.

“This Void Map…” Luo Feng was astonished.

“The Void Map may only be purchased by imperial clan members,” the Deputy Director said. “The Director bought it for you—very cheaply, just one million Cosmic Sands. You must use the Void Map for the secret method to work.”

Luo Feng’s communication device also received a secret method.

“The Void Map and the secret method are gifts from the Director,” the Deputy Director said.

“Please thank the Director for me,” Luo Feng said gratefully. The Beast of Catastrophe Map could be sold openly, but the matching Void Map was restricted to imperial clan members—severely limiting its spread.

In this world, strength ultimately decides everything.

Having demonstrated sufficient power, both the Yu Nation and the Yan Feng Ancient Nation’s imperial clan had extended their hands.

…

After the Deputy Director left, Luo Feng immediately entered seclusion, entering the Star Tower to study the ‘Beast of Catastrophe Map’.

Whoosh!

The Beast of Catastrophe Map and the Void Map floated into the air, the Void Map perfectly overlaying the Beast of Catastrophe Map.

“According to my prior knowledge, studying the Beast of Catastrophe Map requires gradually expanding from one edge until the entire scroll is fully observed,” Luo Feng stared at the map before him. “But the Yan Feng imperial clan’s method uses the Void Map.”

“The Void Map overlays the Beast of Catastrophe Map, projecting it across three thousand layers of void—each layer reveals a different version of the map.”

“Studying the ‘Three Thousand Void Beast of Catastrophe Maps’ first, then the complete map, yields far greater results.”

Luo Feng observed the first layer projected by the Void Map.

The first layer showed a monstrous, terrifying beast enduring countless calamities—each trial reshaped it, until, having survived all, the beast became radiant, blazing with inner light—a light that illuminated Luo Feng’s soul.

Merely this first layer required Chaos Realm will to endure.

As Luo Feng gazed, he felt as if he himself had become the beast, enduring its trials.

Yet the painted map differed vastly from true calamity; further distorted by the Void Map’s three thousand layers, it was a billionfold weaker than reality—its impact on Luo Feng’s soul was faint, merely granting him a taste of its essence.

By the time he finished the first layer, dawn had broken outside.

“Is this the core essence of the Beast of Catastrophe Map? A preview?” Luo Feng immediately turned to the second layer projected by the Void Map—this one brought an ocean of deathly despair.

The Three Thousand Void Beast of Catastrophe Maps revealed the map from different angles.

First layer: the foundational essence.

Second layer: the layer of endless deathly despair.

Third layer: the layer of tranquil nightmares.

…

Fortunately, Luo Feng’s soul will was strong enough to immerse himself layer by layer—he felt as if he had become the Beast of Catastrophe, enduring each trial.

(End of Chapter)